Marsha Blackburn

OH NOES! Fox News Thinks Obama is Really Running the Government – And It’s Scaring Them Witless

Posted by on April 6, 2022 at 1:50 pm. 1 Comments :

There are plenty of things for Fox News to be worried about these days. First and foremost is the genocidal war being waged by Russia against Ukraine, for which they are siding with Russia who is currently losing. And while the Biden economy is booming, inflation is taking away some of the glow. And a Black woman who they oppose because she’s too qualified is about to be confirmed for the Supreme Court. And Disney is too “woke” for America.

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Obama Fox News

Despite all of those “woes,” Fox News has settled into an entirely different and wholly imaginary catastrophe. During a segment on their “business” channel, Fox’s Senior Trump-Fluffer, Maria Bartiromo, invited Republican Senator Marsh Blackburn to commiserate with her on a harrowing hardship that they both contrived from the thin air that is obviously depriving their brains of critical oxygen. That mental malady resulted in the following exchange:

Bartiromo: I think what’s interesting here is that now we understand that Obama is gonna have weekly meetings with Joe Biden. so if you didn’t think Obama was running the country before, maybe you can know that he’s running the country now, given his weekly meetings with Joe Biden. How do you see all of this?
Blackburn: Well, Maria, we know that Obama’s team has been calling the shots all during the Biden presidency, whether it’s Susan Rice or Valerie Jarrett or Jake Sullivan, and Ron Klain. And now in order to try to get the poll numbers up – Biden is at a 55 percent disapproval. The Democrats are poised to take a shellacking in the midterm elections. They need a good news story. And the only way they think they can get it is to bring Obama back as the de facto leader in the White House. And that’s the message they’re gonna try to send. Barack Obama is in charge. And Barack Obama is setting the agenda. And Barack Obama is leading the team.

Holy Shitake Mushrooms! Not Obama! Apparently nothing is more frightening to these ultra-rightist hacks than the thought of a Black man who governed successfully for two terms (that he won with a majority of the popular vote and zero impeachments) returning to provide his insight for the benefit of the nation.

Bartiromo and Blackburn think there is something untoward about Biden employing some of the same people who advised him so ably during his tenure as Vice-President. And the only thing they think is worse than Biden presiding over the nation (via his decisive victory over Donald Trump) is the return of Obama.

Never mind that Obama was only visiting the White House (for the first time since his term ended) because it was the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act that Republicans helpfully tagged with the name Obamacare. He and Biden were celebrating the fact millions of Americans are now covered by health insurance who were previously subject to massive bills and unnecessary medical suffering.

Nevertheless, the only thing that Bartiromo and Blackburn took away from this was their darkly foreboding delusions that their arch enemy Obama is the “de facto leader,” a shadow president who is secretly calling the shots for a cognitively deficient Biden. And it’s terrifying them to even contemplate it. So naturally, they are passing their utterly irrational fears on to the already fretful Fox News audience.

This is nothing more than another Fox News conspiracy theory that rivals any of those promulgated by QAnon. And knowing these two crackpots, perhaps that’s where it originated. In the meantime Fox News is deceitfully editing videos of Biden to bolster their lies about his mental acuity.

Notice that Laura Ingraham is regurgitating the tedious narrative by Fox News hacks that “Biden doesn’t know what on Earth he’s doing, or at times, where he even is.” That’s followed by Tucker Carlson disingenuously sobbing that “It’s awful.” But what’s truly awful is how brazenly dishonest they are. And how repulsively anti-American. The only thing they’re interested in is keeping their flock ignorant and afraid. And that should be be to hard.

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Fox News Corrects Confused GOP Senator Who Forgets Their Anti-Biden, Pro-COVID Narrative

Posted by on October 21, 2021 at 1:55 pm. NO Comments :

It’s not as easy as it might seem to be steadfastly obedient to the right-wing doctrine of Fox News and Republican Trumpism. Considering all of the blatant hypocrisy and flip-flips of Donald Trump and his Foxian Pharisees, their befuddled cult followers should be forgiven if they fall off the wingnut wagon every now and then.

Fox News, Bullshit Factory

An example of this inadvertent heresy occurred during an interview of GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn on Fox Business Network. She was asked by Trump-fluffing host Stuart Varney about the current state of the coronavirus in America. That inquiry led to this exchange:

Blackburn: What we have to realize, the left is desperate to continue the pandemic until the 2022 midterm elections, and we’ve got to find ways to say, ‘Oh no you don’t.'”
Varney: You think he’s trying to continue the pandemic, extend the pandemic. I would have thought he’s losing ground because of his not great understanding or performance with the pandemic.
Blackburn: Well, you’re right.

