Ed Henry

Callous Fox News Anchor is Cool with Seniors Dying from the Coronavirus

Posted by on March 10, 2020 at 2:59 pm. NO Comments :

Donald Trump’s mishandling the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak continues to reap tragic consequences. While infections and fatalities increase, Trump is still downplaying the risk and trying to blame his failures on Democrats. He even tweeted his thanks to Republicans in the Senate for passing a bill to provide funding for coronavirus related projects. Never mind that it was an $8 billion bill (Trump asked for only $2 billion) that was authored by Democrats, who provided the majority votes to pass it.

Go Fox Yourself

Considering the gravity of the issues at hand, the press is generally taking care to offer useful information and a realistic presentation of the facts, without causing undue alarm. However, on Fox News they have a different philosophy of journalistic responsibility. Predictably, they are serving as Trump’s mouthpiece to trivialize the matter so as not to negatively impact his polling and reelection prospects. and to both Trump and Fox News, those are the most important considerations.

To that end, Fox News anchor Ed Henry interviewed Florida’s Republican Senator Rick Scott. And from the outset it was clear that the segment was intended to prop up Trump’s management of the crisis. Henry prefaced his first question with a brazenly leading slant saying that he was just “adding this important context” (video below) …

“In your state there have been 18 cases of COVID-19, two people, sadly, have died, but both of those residents were elderly and had traveled internationally. So when you hear the context, it’s not quite as scary”

“Not quite as scary” to whom? Certainly seniors who travel would be shaken by these statistics. Henry is saying explicitly that the deaths of a few old folks don’t really matter, and the rest of the American people can comfortably ignore the loss of these doddering old coots. He apparently believes that fewer elders don’t really figure in the big picture. Just put it into context, and who really cares?

Let’s set aside the abhorrent insensitivity of Henry’s comments for a moment look at the sheer ignorance he is displaying. Henry is oblivious to the fact that the coronavirus can attack anyone. And even if the victims are younger and have stronger immune systems, they can pass it on to others with greater vulnerability, including children with respiratory ailments, young adults with diabetes, cancer patients, etc. And all of these potential victims likely have families that would be devastated by losing a loved one. So Henry also belittling the suffering of those indirectly affected.

Twenty-six Americans have already died from this budding pandemic. Over 700 have been diagnosed as infected. And considering that the U.S. is woefully lagging in testing, there could be thousands more. That could translate into hundreds more fatalities. Among those exposed (so far) are six members of congress, five of whom are Republicans. There may actually be a greater risk for the GOP and Trump supporters due to Trump’s purposeful and self-serving deceit. Trump himself interacted with someone infected at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). And let’s not forget that he is one of those disposable elderly folks. As are the majority of Fox News viewers.

Henry’s gross disregard for the lives of seniors is a new low for Fox. There is simply no excuse for this sort of callous thoughtlessness. But for Fox News it is far too common. They have never been especially concerned about humane policies, whether addressing healthcare, taxes, climate change, immigration, or guns. Now they are simply fulfilling their mission to serve up Trump-fluffing propaganda without regard for the truth or the well being of the American people. Because that’s the position of Trump. And Fox is, as always, committed to echoing Dear Leader’s cruel and inhumane approach to governance.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Sanders Surrogate Tells Fox News that ‘You Guys Have to Stop Lying on the Air’

Posted by on February 26, 2020 at 1:16 pm. 2 Comments :

Democrats should not be wasting their time by appearing on Fox News. There is no upside to subjecting oneself to the abuse and dishonesty that is the core of Fox’s editorial mission. Fox News has demonstrated repeatedly that they have no interest in presenting fair coverage of Democrats or liberal policies. And now more than ever, they exist to promote Donald Trump and to malign his critics.

Bernie Sanders, Fox News

If anyone needs further proof that Fox News is anathema to progressive politics, or any expressions of truth, they only need to look at the interview of Amer Zahr, a Bernie Sanders surrogate, that was conducted on Fox Wednesday morning (video below). Host Ed Henry seemed determined to misrepresent the positions of Sanders in the most deceitful terms imaginable. He framed his questions with overt bias asking Zahr to address “not just the plans that are socialist in nature, but the fact that Bernie Sanders on that stage continues to defend the regime of Fidel Castro.” Which Sanders has not done.

