The "Call 'Em Out" White House Targets Fox News
During his September address to Congress, Barack Obama put his less-than-responsible critics on notice. "If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out," he said. After the wee-weed days of August, this was Obama's way of saying he and the rest of the White House communications office was sick of playing "Reality Check" defense. He was going to start shining a spotlight on those responsible for falsehoods. (As it happened, the delivery of this message was somewhat confused, since moments later Rep. Joe Wilson screamed "You lie!"--demonstrating that the caller out can also be called out, or something like that.)
But true to Obama's promise, the White House, in concert with the Democratic National Committee, has become more aggressive in recent weeks, with lots of tough press releases and internet videos on everything from "czars" to Republican "scaremongering." The DNC even created a "Call 'Em Out" template for its website, which currently features a less-than-flattering picture of House Republican leader John Boehner, with the tag line "Enough. We're calling him out," a full blown political attempt at a catch phrase--like Donald Trump saying "You're Fired" or Jenna saying "That's A Dealbreaker" on 30 Rock.
But today, the White House took the "Call 'Em Out" game to a new level with a blog post, on the White House website (not the DNC site), targeting Fox News, an entire media organization, for what the White House calls "Fox lies."
The lies at issue here concern the utterances of Fox News' Glenn Beck on Tuesday night and Steve Doocey on Tuesday morning. Both Beck and Doocey said things that were false, and truth be told, this is not the first time, nor is it likely the last. What is interesting is how the White House responded by trying to discredit, or, um, "call out" the network for being less than fully patriotic:
Last night Fox News continued its disregard for the facts in an attempt to smear the Administration's efforts to win the Olympics for the United States. In the past, hosting the Olympics has been a source of pride and unity for the country, but once again Fox News' Glenn Beck program has shown that nothing is worthy of respect if it can be used as part of a partisan attack to boost ratings.
Quite a twist, eh? This is just the latest public declaration in the barely-subsurface battle that has been going on for months between Fox News and the White House--which Fox is winning at least in terms of ratings. We are in new terrain here. The White House is using its official blog to go after a network. The network long ago demonstrated that its raison d'etre for the moment is organizing, chaneling and profiting from the opposition to basically anything the White House does.
Since both the White House and Fox are largely trying to rally different audiences, they can both benefit by keeping this fight going. In other words, there is a lot more "Calling 'Em Out" to come.
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1
Is it really appropriate for Whitehouse.gov to engage in such naked political activity?
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And I thought questioning someone's patriotism was verboten. Seems that Scherer ought to have mentioned the Dems' newfound comfort with the P-word.-
1.1
When a foreign-owned entity promotes insurrection, yeah, the Whitehouse should be saying something.
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1.2
And when do we get some reporting on this recent closed case?
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903597.html
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Why is it always "attack the Republicans", Michael?
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When do we get some "fair and balanced reporting"? -
1.3
re acmeanvil's post 1.1: foreign owned? the sad fact is that rupert murdock is a naturalized american citizen!!!
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Are the clueless socialist, his admistration and Time magazine still repeating their lie that American taxpayers won't be paying for the health care of the 15 million illegal aliens in my country who Obama intends are granting amnesty and granting a so-called "path to citizenship"?
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3
"The network long ago demonstrated that its raison d'etre for the moment is organizing, chaneling and profiting from the opposition to basically anything the White House does."
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You know, commentary like that basically puts you on the level of a DailyKos commenter.-
3.1
spob, when it walks, talks, and looks like a duck, and if we apply a Sherlock Holmes approach to that observation, then it's pretty natural to conclude it *is,* by heavens, a real, live duck.
Fox News: "quack. Quack."
That said, the folks at Fox don't say they have no agenda, and that bears acknowledging. I don't think the writer here is pretending to do anything more, less, or different than appears to be the case at first blush.
Thank goodness for freedom of speech.
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4
When can we expect to see Obama's useful idiots (i.e., the Washington/New York/entire American press corps) to denounce Obama for calling Beck a liar or is it only unacceptable and "uncivil" to Obama's useful idiots for those who don't support the clueless socialist to call him a liar?
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5
I'm just going to bypass Spob's utterances. But how one dimensional is your mind MS. Er, last time I checked the white house is not a cable news show so how can they compete with the only thing you can measure-ratings.
