Month: October 2010

Fox News Fabricating A Story About Media Fabricating Stories

Posted by on October 31, 2010 at 4:14 pm. 4 Comments :

All morning long Fox News has been broadcasting a story out of Alaska concerning a recording of reporters from KTVA whom Fox News alleges were conspiring to sabotage Joe Miller’s senate campaign. There is only one problem with this story: There is no evidence to support it.

The only thing that Fox News has to back up their claim is a recording that was made from an open phone line. The recording is of poor quality with much that is unintelligible. But what makes this utterly unreliable is that Andrew Breitbart is the source of the recording. Breitbart is best known for promoting tapes and video that were proven to be either fake or deliberately edited to give a false impression of what actually occurred.

A statement from KTVA affirms that the reporters had called Miller but deny that they ever discussed any plot to harm his campaign. They were merely speculating on what others may do and how they would cover an upcoming event.

Leave it to Fox News to broadcast materials they received from a known producer of lies and disinformation. When they first began airing the story even their chief correspondent, Carl Cameron, confessed on air that he could not confirm the allegations from the Miller camp. You have to wonder why any reputable news organization would go to air with a story that they admittedly can’t confirm. But you don’t have to wonder why Fox would do so.

As part of their coverage Fox interviewed both Joe Miller and Sarah Palin. Both were outraged at the assertions that even they could not prove. Palin called the KTVA crew “corrupt bastards” on Fox News Sunday. They both castigated the media for fabricating stories. But going on Fox News to complain about the media fabricating stories is kind of like Dracula complaining about vampires drinking blood.

It’s almost too ludicrous to comprehend that, while in the midst of fabricating a story they scold others for fabricating stories. But I suppose it’s all that we can expect from Fox News.

Stewart And/Or Colbert Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

Posted by on October 31, 2010 at 1:17 am. 2 Comments :

Today was the day that many historians will record as the day that sanity was restored to America. And the rest of the historians will mark it as the day fear was kept alive. Then the two warring groups of historians will pelt one another with eggs. That’s just the way historians are.

Jon Stewart’s long anticipated Rally to Restore Sanity, and Stephen Colbert’s opposing March to Keep Fear Alive, took place at the National Mall in Washington, DC. By all accounts it was a rip-snorting success. But as Stewart noted, what’s important isn’t what happened there, but how what happened there would be reported:

“I think you know that the success or failure of a rally is judged by only two criteria: the intellectual coherence of the content, and its correlation to the engagement…I’m just kidding. It’s color and size. We all know it’s color and size. But I think we’re in good shape. As I look here today I can see we have over ten million people.”

In fact, the actual estimates were slightly lower. CBS News hired a firm to estimate attendance and they reported the crowd to be 215,000. The same firm pegged Glenn Beck’s Rally to Restore Honor at 87,000. Expect Beck to bitterly condemn the socialist, mathematician, elitists who deliberately skewed the estimates in order to plunge America into tyranny.

Amongst the highlights of the event were Colbert’s entrance from far beneath the stage in the Fenix capsule that was used to rescue the Chilean miners. Then there was the epic battle between Yusuf Islam’s Peace Train and Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train. That skirmish was settled by The O’Jays’ Love Train.

It’s funny how this rally, whose purpose was to lower the rhetoric and to “take it down a notch,” has incited much of the right to blow a virtual gasket as they complain that Stewart and Colbert are hopelessly far-left and are engaged in propaganda and disinformation. They regard this event as a blatant attempt to manipulate the upcoming election. There are even some who are disturbed by the presence of Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens), a devious Muslim trying to infiltrate American culture and commerce. To these demented Tea Partiers and pundits everything is a conspiracy. And that really isn’t funny at all, when you think about it.

In addition to the massive crowd in Washington, some satellite rallies were held around the country, including one in Los Angeles that I attended. There were approximately 2,500 people at this unofficial, spontaneously planned gathering at MacArthur Park. That’s an impressive turnout. And we were treated to some high quality entertainment that included cartoonist extraordinaire Lalo Alcarez and comic Jimmy Dore.

Obviously having a good time:
Sanity Rally

Supporting Media Matters Fight Fox campaign:
Sanity Rally

And from the DC rally…

Crazy Train {hearts} Peace Train:
Sanity Rally

Eat your heart out, Glenn Beck:
Sanity Rally

A good time was had by all. Now back to the serious work of preventing the crazies from taking over congress.

