Ed Henry

Racist Fox News Hosts Smear Democrat Stacey Abrams as Promoting an ‘MS-13 Blue Wave’

Posted by on October 14, 2018 at 4:04 pm. 2 Comments :

It really doesn’t take much to set off the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends when a Republican candidate is trouble. That’s the current state of the gubernatorial election in Georgia where Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams is in a dead heat with her GOP opponent Brian Kemp. This is a deep red state where Democrats aren’t supposed to win, so Fox News has bolted onto the scene to muck it up.

Fox News, Stacey Abrams

On Sunday morning’s episode of Fox and Friends (video below), the three co-hosts set out to malign Abrams, who would be the first African-American women governor in the U.S. But they had to manufacture a controversy by taking her comments out of context so they could align her with criminal gangs. Co-host Ed Henry began by saying:

“As if on cue, Stacey Abrams, who is the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia […] sounds like, she thinks at least, that that the Blue Wave is gonna include illegal immigrants voting.”

Then they run a video clip of Abrams saying:

“The thing is that the Blue Wave is African-Americans. It’s white, it’s Latino, it’s Asian-Pacific Islanders. It is made up of those who were told that they are not worthy of being here. It is comprised of those who are documented and undocumented.”

Coming out of the video, Henry says that “If you’re undocumented you’re not supposed to be able to vote.” Whereupon his co-host Pete Hegseth asks:

“What should we label it? Is it an illegal Blue Wave? An alien Blue Wave? If you’ve got criminal gangs coming across, is it an MS-13 Blue Wave?”

Really? First of all, it needs to noted that Abrams was not talking about voters. And nowhere in the clip that Fox played did she say that. She was talking about all of the people who can contribute to an awakening of progressive change in the country. That includes many people who don’t vote but care about the direction this nation takes. It includes students who are not yet eighteen, like the survivors of the Parkland massacre. It includes Dreamers who fulfill every criteria of citizenship except for the technicality that they are undocumented. And it includes the tens of thousands of citizens in Georgia that are being unlawfully removed from the voter rolls by a corrupt Republican secretary of state who happens to be Brian Kemp, Abrams’ opponent.

However, for Fox News to go so low as to associate Abrams with the MS-13 gang is way beyond the pale. As an aside, the MS-13 gang did not come across the border. It’s a home grown gang from southern California. Nevertheless, this proves that Fox News has a complete lack of integrity, honesty, and ethics. And it proves their intention to advance a racist theme that African-American candidates must be connected to criminal elements simply because of the color of their skin. It’s a theme that Fox’s audience will readily accept due to the priming they’ve had from years of watching Fox.

There is going to be a Blue Wave in November, and Fox News is going to have to live with it. Of course, they will lie their butts off and spread bigoted propaganda like they did here, but they can’t prevent the coming progressive tsunami by exposing how hateful and prejudiced they are. They are just going to make matters worse for themselves and the Republican Party they are shilling for as America becomes more diverse. And maybe Democrats and progressives should welcome any actions they take to destroy their own Deplorable right-wing.

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

Uh-Oh: Fox News Host Says that Trump’s Attack on Kavanaugh Accuser ‘Might Blow This Up’

Posted by on September 21, 2018 at 11:05 am. 3 Comments :

The melodrama concerning Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman he allegedly assaulted, just seems to keep gaining momentum. Especially when Trump himself can’t help but intervene with idiotic and damaging comments on Twitter. And on that score, Friday morning’s regularly scheduled tweetstorm didn’t disappoint.

Fox News Trump

For much of the past couple of weeks, Trump has been relatively restrained with regard to Dr. Ford. The White House was even bragging about how sensitive he’s been by not attacking her, which is what would be expected from this petulant brat of a president. But that all ended Friday when Trump’s will power (or babysitters) failed him:

First of all, it’s ludicrous for Trump to say that facts don’t matter to the Democrats, when they are the ones that want the FBI to investigate and produce a factual account of what happened. It’s Trump and the GOP who are opposed to that fact-finding effort.

