After ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jake Tapper hosted “This Week” on Sunday so soon after George Stephanopoulos resumed hosting the program, journos began clamoring to have him there permanently.

This isn’t the first time that Tapper has received an uprising of support among Washington journalists. But it is another example of a crowd that isn’t pleased with ABC’s choices where “This Week” is concerned.

WaPo‘s “Right Turn” blogger Jennifer Rubin began rousing the troops, saying, “DEAR ABC SUITS: Give Jake the gig permanently.” Former George W. Bush Speechwriter and journalist David Frum backed Rubin. “Make it permanent!” demanded National Review Online‘s Jonah Goldberg.

Of course things online can turn wacko. When follower Jim Ehlan, who refers to himself as a “big fat liberal,” said he likes Tapper more than NBC’s David Gregory, Tapper disagreed. “Jake Tapper, I’ll follow you, you’re better than David Gregory on that other channel. Thanks for your time – I’ve got a no stalking policy.” We like a guy with bold policies. Tapper replied, “I don’t agree, but not to worry, I was just a substitute host.”

If Tapper really wants the host’s chair or thinks he ought to have it, he’s not showing his cards: “Thanks for all the kind words, folks! Glad you liked @ThisWeekABC ….back to the WH beat tomorrow, see you there! Have a great Sunday -jt”

Five years isn’t really that long, but Politico has seen rapid growth and a lot of success since it first began in 2007. So on a highly self-congratulatory note on Monday, Politico released a video with clips of several high-profile political players roasting the publication on its half-decade mark.

“Five years, it’s a long time. You’re doing generally a great job,” says Donald Trump.

Politico is “truly a news organization that acts its age: a petulant five-year-old concerned with only trivial matters,” host of “MTP” David Gregory says with a smile.

With a few repeats and some intensive listening, Arianna Huffington can be understood as saying, “Just as I was sitting down to write this, I saw that Mike Allen had already broken what I was going to say.”

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Willie Geist remarks, “I’ve gotta recuse myself because I don’t care for Politico, inside the Beltway gossipy garbage. And CBS “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer cracks, “The next thing you know, you’ll be getting your driver’s license.”

Politico‘s Mike Allen‘s note to Politico readers as well as Politico staff is so sweet we think we’ve already contracted Diabetes… “THANK YOU to all of you who believed in us from Day 0. And we’re so grateful to our gifted, inspiring colleagues who make POLITICO so essential, enjoyable and illuminating.”

Other notables in the video include former CBS news anchor Katie Couric, “Morning Joe’s” Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, FNC’s Greta Van Susteren and host of “Hardball” Chris Matthews, who says he enjoys reading the print version because it’s printed on such “thick stock.”

Watch the full video here.

Quotes of the Day

Weingarten appalled.

“I’m appalled at the number of people who interpreted my innocent, joyful left-hand tweet from this a.m. as something masturbatory.” — WaPo‘s Gene Weingarten.

HOH confused for dating site

“Dear person who believes I run an online dating site. HOH doesn’t mean what you think it does … #justsaying.” — Roll Call‘s HOH Columnist Neda Semnani. The backstory: A reader wrote in to ask if they could guest blog on HOH, which they presumed was an African American online dating site.

Congressman mangles Chuck Todd’s name

“Well, Chad, Mitt Romney should be channeling…” — Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) on “The Daily Rundown” this morning. Chad, or Chuck, didn’t flinch and didn’t correct him.

Headline that could raise eyebrows at NBC…“Lunch Break Video: Tuc Watkins and David Gregory wear speedos.” No, not that David Gregory. This is the hunky soap star on One Life to Live.

A trick question from DCist’s Ben Freed: “Examiner, TBD, HuffPost people, what food item, if dropped off for free, would your newsroom go absolutely nuts over?”

The Heckler

“Hey @RickSantorum, I bet U pay a higher tax rate than Millionaire Mitt. He uses offshore tax havens. Ask him why in [today's] #CNNdebate.” — CNN Democratic Commentator Paul Begala.

Talking dirty

“Learned a new TV term today: ‘hot edit.’ It’s not what you think.” — PBS’s Christina Bellantoni.

Excuses that work…

“It is starting to look like my ‘but I can’t file a piece today, the INTERNET IS BROKEN’ excuse will work afterall. #sopa” — The Guardian‘s Ana Marie Cox.

Suze Orman takes compliments well. For instance, when she showed up to the National Press Club this week for a presser with TV commentator Tavis Smiley and Prof. Cornel West, Tony Gallo, who heads up the newsmaker program, told her she looks much better in person. Her reaction? “Thank God.” Another compliment came during an elevator ride to the first floor where she was doing an interview for CNN. This one was on her hairdo. “We did it ourselves,” Orman boasted. “We’re trying it.” By “we” she means she and her life and business partner, K.T., who was along for the ride. “I can’t tell other people to save money and not do it myself. I saved myself $200.”

