NBC’s David Gregory apologizes for saying ‘no grand wizard’ in GOP
On NBC’s “Today” this morning, David Gregory – the host of “Meet the Press” — was addressing the lack of Republican infrastructure that might encourage a beleaguered Herman Cain to leave the GOP presidential contest.
He chose his words poorly. Said Gregory:
“Well there is no, you know, grand wizard in the party right now who can really force the issue.”
Rack your brain. What other political organization was famously pale, carried great weight in the South, forced African-Americans out of U.S. political life, and used the term “grand wizard”?
You can expect – or should expect – a retraction later today. See the video at Real Clear Politics.
Updated at 10:05 a.m.: The good people at NBC just e-mailed to make known that Gregory apologized — via Twitter – shortly after this post went up:
@davidgregory “Wizard” remark this morning was a very poor choice of words. Did not mean to make that connection at all. Was not thinking. I apologize
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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119 comments Add your comment
Danny O
November 9th, 2011
9:32 am
Oh yeah, [wincing] uhh, not the best metaphor he could have used right there.
Frederick Douglass
November 9th, 2011
9:32 am
Ah Jim that might be David Gregory. Dick Gregory was a fine comedian back in the fifties, and a stawart civil rights activist, but a moderator……not so much.
Frederick Douglass
November 9th, 2011
9:34 am
That’d be stalwart, even I make mistakes, sorry Jim.
LizBeth
November 9th, 2011
9:44 am
The Republican party has wizards? It’s true; I saw a bumper sticker that said Voldemort votes Republican.
Rich T
November 9th, 2011
9:44 am
David Gregory has no integrity as a journalist and is a waste of discussion.
Turns out Ms. Bialek is not the only Cain accuser who is a serial opportunist: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-accuser-filed-complaint-next-job-080946066.html
Is it not yet time to begin considering the fact Mr. Cain may be telling the truth?
Call it like it is
November 9th, 2011
9:46 am
So is anybody shock by this? Gregory once again showing his true colors.
View From Midtown
November 9th, 2011
9:47 am
Well, if the pointy white hood fits…
td
November 9th, 2011
9:48 am
I see that Mr. Gregory’s true colors slipped out. No surprise everyone already knew he was a lib elitist.
td
November 9th, 2011
9:50 am
The only wizard politician I have ever seen was Robert Byrd and he was a democrat.
Rich T
November 9th, 2011
9:51 am
A good and decent man who is running for President because he believes the future of the nation is at stake is being dragged through the mud over accusations by women of shady character traits. This has truly become sad.
clem
November 9th, 2011
9:52 am
apparently you don’t watch meet the press, gregory is shill for ge…..but even the corporate elitists know what a loser herman is for the party
findog
November 9th, 2011
9:54 am
Mr. Gregory must be fired
This insulation that there is no Grand Wizard in the GOP is an insult to the memory of Richard Nixon and his southern strategy
His position as a gate keeper to the political elite in DC has been irreparably damaged and the best thing for him and NBC is a swift termination of his contract like they did with Don Imus
I shall boycott any advertiser for any NBC show until he is gone and his reprehensible comments addressed at the highest levels of their media conglomerate
Centrist
November 9th, 2011
9:56 am
You can’t un-ring a bell. No doubt that was a biased, purposeful slam.
LBJ once had his campaign for Congress put out that his opponent had sex with farm animals. When he was told it wasn’t true, he said “I just want to see him deny it”. Hard ball politics by the media is now the norm. (Examples: Backing Anita Hill against Judge Thomas, Dan Rather attacking G.W. Bush, downplaying the John Edwards fiasco as long as possible, the Herman Cain smear)
Centrist
November 9th, 2011
10:02 am
Reposted from the “Morning Jolt” blog this morning that lasted 18 minutes before this one replaced it – Washington Post quote: “Congressional Republicans have for the first time retreated from their hard-line stance against new taxes, offering to raise federal tax collections by nearly $300 billion over the next decade as part of a plan to tame the national debt.”
Of course, this is all just liberal spin. Speaker Boehner ALREADY offered more than double that ($800 billion) over 10 years along with the $4 trillion in spending cuts he and President Obama had a framework agreement termed “The Grand Bargain”. It collapsed when Senate Democrats made Obama renege, and then demand $1.2 trillion in revenue.
The revenue Boehner agreed to was not “new taxes”, but a net increase by closing loopholes, deductions, exemptions and actually lowering tax RATES. It was in exchange for big spending cuts which along with revenue increases must be negotiated all over again – possibly by the Super Committee.
All these little leaks about how the talks are going are useless politics. Either the Super Committee will come up with something, or it won’t. I’m betting it won’t and since the sequestration is not until 2013 AFTER the next election, there will be a lame duck Congress in November/ December 2012 that will simply kick this can further down the road.
