No, David Gregory is not a Hack

March 4, 2012 By

I’m seeing a lot of remarks on Twitter about this exchange between Newt Gingrich and David Gregory this morning.

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I’m seeing people saying Newt “schooled” David Gregory; that he “took it to” Gregory and so forth, but Gregory lets Gingrich speak for nearly two full minutes, uninterrupted, and in doing so he allows Gingrich to point out all of the issues that are going undiscussed, everyday, while the Democrats and the media promote the absolutely false narrative that anyone is trying to ban the use of contraceptives. Gingrich brings up the economy, gas-prices, unemployment, the president’s assault on the free exercise of religion (as opposed to “freedom of worship”); he brings up Obama’s support of infanticide and more.

And Gregory doesn’t sputter or get loud and try to turn the subject, as Chris Matthews or George Stephanopoulos or any number of genuine hacks might.

In fact, even though he returns to his talking points, to me his heart doesn’t seem to be in it. I imagine while Gingrich was speaking, some producer was screaming in Gregory’s ear to cut him off, to interject something, to “change the subject, get him back on Limbaugh and Fluke and Contraception” because it’s all the Democrats have right now. It’s all the media has, and I suspect they are convinced — not without reason — that their non-stop talk about the bishops “taking away women’s rights” is working among the unthinking and those quick-to-embrace-victimology.

I don’t think Gregory is a hack, and I don’t think he got “schooled.” Gregory has talked about the importance of his Jewish faith to him and his family. As a person of faith, he has to be concerned about what he sees going on in the country and within his party and profession — which has abandoned its own freedom for the sake of ideology and political enthrallment.

Our “free press” is no longer free. It’s becoming more like Pravda — the house organ for the party to which it is enthralled — every day. If you look at the Gingrich/Gregory exchange from that perspective, then that was a pretty remarkable segment. Sometimes, what someone in the press does not say, or where they do not interrupt is as telling as what they bellow.

I hope I have not outted Gregory for possible targeting. I’ve never much cared for his style, but I have to defend the guy. I don’t think what we’re seeing here is hackery. I think it’s quite the opposite.

Filed Under: The Fourth Estate, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
About Elizabeth Scalia
  • http://templeofmut.wordpress.com Mutnodjmet

    I see this the same way you do…and I am no big fan of David Gregory.

  • http://jscafenette.com/ Manny

    Oh man, was that awesome. If Newt didn’t have all that baggage, if Newt had a disciplined personality, if Newt didn’t go beserk every so often, he would get my vote. Alas. I just hope we can find a place for Newt to continue to express things like that after the primary.

    Maybe Newt could be Romney’s press secretary come after Obama’s defeat in November! ;)

    Yes, Gregory was reasonable.

  • A.L.

    Loved watching that segment. Gingrich really took advantage of that opportunity. If Gingrich has spent the last 4 or 8 years as governor of Georgia, I would be supporting him. Right after that I watched Chris Wallace ask Santorum the same question, push hard and keep trying to make it all about contraception and not the freedom issue, and Santorum did not succeed where Gingrich did. By the way, anyone who thinks Fox News is all GOP/all conservative all the time, has never watched Fox News Sunday.

  • You Go Anchoress

    Newt has an unsavory history, and I don’t like the way he’s been running his campaign. But he has emerged as the most passionate and articulate defender of the Catholic position out there right now … Who knew? At any rate, just by letting him talk, I thought Gregory came off as fair.

  • jesme

    I was annoyed that Gregory tried to turn it into a discussion of Rush Limbaugh, but beyond that, I think he did fine. As for Gingrich, it reminded me of why he makes me so mad. He’s utterly untrustworthy and mercurial. He’s the last person I’d want to see as president. And yet, nobody has done a better job of explaining what’s at stake here. I don’t normally watch the “Sabbath gasbags,” as Calvin Trillin once called the Sunday chat shows. But I stumbled across this and was practically cheering. Why can’t that much lucidity and eloquence come from a candidate I could support? Sheesh!

  • MPQ

    I would disagree, Gregory is a hack. It’s Newt’s command of the discussion that kept Gregory quite for so long, and Gregory tried to end it but Newt using his tremendous speaking skills, noted the interruption from Gregory, begged it off and then continued to the end of his thought.

    Lastly, Newt is a Catholic convert, and has accepted the teachings of the church, had the courage a few months ago on Hannity to say that he found peace in receiving the Eucharist.

    Newt, welcome home and go Newt.

  • J Rimshas

    I think Gregory was fair. In Newt’s original reaction I seem to detect some grandstanding. He found the anti-media “have you no decency!” bit to be a crowd-pleaser during debates, so I have to suspect that’s what he’s up to here. But when Gregory does bring him back to the topic at hand, he does a good job defending the Catholic position. But I still could not trust Newt with my vote.

  • Barry

    “All the Democrats have right now”? Seriously?

    Here’s what the Democrats have right now: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich — in an all-out war to see who can prove themselves most unelectable.

