O’Reilly Factor Goes After Katie Couric: “Elite Left Wing Liberal”
“Culture wars” are a common topic on the O’Reilly Factor, but rarely does it get so personal as to call out fellow news anchors — but not last night. Monica Crowley, subbing for host Bill O’Reilly, quickly reminded viewers why she’s so popular with her conservative base. Last night, she went after Katie Couric, asking if Couric’s comments about an “angry nation” represented and “elite left-wing media looking down on Americans.” And that was just the beginning.
Crowley aired a clip from December 22 in which Couric shared her opinion about the mood of America, referencing both economic hardships and a bitter partisan divide that fueled an angry and polarized nation. Crowley took great exception to Couric’s comments, and had a sympathetic listener in guest Tim Graham, Director of Media Analysis for the Media Research Center, a self-described conservative group.
Transcript of the exchange:
Monica Crowley: In the personal story segment, CBS News anchor Katie Couric seems to think her viewers are, well, kind of cranky.
Katie Couric: I think the economic situation in this country, I think when people are struggling, that sometimes they need a place to vent their rage and to channel their rage and I think — I feel like right now, in many ways, we’re a very angry nation and whenever I think it’s not going to get more polarized, it seems to, but it all seems to be expressed through a prism of anger and disgust and disrespect, which i find really, really troubling.
Crowley: Way to attract more viewers Katie. Is this another example of the elite left-wing media looking down on Americans or is Katie right about the mood of the country? joining us now, Tim Graham, analyst for a conservative group, media analysts. So Tim, I’m wondering, whatever happened to dissent is the highest form of patriotism, which we heard for eight years when President Bush is in office but now it seems the left wing is saying, dissent now is the lowest form of anger or racism or whatever?
Graham: It reminds me a lot of 1994. When Democrats start to lose, then we have to worry about the angry Americans. Yeah, obviously, channeling anger at President Bush was not something the networks, you know, were against, it was something they stoked on a nightly basis. I think it’s one thing to say the country is angry. I think that’s fair. when she goes on to talk about how there’s too much disrespect, that’s when you’re beginning to see that whole idea of how unfortunate that we would have people who would so publicly and angrily disagree with President Obama.
Crowley: I’m wondering, Tim, where Katie Couric was and if her concern about an angry nation when the left was crucifying President Bush as a war criminal and Hitler, when Code Pink was in Condoleezza Rice’s face, when there are wall-to-wall, left wing, vicious attacks. Where was she in that concern? I guess that’s making your point.
Graham: We knew what it was back then. That was every piece of dissent, every Cindy Sheehan, every code pink, everybody with red blood painted on their hands, those were things they cheered for. They were all conscience and idealism and right now, she’s saying, I hate to be idealistic here but you people are angry and cynical. And that’s the sort of, yes, disdainful tone that people can pick up, we’re calling it Facebook fit.
Crowley: You know it seems to me that anybody who is an elite left wing liberal, whether they are in the media like Katie Couric or nor, they are intent on smearing or tarring anybody who might disagree with the liberal agenda. And I also think to our own government, earlier this spring, the Department of Homeland Security, under the Homeland Security Director, Janet Napolitano, issued a formal report that basically said if you own a gun, if you are pro-life if you go to church if you have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, you might be a volatile nut who could pop-off at any moment and you need to be watched. Then we’ve got this speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, in September saying, I saw this kind of rhetoric in the 1970’s in San Francisco and she’s crying about that, former President Jimmy Carter is saying any opposition to President Obama has to be based in racism. Have they lost their minds or is this pure arrogance?
Graham: When they start talking about a climate of anger leading to a climate of violence what they’re trying to do is intimidate people out of speaking, that’s what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to suggest the Tea Party protests or whatever are dangerous events, not that they’re great events where people stand up for liberty, but they are dangerous events that are tantamount to wishing Obama assassinated. These are what they say on television or on radio, on blogs like The Daily Kos. We can say angry talk, ugly talk, we’re getting a lot of that out of the media and it never stops when it comes to Conservatives. They are always seen as cynical, angry, and encouraging violence.
Crowley: Tim, do you think that the liberal elites don’t understand the average American out there and that they consider us the unwashed masses who need the guidance of the elite liberal vanguard and come to us because we know better? Is that how they treat the average American?
