Where’s The Outrage? Trump Maligns Soldiers With PTSD As Weak ‘People [Who] Can’t Handle It’

Posted by on October 3, 2016 at 12:31 pm. 1 Comments :

As if the nation needed another reason to be nauseated by Donald Trump’s ignorance, intolerance, and insensitivity. This morning Trump spoke before a meeting of the Retired American Warriors PAC, a right-wing superPAC created less than two months ago by Trump supporters. Trump delivered some prepared remarks via the TelePrompter he once said was disqualifying, then took some questions from the decidedly friendly audience.

Soldier

One of the questions addressed the problems associated with veteran suicides and mental health issues like PTSD. The gentleman asking the question framed it as an advocacy of faith-based solutions. Trump ignored that and went straight to a tone-deaf and insulting response:

“When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over and you’re strong and you can handle it but a lot of people can’t handle it.”

Well, that’s revealing. Apparently Trump believes that veterans suffering from PTSD are too weak to handle the horrific aftermath of their wartime service. In his view soldiers who performed courageously, but who were traumatized by what they experienced aren’t strong enough to handle it.

That is the sort of callous commentary that could only come from someone who evaded military service with four deferments and a medical disqualification. You have to wonder how veterans with PTSD will feel when they hear a candidate for president saying this. It certainly won’t promote their recovery and wellness to know that they are thought of as weak.

In other remarks at the event Trump blatantly dodged a question about what his plan for defeating terrorism would be. He also insulted the whole of the military by characterizing it as “depleted.” This is a theme he has made a staple of his campaign that also regards America as less than great. It’s a theme that includes an aversion to soldiers who were captured (i.e. John McCain). Candidate Trump has belittled American military leaders by claiming that he knows more about ISIS than they do. And he held a phony telethon to raise funds for vets, but ended up stiffing them.

It’s unfathomable that, after all of that, anyone in the military could support Trump for president. His ignorance of, and disdain for, the nation’s armed services ought to be of concern to all veterans and active duty soldiers. What’s more, his utter failure as a businessman should worry anyone who thinks that he might have solutions to problems in the military infrastructure or world affairs.

This new display of contempt is only the latest evidence of his unfitness to serve as president and commander-in-chief. It will be interesting to see if the media bothers to report it and put his candidacy in the proper context.

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

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SNL’s Trump Mockery Causes Fox News Clowns To Freakout: ‘Should Comedy Shows Take On Politics’?

Posted by on October 2, 2016 at 5:53 pm. 2 Comments :

There has been a meme circulating around the InterTubes for some time saying that “I get my news from Comedy Central and my comedy from Fox News.” It’s a concise way of articulating the reality that programs like The Daily Show are far more reliable sources for information than Bill O’Reilly or Fox & Friends. Expanding on that theme, Fox & Friends did a segment this weekend that asked perhaps the dumbest question of the year: Should comedy shows take on politics?

Fox News

Are they Kidding? Politics has been a staple of comedy for centuries. The desire to mock our governments and leaders is pretty much an element of being human. But from Fox’s point of view it’s easy to understand their comic anxiety. First of all, they are terrible at it. Second of all, they are thin-skinned whiny babies who can’t take a joke. The F&F segment was a preemptive strike against last night’s Saturday Night Live season debut featuring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump.

[What follows is a reprise of an article first published last year]
But something that seems to have been developing without much notice is that Fox News is actively reshaping their programming to be more like an actual comedy network. Alone among cable news broadcasters, Fox News is airing actual comedy shows. Already on the schedule is their late night entry Red Eye. Earlier this year they premiered The Greg Gutfeld Show, spinning off the former Red Eye host. And they just recently introduced a new show starring Bill O’Reilly stalker/producer and Fox Nation editor, Jesse Watters, that will expand on his Watters’ World segments from The O’Reilly Factor. [See this epic smackdown of Watters by Steven Colbert]

Setting aside the fact that there is scarce evidence of actual humor in any of these programs, what is interesting is that Fox News is investing so much of their airtime in a form of entertainment that literally makes a mockery of their pretense to being journalists. And considering their epic failure in this genre back in 2007, the execrable “Half-Hour News Hour,” they have some measure of courage to attempt it again. For a network that whines so often about not being taken seriously as reporters, this trend will do little to enhance their already tattered reputation.

