Fox & Friends

Dotard Report: Trump Confides to Fox News that He Gets His Legal Advice ‘By Watching Shows’ on TV

Posted by on August 23, 2018 at 1:21 pm. 5 Comments :

The presidency of Donald Trump has been a slow motion disaster for the past twenty months. But the velocity of his crumbling regime has been ramping up in recent days. His campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was convicted on eight felonies. His personal attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to eight felonies as well. Plus, Cohen testified that Trump was in on the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.

Donald Trump

On Thursday morning the temperature continued to rise. Daveid Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer, and a close Trump pal, was granted immunity in order to provide information about Trump’s illegal campaign finance affairs. So fearing the worst, Trump took refuge in his “safe space” that he knows will always offer comfort, consolation, and a shield from any and all criticism – Fox News.

Ainsley Earhardt of Fox and Friends was dispatched to rub salve on the President’s wounds (video below). And she really came through. Asking a series of softball questions that Trump could swat away with ease, Earhardt sat through the entire twelve minutes nodding like a bobble-head doll. She didn’t challenge Trump on a single subject, despite his flagrant and easily provable lies. For instance, Trump rattled off false statistics about employment; he said that James Comey is Robert Mueller’s best friend; he alluded to imaginary crimes that Hillary Clinton committed; and he claimed that the FBI raided Manafort’s home at 5:00 in the morning with guns. None of that, and most everything else he said, is true.

One particular exchange in this televised tongue bathing stood out as a revealing confession by Trump. Earhardt asked him about Cohen’s testimony at his pleading that Trump directed him to make the hush money payouts. And Trump’s answer was, to say the least, peculiar:

Earhardt: He [Michael Cohen] said in one story that you didn’t know anything about the payments. And now he’s saying that you directed him to make these payments. Did you direct him to make the payments?
Trump: He made the deals. He made the deals. And by the way, he pled to two counts that aren’t a crime. Which nobody understands. I watched a number of shows. Sometimes you get some pretty good information by watching shows. Those two counts aren’t even a crime. They weren’t campaign finance. […] A lot of lawyers – on television – and also lawyers that I have say that they are not even crimes.

Notice that Trump’s response did not address whether he directed Cohen to make the payments. He said twice that Cohen “made the deals,” but never denied that he directed Cohen to do so. Then Trump quickly pivots to an absurd statement that Cohen pleaded to two counts of something that isn’t a crime. Of course, anyone who isn’t brain-dead knows that you can’t plead guilty to a crime that doesn’t exist. It’s like saying “I plead guilty to eating brussel sprouts. And I’ll do it again, dammit” As it turns out, there is no law against eating brussel sprouts and, thus, nothing to plead to. He’s absolutely correct when he says that “nobody understands” this. Somebody needs to explain it to Trump. I’d suggest a kindergarten teacher, because they have experience with stubbornly immature students.

However, what was truly disturbing is when Trump disclosed where he gets his legal advice. He’s the President of the United States and has whole departments of lawyers working for him in the White House and the Justice Department, as well as his personal legal team. And yet, he tells Earhardt that his legal expertise comes from “watch[ing] a number of shows.” “Sometimes,” he says, “you get some pretty good information by watching shows.”

Trump doesn’t say which shows, but it’s a pretty safe bet it’s Fox and Friends or Sean Hannity. That would explain why he believes that someone can plead guilty to crimes that don’t exist. But if this is the source of his consultations on matters of law, he is in bigger trouble than he can possibly imagine.

For the record, this is the second time Trump has identified TV as his source for critical data on presidenting. In August of 2015, Trump responded to a question from Chuck Todd about who his advisors are for military issues. Trump said that “I watch the shows.” But then, what more would you expect from the Reality TV president?

It’s interesting that Trump credits television with providing so much good information. Because he still thinks that the press is, in the whole, corrupt and dishonest. He reiterated that when Earhardt asked him if the press is “the enemy of the people.” “Absolutely not,” he said. But went on to contradict himself saying that only “Eighty percent of the media is the enemy of the people.” So he gets his legal advice from the other twenty percent? With consultants like that, and TV lawyers like Rudy Giuliani implicating Trump in criminal acts every time he’s on the tube, Trump is headed for an extended stay in Leavenworth – or maybe Gitmo.

