President Barack Obama Still Fighting The Smears

Conservatives (including commentator Alan Keyes and Rep. Richard Shelby) are still fighting to try and portray President Barack Obama as not having been born in the United States of America. This conservative theory (designed to try and portray Obama as “not one of us,” “as Muslim” and as “not really American”) has been thoroughly refuted by the evidence … including evidence presented by what was then the presidential campaign of Obama. I still contend that the movement has hints of racism and xenophobia. So, next time you hear haters saying, “I have not seen a birth certificate for Barack Obama,” refer them to the Web site Obama’s people set up during the campaign designed to set the record straight on falsehoods and misleading information circulating. Apparently the government is confident that our president is a citizen of the United States of America and the state of Hawaii is confident. So, if people are questioning are government, doesn’t that make them anti-American? Many Republicans certainly thought so when anyone questioned former president Bush.

Fight the Smears:
http://www.fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate

SIDE NOTE:This will not be good enough for anyone who is a hater of Barack Obama. Some people (the conservatives) will remain unsatisfied due to preconceived notions.

The Idiocy Of Sean Hannity

Conservative Fox News nut Sean Hannity is trying in his opening to try and link President Barack Obama to former president Jimmy Carter (who still rated higher than our most recent president, George W. Bush in a recent poll). While people respect the great work of former president Carter (during and since his presidency), not too many people who are voters these days are thinking much about President Carter. Some may not even remember Carter. So, Hannity’s attempt is a near-certain failure. Hard to believe people want to watch Hannity’s garbage show. Thank goodness to News Hounds for paying the price for us. We appreciate you more than you know.

President Obama Performs Well In Real-Time Polling

It seems that President Barack Obama was even scoring some points with Republicans during his speech before Congress on Tuesday evening. So much for all the haters whining about boring specifics (the same people who probably didn’t take time to read the 1,200-page stimulus bill) and player hating on our new president.

Mika Brzezinski Goes Right Wing With Personal Emotion, Then Denies It

I was going to let this go, but something just moved me to put a little something in here about this exchange between MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Democrat Barbara Boxer.

BRZEZINSKI: It’s very clear – I mean, the Democrats put through the plan that they wanted, throwing money at problems, I think…

BOXER: Throwing money at problems? (laughs)

BRZEZINSKI: … some of the things, you could argue didn’t necessarily need to be in there but I guess that’s what happens in times like this, but I also worry that we’re kind of becoming a bailout economy and we’re going to lose kind of that careful balance that our country is built on between success and failure and then thriving in-between the two.

BOXER: You sound very ideological this morning, if I might say. What we did in the stimulus bill is put together an approach where we invest in our people, invest in our infrastructure, where we also say to those who’re the long-term unemployed, we’re gonna give you a little more help so yes, you can feed your family and have a few more dollars in your pocket. And then we did tax cuts, tax cuts to the working people. That was what we did.

And I don’t think that’s throwing money at a problem. I don’t think so at all. I think it was a very important plan of this president’s, and it was the first step in his economic recovery and I feel a lot better about it than you do, and we will see who’s right and who’s wrong.

BRZEZINSKI: Well, I don’t have feelings about it, I have questions about it.

BOXER: Fair enough.

Rewind, Brzezinski said that, “I also worry that we’re kind of becoming a bailout economy and we’re going to lose kind of that careful balance that our country is built on between success and failure and then thriving in-between the two.” That statement seems to reflect that she has some feelings. So, she contradicts herself at the end by saying, “Well, I don’t have feelings about it, I have questions about it.” Unfortunately, the questions are framed by the conservative feelings.

Crooks and Liars:
http://crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/1527

Log Cabin Republicans Not To Happy With Chairman Michael Steele’s Less-Than-Welcoming Words To Gays

Chairman Michael Steele is not making friends with the Log Cabin Republicans after his anti-gay marriage/civil union words. Steele, as previously discussed on The Gholston Post, was defiantly and sarcastically opposed to support for gay marriage.

Here is a response from the Log Cabin Republicans:

“The politics of the past were clearly rejected in the November election. We hope Chairman Steele will work to build a more inclusive Republican Party that can win elections,” said Log Cabin Republicans National Chairman Terry Hamilton. Hamilton continued, “Such comments marginalize gay and lesbian Americans, and further alienate the mainstream, moderate, and independent-minded voters that left the Republican Party in the November election.”