Making matters worse is the fact that Fox News has been so fiercely derisive of comedy programs that deign to direct their barbs at news subjects. Over many years there has been a constant drumbeat of outrage from Fox aimed at comedians whom they regard as unqualified to have worthwhile opinions on the news or the talent to find humor in it.

And no one has taken more abuse from Fox than Jon Stewart. Sean Hannity called him “a sanctimonious jackass.” Megyn Kelly said that “He was not a force for good.” Bill O’Reilly labeled him “a key component of left-wing television.” O’Reilly also went after Stewart’s audience saying that he has “stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night.” And this anti-Stewart doctrine comes straight from the top. Fox News CEO Roger Ailes publicly scolded Stewart saying that “He hates conservatives. He’s crazy.”

Fox News generally demeans anyone in the entertainment field who speaks out about politics, unless it’s Ted Nugent or Dennis Miller, but then it’s a stretch describing them as entertaining. If George Clooney or Sarah Silverman exercise their rights as citizens, Fox News considers it an abomination and unleashes a rancid stream of unreserved hostility. Fox contributor Laura Ingraham even wrote a book titled “Shut Up and Sing,” to advocate for silencing show biz folk who want to participate in American democracy.

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

So after disparaging entertainers, and especially comedians, for engaging in the centuries old art of satire, it is rather odd to find Fox News devoting a significant amount of time and money to doing what they hate so many others for doing. But while it is common for comedians to take on political topics, it is unheard of for news networks to commit whole programs to comedy. Certainly a news network can interview a comic or report on a humorous news story, but Fox has just launched their third comedy show. And they still want people to take them seriously as journalists? Well, that ship has sailed. If anything, Fox could continue to debut new comedy programs until they fill the schedule. Then, at least, people will be laughing at Fox for the right reasons.


Watch A Deranged Trump Fan Video Bomb Fox News Screaming ‘Bill Clinton Is A Rapist’

Posted by on October 1, 2016 at 4:23 pm. 1 Comments :

Live television always holds out the possibility of unanticipated “contributions” to the program. The “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox & Friends found that out this morning during a remote outside the studio.

Fox News

While introducing a fluffy segment on shelter pets, a crazed figure pops up behind the hosts. He then removes his shirt and tie to reveal a t-shirt with a picture of Bill Clinton above the word “Rape.” Repeatedly shouting “Bill Clinton is a rapist,” the intruder attempts to jump over the barriers protecting the set. The hosts giggle and try to remain composed as security drags the protester away. It’s actually pretty funny, however, there is a serious subtext to the event.

First of all, the reckless and unfounded allegations against Bill Clinton are the work of nut job conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones of Infowars. In fact. Jones actually made a public offer to pay $1,000.00 to anyone who successfully got on the air wearing that shirt (which he sells on his website) and shouting that message. Presumably that guy can use the money right about mow – for bail.

More to the point, while this incident was obviously carried out by a certified fruitcake, the exact same message has played out on Fox News by their own anchors and guests. In June of last year Megyn Kelly raised the issue saying that “Bill Clinton was accused of rape. He has been accused by several women of sexually assaulting them.” F&F Anchor Steve Doocy interviewed disreputable rumor monger Ed Klein whose book charges that Bill raped Hillary. Doocy affirmed Klein’s nonsense asserting, without foundation, that his “sources are impeccable.” Frequent Fox guest Ann Coulter gave a speech at CPAC in March of 2013 wherein she ranted that “The keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention this year was forcible rapist Bill Clinton.” Fox contributor Katie Pavlich wrote that “Bill Clinton is probably a Rapist.”