But more to the point, Trump’s attack on Dr. Ford is as brazen as it is senseless. He knows (or should know) the details of Dr. Ford’s account and why she didn’t report the incident at the time. That’s all public. So Trump is deliberately pushing to inject a false narrative into the affair.

And that seems to be all the rage these days. Ed Whelan of the National Review pushed his own conspiracy theory yesterday about another possible suspect in the sexual assault. The only problem was that he had no evidence or even a plausible argument. It was so bad that Whelan posted an apology for his “appalling and inexcusable mistake of judgment” on Twitter last night. However, that didn’t stop Fox News from promoting the libelous accusation:

Interestingly, Fox News host Ed Henry asked in that segment “Is it a case of mistaken identity?” He and his co-hosts were giving credence to the allegations that the author had already disowned. Although Fox News has still not issued any retractions or apologies for regurgitating the charges. And what makes Henry’s validation of Whelan’s lies interesting is that he later appeared on another Fox program to criticize Trump for tweeting about Dr. Ford (video below):

“If you had asked me an hour ago, I would have said that I think Judge Kavanaugh is in a strong position. But In the last hour the President is tweeting, questioning Dr. Ford’s account. Why didn’t she go to the police? The White House has been making such a big deal about how the President stayed off Twitter. He’s not attacking the woman here. He’s just praising Judge Kavanaugh.

“And I think it seems to me – I don’t want to overreact – but it seems to be a big mistake to take a situation that has been calming down. There’s been negotiations over testimony and I think the Republicans have had the upper hand this week, because it started with this shocker on Sunday in the Washington Post. That he’s sailing to confirmation. Maybe not. There’s a problem here. She needs to be heard, and the Republicans said let’s hear from her. I think the president intervening might blow this up.”

Let’s set aside the absurd analysis that the Republicans had the upper hand. If that were true they would not have canceled the confirmation vote for Kavanaugh that was originally scheduled for yesterday. But Henry’s concern that Trump’s tweets might “blow this up” are proof that even Fox News is worried that Kavanaugh’s confirmation may be in jeopardy. And even worse, that it’s the fault of Trump’s uncontrolled psyche and ego.

If this nomination is blown up due to an unhinged outburst by Trump, it would not be the first time that his recklessness and over active pie hole has created chaos and hurt the prospects of his own agenda. In fact, that is rapidly becoming the hallmark of the Trump presidency. Everything he touches turn to – let’s say shiitake mushrooms (unless that’s too close a reference to his genitals). Trump is truly his own worst enemy. Even worse than the “enemy of the people,” the media. And this time it’s his favorite media, Fox News, that is sending up the flares.

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

https://youtu.be/u_s9GHHibKY

Huh? Fox News Slams Bill Clinton for Being Seated Near Farrakhan at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral

Posted by on September 3, 2018 at 1:25 pm. 5 Comments :

Last week was a difficult one for many Americans, and particularly those close to music legend Aretha Franklin and senate icon John McCain. The media was more consumed with funerals than at any other time in recent memory. And, sadly, the services for these deceased notables were exploited for political gain by media cretins like Fox News who seem to have forgotten how to show respect for the families of the fallen.

Fox News, Bill Clinton, Louis Farrakhan

However, the passage of time over the weekend did nothing to temper the madness at Fox News. They must be getting pretty desperate for disparaging material to throw at their political enemies, because the latest assault really scrapes the bottom of the barrel.

In a segment on Fox and Friends (video below), the “Curvy Couch” potatoes served up a story that criticized President Bill Clinton for his attendance at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. The objection they had was that he was seated near Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan is unarguably a repugnant bigot who has been inciting racial and religious hatred for decades. It was surprising to see him at the service for a woman known for her support of civil rights and her closeness to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

But for Fox News to make an issue of the seating arrangements is ludicrous. The intro to the segment had co-host Ed Henry saying that “The very controversial Nation of Islam leader who has notoriously declared that ‘Jews are my enemy’ and ‘white folks are going down,’ was seated prominently alongside former President Bill Clinton.” In fact, there were several references to Clinton sitting next to Farrakhan. But that’s a lie. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were separating Clinton from Farrakhan.

