Glenn Beck: McCain Would Have Been Worse Than Obama

Posted by on September 21, 2009 at 5:20 pm. 7 Comments :

Katie Couric is premiering a new Internet interview program tomorrow. Her first guest will be Glenn Beck. In a teaser for the episode, Couric asks Beck what he thinks of Hillary Clinton. That set off an interesting exchange:

Beck: How about this? I think John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama. How’s that?

That’s pretty remarkable. Considering that Beck has alleged that Obama is marching the nation to socialism; he asserts that Obama is both a Marxist and a fascist; he connects Obama to all sorts of figures that Beck regards as evil and/or corrupt; he believes emphatically that Obama is intent on destroying every principle on which our country was founded; he insists that, due to this administration, these are the most dangerous and frightening days of his lifetime.

I have to wonder then, how does it get worse than that? What does Beck think McCain might have done that would exceed in horror the destruction of America? Beck’s characterization of McCain as a “weird progressive like Theodore Roosevelt,” doesn’t seem to be enough to validate his fear. After all, Roosevelt served as president for eight years and the country survived and is still here a hundred years later.

I will be interested to see if Beck explains his position further in the Couric interview. Can he possibly present a coherent argument that justifies his bombastic assertion? And if he does, then how on earth can he remain silent about such an existential threat that still occupies a prominent place in the United States government?

Ever since Obama was inaugurated, Beck has been on a televangelistic crusade against some relatively low level administration advisors and non-governmental organizations. But McCain is the ranking member of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, he serves on several other important committees, and he is a frequent guest on television news programs. Yet despite the risk Beck sees in him, Beck has never bothered to alert his audience to the danger. If McCain is truly worse than Obama, shouldn’t Beck do a week-long series exposing him? Shouldn’t McCain be driven from office to protect our nation’s future?

On the surface, I have to agree with Beck (did I just say that?). McCain would indeed have been worse than Obama. But my reasons for that opinion have nothing to do with a paranoid and foreboding sense of doom, nor even a belief that McCain would have reduced America to rubble. This outburst is just further evidence that Beck is suffering from a dementia that may be deeper than modern psychology can address.

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CNN’s Rick Sanchez To Fox News: You Lie!

Posted by on September 18, 2009 at 3:48 pm. 11 Comments :

An advertisement for Fox News appeared in today’s Washington Post. The headline for the ad said:

“How did ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN miss this story?”

The premise that Fox News is posing is that these other networks neglected to cover the Fox-sponsored Tea Bagging in Washington, DC. The truth is that they all covered the event, despite how little news value it contained. They all had correspondents at the scene and they filed updates at least hourly.

It is remarkable how Fox gets away with these attacks on their competitors who generally do nothing in response or in their defense. Last April I published an extended essay on the failure of the broader media community to stand up for itself. I included documentation of Fox’s repeated insults that were met only with silence. And I made the case for why it is imperative to speak up when your detractors are falsely disparaging you. Well, today, Rick Sanchez of CNN spoke up.

In this rare defense, Sanchez made some withering rebuttals. For instance, one of the photos in the Fox ad was actually of coverage provided by CNN. Let that sink in. In the very ad in which Fox was lambasting CNN for neglecting to cover the event was a photo of CNN covering the event. Furthermore, Fox’s own Bill O’Reilly referenced CNN’s coverage on his program. Sanchez also played multiple clips of their coverage of the event throughout the day.

In summing up his deconstruction of Fox’s dishonesty, Sanchez noted that Fox’s claim of covering the event was less than accurate. In fact, he notes, they were promoting it. That is something that was proven unequivocally by viewing the reports from Fox’s Griff Jenkins, who actually rode along with the Tea Party Express bus. And in closing, Sanchez pulled no punches by adopting Joe Wilson’s trademark exclamation which he directed at Fox News: You Lie!

This is not the first time that Sanchez has called out Fox for lying. Back in June of this year Bill O’Reilly asserted that no network other than Fox reported on the shooting of Pvt. William Long. On that occasion O’Reilly had to issue a correction, but typically, he lied while correcting himself.

