Debt Debate Question Fail of the Day

By Doug Powers  •  July 20, 2011 03:46 PM

**Written by Doug Powers

This is almost as funny as the time MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer referred to Jesse Jackson as “Reverend Al Sharpton” (I heard Contessa had to boycott BP for three weeks before Jesse would forgive her).

This time around, Brewer was questioning Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks on the debt issue and attempted to discredit his qualifications for arguing the topic by asking condescendingly, “Do you have a degree in economics?”

You’ve probably already guessed what the answer is:

You can tell by the look on her face the question wasn’t out of mere curiosity, but an attempted intellectual smackdown that ended up going hilariously awry.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air adds

Brooks actually has three degrees: political science, economics, and law. As a lawyer, Brooks would have been experienced enough not to make Brewer’s mistake in a cross-examination, which is to ask a question without first knowing the answer. Not only that, but Brewer was being flat-out rude as well as foolish; MSNBC invited Brooks to appear to get his perspective on the issues. If their hosts respond by belittling them (whether it backfires or not), what does that say about MSNBC, its management, and the kind of invitations they make?

Since Brewer made an issue out of having an economics degree before engaging in economics debates, she must have a doctorate in the subject herself, right? Not exactly. According to her Wikipedia entry, Brewer has a baccalaureate in broadcast journalism (magna cum laude). Apparently they didn’t teach interviewing skills at Syracuse, or logic either, as a requisite for the degree.

The economy we’re witnessing was designed in part by people with degrees in economics — many of whom are now scurrying back behind the protective walls of academia — so being in possession of an economics degree obviously doesn’t automatically equate to solutions that make sense in the real world.

But in this case, Rep. Brooks put his degree to excellent use.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

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Comments


  1. #101
    On July 20th, 2011 at 7:48 pm, AmericaFirst said:

    Contessa Brewer is as dumb and idiotic as Fox News Sheppard Smith. I watched his live mental breakdown questioning of a woman who had her kid taken away by the state for failing a drug test. His aggressive and drama queen style is worthy of a Keith Olbermann award.

    Watch it here.

  2. #102
    On July 20th, 2011 at 7:56 pm, swede said:

    Marshall_Will said:

    How you doing anyway man!

    It’s bleak. Diagnosed with Wappatui Dhimmi Disease, but my health insurance canceled because I had failed to disclose my allergy to lutefisk and lefse. I died of complications, but the BarryCare death panel refused to recognize my demise as I had not submitted the proper life termination transfer permits, nor the required carbon permit for the rotting of my corps.

    Other than that, life is pretty good. ;-) You?

  3. #103
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:02 pm, rambler said:

    I haven’t been able to watch Shep since his total meltdown in NO after Katrina. He hasn’t been functioning on all cylinders after that.

  4. #104
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:13 pm, JHSII said:

    Can we get Contessa Brewer on Jaywalking????

  5. #105
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:16 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 7:56 pm, swede said:
    It’s bleak. Diagnosed with Wappatui Dhimmi Disease, but my health insurance canceled because I had failed to disclose my allergy to lutefisk and lefse. I died of complications, but the BarryCare death panel refused to recognize my demise as I had not submitted the proper life termination transfer permits, nor the required carbon permit for the rotting of my corps.

    “Cry ‘Havoc’, and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial”
    WS

  6. #106
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:33 pm, swede said:

    “Cry ‘Havoc’, and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial”

    MORTICIAN: Bring out your dead!
    [clang]
    Bring out your dead!
    [clang]
    CUSTOMER: Here’s one — nine pence.
    DEAD PERSON: I’m not dead!
    MORTICIAN: What?
    CUSTOMER: Nothing — here’s your nine pence.
    DEAD PERSON: I’m not dead!
    MORTICIAN: Here — he says he’s not dead!
    CUSTOMER: Yes, he is.
    DEAD PERSON: I’m not!
    MORTICIAN: He isn’t.
    CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon, he’s very ill.
    DEAD PERSON: I’m getting better!
    CUSTOMER: No, you’re not — you’ll be stone dead in a moment.
    MORTICIAN: Oh, I can’t take him like that — it’s against regulations.
    DEAD PERSON: I don’t want to go in the cart!
    CUSTOMER: Oh, don’t be such a baby.
    MORTICIAN: I can’t take him…
    DEAD PERSON: I feel fine!
    CUSTOMER: Oh, do us a favor…
    MORTICIAN: I can’t.
    CUSTOMER: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won’t
    be long.
    MORTICIAN: Naaah, I got to go on to Robinson’s — they’ve lost nine
    today.
    CUSTOMER: Well, when is your next round?
    MORTICIAN: Thursday.
    DEAD PERSON: I think I’ll go for a walk.
    CUSTOMER: You’re not fooling anyone y’know. Look, isn’t there
    something you can do?
    DEAD PERSON: I feel happy… I feel happy.
    [whop]
    CUSTOMER: Ah, thanks very much.
    MORTICIAN: Not at all. See you on Thursday.

