Tag Archives: party

Former CNN Anchor O’Brien Attacks ‘Nutbag’ O’Donnell on Twitter

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Former CNN anchor Miles O’Brien (no relation to current CNN special correspondent Soledad O’Brien ) slammed Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell as a ” Tea Party nutbag ” in a Tweet on Wednesday evening . O’Brien continued that he “forget [sic] her ignorant nonsense ,” referring to her defense of the creationist viewpoint during a 1996 appearance on his former network. O’Brien, who was let go by CNN in 2008 after they closed their science unit, linked to an article on the left-wing website Talking Points Memo after his attack on O’Donnell. The article, by Eric Kleefeld, highlighted an item by Dan Amira of New York magazine , who “dug up” the Republican’s March 1996 appearance with O’Brien and Dr. Michael McKinney of the University of Tennessee-Chattanoga. During the panel discussion, O’Donnell defended the creationism. Kleefeld labeled it as just another part of the social conservative’s ” religious right work ,” citing her apparent ” long career in anti-sex and anti-masturbation activism .” The former anchor’s Tweet is not surprising, gives his record of liberal bias when he was at CNN, particularly on the issue of climate change. On February 9, 2006 , O’Brien accused scientists skeptical of the theory of manmade global warming as being ” bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry .” Over two months later, he suggested raising gasoline taxes to “help pay for these alternative fuels.” During 2007, the then-CNN anchor insisted to former Republican Congressman J. C. Watts that the ” scientific debate is over ” on the climate change issue. O’Brien also dismissed critics of Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” later that year. Less than a year before his dismissal from CNN, he compared manmade global warming skeptics to Flat Earthers . More recently, O’Brien, working a special correspondent for PBS’s NewsHour program, helped promote Dubuque, Iowa as a “city of a future” during a June 17, 2010 report, for its transformation from a former industrial center into a “green” capital, with the help of money from the Obama administration’s “stimulus” package. Outside of the global warming issue, the journalist conducted other left-leaning advocacy. He helped CNN promote the controversial “Death of a President” movie depicting the assassination of former President George W. Bush during an October 27, 2006 segment with director Gabriel Range. He labeled four American contractors who were kidnaped in Iraq ” mercenaries ” less than a month later . In April 2008, he tried to spin the 40% approval rating the Democratically-controlled Congress had at the time: “Democrats are marking 100 days of their congressional reign now, and they’re riding pretty high .”

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MSNBC Gives Liberal Filmmaker Rory Kennedy Platform to Pitch New Documentary, Bash Tea Party

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Hours after being featured on this morning’s edition of “Morning Joe” program, liberal filmmaker Rory Kennedy sat down with MSNBC host Thomas Roberts for a softball interview shortly before 2:30 p.m. to promote her new documentary “The Fence.” Kennedy argued that the fence being built along the U.S. border with Mexico was a waste of money, both in its actual construction and in the money required for its maintenance and upkeep over its lifetime.  At no point did Roberts challenge Kennedy by pointing out the conservative argument that border security and national security are fundamental responsibilities of the federal government under the Constitution. Robert closed the interview by asking Kennedy about her views on “what the Tea Party is doing to American politics.”  The daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy painted the movement as borderline anarchistic and simplistically anti-government, as well as bigoted [MP3 audio available here ; WMV video for download here ]: Well, you know, I’m concerned about the Tea Party. I think a big part of their message is anti-government, and the role of government in society. And for me, government plays a huge role. Uh, it historically has done a great job creating an education system, creating a highway system, you know our trash is collected because of this, our kids are educated because of the role of the government. So I think when you say we don’t want government, then what’s going to take that’s place?  And I have a lot of concerns about the bigotry and the racism that comes out of a lot of, from a lot of the Tea Party leaders. I don’t think it’s the direction that this country needs to be going in right now.  Leaving aside her unsubstantiated charge of Tea Party bigotry, where are these anti-trash collection demands Kennedy’s seeing from the Tea Party movement? Roberts of course failed to call her out on these charges as he thanked Kennedy for the interview and reminded his viewers that “The Fence” airs tomorrow on HBO at 8 p.m. and to be sure to “check it out.”