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

Trump Whines (and Lies) About Imaginary Discrimination of Conservatives on Social Media

Posted by on August 18, 2018 at 11:34 am. 2 Comments :

Someone should make an official application to rename the Republican Party the Sniveling Victim Party. It seems that most of their time nowadays is spent griping about how terribly put upon they are by forces bent on destroying them. And no one exemplifies this spirit better than the party’s “Most Fabulous Whiner” (yes, he called himself that), Donald Trump.

Donald Trump

On Saturday morning’s regularly scheduled Twitter Tirade with Trump, the petulant president went on a tear over his insistence that social media is “discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices.” Never mind that he offered zero evidence of any such discrimination. In fact, all the evidence proves that this frequent complaint of carping rightists everywhere is utterly false. Nevertheless, Trump’s tweetstorm makes ludicrous allegations that were surely inspired by his Fox News viewing minutes before tweeting:


This is a totally baseless accusation that emanates from the deep recesses of paranoid minds. Trump is parroting the criticisms of wingnut icons like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and the irrepressible Demean & Sulk (aka Diamond & Silk).


Indeed, censorship is dangerous. Which is why it’s a feature of Trump’s White House where they have denied access to journalists and they refuse to release documents of critical importance to the public like his tax returns. Even his tiresome charges of “fake news” directed at CNN, MSNBC, and every other news outlet that isn’t sufficiently adoring, borders on censorship becaise its purpose is to deny an audience to those he disapproves of. As for Trump’s assertion that he doesn’t “ask that their sick behavior be removed,” that’s another lie:


Trump also banned a CNN reporter from an otherwise public event at the White House. Kaitlan Collins of CNN was told that she could not attend because she had the audacity to ask Trump some question earlier that day. It flies in the face of his latest comments about letting everybody participate:


This has a familiar ring to it. Trump is saying, once again, that there are “fine people” on all sides, just like he did when he defended neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville. What he is likely responding to is the recent banning of his buddy with the “amazing reputation,” Alex Jones, from Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. To be clear, that isn’t censorship because private companies have a right to monitor the content on their own platforms. And Jones wasn’t banned for his political views, but for inciting violence.

There is a certain irony about Trump posting his complaints about discrimination on social media, on social media. But he is just extending his campaign against media in general to new platforms. And as always, they are all aligned against him. What’s more, he knows about this because he obviously pays attention, particularly to television. Contrary to assertion that he doesn’t watch much TV, he is known to spend as much as eight hours a day doing so. And while much of that is spent hate-watching CNN and MSNBC, most of it is devoted to Fox News, Trump’s shadow cabinet and national security advisors.

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

Fox News Helps GOP Congresswoman Spread Debunked Lies that Obama Paid Iran $1.5 Billion

Posted by on July 26, 2018 at 5:51 pm. NO Comments :

Just in case you were looking for another example of Fox News casting off all pretense of being an honest news enterprise, they provided an excellent one Thursday morning. Donald Trump’s favorite TV show, Fox and Friends, invited Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney to discuss matters related to the Trump administration’s diplomatic agenda for Iran since Trump broke the agreement the United States made previously. And yes, that’s Dick Cheney’s daughter.

Fox News Friends

The segment began with Ainsley Earhardt reminding viewers that Donald Trump recently posted a deranged, all caps tweet that warned Iran to “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE.” It cannot be overstated that this was the President threatening the nuclear annihilation of men, women, and children, of a foreign adversary over mere words.

Much of the conversation centered on Cheney’s impressions of Trump’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton, and his efforts to prevent Iran from advancing their nuclear ambitions. Of course, President Obama had already put an end to that prior to Trump blowing it up in his obsessive fetish to undo all things Obama. But Cheney was then asked specifically how the current administration’s approach to Iran differed from their predecessor. Which seems like a planted question that really had no purpose other than to bash Obama’s achievements. Cheney took full advantage of that saying:

“Oh it’s hugely different. If you look at the fact that Barack Obama paid $1.5 billion – U.S. taxpayer money – paid the Iranians to get them to enter into the nuclear agreement.”

The only problem with that response is that is utterly and provably false. PolitiFact, and every other fact-checker, has documented that the monies disbursed to Iran when the deal with the Obama administration (and by the way, six other nations) was executed, was Iran’s money to begin with. The U.S. was merely releasing funds that it had sequestered as part of the sanctions that were imposed on Iran in order to bring them to the negotiating table.