More to the point, Clinton had nothing to do with the seating arrangements. He likely didn’t know who else was attending or where they would be seated. Does Fox News think that Clinton should have stood up and stomped out of Franklin’s funeral after spotting Farrakhan in the crowd? Apparently so. They even brought in Alan Dershowitz to suggest that option. And co-host Pete Hegseth was aghast at the lack of media whining about this scandalous chair affair, saying “What about the question to the elites of our country? This is not a story? They’re not blinking an eye.”

Of course, the reason the press isn’t blinking is because, in fact, it isn’t a story to anyone but the craven loons at Fox News who are grasping at straws to denigrate Clinton and any other Democrat that they happen to bump into. They previously faulted Clinton for looking in the direction of Ariana Grande when she was singing. Which is something that humans do while entertainers are performing. They also complained bitterly about the eulogies at both funerals when they thought expressions of unity, civility, and respect were attacks on Donald Trump. Now why do you suppose they thought that? Perhaps because he is anathema to those honorable personality traits?

It’s noteworthy that while America was mourning, Trump was golfing and tweeting. Maybe he DM’d his BFF Vladimir Putin. And what’s really worse: Clinton sitting near, but not speaking to, Farrakhan, or Trump lavishing effusive praise on, and doing the bidding of the murderous dictator and enemy of America, Putin?

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

Fox News Attacks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Encouraging Kids to Be Interested in Politics

Posted by on September 2, 2018 at 1:50 pm. 2 Comments :

The professional Trump-fluffers at State TV (aka Fox News) are very concerned about what is happening to innocent children. No, not the ones that Donald Trump has ripped from the arms of their immigrant parents and put in cages along the border. Fox News is worried about American children who are being indoctrinated into socialism by nefarious congressional candidates.

Fox News, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

On Sunday’s episode of Fox and Friends, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes latched onto a video that was posted by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who is running for the 14th district seat in New York. Ocasio-Cortez is seen talking to a group of kids in a park about what she’s doing. The kids are clearly interested and, when she mentions that she’s going to Congress to fight Trump, they spontaneously erupt in cheers. Several of the kids are heard volunteering that they don’t like Trump.

However, children engaged in civic affairs is viewed as a dangerous trend by the Fox News crew. Co-host Ed Henry refers to Ocasio-Cortez as a “cause celebre” on the left, and then introduces the video where he falsely says that she is “trying to rally kids to go after President Trump.”

In the video, the sin that Fox News is so rattled about is that Ocasio-Cortez asks a group of kids if they will go home and tell their parents to vote. Oh my heavens, no. What has become of the world? A candidate for Congress isn’t ignoring an exuberant group of young folks who clearly have an interest in what she’s saying. She isn’t dismissing them as waifs and then catering to the elders who can vote and donate to her campaign. She’s actually engaging them in a respectful conversation and encouraging their interest in civic affairs (see her video below). So naturally Fox News thinks this is abhorrent and must stop immediately. The Foxies continue their brazenly partisan harangue in this fear mongering exchange:

Rachel Campos-Duffy: I actually love this video because there’s so much about Alexandria that is so revealing. She’s such a novice that she really tells you the truth about socialism. This is what socialists do for kids. They don’t help kids. They organize kids. They indoctrinate kids. That’s what she’s doing. That’s what social justice warriors like her are best at.
Pete Hegseth: That’s a good point, you’re right. She’s naive. She’s talking to these kids. Go tell your parents how much you hate Trump.

So Campos-Duffy is glad that Ocasio-Cortez is a political novice because it results in her telling the truth. Unlike the propagandists on Fox News who are seasoned professionals with the experience to suppress any honest tendencies and stick to lying at all times. And Hegseth agrees that encouraging kids to engage in discourse with their parents is somehow subversive and anti-American. They are both apparently afraid that the adults in these families will be unfairly coerced into voting against Trump by their brainwashed offspring. It makes one wonder how susceptible the Fox News hosts are to what their manipulative kids are telling them to do.