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Sex and Clubbing Take Over iTunes: White Hot Top 5

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

infoMania's Sergio Cilli counts down the top 5 best selling videos on iTunes, including Usher, Kenny Chesney, Selena Gomez, Eminem, and Taylor Swift. Sergio's White Top 5 is a recurring segment on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania. For more Sergio visit http://current.com/white-hot-top-5/ . infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Erin Gibson, Ben Hoffman, Bryan Safi and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on Current TV. Go to http://current.com/infomania for more, and make sure to check out our Facebook profile for special features at http://facebook.com/infomania . added by: Sergio_Cilli

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Christine O’Donnell: AIDS Gets Too Much Gov’t Money, Condoms Wouldn’t Stop It

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Long before Tea Party backed candidate Christine O'Donnell won the Republican primary in Delaware and became the GOP Senate nominee, the conservative firebrand was arguing that the government was spending too much money fighting AIDS and said condoms wouldn't stop the disease from spreading. You already know about O'Donnell's extreme views on sex and porn, and you've seen the video of her campaign against masturbation. Now TPM has unearthed a 1997 C-SPAN video that shows O'Donnell voicing concerns that a drag queen ball “celebrates the type of lifestyle which leads to the disease,” objecting to terming those with AIDS “victims” and calling AIDS a consequence of a certain “lifestyle which brings about this disease.” After complaining that “there is a gross disproportionate allocation of funds” going to AIDS treatment and prevention in comparison to resources designated to combat heart disease, O'Donnell compared living healthier to changing the “lifestyle” that she said lead to AIDS. “When somebody finds out that they're at high risk for heart disease, they cut out the fatty foods, they start exercising, they quit smoking. However, our approach to AIDS, when you're in a high risk behavior, is to eliminate the consequences so that you can continue in your lifestyle which brings about this disease,” O'Donnell said. Referring to people who get AIDS as victims, O'Donnell said, was “the kind of spinning with words and manipulating words that empowers the bias when it comes to AIDS.” O'Donnell also took issue with government spending on preventative programs. “A lot of the money that we're spending goes to things that we know will not prevent AIDS, but indeed will continue to spread the disease,” she said. “A lot of our money goes to distribute condoms in high schools, and a lot of our money goes to distribute material that is literally pornographic.” She said that individuals could bring their chance of getting AIDS down to almost zero if they didn't have sex outside of marriage, by having a monogamous marriage and by not using drugs that can spread HIV. O'Donnell also claimed that there was a “powerful political agenda” that was not allowing AIDS to be looked at fairly and objectively. O'Donnell also noted on C-SPAN that while her organization, the Savior's Alliance For Lifting The Truth (S.A.L.T.), was eligible for funding as an abstinence program under the welfare reform act, they made the decision not to accept federal funding “because we don't want to be put under the bondage of the federal government.” It's not the first time O'Donnell has dipped her toe in the gay-baiting pool. During the primary, she called her opponent Rep. Mike Castle (R) 'unmanly' and distanced herself from a former campaign organization aide who put out a video that questioned Castle's sexuality (even as she repeated the charges in order to distance herself). http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/christine_odonnell_aids_gets_t… added by: TimALoftis

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Tea Party…First Ignored and Laughed at Then Discounted. Now Lookie Look… Move Over Status Quo

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

One thing has become abundantly clear from Tuesday night's primaries: Sarah Palin's endorsements matter. Palin and Tea Party-backed conservative Christine O'Donnell pulled off a stunning upset over nine-term Rep. Mike Castle in the Republican Senate primary in Delaware 53% to 47%. O'Donnell gave a nod to the former Alaska governor during her victory speech on Tuesday night. “Thank you, Gov. Palin, for your endorsement,” the Tea Party candidate said. “Because she got behind us war-weary folks, and gave us a boost of encouragement when we needed it.” O'Donnell wasn't Palin's only win on Tuesday. In Wisconsin, Palin-backed Sean Duffy — an ex-district attorney and castmate in MTV's “The Real World” — handily won the Republican primary Tuesday for a U.S. House seat. And in New York, Michael Grimm defeated his opponent in the Republican primary for a House seat representing Staten Island. And then there are other winning candidates, particularly in the Tea Party, that Palin has endorsed this election season — demonstrating her ability to catapult nobodies into virtual stardom. There's Joe Miller in Alaska, Rand Paul in Kentucky, and Nikki Haley in South Carolina. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/15/2010-09-15_sarah_palin_score… added by: congoboy

