Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher To Thom Hartmann: GOP Took Boehner ‘By Surprise’ On Debt

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by Frances Martel | 3:12 pm, August 3rd, 2011

» 36 comments

The political world is still reeling from the intense Congressional debate that pushed America to the brink of default, and trying to find just who to blame to make sure it doesn’t happen again. On last night’s The Big Picture, Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher took on the subject with host Thom Hartmann, arguing that the Democrats were “cute” in their naivete and could never pull off such a stunt because, with Republicans, “there’s nothing you can threaten them with.”

Hartmann noted that the impending crisis was at least predictable enough for the President to have been confronted with a question from National Journal’s Marc Ambinder that detailed exactly how Republicans could have exerted their leverage in the debt ceiling debate to cause a stir, and yet the Democrats seem to have been taken by surprised. “It’s hilarious,” Christopher noted wryly. “Democrats are so cute. They remind me of the heroes in pro wrestling who are always perpetually shocked that the referees are not enforcing the no bicycle chain rule.” That said, he ceded that he thought both Speaker John Boehner and the President “got taken by surprise” by the intensity of the Tea Party contingent in Congress, something for which Christopher noted that he could “sort of sympathize” with Speaker Boehner, because the idea of allowing the United States to default was that hard to believe.

Hartmann also asked about a question Christopher posed to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on what is and isn’t appropriate rhetoric by public officials, in which Carney argued that “lowering the temperature in general is a good thing.” “Isn’t this part of the problem?” Hartmann asked, to which Christopher answered that he did believe “the President is already cool enough” without having to tone it down even more.

As for the next problem on the horizon, Hartmann posited that the gas tax hike that mostly faces no opposition when it is routinely raised in Congress will be the next frontier. Christopher noted that the President had “handled this issue very well during the 2008 campaign, but that was a different Barack Obama.” Not to mention that he didn’t believe the sort of situation Republicans created could be mimicked on the left. “This is not the kind of thing that Democrats can ever do,” he argued, “If we threaten not to increase the debt ceiling, the Republicans will say ‘Okay, sure! Let’s go!’” This, he added, was not just a problem with the nature of Republicans, but with Democrats. “They know the Democrats will cave in, because they do every time.”

The segment via RT America below:

barack obama, Big Picture, Debt Ceiling, debt crisis, debt debate, Democrats, Jay Carney, John Boehner, Marc Ambinder, Mediaite, Republicans, RT America, Tea Party, Thom Hartmann, Tommy Christopher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLaLsNkaEq8 Unicon

Thom Hartmann… really Mediaite?
Anonymous

The leftist media meme that Obama was the “adult in the room” during the debt/budget debate just got destroyed by reality. The truth is that Obama got sent to his room without dinner like an insolent little brat:

Later that day, the four leaders met with Obama at the White House. At one point, GOP officials said, the Democratic and Republican leaders asked Obama and his aides to leave the room to let them negotiate.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/175159-how-john-boehner-escaped-disaster
Anonymous

Da comrade!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dronetek-Bulk-Vanderhuge/100000918732763 Dronetek Bulk Vanderhuge

A bunch of liberal Democrats on a propaganda network, deflecting attention from the bad job Democrats have done by portraying Republicans as the ones behind the wheel. A fuck is not given.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLaLsNkaEq8 Unicon

My vote is that Mediaite replace the current MSNBC pop-up ads with Hartmann’s
Anonymous

Da comrade!
Anonymous

With a hammer & sickle.
The Real Royal Emperor

Many thanks for posting this. Most informative and largely correct I believe.
Brad DC

He puts Tommy on the show that the only reason he names appear here. Its pathetic but what you expect with weak media.
realheadline

That’s Tommy Chrisopher? Wow, I had no idea, this clears up alot of questions I had. ”Raise the gas tax” ……..not likely. Go ‘redistribute’ your own money Darth Vader.
Guest

It was much more entertaining when Tommy wrote about himself speaking in third person. This is as boring as it gets.
Anonymous

Is that the new Spiderman ?
Anonymous

More sarcasm from the Austin alternative lifestyle section .
Anonymous

OK, I got the Monday morning quarterback’s take on the game from several sources. This coulda-woulda-shoulda back and forth is all about assigning blame. We’ve had quite enough of that.
It’s not that I have any confidence in Hartmann’s judgement on economics, but maybe talking about some issues other than blame is more important.
You know, stuff like the risk takers still aren’t seeing the stability they need to let loose investing. The ratings folks don’t see any improvement. This “super committee” is causing more concern and uncertainty.
Anonymous

OK, I got the Monday morning quarterback’s take on the game from several sources. This coulda-woulda-shoulda back and forth is all about assigning blame. We’ve had quite enough of that.
It’s not that I have any confidence in Hartmann’s judgement on economics, but maybe talking about some issues other than blame is more important.
You know, stuff like the risk takers still aren’t seeing the stability they need to let loose investing. The ratings folks don’t see any improvement. This “super committee” is causing more concern and uncertainty.
The Real Royal Emperor

No sarcasm.

