A Letter I Got Today From Color Of Change About Far Right Hate

You’ve probably heard about Tea Party members shouting “Nigger!” at Black Congressmen during a protest in Washington, D.C. last weekend. One of the protesters spat on Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, while another called openly gay Representative Barney Frank a “faggot” as the laughing crowd imitated his lisp.¹

But Saturday was just the most recent example of the intolerance and hate coming from right-wing extremists this past year. At times it’s been instigated by Republican leaders. When not, it’s usually condoned and seen as part of a strategy to score politically. Either way, it’s completely unacceptable and has to stop.

It’s time to confront Republican leadership and force them to take responsibility for the atmosphere they’ve helped create. Join us in drawing a line in the sand, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

We’re calling on RNC Chair Michael Steele, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to publicly do two simple things:

1. Unequivocally condemn bigotry and hate among their supporters, and make clear that those who embrace it have no place in their party.
2. Make clear that they will not tolerate fear-mongering and coded appeals to racism from officials in the Republican party, at any level.

Republican leaders publicly denounced Sunday’s ugly scene, but they failed to acknowledge that this is only the latest incident in a pattern of violent rhetoric, racially charged imagery, and paranoid conspiracy theories at Tea Party rallies.² Many Tea Partiers aren’t simply about dissent — they use fear and hatred to assault the very legitimacy of our elected leaders. It’s the worst America has to offer.

Despite this, Republican leaders court the Tea Party movement while methodically supporting, exacerbating and exploiting their fear and anger for cynical political ends.³ This is nothing less than a betrayal of American values, and it’s up to us to force the Republicans to stop aiding and abetting this enterprise:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

The Tea Party movement has been marked by racially inflammatory and violent outbursts since its inception a year ago. GOP leaders are trying to pass off this weekend’s assaults on Congressmen Lewis, Cleaver, Clyburn and Frank as isolated incidents. But when so-called “isolated incidents” crop up again and again, a pattern starts to emerge. The examples are numerous.

At rallies held to protest tax day last year, Tea Partiers carried signs that announced “Obama’s Plan: White Slavery,” “The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama’s Oven,” and “Guns Tomorrow!”⁴ The Republican National Committee had endorsed the rallies, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele encouraged Tea Partiers to send a “virtual tea bag” to President Obama and Democratic Congressional leadership.⁵ After reports of the fear-mongering signs surfaced, Steele did nothing to distance his party from the lunatic fringe. He has even gone so far as to say that if he didn’t have his current position, he’d be “out there with the tea partiers.”⁶ Some Republican governors even planned a “Tea Party 2.0″ for the following month in an effort to build on the rallies’ momentum.⁷

The Tea Party’s venomous rhetoric picked up steam over the summer, when angry mobs flooded town hall meetings legislators had organized as sites for rational, civil debate on health care reform. After one meeting in Atlanta, a swastika was painted on the office of Congressman David Scott (D-GA), who had also received a flier addressed to “nigga David Scott.” ⁸ Some protesters showed up at town hall meetings carrying guns, including at least one man who was armed at an event where the President was speaking.⁹ Again, Republicans responded to these tactics with silence, doing nothing to denounce them.

Similarly, there was no public outcry from Republican leadership when Mark Williams, a leader of the Tea Party movement, was exposed for having described the President as “an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief” on his blog.¹⁰ Instead, members of the GOP continued to show up to and endorse Tea Party rallies. And as recently as Sunday — the day that the historic health care bill passed the House — Republican members of the House riled up the same Tea Party crowd that had earlier harassed their fellow members with hate and bigotry.

Our country deserves better than this. No matter what party one supports, we should all take strong action to support civil, honest, and respectful public debate. Can you take a moment to call on Michael Steele, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell to denounce the racist rhetoric and fear-mongering that have been ongoing, significant characteristics of the Tea Party movement, and tell those who embrace these divisive and un-American beiefs that they have no place in their party, as members or leaders? And when you do, please ask your family and friends to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
March 23rd, 2010

1. “Tea Party Protests: ‘Ni**er,’ ‘Fa**ot’ Shouted At Members Of Congress,” Huffington Post, 3-20-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/127?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=7

2. “10 Most Offensive Tea Party Signs And Extensive Photo Coverage From Tax Day Protests,” Huffington Post, 4-16-09
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/128?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=9

3. “Memo Reveals GOP Plan to Exploit Fear of Obama,” AOL News, 3-4-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/137?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=11

4. See Reference 2

5. “Tax Day Tea Parties Officially Endorsed By Republican Party,” Huffington Post, 5-15-2009
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/138?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=13

6. “Steele: I’d join the tea parties,” Politico, 1-15-10
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/136?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=15

7. “GOP govs plan Tea Party sequel,” Politico, 5-12-2009
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/131?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=17

8. “Rep. David Scott’s (D-Ga) office spray-painted with Swastika,” Daily Kos, 8-11-2009
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/132?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=19

9. “Armed and Dangerous?” Talking Points Memo, 8-11-2009
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/133?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=21

10. “Tea party leader calls Obama a welfare thug,” The Loop, 9-15-09
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/134?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=23

Fox News, Bret Baier Show Complete Lack Of Respect For President Obama

As many of you know, I have no use for Fox News. Frankly, I see Fox News (and virtually every on air personality that comprises the network) as little more than a communications arm of the Republican Party.

