Crooks & Liars: Matt Lauer to Jim Cramer: Why don’t you just lie about the economy?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Lauer to Cramer: Why don’t you just lie about the economy?

By: John Amato on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 4:45 PM - PST

Video links HERE: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/01/17/lauer-to-cramer-why-dont-you-just-lie-about-the-economy/



On the TODAY show this morning, Matt Lauer had the nerve to ask Jim Cramer why he doesn’t just lie about the economy to his viewers.

Lauer: …they say why don’t you guys stop talking about recession because simply by talking about it, you’re going to freak out consumers and definitely push us into one. Is there any logic to that thinking?

Cramer: The answer is that we can, we have to point out the positives with the negatives.

Lauer: But if consumer confidence in spending is a large part of what goes into possibly creating a recession, by talking about it, is there an emotional side to it?

Cramer: There is, but also we have to report the news. And there is an astounding decline in business in the country. If we say that there isn’t, we cannot be possible doing our jobs.

In other words, STFU! Yea Matt, forget about the truth. Hell, it worked so well in the run up to the war in Iraq, didn’t it? Logic in Lying—stick your head in the sand. I hate to break it to Matt, but these NAFTA lovers lie on teevee day in and day out about the economy. (I’m not saying that this is Matt’s opinion on the subject because of the way he framed the question)

I’ve been watching the Stock shows on FOX and CNBC for a long time now and outside of a very small percentage of “experts” that try to tell the truth about the state of our nation’s economy—most are Milton Friedman, free market capitalist pigs that will say anything to sell their ideals and I mean anything. If the economy is great—it’s time for more tax cuts and—if the economy is bad—we need more tax cuts. They bow at the alter of Tax cuts. In other words, evidence and pragmatism be damned, just give those wealthy corporations tax cuts for evah!

[KG]

1. only well-to-do mutherfuckers who won't lose their lifestyle in the coming crash

could ask such question.

[sendero]

2. Matt Lauer...

... another prototypical lying MSM jackass.

He might as well say "we lie about Bush, we lie about Iraq, we lie about freaking everything, why won't you just help us lie about the economy?"

[Quantess]

3. Interestingly,

he's truthful about lying! I guess the lying is so obvious, Lauer is open about it.

[annabanana]

6. Lauer may be oblivious to the fact that there are still people out here

who actually frown on lying. For him it's just "standard business practice".

[mudesi]

4. How stupid. Lying about the economy is going to put money in one's pocket?

Go ahead! Tell us everything is rosy!

That doesn't give me a job, or increase the number in my bank account, now does it?

[sendero]

9. The right wing..

... lives in a fantasy-spin world. They spin everything to the point that they don't even know what is true. Many of these droolers still think that "success" in Iraq is possible, even though anyone with two brain cells knows that even if everything went perfectly from this point forward the price was too high, there can never be "success".

Since in their world perception is reality and they've managed to snooker Americans into buying into their bullshit perceptions, they think they can do it in every sphere.

But reality has a way of forcing itself. As you say, consumers aren't just slowing down because they are hearing the economy is weakening, they are slowing down because they are Out Of Money and Up to Their Eyeballs In Debt.

No amount of happy talk is gonna fix that.

[Digit]

5. Yeah, I have recently listened to our local right wing radio shows...

I can only take it in small increments before I start screaming at the radio.
THEY believe it is the liberals creating the problem in the economy by talking about it.
Guess these guys have so much wealth, they don't notice the price of gas (they have limo drivers), or the price of groceries (they don't do the shopping).

Listen up Repugs, there are people out there who don't even listen to politics. They only know they don't have the money to live life like they did before. Their credit cards are maxed out. They feel the pinch. Spouses get laid off, people lose their health insurance, pensions are bled dry, gas is through the roof, and heating costs are eating us alive.

If you think that a mere opinion in the news would have this much sway, you are truly idiots.

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. Remember smirk-n-sneer running around the country in '00 talking about

how the economy was in recession, it wasn't. The media as I recall, didn't call smirk-n-sneer on it.

[MorningGlow]

8. Well, that method's been working so well, so far--keep it up!

Just... :crazy:

Okay, Matt, we're that stupid--just keep saying the economy is "greeaaaaat"--our money problems are all my fault. I must've just misplaced thousands upon thousands and THAT'S why I can't afford to put gas in the car or pay the heating bill. Yeah, that's the ticket. Think I'll check my other purse. Maybe I left it in there. :eyes:

I weep for what passes as "journalism" in this country these days... :cry:

[ToeBot]

10. Oh look, it's another episode of "Who's the Bigger Douche Bag."

I don't know why I watch, it's always Lauer. But with this guest, it was almost a tie.