CNBC's Maria Bartiromo needs to stick do doing what she does best: standing around on the floor of the Stock Exchange looking like a cross between Sophia Loren and that thing that co-piloted the Millennium Falcon with Lando Calrissian in Return of the Jedi. God knows she shouldn't be allowed to speak. Two weeks ago, she went after Matt Taibbi like a rabid pit bull during his appearance on that daily bulwark of unrestrained blather, Morning Joe. Then just three days ago, during an interview with Democratic New York congressman Anthony Weiner, she unleashed this gem: When Weiner explained to her that there's already a public health plan in place in the United States -- that would be Medicare -- Bartiromo asked him, astonishingly, that if Medicare provides such quality health care, "How come you don't use it? How come you don't have it?"
Why isn't Anthony Weiner on Medicare? Because he's 45 years old, you nitwit.
Bartoromo's one-dingbat crusade against any sort of public option health insurance reform package isn't surprising; being someone with an all-access pass to every corridor of Wall Street, she hasn't just drank the Kool-Aid -- she's let herself be bukkaked with it. But what it says about her journalistic integrity -- and how it calls into question the ethics of any member of the media who cozies up so shamelessly to those he or she is supposed to be holding accountable -- should really leave a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who demands a certain level of objectivity from the people bringing them the news they need to come to an informed opinion.
It's insulting that Bartiromo, who obviously has a lemon wedge for a brain, is being allowed to sit there on television and tell you what to think. It's even more insulting that she and many of those like her in the media are purposely railroading the chance for serious health care reform in this country.
A couple of decent takes on the whole thing:
Talking Points Memo: Bartiromo Asks Under-65 Congressman Why He Isn't On Medicare/9.1.09
True Slant/Taibblog: Maria Bartiromo Shows How Media Is Sandbagging Health Care Reform/9.2.09
(Before anyone corrects me, Anthony Weiner was 44 at the time of the interview with Bartiromo but has since had a birthday.)
Friday, September 04, 2009
There's No Business Like Snow Business
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12 comments:
There's a reason why Fox Business News only has 21,000 viewers. It's because CNBC is the equivalent of Fox News for conservative business leadership. Besides your example, here's Michelle Caruso-Caberea talking about Tax Havens.
You should spend some time watching CNBC when Melissa Frances, Larry Kudlow and Trish Regan are on at 11a EST. It's a real nice whack job setup there.
Seriously this is like if the MSM just cozied up to the political establishment in exchange for access to the white house press room...Oh wait that's Sooooo 2000-08. It's also like the Sports media turning a blind eye to the possible use of Steriods because the sport was getting so much attention with McGwire/Sosa and therefore their Ratings and Profits skyrocketed.
Who would have guessed that once the media outlets were owned by profit hungry corporations that the quality of the journalism would decrease? Oh yeah...ANYONE WITH HALF A FUCKING BRAIN.
I'm still not over this....
"looking like a cross between Sophia Loren and that thing that co-piloted the Millennium Falcon with Lando Calrissian in Return of the Jedi"
what a riot! OMG.
Chez, your crude invective in this one is highly quotable. The bukkake line, among many other gems, are beautiful fucking poetry.
As an adjunct to your commentary on journalistic ethics:
FAIR recently published a piece detailing the ties between insurance and media companies. It paints a pretty clear picture of why it's not in the media's financial interest to give any positive or serious coverage to either single payer or meaningful insurance reform, and that when they do, the coverage is overwhelmingly negative.
The article can be found here.
She just lowered the glass ceiling with her stupid.
Interestingly enough, our health insurance coverage will be changing this November at GE. There was a line at the bottom of the email that read, "Some of you will pay more out of pocket."
Nice. Can't wait.
Just playing Devil's Advocate here, but isn't it possible that what she meant was simply;
Why don't the members of all 3 branches of Government, including the Congress and the Senate, (and while we are at it, as well as ALL federal employees,) using medicare, instead of private medical insurance, especially the "supposed end-all-be-all grade A super-insurance" that they (Congress) gave themselves?
Okay, so tell me something like "wait, medicare wasn't created for them to use," or some other BS. They could always have amended it to suit them, if they had wanted to use it, but frankly, they probably wanted "better" for themselves.
In tough times, or if they wanted to cut the deficit, and pour more money into the medicare coiffeurs, they could have given all the monies that they give private insurers, and put that much needed cash back into the medicare system, but they choose/chose not to.
Now, once again, I don't know exactly, I wasn't there, or didn't see the interview. But perhaps you too are "jumping the gun" here, so to speak.
Frankly, I think everyone is missing the bigger picture. Nothing will change until the private insurance companies are told to "hit the road!"
AB
Props for Sophia Loren/Wookie crack. Hit the nail on the head.
Coiffeurs? Don't tell me Medicare provides those, too! Here I've been, paying out of pocket every couple of months like an idiot...
Okay, so tell me something like "wait, medicare wasn't created for them to use," or some other BS. They could always have amended it to suit them, if they had wanted to use it, but frankly, they probably wanted "better" for themselves.
And that makes the question any less stupid...how?
I mean, duh, of course they wanted better healthcare. And as far as amending Medicare, isn't that basically what they are trying to do now, but for everyone?
You pretty much answered your own question with this:
Nothing will change until the private insurance companies are told to "hit the road!"
They haven't done it yet for the same reason they are having trouble doing it now: a bunch of idiots and money-grubbers suckling at the private-insurer teat keep blocking the way.
They don't want change. And Ms. Batiromo is just parroting the nonsense.
My pit bull is smarter (and prettier) than her. Juno is offended at the comparison to this Wookie woman.
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