Graham: Well, it depends on whether they’re winning or losing. When Barack Obama wins, the American people are wise people. They are creating history, and you like the American people. Then when the polls go south, and the polls on this Health Care bill are not good at all right now and the Democrats are shoving it through anyway, suddenly the people are angry and not very smart.
Crowley: It just shows the tactics of the left, arrogance and desperation. Tim thank you very much. Merry Christmas.
30 comments
roxsteady says: Nice try by these two bozos but, you can’t argue with the fact that Couric is right. Look no further than those teabaggers that are the face of Crowley’s party. These angry, birther, deather crowds were certainly not Liberals. These people are willfully ignorant about just why this country is in such a mess. For 8 years the Republicans trashed this country by starting 2 wars and not paying for them, they passed SCHIP spending 5 billion dollars and didn’t pay for it, they passed 2 tax cuts for the rich and didn’t pay for that while allowing Wall Street to rob us all. President Obama comes in and attempts to try and mop up this mess by first, passing a tax cut for the middle class and suddenly there are tax day tea parties all across the country that looked more, as Olbermann calls them, like white power rallies and the right wonders why some see them as nothing more than a bunch of bitter racists? Every single person who attends those rallies have one other thing in common. They all voted for John McCain, who is the leader in a party of sore losers!
ImNotBlue says: roxsteady says:
December 24, 2009 at 8:40 am
Right as always, Roxy. There certainly was no “anger” from the left during the Bush Admin.
Nope… well, none of it on network television, that is. As was stated in the segment, and evidence shows… the country is no more “angry” than it was 8 years ago (Roxy proves that… anyone want to read his/her post and then tell me that he/she isn’t “angry”). The only difference is now that many in the media don’t understand, or at least don’t sympathize, with the “angry” ones. So, they think it’s strange and worth covering.
Lefties out on the street with Hitler posters, protesting daily, making up facts to fit their spin and attacks (see Roxy, Olbermann, etc)… that was common place… but more identifiable for those in the media. While they wouldn’t join them per se, they could see why they’d be so angry, and were more sympathetic to their message. But the roles are reversed now, and it’s the righties protesting and shouting… the media doesn’t sympathize, and so Couric says blatantly hypocritical things like this.
The country isn’t more “angry”… it’s just that the media is less.
BJL411 says: First of all, in the future, please proof read your posts/articles.
2nd, “fellow news anchors” ? huh? since when is the falafel man, O’Reilly, a “news anchor” ? He’s a COMMENTATOR and on a right wing shill network with a right wing agenda and owned and run by the right wing fringe.
A “fellow news anchor” ? really ? How uninformed and unprofessional.
BJL411 says: I’mNotBlue,
Like it or not, Bush lied, intentionally lied us into a war, illegally, that killed thousands and thousands of people. He and Cheney should be in prison for treason.
YOu should spend less time commenting on this site where you seem to LIVE and spend more time reading real documents.
Try some books
The Italian Letter
Hubris
Tempting Faith
A Tragic Legacy
State of Denial
Conservatives without Conscience
Blood Money
Fiasco
Iraq For Sale
Some of those were written by lifelong Republicans.
Try reading a book or 2. Maybe it will raise your IQ and awareness.
You are sadly a sponge, you soak up and absorb all you are told from the Faux Network
Hey Eva Braun look alike….look up “1860″ in a history book. The “perky one” has no clue. She’s locked into a huge paying contract but no one watches her because she is a disaster. How she holds her head up high when she cashes her check is amazing to me. Couric and her cronies are trying to bring the USA down. Wait for November, 2010 and we’ll see. Katie should read up on what the Tea Party is doing and the support it is garnering around the country. It is time to put liberal zombies like her in their place. Its the pure idiots like that over-aged hag that helps create the mess and problems in this country while going around wondering what in the world is wrong and why are the people so angry. You are whats wrong you pathetic fool!!
ImNotBlue says: BJL411 says:
December 24, 2009 at 9:07 am
Yes, blah blah blah… personal attack personal attack… blah blah blah… heard it all before. I’m a terrible person, and so on. *Yawn*
But as to the substance… that’s your OPINION. The “lied” and everyone else in congress bought into it? And “treason” for what, exactly? What crime would you charge them with… specifically?
Oh, and thank you. You once again helped me prove that the country is no less angry now. You are clearly consumed with a lot of irrational hate (treason… really? are you even familiar with what that word/crime is?). The only difference is the target. In the media… hating Bush and Cheney, saying really nasty things directed at Republicans, and flat out making stuff up is okay. But tea party protesters… nope, they’re too angry… and that’s a bad thing. Thank you for illustrating my argument.
