Quantitative Easing and You
Zapp Brannigan
quantitative easing (the current economic buzzword for inflating the fiat
currency).
This time it will spend over one half TRILLION dollars.
Strangely enough, this triggered a drop in gold prices.
Can anybody ever recall being able to spend their way OUT of bankruptcy?
Me neither.
My prediction is that by the end of Obama's first (and probably last) term of
office, gold will hit $2000 and silver $50+.
But what will the coming hyperinflation do to the coin market?
Beats the shit out of me but I just hope my collection keeps up with inflation!
JHL
“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A
great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our
system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore,
and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to
be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and
dominated Governments in the civilized world - no longer a Government
by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of
the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small
group of dominant men.”
-President Woodrow Wilson
The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be
fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks.
James Madison
The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like
a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities states and
nation. At the head is a small group of banking houses generally
referred to as 'international bankers.' This little coterie... run our
government for their own selfish ends. It operates under cover of a
self-created screen...[and] seizes...our executive officers...
legislative bodies... schools... courts... newspapers and every agency
created for the public protection.
Justice Felix Frankfurter
A popularly-alleged quote by Mayer Amschel Rothschild is displayed:
Give me control of a nation's money supply, and I care not who makes
its laws.
Frank Provasek
information.
(Bloomberg)—The Obama administration cut taxes for middle-class
Americans, expects to make a profit on the hundreds of billions of
dollars spent to rescue Wall Street banks and has overseen an economy
that has grown for the past four quarters.
Most voters don't believe it.
A Bloomberg National Poll conducted Oct. 24-26 finds that by a two-to-
one margin, likely voters in the Nov. 2 midterm elections think taxes
have gone up, the economy has shrunk, and the billions lent to banks
as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program won't be recovered.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2010/db20101029_901598.htm
Alabama Pete
1. No earmarks
2. Term limits
3. Fair tax[Consumption Tax]-Abolish IRS and Property Tax-
4. Sunset HUD-Education Dept.-Homeland Security - Energy Dept Health
Education and Welfare Dept. Require home schooling
5.Mandatory hard jail time for political treason and exspousing socialist
Marxist ideas.
6. Balanced budget amendment
7. 40% defunding of federal and state bureaucracies
8. No federal benefits to homosexuals or support of the life style.
9 10% defunding of entitlement programs each year for for the next seven
years
10. End all socialist medicare/medicaid/Obama care programs You are
responsible for you and your family. If each church in America would feed 1
person currently on food stamps, and nurse back to health 1 sick person, we
could end all entitlements.
Jeff Shook
we can focus on JOBS and cut
government spending.
JOBS,JOBS,JOBS.
Tariff on all imports to bring back industry
Extend Bush tax cuts
Remove government business regulations
Lower all small business taxes
Repeal health care bill
End NAFTA
Secure the borders
Roll back government spending to 2004
If we do these things
....... happy days are here again!
Jim_Higgins
> Now that the republicans are back in control,
> we can focus on JOBS and cut government spending.
>
> JOBS,JOBS,JOBS.
>
> Tariff on all imports to bring back industry
Do the words "Smoot-Hawley" mean anything to you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Act
http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html
http://www.buyandhold.com/bh/en/education/history/2002/smoot_hawley.html
> Extend Bush tax cuts
> Remove government business regulations
> Lower all small business taxes
> Repeal health care bill
> End NAFTA
> Secure the borders
> Roll back government spending to 2004
>
> If we do these things
>
> ....... happy days are here again!
--
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face
is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs
and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the
great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at the best,
knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he
fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
T.R. April 10, 1899
Zapp Brannigan
"Alabama Pete" <psm...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:iau4ha$abd$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
Bremick
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
news:RnzAo.6247$qg3....@newsfe14.iad...
> You lost me after #2
He might have forgotten--
11. Eliminate income tax on capital gains, dividends, and savings interest.
I realize that corporations already can get around this. I'm talking about
us regular folks.
Zapp Brannigan
"Bremick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:iauire$ei9$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
> news:RnzAo.6247$qg3....@newsfe14.iad...
>> You lost me after #2
>
>
> He might have forgotten--
>
> 11. Eliminate income tax on capital gains, dividends, and savings interest. I
> realize that corporations already can get around this. I'm talking about us
> regular folks.
Don't encourage him...
mazorj
contrary, stick your head back up Beck's ass where it belongs.
"DocHoliday916" <DocHol...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:iauv2r$h51$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Bloomberg is a liberal rag.
>
> You are one of the main reasons there is a Second Amendment. Read the
> First
> Amendment again Sparky.
>
> Do you think and feel the same toward MSNBC? If your bucking to be
> Commisar,
> you've got the wrong country, wrong time and Second Amendment waiting to
> be
> applied to tyrants like you.
>
> "Frank Provasek" <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote in message
> news:9d4c081a-af4b-4e5a...@j25g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
Frank Provasek
Republicans, since Reagan, have sought to allow the
spectrum, owned by the public, to be used for partisan interests (as
long as they are right wing partisan interests.)
Since the early 20th century, Congress has recognized that the
airwaves belong to the public and that those who use them have a
responsibility to serve the public interest. The FCC was created in
1934 to protect the public's airwaves and to promote the 'widest
possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic
sources.' In 1945 the Supreme Court declared that this dissemination
is essential to the welfare of the public.
When Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcasters argued that
MORE DIVERSE opinions would be heard, the logic being that a
requirement to be "fair" inhibited the free discussion of ideas, since
everyone would be asking for equal time. Instead, it has resulted in
a stations that schedule 3 hours of Limbaugh, foll,owed by 3 hours of
Hannity, followed by 3 hours of Mark Levin, followed by 3 hours of
Laura Ingram, etc,becoming 24/7 propaganda outlets for GOP talking
points.
celtex
> The misinformation spread by AM talk radio is allowed only because the
> Republicans, since Reagan, have sought to allow the
> spectrum, owned by the public, to be used for partisan interests (as
> long as they are right wing partisan interests.)
>
The market place determines what is heard on the radio, not anything else.
No listeners; no advertisers; no money. If people aren't listening then
they are fired and someone else gets a chance. The left has tried many times
to offer a program but all have failed so the market doesn't want the trash
you speak anymore than you want an alternative idea voiced. So much for free
speech in your world.
Zapp Brannigan
"celtex" <jimdn...@suddenlink.net> wrote in message
news:4cd34a41$0$14801$bbae...@news.suddenlink.net...
The only AM radio I listen to is the all sports stations, so I don't know what
liberal and conservative voices are being aired or not.
I do know that the liberal AirAmerica didn't work out too well.
On cable TV there is a clear choice between lib and con with MSNBC and Fox
News - the Fox channel nationally gets higher ratings than the MSNBC channel.
America leans towards conservative, except in the Northeast and California which
tilt to the left.
Jerry Dennis
Please define #9, entitlement programs. As a retired Navy veteran, I
EARNED my retirement by giving up 21 years of freedom (yes, in a way
the military is a dictatorship). My parents and in a few short years
I paid into social security and medicare. Those aren't entitlements,
either since the government forced us to pay into their system against
our wishes. It bit them in the ass big time. Now the government has
to pay it back with interest.
Food stamps, WIC, section 8 (aka welfare), etc., okay. Those are
entitlement programs that those of us still lucky enough to have jobs
are paying for. I'm more than willing to help out those who are "down
on their luck" and need a little help. But I have no use for the lazy
"you-owe-me" types whose lifestyle is based on "what can I get for
myself without having to work for it?" Hmm. Sounds like some
Congresscritters I've read about.
Jerry
Trying to balance the left and the right on this one.
Jud
::::::stepping up on soapbox.
On Nov 4, 6:49 pm, Frank Provasek <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote:
> The misinformation spread by AM talk radio is allowed only because the
> Republicans, since Reagan, have sought to allow the
> spectrum, owned by the public, to be used for partisan interests (as
> long as they are right wing partisan interests.)
Misinformation spread by AM talk radio? You can find misinformation in
ALL media! Do I need list them? OK, I will give you just a few.
Barbara Walters on 20/20 (ABC), interviewing 'Buckwheat' from the
'Little Rascals'. Problem was, it wasn't him, he had been dead for a
number of years. Great research and journalism!
Tom Brokaw (NBC) reporting about Chevy trucks gas tanks exploding on
side impact. After repeated trials and not being able to get one to
explode, they put explosives in the truck to make it work. Creating
news!
Peter Arnett (CNN) in Kuwait City Gulf War I under scud attack
reported live that they were carrying chemical weapons when in
actuality none were ever used.
Lets not forget the falsification of George W. Bush's military records
that got the CBS anchor fired.
New York Times, 9/12/01 reports that the 9-11 terrorists that left
from Boston came down from Canada.
What ever happened to RESPONSIBLE journalism? Pot/Kettle/Black.
Partisan interests? After years of reading NYTimes, Boston Globe,
watching network news (before cable) and listening to PBS...NONE of
which are right wing, but rather, the exact opposite. AM talk radio is
a viable alternative to express conservative opinions. And PBS gets
federal funding, at least for the time being.
>
> Since the early 20th century, Congress has recognized that the
> airwaves belong to the public and that those who use them have a
> responsibility to serve the public interest. The FCC was created in
> 1934 to protect the public's airwaves and to promote the 'widest
> possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic
> sources.' In 1945 the Supreme Court declared that this dissemination
> is essential to the welfare of the public.
And you have a problem with that? Or is it that you object to opinions
different from yours being disseminated?
>
> When Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcasters argued that
> MORE DIVERSE opinions would be heard, the logic being that a
> requirement to be "fair" inhibited the free discussion of ideas, since
> everyone would be asking for equal time. Instead, it has resulted in
> a stations that schedule 3 hours of Limbaugh, foll,owed by 3 hours of
> Hannity, followed by 3 hours of Mark Levin, followed by 3 hours of
> Laura Ingram, etc,becoming 24/7 propaganda outlets for GOP talking
> points.
Seems to me that Fox news ALWAYS has both points of view represented.
Their slogan "We report, you decide" isn't just empty words. PBS
muzzled Juan Williams and prohibited him from mentioning that he was
affiliated with them when appearing on O'Reilly, and then promptly
fired him when he stated a simple truth, that we were "attacked by
Muslims on 9/11." Granted, he should have said 'Muslim extremists' or
'Muslim terrorists', but the fact remains, they WERE Muslims! Do you
dispute that? And he gets fired for having a personal opinion that
just happens to be the truth?
In a free society all opinions should be heard, or do you just want to
hear one side? In a capitalistic society successful ventures grow and
unsuccessful ones fail. Too bad for you that Air America failed
miserably. If it was worth liberal listener support it would still be
broadcast today, but George Soros didn't come to bail them out. If you
don't like what you are hearing on AM radio, its a free country and
you have the capability to change the channel or turn it off. You are
free to have your opinions aired, but not JUST your opinions.
:::::Stepping down from soapbox and putting on asbestos undies.
Jud (Neocon cryptolibertarian)
Richard L. Hall
"Jeff Shook" <sho...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:iaua2m$ooo$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
> Now that the republicans are back in control,
> we can focus on JOBS and cut government spending.
>
> JOBS,JOBS,JOBS.
>
> Tariff on all imports to bring back industry
Yes, by all means. When Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency in January
1981, the United States was the greatest net exporting country in the world.
Our exports far exceeded our imports and we spoke of our Gross National
Product (GNP) which is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plus the values of
our exports. Reagan began by removing the tarriff that existed on shoes
and within a few years, all of the shoe manuacturers in the US had either
gone our of business oor shipped their jobs overseas. Reagan continued
removing tarrifs that protected American companies and American jobs. And,
by the end of Reagan's second term, we had become the greatest net importing
country in the world. Reagan probably thought he had made a mistake because
he tried to reinstate some of the tarrifs in the waning years of his
administration. But it was too little and too late.
> Extend Bush tax cuts
Keep the Bush Tax Cuts for people making less than $250,000. Increase the
tax rate to 50% for incomes from $250.001 to $500,000 and to 70% for income
over $500,000. And get rid of the f**king singles tax that makes single
people pay twice the tax of a married person or couple with the same income.
And raise the limit on when the tax on Social Security income kicks in.
I don't see anything in the historical record that indicates tax cuts doing
anything but cause recessions/depressions and huge deficits. Reagan claimed
his tax cuts would increase revenues so that we would balance the budget
and make the economy boom. But, in the 30 years since the Reagan tax cuts,
we've been through 4 recessions (two, including the current one, with
depression level unemployment) and racked up $13 trillion in debt.
The Laffer Curve on which Reagan based his tax cuts was flawed in several
respects.
The claim that, in 1918, taxes were cut and the economy boomed didn't take
into account that the economy went into a depression from 1920-1922. After
that depression, the economy did boom from mid-1922 to 1929 but there were
many other factors involved such as the emergence of radio as a popular form
of entertainment, the growth in popularity of motion pictures, governments
building and paving roads (and thereby creating jobs) which made the
automobile more popular and the government backing low interest loans for
people who wanted to buy houses. Of course, the stock market boomed because
the companies that were making the products that made the above possible
were pulling in huge profits. Personally, I don't think the tax cut had any
effect at all. But if it did, that effect was probably very very small.
And the claim that Kennedy's tax cut (which only lowered the highest
marginal rate from 73% to 70%), passed in March 1961, caused the economy to
boom in the 60's also doesn't pass the reality test. There were many things
going on in the early 60's that caused the economy to boom. Not the least
of these was the mass of children, such as myself, who were born during
World War II as our fathers went off to war, and who were coming of college
age. And, for the first time, a generation of children were virtually
guaranteed a college education if that was what they wanted. The National
Defense Education Act of 1957 guaranteed loans for youngsters who would be
our future scientists, engineers, and teachers and also provided fellowships
for youngsters going to graduate school. Colleges and Universities were
forced to expand dramatically to accommodate the influx. And high schools
were also expanding to accommodate the children of the post-war baby boom.
The resulting building boom had a huge effect on the economy. In addition,
in May 1961, President Kennedy made his famous "man on the moon before the
end of the decade" speech which electrified the Congress, the people, and
the scientific and engineering communities and spelled the real beginnings
of the manned space program. The government was willing to spend whatever
was needed to beat the Russians to the moon. Research at Colleges and
universities would expand dramatically throughout the decade. In additional
Congress added $10 billion (about 11%) to the budget for Fiscal Year 1962
which began in July 1961. With the average salary at the time about $5000,
$10 billion translated to about 2,000,000 jobs.
Again, I doubt the tax cut had anything at all to do with the economic boom
in the 60's. There were too many other economic stimuli that had a much
more profound effect on the economy.