Fox News has long had a reputation for shoddy journalism. Surveys show that their viewers are decidedly less informed than consumers of other media outlets. Studies have proven that it is Fox News that has failed to cover important and newsworthy events. For instance, they broadcast fewer reports on the Iraq war than any of their cable news colleagues. So it is the height of cynicism for them to publish ads that criticize their competitors and aggrandize themselves. In fact is beyond cynicism. It is deliberately false and an insult to news consumers everywhere.

In other words, it’s Fox News.

[Update:] The networks are issuing their responses. ABC, NBC and CBS have all criticized Fox for their demonstrably false advertisement. Fox is defending their ad saying:

“Generally speaking, it’s fair to say that from the tea party movement … to Acorn … to the march on 9/12, the networks either ignored the story, marginalized it or misrepresented the significance of it altogether,” said Michael Tammero, vice president of marketing for Fox News.”

It seems, though, that Fox is defending an ad they didn’t run. This ad has nothing to do with ACORN or any event other than the 9/12 rally. The Tea Bagging was a Fox-sponsored program from the start, and other news enterprises have no obligation to help to promote Fox’s programming.

Also, the Washington Post is defending their having printed the ad:

“The Post will not reject an advertisement based on its content or sponsor, unless the ad is illegal, false, advocates illegal actions, or is not in keeping with standards of taste. When we do not see anything in a particular ad that is contrary to these standards, we will not place limits on speech or content. That was our review and judgment in this case.”

They further claimed that the ad wasn’t false because Fox News was merely “expressing its opinion.” Of course, an opinion can also be (and in this case was) false, so that’s a pretty lame defense. An objective and independent observer would have to conclude that this ad violated the standards of the Post.

And CNN fires back:


The Pimp Show: Exclusively On Fox News

Posted by on September 17, 2009 at 2:59 pm. 4 Comments :

It should surprise no one that Fox News is hammering the ACORN affair with characteristic rightist zeal. They have featured the story across their media platforms on TV, radio, print, and the Internet, almost to the exclusion of all other news. Watching Fox would leave one with the impression that ACORN and a police car chase were the only stories available to tell. Fox News’ hooker and pimp show, starring Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe, has virtually taken over the schedule.

But the so-called “fair and balanced” network is demonstrating how inapt their slogan is and how transparently they manipulate what they call news.

ACORN’s CEO, Bertha Lewis, has been making the media rounds the past couple of days to rebut the charges against the organization. While taking responsibility for their shortcomings, she has announced that they will be conducting an independent review to uncover any and all misbehavior and will let the chips fall where they may. In addition, she has aggressively defended ACORN’s mission to increase voter registration and their work on behalf of low income citizens who are seeking assistance with housing.

Lewis’ appearances have raised important questions about the attacks on ACORN. For instance, the raw, unedited tapes are still being withheld from independent reviewers. This brings into question whether they were altered to intentionally create a false impression. Also, O’Keefe has steadfastly refused to turn over the tapes from dozens of their stings where they were thrown out of the ACORN office. This is deliberate deception intended to disguise the fact that, by far, the majority of ACORN employees are honest and moral.

These questions remain unanswered despite Lewis’ having raised them during interviews with journalists across the dial. She has submitted to multiple inquiries from the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Ed Schultz, Rick Sanchez, and others, on all of the cable news networks without regard to ideology. By contrast, O’Keefe and Giles have refused all interviews except for those on Fox News. They have already appeared on Hannity, Beck, Fox & Friends, and America’s News HQ. All Fox programs. The other news networks have standing requests for them to appear but, so far, none have been accepted. What do you think they are afraid of? They clearly have time available for the media, so long as it’s the friendly variety that will embrace them in a protective cocoon.

Obviously O’Keefe and Giles are either afraid, unprepared, or they are not being permitted to stray from the santcuary of Fox by their handlers. They refer to themselves as journalists, and O’Keefe went further describing himself as “the future of journalism” and told the New Jersey Star-Ledger that:

“The tone of my videos is unique. I’m not just reporting on something, I’m becoming something I’m reporting on.”

So he’s becoming a pimp? That would explain his association with Fox News. But if O’Keefe and Giles are unwilling to have their work be reviewed for accuracy, and they can’t defend themselves in independent forums, then how can they pretend that they are journalists? How can anything they report be regarded as credible?

How are they different than Borat?