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MRC Study: ABC, CBS and NBC Tilt Ground Zero Mosque Debate by Smearing Americans as ‘Islamophobic’

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

By a wide margin — 66 percent to 29 percent, according to the most recent ABC News/ Washington Post poll — the public is opposed to building that proposed $100 million Islamic cultural center near the site of the destroyed World Trade Towers. This is not a lightly-held opinion: more than half (53%) told ABC news they are “strongly opposed” to building it near Ground Zero, vs. only 14 percent who report being “strongly” in favor. (Scroll to Question 30 .) So in the face of such obvious public sentiment, are the big broadcast networks reflecting such public sentiment in their coverage? Or are journalists implicitly repudiating their viewers by touting accusations that opposition to the mosque is motivated by America’s supposed “Islamophobia”? To find out, MRC analysts reviewed all 52 stories about the Ground Zero mosque on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts from August 14 through September 13 — the first month after President Obama propelled the issue into the headlines with his remarks at a White House dinner. The results show that the networks have tilted in favor of mosque supporters and against public opinion, with more than half (55%) of all soundbites or reporter comments coming down on the pro-mosque side of the debate, vs. 45 percent for opponents. Even those overall numbers fail to show how the debate has grown increasingly tilted over time. During the first week (August 14-20), the networks actually provided more visibility to mosque opponents — 55 percent of soundbites, vs. 45 percent for mosque supporters. But in the following weeks (August 21 to September 13), the networks’ coverage lurched in the other direction, with mosque supporters receiving a 63 percent to 37 percent advantage. (See chart.) Our analysts tallied as “pro-mosque” all statements and soundbites that either: supported the idea of building the Islamic center on its currently proposed site; defended or praised the project’s organizers (mainly the Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf); or criticized the other side as bigoted or “Islamophobic.” Anti-mosque statements/soundbites presented the other side: criticized the plans to build the center and/or the project’s organizers, or defended mosque opponents from charges of bigotry. The shift in coverage occurred after mosque proponents began tarring their opponents as bigots. A pair of protests on Sunday, August 22 — one in favor of the mosque, one against — drew coverage on all three network newscasts, and all three highlighted the accusation from pro- mosque demonstrators that a contrary stance was evidence of what Time magazine’s cover story that week dubbed “Islamophobia.” What had been a relatively even-handed debate about balancing the sensitivities of 9/11 families with America’s tradition of religious freedom morphed into a one-sided story about beleaguered Muslims facing hardship at the hands of bigoted Americans. On the August 23 Nightly News , for example, NBC’s Ron Allen picked up how “many Muslim-Americans insist this debate is more evidence of religious intolerance.” On the August 25 CBS Evening News , fill-in anchor Jeff Glor linked the stabbing of a cab driver to the mosque debate: “That alleged hate crime took place in the shadow of a heated and divisive debate over whether a mosque should be build near Ground Zero….Other controversies over new mosques in Wisconsin and Kentucky have led some to question: Is America becoming Islamophobic, a prejudice against Muslims?” Four days later, on ABC’s World News, correspondent Steve Osunsami cited “a string of recent incidents suggesting that many Americans don’t care for Muslims — the back and forth over the Islamic center near Ground Zero, the cab driver who was stabbed simply for being Muslim.” “Critics say all the rhetoric is fueling anti-Muslim violence,” ABC’s Dan Harris chimed in on the September 5 World News . ABC and CBS both touted exclusive interviews with organizers of the Ground Zero mosque project, but never gave the same privilege to mosque opponents. These interviews were hardly probing. CBS’s Scott Pelley interviewed Sharif el-Gamal, the real estate developer who bought the property two blocks from Ground Zero, excerpts of which were shown on the August 27 and August 30 Evening News . “This facility that is being debated all around the world is universally known as the Ground Zero mosque,” Pelley told el-Gamal. “What do you call it?” “It should be universally known as a hub of culture, a hub of co-existence, a hub of bringing people together,” el-Gamal enthused. ABC’s Christiane Amanpour interviewed Abdul Rauf for the September 12 This Week , with excerpts shown on the September 9 World News . She quoted Abdul Rauf as arguing that failing to proceed with his mosque concept would “strengthen the radicals in the Muslim world, help their recruitment. This will put our people, our soldiers, our troops, our embassies, our citizens, under attack in the Muslim world. And we have expanded and given and fueled terrorism.” Seemingly deaf to what she just heard, Amanpour characterized Abdul Rauf’s statement this way: “So, he said he wasn’t making any threats or predicting any terrible worst case scenario.” Alone among the three evening newscasts, ABC’s World News also offered soundbites to Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to propose that Americans were prejudiced against Muslims. (NBC’s Today on September 9 also featured a CAIR representative to speak out against Americans as bigoted.) CAIR is currently listed by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in their investigation of funding for Middle Eastern terrorist groups such as Hamas. “I’ve really never seen the level of Islamophobia that we’re experiencing today,” Hooper blasted on the August 16 World News , a soundbite that was repeated on the August 29 broadcast. A week later, on the September 5 World News, Hooper was back to condemn the “hysterical atmosphere we’re in right now.” Parsing the numbers a different way provides some insight into how the networks seem to conceptualize the issue of balance: Debate about the Islamic center itself and/or its organizers was almost perfectly balanced (57 soundbites arguing against the project, vs. 54 soundbites in favor, or a 51-49% split). But the “debate” about whether opposition reflected Islamophobia was almost perfectly one-sided: 27 soundbites (93%) leveling that accusation, with just two soundbites (7%) offering a defense. In other words, the networks permitted a balanced debate about a proposed real estate project, but allowed mosque supporters to attack the majority of Americans as “haters” and “bigots” without adequate debate. That’s yet another sign that the liberal, elite media are hopelessly out of touch with the public they ostensibly serve.  