So, based on that, I was a bit surprised that President Obama would take time out of his schedule (with so many important issues on the table) and waste it talking to a representative of a channel that is doing essentially everything within its power to undermine his presidency. 24/7, Fox News personalities take turns taking shots at President Obama, attacking him, attacking his administration, and attacking any and all policies even remotely affiliated with him. So, as President Obama went on the air with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, I knew he was in enemy territory with a man who was predisposed to doing everything in his power to making the president look bad.

Ultimately, Baier miserably failed (in my opinion) to make the president look bad. Actually, Baier came across as a man who had an agenda (one to attack the president relentlessly and disrespectfully challenge him repeatedly). What made the failure of Baier almost a certainty was his ignorance to fall into the same trap that so many right wingers fall into: he underestimated the intelligence and toughness of the president. Several times now, President Obama has challenged the Republicans on their own turf and beaten them like a bowl of eggs. Still, in the back of his mind, I can imagine Baier believing that President Obama was not that spot and probably chanting “teleprompter, teleprompter, teleprompter” in his head (thinking he had the president’s number with no teleprompter … and that the president’s act was little more than smoke and mirrors).

Like so many others, Baier ended up looking foolish and (perhaps worst) came across as an angry, disrespectful and frustrated partisan.

This is from a Washington Post blog written by Jonathan Capehart:

Watching the entire interview made me miss the late moderator of “Meet The Press,” Tim Russert. He would have asked process questions. He would have pushed the president to answer questions he didn’t feel were being answered. But he would have done so in a manner that was firm, yet respectful. More importantly, he would have focused intensely on the substance of the health-care legislation to cut through the clutter, rhetoric and political posturing so that viewers at home would have as much information as possible before their representatives voted.

Baier was less interested in substance (if he was at all) and more interested in trying to portray the president as working some sort of unsavory backdoor deals to pass this health care legislation that conservatives and Fox News (one in the same) abhor.

Baier showed a stunning and complete lack of respect for President Obama and his presidency. I was shocked at the depth, breadth and boldness of his disrespect of President Obama.

Repeatedly, Baier cut off the president when he didn’t like his answers, and came out with right-wing talking point after right-wing talking point to try and paint President Obama as negatively as he possibly could. It’s fairly clear that Baier was in full partisan Fox News mode as he tried to talk over the president and interrupt as Barack Obama attempted to answer his questions. Much like a sports announcer for the flagship station, Baier was playing to his far-right audience by trying to rough up the president with clearly disrespectful intentions. To a large extent, Bret Baier was playing to his right-wing audience.

Here is a line from a column written by Boyce Watkins that caught my attention:

The right wing doesn’t hate Obama just because he’s black. They hate him because he’s an “uppity negro” who doesn’t agree with them. This story was predictable long before it ever took place.

I think Dr. Boyce is right on the money. Many conservatives see President Obama as overstepping his bounds and being out of his place in society.

Bret Baier’s actions, during this Fox News interview, were a sign of how a lot of conservatives feel about President Obama, and it is not just because of his politics.

He was speaking for millions of individuals on the far right who have no respect for this president and have nothing but contempt for his presidency.

Fox News Boycott:
http://foxnewsboycott.com/fox-news/bret-baier-interrupts-president-obama-16-times/

UPDATE: Watch the difference between how Baier practically gets on his knees sucks off President George W. Bush while practically spitting on President Obama. This is from Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/18/baier-bush-obama/

NRCC Words Certainly Are Racially Tinged In Attacking Rep. Charlie Rangel

The National Republican Congressional Committee is fooling no one with its weakly disguised racial attack on New York Congressman Charlie Rangel.

Rangel, obviously, is in major hot water these days. And, it’s clear that his troubles feel like ideal ammunition for Republicans to use as they launch an attack.

But, as MSNBC’s David Shuster points out, there seemed to be a racial motivation in a recent attack on Rangel by the NRCC.