And, of course, there's Ronald Reagan who applied Laffer's Theories in 1981
and within two years, the economy had tanked. Unemployment reached 10.8% in
November and December 1982 and stayed above 10% for almost a year (September
1982-July 1983). Reagan finally got the economy moving but only by spending
huge amounts of money and running huge yearly deficits (>$200 billion) that
tripled the national debt from $900 billion to $2.7 trillion. After November
1982, I don't think Reagan met a science program he didn't like and fund,
whether it was Star Wars, the Superconducting supercollider or the origins
of the space station, to name a few. it was a great time to be a scientist.
And, of course, George W Bush gave us tax cuts and virtually an 8 year
recession and added more than $5 trillion in debt.
> Remove government business regulations
You're joking, of course! After the fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico and the
collapse of the financial system, we need intelligent, stiffer regulations
that are properly enforced.
> Lower all small business taxes
No, just change the law on S-Corporations, i. e. get rid of them.
> Repeal health care bill
Absolutely not. It should be strengthened including adding a public option
and a single payer system.
> End NAFTA
> Secure the borders
Short of building a huge fence and having a million soldiers watching it
constantly, how do you propose doing it? Of course, that's only the Mexican
border. And of course, that does nothing about the illegal immigrants who
are already in the country. What is needed is an intelligent solution to
the illegal immigarnt problem
> Roll back government spending to 2004
A perfect prescription for the next depression. And we haven't even come
out of this one yet. Pick a president in the last century who cut spending
and I'll show you a depression/recession in the making. And when the
economy goes into a recession, tax revenues drop,
>
> If we do these things
>
> ....... happy days are here again!
All we need to do is what Bill Clinton did! CREATE JOBS! Every job created
means a taxpayer and a consumer. During the last years of the Clinton
Administration we were at full employment, the first time since the 60's
that that happened. The average monthly unemployment rate was 4.0 % for the
year 2000. And the budget was balanced--because everyone was paying taxes.
That's what Clinton passed on to George Bush. The rest is history.
I could go on! But I think my point has been made. And you don't have to
believe me. You can go look these things up yourself.
Albert Einstein said during the Great Depression (and I'm wiriing this from
memory), "We cannot solve the problems that we face taday with the same
level of thinking that got us into them in the first place." And I agree
--
--
Richard
Http://www.richlh.com/
The happiest people in the world don't have the best of everything - they
just make the best of everything they have
Richard L. Hall
> news:RnzAo.6247$qg3....@newsfe14.iad...
>> You lost me after #2
>
>
> He might have forgotten--
>
> 11. Eliminate income tax on capital gains,
I would propose a graduated plan
If you hold the stock for less than a year, the gain is taxable at 100%.
After 1 year, 80%, 2 years 60% ..., 5 years 0%.
That would allow companies to concentrate on long term goals rather than
short term profits/
> dividends, and savings interest.
All-Saver Certificates say up to $100,000 in value.
Jim_Higgins
>
<polite snip>
>
> Jerry
> Trying to balance the left and the right on this one.
On Topic:
Please buy me a gold aureus of Augustus and one of Antoninus Pius.
Remember the gift wrapping :-)
Back to:
See below for a translation of the Fed:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/11/03/131043062/federal-reserve
Zapp Brannigan
To say that FOX is "fair and balanced" is just total bullshit.
They have a hard right agenda with a couple of liberal commentators as comedy
relief.
"Jud" <numis...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:09f26fa3-0e65-47cd...@a37g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
Bremick
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
> Juan Williams got canned from NPR, not PBS.
> To say that FOX is "fair and balanced" is just total bullshit.
> They have a hard right agenda with a couple of liberal commentators as
> comedy relief.
In addition, I thought it was O'Reilly who said we were attacked by Muslims
on the morning ladies gabfest, not Williams. Williams commented on
O'Reilly's show on how uncomfortable he was flying with Muslims who openly
displayed their religion or something to that effect.
See, this just shows we have far too many 24/7 "news" shows on TV and radio
to be able to sort them out when recalling specific statements.
Fox's "fair & balanced" usually amounts to feeding a conservative guest a
bunch of fluff questions while his liberal counterpart gets grilled. Most
of the liberals on more moderate afternoon shows like Smith and Cavuto seem
to be selected based on their place on the "wackiness scale" so they will be
ensured to come off as foolish. Then they're followed by a conservative who
is asked to comment on the silly liberal's views. The more bizarre a
liberal's views, the more likely he or she will be asked to return another
day.
Bremick
"Richard L. Hall" <richl...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ib095p$4i3$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "Bremick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:iauire$ei9$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>
>> "Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
>> news:RnzAo.6247$qg3....@newsfe14.iad...
>>> You lost me after #2
>>
>>
>> He might have forgotten--
>>
>> 11. Eliminate income tax on capital gains,
>
> I would propose a graduated plan
> If you hold the stock for less than a year, the gain is taxable at 100%.
> After 1 year, 80%, 2 years 60% ..., 5 years 0%.
>
> That would allow companies to concentrate on long term goals rather than
> short term profits/
>
>> dividends, and savings interest.
>
> All-Saver Certificates say up to $100,000 in value.
These adjustments are not complex enough to warrant attention from Congress.
mazorj
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
> Juan Williams got canned from NPR, not PBS.
And NPR gets no direct federal funding. A paltry 1.5% of its budget is from
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private entity founded and mostly
funded by Congress.
> To say that FOX is "fair and balanced" is just total bullshit.
> They have a hard right agenda with a couple of liberal commentators as
> comedy relief.
I don't know how funny they are, but they're tokens compared to the overall
line-up. Their only real effect is to act as contrasting foils for the
right-wing haters and baiters, to remind viewers of what Fox is against.
> "Jud" <numis...@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:09f26fa3-0e65-47cd...@a37g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
> <SIGH> Sucked into political rants again.
> ::::::stepping up on soapbox.
>
> On Nov 4, 6:49 pm, Frank Provasek <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote:
>> The misinformation spread by AM talk radio is allowed only because the
>> Republicans, since Reagan, have sought to allow the
>> spectrum, owned by the public, to be used for partisan interests (as
>> long as they are right wing partisan interests.)
>
> Misinformation spread by AM talk radio? You can find misinformation in
> ALL media! Do I need list them?
The incidents you cite below are not part of any systematic agenda to spread
anti-liberal political disinformation, which is the case at Fox and AM
radio.
And when they were discovered, these news organizations took the proper
steps of admitting the error, taking action of some sort against the
offending journalists, and often making internal changes to prevent a
repetition. At Fox and AM radio, as long as ratings aren't affected
negatively, the reaction barely rises to a wink and a nudge, if that. If
ratings go up as a result of going over the top with the programming agenda,
so does compensation.
> OK, I will give you just a few.
> Barbara Walters on 20/20 (ABC), interviewing 'Buckwheat' from the
> 'Little Rascals'. Problem was, it wasn't him, he had been dead for a
> number of years. Great research and journalism!
> Tom Brokaw (NBC) reporting about Chevy trucks gas tanks exploding on
> side impact. After repeated trials and not being able to get one to
> explode, they put explosives in the truck to make it work. Creating news!
> Peter Arnett (CNN) in Kuwait City Gulf War I under scud attack
> reported live that they were carrying chemical weapons when in
> actuality none were ever used.
> Lets not forget the falsification of George W. Bush's military records
> that got the CBS anchor fired.
> New York Times, 9/12/01 reports that the 9-11 terrorists that left
> from Boston came down from Canada.
> What ever happened to RESPONSIBLE journalism? Pot/Kettle/Black.
>
> Partisan interests? After years of reading NYTimes, Boston Globe,
> watching network news (before cable) and listening to PBS...NONE of
> which are right wing, but rather, the exact opposite. AM talk radio is
> a viable alternative to express conservative opinions. And PBS gets
> federal funding, at least for the time being.
See above on both you assertion about the right to voice conservative views
(correct) and your PBS gaffe (wrong).
>> Since the early 20th century, Congress has recognized that the
>> airwaves belong to the public and that those who use them have a
>> responsibility to serve the public interest. The FCC was created in
>> 1934 to protect the public's airwaves and to promote the 'widest
>> possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic
>> sources.' In 1945 the Supreme Court declared that this dissemination
>> is essential to the welfare of the public.
>
> And you have a problem with that? Or is it that you object to opinions
> different from yours being disseminated?
While I can't speak for Provasek, I didn't read that into his comments. Nor
do I have any problem with anyone disseminating views different from mine.
Indeed, that is the very point and genius of democratic free speech under
the First Amendment.
The real point here is that the Fairness Doctrine and the requirement for
stations to serve local public interests was considered to be an obligation
assumed in exchange for the basically free access to the public airwaves.
Abolishing these two requirements opened the door to unfair and unbalanced
reporting, not to mention the replacement of locally originated programming
with remote robo-programming of playlists and other content with material
cheaply produced from centralized studios by holding companies that own and
operate hundreds of stations. (The latter isn't quite as politically
relevant as the former, but it, along with cost-cutting at acquired
stations, does reduce the number of independent voices and the amount of air
time devoted to news, public issues and politics in each market.)
>> When Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcasters argued that
>> MORE DIVERSE opinions would be heard, the logic being that a
>> requirement to be "fair" inhibited the free discussion of ideas, since
>> everyone would be asking for equal time. Instead, it has resulted in
>> a stations that schedule 3 hours of Limbaugh, foll,owed by 3 hours of
>> Hannity, followed by 3 hours of Mark Levin, followed by 3 hours of
>> Laura Ingram, etc,becoming 24/7 propaganda outlets for GOP talking
>> points.
Yep.
> Seems to me that Fox news ALWAYS has both points of view represented.
See above, Jud. If you think that having a few liberal commentators makes
Fox fair and balanced, then you'll have to say that most of the news outlets
that you demonize also are fair and balanced. They also feature
conservatives through op-eds and regular columnists. NPR regularly includes
conservatives in their news interviews and talk shows.
> Their slogan "We report, you decide" isn't just empty words.
Right. It's a deliberate lie.
> PBS muzzled Juan Williams and prohibited him from mentioning that he was
> affiliated with them when appearing on O'Reilly, and then promptly
> fired him when he stated a simple truth, that we were "attacked by
> Muslims on 9/11."
No. It was for his comment that if he were on an airplane and people
dressed in Muslim garb boarded, he would be afraid. That reflects directly
on his credibility as a news journalist. See next comment below.
> Granted, he should have said 'Muslim extremists' or
> 'Muslim terrorists', but the fact remains, they WERE Muslims! Do you
> dispute that? And he gets fired for having a personal opinion that
> just happens to be the truth?
His job at NPR was as a news analyst, which falls under the same
journalistic rules and restrictions as those for reporters. Reporters are
supposed to report and discuss the news *as news* i.e., the who, what,
where, when, why, and how. His job at Fox was as a commentator. The two
are seen as entirely separate and distinct under journalistic rules and
ethics. (Ditto for editorial writers, who are non-bylined commentators for
the publisher.)
Juan Williams the commentator is perfectly free to inject his own personal
feelings and biases into his material. Indeed, that's what commentators and
editorial writers bring to the table - content that goes beyond the
straight-jacket limitations placed on news reporters. Technically, as a
commentator, there would be nothing unethical about him calling for the
banning of Muslim garb (or even Muslims) on airplanes.
However, his gig as a commentator was at cross-purposes with his NPR
journalist job as a news analyst. NPR has no right to tell Williams not to
editorialize at Fox. However, it does have the right to protect its
credibility as a news organization. After his Muslim comment, there is no
way that he could offer news analyses on NPR covering anything about Islam,
Muslims, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or any related stories (which
make up a large chunk of current news events and coverage) without calling
into doubt Williams' and therefore NPR's credibility. He had been warned
before about the conflict between his Fox and NPR jobs. He ignored that and
crossed the line with his Fox comments. NPR could have handled the firing
better, but it had a right and arguably an obligation to cut him loose.
As a former reporter, I find it hard to sympathize with someone who chose to
compromise his reporter's credibility, earned over a lifetime of reporting
and analysis, in favor of a 7-figure contract as a tame token liberal for
Fox. I'm reasonably sure that he didn't want to lose his NPR throne as a
revered senior analyst so I can't quite call it a sell-out, but he tried to
have it both ways and that just didn't work for him.
> In a free society all opinions should be heard, or do you just want to
> hear one side?
I must have missed something. Where did Provasek call for the elimination
of AM radio or Fox?
> In a capitalistic society successful ventures grow and
> unsuccessful ones fail. Too bad for you that Air America failed
> miserably. If it was worth liberal listener support it would still be
> broadcast today, but George Soros didn't come to bail them out. If you
> don't like what you are hearing on AM radio, its a free country and
> you have the capability to change the channel or turn it off. You are
> free to have your opinions aired, but not JUST your opinions.
If you own a printing press or a cable channel or even a blog, you are
legally free to do exactly that - disseminate only your views. However, if
you are granted the privilege of free access to the public airwaves, there
is (or used to be before the FCC was castrated) an obligation to make "fair
and balanced" an actual programming practice.
> :::::Stepping down from soapbox and putting on asbestos undies.
How about putting on a thinking cap instead?
> Jud (Neocon cryptolibertarian)
- mazorj (Fanatical, Radical, Hard-Core MotR)
CoinForum
The usual "go to" liberal buffoon is Alan Colmes, who would be laughable if he
wasn't so serious.
Zapp Brannigan
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
After initially dipping on the announcement of new QE, gold and silver have
begun to soar in price.
Question: is there still time to buy?
oly
> "Zapp Brannigan" <j...@one.more> wrote in message
I am already shocked to my core about how high silver is. I am used
to a $10 roll of 90% silver coins trading at $35 to $40. Nowadays,
try $160 or more.
Silver is still very low, in purchasing power terms, compared to
1979-1980. Also, there have just (in the last ten days) been major
admissions that the TBTF banks and the PTB have been manipulating
silver prices and major lawsuits are just now being filed.