First of all, Biden’s performance with the pandemic is responsible for getting nearly 80% of the nation’s adults vaccinated. That said, Blackburn’s initial commentary was clearly a departure from rightist orthodoxy. They have been insisting for over a year that Democrats were being too aggressive in fighting to end the pandemic and return the nation to some semblance of normalcy. Now Blackburn is asserting that Democrats want the pandemic to persist.

Not only has the right accused Democrats of over-hyping COVID, but Trump has repeatedly claimed that the pandemic was a hoax that Democrats were temporarily exploiting for political purposes. He insisted that “on November 4th everything will open up.” He said that the shutdowns were “only being done to hurt the economy” until after the election when “the talk will be how low the death rate is.”

So obviously Blackburn was off script with her claim that Democrats want to hold on to the pandemic. And Varney told her so in no uncertain terms. She had to be quickly steered back into the conservative corral where Biden was a “failure” for not waving a magic wand and making the virus disappear. And it had to be done on the air where everyone could witness it. After which Blackburn immediately straightened up and conceded that Varney’s take was the correct one, without acknowledging that she had just said the exact opposite.

This is an object lesson in how Fox News disseminates its propaganda. They have pre-approved ideological mandates that must be adhered to by every faithful follower. Even if they change from day to day, or hour to hour. It’s how they justify attacking Biden’s vaccine mandates, even though Fox News imposes mandates that are even more strict. Or how Tucker Carlson can criticize the White House parental leave policy, while ignoring his own colleagues who enjoy the same policy at Fox. Or how Trump can whine that his free speech is being abridged as he calls for banning free speech. It’s just how Fox News operates and, fortunately for them, their viewers are too dimwitted to notice.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
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It’s Official: Fox News and the GOP have merged into a single political media enterprise

Posted by on October 19, 2017 at 3:24 pm. 1 Comments :

It’s no secret that Fox News has been serving as the de facto PR division of the Republican Party since its inception. It was founded by an arch-conservative newspaper baron (Rupert Murdoch) and a former GOP media strategist (Roger Ailes). It’s schedule is replete with twenty-four straight hours of right-wing propaganda delivered by devoted partisans like Sean Hannity. It is, in fact, Donald Trump’s preferred network with his favorite show, Fox and Friends.

Fox News Marsha Blackburn

As chummy as this relationship has been for many years, on Thursday morning it took a big step. This political love story advanced from it’s long engagement to a blissful marriage. The wedding took place on Fox’s Outnumbered. This program usually features a rotating cast of female co-hosts from the Fox News roster, plus “one lucky guy” in the guest’s chair. But in this episode one of the co-hosts was not a Fox regular. It was Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) who also happens to be a candidate for the Senate in Tennessee.

Blackburn was not a guest. She was seated in a chair reserved for co-hosts and was introduced as one. That’s an uncommon position for a sitting congressperson and active candidate to take on an alleged news network. In effect, the network is admitting her into the Fox News family of partisan pundits. It’s a “privilege” that no Democratic representative is ever likely to enjoy. And especially during a contested election for a vacant senate seat, it’s a campaign bonus that is worth millions of dollars. Will Fox give her Democratic opponent equal time? Don’t hold your breath.

In addition to that appearance, Blackburn was on Fox and Friends earlier the same morning. In the teaser for the segment she was brought onto the set and greeted with kisses by the show’s hosts. When was the last you saw a politician arriving for an interview on a “news” network get a wet one planted on her by the people who would be conducting the interview. Imagine the outcry if Nancy Pelosi was greeted that way by Chuck Todd when she showed up for a segment on Meet the Press.

This has become the new normal for Fox News. They hardly even try to live up to the “fair and balanced” slogan (that they dropped earlier this year) anymore. Fox and Friends is the source of many of Donald Trump’s tweets. This morning, for example, they did a story on the long ago debunked conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton approved a give-away of uranium to the Russians. A few minutes later it showed up on Trump’s Twitter feed.

With the advent of GOP politicians and candidates taking up hosting duties on Fox News, it is impossible to deny the depth of their embrace. It was bad enough when Republicans simply moved back and forth between the two entities between official government jobs. For instance, former GOP Oversight Committee chair, Jason Chaffetz, is now a Fox News contributor. And former Fox and Friends co-host, Heather Nauert, is now the spokesperson for the State Department. They have completely dropped the requirement that these partisans be “former” anything. They are openly mixing up the roles that politicians and pundits are playing. And it’s a gross perversion of the the ethical principles of both.

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

Bachmann, Blackburn Out Of Tea Party Conference. Is Palin Next?

Posted by on January 28, 2010 at 2:56 pm. 3 Comments :

The upcoming Tea Party National Conference has been reeling from reports of infighting amongst the rival Tea Bagger groups. Much of the controversy concerns the convention’s steep ($549.00) entry fee and allegations of financial improprieties on the part of the organizers. The convention has already lost a number of sponsors.

