Right-Wing Media Praised GOP For Walking Out On Default Crisis Talks, Now Attack Obama

From Media Matters

Following reports that President Obama and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) had a "blow up" while negotiating solutions to the default crisis, in which Cantor accused Obama of "abruptly walking out" of the talks, right-wing media have attacked Obama as a "petulant child" for allegedly doing so. However, in June, right-wing media praised Cantor and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) for walking out of default crisis negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden.

Cantor Accuses Obama Of "Abruptly Walking Out" Of Default Crisis Negotiations

Politico: Obama And Cantor Had A "Blow Up." On July 13, Politico reported:

President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of a stormy debt-limit meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, a dramatic setback to the already shaky negotiations.

"He shoved back and said 'I'll see you tomorrow' and walked out," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told reporters in the Capitol after the meeting.

[...]

When Cantor said the two sides were too far apart to get a deal that could pass the House by the Treasury Department's Aug. 2 deadline -- and that he would consider moving a short-term debt-limit increase alongside smaller spending cuts -- Obama began to lecture him.

"Eric, don't call my bluff," the president said, warning Cantor that he would take his case "to the American people." He told Cantor that no other president -- not Ronald Reagan, the president said -- would sit through such negotiations.

Democratic sources dispute Cantor's version of Obama's walk out, but all sides agree that the two had a blow up. The sources described Obama as "impassioned" but said he didn't exactly storm out of the room.

"Cantor's account of tonight's meeting is completely overblown. For someone who knows how to walk out of a meeting, you'd think he'd know it when he saw it," a Democratic aide said. "Cantor rudely interrupted the president three times to advocate for short-term debt ceiling increases while the president was wrapping the meeting. This is just more juvenile behavior from him and Boehner needs to rein him in, and let the grown-ups get to work."

On exiting the room, Obama said that "this confirms the totality of what the American people already believe" about Washington, according to a Democratic official familiar with the negotiations, and that officials are "too focused on positioning and political posturing" to make difficult choices.

Cantor insists he never interrupted the president, and was "deferential," seeking permission to speak. [Politico, 7/13/11]

Right-Wing Media Attacks Obama For Having "Tantrum" And Leaving "In A Huff"

Fox & Friends Compares Incident To Reality Star Flipping Table And Attacking Co-Star. While discussing reports on the dispute between Cantor and Obama on its July 14 show, Fox & Friendsrepeatedly cited Cantor's claim that Obama "walked out" of the meeting and compared the dispute to an incident on Bravo's reality television show Real Housewives of New Jersey, in which one cast mate, Teresa Giudice, got into an argument with another cast mate, Danielle Staub, which resulted in Giudice flipping a table in a restaurant. Guest co-host Clayton Morris stated of Obama's actions: "This sort of reminds me -- I don't know if you ever saw --  I know you're a big fan, Real Housewives of New [Jersey],this sort of reminds me of that. ... This reminds me of a little testiness that the president may have had."Fox & Friends then aired a clip of the reality show. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/14/11]

Malkin: Obama Had A "Hissy Fit." From the July 14 Fox & Friends:

CLAYTON MORRIS (guest host): Let's bring in syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin this morning, because she's been watching these debt discussions very closely, and Michelle, I guess you have some inside scoops on that heated talk yesterday when it almost came to blows between Eric Cantor and the president. What happened?

MICHELLE MALKIN (Fox News contributor): Well, I wouldn't say I have an inside scoop. In fact, I wish that Obama had abided by his campaign promise to allow cameras into these meetings and negotiations. However, we have had leaks come out from both sides of the aisle about what happened yesterday, and from all accounts, it seems like the president had a, well, hissy fit. It has been described as him storming out of the room or possibly absconding with a miffed look on his face.

But in any case, for grassroots conservatives like me, it is very heartening to see House GOP leaders and in this case, Eric Cantor, standing up and forcing Obama's hand in these matters. We've heard that Obama said, "Don't call my bluff," which to me, is more than a tacit admission that he's been bluffing to the American people, and I think that that's really what needs to be called out here is that the lies and the obfuscation and the demagoguery about the issue. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/14/11]

Ace: Obama Acted "Like A Teenage Girl Whose Parents Just Don't Understand Her" And "Ran Away In A Huff." From Ace of Spades:

Pro tip...don't tell people you're bluffing.

And then like a teenage girl whose parents just don't understand her, he ran away in a huff.

[...]

The usual suspects are claiming that Obama didn't run away but even Democrats said he did.

Some Democrats are saying it was Cantor who "rudely" interrupted Obama three times.

Given Obama's history of rudely treating the Supreme Court at the 2010 State of the Union and his obnoxious treatment of Paul Ryan at his entitlement speech, all I can say is if it's true is...good for Cantor. [Ace of Spades, 7/13/11]

Verum Serum: Obama Is "Captain Thin-Skin" Who Got "Cranky And Walked Out On The Meeting." From a July 13 Verum Serum post, titled, "Call His Freaking Bluff":

So the President, aka Captain Thin-skin, got agitated at the debt ceiling negotiations and yelled at Eric Cantor. He reportedly said:

This may bring down my presidency, but I will not yield on this.

Predictably, the spin is not that Obama is cranky and walked out on the meeting, but that Leader Cantor is rude, or got a lecture, or something. All that matters to most of the media is that Obama is always the good guy.