Silver still has a long way to go.
oly
Dimag
stop TARP and stimulus, repeal healthcare, extend Bush tax cuts for all
Americans, help Arizona and the illegal immigration that is eroding
Americans liberties and do not pass any part of Cap and trade. Do not fall
prey to the democrats mantra - "Bi-Partisanship". This will be their whine
now that they are in the minority and they don't care about
"Bi-Partisanship" only regaining "POWER". Don't Listen to Obama's words,
words mean nothing to Obama. Use his words to educate the American people
this is what barack says and his communist and fasist actions. Have thick
skin, because obama WILL demonize each and every House Republican - Boehner,
Bachmann, Cantor plus he will demonize Glen Beck, Shawn Hannity and Rush.
obama has defined himself as a radical big government left wing
socialmarxist these past two years, he will not change his radical leftwing
positions over the next two years! Americans already know about his radical
left wing agenda, but don't let us forget as he tries to demonize the GOP
House when he doesn't get his way. We already know where Radical Reid and
the liberal Senate majority stand - they gave us obamacare and
out-of-control spending! Don't trust obama, he will burn you Boehner! You've
worked too hard to get the Speakership. And get rid of the Gulfstream V
planes. We already know you are the third most powerful man in American
politics, you appear not to have that pious ego of the current radical left
winged egomaniac Speaker.
"Frank Provasek" <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote in message
news:9d22b8ef-c46f-4fb6...@a37g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
Dimag
> airwaves belong to the public and that those who use them have a
> responsibility to serve the public interest. The FCC was created in
> 1934 to protect the public's airwaves and to promote the 'widest
> possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic
> sources.' In 1945 the Supreme Court declared that this dissemination
> is essential to the welfare of the public.
>
market capitalstic system, unlike NPR and bankrupt Air America, the sucess
of the station is based on the selling ads to all comers.
Zapp Brannigan
"oly" <oly...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:53c79c22-2da4-47a0...@fv1g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
=======================================================
At $26.55 current price, melt is slightly over 19X face!
Bremick
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
I recall people asking that same question last year at $18.00. As long as
it is likely to beat annual CD interest, I'm still staying with it as an
investor.
Jud
made a mistake and admit it. However you may think that Fox asks
softball questions to Conservatives and tough questions to the 'token'
Liberal, at least they are offering a forum that isn't evident on
network news programs. Totally one-sided. I also note that no one is
disputing the fact that ALL media outlets misrepresent/distort the
facts. Opinion is fine, on the Op-Ed page, but not when it is being
reported as 'news'. Who-What-When-Where-and the optional Why (too
often opinion) are what RESPONSIBLE journalism is all about.
Journalism 101 (apparently Dan Rather missed class that day). Report
the facts, not opinions, do the research. Surely you can't disagree
with that!
Jud
Zapp Brannigan
right.
Frankly I think the news should be neutral, but that ship has sailed.
"Jud" <numis...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:a48fa08e-a750-44f7...@o2g2000vbh.googlegroups.com...
Zapp Brannigan
"mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:ib13vf$86v$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
> news:jGSAo.4699$t27....@newsfe17.iad...
>> Juan Williams got canned from NPR, not PBS.
>
> And NPR gets no direct federal funding. A paltry 1.5% of its budget is from
> the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private entity founded and mostly
> funded by Congress.
It's slightly disingenuous to say NPR gets "no direct federal funding" and then
point out it receives cash from the Federally funded CPB.
Frank Galikanokus
>
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Bloomberg is a liberal rag.
>
> You are one of the main reasons there is a Second Amendment. Read the First
> Amendment again Sparky.
>
> Do you think and feel the same toward MSNBC? If your bucking to be Commisar,
> you've got the wrong country, wrong time and Second Amendment waiting to be
> applied to tyrants like you.
>
You are a fool and a jackass. You will accidentally shoot yourself with your second
amendment rights.
JAM
Frank Galikanokus
>
> "Frank Provasek" <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote in message
> news:9d22b8ef-c46f-4fb6...@a37g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
> > The misinformation spread by AM talk radio is allowed only because the
> > Republicans, since Reagan, have sought to allow the
> > spectrum, owned by the public, to be used for partisan interests (as
> > long as they are right wing partisan interests.)
> >
> You're so full of liberal cap I can smell you from here!
> The market place determines what is heard on the radio, not anything else.
Are you really that naive?
> No listeners; no advertisers; no money. If people aren't listening then
> they are fired and someone else gets a chance. The left has tried many times
> to offer a program but all have failed so the market doesn't want the trash
> you speak anymore than you want an alternative idea voiced. So much for free
> speech in your world.
Yes, it looks like you are.
JAM
Frank Galikanokus
Wrong again Zapp
We had a liberal America from 1932 until 1968. You remember don't you, the good old days.
We now live in an America is which stupidity has become a virtue.
You are a prime example.
JAM
Zapp Brannigan
"Frank Galikanokus" <FrankGal...@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:4CD47AED...@nospam.net...
If stupidity is a virtue, then you must be a saint.
celtex
>
Wow I had no idea Coin Collectors were so socialist until this thread! I am
shocked, dismayed and confused. I always considered the coin market a "fair
trade" environ but maybe with the group so full of progressives I was wrong.
70% tax on anybody is theft! 50% is idiotic and incentive killing.
Bremick
And here I always thought 20% was obscene.
Jerry Dennis
Screw this discussion and political rant. Jim, you're a fun guy to
have around. Thanks for the laugh. If I could afford gold, I'd send
you one of your own choosing. As such, I can't even afford to pay
attention (ew, old joke, fell of my dinosaur, etc.).
Jerry
oly
wrote:
> Zapp Brannigan wrote:
>
> > "celtex" <jimdnich...@suddenlink.net> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
Bullshittae.
America is, was, and always has been a slightly-to-the-right-of-center
nation, of a god-fearing variety.
The fact that all the old hippies aren't dead quite yet is just a
reminder that America is still a wealhty and lenient nation and that
one of the ten commandments in fact forbids murder.
oly
Frank Provasek
> This is bull shit, radio stations own there facilities. This is the free
> market capitalstic system, unlike NPR and bankrupt Air America, the sucess
> of the station is based on the selling ads to all comers.
The following companies, making up about 75% of national radio
advertising dollars, put Air America on a blacklist, requesting that
none of their commericals run on Air America.
Allstate | American Heart Association | Aventis | Avon | Bank of
America | Bayer | BMW Motorcycles | Chattem products such as Capzasin
penetrating rub, Gold Bond for skin care, and Gold Bond Foot Spray |
Cigna | Cingular (now AT&T Mobility) | Clorox | Coke | Coty | Dean's
Morningstar Food's | Dell | Denny's | Discovery Channel | Eharmony.com
| Epson | Expedia.com | Exxon Mobil | Farmers Insurance | FedEx | Foot
Action (under Foot Locker) | Frito-Lay (under PepsiCo) | General
Electric | Gillette Venus (under Procter & Gamble) | Goodyear |
Heineken/Amstel Light | Hershey | Hewlett Packard | Home Depot |
Hormel | Hyatt | Interstate Batteries | J. C. Penney | Johnson &
Johnson | Kohl's | Levi's | Masterfoods USA (under Mars) | McDonald's
| Men's Frontline | MGM | Michelin | Microsoft | Morningstar |
National Cattleman's Beef | Nestle | Nissan | NYSE | Office Depot |
Outdoor Life Network | Procter & Gamble products Bounty, Charmin,
Febreeze, Iams Dog/Cat Foods, and Pepto-Bismol | Paramount (under
Viacom) | Pepsi | Philip Morris | Pier 1 Imports | Red Lobster (Darden
Restaurants) | Re/Max | REI Sporting Goods | Rent-way | Robert Half |
Schering-Plough | Sherwin Williams | Sony | State Farm | Toys R Us |
Travelocity.com | True Value | United Healthcare | U.S. Navy | USPS
(U.S. Postal Service) | Visa | Walgreens| Wal-Mart | Welch's | Wrigley
|
celtex
advertising dollars, put Air America on a blacklist, requesting that
none of their commericals run on Air America.
Allstate | American Heart Association | Aventis | Avon | Bank of
America | Bayer | BMW Motorcycles | Chattem products such as Capzasin
<snip>
__________________________________________________________
Again FREE market at work. They have the right to spend there advertising
dollars where it does them the most good. Where there are people
listening...
Zapp Brannigan
Indeed. AirAmerica had terrible ratings, so why would companies want to spend
their money there?
Clearly the paradigm driving AirAmerica was unsustainable financially.
mazorj
"Zapp Brannigan" <ju...@one.more> wrote in message
No, you have it bass ackwards. It would have been disingenuous to correctly
state "NPR gets no direct federal funding" and stop there. I added the CPB
part as a more complete disclosure to avoid being disingenuous.
oly
> "Zapp Brannigan" <j...@one.more> wrote in message
Friday (11/05/10) was a most instructive day. Dollar way up, but gold
and silver up strong too.
We've only just begun...
oly
mazorj
No, I can't disagree with your mission statement for journalism (although
you left out the non-W of "how"). So you do admit that the Fox claim to
"fair and balanced" is total nonsense? They're free to pursue their
political agenda, and they do delve deeper into the neocon issues than most
outlets, but regardless of whether or not you buy into their ccoverage
and/or their most outrageous statements about Obama and the left, let's not
buy into their marketing hype.
Re "distort the facts," define "distort". First, all reporters make
mistakes, either by factual errors or by not having enough background
knowledge to put the facts into an accurate context and priority. Reporters
are only human. To condemn the news media for this is like condemning
capitalism because some vendors have sent you the wrong item or overcharged
you.
Second, no news outlet can cover all the facts, ramifications,
hypotheticals, and viewpoints on any story. What story gets covered, what
gets reported on it and what gets left out is a news judgment.
Conservatives charge "liberal bias" when a mainstream news outlet does not
cover or drill down as far into a story as Fox or AM radio would; but the
fact is, neither do they cover and drill down far enough into stories that
far-left types want to see more of. Space limitations leave out a lot of
relevant information. That can be construed as an unavoidable type of
"distortion."
But that's quite different from Fox, AM radio, and yes, Air America. In
those cases, the subjects and depth of coverage are tilted so far to the
right or left that none can legitimately claim to be "fair and balanced".
Their coverage is *deliberately* distorted. To my knowledge, only Fox makes
that claim part of their marketing mantra. The others make no excuses for
their biases. Some even try to make it a virtue by saying that they're have
to go to what many see as outrageous falsehoods from the right in order to
act as a counterbalance to the "liberal media".
Frank Provasek
Inauguration Day
Slackjaw
I didn't know that - I didn't realize Air America was that unpopular.
Frank Provasek
The ad rates are based on listeners, so the cost to reach each pair of
ears is the SAME. These companies
made a decision based not getting their message out to listeners, but
for the purpose of deliberately not
supporting progressive causes, while at the same time supporting the
pro-Bush, pro-War right wing.
Jerry Dennis
I checked their main site, "Brave New Films" out of Culver City, CA.
Pretty heavy left-wing site.
Jerry
Zapp Brannigan
The ad rates are based on listeners, so the cost to reach each pair of
ears is the SAME. These companies
made a decision based not getting their message out to listeners, but
for the purpose of deliberately not
supporting progressive causes, while at the same time supporting the
pro-Bush, pro-War right wing.
I don't understand why this upsets you so.
Clearly the advertisers didn't care to appeal to the listener demographics of
AirAmerica.
Free market in action, nothing more or less.
mazorj
Interesting array of advertisers. Where did you get the list?
Some undoubtedly just don't want to offend customers by running during
political programming, so in fairness we really should know whether these
companies also ban their ads on Fox News and syndicated AM radio talk shows.
(Before anyone chimes in with "I heard an ad for X during Limbaugh," you
have to distinguish between national buys from networks (Fox) and syndicated
programs (AM radio), versus buys made directly from local stations, which
might only specify general time periods without regard to what's being
broadcast at the time.)
Zapp Brannigan
> Check how Fox began smearing Obama during the first 100 days from
> Inauguration Day
>
> http://foxattacks.com/blog/?p=1283
When Dubya was POTUS, MSNBC crucified him every single hour of every single day.
The article you cited is out of date since currently Obama's approval rating is
nowhere near what they claim (if, indeed, it ever was!)
As to whether Fox "smeared" Obama is simply a matter of your viewpoint, I
suppose.
Obama's supporter claim Fox is smearing him when they simply report the truth
about him at times, while MSNBC wants to beatify the man.
I listen to both Fox and MSNBC to hear both sides of the issues.
I'm not thrilled with Obama's performance as POTUS but still think he's doing a
marginally better job than Dubya.
But that's damning him with faint praise, I imagine.
mazorj
"Jerry Dennis" <JDen...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:0737ffb4-ccfe-4b28...@p20g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Does shooting the messenger prove anything WRT the specific claim that Fox
was biased against Obama?
The credibility of a source is not totally irrelevant for every claim under
the sun, but in almost every case it is hardly dispositive.
I know, you didn't explicitly say that the source nullifies the message, but
whether you intended it or not, that's your implict message. Otherwise, why
bother noting the source?
Jud
> No, I can't disagree with your mission statement for journalism (although
> you left out the non-W of "how"). So you do admit that the Fox claim to
> "fair and balanced" is total nonsense?
Where did you come up with that idea? I admit no such thing, and never
said or intimated that. I will admit that Fox leans to the right. Will
you admit that ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, New York Times, Boston
Globe, et al of the media lean to the left? I am amused by the neolib
(to coin a phrase) objection to the ONLY conservative outlets of AM
talk radio and Fox and their obvious popularity when almost every
other media outlet is liberal. The cry to silence the 'loyal
opposition' (as opposed to Obama's Freudian slip referring to
Republicans as "the enemy") seems ludicrous to me.
>They're free to pursue their
> political agenda, and they do delve deeper into the neocon issues than most
> outlets, but regardless of whether or not you buy into their ccoverage
> and/or their most outrageous statements about Obama and the left, let's not
> buy into their marketing hype.
Marketing hype? OK, sure. But how does that differ from any
advertising? ie "All the news that's fit to print". There are libel
laws that cover what you call "outrageous statements", but I fail to
see any impending litigation. Perhaps you consider any differing view
as patently outrageous.
> Re "distort the facts," define "distort". First, all reporters make
> mistakes, either by factual errors or by not having enough background
> knowledge to put the facts into an accurate context and priority. Reporters
> are only human. To condemn the news media for this is like condemning
> capitalism because some vendors have sent you the wrong item or overcharged
> you.
SO close to a strawman argument! Front page mistakes, retraction on
page 24 of the B section, if at all. The difference between a mistake
and a distortion is by deliberately ignoring the facts, quoting out of
context, reporting opinion as fact, omitting certain facts that don't
comply with the reporter's/media outlet's agenda, not doing the 'leg
work' of research, and just plain lying.
> Second, no news outlet can cover all the facts, ramifications,
> hypotheticals, and viewpoints on any story. What story gets covered, what
> gets reported on it and what gets left out is a news judgment.
And subject to the actions of irresponsible reporters, editors, and
owners of the media outlet with a political agenda.