We need an inclusive GOP to reach out to new constituencies and to attract younger voters, women, Latinos, African Americans, and others who share our view of limited government and low taxes. The Log Cabin Republicans remain committed to working with other mainstream GOP groups and fair-minded Republicans to rebuild the Party.

Steele is treading on thin water. Sure, he may look at gay as being a constituency not large enough to adversely impact his position. But, if the new chairman is not careful he risks pushing the image of the Republican party (as extremists) into a whole new extreme category.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/25/log-cabin-steele/

Steele’s previous comments:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/23/steele-crazy-civil-unions/

Volcano Watch Not Important To Bobby Jindal, But It Is To People Near Volcanoes

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal marked part of the stimulus bill dedicated to watching volcanoes.

JINDAL: While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government. $8 billion for high speed rail projects such as magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disney Land. And $140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring.’

Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC.

Apparently, Jindal is lacking in compassion for people who live in the vicinity of a volcanoes (especially active ones). I wonder if Jindal would have been critical of monies set aside for something like, uh, hurricane monitoring? Maybe disasters are only worth preparing for if they are hurricanes and if they are near Louisiana or somewhere close in the Gulf region. As a side note, I am going to let go the garbage about this railway from Las Vegas to Disneyland. That is a little Republican propaganda designed to marginalize the bill.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/25/jindal-monitors-volcanoes/

Paul Begala Right On The Money Adivising Bobby Jindal To Peace Out Rush Limbaugh

If Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has a brain in his head, he will turn and run swiftly but calmly in the opposite direction of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh. That is advicePaul Begala has offered to the Louisiana governor. Of course, Jindal probably will not jump for joy at any advice from Begala or anyone else affiliated with the Democrats.

Great passage from Begala’s blog at The Daily Beast:

But if it is Pres. Bush who haunts Gov. Jindal’s past, it is Rush Limbaugh who haunts his future. One of the lesser-known laws of politics is that you can survive your enemies; it’s your friends who do you in.

The Daily Beast:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-24/memo-to-bobby-jindal-dump-rush/

Rush Limbaugh Threatens Those Conservatives Who Panned Bobby Jindal

Wow, conservative leader Rush Limbaugh is flaming mad that some Republicans have been critical about the speech given by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Conservatives have been expressing disappointment all last night and all day today about the Republican response. So, Limbaugh was on the warpath during his radio show as he all but threatened all Republicans critical of Jindal.

LIMBAUGH: [T]he people on our side are really making a mistake if they go after Bobby Jindal on the basis of style. Because if you think — people on our side I’m talking to you — those of you who think Jindal was horrible, you think — in fact, I don’t ever want to hear from you ever again. … I’ve spoken to him numerous times, he’s brilliant. He’s the real deal.

We’ll see how the Republicans line up to beg Rush for forgiveness after stepping out of line again.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/25/rush-mentors-jindal/

Bill O’Reilly Will Not Let George W. Bush Get Much Blame For Economic Crisis

Conservative Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly will not let George W. Bush, the former president, have much blame for this current economic crisis that started/exploded under his watch. O’Reilly has been spending a lot of time on his Fox News television programming whining about people blaming poor George for the current horrid economic state that President Barack Obama has inherited. Instead, O’Reilly spends his time tossing much of the blame on Barney Frank and Chris Dodd (both, you guessed it, Democrats). Funny how these two Democrats seem to be the two main causes of this economic crisis while G.W. Bush and the Republican Congress (in place for much of the time) are treated like innocent bystanders on The O’Reilly Factor.

From Media Matters:

Summary: On The O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly falsely claimed that “the Democrats in charge of the finance committees” resisted efforts by the Bush administration to regulate the mortgage industry and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in particular. In fact, it was only after the Democrats did gain control of both “finance committees” in Congress in 2007 that Congress passed legislation strengthening oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

O’Reilly has a vendetta against Frank and Dodd (especially Frank) and he is using his television show as a platform to take his shots at men like Dodd (he also does it with General Electric, MSNBC, Media Matters, CNN, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jim Clyburn, Huffington Post and anyone else he does not like … the list goes on and on). Interesting how the fair and balanced O’Reilly (who is a conservative) puts together a partisan right-wing panel with himself and Karl Rove, a right-wing advocate who was/is Bush’s right-hand man for so many years. There is no balance on that kind of a panel.