    [Yes, I suppose that seems like a bounty, when you haven't a competent, constitutionally-minded incumbent to run -admin]

  • Teresa

    Thanks for posting this as I don’t watch the Sunday gabfests. I agree with you. I thought as I watched the clip that Gregory was very fair and he really didn’t try very hard to steer Newt in another direction. I think even Newt might have realized that Gregory was not going get nasty. The length of time Newt had to respond was surprisingly refreshing coming from NBC.

  • DaveO

    David Gregory is an employee of an organization that has a specific philosophy of political governance, and Gregory is a good employee. Gregory may get fired for allowing a differing point of view, but my interpretation is that he had an epiphany about the contraception deception: first Obama will subvert and subsume the Catholics, next, the Jews. The only protection is being a good employee, already on Obama’s side.

  • Scott

    You make a good point, Elizabeth. But let’s keep our brains locked in place here. Lately, Newt and some other notable fighters (and the number of them seems to be growning) have been finding some spine in challenging David Gregory’s liberal hack premises.
    Obviously, David Gregory had a meeting with his handlers and they wisely recognized that stubbornly adhering to the premise in the face of such a challenge is a losing game.
    Gregory is a hack. Newt exhibited courage. Gregory backed down in the face of this courage. Nice try, liberal hack, but your games don’t work so good anymore.
    Gregory, being the hack that he is, will continue to attempt to lure and coax those sitting in the opposite chair to fall for his narrative….until it doesn’t work anymore.

  • John

    I enjoyed the segment and while I appreciate that Gingrich was given the opportunity to re-frame the issue, it should be noted that the host conceded nothing — returning at every opportunity to his original pro-Democrat premise. The host was advocating. Granted, he did not resort to the filibuster one usually gets from MSM hosts, but he still made the strongest case he thought he could make for the Democrat position. I can’t exactly call it fair and I certainly can’t call it journalism.

  • Mike

    “Our “free press” is no longer free. It’s becoming more like Pravda — the house organ for the party to which it is enthralled — every day. If you look at the Gingrich/Gregory exchange from that perspective, then that was a pretty remarkable segment. Sometimes, what someone in the press does not say, or where they do not interrupt is as telling as what they bellow.”

    Wow. You are correct, but I am stunned at how quickly America has enslaved itself.

    We were not defeated by arms. We lost the moral war and we not only lost; we got crushed.

    Grwoing up, never in a million years did I think our press – America’s Free Press!!!!! – would be nothing more than a Pravda Propaganda Outfit for the Leftists who are now at great pace destroying everything. Everything!

    Gregory is what counts for a hero over there now. I admit it. But just think of what that means!!!

    he is not a real hero. He is what passes for one today. A real hero would have told Gingrich he was right and owned up to being the paid propagandist that he is; or even resigned right on the spot.

    The American Press is not American anymore. It is not a press anymore. It is a liar, and a bully, and a thug, and a cowering sycophant of the elite slavers who are Mordor on the Potomac and on the Charles.

  • Ann

    Regarding Newt, I agree with most of the posters that he’s too undisciplined — among other things — to be President. That said, his real value and greatest contribution could come from appearances like this. The man is intelligent, articulate, and fearless about standing up to the liberal media. In the end, this could be where he has his greatest impact.

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  • doc

    Of course David Gregory is a hack. So is every other host on ABCNNBCBS. If they weren’t in the tank for the Democrats they’d lose their jobs, and worse, their social standing among everyone they know. Let’s compare transcripts of interviews Gregory conducted with prominant Republicans and prominant Democrats during potential times of political crisis. How many of Gregory’s questions help Democrats avoid their problems and how many of Gregory’s questions try to create Republican problems out of thin air?

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  • kevin

    God that was priceless. When Newt is on he is untouchable.

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  • Clare Krishan

    Thankyou Anchoress – perichoresis in action.
    Newt needed Gregory’s receptivity to open up. He used the gift wisely, paced like a metronome, calmly ticking off his well rehearsed talking points. If David’s the musical type, surely his inner ear prefered the cosmic harmonies of well-argued ‘cantoring’ (even if its not in his ‘key’) over the hammering rap of bombastic “cant/rant” of monomaniacal enfant terrible of Limbaugh and Fluke calibre? Santorum should take notes! And give up cheap visceral pot shots such as references to wretching etc, for the rest of Lent!

  • Manny

    @Clare Krishan

    I love your analysis! Especially thhe metaphors and similes. :)

  • conservativemama

    Pravda, exactly What’ so sad about the state of our media is that in other parts of the world real journalists are literally dying to tell the truth, to get the facts out to the public. And our press is so incurious, so willing to accept one side of every story that they spend more time in the makeup chair than finding the truth.

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  • Mark

    I would pay money to watch Newt take on Obama in seven 90 minute debates going mano a mano with no interruptions.

    I do not feel that way about any of the other candidates.

    Newt has promised if he get the nomination to challenge Obama to this and then go around after him each day challenging him until he accepts or looks like he is afraid to take on Newt and expose his actual intellect. Newt even offered him a teleprompter support.

    I have been going back and forth from Newt to Santorum and have to vote tomorrow. Think I am going with Newt.

    However, I will support anyone over Obama. The country will not survive four more years of planned parenthood abortion mills PARTNER IN THE WHITE HOUSE.