After Cheney made her wholly dishonest claim about these funds, Earhardt failed to challenge her or to let Fox’s viewers know that she was lying. So that false information was disseminated once again to Fox’s already ignorant and ill-informed viewers. And as if that weren’t enough, Fox News later posted a video clip of the segment on Twitter that featured Cheney’s remarks, but still didn’t point out that they were false. This is typical of Fox’s practice of mangling the news so that it misrepresents reality and feeds disinformation to an audience that can’t distinguish truth from fiction anyway.

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

BURN! Fox News Accidentally Interviews a Candidate Who Tells the Truth About (and to) Trump

Posted by on July 23, 2018 at 11:36 am. NO Comments :

Monday morning on Fox News there was a devastating outbreak of the sort of truth that the network strives so hard to suppress. All of their evil efforts went up in smoke after a booking glitch put a conscientious Democratic candidate on the air instead of their customary crackpots and shills. It was delicious.

Fox News Bozo

On Fox and Friends First co-hosts Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt introduced Ann Kirkpatrick, someone they thought was a pro-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Democrat that got booed at a candidate forum in Massachusetts. Their intent was to stir up phony dissension within the Democratic Party. That’s a common tactic used by Fox News to falsely infer a party in disarray. They have a bevy of so-called Democrats they can call on to bash the Party.

However, this time someone at Fox screwed up. The guest that appeared on air was not who they thought it was. It turned out to be Barbara L’Italien, a different candidate with an entirely different point of view. She began straight out of the gate with a message for Donald Trump (video below):

Mele: Joining us the candidate, the only democrat on stage to support ICE, Ann Kirkpatrick. Tell us why you do support ICE?
L’Italien: Good morning. I’m actually here to speak directly to Donald Trump. I feel that what’s happening at the border is wrong. I’m a mother of four and I believe that separating kids from their parents is illegal and inhumane. I’m state senator representing a large immigrant community and running for Congress in Massachusetts.

I keep thinking about what we are putting parents through and imagining how terrifying that must be for those families, imagining how it would feel not knowing if I’d ever see my kids again, we have to stop abducting children and ripping them from their parents’ arms. Stop putting kids in cages, stop making 3-year-olds defend themselves in court.

The co-hosts immediately looked confused and struggled to counter L’Italien’s truth with pre-chewed Fox News lies. Schmitt said that the practice of separating and caging children had been stopped. It hasn’t. Then Mele said incorrectly that the kids have been reunited with their families. Only about 500 out of nearly 3,000. That was followed by an awkward exchange wherein the co-hosts wondered “Who is this?” And after cutting the feed to L’Italien, they mused that “That didn’t go as planned. That happens sometimes. Time for a break? Yeah.”

A statement was later released by Desiree Dunne, the executive producer of Fox and Friends First. She tried to explain how the segment got so badly mangled, but failed to miserably. And then she sought to blame L’Italien:

“This morning we invited Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick to appear on Fox & Friends First through her press contact on file […] During the actual segment, Barbara L’Italien, appeared on camera instead of Kirkpatrick. Despite speaking to producers prior to the interview, L’Italien did not identify herself as anything other than Kirkpatrick until she was live on air, at which point we ended the interview.”

Note that Dunne doesn’t say that the producers ever asked L’Italien to identify herself. L’Italien told ThinkProgress that she was merely taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity to communicate with Trump and Fox viewers. She also said that:

“This would not have happened to an actual news station. Fox’s lack of attention to the facts normally is a disaster for the country, it just so happened that today it was embarrassing for them.”

Ann Kirkpatrick also had some harsh words for Fox News, saying that they “put out false reports on my position on ICE, without a single word from me.” So she doesn’t seem particularly disturbed by having been axed from the network’s propaganda programming. But even when the mistake was discovered, why would Fox need to end the interview? Why couldn’t they just continue talking to a candidate with a different perspective?

The answer to that question is obvious. fox News doesn’t tolerate different perspectives in circumstances they aren’t in complete control of. L’Italien was expressing a viewpoint that is shared by a majority of Americans. But since it is contrary to the Trump administration’s viewpoint, and that of the Republican Party, it could not be allowed on their air. But unfortunately for Fox, that happens sometimes.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6klQMzww3g

WTF? Fox News Host Suggests Trump Traded Election Tampering in Secret Deal with Putin

Posted by on July 20, 2018 at 11:21 am. NO Comments :

When Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki he prohibited any media coverage of their discussion. Consequently, the American people have been left in the dark about what he did and said with the Russian dictator he is so clearly infatuated with. We know only what he said in the post-summit press conference, which is mainly that he trusts Putin more than he trusts his own intelligence agencies.