> Conservatives charge "liberal bias" when a mainstream news outlet does not
> cover or drill down as far into a story as Fox or AM radio would; but the
> fact is, neither do they cover and drill down far enough into stories that
> far-left types want to see more of. Space limitations leave out a lot of
> relevant information. That can be construed as an unavoidable type of
> "distortion."
I agree with the above paragraph 100%. AM radio and Fox don't pander
to the wants and needs of the liberal population, as they are the
ALTERNATIVE to the liberal mainstream news. If you want the liberal
slant on the news, there are numerous choices. If you want the
conservative slant, go to AM radio and Fox. Does the mainstream media
cover stories that far-right types want to see more of? (Rhetorical
question)
>
> But that's quite different from Fox, AM radio, and yes, Air America. In
> those cases, the subjects and depth of coverage are tilted so far to the
> right or left that none can legitimately claim to be "fair and balanced".
> Their coverage is *deliberately* distorted. To my knowledge, only Fox makes
> that claim part of their marketing mantra. The others make no excuses for
> their biases. Some even try to make it a virtue by saying that they're have
> to go to what many see as outrageous falsehoods from the right in order to
> act as a counterbalance to the "liberal media".
I beg to differ. The mainsteam media doesn't make excuses for their
biases because, (excepting Air America) they don't believe that they
even HAVE a bias, when it's plain to see that they do. Fox's claim to
"fair and balanced" is because they DO provide a forum for differing
views. The moderator in the center box, guests with opposing views on
either side. Where else do you see this? Certainly not on network
news. Fox DOES go deeper than other outlets, and nobody is preventing
them from doing the same, they choose not to. To me, that makes their
claim legitimate. I have read your last sentence many times and still
don't understand what you are trying to say there.
Black Scum
"Jerry Dennis" <JDen...@aol.com> wrote
>I checked their main site, "Brave New Films" out of Culver City, CA.
>Pretty heavy left-wing site.
>Jerry
You can damn the messenger, but the message is well-supported by
documentation and video clips. http://foxattacks.com/facts.php
Below are key pieces of evidence that Fox intentionally serves as a
Republican mouthpiece.
Fox executive John Moody sends internal memos each morning, dictating what
Republican talking points should be reported on air.
Some examples:
.After Democratic victory in 2006: "Be on the lookout for any statements
from the Iraqi insurgents...thrilled at the prospect of a Dem controlled
Congress" (11/9/06)
Fox reporter Martha MacCallum then claimed on-air that terrorists were
dancing in the streets over Democratic congressional victory, with no proof.
(11/9/06)
.On George W. Bush, during start of 2004 election: "His political courage
and tactical cunning are worth noting in our reporting through the day."
(6/3/03)
.On US troops dying in Iraq: "Do not fall into the easy trap of mourning the
loss of US lives and asking out loud why are we there? The US is in Iraq to
help a country brutalized for 30 years protect the gains made by Operation
Iraqi Freedom and set it on the path to democracy." (4/6/04). Fox anchor
Brit Hume then commented on-air about 2000 American deaths in Iraq: "By
historic standards, these casualties are negligible."
.On Bush judicial nominees: "Let's spend a good deal of time on the battle
over judicial nominations, which the President will address this morning.
Nominees who both sides admit are qualified are being held up because of
their POSSIBLE, not demonstrated, views on one issue -- abortion. This
should be a trademark issue for FNC today and in the days to come."
(5/9/03).
.On the 9-11 Commission: "The so-called 9/11 commission has already been
meeting. this is not 'what did he know and when did he know it' stuff. Do
not turn this into Watergate. Remember the fleeting sense of national unity
that emerged from this tragedy. Let's not desecrate that." (3/23/04).
. "Larry Johnson, a former part-time Fox commentator.[said] Moody missives
were 'talking points instructing us what the themes are supposed to be, and
God help you if you stray.'" (Washington Post, 7/11/04)
.After 9/11, Fox News President Roger Ailes sent a secret strategy memo to
George W. Bush via Karl Rove. It told Bush how to project strength. (Slate,
11/16/02)
."Ailes was not supposed to be giving political advice," reporter Bob
Woodward notes, because he was now running Fox News. (Slate, 11/18/02)
.Ailes was a media adviser for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Richard Nixon
(Wikipedia)
.Fox News vice president David Rhodes called progressive groups "radical,
fringe"
.Beltway Boys Mort Kondracke and Fred Barnes said progressive groups were
"Stalinist."
.John Gibson invoked Stalin and Trotsky.
.Bill O'Reilly compared Fox debate opponents to Nazis. Ironically, he also
said that other media like NBC are biased - read daily talking points from
MoveOn on the air
.The "Bulls and Bears" business news show said the stock market was worried
because of "far-left blogs cancelling a Fox-sponsored presidential debate."
Some examples of Fox smears and misinformation.
.Fox smeared Barack Obama: In January 2007, Fox repeatedly aired false
charges that Sen. Barack Obama was schooled in a "madrassa." Fox has also
actively calls Obama "Barack Hussein Obama" and tries to make an issue of
Obama's race. All captured in director Robert Greenwald's short YouTube
film, Fox Attacks: Obama.
.Fox misinformed viewers about Iraq: A 2003 University of Maryland study
found that Fox News viewers were far more likely than other networks'
viewers to be misinformed about whether Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11 Al
Qaeda terrorists -- and whether weapons of mass destruction were found in
Iraq.
.Fox uses questions marks in on-screen headlines to smear Democrats and prop
up Bush. "Have Democrats Forgotten The Lessons of 9/11?" "Saddam & 9/11?"
"Is The Liberal Media Helping To Fuel Terror?" "The #1 President on Mideast
Matters: George W. Bush?" "The Best President?"
.Fox on-screen headlines show a blatant agenda and misinform viewers.
Mark Foley - Democrat. Fox repeatedly labeled scandal-plagued Rep. Mark
Foley a Democrat weeks before the 2006 elections - he is actually a
Republican.
Scooter Libby - not guilty. Fox's on-screen graphic emphasized that Scooter
Libby was found not guilty on one charge when the big news was that he was
found guilty of four charges.
Smearing Pelosi. When Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as House Speaker and she
kicked off Democrats' 100 Hours Agenda, a Fox headline said, "100 Hours To
Turn America Into San Francisco"
Hunting Accident Controversy - How is VP Cheney Feeling? This is obviously
not the question most media were asking.
Liberal blogs = terrorists? Fox asked if liberal bloggers are sending the
same message as terrorists.
Frank Provasek
Below are key pieces of evidence that Fox intentionally serves as a
Republican mouthpiece.
Fox executive John Moody sends internal memos each morning, dictating
what Republican talking points should be reported on air.
Some examples:
•After Democratic victory in 2006: “Be on the lookout for any
statements from the Iraqi insurgents...thrilled at the prospect of a
Dem controlled Congress” (11/9/06)
Fox reporter Martha MacCallum then claimed on-air that terrorists were
dancing in the streets over Democratic congressional victory, with no
proof. (11/9/06)
•On George W. Bush, during start of 2004 election: "His political
courage and tactical cunning are worth noting in our reporting through
the day." (6/3/03)
•On US troops dying in Iraq: “Do not fall into the easy trap of
mourning the loss of US lives and asking out loud why are we there?
The US is in Iraq to help a country brutalized for 30 years protect
the gains made by Operation Iraqi Freedom and set it on the path to
democracy.” (4/6/04). Fox anchor Brit Hume then commented on-air about
2000 American deaths in Iraq: “By historic standards, these casualties
are negligible.”
•On Bush judicial nominees: “Let's spend a good deal of time on the
battle over judicial nominations, which the President will address
this morning. Nominees who both sides admit are qualified are being
held up because of their POSSIBLE, not demonstrated, views on one
issue -- abortion. This should be a trademark issue for FNC today and
in the days to come.” (5/9/03).
•On the 9-11 Commission: “The so-called 9/11 commission has already
been meeting… this is not ‘what did he know and when did he know it’
stuff. Do not turn this into Watergate. Remember the fleeting sense of
national unity that emerged from this tragedy. Let's not desecrate
that.” (3/23/04).
•On Bush tax cuts: “The tax cut passed last night by the Senate,
though less than half what Bush originally proposed, contains some
important victories for the administration. The DC crew will parse the
bill and explain how it will fatten -- marginally -- your
wallet.” (5/22/03)
• “Larry Johnson, a former part-time Fox commentator…[said] Moody
missives were ‘talking points instructing us what the themes are
supposed to be, and God help you if you stray.’” (Washington Post,
7/11/04)
•After 9/11, Fox News President Roger Ailes sent a secret strategy
memo to George W. Bush via Karl Rove. It told Bush how to project
strength. (Slate, 11/16/02)
•“Ailes was not supposed to be giving political advice," reporter Bob
Woodward notes, because he was now running Fox News. (Slate, 11/18/02)
•Ailes was a media adviser for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Richard
Nixon (Wikipedia)
•Fox News vice president David Rhodes called progressive groups
“radical, fringe”
•Beltway Boys Mort Kondracke and Fred Barnes said progressive groups
were “Stalinist.”
•John Gibson invoked Stalin and Trotsky.
•Bill O’Reilly compared Fox debate opponents to Nazis. Ironically,
he also said that other media like NBC are biased – read daily talking
points from MoveOn on the air
•The “Bulls and Bears” business news show said the stock market was
worried because of “far-left blogs cancelling a Fox-sponsored
presidential debate.”
Some examples of Fox smears and misinformation.
•Fox smeared Barack Obama: In January 2007, Fox repeatedly aired false
charges that Sen. Barack Obama was schooled in a “madrassa.” Fox has
also actively calls Obama “Barack Hussein Obama” and tries to make an
issue of Obama’s race. All captured in director Robert Greenwald’s
short YouTube film, Fox Attacks: Obama.
•Fox misinformed viewers about Iraq: A 2003 University of Maryland
study found that Fox News viewers were far more likely than other
networks’ viewers to be misinformed about whether Saddam Hussein was
linked to 9/11 Al Qaeda terrorists -- and whether weapons of mass
destruction were found in Iraq.
•Fox uses questions marks in on-screen headlines to smear Democrats
and prop up Bush. “Have Democrats Forgotten The Lessons of 9/11?”
“Saddam & 9/11?” “Is The Liberal Media Helping To Fuel Terror?” “The
#1 President on Mideast Matters: George W. Bush?” “The Best
President?”
•Fox on-screen headlines show a blatant agenda and misinform viewers.
Mark Foley – Democrat. Fox repeatedly labeled scandal-plagued Rep.
Mark Foley a Democrat weeks before the 2006 elections – he is actually
a Republican.
Scooter Libby – not guilty. Fox’s on-screen graphic emphasized that
Scooter Libby was found not guilty on one charge when the big news was
that he was found guilty of four charges.
Smearing Pelosi. When Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as House Speaker and
she kicked off Democrats’ 100 Hours Agenda, a Fox headline said, “100
Hours To Turn America Into San Francisco”
Hunting Accident Controversy – How is VP Cheney Feeling? This is
Frank Provasek
>
> Interesting array of advertisers. Where did you get the list?
http://www.copswiki.org/w/pub/Common/AirAmericaBlackout/air_america_blackout.jpg
Frank Provasek
You can damn the messenger, but the message is well-supported by
Black Scum
selective editing to prop up your agenda. liberals hate fox because they are
no longer able to control the debate. it's really as simple as that, and
like a spoiled child that always gets what they want, when you finally tell
them no, look out. for years we heard if you don't like cnn, network news,
etc. start your own network. now that conservatives have a more balanced
point of view the left can't stop crying. liberal's remember the day when
there were almost no conservatives on tv, and when they were represented,
they were always out numbered and usually shouted down. fox has changed
that. the left's mouth-piece al franken said it best, respond to
conservatives with scorn and ridicule. say it often enough and people will
believe it [ especially those that only pay attention when it's time to
vote ] this is propaganda at it's worst.
"Black Scum" <trai...@blackscum.info> wrote in message
news:ib7bm0$nq5$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
Black Scum
Black Scum
mazorj
On Nov 7, 8:58 am, "mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote:
> No, I can't disagree with your mission statement for journalism (although
> you left out the non-W of "how"). So you do admit that the Fox claim to
> "fair and balanced" is total nonsense?
> Where did you come up with that idea? I admit no such thing, and never
> said or intimated that.
"However you may think that Fox asks softball questions to Conservatives and
tough questions to the 'token' Liberal, at least they are offering a forum
that isn't evident on network news programs. *Totally one-sided* ".
(emphasis added)
I had read that to mean "Fox is totally one-sided" which can only mean that
"the Fox claim to 'fair and balanced' is total nonsense.
If that's not what you meant, you were ambiguous as to whether "totally
one-sided" applies to Fox or to the other networks.
> I will admit that Fox leans to the right. Will
you admit that ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, New York Times, Boston
Globe, et al of the media lean to the left?
Only if by "lean to the left" you mean that they don't lean to the right.
Most conservative media critics follow the neocon dictum that "If you ain't
for us, you're against us."
< I am amused by the neolib
(to coin a phrase) objection to the ONLY conservative outlets of AM
talk radio and Fox and their obvious popularity when almost every
other media outlet is liberal. The cry to silence the 'loyal
opposition' (as opposed to Obama's Freudian slip referring to
Republicans as "the enemy") seems ludicrous to me.
No, what is ludicrous is that despite my assertions that criticizing Fox and
AM radio is not the same as a call to silence them, you repeatedly fall back
to that strawman statement. (Did you even bother to read the opening clause
of the next sentence in my post before you drafted that accusation?) Fox and
the AM attack dogs can and should have their say. The First Amendment right
to free speech is so crucial to a viable democracy that no one should be
muzzled on the basis of the acceptability of their views.
>They're free to pursue their
> political agenda, and they do delve deeper into the neocon issues than
> most
> outlets, but regardless of whether or not you buy into their ccoverage
> and/or their most outrageous statements about Obama and the left, let's
> not buy into their marketing hype.
< Marketing hype? OK, sure. But how does that differ from any
advertising? ie "All the news that's fit to print".
That is what's legally termed "puffery," i.e., a self-serving claim that a
rational analysis would show cannot be proven, and therefore a rational
audience understands that it should not and cannot be taken literally. For
example, "Brand X is the best whatever that money can buy." You can
show that it's good, even that it is better than Brand Y, but it's a
practical
impossibility to show that it is better than any competing product anywhere.
"Fair and balanced," OTOH, is a specific claim that can be measured
intrinsically and objectively using accepted journalistic methods and
metrics.