And I think you fail to recognize what the White house is doing. By elevating Fox news, and its shall we say- flimsy way of telling the truth (lies), they are tarnishing all the goopers, I mean GOPers who go on their and kiss Hannity Beck and the rest's arse. They did it with Limbaugh and that didnt turn out so well for the R's- they were doing palates trying to say No I don't agree with Rush but I agree with Rush. Fox news, might be the biggest cable show but we are talking about a couple of million viewers- who would problaby never vote for a dem in the first place.
This is the same group that bought you tea bagging summer of 09, and without the media (I'm looking at you) abandoning all integrity and going for the shrillest voice- YOU see the oppo is ebbing. SNL had the perfect takedown of Beck and it is a sample of the type of shrillness that comes from Fox. O'Reily and Shep are the only decent human beings still working for Murdoch.
So at the end of the day Fox may win viewers, but if the white house elevates them to be the head of the republican party, look for indes and moderate Rs to turn away, I'm sure Rahm is somewhere smiling.
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5.1
Sounds like dopey wishful thinking.
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Speaking of Dems and dopeyness--what's up with Grayson?http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjRkYWE3MTg2OTMxZGRhM2IxM2ZkNTc0NmQ0NTYwNDA=
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Hmmmmm, Funny, the Swampland always has a nice post about Michelle Bachman, but ignores Grayson's over the top comments. Hmmmmmm. Could we say that Swampland posters are simply in the tank for the Dems on healthcare? I don't think that would be fair. Of course, it's probably more fair than Scherer's inflammatory comment about a fellow news organization. I presume, MS, that we'll start seeing you critique NY Times coverage. Or MS, what about the fawning coverage WaPo has given Eric Holder? -
5.2
To the blob who replied, How different is that from virginia foxx's "This bill will kill senior citizens" Yes Grayson problaby said it to get attention- but he got it because he is a dem. The R's have been saying death panels and grandmas going to have consult a mortician- I mean doctor for months. Its news when a dem says it because we are supposed to actually have brains, and grayson lost his momentarily. When you argue with a fool, people from a distance cant tell who is who.
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Bush vs. Al Jazeera
Obama vs. Fox
Some things don't change, eh?-
6.1
Except that the shoe was thrown from the other foot: Al Jazeera was telling the truth, and Bush was, well, Bush.
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"Is it really appropriate for Whitehouse.gov to engage in such naked political activity?"
Is it really appropriate for a so-called "news" organization to drop any pretense of objectivity, and become a open propaganda group?
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Next step: throw Fox out of the White House briefing romm, lock them out of press conferences, let them report from the sidewalk in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There are lots of professional journalists out there who'd love the chance to cover the presidency from up close -- Fox's pompous asses would not be missed.
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8.1
You know what...they should. As if they actually report on what is announced in those press briefings. What's the point of having them in there when they report any thing they feel like.
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I just bookmarked the White House Reality Check blog. Check out this gem:
RHETORIC: BECK SAID VANCOUVER LOST $1 BILLION WHEN IT "HAD THE OLYMPICS." Glenn Beck said, "Vancouver lost, how much was it? they lost a billion dollars when they had the Olympics." [Transcript, Glenn Beck Show, 9/29/09]
REALITY: VANCOUVER'S OLYMPICS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL 2010.
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9.1
Why should the time-space continuum matter to a guy like Beck. Over there on Fox, they sprinkle a little fairy dust and *puff* it's 2001 all over again.
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9.2
With the Vancouver Olympics more than 4 months away, Vancouver hasn't gained or lost anything to this point. The "losing $1 billion" might refer to the City having to provide the financing to complete the construction of the Olympic Village. The financial crisis and shaky local real estate market has made for some rather interesting estimates as to what the city might lose. The only way I see the city losing a billion in this deal is if they demolish the Olympic Village when the Games are finished. But rather than doing that, they're going to sell them off as apartments in a very desirable part of the city. Given that housing prices in Vancouver didn't fall too much and are rebounding, it's possible the City could even turn a profit.