Here is the transcript from MSNBC as posted by the right-wing outfit NewsBusters:

SHUSTER: I want to ask you about some of the criticism of Governor Paterson, particularly the National Republican Campaign Committee. They issued a very provocative press release over the weekend. They attacked Charlie Rangel. And we mentioned Charlie Rangel and David Paterson and the problems in New York. But, they mention Charlie Rangel as “the crooked Harlem Democrat.” They could have called him the crooked, New York Democrat. They could have called him a crooked Democrat. Why crooked Harlem Democrat? And did you see that as being racially tinged?

DOUG WILDER (former governor of Virginia): Well, this isn’t the first time that these people have reached beyond and over the top. Look at the ad that was being run by the Finance Committee, so-called Finance Committee in the Republican National Committee, depicting the President in the most unflattering capacity that they did showing his picture in grease paint, et cetera. You’re absolutely right. Were they trying to send that message? Was it racially tinged or not is not the issue. The issue is, could it be interpreted that way? And if it could be interpreted that way, don’t do it. You can say any number of things about what he’s done without having to it even have the inference of race at all.

SHUSTER: Former Virginia Governor Doug Wilder, thank you for joining us today. Nice to see you.

Here is one excerpt from a story posted on the NRCC Web site:

Notoriously corrupt Harlem Democrat Charlie Rangel’s recent admonishment by the House Ethics Committee has caused a stir among the nervous House Democrats who have accepted the Ways and Means Chairman’s tainted campaign contributions. Now, Democrats like Michael Arcuri have found themselves in the eye of an ethical storm. Not only has Arcuri accepted $14,000 in dirty campaign funds, but he has twice voted to sweep his party’s corruption problems under the rug by letting Rangel off the hook. With House Democrats quickly abandoning the embattled chairman, will Arcuri finally follow suit?

Here is the other excerpt from the same NRCC story posted on its Web site:

“Charlie Rangel has been embroiled in an ethical storm for years, but that hasn’t stopped Michael Arcuri from lining his campaign coffers with his tainted money,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Now that Rangel has finally been busted for his ethical wrongdoings, Arcuri has egg on his face for repeatedly protecting the embattled chairman. After accepting $14,000 in tainted campaign donations from the Harlem Democrat and twice voting to let him off the hook, Arcuri is tied to this scandal whether he likes it or not. Will Arcuri try to salvage what’s left of his political career and finally abandon Rangel and his campaign money?”

Are you still having a hard time with accusations of an element of race in these charges?

If Republicans want to call him crooked … whatever. But, the emphasis on Harlem (with the racial baggage that comes with it) is difficult to ignore.

Media Matters for America counters the expected argument of “what’s wrong with calling him a ‘corrupt Harlem Democrat?’”

Here is part of the counter by MMA:

This NRCC press release criticizing Rep. Suzanne Kosmas doesn’t refer to her as a “New Smyrna Beach Democrat.”  This one criticizing Rep. Michael McMahon for not calling for Rangel’s resignation refers to McMahon as a “New York Democrat” rather than a “Staten Island Democrat” — even as it calls Rangel a “Harlem Democrat.”  This release twice calls Rangel a “Harlem Democrat,” but this one about Earl Pomeroy doesn’t say anything about a “Bismark Democrat,” and so on.

It does make you wonder what was in the hearts and souls of the people who wrote and approved that NRCC press release.

Father Michael Pfleger Makes An Interesting Point About Bill O’Reilly

I read the following comment from Fr. Michael Pfleger, who has been targeted by far-right conservatives like Fox News commentator (not fair and balanced journalist or journalist at all for that matter) Bill O’Reilly because he can be somewhat used as a way of attack President Obama. First off, none of these conservatives gave much of a rat’s tail about Pfleger or Rev. Jeremiah Wright until they saw them as ways of attacking Barack Obama during his candidacy to become president of the United States.

Anyway, fast forward to the present, the time since the historic election of 2008, and right wingers like O’Reilly continue to target Pfleger, Wright and Minister Louis Farrakhan as ways of attacking black people or portraying blacks as being racist (note: yes, I do realize that Pfleger is a white man, but not a lot of conservatives see him in that way).

I found this quote from Pfleger at News Hounds: “O’Reilly doesn’t want to hear the truth we speak,” Father Pfleger said, ” . . . I’ll hang around Wright and Farrakhan any day rather than O’Reilly.”

Who Pfleger chooses to hang with is his business (in no way, shape or form do I subscribe to the theories that Pfleger or Wright are anywhere close to racist as people), but, the underlying message in his quote is an important one. O’Reilly doesn’t want to hear the truth about issues regarding race. He, like many conservatives, live in this laughable utopia where all people of all races are equal, the battle for civil rights was one and it’s a completely level playing field.

Sure, these right wingers will utter the customary, “sure racism still exists,” but every example you give of racism they deny it is racially motivated.