As charming in real life as her SNL impersonator, Orman was just what you’d imagine her to be: blonde and chatty with spanking white teeth, and in your face about your finances. Case in point: Suze wasn’t in the building 10 seconds when a woman recognized her in the elevator and began sharing her financial woes. This scenario would repeat itself for hours as complete strangers poured out their pain. The woman said she avoids reading her column in O Magazine because she “can’t face her truth.” Suze started asking her why not, what’s stopping you… and then the woman got off on the 10th floor.

The press conference involved poverty and Orman unveiling her new prepaid card — the Approved Card — which she’s hoping will revolutionize how people experience their money. “We barely have the heart to look in the mirror and tell ourselves how we’re doing,” she told a packed room of media and ordinary people who came to share their hard luck stories. “The one fascinating thing about money is you can’t look at someone and know they’re poor,” she said, instructing an unemployed woman in a black suit to stand and be the poster child for poverty. “There should be no face of poverty in the United States,” Suze stressed, making her point. As for her new card, she said emphatically, “This card is to give people a viable alternative. I have put my name on it. I have put my reputation on it. And no financial institution or blogger is going to stop me.”

At the end of the presser, Gallo concluded: “I judge each event by how many people fall asleep and how many leave early. We had absolutely zero — the highest possible score.”

I trailed Suze and K.T. to her interview with CNN. Not surprisingly, behind the scenes Suze is no-nonsense and doesn’t like annoying surprises — so she’s a tad irked that the CNN spot wasn’t better planned. “She hates lipstick and she hates makeup,” remarked K.T. “So we argue — it’s the only time we do.”

“She’s not a prima donna at all,” said CNN Commentator Hilary Rosen, whose firm, SKDKnickerbocker, is handling Suze’s press for the card.

Finally we gathered in a quiet conference room on the first floor of the building for five questions with Suze and discovered one thing for certain: She knows her way around a Fishbowl metaphor.

The Questions…

Read more

By Piranhamous

What if President Obama ran the country like a “Banana Republic”?

GOP Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) even managed to startle host David Gregory on NBC’s “MTP” Sunday when she declared that Obama is running the country like a Banana Republic. While she probably meant the pejorative term for a country run by a small plutocracy, since she’s said strange things in the past, we’re taking liberties.

What if she meant the store? Who would hold which job?

Clearly Obama would be store manager, but he’d be hands-off. Given his fondness for vacations, he’d spend most of his time in the food court, probably at the tropical fruit smoothie stand, or the Brookstone store checking out golf accessories or massage chairs. That would leave VP Joe Biden, the assistant manager, in charge. Aside from regaling fellow employees with stories about train conductors and bringing up rape when a customer least expects it, he’d tell employees that unfolded T-shirts are a “big f–king deal.” No one in their right mind would give him the keys to a store, so the real power would fall to the “Third Key.” But who is the third key?

The natural choice House Speaker John Boehner, but he’d be outside smoking all day while catching rays, so plan B would be needed. Next in line: Treasury Sec. Timothy “TurboTax” Geithner, since he’d be most able to count out the registers at the end of the night. But having Geithner keep your books is risky. You never know if he’d calculate the taxes properly, even with a program designed to do so.

House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi would be the floor manager, overseeing the sales staff. She’d be horrible at it, being demoted from her position after only four years due to customer complaints. But considering how rich she is, she doesn’t need the job anyway.

The rest of the staff would consist of the following:

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) would start in the pants department but would eventually be pushed out in a power struggle that moved his area of the floor from “pants” to “shoes.” With his expertise in pants, he just wouldn’t want to have to go and learn shoes.

Ex Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) would supervise the underwear department, even though it was not his department. He’d try to advise Frank on underwear and get a reprimand. He’d eventually be fired for “inappropriate use of a cell phone camera.”

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would supervise the kid’s department, but would ineffective as he’s inundated with autograph requests from people thinking he was Butch Patrick (TV’s Eddie Munster). Then he’d spend all his time explaining why the current entitlement system will lead everyone to live like a former child star whose parents stole all their money.

Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would naturally sell accessories. Why? Because no one shops at Banana Republic for accessories. Best to put someone in charge who you want to have as little contact with the public as possible.

WaPo‘s liberal blogger/Democratic activist Ezra Klein would be the store greeter. It’s always good to have an overzealous greeter who makes it uncomfortable for customers when they enter and leave even if it’s because they don’t want to walk past him again because he creeps them out. Keeps them in the store longer.

FNC’s Bill O’Reilly would handle loofa sales…they would plummet.

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz would be external security, charged with stopping shoplifters. He’d be horrible at it, allowing anyone who didn’t look like they could afford to shop there to walk out with whatever they wanted in the name of “fairness.” Though he’d constantly complain about his pay and mistreatment by management, slamming mannequins and threatening to “torch this ****ing place!”

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, meanwhile, would work internal security, because can’t you just imagine him telling on anyone who did something that didn’t conform to company policy?

MSNCBC’s Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow, sometimes confused for each other, would be in charge of dressing the mannequins and would do so in an androgynous way. Their reliance on pant-suits and bowl haircut wigs would confuse customers about which department they were in, leading to new trend – adults wearing children’s clothes.

GOP Presidential Mitt Romney would be the employee most likely to be confused with a mannequin, or the mannequin most likely to be confused with an employee. Either way, same difference.

