Occasionally in watching the business tv shows and the normally pro Republican talking heads on them, there is a bright spot such as when a confident and knowledgeable reporter like Mark Haines on CNBC, Moderator of Squawk on the Street, absolutely shocks the guest and the audience. Mark Haines did it yesterday and it should not pass unshared. See below:
For those of you who do not watch Squawk on the Street or CNBC in the morning, it is one of a series of shows discussing the stock market and specific corporations with financial advisers, corporate leaders and spokespersons along with an occasional political type, either elected official or spokesperson. Most of the moderators-interviewers-talking heads make clear in the course of comments and interviews over the months and years that they are libertarians or conservatives and beat up on the token D's or "Liberals" or those they claim are such. Once regular contributor is reporter John Harwood, who is regularly called a "liberal" by Larry Kudlow and others. They usually all chuckle and laugh as they deliver the right wing talking points as part of their comments and questions of guests.
One of the most fun moderators is Mark Haines, an on screen Cheetos eating lawyer by training and a long time reporter and moderator who delights in occasionally doing a real interview with substantive data and nailing the guest who is expecting soft ball lobs and to be allowed to deliver talking points without fear of contradiction.
With that as background, see the CNBC interview from August 19, 2010, below. Sorry I don't have a transcript, but the printed transcript would not give the flavor of watching Grover Norquist completely shut down and befuddled.
For those of you not familiar with Norquist, I have attached one of many links to his background. Most readers will be familiar with this completely evil man who has made a successful career of being the current equivalent of Lee Atwater, as far as damaging the political system and apparently making a lot more money in the process than Atwater ever did.
Here are the links to the show where Haines nails Norquist and other background for your viewing and sharing.
http://www.cnbc.com/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...