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MRC Study: ABC, CBS and NBC Tilt Ground Zero Mosque Debate by Smearing Americans as ‘Islamophobic’

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ABC’s Crystal Ball: Defeat of ‘Mainstream’ Castle ‘Eliminates’ GOP Chances for Winning Senate

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s Juju Chang switched into prognostication mode on Wednesday and proclaimed that, along with other Tea Party wins, Christine O’Donnell’s upset victory in Delaware ” pretty much eliminat[es] the Republicans’ chances of taking back the Senate .” [MP3 audio here .] She trumpeted, “We begin with an upset victory for the Tea Party and maybe for Democrats.” The news anchor announced, “Christine O’Donnell has defeated a mainstream Republican candidate for the Delaware Senate seat, thanks to help from Sarah Palin.” Mainstream? Mike Castle’s lifetime American Conservative Union score is 52 . He has an F grade from the NRA, supported cap and trade and is aggressively pro-abortion. These are generally not known as “mainstream” GOP positions. Chang closed by predicting, “Most [tea party candidates] are not expected to prevail in the general election, pretty much eliminating the Republicans’ chances of taking back the Senate.” It’s not clear what the journalist is basing this on. Senatorial candidates such as Joe Miller and Rand Paul are ahead of their Democratic opponents. Sharron Angle in Nevada is tied with Majority Leader Harry Reid. Additionally, isn’t it the job of a supposedly straight news anchor to simply tell what has happened, not predict events 48 days in the future? A transcript of the segment, which aired at 8:02am EDT on September 15, follows: JUJU CHANG: We begin with an upset victory for the Tea Party and maybe for Democrats . Christine O’Donnell has defeated a mainstream Republican candidate for the Delaware Senate seat, thanks to help from Sarah Palin. Tea Party candidates have now defeated establishment ones in at least seven Republican Senate primaries, with New Hampshire undecided. But, most are not expected to prevail in the general election, pretty much eliminating the Republicans’ chances of taking back the Senate.

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ABC’s Crystal Ball: Defeat of ‘Mainstream’ Castle ‘Eliminates’ GOP Chances for Winning Senate

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NBC Reporter Throws Around Conservative Label but Can’t Call Rangel A Lib