It’s fair to say that Sanders displayed some rather impolitic instincts by allowing that Castro’s Cuba did advance certain social policies that included access to education and healthcare. But that’s a long ways from defending his regime. It’s just bad form to appear to be complimenting a dictator, even if the comment is true. But then, after a long and slanted lead in, Henry enumerated some of Castro’s atrocities (murder, rape, imprisonment) and asked the preposterous question, “How do you defend that?” Well, of course, no one defends that. And the very phrasing of the question to imply that Zahr or Sanders does defend it is just plain repulsive. Zahr offered a more elaborate reply:

“It is almost as if maybe you guys weren’t listening to Bernie Sanders last night and what he said repeatedly which is that — and the same thing President Obama said — which is, there were some good things that came out of what he did but authoritarianism which he practiced and Bernie Sanders was very clear that Fidel Castro was an authoritarian, that that should be denounced at every turn, that dissent should be allowed and shouldn’t be imprisoned. He said that over and over again.”

But Henry wasn’t going to be deterred from his mission of noxious slander. He followed up by outright lying that Sanders said that “he’s OK with socialism and communism.” Which, of course, Sanders never said. So Zahr replied with surprise and disgust that…

“You guys have to stop lying on the air. He didn’t say he’s OK with socialism and communism. That’s just not true. He said he is not OK with authoritarianism wherever it happens. And you guys want to throw around these terms, that’s fine, the truth is our ideas are popular with the American people, these are progressive ideas.”

Stung by reality, Henry tried to dismiss the garbage he had been spewing by pretending that “I’m asking a question.” But as Zahr noted, “It’s a ridiculous question.” Henry was, in fact, building a false narrative to undermine Sanders and the Democrats. He could not have been more obvious and offensive.

This however, is an object lesson on why Democrats need to shun Fox News. They will be subjected to this treatment every time. What possible benefit is there to suffering through such abuse? You are not going to change the minds of any Fox News cult viewers. You are only letting Fox exploit you to affect some measure of credibility. And while some of the responses by Zahr were satisfying and admirable, they do not justify having lowered oneself into the Fox abyss of lies.

The Sanders campaign has an odd relationship with Fox News that is somewhat self-destructive. On the one hand they recognize that Fox is profoundly biased and dishonest. They know that Fox produces stories like the one just two days ago that claimed that Sanders was to blame for the stock market crash. (no, really). On the other hand, Sanders’ campaign manager recently made the bizarre comment that Fox News is more fair to Sanders than MSNBC. But this interview is the best evidence that that is not only untrue, it’s downright delusional.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

HOLY CRIPE: Fox News Blames Stock Market Plunge On – Bernie Sanders?

Posted by on February 24, 2020 at 12:15 pm. 3 Comments :

American investors woke up Monday morning to see a devastating sell off on Wall Street and other markets around the world. The uncontested view of economic experts is that the sharp decline resulted from growing concerns about the coronavirus (Covid-19) as it continues to spread. Factories in China are shut down. Trade is being curtailed. International festivals and conferences have been canceled. The global financial impact is undeniable.

Donald Trump, Stock Market

Well, undeniable everywhere but on Fox News, where good news is always due to the heavenly inspired works of Donald Trump, and bad news can only be the work of Satan’s minions in the Democratic Party. Fox News host Charles Payne, in what may be the most idiotic economic analysis of the year to date, sought to carry out that doctrine during an in interview as the markets were in the process of imploding (video below). He was asked by the allegedly “straight news” anchor, Ed Henry, this brazenly leading question:

“Is the sell off all coronavirus, or is this the first time the markets are open since Bernie Sanders took control of the Democratic battle?”

The audacity that it takes to allow that question to slither through one’s lips is impressive. It certainly is the first time the markets have been open since the Nevada primary caucus, but that has nothing to do with the sell off on Wall Street. How would that explain the sell off in markets around the world where Sanders is not running for anything? What’s more, Sanders’ win in Nevada is hardly “taking control” (a loaded term in itself) of the Democratic battle. It is just the third contest out of fifty (plus territories), and represents a small percentage of votes cast and delegates acquired.