Jim R says: Monica learned her lessons well from her mentor, Dick Nixon, always blame the “elites” and “the media” in order to manipulate the masses. Southern Strategy anyone?
She’s so perfect for Fox I can’t believe she doesn’t have her own show – pretty, bright, yet not above appealing to the lowest common denominator by flipping reality on its head.
Yes, Monica, the five corporations that control over 80% of the media are liberal, Republicans really do care about the poor and working classes. Irrefutable facts and statistics notwithstanding Republicans aren’t only representing the powerful and wealthy while running as populists.
The “liberal media” didn’t hire retired generals as experts who were on DOD and Defense Contractor payrolls to appear on the TV after being briefed on what they were allowed to say in the run up to the Iraq debacle, the “liberal media” must not have ignored anti-war protests and marginalized dissidents as DFH’s.
Sure glad Tricky Dick had such a great influence and trained Monica so well. Mobilize the hoi polloi! Man the pitchforks, the liberals are coming!
m says: Liberal media elites? Monic Crowley is self-parody.
TfT says: It was a terrific exchange, as I watched it live last night. And I couldn’t agree more. Katie and her pals worked overtime to undermine Bush and the GWOT daily. They praised Cindy Sheehan and now ignores the tea partiers or call sthem “teabaggers” because they are so “smart” and “cute”.
I look forward to the day that CBS news ratings plummet and the “perky” one has to give up her $15/year to read the teleprompter. Katie is a liberal elite snot, who is not a very good “dirty dancer”, nor does she read poetry that well, but I hope she has a Merry Christmas.
StewartIII says: Go Monica & Tim!!! Couric is completely clueless about why Americans are so angry with this administration & government. I don’t remember Couric being so upset when Bush was being protested against everywhere he went, even at his own home. People like Cindy Sheehan & groups like Code Pink were treated as heroes by the media. Now under Obama the media ignores these same exact protests & you have media people like Charles Gibson telling Sheehan to shut up & go home. Double standard anyone?
TfT says: I thought Monica did a great job subbing for O’Reilly last night; don’t know if it was her first time subbing or not, but I hope she does it again. I really appreciate it when the double standards of the liberal media elite are talked about so honestly and frankly.
As for Charlie Gibson, he is off the air. Thankfully — I remember when he said Sheehan should shut up and go home, but the clincher was Gibson’s complete ignorance on the ACORN story.
Katie Couric is a disgrace. “The Perky One” is more like “The Stupid One”. She never misses an opportunity to inject her cynical left-wing views into any story. That dumb broad actually won The Walter Cronkite Award for “Excellence In Journalism” for asking Sarah Palin exactly what newspapers she read. Katie Couric is a joke. The only reason anyone takes her seriously is because she’s a reliable lefty and an Obama sycophant. She is the face of the state controlled media.
@Roxsteady
Have to enjoy those who claim the Right is so angry and use name-calling in the first two sentences.
You cannot with any integrity carp about Bush economic policies when you have Obama creating a deficit in less than a year that eclipses anything that came before him. You do not pay for tax cuts, they have been proven to generate more tax revenue, something even Kennedy was awre of in his day. Obama’s stimulous package did not stimulate the economy. He said we have to rush into more TARP spending to hold unemployment under 8%, and now we are at 10%. And his cash-for-clunkers program was supposed to last for months but ran out of money inside of a week, and ended up costing 3x as much, and ending early. They could not pay off car dealers so they stopped using it, and the American auto industry that was supposed to benefit from it saw the majority of sales go towards foreign autos. These are the people who are primed to take over 15% of the economy and dictate our medical care.
Those tax cuts you cite are easily erased by the fees we’ll have to pay for our existing insurance, the Bush tax cuts that are going to sunset, the Cap-and-Trade bill that will raise energy costs, and the inflation we are facing because of all the money they have been printing. Not too hard to see why so many are mad these days, and check out the poll numbers – those are not all white racists who are disapproving.