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, on Wednesday’s Today show, in reporting about the results from yesterday’s primaries threw around the conservative label around as she identified several Republicans that way but for some reason when it came to reporting on Democrat Charlie Rangel’s win couldn’t manage to attach the “liberal” label to the ethics challenged Congressman. O’Donnell began her piece noting that “Democrats are suddenly very excited” about their chances of winning the Delaware primary seat due to “the conservative rebellion” that led to Republican Christine O’Donnell’s win in that primary, adding that “conservative Christine O’Donnell was propelled by several Tea Party groups.” And later O’Donnell even relayed the Democratic spin that O’Donnell was “an ultra right wing extremist.” However when it came to talking about Rangel’s primary win, the NBC correspondent, didn’t bother to attach an ideological label, merely calling him “20-term Congressman Charlie Rangel.” In total, Kelly O’Donnell used the “conservative” label five times in her piece but never once labeled any of the Democrats brought up in her story a liberal. The following is the full O’Donnell story as it was aired on the September 15 Today show: MEREDITH VIEIRA: But let’s begin with the results of the final primaries before November’s midterm elections and what they mean for both parties. We’re gonna talk to Christine O’Donnell about her surprise victory in Delaware, in just a moment. But first NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell has the latest. Kelly, good morning to you. [On screen headline: “Life Of The Tea Party, Upset Win In GOP Race For Biden’s Senate Seat”] KELLY O’DONNELL: Good morning, Meredith. Well the Tea Party has toppled conventional wisdom again and here in Delaware, the result is both shocking and convincing because it wasn’t close. The most popular Republican in the state, Mike Castle, he is out. Democrats are suddenly very excited and O’Donnell says don’t count her out in a fight to get the seat that Joe Biden held for 36 years. CHRISTINE O’DONNELL: Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Delaware have spoken. KELLY O’DONNELL: The conservative rebellion rolled over Delaware’s Republican Party brass. CHRISTINE O’DONNELL: Don’t ever underestimate the power of we the people! KELLY O’DONNELL: An upset hard to imagine just a few weeks ago. Conservative Christine O’Donnell was propelled by several Tea Party groups and that movement’s most famous figure. CHRISTINE O’DONNELL: You betcha! There’s another woman I gotta thank. You betcha! Thank you Governor Palin for your endorsement. KELLY O’DONNELL: O’Donnell was ridiculed and written-off by other Republicans as unelectable. She had never won before, but knocked out Congressman Mike Castle who had never lost in a dozen races. Castle did not offer his congratulations. REP. MIKE CASTLE: The voters in the Republican Party have spoken and I respect that decision. KELLY O’DONNELL: Castle had called O’Donnell unqualified. (Begin ad clip) ANNOUNCER: She didn’t pay thousands in income taxes. (End clip) KELLY O’DONNELL: Animosity was so intense, the state Republican Party paid for robo-calls where O’Donnell’s past campaign manager attacked her. (Begin clip of robo-call) UNIDENTIFIED CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I found out that she was living on campaign donations, using them for rent and personal expenses while leaving her workers unpaid and piling up thousands in debt. (End clip) KELLY O’DONNELL: O’Donnell denies misusing funds. She claims her own financial hard times actually help her understand voters’ anger. CHRISTINE O’DONNELL: A lot of people have already said that we can’t win the general election. I know. KELLY O’DONNELL: Democratic officials are gleeful and called her an ultra right wing extremist. Ironically, her supporters used an Obama slogan to predict victory in November. O’DONNELL SUPPORTERS AT RALLY CHANTING: Yes We Can! KELLY O’DONNELL: Turning to New Hampshire’s GOP Senate primary, a tight race too close to call. Former state attorney general, Kelly Ayotte, the choice of both the Republican establishment and Sarah Palin against a Tea Party endorsed conservative activist Ovide Lamontagne. On to New York, where the Republican nominee for governor is another Tea Party conservative . Real estate developer Carl Paladino over the party favorite former Congressman Rick Lazio, while New York Democrats stood by 20-term Congressman Charlie Rangel who’s accused of House ethics violations. Rangel beat back several challengers. REP. CHARLIE RANGEL: I go back to Washington stronger than I have ever been. KELLY O’DONNELL: And back here in Delaware, Democrats didn’t have a primary fight for the Senate seat, so Chris Coons is their candidate in November. O’Donnell who has worked as a media consultant for conservative non-profit groups says that she is hoping to get donations, even though the national party is reluctant to get behind her. And she also hopes to get the endorsement of Mike Castle. That has not happened. She is calling for unity, isn’t sure if she can expect it but says the Tea Party is behind her.

