Saturday, April 30, 2011
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-30-11
Fox Business, The Birther Channel, Still Promoting Falsehoods About Obama's Birth Certificate
Even after the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate, Fox Business guest Alan Keyes still falsely claimed the certificate Obama originally released was inadequate proof of citizenship and that there is a "serious" legal question surrounding whether Obama is a "natural born citizen." Read More
Fox Falsely Claims IN Anti-Planned Parenthood Bill Is About Ending "Government Funding For Abortion"
Fox & Friends Saturday recently claimed that Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will sign a bill that "strip[s] Planned Parenthood of government funding for abortions." In fact, Indiana and federal law already prohibit federal Medicaid funds from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or a threat to the life of a pregnant woman, and the bill will actually cut off government funding for Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) to provide basic women's health and birth control services. Read More
Friday, April 29, 2011
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-29-11
Right-Wing Media Exploit Deadly Tornadoes To Attack Global Warming Science
Right-wing media have used the recent tornadoes that killed nearly 300 people throughout the South to cast doubt on global warming or to attack global warming activists. Read More
Conservative Media Somehow Declare Trump "The Winner" Of Birther Controversy
After President Obama released the long-form version of his birth certificate, members of the conservative media declared Donald Trump the "winner" for having pushed birther theories so intently. However, these conservative media figures ignored the fact that the long-form birth certificate made Trump's previous claims that Obama's birth certificate "was missing" and that Obama might not even "have a birth certificate" look completely ridiculous. Read More
Another Right-Wing Media Conspiracy: Obama Played "Rope-A-Dope" On Birther Issue
Following the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate, elements of the conservative media have run with the conspiracy theory that Obama delayed releasing the document in order to play "rope-a-dope" with birthers or to distract from other issues. This comes as other right-wing media figures have hyped other conspiracy theories such as the claim that the birth certificate was Photoshopped. Read More
About-Face: Conservative Media Start Downplaying Their Birther Credentials
In the wake of President Obama's release of his long-form birth certificate, which further debunks the claims of those who have been saying Obama was not born in Hawaii, some in the conservative media are now trying to pretend they never questioned Obama's citizenship in the first place. Read More
Beck Fearmongers About Tucson Ethnic Studies Program
Glenn Beck is stoking fears that a Mexican-American studies program in Arizona segregates students and promotes "the overthrow of the U.S. government." School district officials say the program does not segregate students and reject claims that it violates state law that, among other things, prohibits teaching the overthrow of the United States government. Read More
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wingnut Mob Now Boycotting Superman, Because He Hates America
When even the nation’s beloved cartoon superheroes are saying “Eh, fuck this place and your loser god,” your country might be on the “wrong track.” READ MORE »
Who Said It's Over? Fox's Eric Bolling Questions Authenticity Of Birth Certificate
To answer the question of why some stories will never ever die, last night on Follow the Money, host Eric Bolling invited political activist and "Birther" crusader Pamela Geller on to analyze the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate released yesterday by President Obama. Geller not only thanked Donald Trump and bemoaned "how the media protects [Obama]," but she also thought there was a possibility that this document was altered. Here we go again.
Geller argued that before she makes a hasty judgment about its legitimacy, this certificate needs a digital forensic examination analysis. After all she does have to maintain her credibility. And since she claims to have already "exposed" how Obama's short-form birth certificate was altered, she has serious worries about this new document too. Geller already believes the border on this long-form is "suspect." Oddly, Bolling has some questions too.
Bolling commented on how strange it was that the family of the doctor in Hawaii who delivered Obama were clueless about Obama's birth and he wondered, "if you gave birth to the President of the United States, don't you think your family would know about it?" Then after Geller made her case, Bolling concluded about whether the document was altered, "it may or may not be, but it certainly opens up the can of worms that there are at least questions for it." Even more strange was how Fox contributors Dr. Keith Ablow and Monica Crowley, who were also guests on the panel, appeared to just nod at some of Geller's rantings. Oh well, guess one shouldn't get too worked up about failing to convince everyone about anything these days...........
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-28-11
Right-Wing Media Hype Conspiracies About Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate
Right-wing media have responded to the release of President Obama's original Hawaii birth certificate by embracing conspiracy theories that the document is fake or has been altered. Read More
Fox Attacks Obama For Referring To Birtherism As "Silliness"
Following President Obama's press conference on the release of his long form birth certificate yesterday, right-wing media figures have attacked him for calling birtherism "silliness" and then later in the day filming an interview for Oprah and attending fundraising events. But reports show that the issue had indeed become a distraction, even though Obama released a copy of his birth certificate while on the campaign trail in 2008. Read More
Right-Wing Media Attack Obama For Releasing His Long-Form Birth Certificate Like They Demanded
After weeks of demanding President Obama "produce the birth certificate" so it can be "over [and] done with," right-wing media figures have begun attacking Obama for releasing his long-form birth certificate, claiming it was done as a "distraction" and complaining it was done to "personally put down his detractors." Read More
Right-Wing Media Falsely Claims That Cutting Tax Breaks For Oil Companies Will Boost Gas Prices
Right-wing media outlets have criticized President Obama's call to end certain tax breaks for oil companies, claiming that doing so will increase the price of gasoline. However energy experts contacted by Media Matters explain that cutting the tax incentives will have little to no effect on prices at the pump. Read More
Trump Re-Reads 2000 Book He Wrote To Know Where He Stands On Issues
A tipster notes one can see Donald Trump’s prescription pill bottles in a couple of his video blogs. But more interesting is something else we spotted sitting on his desk: Trump’s book The America We Deserve, which was written up quickly to detail his political views in preparation for a potential Reform Party presidential bid in 2000.
Trump’s copy appears to be filled with Post-It notes, as if he’s had to take notes on the things he’s supposed to believe. And, not coincidentally, the media has started to notice the things he wrote in that book don’t really match up with what he says on the fake-campaign trail these days. READ MORE »
Study Finds GOP's Medicare Privatization Plan Could Shift $34 Trillion In Health Care Costs To Seniors
A new report by economists at the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research looks at House Republicans' plan for privatizing Medicare from a new angle, and finds that it could increase health care costs for beneficiaries by a staggering $34 trillion over 75 years.