The Latest WTF Moment: Republican Congressman Says Blacks Are Worse Off Now Than During Slavery

Add Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) to the list of far-right nuts making absurd claims about black people and the issue of race. From the realm of the extreme far right comes Franks, who is out of the mold of fellow hate-driven talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. Franks, in one of the most absurd comments ever, suggests that blacks were better off in slavery than they are now under current policies in the U.S.

FRANK: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say “How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible.” And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted. Far more of the African-American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up?

Come on, now. Where are these far-right morons coming from with this unbelievably divisive rhetoric? Is it any wonder why the Tea Party gatherings are so diversity challenged? Honestly, why would black people want to be a part of a movement so extreme, hateful and antagonistic in its rhetoric. But, this is about more than just Tea Party turkeys. This is also about the far right and its constant yearning to pick at the scabs of racism to create fresh wounds from old wounds.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/02/26/franks-slavery-abortion/

Ann Coulter And Credibility Are Enemies, But This Seals The Deal

Right wing extremist Ann Coulter, who like so many others of her kind finds a home on Fox News, attempted to come to the rescue of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. In her botched rescue event, however, Coulter ended up looking like even more of a nut when she attempted to push her foolish point that Palin (a two-term governor who quit on her beloved state to sell books, make money and work on Fox News) is 20 million times more qualified than Vice President Joe Biden, a long-time former U.S. senator.

COULTER: How about comparing Joe Biden with Sarah Palin? She’s twenty million times more qualified than he is.

GERALDO RIVERA: How do you say that? A two-year governor against a long Senate career. Anyway –

COULTER: How long are we gonna pretend Biden is not just some drunken Irishman embarrassing Obama?

There’s all the evidence you need of how much of an irrational nut Ann Coulter is and how she seems to fit in so nicely at Fox News.

Then, in the end, she shows how much of a hater she is with a vicious stereotype used to attack Vice President Biden.

Another quality Fox News personality.

Fox News Excuse Making For Sarah Palin Begins

Most of us could care less about whether or not politicians use teleprompters or read it off a sheet of paper when giving speeches. I do find it interesting, however, the large number of people using this to attack President Obama (as if no other president has ever used a teleprompter or read a speech off sheets of paper). So, whether it’s Barack Obama, President Reagan, President Bush, President Clinton or gold ole former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, it really makes no difference to me how they deliver a speech. But, for some reason, it does seem to spark something inside of Sarah Palin who seems to be taking wild shots at President Obama (like a boxer in the final round down on points and needing a miracle knockout to win). Getting in front of the Tea Party nuts sparked something inside of her to go after the president again and prove that the Tea Party movement is little more than an extremist splinter group of the GOP.

Fox and Friends, and its Republican hosts, went on the defensive to defend Palin for using notes to deliver her speech (as just about anyone on Fox is apt to do when it comes to Palin).

Gretchen Carlson, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade (all right wingers) go out of their way to do damage control for the Fox News newbie Palin and her campaign (which is in the silent phase aided by the network conservatives trust).

CARLSON: I think she did it on purpose.

DOOCY: You do?

CARLSON: I think she did it on purpose. Yeah, because I think it’s an exact opposite of reading off the teleprompter. Reading off complete script written for you with every word in a sentence, and here she’s just taking crib notes on her hand. It makes it look as if she can just talk off the cuff and that she just jotted down a few couple notes before she went off to give a big, long speech.

KILMEADE: I am jealous.

DOOCY: I think she did — I think she did it because she probably does it a lot. I do that all the time.

KILMEADE: I personally am jealous, because I used to get in trouble if I wrote on my palms because my mom explained to me the ink would get through my pores and I would die. So I stopped doing that in the fifth grade.

DOOCY: Really?

KILMEADE: Why doesn’t she just — there’s nothing wrong with if she had a card. Just jot a card down — energy, taxes, hope, whatever it is. But — then no one has a problem. But to sit there and look at — do the interview and then look down at her hand, I think that is — it’s, like you said, Gretchen, before, folksy, absolutely. Down to earth. I can identify. But if you’re going to write it on your hand, why not just say, staffer, can you hand me a card? And then it would have been OK.

CARLSON: Like I say, I think it was on purpose. But anyway, we may never know.

Once again, Fox News comes to the rescue of their beloved Sarah Palin.

Check out how conservatives are rushing to the aid of Palin, who quit on Alaska (to make money selling books and gain publicity for herself) and yet criticizes other leaders for their leadership.

John McCain … Maverick In Name Only

Sen. John McCain always tried to portray himself as a so-called “maverick” while he was on the campaign trail. But, during and after Wednesday’s State of the Union address from President Obama, for former candidate for the White House proved that he is just another Washington insider playing the game of politics. In other words, Sen. John McCain is a politician like all the rest, as he proved again when he went on Sean Hannity’s far-right Fox News show and uttered the words below.