Whether the Olympics are worth having or not depends a lot on what you value. Some of the things that are being counted as Olympic costs are expensive projects like the Skytrain expansion and Sea to Sky Highway upgrades. But both were needed even without the Olympics (the highway because it was so dangerous before). Who knows, maybe the Vancouver Olympics will lose money, but I suspect that 20 years from now, people in Vancouver will look back on the Olympics with the same feeling the people of Calgary look back on theirs, and not how the people of Montreal look back on theirs.
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[...] should be pointed out rather than pretending they are a real news organization. Michael Scherer at Swampland, recognizing Fox’s reason for existing, predicts that the fight between Obama and Fox will [...]
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It's about time; the nation's political discourse has been polluted for too long by the disgusting Rupert Murdoch.
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This will never work. There are over 200 liberal congresspeople; nearly 60 senators, not to mention the White House employees, the staff of all these people and the Appollo Alliance that wrote the bill in the house. Barback cannot mean that he does not have enough on his plate, he is really going to call out these people for their disengenuousness. He cannot be serious...why Gibb 's comments alone will take weeks to clean up...please, deal with the Iran nuke problem...it should be easier than forcing the Uberleft, the left and liberals to be forthcoming. Oh, perhaps Obama meant that Time, Newsweek, NBC,ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS will henceforth tell the truth in a clear, understandable language: english???
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12.1
…wow, “disingenuousness” is a real word.
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12.2
To answer your closing question, nope. But they should, perhaps, follow Fox's lead on that and "tell the truth" in English [but not "english," since that's not a language at all].
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13
"Jim Crow called, he wants his 'nigras' back in their place!"
"Nazi" isn't the "n-word" these screechers REALLY want to call Obama. Get real. -
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Republican't Party:
Republican'ts: Can't provide moral, economic or socially responsible leadership.
Can't put the needs of the american people above their own petty money and power-mongering.-
14.1
"Can't put the needs of the american people above their own petty money and power-mongering"
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You mean like these?
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Neil Goldschmidt – Democrat – Oregon governor. Admitted to having an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old teenager while he was serving as Mayor of Portland.Barney Frank – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Admitted to having paid Stephen L. Gobie, a male prostitute, for sex and subsequently hiring Gobie as his personal assistant. Gobie used the congressman's Washington apartment for prostitution.
Jerry Springer – Democrat – Resigned from Cincinnati City Council in 1974 after admitting to paying a prostitute with a personal check, which was found in a police raid on a massage parlor.
Melvin Jay Reynolds – U.S. Representative from Illinois from 1993 to 1995. Convicted on sexual misconduct and obstruction of justice charges and sentenced to five years in prison.
Former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey resigned his office and publically admitted his relationship with his croney/lover Golan Cipel who resigned from a $100,000/yr job created by McGreevey.
Edward Kennedy – Democrat – U. S. Senator from Massachusetts. Pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, after his car plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island killing passenger Mary Jo Kopechne.
DNC – The Federal Election Commission imposed $719,000 in fines against participants in the 1996 Democratic Party fundraising scandals involving contributions from China, Korea and other foreign sources. The Federal Election commission said it decided to drop cases against contributors of more than $3 million in illegal DNC contributions
because the respondents left the country or the corporations are defunct.
Sandy Berger – Democrat – National Security Advisor during the Clinton Administration. Berger became the focus of a criminal investigation after removing highly classified terrorism documents and handwritten notes from the National Archives during preparations for the Sept. 11 commission hearings.
Robert Torricelli – Democrat – Withdrew from the 2002 Senate race with less than 30 days before the election because of controversy over personal gifts he took from a major campaign donor and questions about campaign donations from 1996.
Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde – Democrat – the son of newly elected U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, was booked on charges of criminal damage to property for allegedly slashing tires on 20 vans and cars rented by the Republican Party for use in Election Day voter turnout efforts.
Daniel David Rostenkowski – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Illinois. Indicted on 17 felony charges- pleaded guilty to two counts of misuse of public funds and sentenced to seventeen months in federal prison.
Charles Coles Diggs, Jr. – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Michigan from 1955 to 1980. Convicted on eleven counts of mail fraud and filing false payroll forms- sentenced to three years in prison.
George Rogers – Democrat – Massachusetts State House of Representatives from 1965 to 1970. Member of Massachusetts State Senate from 1975 to 1978. Convicted of bribery in 1978 and sentenced to two years in prison.