Fox News Hosts Election Night Tea Party Zone

Posted by on October 29, 2010 at 3:06 pm. 18 Comments :

Tea Party ZoneFair and Balanced Fox News:

Don’t forget to visit us on Election Day. We’ll have all the election coverage from Democrats to Republicans and also host a special Tea Party Zone that night. We’ll see you there!

So Fox is hosting a special Tea Party Zone on election night? That’s nice of them. But why isn’t there a special Labor Zone? Or a Progressive Zone? Or any other zone for segments of the electorate that aren’t represented by wackos, Wall Streeters, and white-wingers?

The reason, of course, is that Fox News is an avowedly partisan cheerleader for Republicans and conservatives. They hate America’s working class. They hate blacks and Latinos and seniors and environmentalists and anyone who opposes the entrenched corporatists and selfish Randians who are the backbone of the Tea Party.

In addition to their Tea Party Zone, Fox News has also announced that their television coverage will feature Mike Tobin’s reports direct from the Tea Party. Tobin will be dedicated to Tea Party news on election night. And again, there will be no reporter dedicated to covering any other point of view.

That’s just how Fox rolls.

The Democratic Path To Victory In The House

Posted by on October 29, 2010 at 12:06 pm. 3 Comments :

MurdochMuch of the media is already predicting a GOP takeover of the House of Representatives. They blast sensationalist headlines that declare a coming Apocalypse for Democrats. This view is being presented as if it is a foregone conclusion.

But there are reasons to suspect their confidence. Polling is notoriously dicey for midterm elections. The Tea Party has certainly fired up a segment of the Republican base, but it is doing the same for Democrats. The youth vote is being significantly under-represented in polling (most pollsters don’t even call cellphones). And the most potent force on the left, “Getting Out The Vote,” may turn expectations on their head as unions, African-Americans, Latinos, seniors, and other progressive constituencies mobilize their members.

Robert Creamer has authored an inspiring story to motivate voters and increase participation in GOTV efforts. Below are some choice excerpts and links to ways you can help.

The Democratic Path to Victory in the House
[T]o beat the odds and win, Democrats must be successful at four key tasks over the next five days.

1). Democrats and their allies must be successful at turning out larger than expected numbers of Latino voters. Polls show Latino voters breaking 65% to 70% Democratic, but their turnout in most Mid-terms falls well below both non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black voters.

2). Democrats need to successfully assure that two key issues are on the minds of the voters at the close of the race: Social Security, and outsourcing jobs.

3). In many districts it is especially important that Democrats are successful in emphasizing the strong personal relationship of voters – especially older voters – with their Member of Congress. And they must also be successful at disqualifying the alternative.

4). First and foremost, for Democrats to beat the odds next Tuesday, our get out the vote operations must function flawlessly. Basically, these operations must defy the “likely voter” models that have dictated the gloomy scenario in most polls.

To volunteer, go to OFA.BO/GOTV
To call swing districts: Call.BarackObama.com. That will automatically give you a targeted list of voters in a swing district.
To volunteer with MoveON with a campaign near your home, go here: www.moveon.org/2010
If you want to call from home, go here: pol.moveon.org/2010
If you want to go to a MoveOn campaign event, go here: pol.moveon.org/event/lastchance

Wednesday morning, don’t say to yourself, “wow, we only lost the House by one seat – and only by a few votes – and I could have changed that.”

There is a pathway for Democratic victory, but it requires we hit on all four of these key cylinders. Too much is at stake to allow any stone to remain unturned. Pick up the phone as soon as you finish reading this. We have five days to change history.

Good advice. Creamer lays out details for each of the points above that are important to know and to relay to your friends and family. The value of your participation in GOTV is incalculable. And it increases exponentially for everyone you persuade to join you.

Don’t let the media decide this election. Don’t let Rupert Murdoch and Fox News get away with installing a far-right cadre of some of the most dangerously demented candidates in history. If we prevail the Tea Party will be over. They can call it a day. And that alone would make the effort worthwhile.

FOX News Plots Ultra-Partisan Election Night Coverage

Posted by on October 28, 2010 at 9:56 am. 6 Comments :

FOX/GOP Tea PartyThe FOX News Channel has announced their plans for coverage of the midterm election results next Tuesday. And it should surprise no one that they are plotting to skew their reporting by putting overtly partisan, activist personalities in the anchor chair and over-weighting their analysts with avowed conservatives and Republican operatives.