“What we’re hearing tonight is ‘BIOB’ — let’s call it that from now on. Blame it on Bush. Whatever has gone wrong, let’s blame it on Bush. I think the people of Massachusetts last Tuesday pretty well rejected that line of conversation.”

Voters rejected Sen. McCain’s message during the campaign and should reject it now. The campaign is over and John McCain has revealed his true self as a right-wing partisan who struggles to see any good from the other side and mistakes facts for blame.

John McCain (who wears his far-right cap when he goes on Fox News) must have missed the part where the president accepted the blame for the portion of the deficit he claimed responsibility for last night.

Also, Sen. McCain is misguided. Massachusetts voters likely rejected that Democrats have not done enough to bring the radical change they expected (we’re still in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Democrats are not standing firm on health care, etc.).

Is Sen. McCain crazy enough to think that Massachusetts are troubled by Democrats holding President Bush (whose approval ratings where somewhere around the high 20s to low 30s when he left office) accountable for what happened on his watch? Come on, now!

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/27/mccain-sotu-obama/

Simple Simon Conservatives Trace All Detroit’s Problems To A Familiar Boogeyman: Liberalism

Frank Lucas: Simple Simon-ass motherfuckers!
From the 2007 film American Gangster

Simple-Simon conservatives take great pleasure in attacking cities like Detroit and Chicago (right-wing Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham did that again over the weekend in an effort to take a shot at President Obama). However, for the purposes of this blog, I am choosing to focus on one of the many shots being taken at Detroit. Full disclosure: Detroit is where I was born and raised. So, as a native Detroiter, we are accustomed to outside agitators gleefully taking cheap shots at the city of Detroit. Since the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States, the city of Chicago has gotten a taste for how viciously some are willing to attack a city (as far as I am concerned, it was wrong when people attacked Texas to get at George W. Bush and it’s wrong when people attack Chicago to get at President Obama). Still, the business of attacking cities for political purposes continues and thrives in today’s United States of America.

The following is a brief blog (with a biased video) from Steven Crowder, writing for the far-right site Big Hollywood (a safe haven for some of the nuttiest commentaries and irrational theories you will find):

I know that some of you may think that the last thing Detroit needs is another hit piece. Granted, some could consider this video as THE hit piece. Detroit however, can serve as a valuable lesson to the rest of the country. It has been the perfect laboratory for leftist policies at work. The more you examine the policies of Detroit’s politicians, the more strikingly similar to this administration they become. The results… are shocking. Notice how I added the “…” for dramatic effect? I’m thoughtful like that.

Crowder is right on one thing: this is a hit piece with a dual purpose: smear Detroit and take a shot at the favorite boogeyman of the far-right freaks: liberalism.

The depth and breadth of the ignorance of this video is nothing short of staggering. It’s so one-dimensional and tired it makes the old Atari 2600 look modern.

This Simple-Simon conservative mostly ignores the biggest factors in Detroit’s decline (while taking great joy in bashing unions like the United Auto Workers … as conservatives love to do while favoring the rich corporate executives who run countries):

• Auto industry decline
• Auto industry mismanagement
• Economically depending too much on the auto industry
• White flight
• Racial tension (race rioting) … sparked partly by competition for jobs and housing
• Broken political promises (Crowder cites this, but only to attack liberals)
• Shrinking population
• Eroding tax base (a part of shrinking population and fleeing businesses)
• Outsourcing to foreign countries
• Relocation of major businesses to the suburbs
• The U.S. trade deficit

… on and on it goes. But, why focus on those factors when Earth-is-flat Republicans can simply focus on their favorite topic: liberalism.

He ends the video with a shot of President Obama painted on a wall to take another partisan cheap shot in this far-right video that is lower and more disgusting than some of the filth it filmed and focused on in Detroit.

That’s not to say Detroit has its problems because it sure as hell does. But this garbage video is nothing more than the exploitation of Detroit for political purposes.

NOTE: I am not posting the video, but you can visit the Big Hollywood site to look at it if you choose.

The Detroit Syndrome of Economic Failure:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/138341-the-detroit-syndrome-of-economic-failure

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit

Big Hollywood:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/12/21/is-this-the-future-of-america-detroit/#more-283182

Hypocrite Sarah Palin Is Back At It Again … Now Posing As A Birther

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the darling of the right-wing, is back at it again – this time giving comfort to the nutty birthers who continue to attack President Obama. Governor Palin, who cried about the media and people coming after her as she resigned from her position in governor’s office in Alaska, now is continuing to advance the pathetic mission of the birthers. During a segment on the show of a right-ring radio talker named Rusty Humphries, it was Palin who went out of her way to provide a soothing hand of comfort to the birther morons who just can’t seem to come to grips with the president of the United States of America being a black man. That’s right, I said it. I do believe that this birther movement largely is motivated by a strong prejudice.