If that isn’t enough, just last May Sean Hannity hosted Donald Trump as they attempted to dismiss his tawdry past. For the record, that includes three marriages and infidelities too numerous to cite. He literally bragged about them. What’s more, Trump himself is currently being sued for the rape of a thirteen year old girl. He was also accused of rape by his ex-wife, Ivana. So of course this conversation ignored all of that and quickly diverted to a comparison to Bill Clinton:

Hannity: In one case it’s about exposure. In another case it’s about groping and fondling and touching against a woman’s will.
Trump: And rape.
Hannity: And rape.

So whatever the state of mind of the wacko who tried to crash Fox’s broadcast there is one thing that is abundantly clear. He has the same political positions as the Fox News regulars. They might as well have let him join the others on the air. Who knows, maybe security took him to see someone in Human Resources and they gave him a job. Stay tuned for the Photobomber News Hour on Fox News.

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


Hysterical Trump-Mocking Mexican Beer Ad Airs On Fox News

Posted by on September 30, 2016 at 12:37 pm. NO Comments :

Viewers of Monday night’s presidential debate were treated to a royal drubbing of historic proportions. Hillary Clinton so thoroughly hammered Donald Trump that the famously teetotaling Republican may have gone out afterward and actually got hammered. At least that would explain his TWI (Tweeting While Incoherent). However, Fox News viewers were also entertained by a commercial that directly addressed a prominent Trump campaign theme.

Tecate Beer/Trump

The ad for Tecate Beer began with a panoramic aerial shot of the southwestern desert representing the U.S./ Mexican border. As it focused in on a long and imposing barrier the narrator said:

“The time has come for a wall. A tremendous wall. The best wall.”

That’s right. This beer ad was stepping into the contentious debate over immigration and Trump’s blockhead solution to a problem he clearly doesn’t understand. But it doesn’t stop there. The narrator continues:

“The Tecate beer wall. A wall that brings us together. This wall may be small, but it’s going to be huge. You’re welcome, America.”

And with that Donald Trump has lost the beer vote. Can the white, non-college educated, working class citizens who have formed his base still support him after this? These are the folks about whom Trump said “I love the poorly educated.” They are the voters that the media is constantly asking “Which candidate would you rather have a beer with?” [Note: that has always been one of the most idiotic questions ever asked. It implies that some souse at the end of the bar who might be good company would make a good president]. Consider also that no one can have a beer with Trump because he doesn’t drink. He claims that he has never even tasted alcohol. That’s just another way in which the elitist, trust fund baby, billionaire Trump cannot relate to ordinary Americans.

This comical ad actually raises a serious issue. It’s one that Trump’s critics have articulated repeatedly. You solve problems by building bridges, not walls. Trump’s racist attacks on Latinos and his shallow grasp of international relations are brilliantly exposed and extinguish in these thirty seconds.

The marketing team for this Mexican brew deserves respect for their creativity and courage. And buying time on Fox News to air it was a stroke of genius. Not because Fox viewers will get it and come to their senses. They won’t. But because it will earn more media attention for trolling the network that created Trump and has served as the PR division of his campaign. Well done.

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


Deplorable Trump Shames Non-Christians At Rally, Asks ‘Should We Keep Them’? (VIDEO)

Posted by on September 29, 2016 at 1:29 pm. 1 Comments :

From the very first day of Donald Trump’s campaign for president he’s used tactics and language that is patently offensive and divisive. The central theme of his “movement” is expressed in his slogan “Make America great again.” There is an explicit suggestion in it that America isn’t currently great. Trump’s solution is to build walls and separate Americans from one another on the basis of race and religion.

Donald Trump

At a rally yesterday in Iowa Trump displayed the ultimate result (final solution?) of a political message that drives people apart. In a portion of his stump speech he sought to brag about the support he gets from evangelical Christians. It’s a curious base of followers considering his transparently phony adoption of faith for political gain. Nevertheless, they have flocked to him in surprising numbers. In recognition of that, Trump called on his conservative Christian disciples to identify themselves by raising their hands. But then he went a horrifying step further:

“Raise your hand if you’re NOT a Christian conservative. I want to see this, right? Oh there’s a couple people. That’s all right. I think we’ll keep them, right? Should we keep them in the room? Yes, I think so.”