When election results start to roll in, Fox will have Bret Baier co-hosting a special edition of America’s Election HQ with Megyn Kelly. Kelly is one of the most reliably biased and aggressive advocates of GOP doctrine on Fox News. She is arguably worse than Glenn Beck in many respects. Her trademark is sensationalizing otherwise obscure “controversies” to smear Democrats or progressive issues. Her coverage of the New Black Panther Party and the non-mosque that is not at ground zero are two examples of her hyperactive approach to trivialities in the news.

At the analyst’s table Fox will feature weak pseudo-Democrats like Juan Williams, Joe Trippi, Geraldine Ferraro, and Kirsten Powers. Those are names that are unlikely to make any Republican nervous. They will also have neo-neanderthal Pat Caddell, whom they continue to identify as a Democrat despite his open hostility to the party. He is the poster child for Fox News Democrats who fail to represent the party’s views and are more often critical than supportive.

On the other hand, Fox News is bringing out their big guns to represent the GOP: Karl Rove, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, and Charles Krauthammer. And if that’s not enough uber-conservative firepower, they can turn to their primetime attack-dogs Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren. The notoriety of FOX’s hard right flank on election night, as compared to their tepid roster of “lefties,” puts the lie to their ludicrous claim of being “fair and balanced.” It also contradicts their prior assertion that ideologues like O’Reilly would ever have a role in election night coverage:

Irena Briganti, FOX News VP of Media Relations: The notion that O’Reilly would anchor election coverage of any kind is beyond absurd and wildly inaccurate.

Beyond absurd is just the tip of the iceberg. The FOX press release for their election coverage plans notes that they will also include stories from Eric Shawn and Mike Tobin. Shawn’s beat will be “reporting on voter irregularities in New York.” For a preview of his reporting, refer to his previous coverage of the issue that was aimed exclusively at alleged Democratic irregularities. Tobin’s duties are described as “reporting on the Tea Party influence.” So FOX is dedicating a reporter to cover the phony Tea Baggers, but they have no similar assignment for anyone to report on the influence of progressive activists like labor (or civil rights, or seniors, or gays, or environmentalists, etc).

I don’t think any fair observer expected FOX to cover the election in a manner that was remotely impartial. After all, this is the network whose parent company actually donated a $1 million to the Republican Governor’s Association, and another million to the conservative/GOP affiliated U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But they have really outdone themselves with this lineup. If it tells us anything, it is that they have stopped sporting any pretense of neutrality.

So look for FOX’s coverage to be sharply skewed to the right (as usual). And look for them to gleefully cheer Republican victories and maliciously charge that any Democratic gains were the result of fraud.

Fox Nation’s Racist Attacks On Michelle Obama

Posted by on October 27, 2010 at 3:18 pm. 4 Comments :

If there is still anyone who doubts that the GOP/Tea Party/Fox Nation of Beckerheads is overtly and proudly racist, here is yet another example to which you can direct them to try to set them straight.

Michelle Obama Food DesertAn item on Fox Nation links to an article in the ultra-conservative CNSNews that reports on a program to address the scarcity of supermarkets in low-income communities. The program is being promoted by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, and is described in a video on the White House web site:

“As part of Lets Move!, the campaign to end childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama is taking on food deserts. These are nutritional wastelands that exist across America in both urban and rural communities where parents and children simply do not have access to a supermarket. Some 23.5 million Americans – including 6.5 million children – currently live in food deserts.”

What the Fox Nationalists portray as a “scam” is actually a troubling reality for many Americans who have little or no access to affordable, healthy foods. Consequently they have to rely on fast food, junk food, and over-priced convenience stores.

The response to this problem by visitors to Fox Nation is blood-curdling bigotry aimed at the First Lady and the under-privileged consumers she is striving to help. Here is a short sampling of their repulsiveness (link to screen capture):

  • I see that her intelligence matches her looks.
     
    Do you think this commenter regards her as ugly because of her race?
     
  • And you know why these “Food Deserts” exist? Because of the high crime, shrinkage’ (shoplifting) and fraudulent, frivolous lawsuits brought against them in these ‘inner-city’ ghettos. Large supermarket chains aren’t willing to take the risks involved with opening a store in these ghettos. And, who can blame them?
     
    Once again, the ‘Sub-Primes’ bring their ‘hardship’ and ‘struggle’ upon themselves.
     