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On CNN, Bill Maher Says Tea Party Has ‘No Policy Points,’ Obama Has No Domestic Terror on His Watch

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

It could be a real contest for which thing Bill Maher said on CNN’s Larry King Live was the most ridiculous. It began with the assertion “Christine O’Donnell, like all these tea baggers, has no plan, no agenda. No policy points. They have one advantage. They’re running against Democrats. That’s their big advantage.” But for a sheer lack of factual grasp, it might be this statement, that domestic terrorism has apparently vanished under Obama: “And by the way, Obama has been president for 20 months and there has not been an attack. Bush was president for nine months when we got hit. So on that score, he’s kept us safer.” Did Maher sleep through the Fort Hood mass murder, not to mention the failed attacks in New York and Detroit?   Larry King typically asked Maher about the “crazed fringe” on the right and their hatred of Obama. King never asked Maher about his own “crazed fringe” on the anti-Bush left suggesting the last president was a Nazi, a chimpanzee, and mentally ill or disabled:  KING: What do you make of this whole — the anti-Obama thing which has gotten kind of, in a sense, crazed? No, he wasn’t born here. He’s a Muslim. He is against America. What do you make of that fringe? MAHER: I was talking about it with Jay Leno last night. I suggested maybe he’s not even a mammal. He might be a werewolf, Larry. We don’t know that. KING: That’s right. We don’t know. MAHER: I mean it was bad enough when we had these people called the birthers who thought he was not born here. KING: They’re still around somewhere, though. MAHER: Many of them. Yes. No, they haven’t gone away. But I was saying last night that I’ve identified this new group and I’m calling them the churchers. KING: The churchers? MAHER: The churchers. They’re the people who don’t think that he is a Christian. They think he’s — KING: He’s the first president ever to issue a press release that he is. MAHER: He’s a secret Muslim, Larry. I guess you haven’t been paying enough attention. KING: Secret Muslim. MAHER: When I talked to him, he told me about his plan to use drinking water to sterilize white people. I get — whoops, I’ve said too much. KING: Oh my gosh. MAHER: No, it’s the — what’s really scary is that more people think he’s a Muslim now. KING: How did we get to this, though? MAHER: Well, you know, I have a theory that the Internet makes people stupider. And Also Fox News makes people stupider. You know the Pew group did a study recently and they found out that 10 years ago, Democrats, Republicans and independents basically got their news from the same sources, probably more from CNN, for example. Then we had this polarity. And now, you know, John Edwards said we have two Americas. We do have two Americas. We have the America that’s living in reality. The people who understand that Obama is a centrist liberal from Hawaii who is trying to dig us out of the hole we’re in. And then we have this other Fox/Matt Drudge/Rush Limbaugh reality where he is a Muslim sleeper cell, Manchurian candidate who was sent over by his Kenyan father imbibe — you hear — KING: What kind of intelligent person would believe that? MAHER: Intelligent person? Larry, we’re broadcasting in America. How ridiculous. Well, no, I don’t think intelligent people do believe it. But, you know, then we’re going to get into partisan bickering because more than half of Republicans agreed with the state that said Obama is trying to impose Islamic law on America. I mean that is a very radical thing to believe. And it’s more than half of Republicans. Not tea baggers. Not radicals. The mainstream Republican people. KING: Is there a racist tone in this? Is there — in other words, is this racist — is this inherent racism? Where’s it come from? MAHER: Does the Pope go to the bathroom in the woods? Yes, Larry, it’s extremely racist. I mean it’s so funny because the tea baggers, the one thing they hate is black people. For all Maher’s talk of “two realities,” he’s too arrogant to contemplate that he’s mangling the facts on the Tea Party or terrorism, or just smearing the entire Tea Party as racist. King let his buddy Bill Maher unspool a long soliloquy against the insanity of the entire prospective field of Republican presidential contenders about to assemble: MAHER: I cannot wait to see the Republican debates in 2012 when you think about who is going to be on that panel. Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour, John Bolton, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney. How are they going to out-fire breath each other? I mean where this rhetoric has gone to at this point? It’s only 2010. And we’re having Newt Gingrich, as we were talking about before, calling him an anti-colonial Luo tribesman. Luo tribesman. That’s the new Kenyan, Larry. And Kenyan, of course, was code for nigger. But that’s where they are. They can’t say it out loud. But that’s where this whole campaign is going to be. You asked about racism. It’s all about racism. They cannot fathom this idea that there is a black president. And that’s what they are going to fight about. The other thing about Sarah Palin is that if you read that “Vanity Fair” article this month, if you read the “Newsweek” cover story a few months ago where she was praying on the cover, she’s a true religious snot. I know people are saying, oh there goes, Bill Maher. He’s always talking about religion. Well, read the article. Read about her. There’s a part where it says they were giving her books to study up on. And they came back and said, did you read any? She said, No, I haven’t looked at the books. I’m just reading the e-mails from my prayer warriors. Prayer warriors. These are people — and she’s one of them — who believe there are demons in the world. Everything in her world view is about demons or angels, people who are with us and people who are against us. You know, when liberals say things like, well, when you fight the mosque, building the mosque in New York, you’re just encouraging a war with Islam, they don’t understand, people like Sarah Palin want a war with Islam. That’s what it says in the Bible. Bring it on. Let’s get it over with. That’s who could be running our country in four years — two years.