As documented by Think Progress:

Yesterday while appearing on the right-wing radio show of Rusty Humphries, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin expressed her allegiance with the birther movement. She asserted that it was a “fair question” to ask whether President Obama was born in the U.S. “I think the public rightfully is still making it an issue,” she said. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

She doesn’t have a problem with it because she is a right-wing extremist, who has a bias against the president and you have to wonder if it is just a political and philosophical bias.

Think Progress then added her response:

After the media picked up her comments, Palin went on her Facebook page at 1:16 a.m. and criticized reporters for calling her a birther and pushing “stupid conspiracies”:

Voters have every right to ask candidates for information if they so choose. I’ve pointed out that it was seemingly fair game during the 2008 election for many on the left to badger my doctor and lawyer for proof that Trig is in fact my child. Conspiracy-minded reporters and voters had a right to ask… which they have repeatedly. But at no point – not during the campaign, and not during recent interviews – have I asked the president to produce his birth certificate or suggested that he was not born in the United States.

And, as Think Progress later pointed out, it was Palin who left the position of governor of Alaska crying about how the media and people were advancing all of these attacks on her. Then, she turns around and helps push an attack on President Obama that was long ago refuted. She cried about how the media, politicians and political operatives were attacking her and making it so difficult for her to conduct business (she was being dogged by allegations of ethics violations). Then she turns around and contributes to the same thing against President Obama.

Sarah Palin feels the “politics of personal destruction” are OK as long as they are directed at President Obama or some other Democrat and not directed at her.

Sarah Palin believes questions  from idiot birthers in regard to where President Obama was born are OK, but questions raised about potential ethics violations against her are part of the “politics of personal destruction.”

Sarah Palin is a hypocrite.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/04/palin-birthers-conspiracies/

Fox News Right-Wing Extremist Charles Krauthammer Again Attacks President Obama

I realize that Fox News protocol is pretty much to attack and advance half-truths and falsehoods against President Obama at any and every turn.

This video of Charles Krauthammer, a right-winger zealot disguised as some kind of a political analyst for the network conservatives trust, shows this man’s hatred for the president. This guy, Krauthammer, talks about narcissism (an all too familiar theme for him) with regard to President Obama, but that is code for the president being a little too “uppity” and not knowing his place. He clearly sees President Obama as overstepping his bounds. Considering the way that Krauthammer attacks the president, it seems more than fair to wonder if this is merely politically motivated or if perhaps there is something a little more sinister at play.

Obviously, the Fox News talking point is to try and portray President Obama as being a weak man (hence it’s tired emphasis on the fact that he is greeting fellow world leaders in customary forms). To Fox News, the bow is a sign of weakness (as long as it comes from a Democrat president and especially if it comes from President Barack Obama). To normal human beings, it is a sign of respect for the customs of a culture.

Listen closely in this video. Is Krauthammer now advancing preposterous birther conspiracies with this line of talking:

KRAUTHAMMER: “… Presumably he grew up in and spent some of his childhood in Hawaii and in Indonesia.”

Then, Krauthammer goes on to bash the president for apparently saying he is “the first Pacific president.” Lets see, Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and raised in Indonesia, but apparently that doesn’t count to Charles Krauthammer. This point clearly pisses off the sensitive Krauthammer who goes on to talk about world leaders in one way or another were in the pacific during war-time or were involved in the building of the Panama Canal, etc. He mentions Roosevelt, Taft, Bush and Kennedy.

At one point, in childish fashion, Krauthammer mocks the fact that President Obama had ice cream in Japan with his mother. 

Is Krauthammer really that stupid? Is he really that much of a far-right nut? President Obama was likely speaking about being born in Hawaii, in the Pacific, and was perhaps trying to inspire others. Instead, the far-right Krauthammer tries to paint President Obama as slighting these other men. That is just flat-out insane, but it is very Charles Krauthammer.

Then the nutty Krauthammer (with no resistance from the host or fellow panelists) refers to him as “baby Jesus” too in a joking fashion (you could hear laughter among panelists). Yet, more childish antics from a grown man Charles Krauthammer is, presumably. It just shows the hatred that Krauthammer has for our leader of the United States of America and the Commander-in-Chief.

Were George W. Bush still president such talk might be considered anti-American.

Bill O’Reilly Exploits Fort Hood Tragedy To Attack Dr. George Tiller Again And Defend Himself

Fox News right-wing host Bill O’Reilly refuses to let the murdered Dr. George Tiller, who provided abortions, rest in peace. It’s not bad enough that O’Reilly frequently attacked Dr. Tiller who was murdered in vicious and cold-blooded fashion (at the hands of a cowardly anti-abortion bigot). Now, Bill O’Reilly is callously exploiting the tragic murders at Fort Hood (Texas) to again attack Dr. George Tiller (who was a family man in addition to being a doctor) and portray himself as a victim who is being attacked.

