The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan appearing on ABC's This Week Sunday gave Keith Olbermann a much-needed education on what living in a capitalist country is all about.
When the disgraced former Countdown host said, "It’s a very large view right now that business has never been viewed less favorably in this country," Noonan scolded, "There is a lot of people who think businessmen create businesses which create jobs" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: Peggy, that’s leading a lot of people to think that could be Ron Portman, Senator from Ohio, former trade representative, got a little bit of a business background.
PEGGY NOONAN, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Yeah, a former trade rep, former OMB, I think six or seven terms in the Congress, U.S. Senator. Yeah, this would be a wonderful time to pick someone fully adult and accomplished. There are luckily a number of them on the Republican side who would be possible. Mitch Daniels is one, Rob Portman. I think Mr. Romney should not try to be, should not try to electrify and go outside the system…
STEPHANOPOULOS: No game change.
NOONAN: …and pick somebody new. Someone you’ve never heard of. We’ve done that one twice in my lifetime. Mr. Quayle, Ms. Palin. Don't do that again. Underscore who you want to be – serious.
KEITH OLBERMANN: Do you really want a second businessman on that ticket though in light of the, if it’s not a majority view, it’s a very large view right now that business has never been viewed less favorably in this country since they ran Jay Gould out of town?
"Business has never been viewed less favorably in this country?"
Maybe by capitalism-hating media members like Olbermann, but this is certainly not a "very large view right now."
The look on Noonan's face as Olbermann uttered this nonsense as well as her response spoke volumes:
OLBERMANN: Portman and Romney together?
NOONAN: Yeah, I think that would be just fine I think. There is a lot of people who think businessmen create businesses which create jobs.
OLBERMANN: But what about running a government?
NOONAN: Well, I think people are awfully mad at Wall Street and they're awful mad at certain types of finaglers in business. But they’re not mad at businessmen.
Indeed they're not, Peggy. Indeed they're not.
Of course, Olbermann might have been projecting his own anger at businessmen given how he's been fired by his last two employers.
Which makes you wonder why the folks at ABC felt he deserved to be a guest on this program in the first place.
*****Update: NBer Model850 raised a good point in the comments section.
If Olbermann is so concerned about candidates having experience "running a government," Portman seems far more qualified than Barack Obama was in 2008.
Portman served over six terms as a United States Representative before becoming the U.S. Trade Representative under President Bush. He then served a year as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and is now Ohio's junior senator.
This is far more legislative and government experience than Obama had when he first announced he was running for president once again proving that Olbermann never lets facts get in the way of his agenda.
Readers should also see "'George Will Asks Donna Brazile 'If Obama Can Stop the Seas From Rising Why Can't He Bring Down Gas Prices?'"