Media Matters:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200902250016?f=h_top

Media Matters, Rep. Joe Sestak Call Out Liar Sean Hannity Of Fox News For His Lies, Distortions

Media Matters for America is on the case to set conservative Fox News windbag Sean Hannity straight for his partisan distortions of the stimulus bill.

From Media Matters:

Summary: On Fox News, Sean Hannity repeated the false GOP talking points that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act directs that funds be spent to protect the salt marsh harvest mouse in San Francisco and on a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas. In fact, as Rep. Joe Sestak noted in response to Hannity, the bill does not contain any language directing funds to the salt marsh harvest mouse or its San Francisco wetlands habitat, nor does the bill include a provision directing that funds be spent on a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas.

Hannity is strictly going off Republican (distorted) talking points and partisan (unsubstantiated) evidence he has retrieved from the Internet. He is a disgrace to our airwaves. He makes Bill O’Reilly look fair and balanced and he isn’t. It’s worth reading the Media Matters story to get the real story behind these made-up pet projects that Republicans have been manufacturing to make the stimulus bill look irresponsible (even though some of these pet projects are for Republicans).

Media Matters:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200902250006?f=h_top

Note To Bobby Jindal: Remember Who Ran Government When You Needed Help During Hurricane Katrina?

One of the biggest head-scratching moments of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Republican response speech was his talk about government not being the answer to everything and invoking the horrific memory of Hurricane Katrina. But, I think the good governor maybe forgot who was president, at the time, and who ran Congress, at the time. His own Republican party was running government, and that includes President George W. Bush, who many people feel was slow an inadequate in his response to this terrible disaster that destroyed homes and hopes, took lives and dreams, crippled New Orleans and parts of Louisiana and devastated that region’s economy.

Here is an excerpt from Jindal’s speech:

Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us. Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.

Let me tell you a story. During Katrina, I visited Sheriff Harry Lee, a Democrat and a good friend of mine. When I walk into his makeshift office, I had never seen him so angry. He was literally yelling into the phone. “Well, I’m the sheriff, and if you don’t like it, you can come and arrest me.” I asked him, “Sheriff, what’s got you so mad?” He told me that he put out a call for volunteers to come with their boats to rescue people who were trapped on their rooftops by the floodwaters. The boats were all lined up and ready to go. And then some bureaucrat showed up and told him they couldn’t go out in the water unless they had proof of insurance and registration.

And I told him, “Sheriff, that’s ridiculous.” Before I knew it, he was yelling in the phone. “Congressman Jindal’s here, and he says you can come and arrest him, too.” Well, Harry just told those boaters ignore the bureaucrats and go start rescuing people.

There’s a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and the enterprising spirit of our citizens.

It’s the citizens who make the government. The government is not some foreign independent contractor hired to run this nation. We pay our government (through taxes) to help us when we need it most. Republicans and Democrats both need to get off this idea people want the government to give us something that is not from us originally. The government is of the people, by the people and for the people.

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/us/politics/24jindal-text.html

Crooks and Liars:
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/bobby-jindals-zombie-performance-uses-p

Did Gov. Bobby Jindal Misrepresent President Barack Obama’s Words?

Media Matters for America seeks to set the record straight on the words of Gov. Bobby Jindal who was quoting President Barack Obama during his Republican response to the president’s speech before Congress.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200902240029?f=h_top

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Response To President Barack Obama Underwhelming

Gov. Bobby Jindal may be m favorite Republican, but his response to President Obama was simply underwhelming. Jindal has a great story (his personal background), but he just did not seem to put it across well for people who watched. There will be better days for Jindal, but this national debut was a bit shaky.

You Have Got To Be Kidding

This photo for a link off a Fox News page had me shaking my head as I visited the Fox News Web site:

The image is slugged: pelosi_obama_300×250.jpg. It is interesting the one name omitted from the slug. Barack Obama has been president a little more than 30 days, but this ad links him to the financial crisis in a photo that is split in thirds with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president George W. Bush. This is ridiculous, but an effective ad seeing as it was placed on the Web site of Fox News. It is effective advertising (as you discover when you visit the link: http://www.personalliberty.com/poll/economic-bailout/index.php?SC=BLL1001).

Fox News Hit Piece Challenges President Barack Obama’s Speaking Ability

Fox News’ Wendell Goler is credited with writing a story that challenges the speaking ability of President Barack Obama. Fox News searches long and hard to find anything it can use to criticize our president – our newly-elected president of the United States of America. Here is an excerpt from Goler’s Fox News article:

From the 2004 Democratic convention speech that launched him onto the national stage to his acceptance of his party’s nomination four years later, Barack Obama’s public speaking skills have been considered one of his strongest assets.