< There are libel
laws that cover what you call "outrageous statements", but I fail to
see any impending litigation.
Politicians have been well advised over the decades not to sue for libel or
slander regardless of how odious and outrageous the claims. Even if you win
a judgment (the battle), you lose the war in such a suit. So your
observation means nothing.
< Perhaps you consider any differing view as patently outrageous.
Well, there you go again. No matter how many times I explain this, it
doesn't sink in for you. I can listen respectfully to reasonable, rational
views differing from mine. On occasion, a new piece of information will
materially change my views. At the least, I usually come away with a better
understanding of the opposing view.
When I refer to "patently outrageous" claims, I mean perpetuating lies such
as saying that Obama is a Muslim with a secret Muslim bias, that he was not
born in the U.S., that anything not on the neocon list of approved views is
"socialism," that liberals hate America, etc.
> Re "distort the facts," define "distort". First, all reporters make
> mistakes, either by factual errors or by not having enough background
> knowledge to put the facts into an accurate context and priority.
> Reporters are only human. To condemn the news media for this is like
> condemning capitalism because some vendors have sent you the wrong
> item or overcharged you.
< SO close to a strawman argument! Front page mistakes, retraction on
page 24 of the B section, if at all.
True re the retractions; but have you EVER heard Limbaugh or Beck et al.
even *admit* an error let alone retract it? And how does Fox handle errors,
if at all?
< The difference between a mistake
and a distortion is by deliberately ignoring the facts, quoting out of
context, reporting opinion as fact, omitting certain facts that don't
comply with the reporter's/media outlet's agenda, not doing the 'leg
work' of research, and just plain lying.
Thank you. You have just defined why so many observers call Fox and AM
radio content "distorted".
> Second, no news outlet can cover all the facts, ramifications,
> hypotheticals, and viewpoints on any story. What story gets covered, what
> gets reported on it and what gets left out is a news judgment.
< And subject to the actions of irresponsible reporters, editors, and
owners of the media outlet with a political agenda.
1. Most errors in mainstream reporting are inadvertent and mostly due to
human error and/or indequate knowledge of the history and context of an
issue. This can be by the reporter or the copy editor.
2. Many if not most errors by rabid political pit bulls (on the right and
the relatively few on the left) masquerading as "journalists" are due to the
bias of a political agenda.
> Conservatives charge "liberal bias" when a mainstream news outlet does not
> cover or drill down as far into a story as Fox or AM radio would; but the
> fact is, neither do they cover and drill down far enough into stories that
> far-left types want to see more of. Space limitations leave out a lot of
> relevant information. That can be construed as an unavoidable type of
> "distortion."
< I agree with the above paragraph 100%. AM radio and Fox don't pander
to the wants and needs of the liberal population, as they are the
ALTERNATIVE to the liberal mainstream news. If you want the liberal
slant on the news, there are numerous choices. If you want the
conservative slant, go to AM radio and Fox. Does the mainstream media
cover stories that far-right types want to see more of? (Rhetorical
question)
Neither do they cover all the stories that lefties want showcased.
> But that's quite different from Fox, AM radio, and yes, Air America. In
> those cases, the subjects and depth of coverage are tilted so far to the
> right or left that none can legitimately claim to be "fair and balanced".
> Their coverage is *deliberately* distorted. To my knowledge, only Fox
> makes
> that claim part of their marketing mantra. The others make no excuses for
> their biases. Some even try to make it a virtue by saying that they're
> have
> to go to what many see as outrageous falsehoods from the right in order to
> act as a counterbalance to the "liberal media".
< I beg to differ. The mainsteam media doesn't make excuses for their
biases because, (excepting Air America) they don't believe that they
even HAVE a bias, when it's plain to see that they do.
I beg to differ. Just because they're not a Fox doesn't mean that they're
liberally biased.
< Fox's claim to
"fair and balanced" is because they DO provide a forum for differing
views. The moderator in the center box, guests with opposing views on
either side. Where else do you see this?
I take it that you don't listen to NPR.
As I suggested in a previous reply, if panel 3-way discussions (left + right
+ moderator) signify "fair and balanced" then you're going to have to admit
that NPR and PBS are "fair and balanced" as well, since they do the same.
NPR also routinely does solo interviews with conservative politicians, think
tank types, political analysts, economists, pollsters, leaders in movements
such as the Tea Party, et al. without them having to share the spotlight
with, or be distracted by, an opposing spokesman. I learn more about
mainstream conservative views through NPR than you'll ever learn about
mainstream liberals/progressives by listening to Fox and AM radio.
> Certainly not on network news.
Because of the aforementioned time constraints. A 30-minute news round-up
(at most, 20 minutes of hard news after subtracting fluff, ads and promos)
cannot even give full news coverage of a day's events, let alone adding
panel discussions. Cable TV news can and does do that.
< Fox DOES go deeper than other outlets, and nobody is preventing
them from doing the same, they choose not to.
<
< To me, that makes their claim legitimate.
1. See previous comment.
2. In case you've forgotten, the point that got me into this thread was the
legitimacy of the Fox claim of being "fair and balanced". So you would have
us believe that because it "goes deeper than other outlets" into
conservative viewpoints, that makes it "fair and balanced"? Common sense
should tell you that such a commitment can *only* make it the *opposite* of
fair and balanced. Now if they modified it to read "Parts of our news are
not quite as unfair and unbalanced as Limbaugh and the other syndicated
AM radio commentators" then I could easily accept that because it is
accurate.
< I have read your last sentence many times and still don't understand what
you are trying to say there.
I thought it was abundantly clear, but let's try it this way: I have heard
right-wing media attack dogs claim that they have a right and an obligation
to go "over the top" (if not precisely in those words) with claims such as
Obama is a Muslim, a socialist, an America-hater plotting to take away our
liberties, etc. because they are trying to counterbalance what they see as
an equally bad bias from the "liberal media" that does not report those as
"facts". IOW, when you strip out the rhetoric, their implied justification
boils down to (again, not their words) "The liberal media lies, so why can't
I compensate by passing along anti-liberal rumors and assertions that you
claim have no demonstrable proof? The regular media doesn't report them as
facts, I believe they are, my audience loves them, and that's good enough
for me."
Frank Provasek
http://mediamatters.org/research/200811060005
From 2008
While there has been much discussion about the role that nationally
syndicated radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have played in
perpetuating smears and falsehoods about progressive candidates and
ideals, little has been said about the vast network of lesser-known
syndicated and regional radio hosts who have served as an echo chamber
for conservative talking points and falsehoods. This year, Media
Matters for America has greatly expanded its monitoring of regional
radio and has produced numerous items documenting falsehoods, smears,
and baseless attacks on progressives in that time. While the hosts
vary in the degree of vitriol they spew and in their ratio of
rebuttable falsehoods to unbridled smears, Media Matters and Colorado
Media Matters have identified common themes that many, if not all,
promote.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism recently released a report,
which garnered considerable media attention, concluding that Sen. John
McCain received much more "negative" coverage than President-elect
Barack Obama during the campaign. But in purporting to compare the
media's coverage of the two candidates, PEJ did not consider talk
radio, saying: "Talk radio stories ... were not included in this
campaign study of tone." But, beyond arguable flaws in PEJ's
methodology, no study of the "tone" in the media's coverage of this
presidential campaign is complete without inclusion of conservative
talk radio. Several of the radio hosts monitored by Media Matters
(their shows are described in detail below), as well as their guests,
engaged in an all-out effort to foment hate and suspicion of Obama
among their listeners, promoting the most baseless and farfetched of
smears and advancing falsehoods -- including about Obama's religion
and background -- that have taken hold among a substantial percentage
of the electorate.
Media Matters has compiled some of the more noteworthy examples of
conservative radio hosts' and their guests' attacks on Obama and, more
generally, attacks against others in the context of the 2008 election.
General themes in 2008 election
Throughout the general election cycle, conservative talk radio hosts
have repeatedly attempted to exploit ignorance about and distrust of
Obama rooted in his heritage and upbringing, and have engaged in a
relentless campaign to depict Obama as an untrustworthy outsider. In
doing so, radio hosts have compared Obama to the Antichrist, as well
as to Hitler and Mao and have suggested that his loyalties lie outside
of the United States, including in the case of some radio hosts, with
Kenya and Kenyan political figures. The first-ever nomination by a
major party of an African-American has also inspired extensive,
racially tinged commentary on conservative radio, with direct attacks
on Obama, his qualifications for office, and the motivations of his
supporters.
This election-related commentary was not limited to Obama. Sen.
Hillary Clinton's and Gov. Sarah Palin's candidacies prompted many
talk radio hosts to engage in unabashed sexist commentary, often
focused on the candidate's physical appearances. Attacks were also
waged against those seen as supporters or beneficiaries of progressive
candidates. For instance, several talk radio hosts and their guests
suggested that demographic groups such as the poor or women should be
denied the right to vote.
•Chris Baker
Radio hosts echo Drudge's distortion of Obama's 2001 WBEZ interview
On his October 27 radio show, Minneapolis radio host Chris Baker
distorted Obama's 2001 remarks by claiming that Obama said "we gotta
have economic justice and the Supreme Court ought to weigh in on
redistributing wealth." Baker added: "Yeah, it's too bad you kind of
stuck with the Constitution as it was. It's a tragedy that
redistribution of wealth was not pursued by the Supreme Court. Can you
believe that?" In fact, Obama did not say, "It's a tragedy that
redistribution of wealth was not pursued by the Supreme Court," or
indicate, as Baker later claimed, that Obama "wants to use the Supreme
Court to reinterpret the Constitution in order to force the
redistribution of wealth." Rather, as Media Matters has noted, the
"tragedy" Obama identified during the interview was that the civil
rights movement "became so court-focused" in trying to bring about
political and economic justice.
•Dan Caplis
Clear Channel hosts likened African outfit worn by Obama to "the kind
of garb you often see Osama bin Laden in" and to "Somali warlord garb"
On the February 25 broadcast of his radio show, Dan Caplis questioned
Obama's having worn the traditional attire of a tribal elder during an
August 2006 visit to Kenya. Referring to Osama bin Laden, Caplis
questioned why Obama would "put on similar clothing to the outfit worn
by the man who personally ordered thousands of Americans, including
women and kids, to be burned to death," later stating that "it would
be as if John Kennedy had gone out and thrown on the fatigues and the
funny baseball hat that Castro wore."
•Bill Cunningham
Cunningham alleged that "Obama wants to gas the Jews"
During the October 30 broadcast of his Cincinnati-based radio show,
Bill Cunningham asked "Randy Furman," a fictional Jewish character
voiced by fellow WLW-AM host Scott Sloan: "Did you hear about this
[Columbia University professor of Middle East studies Rashid] Khalidi
tape where Obama is toasting a guy who wants to gas and fry Jews? ...
This Obama guy loves the PLO [Palestinian Liberation Organization].
Can't you figure that out?" Cunningham later added, "Jews for McCain
because Obama wants to gas the Jews, like the PLO wants to gas the
Jews, like the Nazis gassed the Jews.
In the days before the election, media figures have repeatedly
compared Obama to Hitler
On the October 28 edition of Clear Channel's The Big Show, referring
to McCain, Cunningham asserted: "Maybe it's his age, or maybe it's his
lack of eloquence. Whatever it is, the guy just doesn't have the same
verbal skills of someone like a Barack Hussein Obama. Of course, Adolf
Hitler had great verbal skills, too, and he led the country of his
country to disaster."
Cunningham invoked "[s]ix-six-six" and "the beast" in discussing
"Barack Hussein Obama"
Stating that 666,000 new voters have registered in Ohio, Cunningham
said on October 10: "Six-six-six. The mark of the beast. The great
majority, of course, are registered by ACORN. ... Who conducted ACORN
seminars to tell ACORN employees and others how to cheat the system?
Barack Hussein Obama. I may declare him to be the beast. Six-six-six.
It could be the end of all days." On the October 13 edition of
Cunningham's show, a caller said of Obama, "He may be the Antichrist."
•Mark Levin
In the days before the election, media figures have repeatedly
compared Obama to Hitler
On the October 29 edition of ABC Radio Networks' The Mark Levin Show,
Levin asserted that Obama is "really into these big German-like events
that he creates in this country, isn't he? Have you noticed that?"
Curtis Sliwa, WABC radio host and CEO and founder of the community
activist organization Guardian Angels, responded: "I am telling you,
and he comes out and it's almost as if the crowd stands in unison, and
I'm saying to myself, 'Oh my God, the Olympic Stadium, Berlin, 1938,'
" to which Levin replied: "Yeah, we've seen this. It's scary." Sliwa
then asserted: "And the only thing missing is he's not standing up in
an open car."
Radio hosts echo Drudge's distortion of Obama's 2001 WBEZ interview
During the October 27 broadcast of his radio show, Levin falsely
asserted that "what the [Supreme] Court should have done from Obama's
point of view was impose socialism from the bench." He also claimed
that Obama and [Harvard Law School professor] Cass Sunstein are
"promoting" an interpretation of the 14th Amendment that it should "be
used ... to compel, as a matter of constitutional law, the socialist
agenda. In other words, constitutionalize redistribution of wealth."
Levin then called Obama's position on the Constitution "a radical
point of view" and "a foreign approach to the rule of law."
Levin, MacCallum falsely accused Obama of inconsistency on whether
Iranian Revolutionary Guard should be designated a terrorist group
On the June 4 broadcast of his radio show, Levin falsely asserted that
Obama "lied to" the American Israel Public Affairs Committee when he
"told them today that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards should be
designated a terrorist group after voting against a bill designating
them a terrorist group a year ago." In fact, Obama has consistently
supported designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist
organization, having co-sponsored a bill in 2007 to do that.
•"Gunny" Bob Newman
Newman: "[T]here will be an invasion of Muslim terrorists" if Obama
becomes president
On the July 10 broadcast of his radio show, responding to a caller's
statement that "we better start learning Arabic" if Obama is elected
president, Newsradio 850 KOA's "Gunny" Bob Newman stated that "there
will be an invasion of Muslim terrorists" if Obama is elected.
Further, after stating that he didn't know whether Obama has "ever
held a real job," Newman falsely claimed that Obama has accomplished
"[n]othing" in the U.S. Senate.
"You are just another blowhard, make-believe thug": KOA's Newman asked
if Obama would "try ... to whip my white ass"
On May 19, Newman labeled Obama a "clown" and stated, "Son, you are
not some sort of macho tough guy, trust me." Directly addressing
Obama, Newman asked, "What are you gonna do, Obama, come to Denver and
try, key word try, to whip my white ass?" Continuing, Newman said,
"Son, you are not some sort of macho tough guy, trust me. You are just
another blowhard, make-believe thug who wants to be the most powerful
man on Earth. You're a far-left, terrorist-hugging politician, not the
bad-boy gangsta you want people to believe you are."