Fox News Steve Doocy

In the days that followed the meeting Fox News has been feverishly trying to mop up Trump’s mess with ludicrous excuses and irrational defenses. They even aired a flagrant propaganda video that was so inept it actually confirmed that Trump is a liar. They really didn’t need to work so hard at Trump’s absolution considering that his followers are blindly loyal cultists who are incapable of thinking anything Trump does is bad.

On Friday morning Fox News floated a new theory about Trump’s omnipotent brilliance and dominance over Putin. The “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends were engaged in their daily Trump-fluffing when co-host Steve Doocy unveiled how he thinks Trump outsmarted his BFF Vladimir (video below):

“What will be very interesting is if the President sat down with Putin and they had that private meeting on Monday of two hours. Nobody knows what they said, except the translator, who everybody on Capitol Hill and the political left would love to talk to.”

For the record, not everybody on Capitol Hill wants to talk to the translator. Democrats made a proposal to subpoena her, but Republicans voted it down. These are the same Republicans who are threatening to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for not turning over vol;umes of documents in the name of transparency. But I digress. Back to Doocy:

“None the less, it will be interesting if the President said to him, ‘Vladimir, you’ve gotta stop it. You’ve gotta stop with the meddling.’ If he said that on Monday to him and then he shows up, let’s say mid-October, before the midterms, and it’s still going on, what do you think the President would say then?

“He’d say ‘Look, I thought we had a deal here. I thought you were gonna stop it.’ So it looks like, if that were true, the President would have a little chip to play against Mr. Putin. ‘Look, you’re not doing it? I’m not gonna go along with the Ukraine, Israel, Syria, the plans we had made, maybe not so fast.'”

Doocy is suggesting that Trump used election tampering as a condition for agreement to a larger deal. Is he friggin’ kidding? The only consideration with regard to Russia interfering with American democracy is that it is unacceptable, intolerable, and that it must not occur under any conditions. Period. It is not a “chip” to be played in some diplomatic game. The only thing that a responsible president would say is “Stop it now or there will be serious consequences.” Also, how could Putin agree to to stop tampering with our election when he insists that he isn’t doing it?

And as if it isn’t bad enough to reduce the sanctity of our democracy to dealmaking with murderous tyrants, Doocy’s speculation also suggested that, in exchange for leaving our elections alone, Trump would put the status of international crises in Ukraine, Israel, and Syria up for grabs. Everything is apparently fodder in the “Art of the Deal” presidency (a book that Trump didn’t actually write). The welfare of millions of people, including long-time allies, can just be traded away for hollow promises from known liars.

This is just the sort of thing that makes testimony from the translator all the more necessary. And it reinforces the need to prevent Trump from engaging in these affairs behind closed doors where his ignorance and deceit can be exploited and/or concealed. The proposed second meeting with Putin that Trump is seeking should be canceled, or at least chaperoned by reputable adults. Because if Fox News hosts are speculating, in favorable terms, that Trump might trade away America’s democratic security for the welfare of innocent people, then truly any horror you can imagine is possible.

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

Bad Propaganda: Trump Tweets Fox News Clip Showing He Lied About Russian Election Hacking

Posted by on July 19, 2018 at 2:24 pm. NO Comments :

In one of the worst weeks for Donald Trump since his election (aren’t they all?) Fox News is once again fulfilling their mission to shield him from any and all criticism. It doesn’t matter to them that Trump has explicitly taken the side of Russia, a nation with hostile intentions toward the United States, and denigrated our intelligence community as having less credibility to him than Vladimir Putin. The only thing that matters is that they advance their propaganda effort on behalf of the White House at all costs.

Donald Trump, Russia Meddling

The only problem is that sometimes they are not very good at it. Case in point: On Thursday morning Trump’s favorite Fox News program, Fox and Friends, compiled a little video montage that they intended to serve as proof that the President “recognized Russian meddling many times.” Well, everyone recognized it. But Trump seems to have requested it. Never mind that he has repeatedly refused to affirm Russia’s sole culpability for an extensive campaign of cyber espionage aimed at helping Trump’s candidacy and hurting Hillary Clinton’s. Every intelligence agency with jurisdiction over these matters has come to the same conclusion: it was Russia, and only Russia. And it was ordered personally by Vladimir Putin. What’s more, despite Trump’s weakness on standing up for American interests, he is now known to been fully briefed on Russia’s activities before he was even inaugurated. So he has been bald-faced lying ever since.