Indeed, Bill O’Reilly continues to attack a murdered man while at the same time he sets himself up as the victim.

As Media Matters for America points out, it seems O’Reilly has ignored the right wing exploiting this tragedy to again launch bigoted attacks on Muslims and others they see as “extremists” in their narrow-minded view of the world. Instead of being balanced and fair, he has used this tragedy to again showcase his far-right bias and use his platform to attack people he sees as liberals.

Declaring Victory … Before It’s Over

I find it interesting (even amusing) how a large number of people on Fox Republican News Channel are declaring that this week’s election results are the beginning of this great renaissance for the GOP and the beginning of the end for President Barack Obama. All day, on the network Republicans love, host after host has been crowing about how great this is for the GOP and how the party is on the way back. We’ve been hearing stuff words and phrases like “winds of change,” “Republican revival” and “blueprint for success” as reported by Media Matters for America. So, tonight I tuned in to watch the O’Reilly Factor and Billy painted this as a smackdown for President Obama (wishful and biased GOP thinking), how people are rejecting him, rejecting so-called big government and going for the things Republicans supposedly stand for. It was all a bunch of laughable nonsense. Look, these elections are fought on the local level and state levels with local and state candidates. It’s not about President Obama, President Bush, President Clinton, President Lincoln or President Washington.

Fox News Is No More … Make Way For Fox Commentary

Close your eyes and imagine picking up your newspaper and not being able to distinguish between the “hard” news content and the content on the editorial page. Now, open your eyes and (if you can stomach it) watch Fox News. The commentators and anchors are mostly the same – right wingers lying about being fair and balanced.

Check out this Media Matters for America clip to see how Fox News nutjob Glenn Beck hands the baton of bias off to fake anchor Chris Wallace, of Fox News Sunday.

 

Fox News Blurs Line Between Opinion And News With Its Far-Right Bias

Fox News has, as I have pointed out countless times on this blog, has blurred the line between news and its right-wing opinion with its coverage. Since the historic election of President Obama, a Democrat, Fox News has gone head first off the deep end of fairness in its leaning to the far right of the political mainstream. While the network tries to portray people as not being able to distinguish between its far-right opinion shows and its right-wing news coverage, the two have become indistinguishable  and more so since the presidential election of 2008 that swept Barack Obama in as president and Joe Biden in as vice president.

Cleverly, these right-wing talking points pop up on right-wing shoes hosted by Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity and then find themselves on so-called news shows hosted by Bret Baier, Chris Wallace, Bill Hemmer, Megyn Kelly and others.

As Eric Burns of Media Matters for America is right … (Fox News) has morphed itself this year into a 24/7 political operation.

Burns is right on the money.

More Anita Dunn Attacks From Right-Wing Nuts With Distortions

The right-wing nuts, led by Fox News has been on the attack against White House communications director Anita Dunn due to her strongly-worded criticism of the conservative network for its obvious right-wing bias (that includes both opinion and news content that leans heavily to the right). The righties have been working hard to falsely portray her as an admirer of former Chinese communist leader Mao Tse-tung and now the latest is a disgraceful and sloppy attempt (a “Hail Mary” to borrow a football analogy) by Fox News to grossly mischaracterize Dunn’s comments about the campaign strategy of Team Obama during the presidential election of 2008.

Media Matters has been leading the charge to correct Fox News misinformation on this issue:

DUNN: A huge part of our press strategy was focused on making the media cover what Obama was actually saying as opposed to, you know, why the campaign was saying it, what the tactic was, that we — we had a huge premium both on message discipline, on people in the campaign not leaking to reporters and people in the campaign not discussing our strategy, and also on making the press cover what we were saying.

So we, you know, one of the reasons we did so many of the David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters; we just put that out there and make them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it, as opposed to the press controlled it.

That is what Dunn said, but here is how Fox News mischaracterized her comments to put them in the most negative light possible (remember that this is coming from a “legitimate news organization”) in an ongoing retaliation effort:

The Obama campaign’s press strategy leading up to his election last November focused on “making” the media cover what the campaign wanted and on exercising absolute “control” over coverage, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told an overseas crowd early this year.

In a video of the event, Dunn is seen describing in detail the media strategy used by then-Sen. Barack Obama’s highly disciplined presidential campaign. The video is footage from a Jan. 12 forum hosted by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development in the Dominican Republic.

“Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn’t absolutely control,” Dunn said, admitting that the strategy “did not always make us popular in the press.”

