I wasn’t “speechless.” I just needed a little time to read about it. I’m not a lawyer nor do I play one on tv and I don’t think being glib about people’s lives is a decent way to behave
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you'd done better not putting urself in the situation, MSNBC, really? u made their MAGA talking points work, MAGAts just pull suff out of their arse contemporaneously, when ur on "conventional" media ud better learn how to do that ASAP or you'll be left "speechless" again w/what's to come
These people jump at the pause. It becomes free air time. 'Oh my, she didn't speak. I get to say the first thing that comes to my mind. I get a freebie. When I'm first, and I'm loud, and I keep repeating it I just created her fact for her. Point me."
You -conversation Them- competition
I respect that. Too many people speak very loudly about things they clearly don't understand. Everyone should take some time to look into something before they speak - or vote - on it.
My first thought was of Nixon pardon and the pardon of a president’s horrific & illegal deeds didn’t get the reaction that Hunter’s (not a president) pardon is getting. I could go on.
P. S. Breitbart and Fox?
Most of the good journalists who write headlines, seem to have retired by now. Agree, and so many new stories have misleading headlines are reflect that head writer writer did not read the story
The most important thing I taught pharmacy and medical students was to be able to say, “I don't know the answer to that.” Followed by “Let me look into that and get back to you right away.”
I'm so tired of everyone clutching their pearls over Biden protecting his son from the trump administration. The media is complicit with its fake outrage.
I wonder if that might have softened the overreaction to Hunter’s pardon. Probably not. The wolves would have seized upon it anyway, picking out their lone target of outrage and ignoring the others.
You guys see other things that I don't, however I am glad he pardoned Hunter. Because the *ONLY* reason they're attacking Hunter is because he's Joe's son, and their whole political mandate seems to be that they're going to punish people that disagree with them. Revenge Politics suck.
FoX had to turn 'hmm' into AHH!
Had KH won, or even if reasonable people were being picked as cabinet members, and the 2025 guys weren't crawling out of the woodwork into the admin, sure; no pardon necessary. But when suddenly there's lightning on the horizon - get everybody out of the pool.
I’m sorry that happened to you. Now that you’ve had a chance to think about it, I hope you’ll agree with me that Biden’s pardon of HB should be seen as part of a President’s constitutional responsibility to protect US persons from persecution by all enemies, foreign and domestic. Big picture….
It was more than stupid. It was knowingly dishonest. Aren’t reporters/headline writers supposed to be experts in word smithing? Yes - they word smithed a very false narrative.
WHO F**KING CARES? You literally contribute nothing to protecting our democracy. Everything you've written about in recent years has not done a thing to help the US.
So now the media villifies people for having brains enough to think before having knee-jerk reactions to the latest big story? No wonder corporate media is in trouble.
That’s exactly why I don’t read mainstream media. The owners have turned them mostly into rag magazines. They just aren’t high quality information sources anymore.
We don't have a free and objective press anymore. We have seen it all through this election process. And newspapers, magazines wonder why their subscriptions are dropping. Can't trust them any more
Molly, your response was honest, appropriate & served viewers well. Thank you!
PS...The headlines are from FOX & BREITBART...Why is anyone expecting anything better ?
You absolutely gave the right answer. How do we stop the child’s game of gotcha when a good portion of the country is still in the 5th grade (if that).
You know as well as anyone how the right wing media, especially MAGA right wing media, portray any “quote” from who they perceive as a “liberal”… it’s a shame that they’re so disingenuous we need to be super careful in the words we use for them to misquote to their advantage
Thanks for writing about this. Agree that it was much ado about nothing on the part of the "news" outlets that ran the story, and an apt reflection of yesterday's planetary patterns suggesting a high probability of righteous opinions, flakes, twists and sloppy reporting. ☺️
You were right of course ... BUT..I was surprised and said to my tv ..."Yay Team!! Good for you Joe! Who cares...You changed your mind!...You saved your son from hateful Trump."
The pardon should not have been unexpected. And I commend Joe for it. I cannot accept the hand-wringing from Democrats on this. It smacks of sanctimony. While I remain a committed liberal, nay socialist, I fear I cannot remain a registered member of this DP.