Trump embarrassed himself, and all of America, at his meeting with Putin. By stating again that he didn’t see why Russia would have engaged in election hacking, he confirmed where his loyalties lie. He tried to walk back those comments the next day, but no one was buying it. Coming to the rescue now are the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends. They put together this video of Trump’s remarks that they thought would neutralize the criticism that was overwhelming the White House:

Really? There are three separate clips edited together in that video, and everyone one of them shows that Trump is a liar. In all three he failed to hold Russia accountable for the cyber attacks by interjecting that it might have been someone else and not Russia at all. He said that:

“As far as hacking, I think it was Russia. But I think we also get hacked by other countries and other people.” […and…]

“Well I think it was Russia. And I think it could have been other people in other countries. It could have been a lot of people interfered…I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries…It was Russia, and I think it was probably others also.” […and…]

“Well, the Russians had no impact on our votes whatsoever. But certainly there was meddling. But probably there was meddling from other countries and maybe other individuals.”

In other words, Trump thinks that it was Russia, except that he also thinks it probably wasn’t. What could be more clear? Snark aside, how can Fox and Trump actually think that this video corrects his abhorrent comments acquitting Putin of all guilt for election hacking? It literally affirms Trump’s belief that Putin is innocent. Fox News is undoubtedly proud of this propaganda clip. Especially after seeing that Trump himself found it so persuasive that he tweeted it to his millions of Deplorable disciples (who will view it as total vindication). It was only one tweet in a flurry that also castigated the “fake news media” as “going crazy,” “wanting war,” and, as always, being “the real enemy of the people.” That’s the overarching theme of the Trump presidency. He regards murderous dictators like Putin and Kim Jong Un as strong leaders whose friendship he craves. But Americans carrying out their journalistic duties as defined in the Constitution are “the real enemy.”

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

WANTED: Fox News Posts Unintentionally Hilarious Ad Seeking ‘Storyteller’ for Fox and Friends

Posted by on July 5, 2018 at 4:21 pm. NO Comments :

It must be terribly difficult to recruit qualified people to compose the malarkey that gushes out of Fox and Friends every morning. The “Curvy Couch” potatoes cannot be expected to come up with all of that ludicrous bullcrap on their own. It takes a team of dedicated liars and seasoned propagandists to create the abundance of seemingly effortless ignorance that is the hallmark of Fox News.

Fox News Lies

Consequently, the current opening on their staff was advertised on the Indeed job recruiting website. The posting described the requirements for employment at “the # 1 National Cable Morning Show.” Notice that they don’t say “Cable Morning “News” Show.” And for all of you aspiring Fox newsers, here is some of what you’ll need to know to be considered.

First of all, the ad says that “You are a storyteller.” Because telling stories – not reporting facts – is the paramount mission of Fox News. You must also “know the difference between an attention-grabbing headline and burying the lead.” But apparently you don’t need to know the correct spelling of “lede,” when referring to the most important part of an article.

The job requires that you work the “graveyard” shift, between midnight and 9:00am. But don’t get sleepy because you’ll be expected to “Research and craft stories in a way that resonates with our viewers.” That’s an undisguised admission that catering to the preconceptions of the wingnut cultists who are glued to Fox News is more important than accuracy or truth. Nevertheless, the ad also lists as a requirement an “understanding of fair and balanced journalism.” Presumably that’s so that the applicant can differentiate between fairness and balance (a slogan that Fox has stopped using) and what Fox News does. Which makes the the quality of “Thinking outside the box to tell a story” more understandable, so long as “the box” is where they hide the actual facts.

Finally, the ad contains the typical boilerplate language assuring that Fox News is “an equal opportunity employer.” That means no discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.” Discriminating against any of those groups, however, is still permissable in their reporting. The disclaimer also includes this protection: “We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable law.” That’s convenient for Fox News who already regularly features people with criminal pasts including Mark Fuhrman, Joe Arpaio, Oliver North, Bernard Kerik, Dinesh D’Souza, Gregg Jarrett, and surely some more I’ve forgotten.