Don Siegelman – Democrat Governor Alabama – indicted in a bid-rigging scheme involving a maternity-care program. The charges accused Siegelman and his former chief of staff of helping Tuscaloosa physician Phillip Bobo rig bids. Siegelman was accused of moving $550,000 from the state education budget to the State Fire College in Tuscaloosa so Bobo could use the money to pay off a competitor for a state contract for maternity care.
John Murtha, Jr. – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. Implicated in the Abscam sting, in which FBI agents impersonating Arab businessmen offered bribes to political figures; Murtha was cited as an unindicted co-conspirator
Gerry Eastman Studds – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. The first openly gay member of Congress. Censured by the House of Representatives for having sexual relations with a teenage House page.
James C. Green – Democrat – North Carolina State House of Representatives. Charged with accepting a bribe from an undercover FBI agent, but was acquitted. Convicted of tax evasion in 1997.
Frederick Richmond – Democrat – U.S. Representative from New York. Arrested in Washington, D.C., in 1978 for soliciting sex from a minor and from an undercover police officer – pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Also – charged with tax evasion, marijuana possession, and improper payments to a federal employee – pleaded guilty.
Raymond Lederer – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. Implicated in the Abscam sting – convicted of bribery and sentenced to three years in prison and fined $20,000.
Harrison Arlington Williams, Jr. – Democrat – U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Implicated in the Abscam sting. Allegedly accepted an 18% interest in a titanium mine. Convicted of nine counts of bribery, conspiracy, receiving an unlawful gratuity, conflict of interest, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Sentenced to three years in prison and fined $50,000.
Frank Thompson, Jr. – Democrat – U.S. Representative from New Jersey. Implicated in the Abscam sting, convicted on bribery and conspiracy charges. Sentenced to three years in prison.
Michael Joseph Myers – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. Implicated in the Abscam sting – convicted of bribery and conspiracy; sentenced to three years in prison and fined $20,000; expelled from the House of Representatives.
John Michael Murphy – Democrat – U.S. Representative from New York. Implicated in the Abscam sting. Convicted of conspiracy, conflict of interest, and accepting an illegal gratuity. Sentenced to three years in prison and fined $20,000.
John Wilson Jenrette, Jr – Democrat – U.S. Representative from South Carolina. Implicated in the Abscam sting. Convicted on bribery and conspiracy charges and sentenced to prison
Alcee Lamar Hastings – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Florida. Impeached and removed from office as federal judge in 1989 over bribery charges.
Marion Barry – Democrat – mayor of Washington, D.C. Convicted of cocaine possession after being caught on videotape smoking crack cocaine. Sentenced to six months in prison.
Mario Biaggi – Democrat – U.S. Representative from New York. Indicted on federal charges that he had accepted bribes in return for influence on federal contracts.Convicted of obstructing justice and accepting illegal gratuities. Tried in 1988 on federal racketeering charges and convicted on 15 felony counts.
Lee Alexander – Democrat – Mayor of Syracuse, N.Y. Was indicted over a $1.5 million kickback scandal. Pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion charges. Served six years in prison.
Bill Campbell – Democrat – Mayor of Atlanta. Indicted and charged with fraud over claims he accepted improper payments from contractors seeking city contracts.
Frank Ballance – Democrat – Congressman North Carolina. Pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering related to mishandling of money by his charitable foundation.
Hazel O'Leary – Democrat – Secretary of Energy during the Clinton Administration – O'leary took trips all over the world as Secretary with as many 50 staff members and at times rented a plane, which was used by Madonna during her concert tours.
Mary Rose Oakar – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1977 to 1993.
Pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of funneling $16,000 through fake donors.
David Giles – Democrat – candidate for U.S. Representative from Washington. Convicted in June 2000 of child rape.
Gary Siplin – Democrat state senator Florida- found guilty of third-degree grand theft of $5,000 or more, a felony, and using services of employees for his candidacy.
Edward Mezvinsky – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Iowa. Indicted on 56 federal fraud charges.
Lena Swanson – Democrat – Member of Washington State Senate. Pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting unlawful payments from veterans and former prisoners of war.