You won't find these expenditures on the government ledger. They represent the amount of money Medicare beneficiaries would have to pay out of pocket if they wanted to buy insurance policies that provide Medicare-equivalent benefits.
The reasoning is fairly straightforward, according to CEPR's Dean Baker and David Rosnick.
The money the government currently spends every year on Medicare doesn't cover every penny of health care its beneficiaries consume. The government agrees to pay a fixed percent, and the rest falls to the beneficiaries who share in the cost of the services they and their doctors order. The sum of those two numbers -- both of which are expected to rise steeply over time -- is the total cost incurred by Medicare. Under the House Republican plan, the government holds fixed the amount of money it's willing to pay per patient per year, and leaves the residual costs for seniors to sort out with private insurers. Because private insurers are smaller, profit-driven, and less efficient than Medicare, those out-of-pocket costs will be significantly higher than they are now. And they'd grow much, much faster. Over the course of the program's 75 year planning period, the difference would amount to $34 trillion...............
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-27-11
REPORT: Fox Promotes Birther Myth In At Least 52 Segments
Following potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's embrace of theories regarding President Obama's birthplace, Fox News has significantly ramped up its coverage of birther conspiracies. A Media Matters review of Fox News' opinion programs found that in recent weeks, the network devoted nearly two hours and 20 minutes to the issue, and in the vast majority of the cases, the hosts either espoused birther conspiracies or did not challenge or correct false claims about Obama's birth that aired on their shows. By contrast, when possible GOP presidential candidate and Fox News host Mike Huckabee similarly questioned -- but subsequently walked back - Obama's origins, Fox devoted just over five minutes of coverage to Huckabee's false claim that Obama was raised in Kenya. Read More
Right-Wing Media Kick Off 2012 Election By Defaulting To Race-Based Attacks
Following Obama's official announcement that he is running for reelection, the right-wing media has resorted to a series of racially charged attacks against the president. These attacks have ranged from false claims about the president's place of birth and religion to claiming Obama has "black nationalist sympathies." Read More
Sorry, O'Reilly: Fox Has Long Been A Home For Race-Baiting Attacks
Bill O'Reilly attacked Rev. Wallace Charles Smith, whose church President Obama attended on Easter Sunday, as a "race activist" for claiming that Fox News provides a forum for racially charged statements. In fact, Fox News has a history of hosts and guests who make race-baiting statements, in addition to its relentless promotion of the phony New Black Panthers controversy. Read More
Will Fox Now "Move On" From Focusing On President Obama's Birth Certificate?
Fox hosts have claimed that President Obama need only produce his birth certificate to "put ... to bed" the endless right-wing speculation about his place of birth. Now that Obama distributed copies of his birth certificate to reporters and posted it on the White House website, will Fox, in the words of its host Sean Hannity, "move on"? Read More
Conservative Media Go On Attack After Release Of Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate
Right-wing media responded to the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate by attacking the president and claiming that certain questions surrounding the document remain unanswered. Below is a sampling of the early attacks by conservative media following the release of Obama's long-form birth certificate. Read More
Reid to GOPers: Let's Vote on It
Reid confirms that he'll hold a vote in the Senate on the Ryan budget resolution with its Medicare phase out plan.
So far only Susan Collins has said she'll vote against the Medicare Phase Out plan and the rest of the Ryan budget resolution.
I'm very curious to hear what other Senators have said so far about the Medicare Phase Out plan. If you've got press clips, send them my way.
--Josh Marshall
Donald Trump’s Crappy ‘Men’s Fashion’ Line Made In China, Of Course
But, if for some reason you know one of those CostCo shoppers who legitimately “looks up” to Donald Trump and buys those shitty books that never seem to mention how he was born rich and still repeatedly went bankrupt and has the morals of an alley cat with none of the charm, then you will want to email this person’s AOL account and let them know that Donald Trump’s crappy neckties and etc. are all made in Communist China. READ MORE »
In Wake Of Widespread Town Hall Backlash, Rep. Allen West Only Answers Pre-Screened Questions
As voters around the country continue to voice their anger at town halls over the Republican plan to end Medicare, Republican congressmen are using a range of tactics to try to avoid constituent wrath. In a heated Orlando town hall yesterday, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) largely ignored contentious questions, leading many in the crowd to demand the congressman “answer the question!” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the architect of the GOP budget, even ducked out a back entrance during his town hall last night and left in a police car rather than his own vehicle.
Last night, ThinkProgress was in attendance for a Fort Lauderdale town hall where Rep. Allen West (R-FL) took a different approach: pre-screening all questions. Not only were all questions pre-approved by the congressman’s staff, but the attendees were not even permitted to ask the screened questions themselves; staff members read the questions instead, lest a constituent ask an unscripted question. The Sun Sentinel noted that West’s move to pre-screen questions was a far cry from “his usual practice at previous town hall meetings, where West took questions from people who lined up at microphones"....................
Chuck Norris’ ‘Pastor’ Writes All of His Plagiarized Columns
Yes, the man whose entire public persona is based on kicking people’s faces off is afraid of some dumb political joke blog. Creators Syndicate has since edited Norris’ most recent column to at least credit the news sources from which whole sentences were lifted, but they have yet to take action on the new instances of plagiarism we found yesterday; those articles remain unchanged on Creators’ website.
Also, this should probably come as no surprise, but Norris doesn’t even write these columns, from what we’ve found. They’re penned by a man who works for him, Todd DuBord, who is known as “Chuck Norris’ pastor.” READ MORE »
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Bedlam Erupts At Town Hall In Orlando As GOP Rep. Defends Ending Medicare, Tax Breaks For Rich
During a town hall in Orlando earlier today, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) faced a barrage of questions from outraged constituents about the Republican budget. The Orlando Sentinel accurately described the scene as “bedlam.”