Frederick Douglass
November 9th, 2011
10:20 am
What he should’ve said was Imperial Wizard, then he would’ve been legitimately lying.
findog
November 9th, 2011
10:23 am
Centrist,
But the kicker is that the Bush tax cuts have to be extended forever at $4T/decade
So please explain how $300-800B is worth $4T
We have a math problem in this country, no new taxes, no loophole closing w/o equivalent tax cuts, and no cuts to the programs/agencies I deem important
Bob
November 9th, 2011
10:25 am
Gregory is a Republican, he would no what he is talking about when he says Grand Wizard.
Centrist, you have it wrong, any “grand bargain” had to be a compromise of new revenues if many were to middle class and poor were to be hit with tax increases in the result of benefit decreases. Let’s not play games here. The GOP has stated that their primary goal is power, not solving the nation’s problems. They hate Obama more than they love our country. Their words and actions on this are not debatable. It’s the GOP that forced Boehner to renege. Remember he the circus in the House that week (I realize it may be difficult to remember one week’s circus from the next).
joe
November 9th, 2011
10:27 am
Obama has spent more in 3 years than all 43 presidents before him. Think about that…
mike 'hussein' smith
November 9th, 2011
10:29 am
Centrist, sorry I missed that post, but I don’t buy your explanation of a liberal slant to anything. The GOP has been trembling in fear for the past decade because they signed away a right to have a brain to the tax opponent Grover Norquist. And only recently did Norquist “ease” his definition of a tax to allow closing loopholes, deductions and exemptions. Ergo, Boehner got his manhood back and offered additional tax revenues. But that was done only on a one-to-one basis with President Obama. Now, the House Republicans are apparently going a step further by offering to enact into law tax increases of some sort as part of the Super Committee work. So where’s the spin? In your post.
ab
November 9th, 2011
10:34 am
I will think about that Joe. Well I thought about it and all I can come up with is Iraq.
clem
November 9th, 2011
10:35 am
no bastion of liberalism, MT tells supreme court with the likes of scalia, roberts, alito & thomas to stick it in their ear on Citizens United….
http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-voters-say-corporations-are-not-people-ask-for-constitutional/article_f90f0f06-0a8b-11e1-99bf-001cc4c002e0.html
good job MT
Bob
November 9th, 2011
10:44 am
Obama vs Bush spending:
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/jamesfallows/assets_c/2011/07/24editorial_graph2-popup-thumb-560×622-58477.gif
Think about it, indeed.
clem
November 9th, 2011
10:50 am
bob, please don’t confuse them….facts mean nothing, perception is everything
Born Again
November 9th, 2011
10:51 am
There most certainly is a “grand wizard” — Newt Gingrich! Go Newt!
GaBlue
November 9th, 2011
10:56 am
I’m sorry, but this article is unclear. WHO is the GOP Grand Wizard this year?
Centrist
November 9th, 2011
10:59 am
findog posted “Centrist, But the kicker is that the Bush tax cuts have to be extended forever at $4T/decade
So please explain how $300-800B is worth $4T.
The Bush tax cuts where only extended by Obama until the end of next year. They will not be allowed to expire – the economy can’t take it, and that is why Obama extended it past the next election. There WILL be significant changes to the tax code, but maybe not during an election year – but the tax rates are not going to jump back up like liberals want.
Claiming that the tax cuts “cost” $4 trillion in 10 years is the same old tired Democratic static analysis. Reality shows that people’s productivity, investment, earnings (which are taxed) radically change with tax adjustments. Revenue often INCREASES with tax rate cuts.
td
November 9th, 2011
11:03 am
I keep seeing all these post about higher revenue, increasing revenue and spending more money on stimulus. Could some of you please explain how high taxes need to be? Since we are currently spending more money as a government then anytime in history then could someone please explain why we need to spend more money? Finally, how are we suppose to spend more money and pay off our debt?
Teresa Pitt Green
November 9th, 2011
11:05 am
Ouch. I believe it was Gregory misspeaking, but my problem is with Gregory’s gotcha style is my serious doubt he’d cut any Republican, even Cain, slack for a similar slip of the tongue. I suspect Gregory along with NBC would be yelling Freudian …. Wish Gregory would learn not just control for damage.
carlosgvv
November 9th, 2011
11:07 am
The second I heard him say that, I knew the politically correct police would spring into action and force an apology. When style over substance is the norm in American politics, this kind of reaction is what you may expect.
findog
November 9th, 2011
11:09 am
Centrist, and Reagan proved that you can cut taxes, raise defense spending, and the defecit will go down – right?
The longest sustained economic period was during the Clinton era taxes
The only recession that saw no real rebound was W’s when we kept priming the pump
Higher taxes will reduce the governments burden on available capital, meaning it will be available for investment to small business owners
If I am in error please provide some proof of your statements [academic or non-affilated peer reviewed study], if not quit blaming everything on tired old democrats
Newt is nuts
November 9th, 2011
11:10 am
Finedog’s comment at 9:54 is a classic.
Newt is nuts
November 9th, 2011
11:11 am
Sorry, I meant Findog.
