Newsweek’s Evan Thomas Takes on Mark Shields, Nina Totenberg and the New York Times
For the fourth time in the last five weeks Evan Thomas has taken a political position quite contrary to the other liberal panelists on PBS's “Inside Washington.” In Friday's installment, Newsweek's assistant managing editor not only took on regulars Mark Shields and Nina Totenberg but also ridiculed the New York Times (video follows with transcript and commentary): GORDON PETERSON, HOST: There is a page one story in the New York Times about a 30-year-old high school teacher, science teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. Name is Erin Parker. She makes $36,000 a year. She owes $26,000 in student loans. She doesn’t have a car, she can’t afford one. She wants to keep teaching so she’s going to leave Wisconsin, move to Colorado, move in with her parents. Is Erin Parker the problem? EVAN THOMAS, NEWSWEEK: This is a fascinating case – the liberal New York Times strikes back. I’ve been waiting for this, because we’ve been dumping on, I’ve been dumping on the teachers' unions for a long time. There’s been all this momentum, all the teachers’ unions are terrible. And at the Times, which is after all a liberal newspaper, they found the perfect test case to fight back. This, appealing, she is nice looking, she takes care of little kids, she’s got big student loans, and she has to leave the state. NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: And she is not that atypical. THOMAS: The empire strikes back. It was just such an interesting PR. PETERSON: But, but, but, but what about her? And what about the kids she teaches? TOTENBERG: Listen… THOMAS: Well, it’s a phony exercise because the teachers’ union… TOTENBERG: It is not a phony exercise. CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: She’s doing it for the kids. Give me a break. TOTENBERG: It is not a phony exercise. KRAUTHAMMER: How na
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on March 5, 2011. Filed under