Abraham J. Hirschfeld – Democrat – candidate in Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from New York in 1974 and 1976. Offered Paula Jones $1 million to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. Convicted in 2000 of trying to hire a hit man to kill his business partner.
Henry Cisneros – Democrat – U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1997. Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of lying to the FBI.
James A. Traficant Jr. – Member of House of Representatives from Ohio. Expelled from Congress after being convicted of corruption charges. Sentenced today to eight years in prison for accepting bribes and kickbacks.
John Doug Hays – Democrat – member of Kentucky State Senate. Found guilty of mail fraud for submitting false campaign reports stemming from an unsuccessful run for judge. He was sentenced to six months in prison to be followed by six months of home confinement and three years of probation.
Henry J. Cianfrani – Democrat – Pennsylvania State Senate. Convicted on federal charges of racketeering and mail fraud for padding his Senate payroll. Sentenced to five years in federal prison.
David Hall – Democrat – Governor of Oklahoma. Indicted on extortion and conspiracy charges. Convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.
John A. Celona – Democrat – A former state senator was charged with the three counts of mail fraud. Federal prosecutors accused him of defrauding the state and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from CVS Corp. and others while serving in the legislature. Celona has agreed to plead guilty to taking money from the CVS pharmacy
chain and other companies that had interest in legislation. Under the deal, Celona agreed to cooperate with investigators. He faces up to five years in federal prison on each of the three counts and a $250,000 fine
Allan Turner Howe – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Utah. Arrested for soliciting a policewoman posing as a prostitute.
Jerry Cosentino – Democrat – Illinois State Treasurer. Pleaded guilty to bank fraud – fined $5,000 and sentenced to nine months home confinement.
Joseph Waggonner Jr. – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Louisiana. Arrested in Washington, D.C. for soliciting a policewoman posing as a prostitute
Albert G. Bustamante – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Texas. Convicted in 1993 on racketeering and bribery charges and sentenced to prison.
Lawrence Jack Smith – Democrat – U.S. Representative from Florida. Sentenced to three months in federal prison for tax evasion.
David Lee Walters – Democrat – Governor of Oklahoma. Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor election law violation.
James Guy Tucker, Jr. – Democrat – Governor of Arkansas. Resigned in July 1996 after conviction on federal fraud charges as part of the Whitewater investigation.
Walter Rayford Tucker – Democrat – Mayor of Compton, California from 1991 to 1992; U.S. Representative from California from 1993 to 1995. Sentenced to 27 months in prison for extortion and tax evasion.
William McCuen – Democrat – Secretary of State of Arkansas. Admitted accepting kickbacks from two supporters he gave jobs, and not paying taxes on the money. Admitted to conspiring with a political consultant to split $53,560 embezzled from the state in a sham transaction. He was indicted on corruption charges. Pleaded guilty to felony counts tax evasion and accepting a kickback. Sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Walter Fauntroy – Democrat – Delegate to U.S. Congress from the District of Columbia. Charged in federal court with making false statements on financial disclosure forms. Pleaded guilty to one felony count and sentenced to probation.
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15
FN is nothing but conservative talk radio with pictures. It's not that its ratings make it superior to the other services - its ideologues are what attracts people. The White House may be making a mistake by treating FN in kind as FN treats it. BO can be bigger than they are by simply treating them like MSM - doing interviews, calling on them at pressers, etc.
Ms. NBC is more or less liberal talk radio with pictures.
CNN actually does unbiased news stories for the most part. Sometimes they slip but at least they don't knowingly recycle lies. I wish CNN wouldn't have called out Fox on those DC tea party protests - they don't need to bother with them.*"Coming up on America's #1 news source: Does already Obama hate 1/4 of his future grandkids?"*
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15.1
Meant to say that both CNN and Ms. NBC don't knowingly recycle lies.
And has anybody seen the Microsoft part of MSNBC anyway?
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15.2
CNN absolutely recycles lies every day, by uncritically repeating Republican lies under their "he said-she-said" excuse for objectivity. They're more interested in repeating cute Tweets than finding out who's telling the truth.
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What I find so amusing about the mindless drones on the right is that they seem to think it's okay to lie if the other side does. They get defensive when they get caught in a lie (witness Bush over the last four years once WMD's weren't found as just one example), and start bending the truth even more to justify their position.