  7. #107
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:34 pm, FrankNitti said:

    would like to hear the rest….anyone got a link?

  8. #108
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm, Retiredtopo said:

    of course its all Obama debt, Bush only had $200 + billion surplus and turned it into a massive deficit in a few years, all the while adding $4 billion to the national debt.

  9. #109
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm, Retiredtopo said:

    of course its all Obama debt, Bush only had $200 + billion surplus and turned it into a massive deficit in a few years, all the while adding $4 billion to the national debt.

  10. #110
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:46 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    Latest from Protein Wisdom about Sen. Jeff Sessions on Mark Levin Show, Senate will vote of CCB Saturday.

  11. #111
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:49 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    Apparently, that “Gang of 234″ has Senate knees knocking. Yeah, call us Tea Partiers a “crazy cult” again. We are going to make a lot of these scum bags eat their “teabagger” insults.

  12. #112
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:52 pm, buzdburd said:

    @FrankNitti-Monty Python.
    Life of Brian?
    Not sure.

  13. #113
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:54 pm, OK_Loyalist said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm, Retiredtopo said:

    Does you remember the towers burning in NYC 9/11 ?

    Care to bet the 2009 Deficit is mostly Obama paying off the parasitical leeches of public and private unions.

    Parasites cry loudest on removal from host!

  14. #114
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:54 pm, Truesoldier said:

    #98

    On July 20th, 2011 at 7:41 pm, bodfish said:

    Oh yes, while in her State positions, she won an award from a Save The Manatees group … I kid you not.

    Yeah, but she has nothing on Senator Patty Murray…she had this to say about Osama Bin Laden:

    “He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. He’s made their lives better.”

  15. #115
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:54 pm, buzdburd said:
  16. #116
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:55 pm, buzdburd said:

    Holy Grail

  17. #117
    On July 20th, 2011 at 9:13 pm, Green eyed Lady said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 7:24 pm, Truesoldier said:
    If you want to see some great coverage of West as well as great insight from a great group of former (and some current) military guys check out blackfive.net

    Thank you ,Truesoldier! I am a huge West fan, have been for quite awhile. I check out blackfive every now and then, too.

  18. #118
    On July 20th, 2011 at 9:24 pm, JHSII said:

    retiredtoto doesn’t even remember how the democrats held the House and Senate from 2007 – when the disaster started.

  19. #119
    On July 20th, 2011 at 9:30 pm, bjc said:

    Apparently, that “Gang of 234″ has Senate knees knocking.

    *And if I were Boehner, I would take them and P-BO to the mat all the way to 8/2/2011; It passed by a wide margin, is the best plan out there, so hold the line and fight; The Senate, Dems and rat bastard RINO’s alike, is no better than P-BO, wanting a cya plan for a green light through next election cycle instead of at least making an attempt to save our Republic,

  20. #120
    On July 20th, 2011 at 11:40 pm, SHoward said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm, Retiredtopo said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 9:24 pm, JHSII said:

    Looks like he doesn’t know his Billions from his trillions, either. But if this FY deficit of 1.5 Trillion holds out, Obamby will have added as much in 3 years as Booooosh did in 8. Just sayin’.

  21. #121
    On July 21st, 2011 at 12:04 am, OK_Loyalist said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 11:40 pm, SHoward said:

    Shemp, is that you bro ? :D

  22. #122
    On July 21st, 2011 at 12:32 am, Member-VRWC said:

    On July 20th, 2011 at 11:40 pm, SHoward said:
    On July 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm, Retiredtopo said:
    On July 20th, 2011 at 9:24 pm, JHSII said:
    Looks like he doesn’t know his Billions from his trillions, either. But if this FY deficit of 1.5 Trillion holds out, Obamby will have added as much in 3 years as Booooosh did in 8. Just sayin’.

