Cal Thomas introduced Larry Kudlow who presented the “Damn Those Conservatives to Hell Award” which, by audience vote, was won by Martin Bashir and accepted in jest by U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH).

Bill Press Runner-Up

“The essence of this Tea Party is a racist institution. It is born of the fact that they cannot stand the fact that a black man is President of the United States. But it also shows me that despite what happened in Virginia — right? — this Republican Party hasn’t learned one lesson. They still will go as far right as they can, as extreme on the extreme fringe of the Republican Party. That’s who’s leading the party today.”

— Left-wing radio host Bill Press on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation, December 16, 2013.

Chris Matthews Runner-Up

“If only the people who voted in 2010 show up this November, you can kiss all this goodbye. You’ll see the beginning of the end to what could have been — what many of us believe should have been — an historic turn toward full democratic government in this country....It will be a double downing of efforts to suppress the votes of those who voted for him in historic numbers, the return to something like Jim Crow days, relevant of all the old anti-black gimmickry of that time: literacy tests and poll taxes and all the rest. The goal will be to erase not just Obama from the history books, but any evidence that someone of his background should ever think of being President. It will mean victory for the haters.”

— Chris Matthews, opening the January 7 Hardball on MSNBC.

Martin Bashir Winner

“One of the most comprehensive first-person accounts of slavery comes from the personal diary of a man called Thomas Thistlewood, who kept copious notes for 39 years....In 1756, he records that ‘a slave named Darby catched eating canes; had him well flogged and pickled, then made Hector, another slave, s-h-i-t in his mouth.’ This became known as ‘Darby’s Dose,’ a punishment invented by Thistlewood that spoke only of the slave owners’ savagery and inhumanity....When Mrs. Palin invoked slavery, she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance. She confirms that if anyone truly qualified for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, then she would be the outstanding candidate.”

— Then-MSNBC host Martin Bashir on November 15, 2013 reacting to Sarah Palin’s comparison of excessive debt to slavery.

Larry Kudlow presented the “#obamacarefail Award” which, by audience vote completed via electronic device at each table, was won by MSNBC’s Krystal Ball and accepted in jest by Cleta Mitchell.

Thomas Roberts Runner-Up

Thomas Roberts: “When it comes to ObamaCare, do you hate ObamaCare more than you love your country?...You’ve taken the government hostage through a shutdown, and all the American people — you’re walking them to a cliff, the economy, and you’re going to push them over one-by-one, based on the fact that you don’t like the ACA. That’s all it is. You don’t like the Affordable Care Act.”
Rep. Marsha Blackburn: “Listen to yourself. Listen to yourself!”

— Anchor Thomas Roberts scolding Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on MSNBC Live, October 15, 2013.

Ed Schultz Runner-Up

“This is the Web site folks, HealthCare.gov. If you go to this Web site, you will find out how easy it is to read, how easy it is to navigate all the information, all the basic questions, and all the direction you need to take to get involved, to get health care. This is a great guide, if I may say, for any of you out there who feel so confused by all of these right-wing commercials that are just permeating through your television screen.”

— Host Ed Schultz on MSNBC’s The Ed Show, September 30, 2013 – the day before the launch of the dysfunctional Web site.

Krystal Ball Winner

“The GOP is saying to young people, ‘We would like to have the government stick an unnecessary transvaginal probe in you if you want an abortion, but when it comes to health insurance, don’t take any government help....Stay away. Stay uninsured. Skip that pap smear. Skip that tetanus shot. Skip that prenatal care. Skip that cholesterol test. And if you die an agonizing and unnecessary death, one that could have been prevented by the health insurance reform that bears the President’s name, at least you know your death will have not been in vain. You will have died to serve the noble and patriotic cause not of conservatism, but of hurting this President and denying him a victory.’...That is not conservative. It is a national disgrace.”

— Co-host Krystal Ball on MSNBC’s The Cycle, September 24, 2013.

Alan Robertson of A&E’s Duck Dynasty presented funny video clips, from comedy and news shows, identified by Brent Baker and the MRC’s News Analysis Division.