"Gunny" Bob to KOA caller concerned about critics who "don't even
know" Obama: "I didn't know Hitler. I didn't know Stalin."
On his April 30 program, Newman responded to a caller's complaint
about people who say of Obama "that he doesn't have a good heart when
you don't even know the guy and are relying on mass media to paint a
picture of him," by stating, "Well, you know, I didn't know Hitler. I
didn't know Stalin." Newman added, "Not that Obama is Stalinesque, not
that Obama is Hitleresque, but we didn't know those two either."
•Quinn & Rose
Radio hosts echo Drudge's distortion of Obama's 2001 WBEZ interview
On the October 27 broadcast of The War Room, co-host Jim Quinn said,
"[H]ere's what was wrong with the civil rights movement, according to
Barack Obama: The Supreme Court never got into the area of
redistribution of the wealth." He added, "Do you want to have a judge
tell you how much you can make, and how much of your productivity goes
to another man who may have done nothing? You want the court to decide
that? And I'm telling you, this guy is gonna make one, two, three --
maybe -- appointments to the Supreme Court, and they're gonna be
exactly those kinds of judges. Hold onto your wallet, kids." Quinn
also said, " He just got done telling you that the Constitution's only
half-done. He needs to write the other half -- you know, the other
half where we decide how much we take from you and give to that guy
down the street."
Calling in to Quinn & Rose from Kenya, Corsi said of his detention:
"[C]all Barack's office and ask him why I'm being detained"
In a phone call to The War Room during the show's October 7 broadcast,
Jerome Corsi stated that he and his staff were "being detained by the
immigration of Kenya 'cause they lost our entry papers." Corsi
repeatedly suggested Obama was responsible for his detention, stating
at one point: "[J]ust don't write anything bad about Senator Obama,
because, otherwise, this is what happens to you." Corsi also said,
"[C]all Barack's office and ask him why I'm being detained." Also
during the interview, Corsi said, "[W]e had meetings with top
government officials here in Nairobi. Everybody knew we were here. But
we try to do a press conference, and then, you know, then you get
detained. So, there's free speech in Kenya for ya," to which Quinn
replied: "And soon to be free speech here, by the way."
•Rodgers & Sussman
Radio hosts echo Drudge's distortion of Obama's 2001 WBEZ interview
On the October 27 broadcast of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The
Lee Rodgers Show, host Brian Sussman described Obama's comments as
"[t]alking about using the courts for redistributional change."
Sussman then played a clip of the portion of the January 18, 2001,
WBEZ interview in which Obama referred to "theoretical justifications"
for "bringing about economic change through the courts." Sussman then
commented: "Did you hear that? Bringing about economic change through
the courts? That's judicial activism on steroids." But Sussman did not
air what Obama said just prior to referencing the "theoretical
justifications" -- "it's very hard to legitimize opinions from the
court in that regard" -- or what he said just afterward: "I think
that, as a practical matter, our institutions just are poorly equipped
to do it."
In post-detention KSFO interview, Corsi claimed critics of Obama are
"now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed"
On the October 9 broadcast of The Lee Rodgers Show, Corsi asserted
regarding his detention and departure from Kenya: "I think the story
here is really the suppression of the press. ... I hate to think of
what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative
book or criticize Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk
being thrown in jail or killed." Rodgers said, "I'll tell you what's
scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of
Barack Obama in Kenya, who are trying to intimidate a journalist. ...
I'm telling you, this is scary. I have heard from Obama supporters
telling me: one way or another, boy, when we're in office, we're going
to shut you down."
•Michael Savage
Radio hosts echo Drudge's distortion of Obama's 2001 WBEZ interview
On the October 27 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show,
Michael Savage also misrepresented Obama's comments, falsely claiming
that in the interview, Obama "says that one of the tragedies of the
civil rights movement was that the courts did not move for
redistributive change."
Savage: "Kenya is going to move to America if Barack Hussein Obama
wins"
During the October 10 broadcast of his radio show, Savage baselessly
accused Obama of running a "corrupt campaign," suggested that white
liberals "hate white people," repeated the discredited charge that
Obama "won't produce his birth certificate," and asserted "Kenya is
going to move to America" if Obama wins the election.
Savage: Obama was "hand-picked by some very powerful forces ... to
drag this country into a hell that it has not seen since the Civil
War"
Savage stated of Obama on the March 13 broadcast of his radio show: "I
think he was hand-picked by some very powerful forces both within and
outside the United State of America to drag this country into a hell
that it has not seen since the Civil War of the middle of the 19th
century."
Savage: "America's not ready for an affirmative action presidency"
On the February 1 broadcast of his radio show, while referring to Sen.
Clinton and Obama, Savage stated: "We have a woman and a multi-ethnic
man running for office on the Democrat side. Is this not akin to a --
an affirmative action election? Isn't that why the libs are
hysterical, tripping over themselves to say amen and yes to this
affirmative election vote?" He later added, "America's not ready for
an affirmative action presidency."
Misinformation about Obama's religion
A key component of the dangerous-outsider depiction of Obama on
conservative talk radio has been promotion of the false claim that
Obama was not being truthful about his religious beliefs. Despite
numerous instances of falsehoods about Obama's religion rebutted by
media outlets and nonpartisan fact-checkers, conservative radio hosts
repeatedly and consistently advanced the false claim that Obama was a
Muslim, not a Christian, and that he has concealed his true religion.
•Neal Boortz
Boortz: "Let's ask Obama how many prayer rugs he has"
On the August 21 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show,
host Neal Boortz falsely suggested that Obama is a Muslim. While
discussing McCain's inability to answer the Politico's question about
how many homes he and his wife own, Boortz said: "Let's ask Obama how
many prayer rugs he has."
•G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy guest Walid Shoebat falsely claimed that Obama is "definitely a
Muslim"
On his September 10 radio show, Liddy hosted self-described former
terrorist Walid Shoebat to advance the false claim that Obama, who
Shoebat said would be "extremely dangerous" as president, is a Muslim.
Liddy also did not challenge Shoebat's false claim that Hamas supports
Obama.
Conservative radio hosts seize on Obama comment to revive false rumors
about his faith
On the September 8 broadcast of his syndicated radio show, Liddy aired
an audio clip of Middle Eastern-sounding music and said, "[Y]ou're
listening to our secret taping of a Obama family meeting, and we're --
just kidding."
•"Gunny" Bob Newman
"Gunny" Bob posted doctored photos of Obama, fake photo captions on
Clear Channel-owned website
In July, Newman posted a variety of doctored photos and other images
on his page on the station's website, depicting Obama as meeting with
bin Laden and dressed as "Che Obama." The page also included actual
photos of Obama accompanied by false "quotes," purportedly by the
candidate, threatening Newman in profane terms.
•Michael Savage
Savage on Obama: "Now we have an unknown stealth candidate who went to
a madrassas in Indonesia and, in fact, was a Muslim"
On the April 3 broadcast of his radio show, Savage falsely asserted
that Obama was a Muslim and attended a madrassa, stating: "Now we have
an unknown stealth candidate who went to a madrassas in Indonesia and,
in fact, was a Muslim."
Savage on Obama: "We have a right to know if he's a so-called friendly
Muslim or one who aspires to more radical teachings"
Savage falsely asserted during the February 21 broadcast of his radio
show that Obama is a Muslim, claiming that "[w]e have a right to know
if he's a so-called friendly Muslim or one who aspires to more radical
teachings." The Obama campaign website states that Obama "has never
been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian
who attends the United Church of Christ."
Savage smeared Obama with false name, "Barack Madrassas Obama"
On the January 10 edition of his radio show, Savage referred falsely
to Obama as "Senator Barack Madrassas Obama." Savage made the comment
while discussing a December 10 Associated Press article headlined,
"Presidential hopefuls and first cars" that "asked candidates to name
their first cars" and also "look[ed] at some of their personal
vehicles now." Savage said of Obama: "Illinois Senator Barack
Madrassas Obama. His first car was his grandfather's Ford Granada. Now
he owns a Chrysler 300C."
•Rodgers & Sussman
Rodgers falsely claimed Obama "admits in one of his own books" that he
would "stand with the Muslims" against "the Western world"
On the October 22 broadcast of his radio show, Rodgers falsely claimed
Obama "admits in one of his own books" that "in case of a
confrontation between the Western world and the Islamic world, he will
stand with the Muslims." Rodgers' assertion recalls a similar
allegation in a chain email that has been previously debunked. As
FactCheck.org documented, while discussing "my meetings with Arab and
Pakistani Americans" in The Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote: "[T]hey
need specific assurances that their citizenship really means
something, that America has learned the right lessons from the
Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with
them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.
Sussman suggested Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment may be his
Muslim father's "genetic DNA welling up inside of him"
On the September 10 broadcast of The Lee Rodgers Show, a caller
suggested that Obama's remark that "you can put lipstick on a pig;
it's still a pig" was directed at Palin and said: "[I]t's a little
indicative of a Muslim attitude towards women that's creeping up, you
know, and he just can't help but say it, how he feels." Sussman
responded: "Well, there's no question that Muslims, at least the
religious ones, look at women as second-class citizens. That was just
a low blow. He should not have made the remark. I don't know if it was
his father's genetic DNA welling up inside of him or not, but I'll
tell you something: It was stupid. The question is, did he know what
he was saying?"
After suggesting Obama was "running for Antichrist," Sussman now says
if Obama "were on trial for being a Christian...I think [he] would
walk"
On the July 30 broadcast of The Lee Rodgers Show, Sussman questioned
Obama's Christianity: "Now I'm going to get into something that is
probably equally as offensive to some, especially those listening in
on KSFO.com from around the world. If Barack Obama were on trial for
being a Christian, would there be enough evidence for a jury of his
peers to pronounce him guilty? I doubt it. I think Obama would walk."
Obama's birth certificate
In yet another attempt to define Obama as un-American and foreign,
numerous conservative talk radio hosts and their guests have advanced
the discredited claim that Obama was not born in the United States and
is therefore not eligible for the presidency.
•Chris Baker
Conservative radio hosts repeat discredited claim that Obama has not
produced valid U.S. birth certificate
On the October 9 broadcast of his radio show, Baker discussed a
lawsuit filed in August by Philip J. Berg, who baselessly charged that
Obama was born in Kenya. Baker stated that "when you really start
looking into this, there apparently has never been a real birth
certificate presented. There's been a certificate, but it's not a
birth certificate. ... Just get the damn birth certificate presented
and let's move on with our lives."
•Peter Boyles
Hosting Berg for the third time, Boyles again allowed Obama birth
certificate smear
For the third time in three weeks, Boyles hosted Berg during the
October 29 edition of his radio show and allowed him to repeat the
discredited falsehood that Obama has not released a valid birth
certificate establishing he was born in the United States and
therefore could be ineligible to run for president.
Hosting Philip Berg, Boyles and Martino allowed further falsehoods
about Obama's birth certificate
On the October 22 broadcast of The Troubleshooter and the October 23
broadcast of The Peter Boyles Show, Boyles and Tom Martino,
respectively, uncritically allowed Berg to repeat the discredited
smear that Obama has not released a valid birth certificate
establishing he was born in the United States and therefore could be
ineligible to run for president. Berg further claimed on both
broadcasts that the copy of Obama's certification of live birth posted
on his campaign website is a "forgery."
Back-to-back guests on Boyles repeated discredited claim that Obama
has not released valid birth certificate
On his October 9 broadcast, Boyles hosted discredited author Jerome
Corsi and Berg, both of whom repeated the debunked falsehood that
Obama has not released an authentic birth certificate establishing
that he was born in the United States and therefore could be
ineligible to run for president.
•G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy, Corsi again repeated discredited claim that Obama has not
produced birth certificate establishing his U.S. citizenship
On the September 17 broadcast of his radio show, Liddy and Corsi each
repeated the discredited claim that Sen. Barack Obama has not produced
a birth certificate establishing his U.S. citizenship. In fact,
FactCheck.org reported that the Obama campaign provided its staff with
Obama's original birth certificate and concluded that it "meets all of
the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S.
citizenship," and even WorldNetDaily.com, the right-wing website for
which Corsi works as a staff reporter, has reported that a "WND
investigation into Obama's birth certificate utilizing forgery experts
also found the document to be authentic."
•"Gunny" Bob Newman
Newman disputed the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate; Hawaii
Department of Health confirmed it
On his August 11 radio show, Newman asserted that Obama has produced a
"fake" birth certificate, a week after claiming that Obama "will not
produce his birth certificate" to prove his United States citizenship.
In fact, the Hawaii Department of Health has confirmed that the
document posted on Obama's campaign website is "a valid Hawaii state
birth certificate" and has labeled speculation about his citizenship
"ridiculous."
•Quinn & Rose
Quinn and Tennent repeated discredited claims that Obama has not
released valid birth certificate
On the October 3 broadcast of The War Room, Quinn and Tennent hosted
Berg to discuss Berg's lawsuit, which baselessly alleges that Obama is
not a natural-born U.S. citizen; during the interview, Quinn, Tennent,
and Berg each repeated the discredited charge that Obama has not
produced an authentic U.S. birth certificate. In fact, in addition to
posting a copy of Obama's birth certificate on the campaign website,
the Obama campaign reportedly provided the original document to
FactCheck.org, whose staff reported that it "meets all of the
requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship."
•Michael Savage
Conservative radio hosts repeat discredited claim that Obama has not
produced valid U.S. birth certificate
On the October 8 and 9 broadcasts of The Savage Nation, Savage and
guest host Rick Roberts repeatedly questioned Obama's citizenship. For
instance, Savage falsely claimed that Obama's birth certificate "does
not exist, they can't find it in the Hawaii government. It's never
been produced. The one that was produced is a forgery." Roberts
stated, "[Y]ou're running for the president of the United States, OK?
Show them the birth certificate and say, 'OK, here's my birth
certificate, get out of my face.' Why hasn't it been produced? Why?"
On the October 10 broadcast, Savage against stated that Obama "doesn't
have a birth cerfiticate."
Additionally, while baselessly stating that Obama has not proven his
U.S. citizenship, Savage revived other falsehoods about Obama. He
falsely suggested that Obama is a Muslim, stating: "How could he not
be Muslim if he has a Muslim name? How could he not be Muslim if his
father and grandfather were Muslims? How is that possible, when he has
no known birth certificate?"
