Rice professor Brinkley testifies before Congress.

Interesting exchange. I didn't watch the part leading up to this exchange, so commenting in a vacuum, I will say that Brinkley overreacted about being called "Mr. Rice." Now, having his testimony labeled as "garbage" is certainly worth getting one's feathers ruffled over, however.

The reactions of that blonde sitting back in the Staff Bench are priceless.

Brinkley is an interesting dude - in a baseball analogy he's kind of like the Lance Berkman of American historians. He's outspoken, marches to a different beat of the drum, and still has some years left in his career. I'm a little surprised he's at Rice still and not at UT-Austin since he lives in Austin and that city is much more liberal than Houston. But he definitely brings some nice attention to Rice's history department (most of the time). I need to read his Alaska book.

Notice how one Congressman backs up the other and blames the witness. Nice.

Wow!!

I am 100% pro-development of ANWR, but I recognize Don Young is one of the 10-or-so worst hacks in Congress. Good for Brinkley for standing up to him...

Brinkley has no credibility with Republicans. His Dem leanings are well documented. Still, no one should we treated with disrespect by Congress.

I had Brinkley for a class on 20th Century US President. I truly enjoyed it. He didn't go all high and mighty on us and allowed us to debate topics as the lecture would tend to head toward politics. I was not at all surprised to see him stand up like this.

(11-20-2011 02:58 PM)NolaOwl Wrote:  Brinkley has no credibility with Republicans. His Dem leanings are well documented. Still, no one should we treated with disrespect by Congress.

So, someone's political leanings influence whether they have credibility on any topic? Can we just summarize your opinion as "all democrats lie all the time?" Must be fun in your black and white little world.

Meanwhile, out here in reality, I find that I can agree with statements and opinions of people from the entire political spectrum, depending on the subject. This of course makes it difficult to brand the "other side" as full of lying, cheating, evil wrong-doers, but it does cut down on cognitive dissonance.

Rejecting out of hand something that comes from the other side of the political spectrum is as senseless as aceepting out of hand anything that originates on your own side.

Emmie, I would agree that you're usually pretty open-minded on this.

I do think we've reached a point of such heated partisanship that the leaders on both sides are pretty much all lying, cheating, evil scumbags, but that's because being a lying, cheating, evil scumbag is a tremendous advantage in climbing the ranks of our current political system.

Obama, Biden, Reid, Pelosi, Boehner, McConnell--I don't have any problem using "lying, cheating, evil scumbag" to describe any of them.

ETA: And that last goes double after the debt deal blew up today. That was a smoke-and-mirrors sham all along.

Brinkley owns all.

I love it when citizens treat politicians with disrespect. Those vermin deserve every bit of it. That's why it was kind of disappointing to hear Brinkly suck up to the Dem congressman there at the end.

On this video I was only able to see the bracketed part, but I think you're referring to that as well. The only two Congressmen speaking and addressed by Brinkley are Republican (Rep. Young of AK and Chairman Doc Hastings of WA).

(11-21-2011 11:04 PM)Baconator Wrote:  I love it when citizens treat politicians with disrespect. Those vermin deserve every bit of it. That's why it was kind of disappointing to hear Brinkly suck up to the Dem congressman there at the end.

(11-21-2011 11:50 PM)texd Wrote:  On this video I was only able to see the bracketed part, but I think you're referring to that as well. The only two Congressmen speaking and addressed by Brinkley are Republican (Rep. Young of AK and Chairman Doc Hastings of WA).

(11-21-2011 11:04 PM)Baconator Wrote:  I love it when citizens treat politicians with disrespect. Those vermin deserve every bit of it. That's why it was kind of disappointing to hear Brinkly suck up to the Dem congressman there at the end.

It may not have been in the video, but was in the text of the story (emphasis mine):

Quote:BRINKLEY: He called me Mr. Rice. He used 'garbage' and Mr. Rice. You would do that if somebody did that to your name.

CHAIRMAN HASTING: Mr. Brinkley, I've been called a lot of things.

BRINKLEY: I wouldn't call you that. You're a good congressman.

