Greta Van Susteren

Sarah Palin Wants One Name Of A Hostile Republican. OK: Sarah Palin

Posted by on August 15, 2012 at 12:39 pm. 5 Comments :

Washed up GOP VP loser, half-term governor, and failed TV reality show star, Sarah Palin, appeared on Fox News last night with her friend Greta Van Susteren. The conversation turned to some of the nastiness on the campaign trail that Palin thinks is exclusively on the side of the Democrats. In a hilarious demonstration of self-delusion, Palin said…

“Name one — name one prominent Republican who even comes close to what like the Alan Graysons, the Harry Reids, the Joe Bidens come up with and spew to the American public. I can’t think of one prominent Republican who talks the way that they talk.”

Sarah Palin

Name one? OK: “Sarah Palin.” The woman who accused Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” And earlier this year she said “Nancy Pelosi is a dingbat,” and that President Obama is “a tool.” And she repeatedly calls anyone with whom she has an ideological disagreement a socialist. Sarah Palin is about the most vituperative, mean-spirited, mud-slinger in America today. And she can’t think of a single name of a prominent Republican who fits that description. Well, in her defense, she did specify a “prominent Republican.” And she’s the same person who couldn’t think a single newspaper or magazine she had read.

In case Palin is interested in any other names, she might want to look into Allen West, who was her top choice for Romney’s running mate. West has called half the Democrats in congress communists and accused them of being aligned with Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. And I would also refer Palin to Michele Bachmann, Joe Walsh, Virginia Fox, Louis Gohmert, and Herman Cain. Then there are media figures like Rush Limbaugh who called a college student a slut and a prostitute, and Glenn Beck who called the President a racist.

There are way too many instances of Republicans descending into the most vile disparagement and hate-speech to list them all. Yet Palin can’t come up with a single name. And what makes that especially disturbing is that her own name would be at the top of the list. In this same segment with Van Susteren, Palin called Obama a socialist and defended “these powerful and truthful and accurate words to describe what President Obama is running on and what he is doing to America.” And how much more insulting can you get than to call someone a pal of terrorists?

Seriously, why does anyone pay any attention to this idiot?

The Alaska Mistake Mouths Off: Sarah Palin Finally Responds To Dick Cheney

Posted by on August 1, 2012 at 10:12 am. 1 Comments :

Sarah PalinIt took 72 hours, but Sarah Palin has finally responded to the blunt assessment of her by former Vice-President Dick Cheney. Palin visited the friendly territory of Fox News, and her old pal Greta Van Susteren, to swing back at Cheney who told ABC News that her selection as John McCain’s running mate was “a mistake.” Cheney does have a gift for understatement.

In the course of the interview Palin went out of her way to insult Cheney by saying that his remarks about her were the result of his having been “convinced” of a “false narrative” by “the lamestream media.” Cheney may be many things (many terrible, frightening things), but he does not tend to swallow prepackaged media presentations. Rather, he is more likely to invent them himself. Nevertheless, Palin tossed out her usual word-salad saying…

“Here’s where the mistake would have been, Greta, I believe. It’s had I not answered the call. I was honored to get to run for Vice President of the United States alongside Senator John McCain. I was honored to accept the nomination from the GOP.”

Palin seems to think that the mistake Cheney referenced was that she accepted the VP nomination, rather than McCain offering it to her in the first place. That sort of incoherent misunderstanding validates Cheney’s opinion of her. But Palin wasn’t finished. She went on to glorify herself and the sacrifice she undertook to become a major party candidate for vice-president.

“It would have been a mistake to have hunkered down, just lived that luxurious, if you will, comfortable lifestyle in Alaska.”

Of course, we now know that Palin gleefully exploited the notoriety she attained from the nomination. She peddled her books and speaking engagements. She signed a multimillion dollar deal with Fox News. She starred in laughably inept reality TV programs. She increased her net worth many times over, yet recalls wistfully her “luxurious” lifestyle in Alaska. Is anyone really buying this tripe?