And Molly, I still think you're great.
I’m considering a switch to Independent as well. Sick and tired of the weakness of Democrats and their virtue signaling. There is NO USE for virtue in dealing with the ass who won the election. We need to fight fire with fire 🔥.
Tiresome gotcha journalism. For the future, maybe think about a standard way to respond to other odd surprises that happen on air? “Wow, I didn’t have that on my bingo card when I woke up. I’m a researcher, so my instinct now is probably so boring—I want to learn more and give that some thought.”
I mean if she had to process Biden not sacrificing his kids on the altar of a crazy political cult ... ummm... maybe she was worried about fitting into the MSM narrative?
If only the media took some more time to process breaking news we could have more considered and balanced responses, rather than just the first thing that instinctually pops into your head. Sadly I don't see it happening 😔
Respect! I am a lawyer (though not on TV), yet I too would have wanted to spend a bit of time pondering the various implications vs. blurting out some instant hot take that would likely prove bad or wrong upon reflection.
Spinning that as “speechless” is bad-faith mischaracterization.
I am a lawyer but I don't play one on tv. So thank you for not stating that you read the legal document and this is what it means. And thank you for taking the time to think about an issue before giving any opinion on it. More of us should follow your lead.
I listen on tune in radio premium, and it repeats clips of earlier news instead of airing commercials. And they picked that clip to run multiple times. Every time I was annoyed on your behalf.
One doesn't need to be a lawyer to know that it was the right thing to do. One just has to be aware of what has been going on the last 8 years. I'm not a journalist, nor do I play one on TV, but I do know the convicted felon, court adjudicated rapist and insurrectionist has pardoned a lot of scum.
Watch out: Thinking about things for awhile before you have an opinion can lose you followers. Not to mention, it leads to stronger stuff, like changing your mind in the face of new facts or further reflection. Career suicide.
under normal circumstances biden would have kept his word. but when trump was elected & he & his thugs made threats to 'get even' with all their 'enemies', he knew hunter wouldn't be treated fairly.
so any maga complaining can just bugger off.
How dare you think before you speak! What a monster!
As for the pardon, I'm glad he pardoned his son. He should give himsrlf and his entite administration immunity from any and all future prosecution, imo. Who knows what Shitler do to who once he is in power (wrt prosecuting his opponents).
Consider the sources who said you were speechless. Of course Fox and Breitbart would use that incorrect take in their ongoing effort to "own the libs." That you wanted to think about your answer is refreshing.
People trade headlines on social media as “take” currency without reading the articles, leading @nytimes.com @washingtonpost.com to create clickbait headlines that were shameful journalistic malpractice.
We need a return to #SlowNews to counteract a decade of social media shock experiments.
When it happens next, you will know how to express yourself better circumstantially in the moment, this was a learning moment, don't let them twist your words
That’s the damn problem with MSNBC and why soon they will be the new Fox. The immediate answer should have been, “it’s the right thing to do.” The Orange Felon & Trump Crime Family can commit ANY crime, ANY scandal and the media acts like it normal. So disappointing 😡
most on the other political spectrum are used to "dear leader" kind of analysts that will give their king absolution without a second thought. it's good to wanna inform yourself before speaking about something, but not for KKKult members.
next time U can always say "i have the concept of an answer".
So essentially, you were put on the spot, unprepared for discussion and they are using your words against you. We know you better than they do. It’s fun to get used isn’t it. 🤮😭 lame.. look at the sources though. I wonder what they would talk about if they weren’t so busy talking about all of us?
Thank you for being thoughtful. I prefer to listen to you and people like you rather than hearing spontaneous word vomit from those who speak before they think.
I hesitate to say this, in case it's news to you. These people are not your friends. They wish you ill and can not be trusted to treat you with the kindness & respect that you deserve. You acted in good faith. The news outlets, which in effect attacked you, did not. All attacks feel person, ofc.
It was the right thing to do. Now he should resign and let Harris become POTUS for the final weeks. I hope to dog they are shoring up whatever guardrails they can to mitigate the damage Dumbass will do but I'm worried Biden doesn't appreciate the danger we are in now.