For nearly an hour, Webster was peppered with one question after another about his support for ending Medicare, his desire to see tax breaks for the wealthy extended, and his vote to repeal health care reform, including its protections for people with preexisting conditions. For his part, Webster didn’t just avoid the questions by resorting to talking points, as most politicians commonly do. On numerous occasions, Webster simply declined to give an answer to contentious questions altogether, moving on to take a new question instead.\.......
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-26-11
Fox's Varney Falsely Claims "Virtually Nothing" Has Come From Wind, Solar Subsidies
On The O'Reilly Factor, Fox Business host Stuart Varney claimed that subsidies for wind and solar power have resulted in "[v]irtually nothing." In fact, reports show that wind and solar power are rapidly growing sources of electric power in the United States. Read More
Conservative Media Push Falsehood That Obama Wants To Balance Budget By Raising Taxes Alone
The right-wing media are deceptively suggesting that, in the words of The New York Post, President Obama is "focused on raising income -- and possibly payroll -- taxes on the wealthiest Americans" rather than making cuts in spending to fix the current deficit problem. In fact, Obama has proposed significant spending cuts, and experts say it is impossible to balance the budget without some tax increases. Read More
Right-Wing Media Gin Up Another Faux Controversy To Attack Obama's Faith
Right-wing media are using the fact that President Obama did not issue an Easter message to again question whether he is really a Christian. Conservative media have long engaged in a dishonest campaign to question and lie about Obama's faith. Read More
Halliburton Brings In Record $5.3 Billion In First Quarter, Credits Increased U.S. Oil Production Under Obama
Oil giant Halliburton reported record revenues in the first quarter of 2011, pulling in $5.3 billion. In a severe blow to the right-wing’s daily talking points, Halliburton attributes their robust earnings to increased domestic production under Obama:
Halliburton’s consolidated revenue in the first quarter of 2011 was $5.3 billion, compared to $3.8 billion in the first quarter of 2010…These increases were attributable to increased activity in United States land…
“I am extremely pleased with our Q1 results, as overall revenue in the first quarter set a company record of $5.3 billion. North America delivered strong performance as margins progressed due to increased activity…” said Dave Lesar, chairman, president and chief executive officer.
Lesar is confident that, under Obama, domestic energy production opportunities will continue to grow: “We have been confident about the robust outlook in North America, and the prospect of higher activity in the coming quarters has made us more bullish in the strength of our business in 2011 and beyond.”
The right wing has consistently and falsely accused Obama of choking off domestic supply. American Solutions, an organization funded by the fossil fuel industry and controlled by Newt Gingrich, accuses Obama on a daily basis of blocking domestic oil production. In reality, under Obama, U.S. oil production has reached its highest levels in nearly a decade.
Despite record revenue and profits, Halliburton and the rest of the oil industry continue to receive billions in taxpayer subsidies. Last night, John Boehner said he’d be willing to consider eliminating these subsidies, but his spokesman quickly walked back that statement. Of course, less than two months ago, Boehner voted to preserve all subsidies for the oil industry.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-25-11
Glenn Beck Versus Glenn Beck On Regulating Hedge Funds
While demonizing George Soros, Glenn Beck has recently complained that hedge funds are unregulated. However, Beck previously demagogued efforts to regulate hedge funds, claiming it was part of an effort to "expand the reach" of government. Read More
"Let Them Default": Right-Wing Media Cheerleads For "Global Financial Meltdown"
Right-wing media figures have dismissed the consequences of defaulting on America's debt. Yet experts agree that if the U.S. were to default as a result of not raising the debt ceiling, it would have a catastrophic effect on the economic recovery. Read More
Sad Sarah Palin Begging Blogs To Cover Her Squirmish-y Speeches
Squirmish-y grifter Sarah Palin isn’t getting noticed enough by the media she pretends to hate! This is why the multi-millionaire human fraud and political quitter is begging the Huffington Post to please, please, please keep her in the blog-news cycle.
It’s one thing to be a gleefully ignorant demagogue to a bunch of unemployed housebound white people on Twitter clicking the ‘puter until their electricity is shut off again, but how does Sarah get money from that? She needs those $100,000 checks for squeaking out some half-baked bigotry, and in order to be “worth the money” (to billionaires), she’s got her press aide sending these desperate tweets begging the blogs and television networks to cover Sarah’s latest spill of word salad.
Because when the media coverage of vapid human oddity Sarah Palin stops, the $100,000 appearances stop. There’s just one problem: Even the media is tired of Sarah Palin, the most reliable clown of the past three years. What’s Grandma Palin gonna do now? READ MORE »
Bryan Fischer Opines On Lady Gaga, Admits He May Be Turning Into a Gay
But this latest column is a bit of a departure. He leads off with an opinion on whether Lady Gaga is original or merely a ripoff of Madonna, for one, which is not something everyday red-blooded American men usually talk about when they make pained conversation with one another after church.
“Sexual orientation is fluid and is hardly a fixed, immovable thing,” Fischer says now. Uh oh, gays. Is Bryan Fischer about to join your team? Have your sexy bodies turned him into an ex-straight? READ MORE »
Drug-bashing RI Republican charged with drug use
Robert Watson, a high-ranking Republican state legislator in Rhode Island, is in hot water after being charged with driving under the influence of marijuana and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Drug charges alone would be bad enough for a public official, but Watson, Rhode Island's House minority leader, is still remembered for his controversial anti-drug, anti-gay and anti-immigrant remarks.
In February, Watson said the Rhode Island legislature had their priorities right "if you are a Guatemalan gay man who likes to gamble and smokes marijuana."
Watson was a guest on a radio show soon after the luncheon where he made the misstep, and in response to the outcry over his comments said, “I reject the suggestion that it's insulting." He went on to say that lawmakers were "preoccupied with a number of issues, primarily social issues," when Watson thought they should focus on the economy.
"I apologize when appropriate and/or necessary," Watson told the Providence Journal in February. "I identify this situation as representing neither circumstance."