Rupert Murdoch’s Birthday Wish To His Staff: STFU You Wankers!

Posted by on March 11, 2012 at 3:54 am. 1 Comments :

Rupert Murdoch

Congratulations are in order for Mr. Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and CEO of News Corp, who turns 81 today. However, as he surveys the empire that he built he must be bitterly disappointed with the tunnel-blind miscreants he employs. Their obsessive, knee-jerk hostility to all things liberal has clouded their judgment in ways that harm the very interests they are being paid to serve. The result is a rash of friendly fire from within the ranks of Murdoch’s menagerie.

The first casualty is a victim in the Limbaugh-induced war of indecency. Intent on spreading blame to everyone but Limbaugh, Fox News has embarked on a crusade against any liberal (or perceived liberal) who may have said something controversial. It commenced with a Fox favorite for vilification, Bill Maher, but has now extended to comedian Louis CK. Fox News host Greta Van Susteren was so incensed that Louis CK was tapped to provide the comic relief at the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner that she publicly protested, called him a pig, and declared that she was initiating a boycott of the event. Subsequently, Louis CK dropped the gig. This is an unwelcome birthday gift for Rupert because the comedian also happens to be the star of “Louis” on his FX cable channel.

Next up is the battle between Fox News contributors. Tucker Carlson, one of said contributors, wrote an editorial on his DailyCaller blog that attempted to illustrate a hypocrisy in the media coverage of the Limbaugh controversy. Unfortunately, Carlson chose to include in his example the former LAPD officer Mark Furhman, who is best known for his use of racial epithets that was disclosed during the OJ Simpson trial. Carlson mocked Furhman as a pariah who is probably out of work, and deservedly so because “Nobody wants to be seen with a bigot.” The problem is that Furhman is actually employed by the same Fox News that employs Carlson. So not only is Carlson seen with Furhman, they are colleagues. All one big happy family of bigots. That can’t be making Rupert’s birthday any more joyful.

This is just the sort of thing that can occur when people are so blinded by their prejudices that they lose all sight of anything but their determination to harm their perceived enemies. The ultimate example of this mental defect occurred when Glenn Beck called Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal a terrorist. Alwaleed is the second largest shareholder of News Corp stock outside of the Murdoch family, and a close friend and business partner of Murdoch.

So anyway, happy birthday, Rupert. And good luck with that loathsome collection of reprobates you call a news team.

Fox News Debuts The Rush Limbaugh Hyperbole Hour

Posted by on December 15, 2011 at 12:21 pm. 3 Comments :

The Fox News web site for “those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or suppress freedom of thought, expression, and worship,” Fox Nation, generally exhibits the same calm, thoughtful, and reasoned demeanor in its presentation of the news as its TV parent. For example, this morning the Fox Nationalists posted this headline story:

Fox Nation

For anyone who didn’t tune in to the interview of Rush Limbaugh by Greta Van Susteren yesterday (which was 99% of the country), what you missed was seeing Van Susteren turn over almost half of her program to Limbaugh. She asked a couple of questions and then let Limbaugh ramble on incessantly in his trademarked hyperbolic manner. And in all of the time he consumed he said nothing more than “Obama sucks,” over and over again.

And speaking of hyperbole, notice the Fox Nation headline saying that “Limbaugh Shatters Obama Into a Million Pieces.” Really? Because the last time I looked Rush is still hosting an AM radio program with an audience of self-described “dittoheads” and Obama is the leader of the free world. But this is typical of Fox Nation. Here is a small sampling of prior headlines that have graced this alleged “news” site:

  • Newt Obliterates OWS: ‘Go Get A Job Right After You Take A Bath
  • Allen West Obliterates Obama Official at Hearing
  • Flashback: Bill O’Reilly Obliterates Barney Frank
  • Bush Official Obliterates Code Pink Founder Over Krugman Column
  • CBO Director Obliterates Obama Budget
  • Limbaugh Demolishes Warren Buffett
  • Laura Ingraham Completely Demolishes Matt Lauer on ‘Today Show’
  • Wow! McCain Demolishes Boxer
  • O’Reilly Demolishes Liberal Hypocrisy
  • GOP Ad Destroys Obama with His Own Words
  • AP Fact Check Destroys Obama’s Libya Speech
  • FLASHBACK: Herman Cain Destroys Bill Clinton in Hillarycare Debate
  • Paul Ryan Destroys Reid Bill in Blistering Speech
  • Krauthammer Destroys Obama’s ‘Spike the Football’ Analogy
  • MUST WATCH: Gov. Christie Destroys ‘Thin-Skinned’ Reporter
  • LISTEN: Howard Stern Destroys Dem Senate Candidate
  • WATCH: Trump Destroys Mosque-Loving ‘Morning Joe’ Panel
  • O’Reilly Destroys Eminem and Media Matters
  • Politifact Annihilates Harry Reid
  • Must See! Cheney’s Daughter Annihilates MSNBC Anchor
  • O’Reilly Crushes Atheist Richard Dawkins
  • Palin Crushes TIME Magazine Over Their ‘Lies’
  • George Will Crushes ABC Panel
  • SHOWDOWN: Rubio Torches Kerry on Senate Floor
  • Risqué GOP Ad Torches Harry Reid for Vegas Blowout
  • ‘The Fact Checker’ Nukes Pelosi
  • CEO GOES NUCLEAR ON OBAMA
  • Ann Coulter Goes Nuclear on Scott Walker
  • Mark Levin Goes Nuclear Over Obama Destroying the Country
  • Trump Goes Nuclear on CNBC
  • Levin Goes Nuclear on Trump

By Fox News standards any time someone criticizes someone else they are either obliterated, demolished, destroyed, annihilated, crushed, torched, or nuked. Particularly if the criticism is directed to President Obama or a Democrat. And I didn’t even check my thesaurus to come up with other histrionic synonyms Fox might have employed.

The one thread that runs through all of this is how overtly hostile and violent their editorial rhetoric is. Clearly Fox regards their mission as one of war against their ideological adversaries. And given the fact that their audience consists of an inordinate percentage of fairly unbalanced and well-armed individuals, this is irresponsible and potentially dangerous.

As Newt Gingrich once said, the Tea Party is “the militant wing of the Republican Party.” And Fox News is their Clarion Caller.

Sarah Palin: From Grizzly Mama To Harley Mama

Posted by on May 31, 2011 at 10:59 am. 2 Comments :

The Fox News Party candidate for president and former half-term governor, Sarah Palin, did what she does best this Memorial Day weekend: Exploit others to promote herself.


Palin and Fox are playing an unethical and dishonest game to fatten their wallets. When will Fox News either admit that they know she isn’t running for president, or take her off the air until she comes clean? And more importantly, when will the brain-dead media stop salivating every time the Palin bell rings? The press has no more business hyping substanceless photo-ops for Sarah Palin than they would for Ronald McDonald.

By the way, what’s the difference between Fox News and McDonald’s? One sells cheap crap with lots of filler & seasoning to masses with no taste. The other is a fast food restaurant.

[Update] Palin spoke to Greta Van Susteren of Fox News (of course) and complained about the media saying “this isn’t a campaign tour.” and that “it’s not about me, it’s not a publicity-seeking tour.” Of course not. She is only traveling around in a massive custom bus with full exterior graphics of herself and her non-campaign logo, One Nation (stolen from the union rally last year in Washington, D.C.). Clearly she just wants to be left alone.

Palin also said “I’m like A) I don’t think I owe anything to the mainstream media.” First of all, I want to point out that there was no B or C, etc. She keeps her lists short as befits her attention span. Secondly, I agree with her. she doesn’t owe anything to the mainstream media, and they owe nothing to her. Stop following her, dumbasses!