Well, isn’t that generous of him? They can stay in the room. But maybe they should be required to wear yellow badges and have their passports stamped with red letters. Making non-Christians identify themselves in a public setting after praising the faithful is disconcerting at best and overtly threatening at worst. Who exactly was he speaking to? The Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Muslims, etc.? He has already proposed prohibiting Muslims from entering the country, and now all non-Christians may be ejected from his rallies. Unless he decides that he needs their votes to ascend to power. Even as a joke (which will probably be his excuse) this is nauseating.

More likely he is speaking to the white, Christian supremacists of the alt-right movement that has embraced his candidacy. The CEO of his campaign, Stephen Bannon, is also the chief executive of Breitbart News, the leading alt-right website. And you can rest assured that those audiences hear Trump’s message loud and clear.

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

The bald-faced bigotry of Trump’s remarks yesterday is consistent with the familiar prejudices that have permeated his campaign. It’s impossible to separate the rabid devotion of racists like David Duke from the Trump movement. His supporters ought to be asking themselves how they can vote for someone who has such a strong appeal among such despicable hate mongers. And if they can still justify putting someone like Trump in the White House, they are proving that Hillary Clinton was right. They are deplorable.

And doesn’t the rally in this video look familiar?


Fox News Is Still Using ‘Nonsense’ Polls Despite Memo Warning Not To

Posted by on September 28, 2016 at 2:53 pm. 3 Comments :

Within hours of the conclusion of the Clinton/Trump debate Donald Trump was touting his “triumph” over Hillary Clinton. Although he would have been bragging even if he had lapsed into Mickey Mouse impressions doing sieg heil salutes.

Fox News Donald Trump

The main problem with Trump’s victory lap is that it was based solely on the result of unscientific online polls. These are polls that invite web users to cast votes, but are not managed to produce a representative sample of the electorate. Anyone who feels like it can cast a vote and, in many cases, as many votes as they want. There are even reports that devoted StormTrumpers organized online armies to game the polls. That’s why they are generally dismissed as being “for entertainment purposes only” and no professional takes them seriously.

Consequently, the pathologically narcissistic Trump believes they are proof of his universal appeal to a nation that ravenously adores him. He posted at least twelve tweets promoting his supremacy in these bogus polls, beginning with this one:

Note: The CNN poll, which he lost bigly, was the only one that adheres to scientific polling standards. The other polls appeared on a variety of websites that use them to engage readers. They include Drudge, Breitbart (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump campaign), Time, Fortune, CNBC, and more. Trump also boasted about his win on the CBS post-debate poll – which was a true achievement since CBS didn’t run a post-debate poll.

Now, among the critics of these silly surveys is Fox News. A leaked memo from Dana Blanton, VP of public opinion research for the network, had a warning for her colleagues. She said that such unscientific online polls “do not meet our editorial standards.” The first question this raises is: Fox News has editorial standards? Blanton wrote that:

“News networks and other organizations go to great effort and rigor to conduct scientific polls — for good reason. They know quick vote items posted on the web are nonsense, not true measures of public opinion.”

Apparently that missive was not sufficient for certain Fox News hosts. After the memo went out Sean Hannity continued to cite online polls as evidence of Trump’s huuuge win over Clinton. It was Hannity that provided Trump with his list of polls that included the non-existent one from CBS. Then this morning the “Curvy Couch” potatoes at Fox & Friends did the same. That earned them a thank you tweet from The Donald:

Additionally, A headline on the Fox News website heralded the phony polling saying that “Online votes declare Trump debate winner, despite media consensus for Clinton.” The article did concede that the online polls were not scientific, but it also implied that they are somehow better than professionally conducted polls. Fox argued that the number of votes cast was an indicator of their value as predictors of public opinion. Never mind that many of those votes are fakes and/or duplicates, or that the sample is self-selected.