    Retiredtutu also forgets that before a Republican Congress and the Dot Com bubble (including the Y2K hype) gave Billy Jeff quite a boost, his presidency was in the toilet. Lucky for him, and unlucky for Bush, the bloom was off the rose for Dot Coms by the 2000 election. I was working in Silicon Valley at the time and saw a lot of paper millionaires go bust because their options hadn’t vested yet.

  23. #123
    On July 21st, 2011 at 2:40 am, rocketman said:

    ***
    (P)MSNBC at it’s “finest”. Must be an oversupply of leg “tingles” caused by all the pot smoking just prior to airtime.
    ***
    Keep up the good work, American Pravda Media. It will be great to hear your “wailing and gnashing of teeth in the darkness” in Nov. 2012.
    ***
    John Bibb
    ***

  24. #124
    On July 21st, 2011 at 10:19 am, SHoward said:

    Shemp, is that you bro ?

    From the law firm of Howard, Fine and Howard….

  25. #125
    On July 21st, 2011 at 10:23 am, Oh-nO said:

    #118, JHSII. I believe the PC title would be “retardedbozo” when refering to the troll. “Retarted” by chemically inducing 29.3 grams of stupidity which became permanently lodged in the head cavity and “bozo” by being left behind when the circus left town.

  26. #126
    On July 21st, 2011 at 10:33 am, VladimirJones said:

    I watched the full interview on YouTube. First of all, any time somebody in an argument begins with the line, “Do you have a degree in…”, it means the asker is attempting to stop the other person from talking by insulting them through implying they have no expertise in what they’re discussing. That simply is unprofessionalism, though it’s hardly an exception considering it was MSNBC.

    All through the interview leading up to that moment, and after it as well, Brewer continued to cite the results of various polls taken by her network. She used them as if they were valid talking points in her interview with Brooks, which she conducted as a debate. Why don’t journalists report the news instead of trying to make or influence it?

  27. #127
    On July 21st, 2011 at 12:27 pm, max said:

    tessa clearly knobbed her way through the ‘Cuse.

  28. #128
    On July 21st, 2011 at 2:38 pm, ThunderHawkk said:

    Hey, RetreadDope – Get a clue, loser. Everything was pretty solid in this country right up until the end of 2006. But the MOMENT Pelosi and the Socialist Party took over in January 2007 everything has gone to hell. Remember Charlie Gibson, that journlist fraud, who had a Chrissy Mathews Tingle Up His Leg Moment when he gushed over Pelosi hugging her Grandkids and saying she was going “to take care of us like a Mother.” Remember that, Dope? Pelosi was going to take care of us like a Mother because she is female and she is the first female Speaker of the House. How’d that work out, you Retread Dope?

  29. #129
    On July 21st, 2011 at 3:29 pm, texhisp said:

    http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

    This is the reported national debt by year.

  30. #130
    On July 22nd, 2011 at 11:29 pm, rlconservative said:

    I love when people try to compare Bush to this fiasco of the obama administration. When you remember Bush in his 1st term had what was arguably the absolute worst disaster on American soil to hit the since Pearl Harbor. And if people will remember our economy was crippled by that. Katrina was bad no doubt but everyone remembers where they were for 9/11!
    Besides which this economic disaster was caused by the idiotic idea that everyone should have house, whether they could afford it or not. I for one have only had worse things happen to me since our hope and change man took office. What I used to have as a credit card interest rate was 9 or 10. Now because they can’t charge the people that screw up as much, I get to pay 12 and 13 percent? Is that “fair”. And we need to get more money from Americans that can earn money to give to those that don’t? Why can’t ANY democrat say where they are willing to cut without demonizing the republicans who are honest enough to say what they will cut. I respect that much more than throwing granny off the cliff commercials to what? Just another way to demonize people that think we have to cut our budget, not raise taxes. I do not think giving the government more money is very smart. let me keep it, tyvm.
    One more fact that seems to be passed over here. The democrats have been in charge of the budget and congress since 2006. When you look at the numbers thats where it gets really bad lol.
    I can only blame Bush for so much when he was spending and not vetoing some of the stupid budget things, but make no mistake about it. This is Presidents Obama’s economy!

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