Needless to say, including children in discussions about politics is a positive and educational exercise. It prepares them for when they will be old enough to participate in the civic duty of voting. But on Fox News it’s a frightening notion that evokes scary images of informed young citizens. Never mind that the notorious hypocrites at Fox regularly feature conservative kids, and even bring them on their network for extended interviews. For instance, Jesse Watters interviewed nine year old Trump fan Jacob Silva for nearly seven minutes. But they better be careful. Fox also hyped a thirteen year old conservative, Jonathan Krohn, who had the good sense to grow up and, by the time he was seventeen, was supporting Barack Obama.

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

Trump’s Child Abuse is Politicized By Fox News Hacks in the Most Idiotic Way Possible

Posted by on June 24, 2018 at 11:46 am. 1 Comments :

The right-wing defense of Donald Trump’s heinous policy of ripping apart families of immigrants is continuing into it’s third week. And as it progresses it gets ever more callous and offensive. Just this week we’ve seen conservatives characterize the baby prisons as “summer camps,” or excusing the horror by saying that the immigrant children “aren’t our kids,” or dismissing these human rights abuses because kids aren’t being gassed, or belittling the harm by comparing them to American urban communities.


The extreme contortions that these shills have to make to twist Trump’s grotesque policy into something that his glassy-eyed disciples will embrace is a feat that defiles humanity. And when they aren’t being overtly racist, they are peddling theories so ludicrous as to be monuments to searing political stupidity.

An example of that was provided on Saturday by Jesse Watters of Fox News. On his program he engaged in an exchange with his Fox colleague Ed Henry (note: both of these paragons of virtue were recently outed for cheating on their wives) that revealed their utter disdain for decency. Henry began by casting immigration as an issue that Trump “can carry into the midterms,” falsely charging that “Democrats care sometimes more about illegal immigrants than citizens.” Then, after trying to conflate the issue of children being separated from their parents with crime, the discussion became even more political (video below):

Henry: The President is on the right side when he is talking about enforcing laws, which is pretty obvious, pretty basic. He got elected on that. And cracking down on illegal immigration. The problem is when you put the kids into the middle of it, it enables Democrats and the media to exploit the policy in a way that blows up in his face. He should have thought through that part a whole lot more.
Watters: I agree. And the Democrats think they can run on these child migrants, but I don’t think it’s necessarily gonna move votes, because it doesn’t necessarily affect the average citizen. Yes, it’s sad. It tugs at your heart strings, but it’s not like gas prices, it’s not like taking away your healthcare, it’s not like jobs. It may make you feel bad for the moment, but this isn’t a major issue that I think people, especially independents, are gonna be voting for in November.

Really? Henry thinks that the problem Republicans have is that abusing the human rights of children and families of immigrants is all about the optics, not the welfare of the children. And that Trump’s mistake was not thinking through how awful tearing families apart would look. But how it looks isn’t what is sickening the American people.

Watters went even further to openly discuss the issue in terms of how it would impact the election. And his conclusion was that it wouldn’t hurt Trump or the GOP because American voters wouldn’t care. It’s just a little heart string tugging is all. Not nearly as important as what they pay for gas, or losing their healthcare.

It’s not bad enough that Watters and Henry regard Americans as so selfish that they care more about a few pennies difference in their gas bill than they do about suffering babies. But apparently they havn’t seen what the price of gas is lately either. The national average has increased by 25.6 percent in the past year. What’s more, Trump’s deliberate sabotage of ObamaCare, combined with the GOP tax plan, is predicted to result in as many as twenty-one million Americans losing their coverage. Then there’s also the Republican efforts to do away with protection for people with preexisting conditions and cut seven billion dollars from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

So Watters and Henry are offering an analysis of the upcoming election that is startling stupid. They are arguing that Americans are heartless heathens who are only interested in their own pocketbooks. But at the same time they ignoring that the pocketbook issues they raised slant heavily against the Republicans and Trump. It’s a good thing that their analysis is only being aired on Fox News, because those viewers are the only ones sufficiently brainwashed to believe any of that crap. The rest of the country is poised to oust Republicans specifically because of their policies that hurt average people, as well as their hideous human rights abuses directed at immigrant families.