ChrisNH says: The Leftist media will have a miserable year in 2010 as their own industry troubles will send more of ‘their type’ to the unemployment line. They’ll also lose ground in trying to prop up ‘their guy,’ as Katie is desperately trying to do. The ‘American People’ don’t give a flying Eff what Katie’s opinion is. They know she’s in the tank for Obama and her ratings point that out. The anger is only going to increase as long as Obama and Congress continue dividing the country. The best sound bite, of course, is the wailing and shrieking Hillary Clinton declaring that anger and distrust was ‘patriotism’ when Bush was in the White House. But now Couric and those of her ilk don’t see ‘patriotism.’ It will be fun watching the Leftist media get even more enraged in 2010. Remember, it was supposed to be ‘raining candy’ for these State-run media people. This was their ‘Golden-Goose’ government, supposedly. If you can’t win, at least enjoy the anger and rage coming from the side that did win. It proves that things aren’t happening the way they hoped and promised. Hate liberalism? Just give them enough rope to hang themselves. That’s what’s happening now, and what a tough, tough job the ‘rich, elite, multi-millionaire’ Couric has in ‘reporting’ about that.
Ted says: You teabaggers must be going through some serious withdraw from your daily feedings at the breast of Limbaugh and Beck, State run media? You dumb asses can’t even be original.
TfT says: It’s called being accurate Ted – a c c u r a t e.
State Run Media
Fringe Media
Biased Media
Elite Media
Enemedia
Broadcast Bimbo
All those work for Katie.
Ted says: tft – It’s called stupid…s t u p i d. What’s even more pathetic is that you teabaggers actually believe it. Poor whiny babies.
Ted, how is it you can use terms like “teabaggers”, “dumb asses”, and “stupid”, then declare THEY are the whiny babies?
m says: Teabagger works just fine.
TfT says: It’s called Patriot — p a t r i o t
TEA – Taxed Enough Already
Teabagger (Cooper and crowd).
Ted says: tft – you have no clue what a patriot is. You’re no patriot, you’re a teabagger…t e a b a g g e r. And a dumb ass…
d u m b a s s. Big whiny baby.
ImNotBlue says: Ted says:
December 24, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Big whiny baby. Whined, Ted ironically.
Ted says: ImNotBlue but I amAnIdiot – Ironically? Really?
ImNotBlue says: Ted says:
December 24, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Yes… look it up.
marquis2.0 says: This little douchebag Ted and m love throwing around this whole “teabagger” verbage. Well check it, that’s actually a compliment cause if i’m the teabagger that means my nuts are in your motherfucking mouth son, making you dudes the “Teabaggies”, so please continue using that term and remember my nuts are squarely on your tonsils you bitchass punks.
sueNaustin says: What exactly is the problem with conservative women in politics & media? How can they be quite attractive physically but so nasty and snearing and the type of people you don’t want susceptible children around? I thought Ann Coulter was horrible but in this instance, Monica Crowley is running a not too distant 2nd place.
And as for “ImNotBlue” … I hope that there is life for you outside of this mediaite site, I really do. Every time I read an article and then glance at the commenters, there you are. I will light a “red” candle for you. Merry Christmas.
pyrope says: If we are an “angry nation” as Couric suggests, it is only because we are angry at the socialists, communists, facists, so-called “progressives”, and the lunatic fringe in the media who are their enablers. Insofar as the accusation goes that Couric is somehow “elite” is concerned, I have watched Ms. Couric on a few occasions and see nothing that qualifies her with that title–she’s as common as a slum bound street walker.
Nater St. WIlly says: My two cents worth…
How can someone be socialist, communist, and fascist at the same time? Those are very different things. If, however, you mean that there are certain individuals within the whole of the progressive movement that would consider themselves socialist, communist, and/or fascist, I would have to agree with you. On the other hand, there are also a few racists and elitists in the tea party movement. The fringe ideal does not make up the whole. I personally do not believe that the nation is as angry as many in the tea party movement would have others believe. They are loud and they are armed, and yes they are still growing in number, but they are not an overwhelming force by any means.
Calling each other names will not help to prove any points here. I just want to say that when you speak of the Main Stream Media, you must also lump Fox News right in with them. Just because they are right leaning does not mean they are not main stream. All media outlets have their agenda because they need to have viewers/readers, therefore, in my eyes, the whole MSM is just a big entertainment industry.
You and your conservative friends will watch Billy O and Glenn Beck and enjoy it because you can agree with it. Liberals will watch Keith O and Katie because that is what they agree with and want to watch, as well. We watch what will entertain us. Both the right leaning and left leaning sides of the MSM use their own propaganda to further their view. It is when we all stop listening to these fools (both Katie and Bill O) in the media and begin to educate ourselves on the issues that we will become truly informed.