Watson was pulled over at a police checkpoint Friday, East Haven police told the Associated Press. Police noted a "strong odor of marijuana" coming from Watson's car, and charged him with possession and driving under the influence. The lawmaker was released after he promised to appear in court, and has not yet issued a statement.....
Rep. Chris Gibson Says ‘Illegal’ Immigrants Not Paying Taxes, Town Hall Attendee Asks: ‘You Mean Like GE?!’
As ThinkProgress has previously reported, while services and investments in Main Street America are being gutted, many of the nation’s wealthiest individuals and corporations are getting away with paying little to nothing in federal corporate income taxes, exploiting a tax code filled with loopholes, carve-outs, and giveaways.
At a town hall meeting last week, Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) faced the ire of constituents who are upset about this tax dodging by some of our nation’s biggest corporations. In a video posted on YouTube, Gibson responding to a question from a constituent concerned over border security by explaining his plan for dealing with the immigration system.
Towards the end of his answer, Gibson said that Americans actually pay higher taxes because “there are people in the country that are not paying taxes because they’re illegal.” At this point, a town hall attendee cried out, “You mean like GE?!” which actually forced the congressman to say that he agrees and that the company needs to pay its fair share:
GIBSON: I think there’s a rational way to go forward that we’re going to be able to bring closure to this issue. I tell you there is one thing that you’re saying that’s true. there are people in our country that are not paying taxes because they’re illegal. And that’s gotta be addressed[...]
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You mean like GE?! [some laughter and light applause from audience]
GIBSON: Well, GE needs to pay their fair share, too. No, I support that, too............
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Recall frenzy hits state agency as more petitions are filed
The third-floor offices of the Government Accountability Board are a blur of activity these days as the state’s election watchdog works through an unprecedented number of recall petitions.
On Thursday, the busiest day in what has become the busiest recall year ever, officials submitted the signatures for four state senators.
The filings push GAB deep into uncharted waters. The agency has never dealt with more than a single recall election at one time. But after Thursday, it now faces eight — a number that could easily grow by mid-May, the last deadline for the remaining eight senators targeted with recalls.
Meanwhile, the agency is preparing to conduct a recount of this year’s state Supreme Court election.
“It’s supposed to be slacking off now, but it isn’t,” said GAB spokesman Reid Magney. “Not this year.”
The tumultuous atmosphere that led to the current recall frenzy started with the introduction of Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill. The law, which would severely curb collective bargaining for public employees if it survives a court challenge, led to weeks of protests at the Capitol and a slew of recall efforts against Democrats and Republicans.
Petitions have so far been filed against Republicans Alberta Darling of River Hills, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac, and Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls and Democrats Dave Hansen of Green Bay, Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie.
Officials are unsure how long it will take to prepare for the recalls, how much the process will cost and how many workers are needed to pull it off.
The agency has requested $40,800 from the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to pay for additional supplies and temporary workers to handle the workload.
The process is labor-intensive. Working behind closed doors, a handful of workers are poring line by line over thousands of names and addresses in an effort to validate recall petitions.
GAB workers give the petitions a “facial exam,” making sure the dates are correct and names have signatures and addresses. They don’t, however, confirm that a person lives at the listed addresses. That job falls to the campaigns of the candidates being recalled, which are expected to challenge the signatures.
The board has 31 days to review the petitions after they’re filed. But it plans to go to court next week to request an extension to allow for more time to handle the counts and attempt to synchronize the recalls so as many elections as possible can occur on the same day.
Los Angeles Times Calls Sarah Palin ‘Special-Needs Case’
(Haha, Jonah Goldberg would never quit the one newspaper that would actually pay him for his dumb column. Money’s money, honey!) Anyway, this is an extremely exciting editorial in that it says something a) that everyone already believes but b) is about Sarah Palin, so Sarah Palin is somehow going to try to get David Letterman fired over it, and then call him a child molester.
Anyway, please enjoy this excerpt from the column that will cause Palin’s fans to painstakingly cut out each advertisement in the Sunday paper and then try to “send it to Twitter” by stuffing it in the ‘puter’s drink holder. Never Forget! READ MORE »
Irony: Hannity Special On "Liberal Bias" Features Laughably Distorted Quotes
http://mediamatters.org/
Hannity Promises "Close-Up Look" At Media's "Liberal Bias"
Hannity: "[I]t Is Common Knowledge That The Mainstream Media ... Are Biased Against The GOP." From the April 22 edition of Hannity -- his "Behind the Bias" special:
HANNITY: And welcome to this special edition of Hannity. Behind the bias, a close-up look at the Obama-mania media's liberal bias. Now, it is common knowledge that the mainstream media from the major television networks to the country's most influential newspapers are biased against the GOP. Tonight, we'll examine some of the major scandals that resulted from this bias, and the victims that it has left in its wake. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/11]
Hannity Deceptively Crops Couric's Description Of Author's Opinion
Hannity Clip Shows Katie Couric Calling Reagan "An Airhead." From Hannity's "Behind the Bias" special:
KATIE COURIC: Good morning. The Gipper was an airhead. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/11]
Full Context: Couric Was Citing A Conclusion From A Reagan Biography That Drew A "Tremendous Amount Of Interest And Fire." From the September 27, 1999, edition of NBC's Today:
KATIE COURIC, co-host: Good morning. The Gipper was an airhead. That's one of the conclusions of a new biography of Ronald Reagan that's drawing a tremendous amount of interest and fire today, Monday, September the 27th, 1999.
Announcer: From NBC News, this is TODAY, with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, live from Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza.COURIC: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to TODAY on this Monday morning. I'm Katie Couric.
ANN CURRY, co-host: And I'm Ann Curry. Good morning, everybody. Matt's back tomorrow. Perhaps he's still celebrating with the American team that won the Ryder Golf Cup tournament yesterday.