I enjoy Tommy’s work.

Unlike you, I don’t enter a guest’s home and urinate in the vestibule.
The Real Royal Emperor

The Super Committee, which I gather was fathered by some of the T-Partee Terrorists and carried to term in the tiny, fetid brain of Little Eric Can’tor is absurd. I have some questions whether it is even legal for Congress to delegate away this power. With the current rightist activists on the Court, it will probably be deemed a “political question” and therefore Constitutional, but it is a terrible concept nonetheless.
Anonymous

I thought Obama was all “wee weed up” in this entire debate and hardly the cool dude that TC likes to portray Obama as. An incompetent boob is what we saw during this entire debate, and incompetent boob who happens to sit in the oval. You can spin it Frannie all you want, but it was hehimself who was the all time big zero in this whole debate.
Harry

I do find it quite humorous as Hartmann makes reference that Republicans all of a sudden care about raising the debt ceiling when a Democrat is president. Where was all the Republican concern for cutting spending when the debt was 7 trillion and Bush wanted to raise the ceiling? Hmmmmm. It kind of makes me wonder that maybe this was a politically motivated crisis?
Anonymous

and just like the democrats voted against raising it when a republican was president…..hum….could be
http://twitter.com/lazzzlo lazzzlo

OK, just saw Tommy’s tweets and he’s got appendicitis and gangrene? Yikes dude.
Anonymous

That’s ten minutes of my life that I can’t get back.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Roy-de-Placitas/100002281600821 Roy de Placitas

DAMNED ACCURATE! No wonder Hartmann is the #1 Progressive talk show host. His grasp of history and the ‘big picture’ never ceases to amaze me.
Anonymous

Damn Tommy. All that “liberalism” is clearly bad for you. You look like the horseman pestilence left a deposit in your cap’n crunch.
Tedderman

Those stupid Democrats, the NazTea-party threatens to blow up the economy and destroy the country and they cave, idiots.
Anonymous

Fact: No Donald Trump hair stories for Tommy right! hahahahahaha……………
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GVWU6V6ORHYQ57UOHAEI52XTVU Dennis

Wow, I never thought in a million years I’d see Tommy on as a quest on a program and come off as the most reasonable person there… holy tomales….How in the hell did this whacko get a TV show?
http://twitter.com/FNORDLORD Fnord Lord

Russian propaganda is awesome. Why no Pravda?
Anonymous

Get well Tommy! Maybe you should stay in the hospital and get a complete overhaul!
Latin2

What grown a$$ man calls himself “Tommy”?
Arkansas Steve

I hate those damn ads. I can’t delete them fast enough.

Maybe it is just a way for MSNBC to “donate” money to Mediaite. Most of the time (not always) it appears to me that the Mediaite writers have their noses … well, you know where. If I were MSNBC & wanted to influence Mediaite or donate to them, I’d just place some phony-baloney advertising on their site which did NOT require anybody to click on. That is what the MSNBC popups do. Yeah, I think that’s it.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GWUMDXSUYVXFOVKEDR7OG3SD7A John Doe

Wait, is Thom Hartmann homosexual?

He exhibits a somewhat feminine demeanor, particularly the way he gestures with his hands, eyes and head.
Anonymous

I see the Super Comittee in perpetual deadlock, as if it were concieved deliberately that way.
Holistic

Tommy left off his quote “We didn’t get anything” but attributed it to NOD.
Jadd

Everything in reality takes Boner by surprise. Isn’t he due to retire soon?
yaniv kenner

if you gonna be a brain dead with no argument who just going to bash the messenger, at least do it with some wit.
but what would you know about that.
combine all the teatards, fox pundits, southern jerks like yourself and your friends brain and it wont amount to 1% of thom’s incredible mind.
try to listen instead of give in to your pavlov knee jerk reaction whenever you hear a smart liberal talk.