The Inspiration For Glenn Beck’s Racist Extremism

Posted by on September 17, 2009 at 1:55 am. 4 Comments :

Salon has published an article that explains a lot about how Glenn Beck came to his repulsive ideology of hatred, conspiracy, and rage. It focuses on the author of a book that Beck has described as having changed his life. “The 5,000 Year Leap” has become an integral part of Beck’s sermonizing. He has literally adopted it as a sacred text, even pleading with his disciples to read it:

“I beg you to read this book filled with words of wisdom which I can only describe as divinely inspired.”

Alexander Zaitchik’s article in Salon tells us something about the author, W. Cleon Skousen. And while it may not be the word of God, it is a revelation. Skousen was a man who was so far out on the fringe that the most committed right-wingers of his day would have nothing to do with him, a status Beck is beginning to share. Also like Beck, Skousen was a Mormon who was rabidly anti-communist and imagined conspiracies that mirror the delusions articulated today by Beck – including the ludicrous allegations that the Rockefellers were part of a vast communist plot.

Zaitchik’s article is long and filled with surprising details that close the circle on what makes Beck tick. A highly recommended read.


Fox Nation News Priorities: An ACORN Obsession

Posted by on September 16, 2009 at 12:58 pm. 5 Comments :

Our nation is facing some formidable problems in these turbulent days. We have an economy that is struggling to recover from the worst meltdown in decades. We are engaged in two wars and at least two other diplomatic crises that threaten to escalate. Our environment is being assaulted by toxins and the industrial enterprises who produce them. And there is hatred aimed at Americans from foreign terrorists as well as domestic Tea Baggers and rightist demagogues.

So what does Fox News, via its flagship propaganda site, The Fox Nation, consider to be the most pressing issue of the day? ACORN, of course. This morning Fox Nation is featuring sixteen separate stories on the ACORN controversy:

  • New Undercover Video! Beck and O’Reilly Break Down the ACORN Scandal
  • Voting for More ACORN Funding?! Fox News Confronts Sen. Burris
  • Gibson Too Busy ‘Sailing in Maine’ to Cover ACORN and Tea Parties
  • ACORN On Sting: We Were Just “Messing With Them”
  • Police Pay Visit To Woman In ACORN Video
  • Stewart Skewers ACORN, Blasts Media for Getting Scooped
  • Video: CBS Evening News Finally Covers ACORN Scandal
  • NYT: Conservatives Draw Blood From ACORN, Favored Foe
  • The ACORN Seven
  • ACORN Confronts More Pressure Over Videos
  • Former Leftist Activist, Turned FBI Informant, Exposes ACORN
  • ACORN Founder Wanted Terrorist Attack On RNC To Succeed
  • Video: Explosive Undercover ACORN Video!
  • Three Strikes And You’re Out, ACORN!
  • ACORN Story Grows But Mainstream Media Refuse to Cover It
  • Senator Calls for ‘Immediate and Thorough’ Investigation of ACORN

Whatever one thinks of the ACORN affair, it is still difficult to assign this absurd level of significance to what is essentially a story about a few less than reputable characters in an organization that has 400,000 members. On the surface (and there is still some speculation that the videos were doctored), the behavior of the ACORN representatives is indefensible. But it is still a tiny fraction of the employees and volunteers working for ACORN, and no laws were broken, except perhaps by the filmmakers. No loans were applied for or received. Video of the ACORN reps who refused to participate in the phony scam have been suppressed. And there is no evidence that senior ACORN managers would not have been appalled and taken action against the offending staffers had the matter advanced to their offices. In fact, ACORN has a history of uncovering malfeasance in its ranks and alerting authorities themselves.

Nevertheless, the Fox Nationalists saw fit to devote sixteen stories to the ACORN matter. That is far more than any other issue represented on the Fox Nation home page. Coming in second was health care. Some people may think that the health care debate that has been prominent nationally for the past couple of months would have rated higher as a matter of concern. The unprecedented vitriol and dishonesty that has been promulgated by town howlers and their enablers at Fox News has dominated coverage in most other news venues. But Fox Nation only published five stories related to the issue today. And all five of them were thoroughly lacking in substance. All five were about polling or other political considerations, not how the legislation would effect the lives and welfare of Americans:

  • Health Care Bounce Over: Support Back to Pre-Speech Levels
  • Just 12% Believe Most Opponents of Obama Health Care Plan Are Racist
  • Snowe Falls: Now Senate Dems Have No GOP Health Care Support
  • Liberal Reps Angry That Obama Doesn’t Want Health Care For Illegals!
  • 45% Of Docs Would Consider Quitting If ObamaCare Passes