Payne’s response to Henry’s stridently biased question was that “The Bernie factor is finally rearing its head in the stock market.” He then rattled off a list of companies in the health sector that are suffering big losses. Of course health-related companies would naturally be hurt by news of an impending global pandemic. And that harm would be throughout the world, just as it is currently playing out. But that obvious fact was incomprehensible to Payne and his Fox colleagues. Their deliberately dishonest banter continued with the following exchange:

Sandra Smith: Can you directly attribute that loss to Bernie Sanders?
Payne: Absolutely…there’s absolutely no doubt. [later adding] This is the first time, I think, that Wall Street has taken Bernie Sanders very seriously.

“Absolutely no doubt”? Neither Wall Street, nor anyone else, should take Fox News seriously. Payne is not just speculating on a possible contributing factor. He is insisting that Wall Street’s alleged fear of Bernie Sanders is undeniably the only cause of the worst drop in the Dow since December of 2018. That’s not just glaringly false, it’s painfully stupid and grossly irresponsible. Ironically, throughout this segment the chyron on Fox News read: “STOCK MARKET SELLOFF ON CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS”

Payne is supposed to be one of Fox’s financial experts (his own program is on the Fox Business Network), although like everyone else at State TV, he weaves his right-wing opinions into all of his comments. He recently made the bizarre assertion that “Wall Street Loves Donald Trump,” as if that was a positive endorsement for his reelection. And like many of the men on Fox, Payne has been charged with sexual assault. Fox settled a lawsuit with Scottie Nell Hughes, a former contributor, who had accused Payne of rape.

The political biases of Fox News are not news to anyone. And with the advent of Donald Trump, they have become even more conspicuously partisan. But this ludicrous attack on Sanders is grotesquely out of bounds, even for Fox. They are fully indoctrinated into the Trump Cult. And nothing better demonstrates that then this asinine attempt to blame Sanders for a pandemic-driven market decline that he clearly had nothing to do with. There is apparently a virus spreading through the Fox News studios that is turning all their brains into oatmeal.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News Affirms Its State TV Status with Slobbering Interview of Trump Campaign Shill

Posted by on December 1, 2019 at 1:21 pm. 3 Comments :

It’s getting more difficult with every passing day to differentiate between Fox News and the Republican Nationalist Party. And even though the network was created to serve as a propaganda vehicle for right-wing politics, the degree to which it has become the communications office of Donald Trump’s cult movement still manages to be surprising.

Donald Trump Fox News

On Sunday morning Fox and Friends co-host Ed Henry “interviewed” Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary for the Trump 2020 campaign. It was another in a frequent series of Trump campaign and administration officials appearing regularly on Fox News. They know they have an open door at Fox where they can deliver their disinformation at any time without interruption or dispute. And this booking was no exception. Henry asked a total of four question, and each one seems like it was written by some Trump PR hack, complete with hostile allusions to Democrats. The first exchange went like this:

Henry: Well, Democrats in the media are not taking time out over Thanksgiving, going after the President over his Thanksgiving visit to see troops in Afghanistan. […] What in the world is going on here when you can’t visit men and women in uniform and thank them for their service?
McEnany: It’s amazing. This is the Trump obsessed media. Anything and everything will always be wrong. They can’t tolerate when he does something good.”

Henry offered no evidence of any plot to “go after” Trump for visiting Afghanistan. It was just a way to frame his question with a built in bias against Democrats. And it was a softball thrown at McEnany who went on to say that whenever the press criticizes Trump they are delegitimizing themselves. For the record, Democrats would have no problem tolerating Trump doing something good, and they’re still waiting for the first time. The next question from Henry was no better:

Henry: What about the fact the House Democrats are now moving forward on impeachment as the President is doing another part of his job as commander-in-chief, which is heading to London to work at a NATO summit and tackle some big national security issues?
McEnany: It’s shameful. As you noted there has been a precedent that we don’t criticize presidents when they are overseas, much less pursue a coup against a sitting president. And that’s what this is. This was never about the facts. […] This is a coup against a sitting president of the United States without evidence, without facts, and that is why the polling is going south on this. It’s despicable that they’re doing this, particularly when the President is overseas.

Once again, Henry’s question was loaded with anti-Democratic bias, portraying them as unpatriotic. Does he think that Democrats should halt the impeachment hearings, which were already in progress before Trump’s junket to London? And holding impeachment hearings isn’t exactly analogous to criticizing the President. It is a constitutional proceeding that members of Congress are obligated to conduct when warranted by the legal and/or ethical misbehavior of the President. It doesn’t cease if the President decides to take a trip.