Conservative media figures allege Obama's Hawaii trip is about
discredited birth-certificate rumors, not his ailing grandmother
On the October 22 broadcast of his show, Savage stated that "[t]here
are people arguing that Obama is headed back to Hawaii not so much to
visit an ailing relative, but to fudge the birth certificate in
question" and said moments later, "There is intense national interest
on the Internet about his citizenship, and the question is being
asked, could this be the real reason he is headed to Hawaii?" Savage
subsequently became more definitive, claiming that "[t]here's some
other reason that he's leaving the mainland of the United States in
the midst of this toe-to-toe struggle right now, and it's got to do
with his birth certificate."
Discussing death of Obama's grandmother, Savage continued to promote
discredited birth-certificate rumors
During the November 3 broadcast of his show, Savage again revived
discredited "rumors" about Obama's "birth certificate not being valid"
-- this time while discussing the recent death of Obama's grandmother,
Madelyn Dunham. Savage stated: "And, oh yes, our condolences to his
grandmother who raised him, who he so bravely visited last week --
shockingly, out of nowhere, in the, in the last days of a campaign --
while the rumors of his birth certificate not being valid were
circulating throughout the Internet. Shockingly, Obama goes to Hawaii,
and again, not one of the empty skirts in the media asks him about his
birth -- his birth certificate, the Kenyan relatives. Not one of the
empty skirts in the media raises the question. And today she dies,
poor lady dies, poor lady dies today; the woman who raised him -- the
white grandmother who raised him."
Obama and race
Conservative radio hosts used Obama's status as the first African-
American major party nominee for president to launch extensive,
racially tinged commentary on Obama, his qualifications for office,
and the motivations of his supporters.
•Chris Baker
Minneapolis radio host Baker promoted video of pastor calling Obama's
mother "trash"
On October 7, on both his radio show and website, Baker promoted an
Internet video in which the Rev. James David Manning of ATLAH World
Missionary Church in Harlem says: "The difference between Obama's mama
and Bristol Palin is that Obama's mama was trash. I mean, she was
dirt. She was a bag of trash sitting on the sidewalk waiting there in
Honolulu on one of those streets for the garbage truck to come by and
pick her up and take her to the dump."
•Bill Cunningham
Cunningham on Obama Sr.: "That's what black fathers do. They simply
leave"
On the October 28 broadcast of his show, Cunningham stated of Obama's
childhood: "[I]magine at the age of 1 or 2 seeing your father for the
last time. See, his father was a typical black father who, right after
the birth, left the baby. That's what black fathers do. They simply
leave."
Cunningham guest Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson: "[M]ost black people today
are racist"
On the October 20 edition of Clear Channel's The Big Show, guest Rev.
Jesse Lee Peterson said of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's
endorsement of Obama: "[H]e's clearly for the color of the man and not
the character." Cunningham replied, "Great comments, and if Obama was
white as chalk, do you think that Powell would be endorsing the
Democrat? He didn't endorse [Al] Gore, he didn't endorse [Sen. John]
Kerry. I think color trumps everything in his mind." Peterson
responded: "That's right, because if it was about what Barack Obama
stood for, then he would have endorsed Gore and all those guys, but he
did not. You know, it's so sad, my friend, that most black people
today are racist. Not all, not all -- but most of them are racist."
Cunningham: "I think there will be 100 cities burning if Barack loses.
Yeah, that's what the black intelligentsia says"
During the October 10 broadcast of The Big Show, Cunningham stated: "I
think there will be 100 cities burning if Barack loses. Yeah, that's
what the black intelligentsia says." Cunningham also asserted that
"Flavor Flav, 50 Cent, and Diddy" are "really in charge of the [Obama]
Inaugural [Ball]."
•G. Gordon Liddy
In sketch on Corsi's detention in Kenya, Liddy played audio of "jungle
telegraph drums"
On the October 7 edition of his program, Liddy discussed the detention
of Corsi in Kenya and aired a sketch in which he said: "We've used the
satellite connection to Kenya, and we are now focusing in on the trial
of Dr. Jerome Corsi. ... [H]e's being accused of impersonating a human
being. My Zulu's not -- not as good as Obama's, but -- yeah, they're
really upset with him. You can probably tell." Liddy then aired a clip
apparently from the 1950 movie King Solomon's Mines, which featured
characters speaking in Kinyarwanda (not Zulu), one of the official
languages of Rwanda, and playing music on drums.
•Quinn & Rose
Quinn and Tennent: Powell endorsed Obama because "he's tired of being
called an Oreo," "an Uncle Tom"
On the October 20 broadcast of The War Room, Tennent asserted that
Powell endorsed Obama "because he doesn't want to be known as an Uncle
Tom anymore. He wants to be black again." Quinn later said of Powell,
"He's tired of being called an Oreo."
•Michael Savage
Savage on Obama: "America's first affirmative action candidate about
to become president"
During the October 27 broadcast of his show, Savage said: "Obama and I
are on the opposite sides of the political spectrum, as you can well
imagine. While he benefited from affirmative action, stepping over
more qualified white men, I actually lost as a result of affirmative
action, many times in my life. Although I'd get near 100s on certain
exams, they put me at the back of the bus because they said -- the
ACLU said -- certain people will have to put their futures on hold in
order to let others advance, and take a look at where we are today --
we have America's first affirmative action candidate about to become
president."
Sexism
Right-wing talk radio hosts have also repeatedly made sexist comments
or attacked feminists, often while highlighting a woman's physical
characteristics. For example, with McCain's pick of Palin as his
running mate, talk radio hosts have often focused on Palin's
appearance and have also referred to progressive women as "ugly." Some
hosts and guests have questioned women's abilities as political
leaders, and even suggested that the country would be better off if
women were denied the right to vote.
•Chris Baker
Baker called Obama a "little bitch" who "won't even stand up to"
"smoking-hot" Palin
While discussing Palin's assertion that Obama was "palling around with
terrorists" on the October 6 broadcast of his radio show, Baker called
Obama a "little bitch" who "won't even stand up to a smoking-hot chick
from Alaska." Baker did not note that The New York Times article Palin
cited for her claim about Obama's association with William Ayers
reported that "the two men do not appear to have been close," or that
the Obama campaign did indeed respond to Palin's claim.
Baker on Palin's appearance at VP debate: "Shoulda had a little
cleavage going ... I noticed a panty line on her"
On the October 3 broadcast of The Chris Baker Show, Baker said Palin
"shoulda had a little cleavage going" during the vice-presidential
debate, and that he "noticed a panty line on her."
Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote"; "I'm not that
excited about women voting"
On the October 2 broadcast of his radio show, Baker said, "I don't
think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very
honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest." Baker
later said: "But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine. All
right?"
Minneapolis radio host said Code Pink protesters "ought to have all
their tubes tied"
During the September 5 broadcast his show, Baker stated of McCain's
speech at the Republican National Convention, "I'll tell you, though,
in the speech -- the best part of the speech was when those Code Pink
nuts -- another bunch that ought to have all their tubes tied. All
right? I can't stand these Code Pink broads."
•Mark Belling
Belling: "When you think of Hillary Clinton," the word "bitches" comes
to mind
Milwaukee radio host Mark Belling declared on his September 11 radio
show, "What's the process that determines which potholes get patched
the fastest [in Milwaukee]? I'll tell you what it is. No, they don't
go and judge it on severity. ... It's who -- can I use this word? When
you think of [Sen.] Hillary Clinton what do you think -- what word
comes to mind? Yes, can I use that word here? All right, it's who
bitches the most."
Belling called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled old bag," "old witch"
During the September 4 broadcast of The Mark Belling Late Afternoon
Show, Belling called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled old bag," "old witch,"
and "embittered old has-been" and also stated that the "previous
generation" of feminists "were so ugly you couldn't stand to look at
them." Belling made these remarks while discussing Steinem's September
4 Los Angeles Times op-ed, in which she criticized McCain's choice of
Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.
•Jon Caldara
On Caldara's KOA show, Coulter claimed women's suffrage "explains the
destruction of America"
Appearing as a guest on the June 16 broadcast of Jon Caldara's
Newsradio 850 KOA program, Ann Coulter asserted that women aren't
"concerned with how capital is generated and created," and claimed
that women's suffrage "explains the destruction of America." Her
remarks echoed those in a 2007 blog posting that quoted her as saying,
"If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about
another Democrat president."
Caldara asked Coulter if Clinton was "bitch-slapped" in debate
Discussing the January 21 CNN Democratic presidential candidates'
debate, Caldara during his broadcast that evening asked Coulter
whether it was "fair to say" that Clinton "got bitch-slapped tonight."
•Bill Cunningham
Cunningham on Democratic women: "[A] lot of women who are single are
vulnerable; they need like a daddy government to keep an eye on them"
On the October 29 broadcast of his show, Cunningham stated:
"Traditionally, we think of women as Democratic voters because a lot
of women who are single are vulnerable; they need like a daddy
government to keep an eye on them."
•Mark Levin
Levin on his "National Organization of Ugly Women" remark: "[F]or now
on, it's the National Organization of Really Ugly Women"
Addressing his September 4 comments on Sean Hannity's radio show, in
which he called the National Organization for Women, the "National
Organization of Ugly Women," Levin said on his September 8 radio show:
"I just wanted to underscore that maybe I shouldn't have called them
the National Organization of Ugly Women. For now on, it's the National
Organization of Really Ugly Women." Levin first made his remarks while
discussing with Hannity NOW's opposition to Palin.
•Quinn & Rose
Jim Quinn: Steinem opposes Palin because Palin "declined to slaughter
her own unborn child, Trig, to the goddess of feminism"
On the October 6 broadcast of The War Room, Quinn claimed that Steinem
opposes Palin because Palin "refused the sacrificial right of passage,
better known as the Eucharist of the feminist church: abortion. That's
right. She declined to slaughter her own unborn child, Trig, to the
goddess of feminism, even after doctors told her that he was one of
those Down syndrome 'throw-aways.' "
Quinn: To feminists, even "a childless feminist who looks like a
Bulgarian weightlifter in drag" can be a "real woman"
On the September 15 broadcast of The War Room, Quinn stated: "If you
don't agree with the feminist scolds, then you're not a real woman --
even if you are a very feminine working mom. But even if you're an
actual man, never mind a childless feminist who looks like a Bulgarian
weightlifter in drag, you're a real woman solely because you nod your
head like a windup clapping monkey every time you read the latest
editorial from Ms. Magazine." Quinn made these remarks while
discussing, among other things, prominent feminists' opposition to
Palin.
Quinn introduced segment about Clinton by playing Elton John's "The
Bitch Is Back"
On the August 27 edition of the syndicated radio program The War Room,
Quinn introduced a segment on Clinton by saying, "By the way, that
brings us to our Hillary Heads-Up," and then playing audio of the
Elton John song "The Bitch Is Back." Quinn then said, "I was going to
play 'Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead.' But you know what, I -- you never
know with the Clintons."
•Lee Rodgers
Rodgers said many "professed leaders of the feminist movement" are
"hags" who "couldn't get laid in a men's prison"
On the October 17 broadcast of The Lee Rodgers Show, Rodgers said:
"[Y]ou look at many -- perhaps most -- but many of the women who are
professed leaders of the feminist movement in this country, and
they're a bunch of hags." He added: "They couldn't get laid in a men's
prison, let's be honest about it." Rodgers made these remarks while
discussing, among other things, feminists' disapproval of Palin.
Rodgers: "[P]uckered-butt Democrat women hate Sarah Palin ... because
her idea of choice was choosing not to have an abortion"
Returning to a previous claim he has made, Rodgers asserted on
September 23: "I believe that the reason a bunch of puckered-butt
Democrat women hate Sarah Palin is because her idea of choice was
choosing not to have an abortion." Guest Steven Hayward of the
American Enterprise Institute responded in part by saying: "[T]here is
that very vocal segment of feminist opinion that celebrates abortion
as a positive good in the same way that, you know, Southern
slaveholders 150 years ago celebrated slavery as a positive good."
Rodgers: "[F]emale leadership of the Democratic Party" consists of
"ugly skanks" who "hate" that "Sarah Palin's good-looking"
On the September 17 broadcast of his radio show, Rodgers said that
"the female leadership of the Democratic Party" is made up of "ugly
skanks." He also stated: "Sarah Palin's good-looking and they hate
that." He also declared: "I think we have to ask: Would you like Sarah
Palin better if she got pregnant again and did have an abortion,
because it's obvious, with a lot of liberal women, killing babies is
the main priority they have."
Rodgers: "With that screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice of
hers, it is impossible for Hillary Clinton to deliver a great speech"
On the August 27 broadcast of his radio show, Rodgers said of
Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention, "With that
screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice of hers, it is
impossible for Hillary Clinton to deliver a great speech." Rodgers
later said that Bill and Hillary Clinton are hoping Obama "falls flat
on his face so the Hilldebeest can have another run in four years, and
Billy Bentpecker can hide behind the curtain in the Oval Office
telling Hillary what he wants her to do as president of the United
States."
KSFO's Rodgers on voting gender gap: For "a lot of women in this
country who get knocked up ... the government becomes Daddy in terms
of paying the bills"
On the June 11 broadcast of The Lee Rodgers Program, Rodgers said:
"[T]he historical voting records show that Democrats have,
historically, enjoyed a huge advantage in women voters. Why is that?"
Rodgers continued: "Well, some women may be offended by this, but
here's another dose of reality. We have a lot of women in this country
who get knocked up and they don't have a husband. In effect, the
government becomes Daddy in terms of paying the bills. And that
accounts -- that's not all of it, but that accounts for a large part
of that vote."
LGBT issues
Smears against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Americans are
routine among conservative talk radio hosts, and the 2008 election has
provided them with specific issues to address. Michael Savage, for
example, has focused on Proposition 8 to amend the California
constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
•Michael Savage
Savage: "If you're insane, hate the family ... hate your mother and
father, hate the Bible, hate the church, and hate the synagogue," you
oppose CA gay marriage ban
On the October 29 broadcast of his radio show, Savage said of a
California ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution
to ban gay marriage, "[T]here's a ballot initiative on homosexual
marriage that is more important than you could imagine. It's called
Proposition 8, and you must vote 'yes' if you're sane. If you're
insane, hate the family, hate man and woman, hate your mother and
father, hate the Bible, hate the church, and hate the synagogue, of
course you're in favor of 'no' on Proposition 8." The next day on his
program, Savage stated: "[T]he people who don't have families don't
understand that, as difficult as family life is, life is impossible
without it. They don't understand that. They don't understand what the
family unit is. It's the strongest bond on Earth, which is why
homosexual marriage is such a threat to civilization itself."
