(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Lesley Stahl-MTG Interview That Could Have Been [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-03 Nuttier Than A Snickers Bar... I used to be in the news business. From 1991 to 1992, I was the Entertainment Reporter on Channel 13 in Los Angeles. I know that news is storytelling, and the most important decision for any news story is the first one: what’s the point of view? The context holds the content. Last night, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene by Lesley Stahl. The interview was a disgrace because the point of view was “here’s this provocative Georgia soccer mom — a national celebrity!- who loves to work out, just like so many of you. And so accomplished! She’s managed in just two years in Congress to accumulate real power, landing on important committees, and influencing the direction of Republican policies! 60 Minutes decided to “mainstream” MTG. “Hey, she’s a little wacky, but let’s call that ‘colorful’!” I took major portions of Stahl’s interview and dropped them into a script that gives the interview a more appropriate frame. I’ve also included follow-up questions Stahl didn’t ask. Here’s the piece that SHOULD have been: TRANSCRIPT: “MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: FROM FAR-RIGHT FRINGE TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S FRONT ROW” STAHL (IN STUDIO): Tonight, the state of our nation. As you know, 60 Minutes is a production of CBS News. In March of 1954, the greatest newsman in CBS News history delivered a broadcast about Senator Joseph McCarthy. Here’s some of what Murrow said sixty-nine years ago. TAPE OF MURROW: We will not walk in fear one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular. STAHL (IN STUDIO): Marjorie Taylor Greene was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021. Before she was elected, she claimed that a wildfire in California was started by a laser, quoting her, "beamed from space and controlled by a prominent Jewish banking family with connections to powerful Democrats.” She said that President Barack Obama was a secret Muslim, and the election of two Muslim women to Congress amounted to a, quoting her again, “takeover.” She’s repeatedly supported political violence against and the execution of top Democrats including Nancy Pelosi. That’s where our interview began... (INTERVIEW) Lesley Stahl: Okay, did you ever apologize to Nancy Pelosi about the bullet to her head? AN IMAGE CAPTURED FROM SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWS A “LIKE” FROM MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE'S ACCOUNT ON A COMMENT ABOUT NANCY PELOSI. Marjorie Taylor Greene: I didn't say that, so I don't need to apologize for words that weren't mine-- Lesley Stahl: Well, you-- didn't you like it? Marjorie Taylor Greene: Other people also ran my social media. I don't think I did that. Lesley Stahl: Wait a minute. Here’s some video taken at a 2019 political rally. VIDEO: (GREENE SPEAKING): “She took an oath to protect American citizens and uphold our laws. And she gives aid and comfort to our enemies who illegally invade our land. That's what treason is. And by our law, representatives and senators can be kicked out and no longer serve in our government — and it's a crime punishable by death”. Lesley Stahl: Your words, on tape. You still deny you said them? Marjorie Taylor Greene: Let’s move on. (B-ROLL OF GREENE AT POLITICAL RALLY) Lesley Stahl (VOICE OVER): Okay, let’s. (INTERVIEW FOOTAGE) Lesley Stahl: Did you apologize for your position on Parkland, Florida? Marjorie Taylor Greene: What was my position on Parkland, Florida? Lesley Stahl: That it was a false flag— Marjorie Taylor Greene: I don't know if you actually have my-- No, I never said Parkland was a false flag. No, I've never said that. School shootings are horrible. I don't think it's anything to joke about. AN IMAGE CAPTURED FROM SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWS MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE'S RESPONSE TO A COMMENT DESCRIBING A SHOOTING AS A "FALSE FLAG PLANNED SHOOTING." Lesley Stahl: We fact-checked before I got to this interview. That's what-- Marjorie Taylor Greene: Have you fact-checked all my statements from kindergarten through 12th grade? And in college? And as I've paid my taxes, and never broken a law, And the only-- I got a few speeding tickets. Do we need to talk about those too? Lesley Stahl: No we don’t. We need to talk about your calling one of the most terrible school shootings in our history that traumatized the American people a false flag. That’s a lie, and it’s the kind of lie that poisons our politics. Marjorie Taylor Greene: These are the same attacks that people have attacked me with over and over and over… B-ROLL OF MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE WORKING OUT AT THE GYM Lesley Stahl (Voice Over): This wasn’t even the worst of it. INTERVIEW Lesley Stahl: The Democrats are a party of pedophiles. Marjorie Taylor Greene: I would definitely say so. They support grooming children. Lesley Stahl: They are not pedophiles. Why would you say that? Marjorie Taylor Greene: Democrats, Democrats support, even Joe Biden, the president himself, supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children. Lesley Stahl: Do you know the definition of slander? Let me read it to you: “a false spoken statement about someone that damages their reputation, or the making of such a statement.” You’re slandering the Democrats with your vicious lies, and it’s tearing our country apart just so you can get a little publicity. How can you do this? Marjorie Taylor Greene: Well, I would ask the same question to the other side, because all they've done is call me names and insult me non-stop since I've been here, Lesley. They call me racist. They call me sen, anti-Semitic, which is not true. I'm not calling anyone names. I'm calling out the truth basically- Lesley Stahl: Pedophile? Marjorie Taylor Greene: Pedophi-- call it what it is. Lesley Stahl (In Studio): During the pandemic, Marjorie Tayler Greene attacked vaccinations and masking that probably saved the lives of three million Americans. She consistently voices the most vitriolic hatred for gay and trans people. She said that tech titan Bill Gates was behind a plot to force all Americans to eat synthetic meat. It goes on and on. This interview is an alarm bell. it’s time to acknowledge the truth: there are dangerous provocateurs in our midst like Marjorie Taylor Greene. These are cynics determined to make political gains by getting one-half of America to hate and fear the other half. If we are to preserve this fragile experiment called American democracy, we must see this for it is. We must reject it. We must come together in reasoned debate to do what’s best for our country and shunt the Marjorie Taylor Greenes to the sidelines. Let me quote the great Edward R. Murrow at the end of his broadcast on Senator McCarthy. With apologies, I will substitute Ms. Greene for Mr. McCarthy. Murrow said, quoting, “The actions of the representative from Georgia have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really hers. She didn’t create this situation of fear; she merely exploits it – and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Marjorie Taylor Greene could well be Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick in 2024. If that happens, or even if she just continues to say evil things and make slanderous threats and shout insane conspiracy theories on the House floor, we will have to bear the consequences. We will once again have to decide who we are, what we stand for, and what we’re willing to fight for. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/3/2161943/-The-Lesley-Stahl-MTG-Interview-That-Could-Have-Been Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/