    See? All of those poor people are thieves. And “Sub-Prime” is a reference to sub-primate in racist circles.
     
  • Maybe we can get “meals on wheels” for the food stamp people so they can sit on their a– or run the streets all day selling drugs. Some schools service 3 MEALS a day already. Get off you a–, the walk to the store would do you good. My nearest store is 1 mile away but I have paid for my car myself.
     
    See? All of those poor people are also drug addicts.
     
  • She is one dumb skank.
     
    That one just speaks for itself.
     
  • Its all about evolution , If a person , group , or neighborhood , is so dumb as to demand fastfood over good food then I am all for natural selection removing these people from my planet ,. They are cluttering up the joint anyway.
     
    We certainly don’t want any of “those poeple” on “my planet.” Let them all die.

Fox Nation has stopped posting any comment I contribute. Despite the fact that I never use foul language or uncivil rhetoric. And despite the fact that their logo says “All Opinions Welcome.” Yet the disgusting comments above are permitted to be posted and receive praise from their racist brethren who populate the site. And that tells you more about this crowd than anything else I could add.

[Just Added:] I went back to Fox Nation to read some additional comments and found this gem:

  • Synonyms:
    Barack Obama = Bl ack President = Commander in Cheat = Liar
    Michelle Obama = First Lady = Fannie Mae = Blackie-O

And Fox Nation finds this acceptable discourse.

Fox Nation’s Backup Plan: Election Fraud Lies

Posted by on October 27, 2010 at 12:48 pm. 5 Comments :

With less than a week to go before the midterm elections, Fox Nation is split between wanting to crow about the glory of their anticipated victories and needing to have ready excuses should that victory fail to materialize.


So here is how the Fox Nationalists decided to address this dilemma. They start with an unambiguous headline that boasts of the upcoming “Midterm Blowout: Dems Headed for Massive Losses.” Then they temper that prediction with the following headlines:

  • Voting Shenanigans Rampant
  • Angle Camp: ‘Reid Intends to Steal This Election’
  • SEIU in Charge of Voting Machines

That should cover it. First announce that Democrats will be on the receiving end of a blowout that will devastate their party. The purpose of this is to excite the Republican base and promote turnout. At the same time it portrays the Democrats as weak and bound for failure. This a theme the GOP wants to focus on because of the general reluctance of voters to get behind a loser. And Fox is all too happy to peddle the GOP’s theme.

But just in case there is an unexpected upset and Democrats retain control of congress, the Fox Nationalists are lining up excuses they can raise to account for their electoral disappointment. And all of those excuses center around trumped up charges of election fraud. Even without ACORN to kick around, the right-wing media is already fabricating a scenario wherein Democrats steal the election via manipulation and illegality.

The only problem with their accusations is that there is no evidence of any of it. They are transparently attempting to plant these allegations in the public mind in case they need to assert them after November 2. If the Democrats hold their position, look for the the right and their media proxy, Fox News, to blast these fallacies day and night for as long as anyone will listen. If the Republicans assume congressional control, don’t expect to ever hear of these allegations again (or until the next election).

Fox is engaging in a sort of preemptive strike in order to hit the ground running should they be disappointed with the will of the voters next week. It’s a strategy for which they have lambasted Democrats when voting results went the other way. They called Democrats sore losers and ridiculed them for making similar charges (recall Sore/Loserman?).

Now Fox and the GOP are all too happy to embrace the strategy and, in an unprecedented display of preparation, they are implementing it in advance of any need. They may have just earned a new Boy Scout patch.

Juan Williams Postscript: Fox News Keeps Fear Alive

Posted by on October 26, 2010 at 12:41 pm. 15 Comments :

A number of interesting developments have transpired since Juan Williams blurted out his repugnant feelings on the O’Reilly Factor.

First, Williams was rewarded for his bigotry by Fox News who signed him to a new $2 million contract. That is, in effect, an affirmation of intolerance and a continuation of Fox’s familiar brand of bigotry. Keep hate alive, Fox.

Second, the conversation has completely switched to NPR’s decision to fire Williams, from the more relevant discussion of his prejudice and anxiety at the sight of peaceful Muslims in an airport. The conduct of NPR’s Human Resources department is far less important than the open hostility expressed by Williams. Of course, Fox would rather talk about a fake controversy than actual hate speech.