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

https://youtu.be/YbBtT_eGZwE

Was EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Ambushed on Fox News Under Orders From Donald Trump?

Posted by on April 5, 2018 at 12:03 pm. 2 Comments :

Every now and then somebody on Fox News strays from the herd and does or says something critical of Donald Trump. It’s a rare event that is mostly confined to outliers like Shepard Smith or a courageous guest. In most cases it is treated as the aberration that it is and quickly buried under the rush of Fox’s typical pro-Trump propaganda.

Fox News, Scott Pruitt, EPA

On Wednesday, however, the criticism came from an unlikely source. Ed Henry, the chief national correspondent for Fox News, interviewed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Scott Pruitt (video below). In what Pruitt must have assumed would be a friendly media encounter, he was surprised by the aggressive tone of Henry’s inquiries. The questions addressed some of the most controversial scandals that have erupted during his tenure at the EPA.

Henry asked Pruitt why he went around Trump to give two top aides raises after the President refused the request. When Pruitt said that it was staffers who did that and that he didn’t know anything about it, Henry pushed back asking Pruitt to confirm that he didn’t know what was going on in the department he was supposedly running.

Henry also asked how renting a Washington, D.C. apartment at sweetheart rates from the wife of a lobbyist with business before the EPA was “draining the swamp.” Pruitt replied that there was nothing untoward about the arrangement. So Henry offered examples demonstrating that his $50.00 a night rental was way out of line with Washington rates for residences or hotels.

This appearance of actual journalism at Fox News is peculiar in general, but downright bizarre for Ed Henry.. He is one of the most squishy Trump-fluffers on Fox News. He is a frequent co-host of Trump’s favorite Fox show, Fox and Friends. There was a time in the past when Henry passed himself off as a straight-up reporter. But then he was suspended by Fox for having had an extramarital affair. When he returned to the air it was like he had been given a new mission to serve as a Trump sycophant. Perhaps it was the price of his reinstatement.

So why would Henry suddenly show some gumption and take on Trump’s EPA boss? The most plausible theory is that he was ordered to do so. And those orders could only have come from one place: Donald Trump. Fox wouldn’t independently direct Henry to go on the attack. They would have to have had instructions. And Trump has reasons to want Pruitt to look bad in public. With the scandals he has brought to the White House, including ludicrous spending for things like first-class air travel and a $40,000.00 secure phone booth in his office, Trump might be looking for excuses to fire him.

The signs are cropping up throughout the White House. When asked about Pruitt’s status Wednesday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was “under review.” Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley was similarly non-committal saying that he “can’t speak to the future of Scott Pruitt.” It sounds very much like Trump’s people are bailing on Pruitt. They would not do that without permission. Nor would Fox News. So it would be interesting to find out if there were any communications between Trump and his State-run TV network that directed Henry to filet Pruitt. He has been meeting with Fox Newsers much more in recent weeks, which suggests that their already close relationship is getting even closer.

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

Democrats For Trump? Fox News Interviews Convicted Money Launderer Who Supports Trump

Posted by on December 23, 2017 at 4:46 pm. 1 Comments :

In its ever vigilant mission to misrepresent political discourse, Fox News frequently seeks out spokespersons for constituencies that don’t really exist. It’s a significant part of their determination to create more division and partisan rancor. One of Fox’s favorite methods of bending reality to their own prejudices is to latch onto alleged Democrats who will betray their party to back some ill-advised nonsense proposed by Donald Trump.

Fox News

Fox News is particularly good at finding such political turncoats. Some are angry about a pet project that may have been ditched. Others are simply looking for attention. By promising them segments on the cable network to broadcast their personal rage, Fox gets them to publicly oppose their peers. And Fox gets to promote their own biases as told by supposed Democrats or liberals. In some cases the association is tenuous. For instance, Fox continues to identify right-wing zealot Pat Caddell as a Democratic pollster years after he abandon any semblance of Democratic politics.