When it comes down to it, we are all Americans, but first and foremost, we are all human. If we go back through the history of the 2 party system in the U.S. we see that both sides has made some serious mistakes and the only way to counter act those mistakes is to come together, as humans and americans, to better ourselves and our country.
I hope that this can get some of these comments away from the name calling, which is a pointless wast of time, and focused on healthy debate which can better each and every one of us who read this site.
Here is a question to start the debate off…
Since, it seems, many of you are part of or pro-tea party movement, I assume (and I am sorry if my assumption is misplaced) that you are also against healthcare reform. What then, do you propose to help us cut the costs of healthcare while providing at least basic care to all of our citizens? If we don’t change the system people will continue to be denied care and the care rationing that is already done by the insurance companies will continue… Please respond, I would love to have an understanding of what you would propose to fix this healthcare debacle…
Ted says: Hey marquis2.0 – I am thrilled that you take pleasure in being a teabagger because I have a present for you…you are a teabagging dumb ass!! Merry Christmas!!
ImNotBlue says: sueNaustin says:
December 25, 2009 at 12:27 am
And as for “ImNotBlue” … I hope that there is life for you outside of this mediaite site, I really do. Every time I read an article and then glance at the commenters, there you are.
Well, yes of course there’s life outside. But it’s so bright and scary.
No, I mostly comment when I’m bored at work (like now), or when I’m avoiding work at home. But I don’t really like to talk politics and “insider” news media stuff at work, and only a few friends are knowledgeable enough to hold a conversation… so I spend time on this site and a few others, sharing my thoughts on the issues. Isn’t that what this is all about?
Yeah… I comment a lot. I also talk a lot… in person, so I guess it all goes together. Good thing I type quickly, or it would really eat up my afternoons! But how I spend my time seems to be a big topic on the blog this week… I wonder why so many people care what I do.
Merry Merry!
Nater St. WIlly says:
December 25, 2009 at 2:17 am
I just want to say that when you speak of the Main Stream Media, you must also lump Fox News right in with them.
I’ve heard this argument a lot… and it’s mostly correct. FNC has established itself as very mainstream… as proven by their consistently ratings performance ratings. However, when most people use the term “MSM,” they’re not really talking about popular media, they’re talking about historic media. In other words, the network channels and the newspapers. Talk radio, blogs, internet news sites, and cable news are still not really “traditional” sources of information. So technically, yes, MSM would apply to many of those sources… however, in the current definition, not the literal definition, I think there’s a difference.
RE: Katie and Bill O… the real difference is that O’Reilly portrays himself as an opinion guy, not a hard news journalist. Katie, on the other hand, IS a hard news person… supposedly free of bias. It’s all about knowing what you’re getting before you get it… AND having it presented that way.
What then, do you propose to help us cut the costs of healthcare while providing at least basic care to all of our citizens?
Well, some are tea-party people… and some (like me) are tea-party sympathizers, but not necessarily 100% supporters. It’s kinda how I looked at GWBush… I didn’t agree with him 100%, but I didn’t hate him… and that left me somewhere in the middle. I couldn’t agree with the folks who would say, “He’s doing a great job,” but at the same time, I couldn’t agree with the folks saying he should be arrested for treason (as someone told me here the other day).
But anyway… from my POV, this healthcare debate is very much about misplaced anger. We’re demanding “insurance” to make healthcare affordable, when we should be demanding lower health costs. Bringing the cost of healthcare, not health insurance, down would help everyone across the board. Med schools could be better subsidized by the government (doctors perform a needed service –not a want or desire, but a need– to the benefit of the nation, and therefore extended government support seems appropriate), insurance could be purchased across state lines, and the costs doctors have to pay for their own malpractice insurance could come way WAY down. Tort reform is always big on the right, and feared on the left (as Howard Dean admitted, they can’t do it because they’re too beholden to the lawyers groups)… but would do wonders both financially AND mentally for doctors and researchers.
I think the bottom line for most of us on the right, or on the middle-right, is that we don’t want the government to take over another industry or area. The government doesn’t have a very good track record of accomplishing its goals, or keeping a successful budget… and why should they? They make the rules, they make the money… they can do what they want. But that’s not the attitude I want when it comes to the health of me and my family. That’s the most important thing… at least for me.
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