What’s more, it is certainly not a coup. Republicans have been floating that canard for months, despite the fact that the Founders included impeachment in the Constitution for a reason. And there is an avalanche of facts that affirm that it is warranted in this case. Look no further than the assessment of Andrew Napolitano, the Senior Legal Analyst at Fox News, who says that “the evidence of impeachable behavior is overwhelming.” But still, Henry marches on with his lambasting of Democrats disguised as questions:

Henry: I can’t have you leave without asking you about the “No Malarkey” tour that the former Vice-President is launching. He says there are a lot of lies out there. I don’t know if he’s pointing at his fellow Democrats and/or the President. What’s your reaction to Joe Biden, who’s struggling in Iowa right now, going out on a bus for eight days?”

Really? Henry doesn’t know whether Biden is calling Trump or his fellow Democrats liars? That’s some pretty stark ignorance he’s admitting to if that’s true. McEnany, of course, took the opportunity to disparage Biden’s campaign as “fledgling” and “desperate.” What on Earth did Henry expect to her say? It was a preposterous question to ask the Trump campaign’s press secretary. McEnany further claimed that Biden’s campaign, which is still leading in national polls, is “just about over.” A bizarre assessment that Henry didn’t bother to challenge.

Henry’s final question was a muddle of negativity about the Democratic debates and candidates who are lower in the polls. Which gave McEnany another opening to bash her opponents as “failing” and to brag that the GOP has “only one candidate that we love and have kept at the top.” Indeed, the Cult of Trump is strong within the tiny community of Deplorables. They do love him and regard him as their savior who is infallible. That’s to be expected from a political party that has given up any pretense of integrity or patriotism. But it’s still somewhat jarring to see an alleged “news” network worshiping at the same alter.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Desperation Time: Trump Aims Tweet Tsunami At One of His Biggest Fox News Fluffers

Posted by on September 29, 2019 at 10:59 am. 3 Comments :

The walls are closing in around Donald Trump and he knows it. With the House of Representatives conducting an official impeachment inquiry, the President is exhibiting clear signs of a psychotic meltdown, the likes of which have never been seen in the Oval Office. He’s suffering from a severe case of Hysterical Impeachment Syndrome and taking on the tactics of the Nazis he admires.

Donald Trump, Fox News, Fake

On Sunday morning this display of desperation reached a boiling point as Trump unleashed a massive tweetstorm against one of his most reliable defenders. Ed Henry of Fox News has become a bona fide Trump-fluffer in his role as a Fox & Friends co-host. But that is apparently not enough to inoculate him from the gnawing animus of a cornered presidential rat. Following a segment of the Trump & Friends program, Henry was mobbed by angry StormTrumpers who were orgasming over what they thought was a takedown by Fox’s Trump attack dog, Mark Levin (video below).

In fact, Levin just spent a couple of minutes screaming at viewers about nonsense that never addressed the substance of Trump’s tribulations. He began by badgering Henry about why he hasn’t asked for the identity of the whistleblower. Of course the answer to that is obvious to those who aren’t infected by Levin’s cult worship of Trump. The whistleblower statute was designed to protect people from retribution and, in this case, violence and potential charges that Trump himself implied could lead to execution.

Levin bellowed that he wants to “know all about the whistleblower … What kind of dogs they’ve had, how many marriages they’ve had, if they had a DUI” Notice that he doesn’t want to know if the whistleblower is telling the truth or has corroborating evidence. He is only interested in irrelevant personal issues that are only useful for smear campaigns. Levin continued by mocking the need for the whistleblower’s anonymity merely because “his life might be in danger.”

Levin also ranted about why the whistleblower wasn’t being questioned by congress. For the record, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Adam Schiff (who’s resignation Trump has impotently demanded), has already announced that the whistleblower will be interviewed by the Committee. But Levin plowed forward making the absurd assertion that nobody has identified any laws that were broken by Trump’s extortion of the President of Ukraine. For starters, there’s extortion. And there’s campaign finance violations, witness intimidation, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.

Trump was so aroused by the reactions to Levin’s high-volume tirade that he retweeted twenty (20!) comments by random Twitteristas praising him. They included such brilliant and dignified retorts as “Ed Henry just got his ASS handed to him by Mark Levin,” and “Levin just tore Ed Henry to shreds,” and “Levin sure put that lying shit head Ed Henry in his place,” and “Levin ripped Ed Henry a new one.” Who can argue with logic like that?

