Reporter apologizes for calling Obama a (bleep)

[IDemo]

Source: USAToday

Watch out for that live mike.

Mark Halperin, a Time magazine editor-at-large, a best-selling author and an MSNBC political analyst, apologized on that network's Morning Joe program this morning after calling President Obama a vile name while assessing yesterday's White House news conference.

"I thought he was kind of a d--- yesterday," Halperin said, apparently thinking the word would be bleeped out.

It wasn't.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/06/reporter-apologizes-for-calling-obama-a-bleep/1?csp=34news

[Maccagirl]

1. Another non-apology apology I'm sure

He's laughing about it as I type.

[onenote]

6. Here's his apology.

STATEMENT BY MSNBC
Mark Halperin's comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.
Halperin also issued a statement:

STATEMENT BY MARK HALPERIN
I completely agree with everything in MSNBC’s statement about my remark. I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it.

[Honeycombe8]

20. A genuine apology. That's rare these days, and good. Halperin has actually

been moderate and somewhat fair in his prior statements about Obama and other Dems, in his time on Morning Joe. So I'm surprised he went this far regarding this speech. I'm guessing - but it's just a guess - that that's the way Halperin talks...referring to people as dicks or such. Like I sometimes say, "That sucks." Just an expression.

But it was disrespectful and shouldn't have been said. Halperin's background is mainly in the written word, not on TV, so he may have some "larnin'" yet to do.

I'm okay w/Halperin disliking Obama's speech. After all, Halperin IS Republican, and he's entitled to his opinion (as wrong as that opinion may be!). But respect, I think, should be maintained about all of our political leaders, if only out of respect for the offices they hold. Including respect for the offices held by .... is "wingnut" disrespectful?

}(

[winstars]

32. Mark "It's a good day for John McCain" Halperin!!!!

Like what that gentleman said on KO's show, 'what I object to is his terrible political analysis.'

[SkyDaddy7]

2. I assume he called Obama a "dick"...

If so, WHY? Because Obama spoke the truth?

[polichick]

18. Yeah, apparently because he turned a bright light on those assholes.

[No Elephants]

39. He said something about Obama having acted like a dick when he (Obama) gave his speech.

Saying someone acted like a dick in a given speech is different from saying someone IS a dick.

Nonetheless, if MSNBC is going to have any credibilty whatever, Halperin should not be allowed back on MSNBC.

I think Halperin was very disingenous, asking serveral times if 7 second delay was on before he said it. If I was not paying close attention to my tv, my eyes would have been glued to Halperin's lips by then and, though I am not a professional lipreader, I probably could have figured out what he said, even if the sound had been bleeped.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. He's now been suspended indefinitely

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/mark-halperin-calls-obama-a-dick_n_887604.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/mark-halperin-calls-obama-a-dick_n_887604.html

[LuckyLib]

4. This passes for "reporting" or "commenting" these days.

[edbermac]

5. He ought to be more of a dick, IMHO.

:spank:

[patrice]

7. These guys are REALLY full of themselves, so that was a phony apology. nt

[Supersedeas]

36. wrong on so many levels--especially about Obama's tenor

[reformist2]

8. Republicans are out of ideas, reduced to name calling.

Obama should smile, play nice, but sign NOTHING unless Congress repeals the Bush tax cuts.

[backtomn]

21. Are you saying that Halperin is a Repub??

Works for TIME magazine, analyst on MSNBC.....is a Repub?? I hope that you were just making an unrelated comment.

[reformist2]

23. Well, I don't believe a Dem would make that remark!

[CTyankee]

37. I think Halperin is a cynical opportunist who smirks his way through every "analysis"

he offers up. I hope he doesn't go back on MSNBC (he has also appeared on Tweety's show...Tweety thinks he brilliant) ever again...

[No Elephants]

40. ? Pat Buchanan is an analyst on MSNBC, as is Michael Steele. MSNBC is a subsidiary of NBC, which

leans as right as any network, if not more so. Yes, it has some Democratic show hosts, but it has a lot of Republican and Libertarian ones pretending to be unbiased, too, and its management leans right.

IMO, Halperin leans right and pretends to be objective. Halperin's father was a prominent Democrat. If Mark were also a leftie, though, I very much doubt Scarborough would have him on so much and defer to him so often. And I doubt Halperin would say some of the other things he says.

[Demonaut]

9. d---? douche?