Jon Lester
November 9th, 2011
11:11 am
Well, you know what? Sometimes the subconscious mind is right the first time.
LizBeth
November 9th, 2011
11:18 am
The new articles out this morning about Karen Kraushaar all are headlined with a complaint she filed at a subsequent job and hearsay about the settlement she asked for. You have to look way down in the articles to find that she was a great employee who has been cited for her excellent work with the government.
findog
November 9th, 2011
11:20 am
td,
two wars that came with tax cuts
thousands of vetrans that need extensive care for decades
grants to states like Georgia for them to pay unemployment benefits, teacher salaries, and public safety
and trillions in spending passed by republican controlled federal government; RINO not conservative elected officials
taxes need to be raised on EVERYONE to the 1994 levels: poor, middle class, 1%, hedge fund managers, capital gains, everything; freeze spending on all non-defense spending – cut back defense spending as we retract from Iraq and Afganistan; close loop holes in the tax code added since President grand bargain in 1986; open energy reserves off the coast of Florida and Alaska
findog
November 9th, 2011
11:22 am
thanks Newt I try
Centrist
November 9th, 2011
11:26 am
@ findog – the “proof” is that even Obama abandoned his populist call for the Bush tax cuts to expire. He will do the class warfare/ populist thing again in the current campaign, but those rates are NOT going to revert back whether he is re-elected or not.
This debate has been going on for longer than I care to continue it.
findog
November 9th, 2011
11:29 am
So it’s now the new democrats and not the old democrats
thanks for the clarification
honested
November 9th, 2011
11:32 am
To the headline, I guess Gregory had seen the pictures of people with teabags stapled to their silky white hood as well.
As it was stated earlier, if the hood fits.
jconservative
November 9th, 2011
11:34 am
“Is it not yet time to begin considering the fact Mr. Cain may be telling the truth?”
About what?
He lied 4 times, on camera, while denying the original Politico story. He finally told the truth in its and pieces and we now know the original Politico story was 100% correct.
The allegations of misconduct by several women are totally beside the point.
Cain had 10 days notice that the Politico story was going to print. And then in one of the great examples of incompetence came out lying when the story broke.
Jimmy62
November 9th, 2011
11:36 am
When I saw it, I thought of the wizard in The Wizard of Oz, controlling everything while hiding behind a curtain. People are too sensitive and ready to attack everyone for basically innocent behavior.
scratchin my head
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
What I am really concerned about is….heard that the 2:00 emergency broadcast test is; apparently due to, aliens being transported off the passing asteroid…n…the government ran out of money for real emergency signal.
td
November 9th, 2011
11:40 am
clem
November 9th, 2011
10:35 am
I am not sure if I agree with them or not but it really raises some questions to ponder about. What is a corporation? I see a corporation as a collection of people working together for a common interest (making money by buying or selling a product or service). If this is true then how are corporations any different then any other interest group or for that matter a political party? If a interest group, say a union or a group like common cause or the NRA have the free speech rights to actively participate in the election process then why does not all interest groups?
Redcoat
November 9th, 2011
11:42 am
LizBeth…………….Just as I predicted, just as more info on Mr. Cain’s accusers are brought forth, let the outrage begin!
Redcoat
November 9th, 2011
11:46 am
jconservitive…………..I have information about you and some serious accusations from your past, you care to explain yourself?
Politi Cal
November 9th, 2011
11:50 am
Didn’t think left wingers ever apologized for anything. Guess this was “special,” huh?
honested
November 9th, 2011
11:53 am
Whether or not the ‘gropemaster’ actually groped these women, what does it change about his abject lack of qualification to be mayor of a small rural town?
Nominate him so the President can win by 30 points and 200 electoral votes!
Ron Mexico
November 9th, 2011
11:55 am
Mr. Cain is nottaking a beating with poll numbers(as of yet). But he is taking a beating from his wife. You can’t touch that many women and then D9 D9 D9. This is the reason why I could never run for political office. I visit too many strip clubs. Mr. Cain put himself in this situation(i.e. perry/mitt) and he will have to get himself out of it.
Grand Wizard, there are plenty of Grand Wizards in the party. Herman didn’t wash his hands after the cross burning………..
clem
November 9th, 2011
11:56 am
td, money corrupts….for the life of me i do not understand why elections cannot be public funded. no system is perfect, but the other day someone said that the candidate with more money won 94% of the time, which begs the question. tv ads and fact check of them very rarely gets to all the public, so couch potatoes are bombarded with often unsubstantiated claims…
all i know is when i got drafted, they were not drafting corporations? i think citizens of MT know what is going on. if you work for a company that makes tons of money off the war, how legitimate is that? or your work for a company that outsources jobs to overseas entitities. you as a person have a vote. why should yours be amplified because your company has money to throw at elections and buy congressmen.
as you say, a question to ponder
Get Real
November 9th, 2011
11:59 am
What do you expect from leftist NBC and “Meet the Depressed”