So now Ed Henry is among the Fox News untouchables who Trump’s cult followers are ordered to despise. He joins Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace. But what’s peculiar about this is that Henry is a devoted Trump-fluffer himself. Among his glassy-eyed defenses of Dear Leader, Henry has lied about seeing Trump’s non-existent border wall. He falsely claimed that “Hollywood has been threatening to blacklist” Trump supporters.
He celebrated a court ruling against Obamacare that could cause millions to suffer saying that it was “a little gift ahead of Christmas.”

When Trump has reached the point that he is attacking even his most faithful media shills on his favorite Fox News program, you know that he’s gone over the edge. It’s a state of fearful derangement that is only going to get worse as time goes by. And Trump isn’t doing himself any favors by maligning the Fox News protectorate that he needs to continue gaslighting his base. So buckle up, America. Trump is determined to make this a bumpy ride to impeachment.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News Hack Lies About Having Seen Trump’s ‘New’ Border Wall – That Doesn’t Exist

Posted by on September 19, 2019 at 2:12 pm. 4 Comments :

The blatant partisan biases of Fox News have been well documented for many years. And yet the network continues to pretend that they have some measure of journalistic integrity. They claim that their “news” and “opinion” sides are clearly delineated and that viewers are smart enough to tell the difference. But that’s wrong on two counts. First, there is no real separation of what they call news and the opinions that permeate nearly every report they air. And second, they think their viewers are smart?

Donald Trump, Fox News, Fake

On Thursday morning a segment on Fox and Friends featured an interview of Donald Trump by the network’s Chief National Correspondent, Ed Henry. Theoretically a correspondent with Henry’s title should be one of Fox’s alleged journalists. Nevermind that he’s a regular co-host of the ultra-opinionated Fox and Friends Morning Trump-Fluffing Show. This interview was jam-packed with Trumpian falsehoods and propaganda on subjects ranging from the Federal Reserve to gun reform.

However, one subject was highlighted by Henry when he bantered with his “Curvy Couch” potato colleagues back in the studio. Henry was interviewing Trump near Otay Mesa, California, where the President was visiting a section of the border wall that he claims to be building. And in his summation of their talk, Henry put his own spin what he encountered (video below):

“We’ve had Democrats on the show saying that the President is not telling the truth. That’s what they claim when he says and boasts that there’s new wall being built. I’m here to say the President is right and they are wrong. And that’s not an opinion. That’s my reporting with my own two eyes. I was there. There is in fact miles and miles of new wall being built and it’s working.”

Well then, that settles it. If Henry was there and saw a brand new wall with his own two eyes, it must be a box of wholesome fact morsels wrapped in golden ribbons of truthiness. Except for the fact that Henry was shamelessly lying. He was actually standing at the site where there was already an 18 foot wall that had been there for years. He even mentioned it himself in a long-winded response to questions from Mediaite.

What’s more, a photo taken in April of 2013 shows a wall already in place at the Otay Mesa site. And the Washington Post reported that the construction at the site where Trump and Henry talked was actually just “a 24-mile section of replacement barrier.”

In addition, Henry didn’t explore the length of the wall he was observing so he couldn’t possibly know if there were “miles and miles” of it. And as for it working, he merely cited some data that migration had slowed during the past few months. But it always slows during the summer due to the excessive heat that makes traveling on foot difficult and dangerous.

So Henry’s indignant insistence that Trump’s Democratic critics were wrong was pure, partisan bullcrap. And his reliance on his own two eyes suggests that his “vision” is seriously impaired by his blind allegiance to Trump. But this also puts the lie to the claim by Fox News that they differentiate between news and opinion. In fact, they don’t seem to have any news content at all. It’s a 24/7 right-wing opinion factory that is about as committed to truthtelling as Trump or his bootlicking lackey, Corey Lewandowski, who admitted to Congress that he has no obligation to be honest. That describes pretty much everyone in the Trump regime from top to bottom. And make no mistake, Fox News is a fully subscribed member of the Trump regime.

Here is how the Trump campaign promoted the Fox News propaganda piece by Ed Henry:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Hollywood Elitist MAGA Snowflakes Featured in Phony Fox News Controversy

Posted by on September 17, 2019 at 3:35 pm. 2 Comments :

The 2020 election continues to build up steam as Democratic candidates jockey for position and round up supporters and endorsements. However, on the Republican side, Donald Trump is taking a different approach that includes going to extraordinary lengths to keep the identity of his supporters secret. This may be the first campaign that has ever had to arrange for the anonymity of its allies.