I have great respect for you. Your pausing a beat is much appreciated. Please continue speaking truth. BTW I’m happy that President Biden took steps to protect his son.
Regardless of who was being pardoned I’m surprised you couldn’t muster a, “based on what I’ve seen so far from 47’s attempts to remake DOJ, pardons for anyone in jeopardy should be on the table on a case by case basis.”
I love Ruth but I'm shocked at her holier than thou attitude about the pardon. Give me a break. Hunter's crime no way fit the punishment. You all know what trump has done and intends to do. Why do we have to be martyred saints.
I felt the same way about Claire. Biden said he wasn’t going to pardon his son then changed his mind, and this bothered her. Given the fact that the Felon-Elect has promised retribution and is packing his Cabinet with rapscallions, rouges, rapists, and robbers left Joe no choice.
Besides, President Biden also said he WAS running for President. He changed his mind on that, too. But I guess that was ok because that’s what they wanted him to do.
Disappointed in Claire.
I hate this mindset. Being thoughtful should be celebrated, not dismissed. Everyone jumping to the worst possible explanation. Why?? It only degrades us as a nation.
When I managed people and they can to me with requests/ comments, they expected immediate answers/ solutions and I often said, I need to think about it. This answer is powerful and should be celebrated. But no not in this world
Did your answer have any sort of time-dependency? Of course not. The world will be a better place when more people do what you did and say, let me process this and think about it and get back to you. It’s a sign of confidence too.
I remember watching some old tapes of JFK at press conferences (Kennedy Library). He took questions on a range of substantive questions -- from local to international. No gotchas.
What struck me the most was his willingness to say, "I'm not sure. I will have to get back to you about that." 💯
I understand speechless. But to all those that are upset that Pres Biden pardoned his son when he said he wouldn’t & are screaming that HE LIED, Grow Up Fools! Trump lied 30,573 over 4 yrs & still counting.WE have more urgent problems ahead of us. WAKE UP!
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There are several factors in the pardoning of Hunter. These crimes carry up to 15 yrs.& 25 yrs. in prison.At the Pres.’s age,he would not live long enough to see his release.Besides hours of court,Comer,Jordon,Trump, & MAGA continue to put Hunter through hell.Out of compassion,we should understand.
That’s why we trust you. I get it. As a Dad it was the right thing to do. As President it is more complicated. Critical thinkers can hold more than one perspective in their heads at a time.
I was watching at the time. And you are absolutely correct to pause before jumping in to rash statements as many other commentators did. You are a Shero.
we all needed a minute to take a breathe and decide with the information how we feel about it. My first thought was no, not a good idea but the more I thought about it….there is a reason we have the ability to give a pardon and this was a good one.
No matter what you said they would had a problem but this is a perfectly good response. What is wrong with saying I need to process what just happened.
Your response was perfectly reasonable and appropriate. Unfortunately, it allowed that kind of spin. I would say "unethical spin," but Ethical left town.
Good for you for taking the time that you need. We need WAY more thoughtfulness. How others characterize it (or caricature it, in this case), is out of your control. Too often we are drifting off into irrationality. I appreciate you being rational.
No time for thoughtful reaction in current media environment, just an ideological reflex:
“Everything our team did was right and reasonable for reasons”
I took a copy editing class from The SF Chronicle back in the 90s. They taught, with integrity, the importance of headlines and the ethical way to be creative. This ain’t it🥴
I wanted to got to college for journalism in 1981. Around this time friends were in journalism and they were being advised to get cosmetic surgery already. 🧐 I studied Ancient Classics instead.
Oh, yes. Last time I was in a conversation about it, I mentioned a book we had to read in uni about it and they harped on me because the book was published in 2007. Apparently somehow it could not be a relevant book bc of it? 😂
Years ago, I took a world ethnography college course which discussed the importance of how information was presented to sway bias. Specifically the use of language and imagery. That stuck with me for life in such a way that I wish every person could take that type of class.
Glibness is not a trait I admire. One of Barack Obama’s best traits was the way he’d take a moment to think before responding. He refused to be rushed. We all should.