The first two stories reference polls by the notoriously right-leaning Rasmsussen Reports. Stories 3 and 4 report on negative responses to reform. The last story was particularly egregious. It links to an article in the right-wing Investors Business Daily that itemizes the results of their “poll” that they say contradicts the claims that the medical profession supports reform. However, their poll would not be regarded as credible by any legitimate survey enterprise. Here is how IBD describes their methodology:

“The IBD/TIPP Poll was conducted by mail the past two weeks, with 1,376 practicing physicians chosen randomly throughout the country taking part. Responses are still coming in…”

This is no better than any of the self-selecting online polls that employ no criteria whatsoever for respondents. You know, the ones with the disclaimer that they are not scientific. IBD posts no such disclaimer. The responses are only from doctors who chose to return the mailed questionnaires. There is no indication of how many of the questionnaires were actually returned. Theoretically, this could be a poll of 10 or 12 people who may not even be doctors. IBD’s admission that “responses are still coming in” indicates that they didn’t even bother to wait sufficient time for the questionnaires to be received and included in their already suspect results.

The fact that Fox Nation is focusing so intently on ACORN speaks to their goal of promoting a dramatic controversy as a diversionary tactic to keep people from learning more about substantive issues like health care. Fox has long utilized this sort of misdirection to assure that their viewers remain ill/misinformed. From the perspective of Fox News, it is far more important to spotlight tangential matters like ACORN, and use them to attack Democrats and the administration, who have nothing to do with them in the first place.

This is how Fox News endeavors to keep their viewers ignorant and, at the same time, incite them into a panicky rage. It is how they foment the fear of czars and socialism and tyranny, despite the absence of any such threats. It is how a mob is built from a community of dupes. And it is both cynical and dangerous, but Fox undoubtedly doesn’t care.


WTG: Obama Stiffs Fox News

Posted by on September 14, 2009 at 8:59 pm. 10 Comments :

The Washington Post is reporting that President Obama will appear on five of the Sunday news programs this weekend. Apparently this is a notable achievement immortalized by William Ginsburg, attorney for Monica Lewinsky in 1998. It has since become known as “the Full Ginsburg.”

The difference in this instance is that Ginsburg appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox. But Obama has ditched Fox and replaced it with Univision.

Obama has gone off the reservation in the past, consenting to interviews with Chris Wallace, Bill O’Reilly, and others. It isn’t to late for him to squeeze in Fox if he wants to. That would be unfortunate. This administration has already caved in to right wing pressure on too many important matters – from health care to Van Jones. This would be a good time to demonstrate that the network that is so openly hostile to the President and his agenda, the network that employs a man who has called the President a racist, does not deserve to be graced with his presence.

It would be best if no one from the Democratic or progressive communities ever appeared on Fox News. As I have written in Starve the Beast, Fox News is focused on doing as much harm as possible to Democrats. They will exploit every opportunity to make them look bad and to disparage their political goals. Fox News spends 24 hours of every day debasing the debate on vital issues and promoting incivility and even hostility. It is not a serious venue – it is a circus.

There is simply no justification for rewarding Fox with a presidential booking – or any booking at all. Obama is doing the right thing by turning his back on Fox. Let’s just hope he doesn’t change his mind.

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Glenn Beck Boycott Costs Fox News Big Bucks

Posted by on September 14, 2009 at 5:53 pm. 7 Comments :

The advertiser boycott against Glenn Beck has grown beyond the expectations of many, including me. Currently there are 62 major advertisers who have indicated that they do not want their brands associated with the hatred and hostility for which Beck is known. Color of Change, the group spearheading the action, is continuing to apply pressure and they are also asking supporters to thank the advertisers who have bailed on Beck.

Fox News has desperately tried to minimize the impact of the boycott by saying that, despite the exodus of advertisers, they haven’t lost any money because ads were just shifted to other programs. I never bought that argument because advertisers shifting to other programs would only displace the ads those programs already had. There is only so much inventory in TV. Therefore, at best it would neutral, assuming that Beck brought in replacement ads. But he didn’t, except for low-paying direct marketers and locals. That can’t possibly raise the same revenue as Geico and Procter & Gamble.