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

So get out those resumes. If you have a commitment to lying on behalf of a corrupt administration; if you are devoted to exalting Donald Trump no matter how repulsive or dishonest he is; if you’re comfortable with throwing away your reputation and prospects for future employment anywhere other than Fox or Breitbart News, then this is the job for you. And if you’re really lucky you might even get a shout-out from the President or a job at the White House.

Fox News Message on Independence Day: Democrats Should ‘Think the Same Way’ Trump Does

Posted by on July 4, 2018 at 11:41 am. 3 Comments :

There is much to reflect on concerning America on the day that it is celebrating its Independence. The principles embedded in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are a continuing source of pride and a standard for goals that are still being pursued. As stipulated in the preamble to the Constitution, the endeavor to “form a more perfect Union” is one that never ends, and that each new generation must recommit to.

Sarah Huckabee-Sanders

On this particular Independence Day, however, there are immigrants – much like the ones who fled oppression from England – who are being incarcerated, with children being ripped from the arms of their parents. There is a President who cozies up to foreign dictators while insulting long-time allies. There are citizens who are castigated for exercising their civil rights. And Donald Trump has managed to drag the country down to the point where less than half (47%) of those polled say they are “extremely proud” to be American – a new low.

So to commemorate this day, Fox News brought Trump’s press secretary, surly Sarah Sanders, on to further divide the country and disparage anyone who dares to disagree with the President and his regressive agenda. And she surely didn’t disappoint the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends, or their cranky viewers (video below).

Sanders began innocently enough by saying that “people should be free to disagree” but then insisted that they should do it “in a way that is much nicer.” Because when confronting heinous evils like family separation, sabotaging healthcare, cutting Social Security, and selling out the country to Russia, politeness is paramount.

Sanders continued by defending herself against those who would criticize her by claiming that she would “continue to always treat people with respect.” Like she did with CNN’s Jim Acosta when she said he couldn’t “understand even short sentences.” Or like she did when she questioned the intelligence of NBC’s Hallie Jackson in an effort to avoid a question, telling Jackson that it “shows the lack of knowledge that you have.” But the most repugnant part of Sanders’ tirade was her flagrant disrespect for free thought on this day that celebrates Independence. Sanders implied that Democrats don’t want to make the country better, like the Trump administration (allegedly) does. And she has the solution:

“If Democrats start thinking about it the same way we are they’d be a lot better off. […] It’s a sad day in America for Democrats and the Democrat (sic) Party when their only message is one of intolerance and one of attacking people who love this country and are trying to do good things for it.”

So everyone should just start thinking like Donald Trump? God help us all. The fact that Sanders said three times in less than a minute that this Independence Day is “a sad day,” says a lot about her commitment to positive change. And the oft-repeated lie that Democrats have no message is proof that Republicans have no ears. How about expanding healthcare for all Americans? Or treating asylum seekers with respect and compassion? [Check out this startling video of Ronald Reagan’s thoughts on the matter]. Or reforming taxes so that the disadvantaged aren’t supporting the wealthy? Or protecting Americans from rampant gun violence? Or affirming the rights of women to control their own bodies? Or ending the scourge of unarmed African-Americans getting killed by police? Or stopping the undemocratic practices of gerrymandering and voter suppression?

Is that enough of a message for Sanders and Fox News? How about we add holding the President accountable for his criminal, and possibly traitorous, behavior in colluding with Russia to steal the election? Or his obvious efforts to obstruct justice? Or his financial corruption, self-dealing, and personal enrichment by exploiting his position? You think that would do it?

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

UPDATE: Fox News Senior Political Analyst, and former news anchor, Brit Hume, has joined the call to divide America on Independence Day. With a link to an extremist right-wing blog that said Democrats hate America, Hume tweeted his agreement saying that “they sure don’t love it.”

Donald Trump, the Reality TV President, Seen Yelling at Kids on the White House Lawn

Posted by on June 15, 2018 at 2:52 pm. 1 Comments :

Fresh from his return from Fantasy President Camp in Singapore, Donald Trump is reconnecting with his friends at home. Even though he already misses his new BFF, Kim Jong Un (who he wants so badly to emulate), Trump tried to mask his sadness by lashing out at old foes in the media, which he regards as “our country’s biggest enemy.”

Donald Trump, Fox News, Steve Doocy

Watching from his bathroom window where he tweets his official presidential pronouncements, Trump saw his pals from Fox and Friends on the White House lawn and went downstairs to play. Unfortunately, he also ran into those meanies from the other news networks who keep insisting on asking him real questions, rather than the tongue baths he gets from Fox News.