COURIC: That's right. We hope he's having a great time. We'll see him tomorrow. But this morning we're going to begin by looking at this new biography of Ronald Reagan called "Dutch." The author was actually hand-picked by Ronald and Nancy Reagan, which is why some of his conclusions are so startling. The author, Edmund Morris, will be here for a three-part interview later this week. But in advance of that, we're going to see why Morris thinks Reagan was an airhead, but still a great president. [NBC, Today, 9/27/99, via Nexis]
Hannity Deceptively Crops Cooper's Report On Plame
Hannity Clip Shows Anderson Cooper Labeling Outing Of CIA Operative Valerie Plame As A "Smear Campaign." From Hannity's "Behind the Bias" special:
ANDERSON COOPER (CNN host): He is the victim of a Bush administration smear campaign. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/11]
Full Context: Cooper Was Reporting Wilson's Allegations. From Cooper's July 17, 2003, CNN report:
COOPER: A former U.S. diplomat who investigated Africa's suspected link to Iraq's nuclear weapons program now says he is the victim of a Bush administration smear campaign.
Administration officials say former ambassador Joseph Wilson's report on Niger last year supported the now discredited claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa.
Wilson says that is not true. He spoke exclusively to "TIME" magazine today. He accuses the administration of twisting intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. [CNN, 7/17/03, via Nexis]
Hannity Falsely Depicts Wallace As "Apolog[etic]" For The Soviet Union
After Stating That Media "Apologiz[e] For "America's Enemies," Hannity Suggests Mike Wallace Was Speaking Positively About Stalin. From Hannity's "Behind the Bias" special:
GERARD ALEXANDER, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSITUTE: To have a fundamentally conflicted attitude about not just the United States, but whether the United States is a constructive force in the world, that is something that I think really does separates a lot of liberals and conservatives.
HANNITY: The media have been apologizing for America's enemies from the cold war through the war on terror.
MIKE WALLACE, FORMER CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Many Soviets viewing the current chaos and nationalist unrest under Gorbachev look back almost longingly to the era of brutal order under Stalin. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/11]
Full Context: Wallace Was Portraying Nostalgia For Stalin As Surprising, Given His "Atrocities." From the February 11, 1990, edition of CBS' 60 Minutes:
MIKE WALLACE, co-host: During this past extraordinary week in Moscow, Soviet citizens have had a chance to hear with stunning candor reports of a boisterous public debate about the Communist Party unparalleled in the history of the Soviet Union, and it is that current candor, that current glasnost, that is also giving Soviet citizens their most horrifying look at the crimes of their founding father, Joseph Stalin. During the quarter century that he ruled the Soviet Union, at least 20 million Soviet citizens died, victims of Stalin's bloody paranoia, his mindless assault on any and all that he perceived as in any way dangerous to him. An unofficial group called Memoriale in 200 cities across the Soviet Union is digging, researching and publicizing a record of the horrors, the murders, the atrocities committed in the name of, at the direction of Joseph Stalin.
There is a newly discovered mass grave just off the main road linking Moscow and its airport. At the end of a trail, a wooden cross directed a few months ago by Memoriale. Tens of thousands are buried in this ground. No one yet knows how many--slave laborers from Stalin's prison camps. They were among the hundreds of thousands who perished nearby from hunger, disease, exhaustion, worked to death.
[...]
WALLACE: When did this all become known to the Soviet citizens?
STEPHEN COHEN [Princeton University professor]: That is a painful question that's being debated here. People say: We didn't know. We didn't know.
GALENA IVANOVA LEWINSON [Memoriale]: The same thing that happened in Germany when Hitler came. Hitler came. Many people said that: We didn't see anything. Nothing happened--the same thing exactly.
COHEN: People worshipped Stalin as a kind of living god. It was bizarre. It's hard for us to even imagine it. It's hard for Soviet citizens today. I know hundreds of them who lived through that--to remember and imagine and understand how they themselves paid homage to this cult.
WALLACE: Incredibly, even many of Stalin's victims didn't believe it was Stalin who was responsible for all the killings, all the arrests. They continued to have faith in their great leader Stalin and his system.
And we say: We believed in him--a lot of us.
LEWINSON: Yes, yes.
WALLACE: As a matter of fact, a lot of Russians still believe in him.
LEWINSON: Yes. That's a trouble. That's a trouble, and that's a question we can't answer ourselves. You're asking me, but we--I can't answer it myself.
WALLACE: Is there resistance to the work of Memoriale in the Soviet community?
COHEN: Powerful resistance. Stalin's grip on this society has not yet been broken. His legacy is everywhere here.
WALLACE: Many Soviets viewing the current chaos and national unrest under Gorbachev look back almost longingly to the era of brutal order under Stalin. In a Moscow marketplace, we conducted our own informal public opinion poll.
What do you remember of Joseph Stalin?
WOMAN #1 (through interpreter): Ah, about Stalin. I remember all the best things about Stalin. I am simply delighted with him. I remember from my childhood that we could see how he cared about simple people, about our nation, about children.
WALLACE: Would you like Stalin back in the Soviet Union?
MAN #1 (through interpreter): Yes, yes, yes, I would like him back. If this was Stalin's time now, people wouldn't be standing about in the marketplace. Half of them would be in prison now, and everyone would work. As it is, there is no one but loafers here, speculators and loafers.
WALLACE: Why do so many people here like Joseph Stalin? They're for Stalin. Why?
WOMAN #2 (through interpreter): There is so much chaos in this country now that everyone wants a new iron hand complete to bring things back to order.
WALLACE: And they're willing to pay the price of Joseph Stalin if necessary.
WOMAN #2 (through interpreter): Yes, they're ready for another Stalin. They're ready, and they are willing to pay the same price of blood.
MAN #2: I'm a Soviet army lieutenant colonel. I'm 37. What I think--that Stalin is in the same boat with Hitler. He's one of the--one of the most terrible tyrants history has ever known. And I hate this man's guts. He murdered in cold blood tens of millions of people.
WALLACE: OK. If that's true, then why do so many people that I'm talking to here say: We need Stalin back?
MAN #2: Stalinism has very deep roots, and . . .
WALLACE: Why?
MAN #2: . . . in these people.
WALLACE: Why?
MAN #2: Because this country has never had democratic traditions, and now the democracy's an infant in this country.
