Frist blames CNN for his problems

June 28, 2006

At times, I almost feel sorry for Senate Majority Leader [tag]Bill Frist[/tag]. Watching him I’m reminded about that old joke about seeing a turtle on top of a post: You wonder how it got there, what it was doing there, you know it doesn’t belong there, and you just want to help get the poor thing down.

Consider Frist’s appearance today on CNN’s American Morning. [tag]Miles O’Brien[/tag] had just pointed out widespread dissatisfaction with congressional Republicans and noted that the GOP’s message isn’t resonating with the public. Frist agreed that the party needed to get its message out better, prompting O’Brien to suggest that this was one of Frist’s main duties. Frist responded:

“Well, you know, it’s part of my job and your job, but your whole coming into this, was again saying to Harry Reid that we’re spending all the time on marriage, and is important, all the time on flag, without mentioning what we’ve done on the floor for the last six weeks — Iraq, the war on terror, making you safer, yes, cutting your taxes, fighting for fairer tax code over time, addressing border security head-on. Where’s your coverage of that? What’s you do is concentrate on the things that respond to you from the other side of the aisle, and that’s why that message doesn’t get out.”

When a Senate Majority Leader is convinced that [tag]CNN[/tag] is to [tag]blame[/tag] for his problems, you know the senator is in trouble.

“Frist agreed that the party needed to get its message out better” + “[…]it’s part of my job and your (CNN’s) job” = ?????

What does he think CNN is, Fox News? What is wrong with these guys? Did someone put something in their kool-aid that made them stupid?

  • MNP beat me to it again.

    Congrats guy.

    Frist is being such an idiot. Does the man really expect to follow in Boy George II’s shoes?

    Oh, yah. I suppose he does 😉

  • Can anyone imagine him as president?

    I guess he would be a step up from the one we have, but come on….

  • Does the man really expect to follow in Boy George II’s shoes?

    Maybe…

    That quote of his is pure Bushian word salad….

  • guess he would be a step up from the one we have, but come on….-brian
    He’d just be a step sideways.

  • Frist and most of his fellow Republicans are pathetic wimps who refuse to perform their constitutional duty to act as checks and balances with the executive branch and hold the executive branch accountable for any possible misdeeds. Instead, they prefer to legislate on nonconsequential items rather on those that would cover the essential needs and concerns of the citizenry who entrusted them to act appropriately.

    The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves for their utter disregard for the public’s safeguard. Let’s hope our fellow Americans would join us in voting these self-serving Republicans out of office and vote in responsible and responsive Democrats and Independents in the coming ’06 and ’08 elections. Let’s restore democracy to our shores.

  • Oh the victimhood … “It’s all your fault CNN.” Surprised he didn’t say they were treasonous for not doing a better job spouting his crap. I also wonder if Frist was referring to whether Miles O’Brien was on the gov’t payroll to hype the Repub side. Maybe that’s whay he said it’s also CNN’s job.

  • Frist is stupid as stupid does.

    He’s inordinately wealthy but that doesn’t seem to have bought him a brain. Couldn’t he at least rent a few intelligent people with all that money to give him serious and thoughtful advice?

    Nah, that would be recognizing the fact that he’s terminally stupid.

  • Iraq, the war on terror, making you safer, yes, cutting your taxes, fighting for fairer tax code over time, addressing border security head-on.

    Ok – I’ll bite. Maybe I was asleep the past 6 weeks. What exactly (maybe it’s CNN’s fault that I don’t this?) has the GOP Congress done in the past 6 weeks that is *good* about Iraq, the war on terror or making me safer?