Donald Trump, Hollywood

Following his cult rally in New Mexico, Trump made a dash for the border into California where he snuck in to avoid detection. He was there for a fundraiser at the mansion of real estate magnate, Jeffrey Palmer. What’s peculiar about this affair is that the attendees were herded into shuttle buses before being whisked off to a secret destination.

There was significant security employed to prevent these Tinseltown Trumpsters from suffering the indignity of being outed as supporters of the has-been TV game show host who now play-acts as the Reality TV President. Ed Henry of Fox News reported from the field for Fox and Friends and provided this account of the subterfuge (video below):

“The reason why the Trump campaign is being so tight-lipped with all these details is that you have these critics like Debra Messing basically trying what they say is ‘name and shame’ people. Blacklist people out here in Hollywood if they attend the event. […]

“Critics out here in Hollywood have been threatening to blacklist people – make sure they don’t get hired, they don’t get into pictures – if they show up for a Trump fundraiser. This highlights how ridiculous this has become because this is America. If you wanna support somebody, you wanna give some money, you’re supposed to be able to do that.”

What’s ridiculous about this is Henry’s assertions that people are not able to support the candidate of their choice. For most Americans there is a sense of pride and patriotism associated with their political advocacy. Nobody seems to be reluctant to admit they’re voting for Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Julian Castro, or Kamala Harris. So the take away from Henry’s analysis is that Trump supporters have real reasons to be ashamed of supporting Trump. And he may be right about that.

There is not, however, any truth to the allegation that Debra Messing, or anyone else, is blacklisting Hollywood’s Trump supporters. It’s actually laughable that Messing is alleged to have that kind of power. There is no central authority in showbiz that could execute a blacklist. Indeed, many of the biggest stars are proudly conservative, including Bruce Willis, Tom Selleck, Sylvester Stallone, Patricia Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Tim Allen, and more. The ones who are whining about being discriminated against are primarily washed-out hacks whose failure is due to their own lack of talent (Antonio Sabato Jr, Scott Baio, Kid Rock, etc).

Henry’s claim that “Critics out here in Hollywood have been threatening to blacklist people” is typical Fox News bullcrap. He can’t cite a single instance of any such threat ever being made by anyone. And insiders know that Hollywood’s colors are neither red nor blue – they’re green. If an actor can sell tickets they get the job. So if Trump supporters insist on anonymity, it’s because of their own shame for backing an ignorant, narcissistic, racist, who embarrasses the nation at every opportunity, cozies up to brutal foreign tyrants, and lies every time he opens his mouth.

No wonder Trump supporters are ashamed. But that’s their problem and has nothing to do with any imaginary, organized, liberal, Hollywood boycott. They are just making excuses for their own insecurity and inability to defend their idiotic political choices. It’s the same sort of derangement that causes right-wingers to whine that they are being banned on social media (they’re not). The Trump cultists are simply too thin-skinned to face reality. That weakness is even more pronounced in the elitist Trumpsters who work in Hollywood. And they call liberals “snowflakes”?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

The Ludicrous Fox News ‘3 Mexicos’ Chyron Wasn’t Nearly as Bad as What They Actually Said

Posted by on March 31, 2019 at 11:09 am. 4 Comments :

On Sunday Morning Fox News set out reestablish their status as the supreme purveyors of rank idiocy. And they accomplished that goal with a graphic presentation of both their stupidity and racism. This feat occurred during another one of their regularly scheduled segments demonizing and dehumanizing immigrants from south of the border.

Donald Trump, Immigrant, Child

While the three co-hosts of Donald Trump’s favorite morning show, Fox and Friends rattled on about the alleged “crisis” on the border, there was a graphic that said “Trump Cuts U.S. Aid to 3 Mexican Countries.” Of course, there aren’t three Mexican countries. That’s just Fox’s way of disparaging all brown people in Central and South America as being the same undesirables. However, as bad as that careless foul-up was – and even given their hurried correction – what they actually said during the segment was even worse. And that can’t be dismissed as a mistake.