Now, a prominent industry analyst has compiled data that confirms the fact that Fox is losing revenue due to the boycott:

“According to the data collected, the amount of money spent by national advertisers on Beck’s program per week was at its highest at approximately $1,060,000, for the week ending August 2, 2009. ColorOfChange.org launched their campaign at the end of that week and since then, 62 advertisers have distanced themselves from Beck. Data collected for the week ending September 6, 2009 shows Beck’s estimated ad revenue at $492,000, equal to a loss of $568,000.”

Fox publicists can dissemble all they like, but a rational examination of the facts can only lead to the conclusion that Beck is a bed sore on the butt of Fox News. With his ratings increasing, Fox is incapable of converting them into dollars. At some point Fox will have to decide whether covering for Beck is worth it. Eventually the taint will rub off on the network (more so than presently). Do they want to be regarded as so committed to promoting Beck’s beastly behavior that they will do so no matter how much money they lose? The likely result of that will be that advertisers will pull back from all Fox News programming.


The 9/12 Rally Fox News Did Not Broadcast

Posted by on September 14, 2009 at 3:06 pm. 9 Comments :

Journalist Max Blumenthal attended Glenn Beck’s 9/12 Million (Minus 930,000) Paranoid Malcontents March on Saturday and documented a far more realistic representation of the Tea Baggers confederation than anything you would have seen on Fox News. Enjoy:

Speaks for itself. My favorite part was the English-only advocate who had a bit of a problem with English himself. Overall, Blumenthal produced an outstanding depiction of the hypocrisy and ignorance on display by the Beck Brigades. And despite boasting that the event would draw a million people, it couldn’t produce even five percent of that.

I attended a rally in Los Angeles that drew a pathetic 300-400 Fox Pods. They had the usual array of crayon-drawn signs with insulting and childish slogans, i.e. “Ted’s Dead – So is Obama Care” and “Just Say NO to Lucifer Obama.” Then there was the enterprising tea bagger with the giant poster of the President in African witch doctor attire. That was typical of the crowd that spanned the racial spectrum from Pasty Trailer Parker to Alabaster Aryan.

There were less than a handful of minority protesters in attendance. Yet when a counter-protester showed up asserting that the event was racist, one of the organizers complained that he was offending the African Americans in the crowd (all four of them). But the same organizer didn’t seen to think that the witch doctor poster would be the least bit offensive to anyone.

The speakers were a parade of nobodies spouting memorized talking points. Each was announced with a flowery introduction touting their talent and notoriety. That was followed by blank stares, furrowed brows, and whispering to neighbors in a vain attempt to recognize the honored guest.

This was the best they could do. And this was not some charming little agricultural village in the plains states. This was the megalopolis of Los Angeles with a population of more than eight million. This was the entertainment capital of the world, but not one celebrity of note. And there were no local politicians either. I counted four buses with a capacity of 100 passengers. That means that it’s possible that the entire crowd was bused in, rather than being a spontaneous aggregation of locals.

That’s a grassroots movement as done by Fox-driven, Beck-ified, commie-fearing wingnuts.


David Frum: GOP Surrenders To Beck’s Mob Rule

Posted by on September 11, 2009 at 10:15 am. 14 Comments :

In a column that portends a possible recovery by Republicans from their lunatic stupor, David Frum, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and erstwhile conservative icon, has composed a defense of sanity over the “recklessness and political cowardice” represented by the Glenn Becks of the world. Frum’s commentary is supportive of the Cass Sunstein nomination (confirmed yesterday by the Senate) that has drawn attacks from Beck despite being hailed by respected conservatives and free-market economists. Here are a couple of excerpts:

“Glenn Beck is not the first to make a pleasant living for himself by reckless defamation. We have seen his kind before in American journalism and American politics, and the good news is that their careers never last long. But the bad news is that while their careers do last, such people do terrible damage.”

~~~

“We conservatives are submitting our movement to some of the most unscrupulous people in American life. This submission disgraces conservatism, discredits Republicans, and damages the country. It’s beyond time for conservatives who know better to join us at NewMajority in emancipating ourselves from leadership by the most stupid, the most cynical, and the most truthless.”

Well said, David. But on this morning, when much of the conservative rabble is applauding the childish antics of Rep. Joe Wilson (who heckled President Obama’s speech on Wednesday), it may be tougher than you think to wean these wankers off of their adulation of clowns like Beck, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Joe the Plumber. But good luck to you.


Prostitution And Criminality Rampant At Fox News

Posted by on September 11, 2009 at 4:10 am. 14 Comments :

The big story on Fox News yesterday was the undercover video of ACORN employees improperly advising a couple of conservative activists, posing as a pimp and a prostitute, on how to deceive the IRS and acquire funds to operate their illegal business. The video was featured throughout the day on just about every program on the Fox network.

It was a pretty revolting spectacle. The ACORN workers were utterly unethical and outside any standard of decency. This is the sort of behavior that ought to get someone fired. And that’s exactly what ACORN did. Both of the women who appeared in the video were terminated the same day as it was exposed. But that didn’t stop Fox News from exploiting and sensationalizing the story.

So far anyone has been able to determine (including Fox) the events depicted in the video were limited to the two people caught up in the sting. Of course, everyone from Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity implied that the the video documented what they alleged was the rampant corruption of the entire ACORN organization. The facts, however, reveal just the opposite. One fact that Fox News neglected to report (so that their audience could decide) was that the sting operation attempted to snare at least three other ACORN offices but came up empty. The phony journalists (James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles) who sought to entrap ACORN just kept running the scam until they got a bite. Nothing wrong with that, really. The problem is that they didn’t report that most of their targets proved to be honest and uncorruptable. They deliberately left the false impression that all of ACORN was a sewer of sleazeballs.

It should be noted that O’Keefe and Giles are not journalists, but conservative activists. O’Keefe has plotted scams aimed at Planned Parenthood, and Giles is a Yaffie (a member of the uber-rightist Young Americas Foundation). Also, despite the pathetic behavior of the two women in the video, no actual crime took place. There is no reason to assume that more senior ACORN officials would not have been appalled by this and turned in these women themselves if the episode had progressed up the chain of authority. Indeed, that has been the norm within ACORN.

It is standard procedure at Fox to misrepresent news events, that is, when they aren’t inventing them entirely. Just yesterday, Fox News ran another ACORN story under an intentionally misleading headline that read “ACORN INSULT.” So did the Fox Nation, whose version of the same story said “Arrest Warrants Issued for 11 ACORN Workers.” But what actually happened was that ACORN had discovered evidence of fraud and reported it to the state attorney’s office. So while Fox portrayed ACORN as crooked, it was ACORN who turned in their own people and were praised by law enforcement for their diligence.

When Fox News goes out if its way to create scandals based on intellectually dishonest conclusions that everyone in an enterprise is guilty if anyone in it commits a crime, they are leaving themselves wide open. Following the Fox model of culpability it would be easy to declare Fox News guilty of numerous abhorrent crimes.

Earlier this year, Fox News producer Aaron Bruns was arrested for trafficking in child pornography. Another Fox Newser, Don Broderick, committed hit-and-run on a bicyclist. Fox News contributor Dick Morris was famously caught with a hooker, whom he let listen in on phone calls with the White House. And Bill O’Reilly himself was the subject of a sexual harassment case that he settled privately for millions of dollars.

With evidence like this it is pretty clear that Fox News is a venal criminal enterprise, steeped in the most repulsive sorts of violence and sexual assaults. That is, if we use the Fox criteria for establishing guilt. And while ACORN fired their offending employees, three of the four Fox felons above still report there for work.

This is all reminiscent of another case where Beck accused ACORN of having a criminal culture because a few employees were found to have filled out forms improperly. Beck analogized that no one would ever eat at Burger King if it were found that BK employees were as criminally prone as he alleged ACORN’s were. Unfortunately for Beck, it was easy to show that Burger King employees were indeed a rather lawless bunch that made ACORN look like a Sunday school.

Therein lies the fallacy of this variety of guilt by association. Burger King, ACORN, and even Fox News, have thousands of employees. And since they are, for the most part, human, some of them will behave poorly. That does not mean that the rest of the enterprise is similarly prone to misbehavior. Unless, of course, you’re Fox News and it is your intention to slander your political enemies. Fox News, and the whole of the Rupert Murdoch empire, is by design a vicious smear machine and ought not to be taken seriously by anyone interested in the truth.