Strip off the BS, lying is lying. And this coming from a party that ingratiates itself with the conservative religious movement whose tenants lie upon ten rules, one of which is that "I shall not bare false witness." Of course, if you have a bunch of religious zealots and you tell them that the 'otehr side' is evil or against their goals, apparently the ten commandments are missing one for a while - all for the greater good, of course.
There are liars and there are liars and hypocrites. Democrats do their share of lying, but at least they don't try to claim the moral high ground while they're sinning.
In the war of whose more righteous, because Republicans are pathological liars alligned with the 'moral majority', and unlike them, the Democrats never claim to be the vangard of Christ while lying, the Democrats win - every damn time.
And no amount of spin, propaganda, political-speak, PR damage control or even more lying is going to change that reality.
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16.1
Strip off the BS, lying is lying. And this coming from a party that ingratiates itself with the conservative religious movement whose tenants lie upon ten rules, one of which is that "I shall not bare false witness."
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And above that one is "I shall not lie" (Or "Thou shalt not lie" if your version prefers), which is an even more important distinction. -
16.2
Nice rant. Try to use a few more generalizations. But then, maybe I'm lying.
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"which Fox is winning at least in terms of ratings"
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say what? -
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It only proves that Obama with Jarrett and company in-tow are not only fearing Fox News, but their stupidity at feigning out-rage over these reports show how clearly they are not capable of running this government.
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I cannot remember a time that a President or any of his advisors took on the powerful MSM, and "call them out" so desperately and juvenile. It is clear, very clear, Obama and the rest of the Three Stooges he has employed are completely out classed, out-foxed, and played for the stupid idiots they are.
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Do you think you may do a story on why it takes 2 Air Force One's to fly Obama and Michelle to Copenhagen, Michael?
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Are you going to do a report on how much this trip is costing the Tax Payer? Do you think TIME will do some investigative reporting as the New York Times has finally said they will do with this Administration, or will you simply keep writing stories after other news organizations like Fox who are bringing the lastest breaking news about this totally incompetent Administration to the public's attention? Are you not ashamed that Fox consistently breaks news stories and all you can do is hide in their shadows?
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ACORN? Air Force One being used as the Obama's personal jet-setting vehicle as the rest of America slowly dies under his high taxes and big government programs he is proposing? Jarret and her corrupt connections in Chicago? Van Jones? The total collapse of our country under a completely incompetent President?-
18.1
I just can't pass up the opportunity here:
as the rest of America slowly dies under his high taxes and big government programs he is proposing...
Name the high taxes you're referring to, and name the big government programs Obama's passed that are killing the rest of America.
Oh, wait.
That's right, there aren't any. If Obama passes any "high" taxes (which, funny enough, weren't particularly "high" under Regan) or passes government programs (both of these are pretty amazing feats, since the Congress has to vote on and approve everything) that is OMGKILLINGAMERICA, then, maybe, I'll concede that I was wrong. Until then, you are fearfully projecting your absolute worst nightmares of THE BIG BAD LEFT onto a President, who, at least on a lot of issues, is pretty squarely in the middle between Democrats and Republicans.
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18.2
Let us all accept the basic economic principles at work here. No need to pass a bill for HIGHER TAXES when all they need to do is print more money. Every additional TRILLION DOLLARS of debt is just like raising taxes. The value of that dollar in your pocket is eroding every day.
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Doesn't Chavez "call out" media who disagrees with him?
One media outlet isn't like Pravda in it's coverage of Our Dear Reader and libs just about can't stand it.
The "Fox News lies" tripe is about as empty as the specious charges of racism levelled against anyone who disagrees.
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19.1
Chavez calls out to the media when they report the truth. This calling out the White House is doing is when anyone reports lies. Like it or not, Glenn Beck is a liar. He happens to work for Fox.