WALLACE: Look. We are at a market. Food is hard to come by, soap, razorblades, everything is hard to come by, and people are saying: Perestroika, fine, but, you know, we don't have food on our tables, so let's get rid of Gorbachev, get the strong hand of Stalin or somebody like that back.
MAN #2: I do not understand that, no.
WALLACE: But you hear it.
MAN #2: Yes. Yes, I do, and I'm very sorry. I'm very sorry. That means that some time must pass before people realize what--what--that freedom is more than a pan of sausage.
WALLACE: Is it possible that what happened to you, what happened to millions of others, could happen again in this country?
LEWINSON: I don't think so, really. I really don't think so. But it depends on the humans. That's what our Memoriale is for. Memoriale is for that. We hope not, but that doesn't depend on us anymore. It's the young ones. [CBS News, 60 Minutes, 2/11/90, via Nexis]
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Thanks, Paul Ryan, For Reminding Voters GOP Wants To Kill Medicare & Social Security!
Congratulations, Paul Ryan! Also, congratulations to Stephen Goldstein at the Sun Sentinel for writing perhaps the most vicious description of GOP heartthrob Paul Ryan we’ve ever seen. READ MORE »
Saturday, April 23, 2011
OBAMA BURNS TEXAS!
SAN ANTONIO - Rumors are spreading that President Obama ordered fires set in Texas. He’s had enough of The Lone Star State!
Rumors are spreading across the internet that President Obama ordered the U.S. Military to set fires across Texas. The Obama Administration has very little support in Texas and he wanted to “teach them a lesson.”
This came on the heals of an interview with a Dallas...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Democracy’s Troll Breitbart Says a Lot of Dumb Stuff To Victoria Jackson
Unfortunately, the first time he did that, the media finally called him out for what he is, and the black-lady target was vindicated. Sad face. He’s still around, though, because he is loud. Which brings us to this delightful WorldNetDaily column by idiot Tea Party celebrity Victoria Jackson.
She loves Andrew Breitbart, and they’ve appeared together many times! Apparently Andrew thinks just the world of Victoria and her handstands, and says she will change “the landscape of Hollywood.” READ MORE »
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-22-11
Right-Wing Media Celebrate Earth Day By Mocking Conservation
In the lead-up to Earth Day, members of the right-wing media have ridiculed conservation efforts and downplayed the concerns of environmentalists. This is nothing new for conservative media figures who have, in the past, used the Earth Day to attack conservationists by urging audiences to cut down trees and increase their energy consumption. Read More
Fox Falsely Claims It Has "Confirmed" That "Feds Ordered Not To Arrest Illegals"
Despite repeated denials from government officials, Fox claims to have "confirmed" that federal law enforcement officials have been ordered not to arrest undocumented immigrants, supposedly as a way for the government to lessen apprehension numbers at the border. In fact, the weak U.S. economy and the Obama administration's stepped-up enforcement efforts are principal factors in the decline. Read More
Fox & Friends Cherry-Picks, Distorts Data On Gas Prices
A Fox & Friends graphic purporting to show gas prices in selected states all over the country featured the seven states and areas with the country's highest average gas prices and displayed prices that were significantly above each state's respective average. Read More
Muslim-Hating Wingnut (Not Palin) Shoots His Own Car For Some Reason
Is this even America anymore?) So, this Terry Jones character is going around, spewing racism and ignorance on local teevee programs so the nation’s millions of semi-literate unemployed slobs can figure out which already-oppressed minority to HATE for the three-decade-long GOP/kleptocrat program to take away working people’s homes, jobs, health care and minimal financial security. And, for some reason, “Pastor Terry Jones” shot up the floor of his crappy car. Goldanged Muslims are everywhere! READ MORE »
Christine O’Donnell Blames Living Off Campaign Funds On Bad Software
Does this explain how the computer decided to rent out a townhouse for her on the campaign’s dime? No. And even if the computer did rent out the place, did she just go, “Oh, you’re paying rent for me on a townhouse, computer?
That’s so nice of you! If you have certain manly needs, computer, let me know. That means I will have sex with you, if you can’t understand innuendo.” What kind of finance software just “automatically” buys you homes and groceries anyway? Was she using The Sims? THAT’S NOT BOOKKEEPING SOFTWARE. READ MORE »
KILLER BEES ATTACK!
TEXAS - A massive swarm of killer bees attacked several towns in Southern Texas, killing over two hundred people.
The first incident happened last Friday. A swarm of bees attacked an elderly couple at their South Texas ranch, killing both and injuring their son, officials said.
Tommy Morton, 76, was spraying insecticide on a bees’ nest when the bees attacked him, his 66-year-old wife, Shelly Morton, and their...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-21-11
Limbaugh Finds New Proof Of "Death Panels," Is Wrong Again
Rush Limbaugh claimed that the Obama administration issued a "waiver" to exempt seniors from Medicare cuts enacted by the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a body created by the Affordable Care Act. He also claimed that the board constitutes "rationing" and "death panels" and will decide health care coverage for "individual cases" under Medicare. In fact, the waiver applies to a provision relating to Medicare Advantage, not IPAB, and the board's recommendations will pertain to systemwide cost controls. Read More
Another Day, Another Obama Speech Fox Takes Out Of Context
Following President Obama's April 20 Facebook town hall meeting, Fox News jumped on his remarks, accusing Obama of "class warfare" while again deceptively editing portions of Obama's speech to accuse him of calling Republicans "selfish." Read More
Right-Wing Media Return To Fearmongering About Health Care Rationing
Right-wing media have recently revived the falsehood that the Independent Payment Advisory Board created by the health care law will lead to health care rationing. In fact, the law specifically prohibits the Advisory Board from making "any recommendations to ration health care ... or otherwise restrict benefits." Read More
Texas Gov. Rick Perry Officially Proclaims Three ‘Days Of Prayer For Rain’
Texas is currently experiencing a historic drought, which is fueling devastating wildfires. Today, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) came up with an innovative solution — prayer. Perry issued an official proclamation drawing on his constitutional authority designating three days as Days of Prayer for Rain:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal and robust way of life.
