Ex-CNN Washington correspondent Bob Franken - who in 2009 denounced [1] citizens protesting ObamaCare a "crazed group of people" engaged in "organized intimidation" and who now writes a column for Hearst and the New York Times called "Franken Sense [2]" - appeared on MSNBC Wednesday afternoon to slam Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's economic plans as "pandering" to the "very wealthy" to create an "oligarchy."
During his days as a beat reporter in Washington for CNN, Franken was ostensibly a nonpartisan reporter. But, like so many journalists who become opinion columnists in their later years, it turns out his views are very hard to the left, as demonstrated by use language during the 6pm ET hour of MSNBC (the hour anchored by Cenk Uygur) on June 8:
CENK UYGUR: I mean, Bob, is this guy [Pawlenty] serious?
BOB FRANKEN: Well, he's serious in that he's pandering to the segment of the Republican Party, the very wealthy, by basically letting them off the hook for any responsibility. They're interested in buying back a government. And so he is out there trying to see to it that he is the one where they shower all their wealth on, so he can turn around then and lead the government and be the person who heads their oligarchy.
The simple fact of the matter is that this is nothing new. There's an old discredited theory you called voo-doo economics. It was called the Laffer Curve, Laffer Curve, it was a laugher from the beginning - a rising tide lifts all boats. You know: there's a trickle down theory. Of course they don't say what trickles down on people. [Uygur laughs.] The point is that this is something that Republicans love to talk about and they drive us deeper and deeper into debt when they do.
- Rich Noyes is Research Director at the Media Research Center. Click here [3]
to follow him on Twitter.