On Saturday Fox News found another dubious Democrat to advance their promotion of Trump. Andrew Stein was once a New York City Councilman, but way back in the nineties he openly courted Republicans when he briefly ran against David Dinkins for mayor. More recently he pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. However, as the self-declared president of “Democrats For Trump” (an organization that doesn’t appear to exist) Fox News was thrilled to give him some valuable airtime.

Stein was interviewed by Fox’s Ed Henry on Fox and Friends (video below). He began the segment by accusing Democrats of having “Trump Derangement” for not being able accept that he was elected. When Henry asked Stein what advice he would give to “his fellow Democrats,” Stein offered this:

“Democrats are making a big mistake by just ‘resisting,’ talking about impeachment. It’s nonsense. This President has one of the best records I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been around a long time.”

Stein went on to praise Trump’s tax scam bill, particularly for how it benefits corporations. As if that were ever the focus of Democratic principles. Henry noted that Stein had recently spent half an hour with Trump in the Oval Office, which is undoubtedly how he came to the attention of Fox News. And when asked how Trump might do a better job of reaching out to Democrats, this fake Dem responded that:

“I think he’s done a fantastic job with this tax bill and with cutting regulations.”

Huh? You mean the bill that not one Democrat voted for? The one they weren’t allowed to contribute to or to offer amendments? The one they weren’t even allowed to see until a few hour before the vote? The one that violates every core value that Democrats hold dear by cutting taxes for the wealthy, making everyone else pay for it, and is also another GOP attempt to sabotage ObamaCare? That’s what Stein thinks was a “fantastic job of reaching out”?

There simply are no words.

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

Trump-Fluffing: What Fox News is Thankful for This Holiday Season

Posted by on November 24, 2017 at 1:40 pm. NO Comments :

Many Americans are spending this weekend sharing their gratitude and hopes for the future around the family table. It’s a tradition that encourages a positive expression of unity and appreciation for the good fortune and fellowship they’ve enjoyed over the past year.

Fox News Thanksgiving

But leave it to Fox News to cast a bleak shroud over these festivities. In a segment they labeled as “Political Thankfulness This Holiday Season” (video below), the wingnutty network set off on a negative course to demean their ideological foes and spread ludicrous analyses of recent electoral events.

The segment began with Fox News anchor Ed Henry exclaiming that there is “So much to be thankful for this time of year, even when it comes to politics, believe it or not.” Then, as an example, Henry cites an op-ed by conservative Marc Thiessen stating the he’s “grateful that Hillary Clinton is not president.” It’s the only example of thankfulness he mentions. With “so much to be thankful for,” he can only come up with something to be thankful against. And of course, it’s a childish swipe at a grandmother in Chappaqua.

From there the segment devolved into an absurd political dialog that featured Julie Kelly from the ultra-rightist National Review. Her remarks demonstrated just how far from reality Republicans have ventured. Referring to the recent election in Virginia where Democrats trounced the GOP, Kelly deliriously mused that:

“I do think that the Virginia elections were a good sign for Republicans in Congress. I mean Donald Trump is far more popular with the Republican base than the Republican Congress is.”

Losing a historic race that put a Democrat in the governor’s office and may have flipped the legislature to Democrats for the first time in years is “a good sign” for Republicans? And if that isn’t enough evidence of a severe cognitive malfunction, Kelly’s reasoning focuses on Trump’s popularity? Doesn’t she know that he has the worst approval ratings of any president in modern times? Yet she regards that pathetic data as positive because her party’s approval in Congress is even worse? Really? At this rate, she’s gonna be downright ecstatic when the GOP loses control of the House and the Senate next year.

