Barbara FUCKING Walters.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

'This Week' Transcript: Barbara Walters Exclusive with Massachusetts Senator-Elect Scott Brown

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-barbara-walters-exclusive-massachusetts-senator-elect/story?id=9699141&page=1



WALTERS: It has been said all over the country that your election was more about disappointment in the president than it was about voting for you in particular.

***

WALTERS: Yes. You know when I was with you just a little while ago with the crowd, one of the women said -- behind me -- said, "President 2012." And you said to me -- or under your breath, "That's silly." But do you rule it out?

***

WALTERS: Let's talk about another rising star in the Republican party -- Sarah Palin. Do you think that Sarah Palin is presidential material?

***

WALTERS: The Tea Party movement was important to your victory. How influential do you think the Tea Party movement is going to be?

BROWN: Well, you're making an assumption that the Tea Party movement was influential, and I have to respectfully disagree. It was everybody. I had a plurality...

WALTERS: But it was part of it.

BROWN: Of course, it was.

WALTERS: OK. Let's talk about the president's State of the Union.

OBAMA: "I know it's an election year. And after last week, it is clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual."

WALTERS: Do you see any evidence in his speech that he got a message from your election?

***

WALTERS: There has been a good deal of criticism of President Obama's economic team. Chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke, was, after a great deal of…

BROWN: I would have supported him.

WALTERS: You would have?

BROWN: Yes.

WALTERS: Well, he had a lot of criticism, but he's in. OK. Now, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is on the hot seat. Should Tim Geithner be replaced?

BROWN: The president has to work with the people he feels most comfortable with, as I do in my own staff -- as you do with the people that are here.

***

WALTERS: You have been a member of the National Guard for 30 years. You've talked about how important that service is.

BROWN: Yes.

WALTERS: You're a Lieutenant-Colonel. On Wednesday the president announced that he wants to work with Congress to repeal don't ask, don't tell. What's your view?

BROWN: I think it's important, because as you know we're fighting two wars right now. And the most -- the first priority is to -- is to -- is to finish the job, and win those wars. I'd like to hear from the Generals in the field -- in the field -- the people that actually work with these soldiers to make sure that, you know, the social change is not going to disrupt our ability to finish the job and complete the wars.

WALTERS: But Senator, your own view.

BROWN: That's my view.

WALTERS: So you can't say whether you're for or against it?

BROWN: No. I'm going to wait to speak to the generals on the ground.

***

WALTERS: President Obama said that in the last year there are more Al Qaeda terrorists including leaders captured or killed than in 2008. Now, obviously there are incidents like the one on Christmas day. Do you think that the president has made the country more safe?

BROWN: I think -- I think -- I don't think it's just about the president. It's not his job. His job is to be our leader, and he delegates to the appropriate authorities to make those decisions.

***

WALTERS: How do you think that Senator Ted Kennedy would feel about your election?

BROWN: Well...

WALTERS: Do you think he'd be disappointed?

***

WALTERS: What would you say if one of your daughters came to you and said, "Dad I want to pose nude?"

***

WALTERS: Senator, I have one final question. You and this beloved truck…

BROWN: "I have 202,277 miles (laughter).The thing runs great too. I haven't had any trouble with it."

WALTERS: Will you be getting a new truck?

[izquierdista]

1. Take that back!

I weawwy wuv Baba Wawa.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

2. He sounds like an idiot.

[paulsby]

14. here we go again

this guy is NOT an idiot, he is not a fundie, and he is not even remotely like palin (except they are both pretty and have attractive families). ( i realize you didnd't mention the 2nd two, but i've been hearing crap like that since before he was elected)

this guy is a smart and moderate republican.

one of the reasons he WON was that people underestimated him.

i see people are still doing the same. i don't see anything in the interview that makes him sound like an idiot. and it's never helpful in politics to underestimate one's opponent.

he's well educated, personable, photogenic, charismatic and smart.

underestimating him would be a big mistake.

[Carni]

21. He's pretty?

Well OK -- (WTF?)

[paulsby]

36. well, yes

handsome if you prefer.

[Carni]

47. I think he looks like a cheesy jerk

It's all in the eye of the beholder but I find that man pretty unappealing -- JMO

[paulsby]

48. i suggest if he was a democrat, you wouldn't perceive him that way

i see that all the time.

i don't munge politics and beauty.

[givemebackmycountry]

24. You know, you may be right.

After 8 years of Monkey Boy and all those evil fucks that controlled him like a cuckold husband, I'll believe anything.

That's my favorite new term for Bush.
"Cuckold"

[inna]

25. i agree.

[avaistheone1]

27. After reading this article I have to agree with you.

Brown handled himself amazingly well. This guy is not my cup of tea.

It sounds like he and Obama are in the same camp on many issues. So I am surprised how many DUers object to him.

[realitythink]

43. People used to say W was a moderate too!!

He is not a moderate!! He's only acting that way now because he has to get elected again in '12. This guy is very, very conservative and very, very influenced by the trans national corporations. We learned what that combination can do for this country already.

[paulsby]

46. bush NEVER claimed to be

pro-choice for example.

bush was NOT a conservative . he was an authoritarian right moderate. much like clinton was an authoritarian left moderate.

regardless, this guy has little in common with bush. he's a MA repub in the vein of bill weld.

fwiw, i never used the word moderate. what is said is he is NOT a fundie, and he is not of the anti-choice rightwing conservative vein. he mentions religion less than obama for pete's sake.

show me some EVIDENCE that this guy is "very, very conservative". imo, that analysis is just as wrong as the people who said he can't win in MA.

iow, wrong

[janet118]

33. Actually, he sounded remarkably sane . . .

for a Republican. He graduated from Tufts U. and B.C. Law - he's no Sarah Palin. He may be the one Republican who really will buck the GOP leadership. He's my senator now - I didn't vote for him but he still has to represent his constituents, i.e., me. There aren't enough right wingers to keep him in office here.