Now. You cannot even come close to comparing Chavez with Obama. Chavez is a megalomaniac. I have family that has (HAD) farmland there, in Venezuela. When they didn't support Chavez politically, poof, there land was taken away and "Nationalized". They were successful multi-generation farmers. Very valuable land. So, I am calling you out, gthog61, for even suggesting that the POTUS is anything remotely like Hugo Chavez. There policies are not even close to being similar. Your type of comment is how you turn ignorance into hatred and hatred into fear and fear into division and division into "types" of patriotism that compromise the greatness of this country. I will not let your weedy brand of patriotism thrive because it is not patriotism. You should be ashamed. Patriotism is in your country and your president. Calling your president Chavez is criminal and is a risk to our national security. I CALL YOU OUT GTHOG61. -
19.2
There are those -- unfortunately -- who do throw around the accusation "racism" as if were a party favor at a birthday party for a third-grader.
I, however, use it only when it applies.
And once in awhile, I've been convinced that racism was at least a part of a particular statement, such as when Joe "Let's-Keep-on-Flying-the-Confederate-Battle-Flag-Above-the-State-Capitol" Wilson shrieked "You LIE!"
I do belief Wilson represents a small minority, sort of out there with some of conservative talk radio and some folks at Fox: The Cartoon.
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why is Time covering this?
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the white house should be allowed to debunk flat out falsehoods without it becoming a cause celebre. Scherer elevates this to the level of "controversy" by covering it.
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"why is Time covering this?"
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Simple questions get simple answers.
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WHY NOT!!!! -
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There is not a bigger bunch of whiney little school girls than this WH house crew and the sniveling liberals that support them. For over 40 years, the print and TV media have gone unanswered and unopposed. Now that there is an opposing voice they act as if the world is coming to an end.
If the WH got "called out" for every lie and misrepresentation it would crash all of their servers.
Sarkozy has it about right: "French President Sarkozy thinks President Obama is incredibly naive and grossly egotistical. Sarkozy is worried about the Western world with such a flawed president leading America."
It is becoming more evident everyday that people all over the world are reaching the conclusion that liberals and their ideas are GARBAGE. Despite what many have thought of conservatives over the past 8 years they have reached that stage with liberals after a mere 8 months For all the name calling, race-baiting and screaming liar liar pants on fire the liberals are losing the debate by the fact liberals ain't as smart as they keep telling us they are.
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22.1
Seriously, you're really going to quote the French?
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Michael Scherer:
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It is an interesting situation, to be sure, but not entirely "new terrain", don't you think?
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Wasn't there something like this going on during Nixon/Agnew?
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Granted, it wasn't this exact situation, with the rightists trying to have it both ways, i.e. working the refs and creating their own set of refs to "balance" the ones they're working, but still, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910122,00.htmlThe Press: Shepherd to the Wordsmith
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Time Magazine, Monday, Oct. 18, 1971
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"The toughest job in the country," [Nixon] said, "is, of course, being press secretary to the Vice President."
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There is a barbed edge of truth in Nixon's jest. As the peripatetic Spiro Agnew sets out on yet another international jaunt, this time to Greece, Turkey and Iran, few men would envy anyone the task of handling the Vice President's press corps—small, hand-picked lot though they are.* Will Agnew make another gaffe like adversely comparing American black leaders to African dictators? Will he praise the Greek ruling junta as a force for law-and-order? Will he do nothing in Iran but play golf—or worse, just sit in his tent, as he often used to sit in his hotel room in Seoul?
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Eloquent Ideologue. No, it is not an easy job to shepherd the flock following the wordsmith who, in his glacial contempt for newsmen, has included them among the "nattering nabobs of negativism." Says one Agnew intimate: "If someone were to advise the Vice President to close down his press office, leaving only a girl to answer the phone and say 'F— you' to every query, Agnew would be perfectly agreeable."Instead of such a girl, however, Agnew has as press secretary an eloquent right-wing ideologue named Victor Gold. Proudly admitting that Agnew is "not a guy who can be packaged," Gold, 43, performs his assignment with a frantic zeal that occasionally compounds his problems but is more often effective in smoothing things over.
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During his last overseas excursion, for example, the Vice President kept repeating that foreign leaders were "appalled" at the publication of the Pentagon papers. Reporters asked whether that wasn't because the autocrats that Agnew was talking with were dismayed at the idea of so free a press. Gold thoughtfully replied that what the Vice President really meant was that heads of state were concerned that their diplomatic conversations with the U.S. might wind up in print. Agnew dutifully incorporated Gold's amendment into later speeches.