Well now their problems are multiplying as two of their featured speakers have canceled on them. Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Michele Bachmann have advised the Tea Party Nation, who are organizing the event, that they will be unable to attend. According to a press release from the Tea Party Nationalists, the cancellation was precipitated by congressional ethics rules:

“Due to a review of the for profit status of the event, the [ethics] committee could not authorize them to speak as the use of any proceeds from the event had not yet been established.”

That explanation is suspicious at best. First of all, the assertion that the Ethics Committee “could not authorize” the appearance doesn’t jibe with the committee’s function. It sounds more like the representatives are laying off blame on the committee to evade their own responsibility for ducking out of a shady booking. Secondly, a GOP aide cited last week’s Supreme Court decision in Citizen’s United vs. FEC as the reason for ditching the affair. That’s patently absurd. If anything, the decision broadened the ability to associate with groups that contribute to campaigns, but in truth, the decision didn’t even address groups like the Tea Party Nation. So it appears the their actual reasons for canceling are likely different than their official ones.

With the departure of Blackburn and Bachmann, Sarah Palin is the convention’s only star attraction (unless you count the editor of WorldNetDaily or Judge Roy “Ten Commandments” Moore). And her participation is perhaps tenuous as well. Some Tea Party activists are unhappy with her role in the dubious affair and are calling on her quit (the one thing she’s good at). There is a very real fear that Palin will speak before a sparsely populated house. In fact, the Tea Party Nation web site currently has this announcement posted in all caps:

THE FIRST NATIONAL TEA PARTY CONVENTION IS SOLD OUT BUT TICKETS TO THE BANQUET WITH GOV. PALIN ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!!!!

Apparently Palin isn’t the draw that her public relations agency would have us believe. Faced with the embarrassing prospect of a low turnout, combined with the pressure from fellow Tea Baggers to withdraw, Palin may come down with a bad cold next week. That would leave the organizers in a bit of bind. And since Palin was forced to promise that her reported $100,000.00 speaking fee would not benefit her personally, forgoing it wouldn’t hurt her and wouldn’t dissuade her from walking away.

Assuming the gig goes off as planned, Andrew Breitbart is scheduled to introducing Palin. The timing couldn’t be better for planting the Godfather of pimp and possible felon, James O’Keefe, on the stage with the Queen Tea Bagger. Breitbart has also been approached as a replacement for Blackburn.

All in all, this seems like an event that is not to be missed – that is if you can’t get tickets to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Hey, maybe they could get Larry the Cable Guy to fill in for Palin.

Palin Responds: Greta Van Susteren asked Palin if she still intends to speak at the Tea Party Conference.

“Oh, you betcha I’m going to be there. I’m going to speak there because there are people traveling from many miles away to hear what that tea party movement is all about and what that message is that should be received by our politicians in Washington. I’m honored to get to be there.”

And the hundred grand doesn’t hurt either.

MSNBC: The Luckiest Network On Television

Posted by on September 28, 2007 at 2:41 pm. 4 Comments :

MSNBC may be the luckiest network on television. Republicans are threatening to boycott the cable net. That’s kind of like having lepers threaten to not French kiss you.

It all began when David Shuster asked Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) if she could name the last soldier from her district who was killed in Iraq. She could not, so he told her who it was. It was later reported that the soldier Shuster named was not from Blackburn’s district and Shuster apologized for the error on air. Now it turns out that Shuster was right in the first place. But being right was never a major article of concern for the right and they are still hammering Shuster. Even Brit Hume at Fox News participated in the pile on.

Now, according to Politico, Republicans are escalating the battle to new heights:

“We don’t mind skipping MSNBC. No one watches that channel anyway,” says a high-placed Republican consultant.

Word is, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have become mysteriously “unavailable” when asked to appear on MSNBC.

This would be a sublime development. I have long been advocating that Democrats and progressives swear off of Fox News (see Starve The Beast). Rupert Murdoch and his media megaphone is openly hostile to our agenda and our representatives. They will only use these appearances to distort our message and derail our mission. Studies have proven that their audience is unreceptive, and even antagonistic, to us and by appearing we will be rewarded more with ridicule than respect.

It has been difficult to advance this strategy because the siren’s call of the TV camera still lures people to Fox. Now, ironically, it is Republicans who are openly promoting the concept in reverse. If their effort has the residual effect of causing a reciprocal boycott of Fox, it will be well worth it. They won’t miss MSNBC and we won’t miss the further propagation of their propaganda.

Reminder: It has already been reported that Republicans have been more reluctant to appear on many programs regardless of network. Plus, they have refused to participate in televised debates sponsored by Gays, African-Americans, Unions, and even YouTube (on which they eventually agreed to appear).

Update on Shuster: It appears he was strong-armed into the premature apology by his boss.