This is, of course, a gross and irresponsible mischaracterization of what Dunn said. Fox misleads readers into thinking that Dunn was saying that the Obama campaign controlled the media which is false and irresponsible on the part of people at Fox News.

Notice how Fox takes single words quotations and frames them based on their own right-wing bias (an effort that is even more powerful considering its ongoing vendetta against Anita Dunn).

Here is how Media Matters boiled it down:

WorldNetDaily, followed by the Drudge Report and Fox Nation, falsely claimed that during a January 12 speech, White House communications director Anita Dunn boasted about the White House’s “control” over the media. In fact, Dunn was discussing the Obama campaign’s strategy for controlling the campaign’s message, not the media; moreover, her comments were made before Obama had taken office and before she became communications director.

So, the campaign was not controlling the media, but making sure its own message was controlled and consistent. This distortion by Fox News is done purposely and, I believe, maliciously simply to attack Anita Dunn in retaliation for her strong comments about what she perceives as bias on the part of Fox News.

Fox News, of course, responds like an elementary-school child would … with attacks, lies, gossip and essentially name calling.

Check out the Media Matters research to see the depth and breadth of the lies coming from the far right in a desperate attempt to attack Anita Dunn.

Don Imus Is Back And Already Taking A Nasty Shot At President Obama

It didn’t take controversial new Fox Business Network host Don Imus long to make his first controversial statement with yet another piss-poor attempt at humor (you’d think he’d have learned something from his situation with the women’s basketball team of Rutgers a few years back). But, the I-Man is still old school, stubborn and with a distinct inability to avoid making idiotic and controversial statements. Imus hosted Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain (arguably the most media-hyped presidential campaign loser in United States of America history) on his show and the two men shared a joke (one in very poor taste in light of how much conservatives whine about comments about former President George W. Bush’s involvement in 9/11). Apparently, Sen. McCain was quite amused by a joke comparing President Obama to the 9/11 attacks:

“Ha ha,” she added dryly, when I told her that Imus, in a discussion with another first-day guest, Sen. John McCain, repeated a “joke” that after 9/11 “President Obama was the second attack on America.” (McCain, on the phone, laughed more heartily.)

As Think Progress points out, Imus must have had his conscience return (if he has one) after making telling the “joke” on the air as he tried to walk back from the comment and weakly offered about the joke that it was “an idiotic thing to say.”

Washington Times Seems To Make Up Racism Charge In Its ACORN Story

Like Media Matters for America, I too was puzzled by the accusation that ACORN representative Bertha Lewis charges of racism against individuals critical of the group. Note the headline from the Washington Times below, as captured by MMA: “ACORN’s Lewis suggests opponents are racist.” So, when I see such an explosive headline, my first reaction is … “I can’t wait to see the mountain of evidence the reporter and newspaper have compiled to substantiate such a powerful charge. But, as you might expect, I was woefully disappointed by an article absent of the necessary information to support its unsubstantiated header.

Below is The Washington Times article as posted by Media Matters:

ACORN’s Bertha Lewis charged Tuesday that accusations about the embattled community organizing group are racist, alleging that a coordinated political effort started by former Bush adviser Karl Rove sought to stop the group from registering minority voters.

“For many years, there’ve been folks who’ve disagreed with our ideology or methodology that [have] gone after us,” Mrs. Lewis, ACORN’s chief executive officer, said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.

“I mean we, [going back] to 2004, we now see through e-mails from Karl Rove from the previous administration that ACORN itself was targeted, targeted to go after us so that we would stop doing voter registration because it was said that we were moving too many minorities to vote, changing the power dynamics on the local election and that we needed to be stopped.”

She also labeled as racist the infamous videos that show ACORN workers advising a man and young woman posing as pimp and prostitute how to circumvent the law. “These new filmmakers, [James] O’Keefe himself, told The Washington Post, ‘They’re registering too many minorities; they usually vote Democratic; somebody’s got to stop them,’” Mrs. Lewis said.

But Mrs. Lewis did not mention that The Post was forced to issue a later correction on the story, saying the quote attributed to Mr. O’Keefe was inaccurate.

But, as Media Matters points out, it’s difficult to see the evidence in the story that supports the headline.

Now, I know what people are going to say … the Washington Times is basing its misleading (if not inaccurate) headline on her comment about some opposition being troubled by the registration of “too many minorities.” But, the explosiveness of the headline does not match the thin (damn-near invisible) evidence supplied by The Washington Times.

This newspaper saw a book of matches on a table and immediately screamed “FIRE!” Notice the paper ignored the political angle that was in the same sentence it latched onto for the headline.

The paper’s supporting facts are weak next to the headline’s charge in what appears to be an example of poor and blatantly-biased journalism.