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The Media Morphosis. Gold has stuck out his job since the 1970 elections (he had three predecessors) mainly because he believes in what he is doing. He grew up in New Orleans and attended Tulane University, where he wrote a column for the school newspaper. Says Gold: "I wanted to be the Westbrook Pegler of my generation." Instead he became a lawyer, a public relations man and finally, in 1964, assistant press secretary to Barry Goldwater. Even before he met the Vice President, Gold wrote a still unpublished book entitled The Enemies He Has Made: The Media Morphosis of Spiro T. Agnew, which analyzed Agnew's relationship with the press, to the disadvantage of the latter.
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Gold shares Agnew's view that the press is too liberal. Where he differs from the Vice President is in his day-to-day dealings with newspapermen. His theory is that obstructionism is self-defeating. "Even if the Vice President is criticizing the press," he notes, "the only way to get it out to the people is to make it available to the press."The shoe is on the other foot now, with the "eloquent right-wing ideologue" having pretensions of belonging to the Fourth Estate, and his "fair and balanced" media empire viewing the center-left President as "too liberal", but I think that there's enough similarity in the enmity between the two camps --White House and political media-- to call into question the notion that this is "new terrain".
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Don't you agree, Michael Scherer? -
24
MS:
It is indeed sad that the White House has to fill the yawning gap the mainstream press has left wide open: conveying facts, analysis and truth-telling.
The White House's move is actually an indictment of your colleagues, Mikey.
I know It's uncomfortable that the WH's efforts to get an accurate message out conflicts with your role of carrying water for Republicans. But it's not really a "controversy." At least this White House is making its efforts known, instead of just pulling the strings of talking dolls like you and your ilk, as was SOP before this year.
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25
SILENCE EQUALS ASSENT:' WHY POINTING OUT CONSERVATIVE LUNACY MUST BE DONE
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By Rick Moran.
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I have taken a lot of grief over the years because on several occasions, I have used this website not to attack the left (something I do with great regularity and enjoyment) but because I also highlight some of the lunacy on the right we regularly get from talk show hosts, activists, and other prominent conservatives.
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It is not an urge to purge that drives me to expose these clowns, charlatans, mountebanks, and just plain goofs. It is rather an effort, in my own very small and insignificant way, to stand up for what I know is right; that employing reason and rationality to fight Obama and the liberals is far superior to the utter stupidity found in the baseless, exaggerated, hyperbolic and ignorant critiques of the left and Obama that is passed off as “conservative” thought by those who haven't a clue what conservatism means.
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Yes, I usually find myself being almost as unhinged in my criticism of these kooks as they are in criticizing Obama. So be it. Trying to argue rationally with someone who believes Obama is a Nazi, or a Communist is akin to arguing with a stone wall. And at least the wall is smart enough not to keep opening its mouth and further proving how irrational it is.
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I reject arguments that one shouldn't criticize one's own side and “do the left's dirty work for them” (the silly and simple minded argument that I am somehow “jealous” of a talk show host's or a pundit's success are so laughable that I never bother to respond). I believe that one of conservatism's major problems these last few years has been a failure of self-examination - and I include myself in committing that sin. Unless one constantly challenges one's beliefs by examining the underlying assumptions of what we truly believe, testing them against what is happening in the real world, and using the logic and reason granted us by our humanity to determine if they still pass muster and are consistent with our principles, we fall into the trap of being inconsistent in the application of our philosophy.
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You don't have to be an “intellectual” to accomplish this. All it takes is to read and listen to opposing viewpoints once and a while. To close one's mind to alternative points of view is, by definition, unconservative. And to take the position automatically that liberals have nothing of interest you want to hear is beyond illogical - it is ignorant.
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And yet, this is the de facto position of most of my many detractors - that somehow, my mind has been polluted because I quote some liberal every once and a while or I agree with something a liberal says about conservatives. This is nuts. And if anyone would take 10 seconds to think about it, most rational people would agree.
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Where does this close mindedness get us?
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http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2009/09/29/silence-equals-assent-why-pointing-out-conservative-lunacy-must-be-done/-
25.1
To close one's mind to alternative points of view is, by definition, unconservative
_
Actually, that's a working definition of American conservatism.
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- michaelscherer Ah.... Richard Wolffe. - 4 hours ago
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