In the course of a few awkward encounters, Trump managed to challenge his own record for lies-per-minute. He brazenly lied about the FBi’s Inspector General report exonerating him. It did no such thing. While it found some opinions expressed inappropriately by a couple of agents, it concluded that there was no bias in their work. It also found that all of the errors of judgment identified resulted in harm to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, not Trump’s.

He also lied about his administration’s heinous policy of ripping apart immigrant families. He blamed it on Democratic laws that do not exist. He lied about Paul Manafort, who he said worked for his campaign for only forty-nine days. It was actually 144 days during a critical period where he relied on Manafort to secure him delegate votes at the Republican National Convention.

But he wasn’t through lying yet. He blamed President Obama for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. Naturally he wouldn’t blame his buddy Vlad, who he still doesn’t press to get out of Ukraine. And Trump also told a bizarre lie about the parents of Korean war dead asking him to bring back their remains. Those parents, who numbered in the hundreds, would have to be over 100 years old.

Perhaps the most telling exchange occurred between Trump and Fox and Friends co host, Steve Doocy. Trump revealed what is the highest priority of his presidency. In his banter with Doocy he said (video below):

Trump: You have a lot of fun, right? Supposing Hillary got elected instead of Trump. You think it would be so exciting? Your ratings would be way down. [To the camera] Number one show in the morning folks.
Doocy: Well, thank you. In cable news, that’s right.
Trump: Also beyond cable news you’re doing pretty well.
Doocy: We’re doing okay. Thanks for dropping by.
Trump: I like ratings. I study ratings.

So Trump is validating his election because it goosed the ratings for Fox News? And if Clinton had won their popularity would have suffered? That’s literally what he thinks is one of his great achievements. He even brags about his affinity for television ratings and his expertise in the subject. Never mind his prior statements that he doesn’t have time to watch TV because – documents.

It’s good to know that he studies ratings, because he sure doesn’t study legislation, economics, foreign policy, or any other prerequisite for being president. He’s obviously obsessed with his own ratings. He stages bill signings with silly photo ops where he proudly displays his penmanship before the gathered press corps. He frequently boasts about the attendance at his rallies and the ratings for his speeches, even when those numbers are embarrassingly low. And whenever there is a poll that shows him tick up a fraction of a point, he blasts it out to his Twitter followers, despite the fact that he remains in the thirties or low forties, and has never gotten near fifty percent.

This is what happens when a TV game show host with no experience in politics or governing is put in the White House by Russian cyber-spies and domestic white supremacists. Now America must endure until either Congress or the law enforcement authorities succeed in putting him where he belongs: a prison camp where he can make new friends with the same diseased morals that he has.

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

Trump: I Want ‘My People’ To Worship Me Like North Koreans Worship Kim Jong Un

Posted by on June 15, 2018 at 10:01 am. 6 Comments :

Donald Trump spoke briefly to reporters at the White House Friday morning and revealed something about himself that is both frightening and consistent with his past displays of tyrannical aspirations.

Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

While engaged in his morning ritual of “Executive Time” (aka sitting on the toilet and disgorging himself via Twitter), Trump noticed the scrum of media outside and wondered aloud if he should go out and visit with the hosts of his favorite Fox News show, Fox and Friends. So, unsurprisingly, he did just that. But when he got there he managed to blurt out something that surely represents his most inner, and most despicable thoughts. Speaking enviously of Kim Jong Un’s unquestioned adulation by the oppressed people of North Korea, Trump said that:

“He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same.”

And there you have it. Donald Trump is now openly lusting for the sort of obedience that only dictators can muster. It’s a thoroughly repugnant and un-American notion. He needs to be told that the citizens of America are not HIS people. They are his bosses. He works for us and is not entitled to blind devotion.

That’s especially true of a president who is under investigation for traitorous collusion with Russia for stealing an election. Also for criminal fraud with regard to his phony charity. Also for paying hush money to an adult film star who he had an affair with just months after his wife gave birth to his son. Also for breaching the emoluments clause of the Constitution by receiving money from hostile foreign agents. Also for obstruction of justice.

Americans are, in fact, sitting up and paying attention – to the criminality, dishonesty, bigotry, and ignorance of the grotesque perversion that is (temporarily) occupying the White House. He will never have the admiration of the vast majority of citizens who are justifiably ashamed that he is representing this nation. But not for much longer.

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