The NFIB is, according to Think Progress's Josh Israel:



one of the Republican party’s strongest allies. The group spent over $1 million on outside ads in the 2010 campaign — all of it backing Republican House and Senate candidates (and, Bloomberg News reported last month, “another $1.5 million that it kept hidden and said was exempt” from disclosure requirements). The group is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Obamacare law and bankrolled state governments’ challenges to the law. The NFIB has also taken stances against allowing the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, opposing regulations on businesses, and supporting curtailing union rights.

Gregory is the first person listed as one of the conference's headline speakers. Obviously they are thrilled to have landed a member of the Liberal Media. Others speaking at the conference include Karl "Moonbeam" Rove and John "Birkenstock Mandela" Boehner.

We know Gregory has been a Republican shill for most of his career, regardless of the few moments he spent tormenting Scott McClellan over the Iraq-uranium debacle (Gregory also apparently knew a hell of a lot more than he was telling about the Bush administration's involvement in outing Valerie Plame, to bookend his momentary lapse into real journalism). This is the cherry on the sundae. David Gregory, Republican spokesman.

Israel is most helpful in detailing just why NBC should do something overt right now:



The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics states: Journalists should: — Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

— Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity. Regardless of whether Gregory is being paid for this event and of what he says in his keynote, allowing the NFIB to raise money for its political mission using his name, reputation, and celebrity appears to be at odds with journalistic ethics.

So, NBC, what say you? Do you let Gregory continue to head up your flagship journalism talk show, stuffing it to the brim with Republicans and conservatives while he wallows in bed with them, taking their money and speaking at their conferences? Or do you do the right thing and fire his skanky partisan ass? At the very, very least, do you demand that he cease and desist his relationship with NFIB and whatever other right-wing corporate advocacy groups he lolls around with? (If the latter, how about asking him to balance the scales on MTP by inviting a few more progressives/liberals on the show, besides the semiannual appearance of Rachel Maddow?)

My guess is that unless we mount some serious pushback, NBC will do absolutely nada.

Pressure 'em:

Contact MSNBC

"Meet the Press mailbox"

My email addresses for the NBC oligarchs are out of date. If someone will post them in the comments, I'll add them here.

Update: Such as Steve Capus, Lord High Muckety-Muck of NBC News.

steve.capus@nbc.com

And thanks for the Recommended status!

Edit: "Prometheus Speaks" (what a hell of a moniker) gives us a link to their advocacy page:

http://www.nfib.com/...

If there's any doubt that NFIB is a right-wing advocate for carrion capitalist such as Romdroid, this page should put those doubts to rest. Obamacare, waaah! Taxes, waaah! Regulations, waaaah!