Irony Alert: Greta Van Susteren Questions Juan Williams’ Credibility

Posted by on December 28, 2010 at 11:11 am. 1 Comments :

In a recent appearance on Fox News, Juan Williams made an observation that most thinking people would regard as objectively true when he said that Sarah Palin “can’t stand on the intellectual stage with Obama.” Even most Republicans don’t think Palin has the qualifications to be president, and many are simply embarrassed by her frequent incoherent Facebookings and Tweets.

But Palin’s Fox News colleague, Greta Van Susteren, is not amongst them. In response to Williams’ comment Van Susteren took to her blog to question Williams’ journalistic credibility and to ask whether he had ever interviewed the Tea Hag, implying that if he had not his opinion is irrelevant. Says Van Susteren:

“Knowing the source of a journalist’s information helps you judge whether it is good information or just yak. […] Knowing if he interviewed (first hand knowledge) either and to what depth can help guide you as to whether you should credit his opinion or not.”

Really? Then it should be noted that Van Susteren is a personal friend of Palin and that her husband has been an advisor on Palin’s staff for years. This is something that Van Susteren fails to disclose when she defends Palin, as she often does.

What’s more, if Van Susteren is going to make the absurd contention that no one can have an opinion of a public figure without having first interviewed them, would she apply that standard to herself? Would she apply it to Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly, and everyone else on Fox News, or in all of the media? (This would put a lot of pundits out of work which, come to think of it, may not be such a bad idea). Or does it only apply to people with whom she disagrees when they are critical of her friends and her husband’s clients? For Van Susteren to pass judgment on Williams in this manner says more about her own lack of journalistic standards than it does of his.

However, both Williams and Van Susteren may have bigger problems. They are both in violation of their boss’s edict to refrain from criticizing fellow Fox Newsers. Williams attacked Palin whereupon Van Susteren attacked Williams. On a prior occasion when Fox insiders were complaining publicly about Glenn Beck, Roger Ailes said…

“Yeah, shut up. You’re getting a paycheck. Go on the team or get off the team. Don’t run around here badmouthing a colleague.”

You think Ailes will be having a talk with these two malcontents?

Sarah Palin’s Real American Fluff Gets Soft Reception

Posted by on April 2, 2010 at 5:31 pm. 10 Comments :


See the entire Malice in Wonderland

If Fox News thought they had the next big thing locked up when they signed Sarah Palin, they may be having second thoughts today.

The broadcast of Sarah Palin’s Real American Fluff Pieces, a collection of old clips that were supposed to be inspirational, probably did not inspire much excitement in the Fox News executive suites. The audience, while besting the competition, was not particularly impressive for Fox. In fact, Palin had fewer viewers than Greta Van Susteren’s On the Record, the program she preempted. There were only about 2 million real Americans tuning into Palin’s show (472K adults 25-54). That compares to Van Susteren’s 2.3 million viewers (654K 25-54) last Thursday and 2.1 million (559K 25-54) average for the first quarter of 2010.

From a critical perspective, the reviews are in, and they aren’t lighting up the Fox Towers. Most of the comments employ adjectives like “tame,” “canned,” “stiffness,” “innocuous,” and “disconnected.” If this is her out-of-town tryout, she isn’t going on to Broadway.

It’s fair to assume that Palin is well compensated for her efforts on behalf of Fox News. I haven’t seen any disclosures of her salary but she gets a minimum of $100,000 for speaking engagements, so you can bet she got a gold-plated contract from her pal Rupert Murdoch. Nevertheless, her numbers would have put her in seventh place in the cable news rankings following Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Special Report w/Bret Baier, Van Susteren, and Fox Report w/Shepard Smith. She did manage to beat Neil Cavuto and an O’Reilly rerun.