    They cut *my* taxes? I didn’t notice – I do know they tried to eliminate the estate tax – how many Americans does that affect? 3000/year? Everybody reading this blog who’s affected by that raise their hands? How many GOP members of Congress or the Administration does that affect? And Frist wonders why that doesn’t resonate with “the public”? Fighting for a fairer tax code over time? Wha?? Eliminate the estate tax?? What else?? (see above). Addressing border security head-on?? I thought that bill was withdrawn after Administration/GOP chicanery. Bush sent the National Guard to the border – but the Congressional Republicans didn’t…. What else that would be embraced by the public … oh yeah! Giving Congresspeople a raise while voting not to increase the minimum wage! Sure – that really resonated with the public. I guess that is all CNN’s fault for reporting it, no?

  • I don’t know guys, I think Frist would be even worse than Dubya in the White House. Don’t get me wrong, I dislike Bush tremendously, but at least he’s an idiot. Frist is just smart enough to do a lot of harm if he ends up in the Oval Office.

  • Bashing the press (i.e., attempting to intimidate the press) is just part of how republicans are gearing up for the fall elections. Plus, it pays well to their base — like gay marriage ammendments, flag burning ammendments, etc., etc.

  • Dr. Kitten Murderer is the most perfect example I can think of as to why one must always get a second opinion when dealing with a medical doctor. Blackstone could have said as well of medicine what he did of the law: “The law sharpens the mind by narrowing it.”

    That guy is from central casting as the minister’s son you always wanted to beat up behind the church after Sunday School, all grown up and having learned nothing from the experience.

  • I dislike Bush tremendously, but at least he’s an idiot. Frist is just smart enough to do a lot of harm if he ends up in the Oval Office.

    I never thought Bush was that stupid, so I don’t buy this analysis. The real difference is that Bush has messianic delusions, and Frist has no real principles. I think Frist’s capacity for wrecking the country is significantly lower as a result; he’ll do a decent job of it with basic incompetence and bad policy, but I don’t think we’ll see as many majestic blunders. Besides, everyone already thinks Frist is a dick, and he hasn’t had a transformative experience that makes him into a World Historical Personality or a Great Man. As a result, he’ll spend most of his time trying not to piss people off. It’ll be funny.

    (Even if you’re a fan of the Bush-as-idiot school of thought, this prediction can still be true – Frist is smart and way too ambitious, but he also has real-world experience and enough brains to realize his limitations and those of the presidency.)

  • This is almost as laughable as when when the doctor slips during surgery—and then blames the patient for dying on the table. With his ridiculous antics in the Senate, I’d be surprised if he’s even able to rebuild a surgical practice….

  • “With his ridiculous antics in the Senate, I’d be surprised if he’s even able to rebuild a surgical practice…. ” – Steve

    That’s why he goes to the third world to practice 😉

    Is Frist smart? You’d think getting through medical school and some years of practice would provide he’s got some sort of mind. But he clearly does not have the kind of intelligence that tells him WHEN TO SHUT THE F**K UP, as proved here and by Terry Schivo.

    This kind of arrogance is a common symptom of the medical professional and the politician, who is asked every hour of every day for his opinion as though it were a matter of life or death.

  • ***You’d think getting through medical school and some years of practice would provide he’s got some sort of mind.***
    Lance

    Must’ve been that ground-breaking self-lobotomy he tried….

  • What Andy said.

    Please, CNN, take Frist’s list of “accomplishments” and talk about them, so that everyone can see what a fetid pile of dung these criminals have been paid to push off on us.

    Frist obviously doesn’t know how much CNN does for him, I hope he pissed ’em off so they’ll start to actually do their jobs.

  • “I never thought Bush was that stupid, so I don’t buy this analysis.” – Nat

    Seriously? What makes you say that? Has he done anything while in office, or during his lifetime, to make you think otherwise? I’m fully convinced that he has no clue what is going on at all times and relies upon others (see: Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, etc.) to tell him what to do.

    I think the best examples of his stupidity were the “off the cuff” political debates in the 2000 and 2004 campaigns. When he doesn’t have anyone whispering in his ear, telling him what to say, he comes off as a complete fool. But that’s just my opinion.

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