And third, Mara Liasson continues to appear on Fox News, even as they bash her primary employer (NPR) and seek to destroy it by advocating its defunding. How can Liasson appear on Fox News while they are actively trying to harm NPR? It’s kind of like Pau Gasol switching jerseys and playing for the Celtics when the Lakers have him on the bench. How can NPR permit Liasson to appear on a network that has initiated a campaign to smear them and to take them off the air?

Conversely, do you think that Fox would continue to employ Liasson if she went on NPR and told people that Fox is not a news network (which would be the truth) and that they should not watch Fox or patronize its advertisers? Roger Ailes would fire her before she finished the sentence. If Liasson had any loyalty or integrity she would voluntarily cease to work for Fox until they repudiated the smear campaign against NPR. Either that or quit NPR and stop pretending that she is a neutral, unbiased reporter.

From Media Matters: FOX Keeps Fear Alive. Restore Sanity, Drop FOX.

Each day, Fox News “keeps fear alive” with a steady stream of false and misleading attacks on President Obama, progressive members of Congress, and policy initiatives such as reforming health care, fixing the economy, and fighting global warming. Fox News is not a news organization, it is a right-wing political operation.

And that is why you should join the fight to “restore sanity.” Click the link above to sign the petition to hold Fox News accountable.

Eight False Things The Public “Knows” That Just Aint So

Posted by on October 26, 2010 at 12:54 am. 16 Comments :

OurFuture.org has put together a list that should be in every American’s mailbox before election day. It’s a perfect manifestation of Mark Twain’s admonition that, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” So here is a short list of some things the GOTea Party “knows” for sure:

1) President Obama tripled the deficit.
Reality: Bush’s last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama’s first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.

2) President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.
Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the “stimulus” was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.

3) President Obama bailed out the banks.
Reality: While many people conflate the “stimulus” with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be “non-reviewable by any court or any agency.”) The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

4) The stimulus didn’t work.
Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.

5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.
Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

6) Health care reform costs $1 trillion.
Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.

7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is “going broke,” people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.
Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.

8‌) Government spending takes money out of the economy.
Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on “welfare” and “foreign aid” when that is only a small part of the government’s budget.

The fact that there are so many people who believe things that are demonstrably untrue is a sad reflection on the media that ought to be informing the public. And worse, it’s evidence of how the corporations that control the press so blatantly misrepresent the truth. That’s why it’s so important for the rest of us to pass along the information above.

If Fox News Can Breed Their Own Democrats…

Posted by on October 25, 2010 at 12:22 pm. 2 Comments :

Watching Fox News, you sometimes have to wonder where they get the idea that they can call their guests “Democrats.” It appears that they go to great lengths to find the most objectionable opponents of the Democratic Party and slap them in front of a camera with “D” next to their name. For instance:


Doug Schoen: Republicans need to bring back the optimism and inspiration that Ronald Reagan championed so well. If they can take ownership of bringing the country a new sense of hope and possibility they have a bright future ahead.

Mara Liasson: I think this the tea party movement, the big question when it started is will this be a divisive thing for the Republican Party or will it be a source of energy? I think it’s turning out to be a source of energy.

Pat Caddell: The problem is that we have a Potemkin village presidency here. We have facades. The facade of being open government and new politics and then behind it Chicago gangsterism going on.

Kirsten Powers: [Sarah Palin] is the embodiment of what feminism is all about. She’s a working mother, she’s successful, her husband helps with the children. We should be excited about this, even if you don’t support her.

Boy, with friends like that, who needs enemas? This list just scratches the surface. The Fox Democratic lineup has also featured such Democrat bashers as Lanny Davis, Susan Estrich, Harold Ford, Jr., and even Dick Morris. And that’s just their regulars. Fox scours the news wires to find any incident wherein a Democrat is critical of other Democrats. In fact, that’s the fastest way for a Democrat to get invited to appear on Fox.

If Fox News gets to chose who they think represent Democrats, I think I should be able to decide who is a Republican. So I’ve assemble a short list of folks whom I believe best represent the state of the GOP:


Michael Moore: Is there a difference between Democrats and Republicans? Sure. The Republicans just come right out and give the bastards a corner office in the West Wing.

Al Gore: The most disturbing aspect of the Republican political culture is how it puts its unquenchable thirst for power, domination and a radical ideology above facts, reason and the truth.

Lindsey Lohan: Is our country so divided that the Republicans best hope is [Sarah Palin] a narrow minded, media obsessed homophobe?

Benito Mussolini: Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.

That should level the playing field.