Posted on 01/13/2003 8:22:56 AM PST by PJ-Comix
In an interview Friday night on MSNBC's Hardball, which aired after the EST/CST debut of Mr. Sterling, NBC's new show about an appointed U.S. Senator from California, Chris Matthews asked the man who plays Sterling, actor Josh Brolin: Do you think that George W. Bush is a good President, Senator Sterling?
Brolin, answering for his character, snapped: NO.
During the debut episode the character largely affirmed his liberalness. Reading a chart with a breakdown of constituent mail, Brolin as Sterling reported: 2,387 in favor of a capital gains tax cut, 1,949 opposed. And one undecided.
Press Secretary Jackie Brock, played by Audra McDonald, was flummoxed: You're undecided?
Sterling: Yeah I am after reading the Wall Street Journal's editorial today, yeah.
Brock informed him: Well the Journal's never met a tax cut it didn't like. See problem number one with this one is it's going to cost the Treasury at least $12 billion, which means that we have to cut spending by $12 billion and the first place people always go for that kind of money is Medicare. So, the real question is how much do you want to cut spending on health care for the elderly?
Sterling: I don't.
Brock: Then you just moved out of the undecided column on the capital gains tax cut.
Sterling: I guess so.
That liberal reasoning settles that.
For more about the show produced by liberal political commentator/Hill veteran Lawrence O'Donnell, see: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030110.asp#5
Later, Sterling did express some variance from the liberal line on oil drilling in Alaska, but I'm way over today and so don't have space for that.
The biggest incongruity of the show is how Senator Sterling is portrayed as an independent idealist, yet he decides to vote with the Democratic leadership for control of the Senate because they give him seats on the Finance and Appropriations Committees while the Republicans offered only a slot on one of those two committees.
But maybe that's what makes you an idealist to liberals: Getting as much taxpayer money for your state as you can.
I hope this show tanks, big time.
Nuff said.
Most likely an airhead. However, like most performers he will probably take his role seriously and start speaking out on issues that he knows nothing about...away from his script.
LOL! I have no idea as I was so enraged by his sanctimony that I couldn't even concentrate on what he looked like! Sheesh...the media complained about W's smirk. This guy takes the cake on that!
jriemer
One is an NBC wet dream about a Liberal President and the other is an NBC wet dream about a Liberal Senator (a Demmycrat in everything but the formal name).
I usually don't watch the network news, but was visiting a friend who had knee surgery Friday and sat through the NBC News with him and his father.
I was screaming at the TV within seconds. Brokaw and pals were trying to argue that there was some inconsistency between the Administration's positions on Iraq and North Korea. Now if they did a story on it with one person making that claim and someone else refuting it, I'd understand. Instead they had a bunch of Arabs on the street whining about Bush picking on them. Pure propaganda. I had to tone down my remarks as there were a couple kids in the other room.
I won't make the mistake of watching Brokaw's bias-fest again.
Looks like the networks have completed their trifecta of branches of government to recreate in their own image.
Pure fantasy!!!
Democrats would never match tax cuts with spending cuts, especially dollar-for-dollar. Bush has recently proposed a $674 billion tax cut. I would love to see Democrats match it with a $674 billion spending cut.
Taxes can go up and taxes can go down, but Democrats will NEVER accept a spending cut outside of military spending.
If Brent had actually watched the show he would know that Sterling had always plannned to vote with the Democrats. He was appointed to the senatorial seat by a Democrat governor to complete the term of a Democrat and he wasnt going to do a Jefford, overturning the will of the people. Why shouldnt he parley his position for all its worth and at same time show the leadership he is someone to be reckoned with. Yeah its fiction but I enjoyed the second half of the show which I saw.
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