(11-21-2011 11:58 PM)Baconator Wrote:  

(11-21-2011 11:50 PM)texd Wrote:  On this video I was only able to see the bracketed part, but I think you're referring to that as well. The only two Congressmen speaking and addressed by Brinkley are Republican (Rep. Young of AK and Chairman Doc Hastings of WA).

(11-21-2011 11:04 PM)Baconator Wrote:  I love it when citizens treat politicians with disrespect. Those vermin deserve every bit of it. That's why it was kind of disappointing to hear Brinkly suck up to the Dem congressman there at the end.

It may not have been in the video, but was in the text of the story (emphasis mine):

Quote:BRINKLEY: He called me Mr. Rice. He used 'garbage' and Mr. Rice. You would do that if somebody did that to your name.

CHAIRMAN HASTING: Mr. Brinkley, I've been called a lot of things.

BRINKLEY: I wouldn't call you that. You're a good congressman.

Hastings is a Republican.

My bad, I saw Hasting and immediately thought of Alcee Hastings. Regardless of who he sucked up to...or which of the 2 gangs s/he belongs to...the sucking up was disappointing to me.

(11-21-2011 02:14 PM)emmiesix Wrote:  

(11-20-2011 02:58 PM)NolaOwl Wrote:  Brinkley has no credibility with Republicans. His Dem leanings are well documented. Still, no one should we treated with disrespect by Congress.

So, someone's political leanings influence whether they have credibility on any topic? Can we just summarize your opinion as "all democrats lie all the time?" Must be fun in your black and white little world.

Meanwhile, out here in reality, I find that I can agree with statements and opinions of people from the entire political spectrum, depending on the subject. This of course makes it difficult to brand the "other side" as full of lying, cheating, evil wrong-doers, but it does cut down on cognitive dissonance.

Whoa there. You're making an assumption that I agree with the GOP that he has no credibiity. That's their view, not necessarily mine. Brinkley has been high profile on some things - his bio of John Kerry and of depiction of Gov. Blanco in La. after Katrina. Many Repubs I know here in La. have come to the conclusion that he will be inflexibly on the liberal side of an issue, no matter what it is - so they don't think he is credible on many issues.

I read his Kerry and Katrina books and while I don't agree with his conclusions, I found them to be well written and sourced. There was a definite bias there on his part with some facts also being left out - particularly about the before and after in Katrina. I would suspect his views on ANWR are similarly biased - but that is not a reason for disrespect or to accuse someone of living in a black and white fantasy world.

Local interview by KHOU.

Says he's rec'd nothing but positive support for standing up to Alaska Rep.

(11-19-2011 06:35 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  The reactions of that blonde sitting back in the Staff Bench are priceless.

NBC Nightly News Tuesday night:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#45409328

(11-22-2011 02:28 PM)NolaOwl Wrote:  

(11-21-2011 02:14 PM)emmiesix Wrote:  

(11-20-2011 02:58 PM)NolaOwl Wrote:  Brinkley has no credibility with Republicans. His Dem leanings are well documented. Still, no one should we treated with disrespect by Congress.

So, someone's political leanings influence whether they have credibility on any topic? Can we just summarize your opinion as "all democrats lie all the time?" Must be fun in your black and white little world.

Meanwhile, out here in reality, I find that I can agree with statements and opinions of people from the entire political spectrum, depending on the subject. This of course makes it difficult to brand the "other side" as full of lying, cheating, evil wrong-doers, but it does cut down on cognitive dissonance.

Whoa there. You're making an assumption that I agree with the GOP that he has no credibiity. That's their view, not necessarily mine. Brinkley has been high profile on some things - his bio of John Kerry and of depiction of Gov. Blanco in La. after Katrina. Many Repubs I know here in La. have come to the conclusion that he will be inflexibly on the liberal side of an issue, no matter what it is - so they don't think he is credible on many issues.

I read his Kerry and Katrina books and while I don't agree with his conclusions, I found them to be well written and sourced. There was a definite bias there on his part with some facts also being left out - particularly about the before and after in Katrina. I would suspect his views on ANWR are similarly biased - but that is not a reason for disrespect or to accuse someone of living in a black and white fantasy world.

Further support for the view that Brinkley is in the tank for Democrats:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/new...w-20121025