By Hunter Walker 3/22 7:10pm

media

Christine Quinn (Photo: YouTube)

Christine Quinn Won’t Be Sitting at Chris Hayes’ Mayoral Roundtable

On Sunday, MSNBC host Chris Hayes is hosting a roundtable featuring many of the main Democratic mayoral candidates on his eponymous show, Up With Chris Hayes. However, the panel won’t feature the woman who’s currently enjoying a large lead in the polls–Council Speaker Chris Quinn. Though Mr. Hayes has been highly critical of Ms. Quinn of late, both her aides and MSNBC spokespeople attributed her absence from his roundtable to scheduling.

“Speaker Quinn has been able to make 14 candidate forums thus far–two yesterday alone– and she has another 12 committed over the next six weeks. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make this one work,” Mike Morey, a spokesman for the Quinn campaign, told Politicker. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/19 10:43am

Talking Heads

David Axelrod (Photo: Twitter)

David Axelrod Signs on at MSNBC and NBC News

President Barack Obama’s longtime strategy guru David Axelrod has signed on for a post-campaign gig as a “senior political analyst” for NBC News and MSNBC. Mr. Axelrod previously served as a senior strategist for President Obama in the 2008 and 2012 campaigns. During the president’s first term, he was on the White House staff as a senior advisor. Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/26/12 8:44am

up with criticism

(Photo: MSNBC)

Chris Hayes Takes Another Shot at Cuomo

MSNBC host Chris Hayes isn’t done with Governor Andrew Cuomo, at least not yet. Mr. Hayes, who blasted “New York’s supposedly Democratic governor” last week for failing to support Democratic control of the New York State Senate, revisited the topic again yesterday to argue Mr. Cuomo is knowingly undermining his stated ideological interests.

“Well, I agree!” Mr. Hayes said after playing a clip of the governor dismissing his criticism, calling for a policy-oriented discussion instead of a partisan one. Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/08/12 10:35am

Ferry Fury

(Photo: Getty)

Staten Island Is Pissed at Chris Matthews

Hardball host Chris Matthews is facing the wrath of Staten Islanders affected by Hurricane Sandy after he said he was glad the storm occurred on the air.

During his election night wrap-up on Tuesday, Mr. Matthews said it was “a good day for America,” and added, “I’m so glad we had that storm last week.” After Rachel Maddow, who was seated next to him, gave an audible “ooh,” at his choice of words, Mr. Matthews countered, ”No, politically, I should say–not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics.”

According to the Staten Island Advance, Mr. Matthews’ remarks didn’t go over very well with New York City’s least-populated borough, which suffered a majority of Hurricane Sandy’s fatalities in the city. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/11/12 7:01pm

City Hall

Quinn Final Stephanos

Quinn for a Day: Christine Throws Herself a National Coming Out Party

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had been to the Democratic National Convention three times before, but this year’s event was different. These days, Ms. Quinn is widely seen as the front-runner in next year’s race to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In May, just 10 days after President Barack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, instantly making it one of the hottest topics of this election cycle, Ms. Quinn married her longtime partner Kim Catullo in a wedding that received almost Kardashian-esque coverage from New York’s political press corps and made her one of the highest-profile married, openly gay politicians in the country.

With her newfound notoriety, it would seem, the stars are aligning for Ms. Quinn to follow Mr. Bloomberg’s footsteps as the most prominent mayor in the country. However, she will first have to cut her path to City Hall through a crowded field of opponents and a Council that may include members eager to exact revenge on the outgoing speaker, while also battling the persistent impression she is a political stand-in, a Medvedev to Mr. Bloomberg’s Putin. Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/23/12 11:11am

Gun Control

Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg Vows To Keep Taking Shots at Obama and Romney

In the wake of last week’s shooting in Aurora, Colorado, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is keeping up his call for President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to address the issue of illegal guns in their race for the White House. Hizzoner appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today where he criticized both candidates for running for president “without having a plan” on gun control. He also pledged to keep up his push on gun control and argued that the aftermath of a tragedy like the Aurora shooting is the best time to raise the issue.

“People say it’s bad politics to address the issue. I think the’yre wrong. I’m going to try to stir it up and so is everybody else,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “You ask one of the families, ‘Is this the time to focus on how to keep their other child from getting killed? I think they’d be on the side of–do it now.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 5/22/12 9:27am

Media Criticism

Fox News President Roger Ailes (Photo: Getty)

Roger Ailes Calls Jon Stewart ‘A Socialist’ And Says New York Times Is ‘A Cesspool of Bias’

Fox News head honcho Roger Ailes gave a commencement speech at Ohio University yesterday in which he accused MSNBC, the AP and The New York Times of left wing bias and described Daily Show host Jon Stewart as a “socialist.” Media blogger Jim Romenesko compiled Tweets describing the content of the speech that were written by media lawyer Media lawyer and Harvard Law & Policy Review blogger Jonathan W. Peters, who witnessed the address and posted quotes from Mr. Ailes’ remarks.

“Jon Stewart is a comedian. He wouldn’t do well without Fox. And he basically has admitted to me, in a bar, that he’s a socialist,” Mr. Ailes said, according to Mr. Peters. “The New York Times is a cesspool of bias.” Read More