But while the president’s ability is admired — and at least one Web site promises to teach it to you — Obama also is mocked by critics who say he’s only comfortable with teleprompters.

One Web site has compiled clips of him stumbling verbally without them. For example: “And if they just gave him treatment early, and, uh, they got some treatment,” he misspoke at a campaign stop. “And a breathalyzer..uh a inhalator.”

Now, let us get a few things straight. When every word a person said is brought under scrutiny, sure people are going to stumble over words here and there. It is just going to happen. This piece (part of an effort to try and attack the strengths of our president) by Fox News looks and smells like a hit piece designed to attack. Most people are naturally better off a teleprompter. So, for Fox News to point out the obvious is just plain stupid.

Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/24/obamas-speaking-skills-open-debate/

Bill O’Reilly Whining President Obama Is Not Entertaining Enough

When people are losing their jobs, struggling to pay their bills, losing their homes, watching us in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more … they’re not too worried about how entertaining the president is in a news conference. Bill, quit looking to be so critical of the president. Let go of your Republican/conservative ideology.

Excerpt Of Foolishness Bobby Jindal Plans To Spread After President Barack Obama Speaks

Here is an excerpt of the counter address Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana plans to give following President Barack Obama’s speech to Congress tonight.

In the excepts released this afternoon by the Republican National Committee, Jindal says: “Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It’s irresponsible. And it’s no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.”

Where was this tough talk from Jindal when former president George W. Bush and fellow Republicans were running up the deficit? Why was Jindal not speaking out then? Now we see why Republicans were working hard to become the Grand Obstructionist Party to this stimulus package (it’s all politics). What were Jindal and the other Republicans doing to create jobs, to strengthen our economy, to build a prosperous future? Jindal may be a good man, and he may be establishing his conservative credentials. But, he is coming across as a hypocrite, and that is difficult to overcome if you’re a presidential candidate.

Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/article/20090224/NEWS15/90224069

The O’Reilly Sucks Blog Reports On Stories Bill O’Reilly Doesn’t Report

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly of Fox News tells his nightly lie of being “fair and balanced” and in the so-called “No-Spin Zone.” But, it doesn’t take much to see O’Reilly is a right winger disguised as an objective analyst of news (carefully selected news that advance his extreme right-wing agenda).

The O’Reilly Sucks Blog recently outlined five stories (although the author admits he could have tossed even a few more out there) that Bill O’Reilly is completely ignoring.

Here are a few of the stories:

The Republican Senator from Alabama Richard Shelby:This is the guy who is questioning (the latest conservative to do so) the citizenship of the president of the United States of America. Imagine if someone was contending that about George W. Bush. They would be called un-American, unpatriotic, haters of America and so on.

The New York Post Chimp Cartoon:Because the New York Post is in the Fox News family this story has been ignored by the network. So much for objective coverage of the news from a network that regularly accuses other networks and Internet Web sites of bias an ignoring stories. How many times have we had to listen to Fox News complain others are not upset about illegal immigration stories, how the media did not report enough on Jeremiah Wright, did not report enough on Bill Ayers, was biased against John McCain, biased against Sarah Palin and yadda, yadda, yadda. Now who is ignoring a big story and looking corrupt in the process for refusing to point out their own scandals (there is another Fox News scandal not being reported that you can find on The O’Reilly Sucks Blog).

The NAACP is even talking about a national boycott of News Corp, FOX News, and the NY Post:Again, since Fox News is ignoring the racist cartoon story how could it do anything but ignore the fallout from running the disgusting cartoon. Remember how O’Reilly scoured the Internet looking for every bit of anti-Sarah Palin bias he could find to report on? Somehow, he must have overlooked this violent and racist cartoon published by the New York Post.

The recent Gallup poll that shows 62% of Americans support an investigation of Bush for crimes:Bill O’Reilly has been whining a ton lately about how poor George W. Bush has been bashed too much and is continuing to be blamed for the economy. Near the end of the Bush presidency, O’Reilly had segment after segment during which he complained that Bush was being beaten up way too much by people for his failures. He has a lot of Bush love.

For more on the major stories being ignored by O’Reilly, visit The O’Reilly Sucks Blog: http://www.oreilly-sucks.com/