After railing against gay marriage, Savage said "the spiritual side of
the downturn on Wall Street was directly related to the moral
downturn"
On the October 1 broadcast of his show, Savage said: "[Y]ou may say,
'Why should we care about homosexuals trying to destroy families
through the mock marriage that they perform in order to mock God, the
church, the family, children, the fetus, the DNA of the human species?
Why should we care about it while we have a financial meltdown?'
Because the spiritual side of the downturn on Wall Street is directly
related to the moral downturn in the United States of America." Savage
later said of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: "Today it's the gays,
tomorrow it'll be a man marrying a horse."
Attacks on the poor
Several talk radio hosts have attacked low-income Americans over the
past year, including several who have expressed support for the idea
that certain groups of lower-income Americans should not have the
right to vote.
•Chris Baker
Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote"; "I'm not that
excited about women voting"
On the October 2 broadcast of show, Baker said: "I don't think
homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very
honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest." Baker
subsequently added: "But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine.
All right? And we'll see that, I'm sure, on a lame-ass website very
soon. But I don't think hobos ought to vote at all. They're nuts. And
I think that there needs to be a little more care in who votes."
•G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy: Obama is relying, in part, on "the welfare class" to win
Pennsylvania
On his October 30 program, Liddy said of Obama's electoral prospects
in Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania has been described as Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia, with Alabama in the middle. Obama is counting on the
urban elites and the welfare class to win the state for him. But he's
putting on a show for the rest of Pennsylvania."
•Jim Quinn & Rose Tennent
Rose Tennent on Obama ad: "[D]on't put that jive out there in front of
me, devil, and tell me that these people are hurting when they are not
hurting"
On the October 30 broadcast of The War Room, Tennent said of the
families featured in Obama's 30-minute ad: "Well, OK. They were sad
stories, but I'm looking at the background. I'm not looking at the
person talking in their home, I'm looking at what they have in their
home. They have color television sets; they have everything that I
have in my house. I'll bet you they have an iPod, I bet you they have,
you know -- I'll bet they have a lot of luxuries in that home. They
are not poor." Tennent later said: "So don't put -- don't put that
jive out there in front of me, devil, and tell me that these people
are hurting when they are not hurting. All they need to do is make
some cuts and figure out a way to do this."
Quinn: "Originally, if you didn't have land, you didn't vote, and
there was a good reason for it"
On the October 21 broadcast of The War Room, while reading from an
opinion column by conservative blogger Scott Johnson that discussed
the history of taxation and property rights in the United States,
Quinn declared: "Originally, if you didn't own land, you didn't vote,
and there was a good reason for it: because those without property
will always vote away the property of other people unto themselves,
and that's the beginning of the end." Quinn added: "But, oh no, that
was -- that was just too mean-spirited." Moments earlier, Quinn said,
"Now -- I mean, I can hear the appeal to the masses: 'It's not fair,
it's not the American way that you don't get to vote,' but let me ask
you a question: If I don't own anything, what kind of a problem do I
have with voting for a measure -- a tax, a law -- that takes somebody
else's property and gives it to me? I have no stake in personal
property ownership 'cause I don't have any. Now, back in the day, when
this was the law of the land, anybody who wanted to vote needed to
step up to the plate, achieve, get a stake in America, and then vote."
•Michael Savage
Savage: "Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote?
They're only gonna vote themselves a raise"
On his October 22 show, Savage asked: "Do you think a person on
welfare has the right to vote? I don't. Why should a person who is on
public assistance maintain the right to vote? Tell me why. Where is it
written that they should have the right to vote?" He added: "I support
them, and they should have the same vote I do? That would be like
saying an infant has the right to vote or an insane person has the
right to vote. Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote?
They're only gonna vote themselves a raise."
THE SHOWS
The Chris Baker Show is a Minneapolis-based talk-radio show that airs
weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT on KTLK-FM. Baker previously hosted
two different Houston-based radio programs before reportedly being
dismissed in November 2007. Baker joined KTLK in February and was
nominated to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in June. Since moving to
KTLK, Baker discussed with a co-host being "convinced that Magic
[Johnson] faked AIDS"; claimed that "it's very rare to find a woman
worthy of serving in political office"; said that Gov. Sarah Palin
"shoulda had a little cleavage going" during the vice-presidential
debate; and declared "I don't think homeless people should vote."
The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show is carried on News/Talk 1130 WISN-
AM in Milwaukee, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
Talkers Magazine includes Belling in its "Heavy Hundred," which it
describes as "the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in
America." According to 1130 WISN-AM, The Mark Belling Late Afternoon
Show "is regularly rated number one in its time slot in the Milwaukee
radio market and is the highest rated afternoon drive talk show host
in the country." In 2001, Belling was awarded National Association of
Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award for medium-market "Personality of
the Year." Belling has said "[w]hen you think of Hillary Clinton" the
word "bitches" comes to mind; has called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled
old bag," an "old witch," and an "embittered old has-been"; and has
smeared teachers who have talked about global warming as "idiot union
teacher[s]," "liberal unionized hack[s]," "greedy, overpaid unionized
schoolteacher[s]," and "fruitcake[s]."
The Neal Boortz Show is an Atlanta-based program that airs weekdays
from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The program is nationally syndicated by
Cox Radio Syndication, which says that it "partners with the Jones
Radio Network to service more than 200 affiliate stations with
programming listened to by several million people each week."
According to Talkers Magazine, the show is the seventh-rated talk-
radio program and averages at least 4.25 million listeners a week.
Boortz has repeatedly referred to Hurricane Katrina victims as
"parasites"; commented that he would "make a lousy Mexican" because of
his inability to use a floor buffer; and described "single mothers
receiving public assistance" as "welfare broodmares."
The Peter Boyles Show airs weekday mornings from 5 to 9 a.m. MT on
Denver's 630 KHOW-AM. According to his KHOW biography, "Boyles has
received numerous awards including 'Best Investigative Radio Talkshow
Host' in The Denver Post, Westword, 5280 Magazine, and at the 1999
Denver A.I.R. awards. He is also considered one of the most
influential media people in Colorado." Boyles was a 2006 finalist for
the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award for
large-market "Personality of the Year." Boyles has repeatedly hosted
guests who spread the discredited claim that Obama does not have a
valid U.S. birth certificate.
The Jon Caldara Show airs on Denver's 850 KOA-AM on weeknights from 10
p.m. to 1 a.m. MT. Caldara is president of the "free market"
Independence Institute and has had a public role in numerous anti-tax
and anti-government spending campaigns. Caldara also hosts a "current
affairs" television program, Independent Thinking, on Denver's KBDI-
TV. Caldara has asked a guest if it was "fair to say" that Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) "got bitch-slapped" during a primary
debate; and he described Colorado Media Matters as a "hate group" for
highlighting his remarks.
The Caplis & Silverman Show airs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. MT on
Denver's 630 KHOW-AM. Co-host Dan Caplis, an attorney who in 2007
publicly discussed running for U.S. Senate as a Republican, has also
made occasional appearances on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. Caplis
has asserted that gay "conduct is not natural" and is "immoral." While
discussing a photograph of Obama wearing Somali clothing, Caplis
questioned why Obama would "put on similar clothing to the outfit worn
by the man [Osama bin Laden] who personally ordered thousands of
Americans, including women and kids, to be burned to death."
The Big Show with Bill Cunningham is a weekday Cincinnati-based radio
program that airs from 12:25 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Ohio's WLW-AM. The
program is also simulcast on XM Radio Channel 173. Cunningham, a
former Ohio assistant attorney general, also hosts a nationally
syndicated Sunday-night talk program titled Live on Sunday Night, It's
Bill Cunningham, which is broadcast live on 325 affiliates, according
to its syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks. In 2001, Cunningham
received the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award
for large-market "Personality of the Year." Cunningham has alleged
that "Obama wants to gas the Jews;" compared Obama to Hitler; has
repeatedly suggested that if Obama lost the election "there will be
100 cities burning;" has invoked "six-six-six" and "the beast" while
discussing Obama; has asserted that "a typical black father... simply
leave"; has repeatedly claimed that poor people "lack values"; and has
claimed that "the so-called noble poor" don't use birth control so
that "the mom can get more checks in the mail from the government."
The Mark Levin Show is a nationally syndicated program hosted by
Landmark Legal Foundation president Mark Levin. Based in New York
City, The Mark Levin Show broadcasts from WABC-AM Monday through
Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET and is syndicated by ABC Radio
Networks. According to Talkers Magazine, The Mark Levin Show reaches a
weekly average audience of at least 5.5 million listeners and is tied
for the ranking of fifth among talk-radio programs nationwide. Levin
has compared Obama to Hitler; has referred to the National
Organization for Women as the "National Organization of Ugly Women"
and "the National Organization of Really Ugly Women"; and while
discussing Comedy Central host Jon Stewart complained of "phony
intellectuals" who are "arrogantly looking down their sizable noses at
our armed forces."
The G. Gordon Liddy Show is hosted by convicted Watergate felon G.
Gordon Liddy, who often refers to himself as "the G-Man," and is
nationally syndicated through Radio America. Talkers Magazine lists
Liddy in its "Heavy Hundred 2008." Liddy has advanced claims that
Obama was not a U.S. citizen; has said that undocumented Mexican
immigrants "want to speak Spanish, you know, and other varieties of
illegal alien" and "want to reconquer America, they say"; and claimed
that Obama was relying, in part, on "the welfare class to win"
Pennsylvania. In the 1990s, Liddy reportedly advised his radio
audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms agents.
The Gunny Bob Show, hosted by "Gunny" Bob Newman, airs weeknights on
Denver's 850 KOA-AM from 7 to 10 p.m. MT. Newman is the author of
Minefields to Microphones: Global Asymmetric Warfare, the Radical
Left, and Winning the War on Terror (Paladin Press, September 2006),
which, according to its publisher, "exposes the treason and treachery
of America's maniacal liberal machine while laying out a roadmap to
victory in the war on terror that will stun the enemy and infuriate
America's wild-eyed left." Newman has described Obama as "just another
blowhard, make-believe thug" and "a far-left, terrorist-hugging
politician"; has asserted that "there will be an invasion of Muslim
terrorists" if Obama is elected; posted doctored photos of Obama on
his website depicting Obama as meeting with Osama bin Laden and
dressed as "Che Obama"; has suggested that legalizing gay marriage
could "lead to legal human-animal marriage"; and declared that "every
Muslim immigrant to America" should be "required by law to wear a GPS
tracking bracelet at all times."
The War Room with Quinn & Rose is a syndicated radio program based in
Pittsburgh on Clear Channel's 104.7 WPGB-FM. Talkers Magazine lists
Quinn & Rose on its "Heavy Hundred." According to the show's website,
it airs on 18 radio stations and XM Satellite Radio Channel 158. Jim
Quinn, who co-hosts the show with Rose Tennent, has repeatedly
described the National Organization for Women as the "National
Organization for Whores"; told columnist Fatimah Ali to "get an
American name"; has said that, in the past, "if you didn't own land,
you didn't vote, and there was a good reason for it"; and often
introduces segments on Hillary Clinton by playing audio of the Elton
John song "The Bitch Is Back."
The Lee Rodgers Show is the morning drive-time talk program for San
Francisco's 560 KSFO-AM and airs Monday through Friday from 5 to 9
a.m. PT and from 5 to 7 a.m. PT on Saturdays. The show features co-
hosts Lee Rodgers and Tom Benner, known on-air as "Officer Vic," and
is listed as one of Talkers Magazine's "Heavy Hundred." The program is
sometimes guest-hosted by KSFO's Brian Sussman. Rodgers has described
many "professed leaders of the feminist movement in this country" as
"a bunch of hags," who "couldn't get laid in a men's prison"; has said
that "the female leadership of the Democratic Party" is made up of
"ugly skanks"; and has referred to Hillary Clinton as "the
Hilldebeest" who has a "screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard
voice."
The Savage Nation is a top-rated nationally syndicated radio program
hosted by Michael Savage. The program, which airs from 4 to 7 p.m. PT,
is based in San Francisco and is syndicated through Talk Radio
Network. Talk Radio Network claims that Savage is heard on more than
350 radio stations, and, according to Talkers Magazine, The Savage
Nation reaches at least 8.25 million listeners each week, making it
one of the most listened-to talk shows in the nation, behind only The
Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show. Savage has attacked
everyone from politicians to children with autism. He has insisted
that Obama was a Muslim; has described Obama as an "unknown stealth
candidate who went to a madrassas in Indonesia and, in fact, was a
Muslim"; has referred to Obama as an "affirmative action" candidate
and complained that "affirmative action" stole his "birthright"; has
claimed that "illegal aliens" have "raped and disheveled" the Statue
of Liberty; has linked "homosexuals trying to destroy families through
the mock marriage" to "the downturn on Wall Street"; has claimed that
"[t]he children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia"; has
asserted that "welfare recipient[s]" should not "have the right to
vote;" and has described autism as a "fraud, a racket," and said, "In
99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the
act out."
Jud
> It's even more than just Fox News, Hannity, and Limbaugh
>
> http://mediamatters.org/research/200811060005
>
anti-conservative organization as your source of information.
From their homepage
"Media Matters Action Network today launched Political Correction to
hold conservative politicians and advocacy groups accountable."
Hardly "fair and balanced"
Frank Provasek
Everything from Media Matters is sourced from transcripts, audio and
videotapes from the
people being critiqued.
Jud
> Everything from Media Matters is sourced from transcripts, audio and
> videotapes from the
> people being critiqued.
Fox does the same! 8-) All in the interpretation. At least I can
respect their honesty and being up front in claiming to hold
conservative feet to the fire. I would respect them even more if they
didn't set their sights on just one target. Then we would have
something we could believe in.
Rebas_Thgil
against the wishes of those of us who wanted to return to Constitutional
Sanity so go take your meds Provasek.
Not being 'soft on terrorism' is a dish best served on the doorstep of the
enemy- MUSLIMS- IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES, not against little old white granny
in an airport terminal, Dhimmasek.
To prosecute a breach of contract in our court system the plaintiff would
have to demonstrate a tangible loss, so are you saying that the TSA somehow
experienced a tangible set-back by being deprived of a nude body image and /
or a sexual assualt grope and / or a possible strip search? If so, then you
are a complete idiot.
"Frank Provasek" <fr...@frankcoins.com> wrote in message
news:a50b23da-adb3-4fff...@b19g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
Jo FLECK
illegal, especially since the airwave belong to the public, not the
broadcasters.