This is why negotiations like this never, ever work out for conservatives. In the end, it really does matter that almost the entire media is on the President's side. It matters that the judgment call about whether the President is said to be cracking or standing on principle will always turn out favorably for him. It matters that the Greek chorus of the left is already damning Cantor for failing to play the President's game. In these close situations, the press is never averse to putting a thumb on the scales. [Verum Serum, 7/13/11]

Drudge: "Drama Obama." From the Drudge Report:

[Drudge Report, 7/14/11]

Hoft: "Obama Picked Up His Toys And Walked Out." From a June 13 Gateway Pundit post by Jim Hoft:

FOX News just reported that Barack Obama walked out "abruptly" on Republicans today during debt talks.

[...]

The President wants to raise taxes and Republicans won't let him.

So Obama picked up his toys and walked out.

LEADERSHIP. [GatewayPundit, 7/13/11 emphasis in the original]

RedState: "Our Petulant Child President." From a RedState post titled, "Our Petulant Child President":

This isn't a surprise to anyone who has been playing attention to our child president over the past three years. The Obama administration has been a veritable Mecca for narcissism and incompetence from the time Obama took the oath of office.

Now, for the first time since taking office, Obama is forced to make a decision that entailed personal risk. It isn't a pretty sight. [RedState, 7/13/11]

HotAir: Obama "Threw" A "Tantrum." From HotAir:

Before he threw his tantrum, Obama also reportedly told Republicans today that Friday's the deadline for deciding whether both sides should continue to pursue a real deficit-reduction deal or whether they should shift to looking for some sort of fallback plan a la McConnell to avoid default. So, the good news: The first stage of the debt-ceiling drama will kinda sorta be over in the next 48 hours. The bad news: Three more weeks of the next stage to come, guys. Three. More. Weeks. [HotAir, 7/13/11]

But Right-Wing Media Praised Cantor, Kyl For Previously Walking Out Of Talks

Hannity: "I Like The Fact That Both Cantor And Kyl Walked Away From The Table." From the June 23 broadcast of Fox News' Hannity:

SEAN HANNITY (host): I think it is make or break too. Look, I know you have proposed, you along with Senator Orrin Hatch, cut cap and balance. Very simple. But, you know, and I like the fact that both Cantor and Kyl walked away from the table. Why don't you explain why this is significant? I can't even believe Democrats are still talking about more stimulus, more tax increases, what is your proposal?

SEN. JIM DEMINT (R-SC): Well, it really is pretty simple. It recognizes that the only way that we are ever going to stop this spending addiction in Washington is if we are forced to by the constitution. So, the key part of this is passing a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. And sending it to states to ratify. Sean, they say they can be done. But those who say that are going to keep telling us, we've got to spend more than we are bringing in indefinitely. So, there are three parts to this. We are going to oppose any increase in the debt limit unless we cut spending immediately. Unless we have caps on spending over the out years to bring us to a balanced budget. And unless we pass a constitutional amendment to the -- an amendment to the constitutions to force us to stop the spending. So, we are asking people all over the country to sign up. If you allow me the Web site is cutcapbalancepledge.com. We've got thousands of Americans who signed up. Several senators and congressmen have signed up. Presidential candidates are signing up. And frankly, if anyone who doesn't sign up, really doesn't belong in Washington right now. We can afford anyone else who doesn't understand, we need to balance our budget.

HANNITY: All right. As of this year, 70 percent, our public debt will be 70 percent of GDP. The CBO projects out that in a few short years, less than a decade, it is going to be over 100 percent. Then we're on track to be over 200 percent. In other words, that would be twice the amount that we take in. And Tim Geithner has suggested last week that spending cuts alone are irresponsible. We need quote, "revenue increases." Code word, a tax increase. And this week, the Democrats said, they want another stimulus plan. I mean, how many times do you have to bang your head on the wall before you reach that definition of insanity? Why would they continue to double down on these policies?

DEMINT: Well, Sean, it is amazing. If you look at a graph with the revenues, I mean, we are bringing in about as much money as we ever have. But the spending line goes straight up and continues out over 10 years. We don't have a revenue problem, we've got a spending problem. But if we cut the spending, you would see the revenue begin to grow. As we take the pressure off the private sector. So, Republicans owe it to Americans Sean, to tell them where we stand and what we are willing to fight for. That's what this pledge is about. And I would encourage all your viewers to go, to cutcapbalancepledge.com, sign up and when they put in their zip code, it will tell you who your congressmen and senators are. Hopefully, people will call them, e-mail them, make sure they sign this pledge. I think we need to go to the math. If we can get 41 senators to sign it, we can force them to pass a balanced budget before they get any increase in the debt limit. [Fox News, Hannity, 6/23/11, accessed via Nexis]

Hoft: "Republican Leaders Pulled Out" Because "Dems Insist On Job-Killing Tax Hikes." From a June 23 Gateway Pundit post, titled, "GOP Lawmakers Pull Out of Budget Talks After Dems Insist On Job-Killing Tax Hikes":

Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters yesterday:

"Job Creation Is Not a Government Program."

[...]

Republican leaders pulled out of the bi-partisan budget talks after democrats [sic] continued to insist on job-killing tax hikes. [Gateway Pundit, 6/23/11 emphasis in original]