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1112352119900770305

The piece started off with Pete Hegseth summarizing everything wrong that Fox disseminates regarding immigration:

“Cutting payment – aid payment – to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras over the fact that those countries have been unable to contain the flood of migrants heading through Mexico to our southern border. So yesterday we talked about potentially shutting down the southern border … this is a big move. This is one of the few punitive measures the executive branch has still, to these countries to say ‘get it under control.'”

First of all, the migrants from Central America are fleeing the poverty and violence that threatens them and their children. Cutting humanitarian aid will only make it more difficult for these countries to resolve the problems they have with crime and scarcity. So any thinking person would understand that Trump’s actions can only exacerbate the problems he’s pretending to want to solve.

Jedediah Bila then added that Trump “came in strong” with his tweets threatening to close the border and gushed that “It seems to me he’s standing tall on this issue. He’s not backing down. I don’t blame him.” And Ed Henry chirped along in worshipful harmony saying “Yeah, it might take drastic measures.”

Trump’s notion of cutting aid is only surpassed in reckless ineptitude by his intent to close the border. That will in no way advance a solution to the problem, but it will severely harm American businesses and workers. Even Trump’s Republican allies in Congress have ridiculed the idea. And the complaint by the Foxies that the three Mexicos have been unable to “contain the flood of immigrants” ignores Trump’s own whining that it’s the U.S. that hasn’t been managing what he considers to be a national emergency. Hence his wall fetish.

When all is said and done, Fox News continues to say and do the most preposterously illogical things in their mission to frighten and disinform their audience of Deplorables. And sadly, at that they happen to be quite good.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Fox News Addiction is Eating Away at His (and All Fox Viewers’) Few Remaining Brain Cells

Posted by on March 16, 2019 at 11:56 am. 3 Comments :

It’s Saturday and time for another episode of The Donald Trump Weekend Tweetstorm. This is how Trump spends most of his time – Watching Fox News and posting only the most obsequious videos that mindlessly profess an undying adoration for Dear Leader.

Donald Trump, Fox News

This is the behavior of a malignant narcissist who is frightened and dependent on constant positive reinforcement to prevent him from suffering mental seizures that result in more all-caps rage-tweeting.

The morning began with a shout out to 2018’s undisputed “Most Deranged Lunatic on Fox News,” Lou Dobbs, who believes that the United Nations is trying to take over the world and that special counsel Robert Mueller is trying to kill Trump. In this clip Dobbs drools over the “emotional ceremony in the White House” where Trump vetoed the bipartisan bill to reject his unconstitutional declaration of a national emergency. His guest is a regular Fox Trump-fluffer who repeatedly exalts Trump as a “great president.”

That nauseating spectacle was followed by one that puts it to shame on the Nauseous Scale. Once again, it’s Lou Dobbs, but this time hosting those brilliant political gurus, Diamond & Silk. Does Fox really consider these helium-noggins to be legitimate news analysts? Dobbs lauds Trump’s signing of his first veto and then asks the pair of cartoonish crackpots for their loopy thoughts. This leads to a predictably smarmy display of cringeworthy bootlicking wherein Demean & Sulk lambaste the Republicans who voted against the national emergency hysteria as “swampettes.”

After that embarrassment, Trump interrupted his video montage with a dumbass statement all his own:

Note that Trump is actually bragging that he told Republican members of Congress to lie in order to “look good” since this constitutional issue is just a “game” to him. He’s also asserting that he has such complete control of his party’s congressional delegation that he can order them on how to vote. What’s more, he knew that his top sycophant in the senate, Lindsey Graham, was going to block the measure anyway when it reached that body.

So that brings us to Trump’s posting of a clip from the Fox News show they call “Outnumbered,” because it pits four ultra-rightist women against one equally wingnutty man. On this episode the token male was also a token Democrat, very rarely seen on this program. But no worries, because they wouldn’t even let him talk. And that was demonstrated in the video that Trump posted. He sat there smiling uncomfortably while co-host Kennedy ranted about the FBI not reviewing the contents of Hillary Clinton’s computers (which they actually did review).

Next up was a tweet that was just a propaganda photo-op of Trump signing his first veto. He surely regards this as a historical moment where he defies the will of the Congress and the American people who oppose both his idiotic vanity wall, and his phony national emergency to fund it.