There’s a reality show just waiting to be filmed at this store, but it would go out of business before filming. If Ezra doesn’t drive them away with a strange greeting, staff would steer customers with money away by constantly harassing them into buying clothes for others.

Hmm, maybe we’re closer to a Banana Republic than we know.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), an organization created in 1999 to prompt debate on social and economic issues, says NBC “Meet the Press” Host David Gregory fell down on the job this week. In fact, they think he’s a vegetable, or just acted like one on Sunday’s show by not asking the right questions.

Specifically they were outraged that Gregory didn’t press Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about the recession being a primary reason for the large deficit. They wrote: “An anchor who was not a vegetable would have jumped on Senator Schumer and ask him if he is really unaware of the recession and its contribution to the deficit. Gregory simply went on to the next question as though Schumer had said something that made sense. So what exactly does Gregory do for his pay?”

CEPR was co-founded by economists Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot. Its Advisory Board includes: Nobel Laureate economists Robert Solow and Joseph Stiglitz; Janet Gornick, a professor at the CUNY grad school and Director of the Luxembourg Income Study; and Richard Freeman, an Economics professor at Harvard. As far as funding goes, 80 percent of CEPR’s funding comes from foundation grants and personal donations. No money comes from foreign governments, corporations or unions. Examples of foundations who gave in 2010: Anne E. Casey Foundation, Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Family Fund.

NBC “MTP” Host David Gregory won an award over the weekend from his alma mater, American University.

American University’s Alumni Board and Office of Alumni Relations awarded its four highest award honors—Alumni Achievement, Alumni Recognition, Alumni Eagle and the Rising Star—on Saturday, October 22, to notable alumni at the 2011 Alumni Awards Ceremony and Reception as part of the university’s All-American Alumni and Family Weekend.

Gregory won the Alumni Achievement Award.

“With so many accomplished and well deserving alumni, it was definitely not an easy decision to choose our awardees this year,” said Alumni Board member Jennifer Collins, ’94, chair of the Awards Committee and founder/president of The Event Planning Group.

Gregory is a 1992 alumnus from the School of International Service. The award recognizes alumni “who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments.” Gregory is a member of the AU School of International Service Dean’s Advisory Council and has been previously honored as the AU School of International Service alumnus of the year.

That NBC “MTP” Host David Gregory had jury duty Tuesday in D.C. It was for a federal jury selection.

An NBC spokesperson confirmed that he was dismissed.

NBC Chicago’s Ward Room blog took NBC “Meet the Press” Host David Gregory to task this week for introducing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as “the boss.” The post by freelance journalist Ted McClelland, author of Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President, details at length which politicians are really “the bosses” and said Gregory needs a lesson in Chicagoese. Reached by phone, McClelland told FishbowlDC said he didn’t find Gregory’s introduction ridiculous, but “I just think it displayed a slight ignorance of Chicagoese. It struck me as trying to appropriate a Chicago phrase and not using it in the right way. He’s not ‘boss’ in the traditional way.”

UPDATE: Looks like McClelland may need to eat his words. A spokesperson for “Meet the Press” wrote in to say the freelancer must have missed the part of the show where Gregory held up a Chicago Magazine with Emanuel on the cover and a headline that blared, “Meet the New Boss.” Check out that story here. See a screengrab below.

Had you walked through the doors of the St. Regis Hotel at this time last night, there’s a good chance you would have bumped into Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) making a quick exit from the fete for Bob Schieffer’s 20th anniversary with “Face the Nation.”  But a brush with the House Minority Leader was only an appetizer for the smorgasbord of the bipartisan political power that partied inside the hotel’s Astor Ballroom.  Raising a glass to the legendary newsman were current and former Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Donald Rumsfeld, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who has appeared on Face the Nation more than any other guest.  Representing the White House were Dag Vega and Jen Psaki.

In his remarks, a flattered Schieffer joked that when he first got to Washington, Republicans and Democrats always attended parties together.  “But now it’s a big deal,” he told the crowded room.

The Washington press corps were also out in full force for Bob’s big night.  Spotted in the crowd were Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward, FNC’s Ed Henry, NBC’s David Gregory and Betsy Fischer, Politico’s Jonathan Martin, Keach Hagey, Mike Allen and Patrick Gavin, Newshour’s Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson, NYT’s David Sanger, WaPo’s Roxanne Roberts, and Steve Chaggaris. Rounding out the room were a slew of CBS talent and staff such as former “Face the Nation” EP Carin Pratt and current EP Mary Hager, Rob Hendin,  Kaylee Hartung, Chris Licht, Lara Logan, Jan Crawford, Nancy Cordes, Chip Reid, Bob Orr, Wyatt Andrews, John Dickerson, Christine Delargy, Walt Cronkite (Walter Cronkite’s grandson who now works in the DC bureau), Chris Isham and of course, the evening’s hosts and top network brass Jeff Fager and David Rhodes. Noticeably absent was new CBS News White House correspondent Norah O’Donnell who was in New York City covering the president and UN.

Throughout the evening a video highlighting Bob’s career played in the background – you can check it out here.  And if you missed our must-read interview with Schieffer last week, click here.