“State-sanctioned prayer for rain is not unprecedented,” as the Texas Tribune notes. In 2007, then-Georgia Gov. Sunny Purdue (R) “led a solemn crowd of several hundred people in a prayer for rain on his drought-stricken state.” And before him, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) issued a similar proclamation to Perry’s. Officials in other parts of Texas have done the same. Previous efforts like Perry’s have sparked opposition from atheists and those concerned about the separation of church and state. However, President Obama and plenty of politicans from both parties have participated in National Days of Prayer and other similar events.
More Republican Congressmen Face Town Hall Backlash Over Tax Breaks For Wealthy And Medicare Privatization
Earlier this week, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) held town halls across his district to defend his budget’s plan to end Medicare and extend tax cuts for the wealthy. During a stop in Milton, WI Ryan’s constituents made their feelings apparent, booing down the seven-term congressman when he defended tax breaks for the rich, as ThinkProgress first reported. Yesterday, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) received the same hostile reception from his constituents for voting to end Medicare.
This town hall backlash is now spreading to other districts across the country. As Huffington Post reports, freshmen Reps. Robert Dold (R-IL) and Charlie Bass (R-NH) got an earful from their constituents for voting in favor of the Republican budget this month. During a Buffalo Grove, IL town hall, Dold caught a lot of flack for supporting corporate tax breaks and voting to end Medicare:
But Dold couldn’t even get to the end of the presentation before audience members began peppering him with questions about the Ryan budget, named after House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin. It began with audience members telling Dold they don’t believe chopping 10 percentage points off the highest corporate tax rate will create jobs. A handful of people in the audience identified themselves as business owners and accountants who said their effective corporate income tax rate is already lower than the lowest rates proposed in the Ryan plan. They pointed to companies such as GE that pay almost no taxes despite billions in profits as evidence. [...]
Some in the audience then told Dold they don’t like the idea in the Ryan budget plan of Medicare becoming a voucher program that makes senior citizens buy private health insurance about 10 years from now. Audience members said buying private insurance is a shell game where no one really knows what costs a company will cover or to what degree.
Bass faced a similar response in Hillsborough, NH when his constituents repeatedly questioned why the congressman voted in favor of Ryan’s budget:
Rep. Charlie Bass knew he was in for a rough night. The first question out of the gate during his Wednesday town hall in Hillsborough, NH was about his vote for Paul Ryan’s budget. And the second. And the third and the fourth, fifth and sixth questions. “I enjoyed the discourse,” he said, almost hopefully, afterward. “It’s important to speak with people who disagree with me. Of course there was going to be backlash.”
Congressmen will continue meeting with their constituents during the congressional recess this week and next. If the beginning of this week is any indication, GOP congressmen who voted to extend tax breaks for the wealthy and end Medicare will likely continue to face a backlash from their constituents.
Mike Huckabee Destroys Glenn Beck For Calling Him a Progressive Nazi
Mike Huckbaee takes him down in a statement, saying Beck spoke about the initiatives “either out of ignorance or out of a deliberate attempt to distort them to create yet another ‘boogey man’ hiding in the closet that he and only he can see.” YA BURNT, BECK! READ MORE »
Band of freaks plan to protest the purported imposition of Sharia Law in Dearborn tomorrow
Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Jack O'Reilly tells Quran-burning freak Pastor Terry Jones: No, Dearborn is not under Sharia Law and we've got the strip clubs, bars and pork sausage factories to prove it.
Jones' band of freaks plan to protest the purported imposition of Sharia Law in Dearborn tomorrow in front of Dearborn's Islamic Center of America.
Jones says he's coming in peace, albeit armed with a handgun.
--Josh Marshall
Gas Drilling Emergency in Bradford County PA
wnep.com
Officials said thousands of gallons of fluid leaked over farm land and into a creek from a natural gas well in Bradford County.
Chesapeake Energy officials said Wednesday night the leak had been contained and the situation was stable..
The rupture near Canton happened late Tuesday night, contaminating nearby land and creeks.
The blowout happened on the Morse family farm in LeRoy Township outside Canton, a farming community.
Chesapeake Energy officials said a piece of equipment on the well failed.
A major response was launched to stop the leak of frack fluid and get control of the well.
Water gushed from the earth at the Chesapeake well pad for hours Wednesday. It was all hands on deck to put a stop to the leak of fracking fluid that, according to company officials, spilled thousands and thousands of gallons into nearby land and waterways. Company officials stressed no gas leaked.
"We've been able to limit the flow. We're still doing additional work to regain full control," said Brian Grove of Chesapeake Energy. He added there is no telling yet how much of that extremely salty water mixed with chemicals and sand has impacted the nearby Towanda Creek, but no gas has escaped into the air.
"The biggest thing is the footprint on the environment. Well obviously this is a big footprint," said neighbor Ted Tomlinson. "It's one of those things that happens. Gotta live with it, I guess. Here to stay."
Neighbors like him were asked to leave their homes as a precaution. Some did, and some did not. "Our family's been on this corner a long time and expect to stay and expect a good-faith effort from Chesapeake so that we can live here," Tomlinson added.
His concern is for his drinking water well just several football fields away from the blownout gas well.
"That's typically everyone's concern in the area, is well water," Tomlinson added. We don't want all that other stuff. We want to keep on drinking it."
"It's just one of those things," said farm owner Randy Morse. He leased his property to Chesapeake. His beef cattle will no longer be able to drink from the brook that has been contaminated. Morse is broken up over the whole thing, hoping others don't blame him. "As it looks right now, all the water that ran into that tributary did run into the creek , without adverse affects right now," Morse said.
Neighbor Ira Haire is one who does not worry over the leak, saying he trusts Chesapeake will make it right. "I will drink my water. I have salt water as it is," Haire said.
Officials with DEP said the flow of frack fluid has stopped flowing into the nearby creek and its tributary.
Public safety officials in Bradford County said they, along with DEP, will continue to monitor the Towanda Creek which empties into the Susquehanna River. According to officials with Chesapeake Energy, the fluids that spilled all over farm land and into the creek have a very high salt content and contain numerous chemicals used to fracture the rock below.