Kelly then added that she doesn’t think the losses in Virginia were a wake up call directed at Donald Trump. Never mind exit polls that explicitly cited Trump as a primary reason for their anti-GOP votes. And following that ludicrous election analysis, host Henry agreed saying:

“Julie, you’re absolutely right. The voters are watching. This is a golden opportunity for the Republican Party. We’ll see if they blow it or not.”

Fair and balanced? Henry, who used to be Fox’s White House correspondent, concurs with the utter nonsense Kelly just disgorged. And he revels in what a fantastic advantage it is for Republicans, so long as they embrace it. Happy times all around at Fox News.

There was, however, something significant left out of this Thanksgiving commemoration. And it’s something that a majority of Americans actually are thankful for. It’s the progress being made by special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into the corruption and treason of Donald Trump and his criminal accomplices in Washington and Moscow. No doubt Fox News will cover any report about Trump’s impeachment as a golden opportunity for the GOP. Either that or they’ll just ignore it, call it fake news, and blame it all on Hillary.

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

Fox News ‘White’ Washes Racist Past Of Trump’s Attorney General Nominee

Posted by on November 18, 2016 at 12:43 pm. 1 Comments :

The Trump transition marches on with another name being floated for a prominent role. This time it’s Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R-AL) who is reportedly being tapped for Attorney General. Jeff Sessions would join white nationalist Stephen Bannon and religious bigot Michael Flynn in Donald Trump’s inner circle.

Jeff Sessions

The choice of Sessions is perfectly aligned with Trump’s well-documented record of prejudice and division. But it’s not particularly suited for leadership of the Justice Department which is responsible for enforcing civil rights laws. Prior to his senate service, Sessions was a U.S. attorney and attorney general in Alabama. He was nominated by President Reagan for a seat on the federal bench, but failed to receive confirmation from a majority Republican senate. Among the reasons were his criticisms of the NAACP as un-American and communist-inspired. He also referred to a black lawyer as “boy,” and called white attorneys who defended black clients “race traitors.” No wonder former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke tweeted his support saying:

https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/799624219831058432

Ordinarily, this sort of behavior would be disqualifying for a high profile government post. But in the Age of Trump there are no depths too low for an aspiring public figure to sink. Trump himself has engaged in the most abhorrent forms of hate-speech aimed at African-Americans, women, Muslims, and others. And throughout it all, Fox News was there to tidy up his bigotry and re-frame it as bold, straight talk.

That’s exactly what happened Friday morning on Fox & Friends when guest host Ed Henry interviewed Trump advisor Brad Blakeman. Predictably impressed, Blakeman said that Trump “couldn’t pick a better candidate” than Sessions. He lauded the Senator as:

“…a guy who is steeped in the law, got an excellent reputation, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 to be the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, served for more than a decade, then became the attorney general thereafter of Alabama, and then the U.S. Senator. So he’s got a stellar record.”

Henry deftly dodged the substance of Blakeman’s glowing tribute to Sessions. Instead, he diverted to unrelated questions about Republican frustration with Democratic AG’s Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. But for some reason Henry ignored the glaring omissions in Blakeman’s revisionist history.

An ethical journalist would have pointed out that Sessions was rejected for a judgeship due to blatantly racist behavior. That information is directly relevant to the duties of the Attorney General who has jurisdiction over the federal justice administration. But on Fox News it is potentially damaging to their mission of right-wing propaganda. Consequently, it’s left out of the discussion and their viewers remain blissfully ignorant. So even in the Age of Trump, some things never change.

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

Right-Wingers Freak Out Over Claim That Obama is ‘Banning’ Fox News

Posted by on October 4, 2016 at 2:46 pm. 1 Comments :

Oh Noes! The Obamabots are at it again. Remember when they confiscated all of our guns, set up concentration camps, and handed Alabama over to ISIS? Well now they have a new plot to outlaw free speech and suppress the patriots at Fox News.