Finally, Trump posted another video from Fox News (does he ever do anything else but watch Fox?) featuring Fox and Friends co-host Ed Henry and former GOP chair of the House intelligence Committee, Jason Chaffetz, who is now a Fox contributor. They ran through some of Trump’s favorite “Witch Hunt” fear mongering that imagined FBI conspiracies and returned to the undying GOP fantasy of Hillary Clinton’s evil empire that enabled her to escape prison. Even after hundreds of hours of hearings and testimony by Republican controlled committees, as well as the efforts of Trump’s own Department of Justice.

This avalanche of derp on an otherwise pleasant Saturday morning is further proof of Trump’s declining psychological state. Never mind that he insists the nation is in the midst of a national emergency due to an invasion at the southern border, that North Korea is ready to nuke us, that the Deep State is plotting a coup, or that white nationalists are murdering innocent churchgoers. These are the things that Trump is spending his time on. And these are the things that all Fox News viewers are being directed to pay special attention to.

It’s enough to convince you that there really is a national emergency, and that right at this very moment it’s laying in bed with a sweaty remote in one hand and a Big Mac in the other, trying to get Sean Hannity or Vladimir Putin on the phone.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

LATE BREAKING: Trump dusted off his Twitter machine for one more comment that marks a new low, even for him:

So now he’s taking shots at a Senator/veteran who passed away and can’t defend himself. And what he’s upset about is the Steele dossier (much of which has been proven to be accurate), and John McCain’s principled vote to prevent Trump and the GOP from taking healthcare away from millions of Americans. You really have to try hard to be this disgusting.

An Ugly Celebration: Fox News Cheers the ObamaCare Ruling that Will Cause Millions to Suffer

Posted by on December 15, 2018 at 11:47 am. 5 Comments :

On Friday evening an ultra-conservative judge in Texas handed down an obtusely argued ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. His reasoning hinged on the fact that Republicans in Congress, who have long aspired to kill the popular legislation, amended the law in a manner that rendered it invalid. This was a well orchestrated plot to kill a program that has helped millions of Americans and saved lives.

Fox News Donald Trump

So what was the reaction on Fox News? Well, it began with an early morning episode of Fox and Friends (video below) that should put to rest forever any doubt that these cretins are sadistic, uncaring, and filled with hatred for their fellow citizens. The program that Donald Trump watches religiously began with this exchange by co-hosts Ed Henry, Pete Hegseth, and Jedediah Bila:

Henry: Today, a little gift ahead of Christmas.
Hegseth: I already got a gift today. I got a gift last night.
Henry: It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Hegseth: Well, I don’t know what your gift was but …
Henry: I know what you meant. Obamacare is unconstitutional. That is what a federal judge is ruling in Texas. He said the Affordable Care Act is invalid as open enrollment closes today. What’s fascinating about it this is that the judge is saying that the whole law, the entire Affordable Care Act should in fact be torn down because the individual mandate demanding that you buy health insurance is unconstitutional.
Bila: It’s about time. I mean we’ve been having this debate for a long time. I was so happy to see this. This was completely unconstitutional from the start.

This is their idea of a Christmas “gift” that “keeps on giving”? This is something that they are “so happy to see”? Do they realize that millions of Americans depend on this program for critical healthcare? That means medical services and pharmaceuticals for people with potentially lethal illnesses. It means care for sick children and pregnant women. If ObamaCare is struck down then everyone with a preexisting condition will once again be shut out of the insurance market. It means that young people on their parents’ insurance plans will lose their coverage. It means the return of discriminatory pricing and the elimination of preventative care. And even for those who don’t have serious medical problems, it means much higher premiums.

Republicans have chanted “repeal and replace” for eight years, but in all that time have failed to offer their “replacement” for ObamaCare. Now the ACA could be lost with nothing to protect those who rely on it. And this makes the Foxies shiver with glee. Of course, it wasn’t just the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox News who threw a party for this ruling. Donald Trump tweeted his own holiday joy at seeing millions of people thrown into healthcare nightmare, calling it “Great news for America.”

Watching these grotesquely inhumane gasbags laugh about this ruling as a gift for Christmas is painful in itself. It almost makes one wish that they would have to go through this hardship themselves, or with a loved one. They have no concept whatsoever of empathy or concern for other Americans. But if there is any silver lining to this, it’s that there will be stronger demand for Medicare-For-All than ever before, and for the Democrats who support it.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/EastTNVol/status/1073897774691876865