"We've got our best crews out here working on it and we'll keep at it until we get the situation resolved," Grove added.
Officials have not said how long they expect to get the well under control.
DEP said they have crews monitoring the waterways and drinking wells and that aquatic life has not been affected yet.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Ayn Rand Sucks
You will enjoy it, we bet! Also, it gives us an excuse to post this video that’s been floating around the last couple of days. Watch Ayn Rand explain why most of the useless-eater population needs to die!
It adds a lot of weird despair and
It is always good to mention again that Ayn Rand hated the very idea of Jesus. Hated, hated, hated. Not that she believed there was any such person, but the whole idea just repulsed her. READ MORE »
Afterbirthers Demand To See Obama's Placenta
"All we are asking is that the president produce a sample of his fetal membranes and vessels—preferably along with a photo of the crowning and delivery—and this will all be over," said former presidential candidate and Afterbirthers spokesman Alan Keyes, later adding that his organization would be willing to settle for a half-liter of maternal cord plasma.
"To this day, the American people have not seen a cervical mucus plug, let alone one that has been signed and notarized by a state-certified Hawaiian health official. If the president was indeed born in the manner in which he claims, then where is his gestation sac?" Keyes said that if Obama did not soon produce at least a bloody bedsheet from his conception, Afterbirthers would push forward with efforts to exhume the president's deceased mother and inspect the corpse's pelvic bone and birth canal.
Media Matters Daily Summary 04-20-11
Conservative Media Mark Oil Spill Anniversary By Attacking Drilling Regulation
In the days leading up to the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, a disaster that killed 11 men and resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, conservative media figures have complained about federal oversight of drilling and have called for a swift increase in domestic oil production. This comes as news reports note that Congress has yet to enact reforms recommended by the National Oil Spill Commission, that the agency tasked with minimizing risks from offshore drilling lacks the resources to do so effectively, and that a design flaw in the blowout preventers has not been fixed. Read More
Fox News Goes Full Birther
Following Donald Trump's lead, Fox News figures have recently embraced or promoted aspects of the birther conspiracy theory by falsely claiming that President Obama has not produced his birth certificate, or by hosting birthers to hype their discredited theories unchallenged. Read More
Fox & Friends Utterly Distorts Oil Subsidies To Attack NPR And Planned Parenthood
Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy attacked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for her comments about the U.S. government's large subsidies to oil companies, asking, "Why didn't she mention the big subsidies to NPR or Planned Parenthood?" In fact, NPR and Planned Parenthood--both nonprofits--receive miniscule amounts of federal money compared to the subsidies given to oil companies. Read More
Fox & Friends Grossly Misrepresents Obama's Town Hall Speech
During the April 20 broadcast of Fox & Friends, the co-hosts discussed President Obama's recent town hall speech, falsely accusing the president of blaming a 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse on "budget holdout[s]" and of linking Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget outline to homelessness, while also again falsely claiming that Obama "doesn't seem to want to cut" spending from the budget. Read More
Fox Uses White House Meeting On Immigration Reform To Insult Undocumented Immigrants And Border Security
On April 19, Fox News' supposedly "straight news" programs used a White House meeting on immigration reform to fearmonger about immigration, bash President Obama, and refer to undocumented immigrants as "illegals." Read More
Stephanopoulos Tricks Bachmann Into Telling Birthers To ‘Move On’
As you can see from the amusingly edited birther video above, birthers are definitely not happy with Michele Bachmann, who was presented with President Obama’s birth certificate by George Stephanopoulos and was forced to admit people should probably just “move on.” Did she just sink her campaign before it even really began? READ MORE »
Majority Of Republicans Support Tax Increases For The Wealthy
As the debate about how to deal with the federal deficit heats up, two new polls show that large, bipartisan majorities of Americans support raising taxes on the wealthy, as President Obama has proposed doing.
A central piece of Obama's deficit reduction plan calls for raising taxes on annual income above $250,000. Though tax hikes are generally thought to be unpopular, both a Washington Post/ABC News poll and a McClatchy-Marist survey found that a majority of Americans supported that proposal. What's more, even a majority of Republicans in the Washington Post/ABC News poll said they favored raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
In addition, both polls found Americans overwhelmingly opposed to a deficit reduction plan pushed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) that would ultimately privatize Medicare, the federal healthcare program for the elderly. Taken together, those findings show that in the looming deficit debate, Obama may hold an edge in public opinion.
The Washington Post/ABC News survey asked American adults whether they supported or opposed a list of proposals to reduce the deficit. Seventy-two percent of all respondents said they supported raising taxes on annual income over $250,000, including 54% of respondents who said they "strongly" supported that position. Democrats were most supportive of that proposal (91%), but so too were a majority of independents (68%) and Republicans (54%.)
Additionally, 27% said they opposed increasing taxes on income earned beyond $250,000 per year.
In the Marist poll, 64% of registered voters said they supported raising taxes above that same cutoff point, compared to 33% who opposed that plan. A majority of Republicans opposed tax hikes in the Marist poll (54% against verus 43% in favor), though larger majorities of Democrats and independents supported them. Democrats backed the tax increases 83%-15%, while independents supported them by a 63%-34% split.
As for the GOP plan to make cuts to Medicare spending, Marist found that 80% of registered voters opposed that proposal, while only 18% supported it. And in the Washington Post-ABC News poll, cutting Medicare was the least popular proposal offered as a way to reduce the deficit. In that poll, 78% of adults said they opposed that plan, compared to 21% who said they supported it. Further, that survey found that two-thirds of adults thought the structure of Medicare should remain unchanged, while just one-third supported making it into a voucher program as Rep. Ryan has proposed.
Republicans, while pushing for the Ryan plan, have said tax increases are a total non-starter. But as these two polls show, Americans would prefer if the opposite were the case.
The Washington Post poll was conducted April 14-17 among 1,001 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.5%. Marist's poll was conducted April 10-14 among 1,084 registered voters, and has a margin of error of 3.0%.