Somehow, I don’t think this is what Roger Ailes had in mind when he dropped a pile of cash on her. Of course, this is not her only duties at Fox. She also provides commentary to programs like Van Susteren’s and O’Reilly’s. Well, commentary may be too generous a description. It’s more like a litany of platitudes and cliches that she probably wrote on her palm. Even her colleague Chris Wallace dressed her down on the air – to her face – saying, “Well, you’re not a very good analyst.” Palin responded by inviting Ailes to fire her. That notion might have entered his mind this morning when he saw the overnights.

Yesterday’s program got off to a rocky start when one of the featured guests, LL Cool J, revealed that he had never spoken to Fox or Palin and that the interview was a two year old clip that he had not given permission to rebroadcast for this purpose. Fox responded by insulting him and cutting him out of the show. Shortly after, Toby Keith, another featured guest, made the same complaint as LL Cool J. Oddly enough, the white country singer was neither insulted nor edited out, as the black rapper/actor was.

Fox News is the most profitable division of Murdoch’s News Corp. Over the past few years their ratings have grown and they’ve renegotiated richer contracts with cable operators. But business decisions like the Palin signing are not going to add to the company’s future prospects. They are already suffering the embarrassment of having their second highest rated program, Glenn Beck, going to air with advertising for diet pills and gold recyclers because Ford and Wal-Mart don’t want to be associated with him.

Under the circumstances, I’m not sure that Murdoch and Ailes can possibly think that they are getting their money’s worth from Beck or Palin. But that doesn’t mean they won’t continue to carry them. Murdoch has sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into the New York Post and it has never been profitable for as long as he’s owned it. He purchased the Wall Street Journal for $5 billion and last year wrote off $2 billion of that. He has been deficit financing the Fox Business Network for over two years with still no sign of it going into the black. In short, he’s made of money and doesn’t care how much of it he loses in pursuit of his political agenda.

That ought to come as a great relief to Sarah Palin after this disastrous debut as an anchor.

All You Need To Know About Rush Limbaugh

Posted by on July 26, 2009 at 8:24 pm. 5 Comments :

In another in a series of Fox News PR events for Republican dickwads, Greta Van Susteren hosted Rush Limbaugh, giving him two days of airtime on her show. There is a great deal of inane banter to be mined from this auto-neurotic strokefest, but I’ll just focus on one brief segment wherein Van Susteren sought to ascertain Limbaugh’s preference for President in 2012:

VAN SUSTEREN: But not in terms of horse race. I’m looking at who do you sort of, from an ideology point of view, do you think is the smartest or best candidate in your mind now?

LIMBAUGH: Well, that’s — I don’t want to answer that criteria, smartest and best. I’m looking right now at who can win.

That about says it all. Limbaugh, and the Republican establishment, is unconcerned with intelligence or qualifications. They just want any old douchebag who can pull in some votes. That would explain George W. Bush back in 2000. It would likewise explain Sarah Palin who, as it turns out, is the candidate that Limbaugh singles out for her ability to excite audiences and frighten Democrats.

For the record, there isn’t a Republican on the horizon that would thrill me more as their candidate in 2012 than Sarah Palin. In fact, a Palin/Steele ticket would be a dream come true. I’m not sure who Limbaugh thinks is afraid of her. Every Democrat I know is praying for her to be the nominee. The only thing I’m afraid of is that she’ll flame out before the campaign gets started.

It is notable that Van Susteren specifically requested that Limbaugh answer her question “not in terms of horse race.” Limbaugh completely ignored that request and gave a response that centered solely on the horse race and his preference for a winning candidate over one who is smart or best suited for the job. Then this hypocrite has the gall to say that he cares about the United States and the American people. And to compound his hypocrisy he follows that up with:

LIMBAUGH: “It’s not about — it’s not about personalities. It’s not about horse races. It’s about the country.”

He really needs to make up his mind. First he refuses to answer a question about what is best for the country in favor of his assessment of the horse race. Then he says it isn’t about the horse race at all.

And there are people who really buy this garbage?