No thinking person gives a shit about Fox News. And as a thoughtful person neither should you. Don’t give it any attention; it’s the oxygen it lives on
It is SO refreshing when someone acknowledges they intend to give something some thought. It is discouraging that the idea was so foreign to the reporter she chose to say you were speechless. I guess next time preface with : I am NOT speechless. I'm in thought."
I saw this happen, and the criticism of your response is ridiculous. Honestly, this kind of gotcha stuff shows the limits of news norms. Slick repartee and total b.s. appear to be valued. It is much less clickable to watch people engage in actually thoughtful and considered conversation.
Being expected to react “fast and furious” to a news event you just heard about is ridiculous. The viewership can wait an hour or so for you (and the other commentators) to get your respective bearings so you can provide informed commentary.
But pausing to look at the story and figure out a response is not how US 24/7 up-to-the-second news works... Because God forbid they might lose viewers. I'm supportive of Molly's approach of course.
Not a thumper, please don't insult me. My point is that people tend to go with what is more interesting instead of the most logical. Especially since 2016.....
Why would she need to walk back the fact that she needs to think about something. No thanks but that's kind of a ridiculous statement on your part. This instant gratification society really needs to slow the f down and actually think about consequences
I'm not attacking you but your choice of words wasn't the best. "I have to process" comes across very differently than "I just heard I need to find out the details".
It's not and you were right to take the time you need instead of throwing a hot take out there before thinking. This is a big problem with always-on media reaction coverage.
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Maybe they have a dart board for who to jam up next.
You -conversation Them- competition
P. S. Breitbart and Fox?
Most mainstream journalists don't write headlines at all.
https://x.com/FFT1776/status/1863878670047170668
It’s about taking a minute to think
Very much hope this catches on - while acknowledging likelihood of this in the current climate remote in the extreme.
Biden could have parlayed this into pardoning a lot more people
Had KH won, or even if reasonable people were being picked as cabinet members, and the 2025 guys weren't crawling out of the woodwork into the admin, sure; no pardon necessary. But when suddenly there's lightning on the horizon - get everybody out of the pool.
Molly, your response was honest, appropriate & served viewers well. Thank you!
PS...The headlines are from FOX & BREITBART...Why is anyone expecting anything better ?
P.S. I don't find you speechless or nervous, for the record.
And Molly, I still think you're great.
Mission Failure
Spinning that as “speechless” is bad-faith mischaracterization.
“Speechless” my butt
Brava for standing firm in rationality.
trump pardoned convicted murderers AND a relative.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-j-trump-2017-2021
so any maga complaining can just bugger off.
As for the pardon, I'm glad he pardoned his son. He should give himsrlf and his entite administration immunity from any and all future prosecution, imo. Who knows what Shitler do to who once he is in power (wrt prosecuting his opponents).
We need a return to #SlowNews to counteract a decade of social media shock experiments.
Lordy…… MSM is 🤪
Do people actually get paid to write such garbage 🤨🙄
next time U can always say "i have the concept of an answer".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDQOVpIpQA
"Santa in a panic over oncoming Holiday crisis!"
And you read it and it's nothing. But they got the click
lot of fair-weather progressives high on recency bias
Disappointed in Claire.
82%
And they and journalists wonder why viewers shun and despise them.
What struck me the most was his willingness to say, "I'm not sure. I will have to get back to you about that." 💯
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When the enemy is playing with nukes the high road has been obliterated.
“Everything our team did was right and reasonable for reasons”
https://bsky.app/profile/bluthrunthru.bsky.social/post/3lcfmfhzmos2p
* * *
Also that is disgusting and probably even more true today. Though most of those FOX pundits do not seem to follow any journalist expectations.
pls continue to be who you are
More commentators should be willing to respond with "I have no fucking idea" or "let me think about that a bit."
Lazy. I’ve worked in journalism for a period of my life and I worked harder than that on pieces for my JUNIOR COLLEGE SPORTS SECTION
https://theconversation.com/stop-and-think-an-undervalued-approach-in-a-world-that-short-circuits-thoughtful-political-judgment-245332
why on earth would you?
sounds like trumpling shit.
nor is people's stupid thirst for clickbait over considered response.
When you HAVE an opinion, it's good to hear. When you don't, that's fine.
You're not "MollyGPT", FFS!