|
Tom Brokaw Quotes
WASHINGTON – "Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor." It has become the favorite new party line of Democrats incensed at Sarah Palin's Republican National Convention speech in which she poked fun at Barack Obama's career experience as a "community organizer" in Chicago. Former Democratic presidential campaign manager Donna Brazile was the first major Democratic figure to use it publicly, followed by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn, in a speech on the House floor last Wednesday. But today on "Meet the Press," it was NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw using the line in an attempt to bludgeon former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also used his speech at the convention to ridicule the amount of space "community organizer" takes up on Obama's resume. "Senator Obama, who had an Ivy league education and could’ve gone to Wall Street, went back to Chicago, on the South Side," explained Brokaw. "As you know, his supporters have defended him for working with poor families, many of whom lost their jobs when the Gary steel mills closed. In that mocking fashion, it seemed to a lot of people that you were belittling the role of a community organizer, and it led to this button (showing a campaign-style lapel pin) – it was addressed to Senator Palin, because she also talked about it – 'Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.' In retrospect, do you think you had too much sport with his role as community organizer, Mr. Mayor?" Brokaw parrots 'Jesus was community organizer' line
“My problem with the whole spectrum [of talk radio] is there is not — you know what Rush’s, what his whole drill is. He doesn’t want to hear another point of view. Except his. That’s my issue....The problem with talk radio is they mock anyone else’s point of view, and they do it often in a mindless fashion. You know that as well as I do. Because it’s a hot button for the choir that’s listening to them, and it works for them commercially. There are very few programs like you, like yours, in which you’ll interview people across the political spectrum. It’s mostly go out there and hit the hot button all day long.” — Brokaw on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, Nov. 26.
|
|