Chris Plante presented “The Celebrity Dumb Ass Award” which, by audience vote completed via electronic device at each table, was won by Rob Reiner and accepted in jest by the Benham brothers (Jason and David).

Emmy Rossum Runner-Up

“Then I got food poisoning the next day....The hospitals are amazing there. I went to the hospital: Free health care! Incredible....They don’t even ask you for your I.D. You give your name, you give your symptoms, they hook you up to a bunch of fluids. They say just leave when you feel like it. You pay nothing! I paid nothing. They treated me for hours, I paid nothing. Amazing....It was amazing.”

— Emmy Rossum, star of Showtime’s Shameless, on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, January 8, recounting what happened when she became ill during a visit to Britain.

Harvey Weinstein Runner-Up

“This is the only the country in the world where we don’t have health care. Countries embarrass us around the world. And this is the only country in the world, we don’t have a gun law. I watched you, you know, talk about that. You know, quite frankly it’s embarrassing. Obama’s not embarrassing. The country’s embarrassing.”

— Movie producer Harvey Weinstein on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, November 15, 2013.

Rob Reiner Winner

Rob Reiner: “Obama right now, where Obama is, is right around where Reagan was, right around where Nixon was. He’s no more left than those Republicans.”
Bill Maher: “Hardly a socialist. He’s barely a liberal.”
Reiner: “No, as Bob Dole said, he could not go anywhere in this Republican Party and so Obama’s right around where Bob Dole is. I mean, they’re very similar, you know? There’s not much of a difference there.”

— Actor/activist Rob Reiner on the online “Overtime” after HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, November 1, 2013.

Chris Plante presented the “Dan Rather Memorial Award for the Most Stupid Analysis” which, by audience vote completed via electronic device at each table, was won by Eleanor Clift and accepted in jest by Stacey Dash.

Hillary Clinton Combo Runner-Up

“Let me finish tonight with the prospect of Hillary Clinton becoming not just the next President but a truly great President.”

— Chris Matthews, wrapping up MSNBC’s Hardball, May 19.

“And no one feels it would be better to crack that glass ceiling than to have a woman as President, and many believe that should be you.”

— Robin Roberts, ABC’s World News, May 7.

“No matter what their political views, you are someone we admire — and, for me, it’s more than admiration — it’s very deep affection....No matter what she does, she will always, to me, be the most fascinating.”

— Barbara Walters to Hillary Clinton on Walters’ last day as co-host of ABC’s The View, May 16.

Don Lemon Runner-Up

“Whether it was hijacking or terrorism or mechanical failure or pilot error, but what if it was something fully that we don’t really understand? A lot of people have been asking about that, about black holes and on and on and on and all of these conspiracy theories. Let’s look at this. [reads tweets: Noah says, ‘what else can you think about? Black holes, Bermuda Triangle?’ And then Deji says: ‘Just like the movie Lost.’] And then, of course, it’s also referencing the Twilight Zone, which is a very similar plot. That’s what people are saying. I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous?”

— Anchor Don Lemon wrapping up a 10pm ET CNN special report on the Malaysian Airlines jet disappearance, as the March 19 on-screen headline blared: “The Theory of Black Holes.”

Eleanor Clift Winner

“Every media organization has investigated this to death. This animates the right-wing of the Republican Party. And I would like to point out that Ambassador [Chris] Stevens was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.”

— The Daily Beast’s Eleanor Clift on The McLaughlin Group, May 11.

MRC President Brent Bozell asked the audience to show their derision, via jeers and noisemakers, of quotes from Martin Bashir, Krystal Ball and Eleanor Clift, each of whom had won a news category earlier in the program. Clift generated the most noise and thus earned the Quote of the Year dishonor for insisting that “Ambassador [Chris] Stevens was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.”

Eleanor Clift Winner

“Every media organization has investigated this to death. This animates the right-wing of the Republican Party. And I would like to point out that Ambassador [Chris] Stevens was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.”

— The Daily Beast’s Eleanor Clift on The McLaughlin Group, May 11.