[No Elephants]

41. dick

[KansDem]

10. I'd like to buy a vowel, Alex!

"I?"

[SoapBox]

11. Next stop for this clown...FuxsNooseChannel!

...we've hated him for years, even when he was on ABC.

You could hear the "snark" in his voice when he would talk about Dems / Prez O.

[russspeakeasy]

12. Somebody watched morning joe ?

[Honeycombe8]

19. It's the #1 rated morning show. nt

[russspeakeasy]

26. a piss poor way to start your day.

[U4ikLefty]

31. #1 for meth users?

[No Elephants]

42. On cable, maybe. Today Show has been the number one rated morning show for forever.

[PatSeg]

13. What the hell did he think he was doing?

He writes for a living. If he had a criticism of the president's press conference, couldn't he find better words to use than "dick"? Why not just say something like, "I thought the president was a butthead"?

I can't figure out what he thought he was accomplishing. He needs to leave the comedy to the comedians, if he really WAS trying to be funny that is. Strange, strange man.

[polichick]

17. He thought there was a delay on that show - Joe told him there was...

...just before he said it.

[PatSeg]

25. Yeah, I know about the 7 second delay,

but still why take that risk and why did he think it needed to be said to the others? Even if he thought Joe and friends might find it humorous (god knows why), he could have waited until a break to be an ass.

I think some of these people just get too comfortable on TV and forget there is a camera running, especially on the early morning shows.

[backtomn]

22. He didn't think that he was live.....

...or thought that the 7-second delay would save him.......he guessed wrong.

[No Elephants]

43. People who have a good vocabulary and a good mind can get their point

across without calling anyone vulgar names, let alone a professional pundit on national TV.

[awoke_in_2003]

14. If President Obama was truly a dick...

he would send a couple of the guys with dark sunglasses your way.

[polichick]

15. I heard him say it and Joe was so surprised (or faked it). imo Republican leaders...

...epitomize that meaning of the word.

[LetTimmySmoke]

16. I want Obama to be more of a dick.

I just want him to be a dick to the *right people*

[reformist2]

24. Google "Mark Halperin is a..."

and Google suggests

"is a Republican"
"is a conservative"
"is a hack"

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fascisthunter]

28. Too Late....

[eilen]

29. When did we get so offended by "dick"?

Now the media is full of concern trolls.

[provis99]

30. at least he didn't call Obama a prick.

[Nihil]

35. So true ...

> When did we get so offended by "dick"?
> Now the media is full of concern trolls.

Nobody gives a flying fuck about all of the innocent people killed
on his orders, about all of the "shock & whore" being broadcast
every day, but some talking head calls him a dick and suddenly
the sky is falling?


>> "after calling President Obama a vile name"

Oh Heavens! Where's the smelling salts?

:eyes:

[democratinnashville]

33. So Obama is a dick for telling the truth?

Obama gets on TV and calls the rethugs out for being the do-nothings they are and that makes him a dick? Halperin shouldn't be suspended for petty name calling, he should be indefinitely suspended for being clueless.

[BREMPRO]

34. i watched the whole interview.. not the out of context comment

he clearly did not expect it to be broadcast and was trying to be personally candid to the panel and was very apologetic afterwords.. but i suspect the apology was more a concern for his career than any offense to the president.. I believe he actually thought obama was being a D***. Why would anyone watching the Press conf. where obama basically called out the pukes for protecting the wealthy, oil companies and elites trolling around on subsidized corporate jets, over concerns for education, seniors, average americans.. think he was being a d***? it was "not a radical idea"... Halperin showed political bias..which was his true offense here as a reporter,, not the obscenity of the remark itself or insult.. it showed he was not being objective..probably is wealthy and has trolled around on those jets.... so was personally offended.. he went on to make some more balanced commentary, but his personal opinion and bias undermined his credibility. BIG faux pas...

[No Elephants]

45. "Personally" candid, on national TV? Isn't that what commercial breaks are for?

[slackmaster]

38. He didn't call Obama a (bleep). He called Obama a dick.

:argh:

[No Elephants]

46. ? MSNBC would have bleeped "dick" had the seven-second delay been on. The Op says "d----."

[tabasco]

44. Apologize all you want, dipshit.

Now, even more people know what an unprofessional idiot you are.

[No Elephants]

47. If MSNBC hires him back, it will have no pretense at credibility, especially

after firing Schuster.