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On CNN, Bill Maher Says Tea Party Has ‘No Policy Points,’ Obama Has No Domestic Terror on His Watch

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ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: Will GOP Landslide Be a ‘Blessing in Disguise’ for Obama?

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday tried to find the upside to a possible Democratic landslide in November. Talking to Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, he wondered if major Republican gains could be ” a blessing in disguise for President Obama. ” [Audio available here .] Stephanopoulos touted the historical model of Bill Clinton losing the Congress in 1994, but being reelected in 1996.The host, who was a senior advisor to Clinton when the Republicans won the Senate and House in 1994, didn’t seem very happy at the time. In his book, All Too Human, he recounted with gloom: ” Our nemesis Newt Gingrich was now Speaker– two heartbeats from the White House. If Clinton really were a prime minister, he’d have been out of a job. ” [Page 322. Emphasis added] O’Reilly dismissed the comparison: “It’s a different world…Bill Clinton was like Martin Van Buren, I mean, as far as the media’s concerned. This is a hyper medium. Everything is blown up the second it happens on the internet and cable.” At one point during the interview, O’Reilly derided the President’s plan to let tax cuts for upper income groups expire as “class warfare.” He pressed the ABC host, “Would you agree with that?” The ABC journalist unsurprisingly quipped, “Not necessarily.” After O’Reilly described a tax rate of 40 percent as too high, the argumentative Stephanopoulos asserted, “That’s what the rates were under Reagan and people did pretty well.” (Of course, the top marginal tax rates under Reagan were actually going down, a point Stephanopoulos ignored.) A transcript of the September 14 segment, which aired at 7:08am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: For more now, we’re joined live by the host of The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, Bill O’Reilly. Also has a brand new book: Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama. Welcome back. BILL O’REILLY: Hey, George. How are you? STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m doing great. Thank you. O’REILLY: George never looks tired in the morning. Can you get a close-up of George? STEPHANOPOULOS: Not too close. O’REILLY: Eight o’clock at night. Here’s George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you’re my bedtime TV watching. I go to bed early. O’REILLY: I appreciate that. STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to talk about the book. Let’s get into the tax fight first. Because, I was struck by the Wall Street Journal this morning. They think that John Boehner, the Republican leader made a big bungle on Sunday when he said he would vote for the extension of middle-class tax cuts, even if all the tax cuts weren’t extended. O’REILLY: Well, I think he was caught in the tanning bed in the salon and he didn’t really hear what was going on. Look, the whole thing is class warfare. Would you agree with that? I mean- STEPHANOPOULOS: Not necessarily. But, go ahead. O’REILLY: No? But, really though, what the President is selling is he’s saying the upper tier are going to have to be responsible for the tax revenue, primarily. And the other people will get a tax cut. He’s saying, “Look. I don’t care about these people, who earn a lot of money. But, you know, I want to help you.” I think that’s class warfare. STEPHANOPOULOS: He’s saying we can’t afford it. He’s saying there’s $700 billion in costs there that we can’t afford. That’s his argument. O’REILLY: Yeah. And who imposed those costs? STEPHANOPOULOS: Who did? O’REILLY: George? He did. So, you know, look. I think 35 percent to the government is a fair deal. I think it is. And then, if you get over 40, which is where he wants to put it, that’s kind of punishing people. So, I don’t buy the tax cuts for the rich. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. That’s what the rates were under Reagan and people did pretty well . O’REILLY: Look, I don’t care whether it was under Reagan or George Washington. All right? I work hard for my money. Do I want to fork over 40 percent over to the feds and then pay property taxes and sales taxes and every other tax in the world? Come on. STEPHANOPOULOS: What do you think is going to happen? O’REILLY: I don’t know. You know, look, it’s going to be another brawl. Republicans will stretch it out just because they want to create, the Republicans do, an image of chaos for November. They want to say that President Obama just can’t govern. That’s what the end game is. STEPHANOPOULOS: How about these midterm elections? We’re seeing, a lot of these states, the Tea Party on the rise, on offense again. You write about the Tea Party in your book. You say- unfortunately, I hope we can put it up right now- “Unfortunately, some Tea Party people play into the bogus far-right stereotype by demonizing President Obama in crude ways. I admire what the President has accomplished in his life. Please, don’t tell Rush Limbaugh. And how he overcame a childhood that could have ruined him.” So, do you think on balance the Tea Party has been a net plus or a minus? O’REILLY: Well, there’s two separations. I say in Pinheads and Patriots that the Tea Party, primarily, patriots because they tell people what they believe and get involved. That’s patriotic. I don’t care, really, what your ideology is. If you’re out there, and you’re sincere and telling people this is the way I’m see my country and I want to improve it, you’re a patriot. Whether, you’re a liberal, a Tea Party person, whatever. Okay? However, if the Tea Party people basically attack President Obama personally, that diminishes their movement. STEPHANOPOULOS: You say, stick to policy. O’REILLY: If they say he’s a Muslim. If they say he was born in, where, Indonesia. This really hurts their overall message of “Get off our back.” The Tea Party message is “Get off our back.” That’s a good message. I mean, I don’t want the feds on my back. I don’t want them in my living room, George. STEPHANOPOULOS: That message has toppled some Republican establishment candidates. Bob Bennett. O’REILLY: Who are deemed to be wishy washy on that. Look, the tea party is a simple movement. They want local control. They want the feds not to have as much power. Whereas, President Obama wants this huge federal apparatus. That’s a good debate. STEPHANOPOULOS: Bottom line, do you think Republicans are going to take control of Congress? And if they do, is that a blessing in disguise for President Obama? O’REILLY: I have no idea. I don’t really do the party politics thing. Morris over- Dick Morris. He thinks they will. But he’s got, you know, he’s rooting for them. But I’ll tell you what. President Obama has got a leadership problem right now. He has got a leadership problem. If he gets whacked, if he loses the House, that’s going to get worse. This is a huge election for President Obama himself. He has a leadership problem. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you think if he loses, that spells trouble for him in 2012? O’REILLY: Of course. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not the opposite, where for Bill Clinton lost in ’94, the Congress, it actually helped him. O’REILLY: It’s a different world. It’s a hyper world now. Bill Clinton was like Martin Van Buren, I mean, as far as the media’s concerned. This is a hyper medium. Everything is blown up the second it happens on the internet and cable. So, it’s no longer those rules. And the perception gets out there much quicker than it did. STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, you’ve been weighing in on the controversy over the Islamic center sown at Ground Zero. I was struck yesterday that the imam, Imam Rauf, went to the Council on Foreign Relations, seemed to back off a bit. Said that all options are open. He may even consider moving it. O’REILLY: Did you see the Factor’s exclusive last night? STEPHANOPOULOS: I did. O’REILLY: Rauf is now tied in with this Kahn who is a Truther. STEPHANOPOULOS: But, there’s no evidence that Rauf believes anything like that. O’REILLY: It doesn’t matter. It’s his pal! His pal! STEPHANOPOULOS: They served on a board together. O’REILLY: He’s formed the Muslim organization with him. And the guy, Khan, has been talking down at the Burlington Coat Factory building. I don’t know whether he got a free suit. But, this guy, Khan, says that al Qaeda didn’t do it. And Rauf goes in and says I’m a man of peace. He may be. But who are you hanging around with? And then when we asked Rauf for a comment, he runs and hides. STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to talk to him as well at some point.

Originally posted here:
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: Will GOP Landslide Be a ‘Blessing in Disguise’ for Obama?

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