On Fox’s Your World with Neil Cavuto, the host did a segment discussing the online polls with an obvious preference for their pro-Trump results. An on-screen graphic read “Snap Polls Suggest Disconnect Between Public And Mainstream Media Over Who Won Debate.” But they only suggest that to people willing to believe that the snap polls have any legitimacy. Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich made the same argument elevating pro-Trump online polls saying that:

“It is worth looking at a list of online polls to understand the gap between the elites and the vast majority of Americans. [… and how] willfully out of touch and dishonest the Intellectual Yet Idiot class is.”

No, it is not useful to look at sham polls. Since they are nonsense, they tell us nothing about alleged gaps between elites and other Americans. However, arguing that they are superior does show how willfully out of touch and dishonest Gingrich, Fox, et al are.

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

There is something else we learn from Fox News continuing to push fake polls even after they are notified of their fakeness. It tells us is that the alleged editorial standards at Fox News are also “for entertainment purposes only.” Blanton’s memo seems to have had no effect on the propagandists bent on promoting Trump. It’s further proof that Fox has fully transformed into the Trump News Network. And nothing is going to interfere with their politically partisan mission.

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The #1 WTF Debate Moment: Trump Has A Sad Cause No One Will Call Sean Hannity (VIDEO)

Posted by on September 27, 2016 at 12:51 pm. 3 Comments :

Last night’s debate was an extravaganza of Donald Trump’s trademark hostility, narcissism, and dishonesty. He denied ever saying that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by China. He reiterated the myth that Hillary Clinton started the Birther conspiracy. He falsely claimed his campaign financial disclosure made releasing his tax returns moot. But one chunk of the face-off stole the show for sheer lunacy and incoherence.

Trump Hannity

In defense of his oft-repeated lie that he opposed the Iraq war from the start, Trump introduced a new alibi courtesy of his friend and official Fox News surrogate, Sean Hannity. But Trump’s latest cover story is not only absurd, it’s a raving rhetorical mess:

“I then spoke to Sean Hannity, which everybody refuses to call Sean Hannity. I had numerous conversations with Sean Hannity at Fox and Sean Hannity said – and he called me the other day and I spoke to him about it. He said ‘You were totally against the war,’ cause he was for the war. And – wait, excuse me – and that was before the war started. Sean Hannity said very strongly – to me and other people – he was willing to say it but nobody wants to call him. I was against the war, he said ‘You used to have fights with me.’ Cause Sean was in favor of the war. And I understand that side also. But not very much cause we should never have been there. But nobody calls Sean Hannity. […] If somebody would call up Sean Hannity, this was before the war started, he and I used to have arguments about the war.”

Good grief! Trump cited Hannity eight times in that delirious paragraph. And he lamented four times that no one calls him. There is, however, a good reason that people don’t call Sean Hannity. They retch at the sound of his voice.

Seriously, what possible reason would there be to call Hannity for clarity on this matter? He is an avowed Trump fluffer who dedicates his program to the candidate. He even appeared in Trump ad endorsing his pal. His own record of veracity is as tainted as Trump’s. There is no way to affirm the contents of a private conversation that allegedly took place fourteen years ago. And it’s more than a little suspicious that Trump never mentioned Hannity for corroboration until last night. Did they coordinate this farce?

What’s more, Trump’s plea to call poor, lonely, Hannity was answered by these guys, and he hung up on them:

It is almost painfully pathetic that Trump has to resort to inventing witnesses to back up a lie that is well documented. But it’s just as bad that Fox News allows a prominent program host to openly campaign for a political candidate and serve as his personal propagandist. Any legitimate news enterprise would rein in their employee or suspend him until after the election. Fortunately for Fox, no one considers them legitimate.

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


Trump Flat Out Lies About His Racist Birther Crusade

Posted by on September 26, 2016 at 10:15 pm. 2 Comments :

Tonight we witnessed the first face-to-face meeting between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Debate watchers might have expected that Trump would unleash a flurry of falsehoods. They were not disappointed. In the next few hours there will be a great deal of fact-checking going on and Trump’s lies will be revealed in detail. But one exchange in particular deserves some immediate attention.