By the way, he is also pro-choice - in the way some Dems are - for parental consent, no public funding or late term - not my view, but at least not bat shit crazy like the right wing fundie jerks.

As for Walters, she is an idiot. I will not be watching her again.

[Better Today]

40. His answers actually sound reasonable to me, but the way the OP is laid

out, it is hard to recognize right off the bat that it is mostly Barbara being quoted, with very little from Brown at all being quoted. I would like to find a link to see what all of Brown's answers were to her stupid questions. This OP is in no way a reasonable presentation of Brown in order for me to have any kind of actual opinion of him from it.

[Lex]

3. Airhead interviews Airhead. nt

[kayakjohnny]

4. Why would her parents do that to her?

That's a terrible middle name.

Man, I just can't believe this.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

5. It was a total Obama hate fest

Jokers from the right, jokers from the left...

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. My exact point

"It was a total Obama hate fest"

That's why I posted the excerpts without comment. I figured that would come through loud and clear without any prompting from me.

To Brown's credit, he didn't take the bait.

:patriot:

[TexasObserver]

7. Barbara Walters is still alive?! Who knew?

[alp227]

8. WHY THE HELL WAS WALTERS ON THIS WEEK

wow I'm glad I chose Meet the Press today instead; that made so much more sense. Ever since George left This Week for Good Morning America, I've watched MTP and Face the Nation instead. I can see This Week going downhill as today's show had a terrible combo of Barbara Walters, Scott Brown, and Roger Ailes on it.

[PacerLJ35]

9. I never knew that was her middle name...learn something new every day

[spanone]

10. ol babs knows a celebrity when she sees one

[Fire1]

11. Whoopi Goldberg will have something to say about that I'm

sure.

[tishaLA]

12. She also asked him to name three things he'd cut in the budget

He didn't even give ONE. Did Babs press him on the matter? Ha.

I started watching This Week when Gregory took over Meet the Press, but if they keep giving me shows like this, I'll just ignore Sunday morning chatfests altogether.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. But she DID ask him if she'd be buying a new truck.

These Sunday morning shows need a pissed-off, take-no-prisoners Liberal.

Someone like Matt Taibbi.

Although there are Taibbi-bashers on DU, too...go figure.

[Canuckistanian]

16. I love how he knew the exact mileage on his truck

Why, that's what I call a spontaneous, off-the-cuff answer.

Never mind that he's a millionaire and has 5 other cars.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

41. that's what stuck out for me as well

Why not answer the question, press him on it.

[Octafish]

15. Hey, Bawbwa! Ask him about Diebold and electronic voting machines.

ES&S and the rest were the ones doing most of the tabulating, giving the election to the porn star. In the two places where there were hand-counts, Coakley won.

[fascisthunter]

17. this is true....

[11 Bravo]

18. Cut her some slack. Babs still has the steaming undies from his Cosmo shoot.

[bemildred]

19. Baba Wahwah really beshit herself. Mr Brown comes across as bemused and coherent.

I'm starting to understand why he won (not saying I agree with him or anything).

[RiverStone]

20. Rather than whine about BW, lets encourage our DEM leadership to grow a spine!

Scott Brown would have remained a relative unknown if the Dem leadership had not been so arrogant and out-of-touch in Mass.

The only good I can see out of all the attention Brown is getting is maybe it will wake up those we elected to listen to the voice of the people vs playing nice with the rethugs! No more fucking compromise! :mad:

[corkhead]

22. I thought they couldn't show fellatio on broadcast television

[Chulanowa]

23. Barbara Walkers made a Republican look smart by comparison

WTF kind of questions were those?

[HughBeaumont]

38. A picture is worth a thousand words:

[inna]

26. unrecommended for the stupid and juvenile title. otherwise a pretty interesting thread.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

34. You unrecommended me AND called me out (in violation of DU rules)...

...well, I know I won't sleep well tonight.

"Judge not lest ye be judged"...

Buh-BYE.

[inna]

35. don't be absurd and don't misrepresent.

:thumbsdown:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

28. I miss Gilda

Walters is a massive tool.

[Hannah Bell]

29. Barbie slept her way to the top & has always been a tool & a joke.

[XOKCowboy]

30. Another example of why US voters are among the most uninformed of any on earth while...

having the most extensive broadcast resources. Barbara Walters even being on this program was catering to the Lowest Common Denominator and she took it even lower.

This is journalism in our age. We're doomed.

[O is 44]

31. Does Barbara know...

that he was elected to the senate and not to a co-president position? Wouldn't you think she would have asked him about how he would vote on healthcare, climate change, the jobs bill e.g..... the Dems better wise up and highlight how this guy votes on big issues, right now he is skating along with no record not taking the bait to dump on the President, which can not be said of his republican colleagues, so he appears moderate, but I can't wait to see if he will actually vote with the Dems on big issues.

[ddeclue]

32. Sounds like Brown is about to get in trouble with the Bible thumpers over the geh in tha militara

[BlueIdaho]

37. Walters sure sign This Week is on life support.

Could this show become any more insipid? Time to pull the plug.

[northofdenali]

39. Don't care about the age.

She's a Nora Roberts wannabe.

Ick.

[JHB]

42. Now there'a a mental picture I didn't need this early in the morning...

:thumbsdown:

[Vinca]

44. On the plus side, she got him to say he was pro-choice. That won't sit well with the crazies.

[Enthusiast]

45. Barbara Walters said,

"I think Rush Limbaugh is a fascinating man."

That is all.