Fox News

The conservative InterTubes are afire with paranoid panic over remarks by a member of the Federal Election Commission. Democratic commissioner Ellen Weintraub wrote a memorandum to her colleagues with the subject “Revised Proposal to Launch Rulemaking to Ensure that U.S. Political Spending is Free from Foreign Influence.” To anyone not suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome, this would appear to be responsible election oversight. Which is the mission of the FEC. However, to hysterical right-wingers this is an assault on free speech. The offending paragraph from the memo simply asks:

“Given the ban on direct or indirect foreign national spending in U.S. elections. should any limits be imposed on corporate spending based on the percentage of the corporation’s foreign ownership?”

It is already illegal for foreign nationals and corporations to donate to U.S. candidates and political referendums. The reasons are obvious. Nobody wants hostile nations to be able to interfere with American elections. Russia or China should not have the ability to plant their operatives in our Congress. The rulemaking proposal by Weintraub is only meant to close any loopholes and to secure the integrity of our political system. The memo states exactly that:

“The FEC needs to address the real threat that foreign individuals, corporations, or governments may seek to manipulate our elections through domestic corporations they own or control. Given everything we have learned this year. it blinks reality to suggest that that there is no risk of foreign nationals taking advantage of current loopholes to intercede invisibly in American elections. This is a risk no member of the Federal Election Commission should be willing to tolerate.”

This could not be more clear cut. Weintraub is plainly seeking to prevent our enemies from corrupting our elections. So leave it to Fox News to create a controversy where none would otherwise exist. To that end, the hosts of Fox & Friends barreled headlong into the phony squabble with Brian Kilmeade introducing senior correspondent Ed Henry:

Kilmeade: Oh, in case we didn’t mention it, Fox News could be banned from covering politics. That is if Democrats on the Federal Election Committee (sic) get their way.
Henry: Democrats on the Federal Election Commission targeting Fox and other media companies who have even a tiny bit of foreign ownership, saying they should not be allowed to engage in any ‘electioneering communication.’ This could be used to muzzle free speech and it was offered by a Democratic commissioner on the FEC, Ellen Weintraub.

The segment went on to assert that the commission was enacting a regulation that “could ban Fox and others from endorsing or covering” politics. Although there is nothing in the memo that even alludes to that. In fact, the memo never even mentions the media. What’s more, it isn’t enacting anything, it is merely opening a dialog. And the dialog is wholly focused on corporations that are owned by foreign nationals or governments. The actions addressed are strictly identified as electioneering, not reporting, endorsing, or any other function of journalism. Weintrab even reiterated that in an official statement:

Did that ease the irrational fears of the conservative outrage machine? Of course not. On the Internet there were frantic tweets from the usual fringy suspects. In addition, the Media Research Center (the ultra-right watchdog group and home of Newsbusters) published an article with a headline that shrieked “FEC Attempting to Kill Fox News, WSJ, NY Post Political Coverage.” Their lede was a false and feverish declaration that “The propaganda machine inside the federal government is in full swing to squelch any conservatives or dissenting views.”

As is apparent from the original memo and the appended affirmation, none of that is true. It’s just another fit of hysteria from right-wing conspiracy kooks. These are the same folks who thought that military exercises in Texas were a prelude to invasion. They worried that Obama was deliberately infecting America with Ebola. Before long these fruitcakes will be clamoring for Hillary Clinton’s impeachment due to her covert lizard identity. In the meantime, Fox & Friends’ Ainsley Earhardt is showing her grit by standing up to the infidels:

“If they want the government to control the media then they can move to North Korea, or Russia, or China. It’s not happening here. No one’s telling us what we can and can’t say.”

Well, no one except for the Fox News executives and the Republican National Committee. It is no accident that there is a uniformity of opinion on Fox. They are presently serving as the Trump PR office. And this latest imaginary atrocity will just be another of their excuses after they lose in November.

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

UPDATE: The real threat to freedom of the press is Donald Trump:

“Mr. Trump, especially given the positions he’s staked out … would represent a really significant threat to the tradition of an independent free press in the United States,” says David Barstow of The New York Times.

“I think Donald Trump represents a clear and present danger to the liberties of the people, to the idea of the First Amendment,” agrees David Cay Johnston, now a columnist for The Daily Beast.