Debate Trump Clinton
href=”https://www.facebook.com/NewsCorpse/posts/1446100235404767″ target=”_blank” title=”Share on Facebook”>

During one segment moderator Lester Holt asked Trump about his obsession with the birthplace of President Obama. He asked:

“Mr. Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation’s first black president was not a natural born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks you acknowledged what most Americans have accepted for years, the president was born in the United States. Can you tell us what took you so long?”

Rather than answer the question, Trump set off on a fantastical diversion. He reiterated the lie that Clinton started the racist Birther conspiracy. Then he went further to claim that Clinton’s campaign manager in 2008 admitted it on CNN last week:

“[H]er campaign manager, Patty Doyle, went to — they were in the campaign, her campaign against President Obama, fought very hard – and you can go look it up and you can check it out – and if you look at CNN this past week, Patty Solis Doyle was on Wolf Blitzer saying that this happened.”

OK. So I did look it up. And guess what I found. Trump was lying through his capped teeth, as usual. From CNN:

“Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign manager rejected Donald Trump’s claim Friday that the campaign was responsible for the ‘birther’ movement.

“‘The campaign, nor Hillary, did not start the birther movement. Period. End of the story,’ Patti Solis Doyle told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.”

Furthermore, Ms. Doyle tweeted the same message the same day:

Trump attempted a similar dodge on the day he announced that he was accepting Obama’s citizenship. He told the assembled reporters that “Hillary Clinton’s campaign first raised this issue to smear then-candidate Barack Obama in her very nasty, failed 2008 campaign for President.” It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. Nor was it true a year ago when he tweeted:

The truth is that this blatant lie was exposed long ago. In September of last year PolitiFact did an extensive investigation and concluded that:

“There is no record that Clinton herself or anyone within her campaign ever advanced the charge that Obama was not born in the United States. A review by our fellow fact-checkers at Factcheck.org reported that no journalist who investigated this ever found a connection to anyone in the Clinton organization.”

Donald Trump can’t help himself. He is a pathological liar (see the Trump Bullshitopedia) who repeats his deliberate falsehoods even after he has been corrected. It’s a pattern that is familiar to anyone watching his campaign. And it didn’t take long for it to emerge in this debate. There were certainly more lies told by Trump in the 90 minutes that he ranted, blustered, and interrupted. And there will be even more in future debates and on the campaign trail. So stayed tuned – if you can stomach it.

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


John Oliver Hysterically Explains Why Trump’s Scandals Are ‘Quantifiably Worse’ Than Clinton’s

Posted by on September 26, 2016 at 4:07 pm. 2 Comments :

While everyone is settling in for the election’s biggest spectacle to date, there’s one thing the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won’t settle. That is the media’s shameful neglect of substantive, contextual reporting on the various alleged scandals of each candidate. The obsessive compulsion to frame everything in terms of an artificial equivalency is worse than an inept attempt at fairness. It’s overtly dishonest.

John Oliver

As evidence of the media’s negligence, the Sunday news talkathons almost completely ignored the bombshell reports of Trump’s Russian connections. It’s just the latest example of the journalistic malpractice that has become so commonplace.

Fortunately, there is an alternative source for news that continues to scoop the mainstreamers. This weekend comedian John Oliver gave a better presentation of the facts surrounding the candidate scandals than any of the so-called “real” news networks. And he did it with both intelligence and humor.

Oliver began by pointing out that the nature of the scandals are not remotely comparable. He rattled off a few of the scandals attributed to Clinton (including one he made up) and then noted something that the media rarely does: Clinton was not found to have committed any wrongdoing in any of them:

“We’ve spent several frustrating weeks trolling through all the innuendo and exaggerations surrounding [Hillary’s] email and foundation scandals, and the worst thing you can say is: They both look bad, but the harder you look, the less you actually find.”

From there Oliver proceeded to the scandal resume of Donald Trump, or as he calls him “America’s wealthiest hemorrhoid.” He spoke about Trump’s hostile relationship with the truth as documented by PolitiFact. The non-partisan fact-checking group has found that Trump’s statements are false 53 percent of the time. That compares to Clinton at a mere thirteen percent. It’s actually much worse than that. In fact, PolitiFact awarded Trump “Lie of the Year“ honors for 2015 for his collective campaign “misstatements.” In short, as Oliver said, whatever you think of Clinton, Trump is “quantifiably worse:”

“The point is, this campaign has been dominated by scandals, but it is dangerous to think there is an equal number on both sides. You can be irritated by some of Hillary’s — that is understandable — but you should then be f*cking outraged by Trump’s. […] He is ethically compromised to an almost unprecedented degree.”

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

Watch the whole hilarious and somewhat frightening video here:


Debate Prep: Big Coward Donald Trump Takes Shelter In The Fox News Cocoon

Posted by on September 25, 2016 at 2:21 pm. 1 Comments :

Tomorrow’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could have a profound impact on the race going forward. Or it could be an entirely irrelevant sideshow that is forgotten by Wednesday. The press has already decided that Clinton has a more difficult task living up to expectations that the press itself creates. While Trump is expected only to remain upright and avoid drooling or blurting out profanities.

Debate Stage

In advance of the big night, Trump continues to hide from challenging questions. This despite, or due to, some potentially ruinous reports of his dealings with Russian oligarchs and illegal use of funds from his “charitable” foundation. As a result, Trump and his handlers are limiting his exposure to the media. This makes the debate one of the few times that he will face questions from anyone other than Fox News in over four weeks.

Since August 25, Trump has given only three interviews with non-Fox outlets. Contrast that with the thirteen interviews he’s given Fox, including several episodes of Hannity where he consumed the entire hour. Media Matters found that the airtime Hannity alone provided Trump since he became a candidate was worth more than $31 million in free publicity. Hannity even appeared in an ad for Trump, which resulted in a gentle reprimand by his bosses at Fox News.

In addition to his aversion to interviews, Trump has also not held a press conference in nearly two months. During the summer Clinton was hounded by conservatives for not holding a press conference. Now the press is traveling on her plane and it’s Trump who is evading media scrutiny. But no one on the right has any problem with that anymore.

What’s he afraid of? Trump is on Fox News almost daily, but is too scared to be interviewed by anyone outside that safe zone. His fear of media that isn’t expressly adoring raises questions about his ability to face confrontations with foreign leaders or even contentious members of Congress. Will he hide in the Lincoln Bedroom to keep from having to face Angela Merkel or Nancy Pelosi?

Even Fox News has noticed Trump’s cowardice. Last July Howard Kurtz reported that he was “refusing to appear on many television outlets” and that his advisers were “no longer notifying him of every interview request.” So his babysitters are keeping him in the dark and making decisions that deliberately shun his participation? Imagine how horribly that weakness would play out in the Oval Office.

What’s more, by cowering in the Fox bunker Trump limits his exposure to only people who are already supporting him. If he expects to expand his base he won’t do it by preaching only to the Fox choir. Studies show that Fox News viewers are more reliably right-wing voters than any other demographic group, including conservatives, white evangelical Christians, and gun owners. Another study revealed that, of those who cite Fox as their main source for news, 94 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Anticipating difficulty, Trump has spent the last few weeks working the refs. Which amounts mainly to whining about the unfairness of the process. He complains that the election is rigged, the media is rigged, and the debates are rigged. He has railed against the moderators who he says are biased against him. For the record, the moderator of the first debate is NBC’s Lester Holt who is a registered Republican. The third debate moderator is Chris Wallace of Fox News.

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

Consequently, the potential impact of the debate rests primarily on the opportunity for more voters see Trump outside of Fox. That could be the death knell for his campaign. He’s not an especially endearing figure. However, it’s safe to predict that Fox’s debate analysis will conclude that Trump beat the pantsuit off of Clinton. No matter what actually happened. It’s what their audience expects and what they’re paid to do. As for Little Donnie, he will declare he victory even if he spits up blood and involuntarily flashes a sieg heil salute.