Tag Archives: president

NBC’s Chuck Todd Trumpets Flawed Election Poll, Parrots Democratic Talking Points

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBC Political Director Chuck Todd cherrypicked a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll to dismiss the possibility that Republicans will regain control of Congress in the November election. He did this despite evidence within the same poll that the political landscape in 2010 resembles 1994, when Republicans picked up 54 seats to take control of the House. On the July 13 “Morning Joe,” Todd emphasized the finding that 72 percent of the country has either “just some” or no confidence at all in the ability of congressional Republicans to “make the right decisions for the country’s future.” “This wild card about this election cycle which makes it different from ’06, which makes it different from ’94, is this issue of the public’s view of the Republican Party,” insisted Todd. The poll is misleading for a number of reasons, none of which Todd acknowledged. First, measuring public confidence in President Barack Obama, congressional Democrats, and congressional Republicans, the pollsters grouped respondents who reported “a great deal of confidence” with “a good amount,” and “just some” confidence with “none at all.” This aggregation resulted in a higher percentage of Americans expressing some or no confidence at all in Republicans than in Obama. But grouping “just some” respondents with “none at all” respondents does not make sense because expressing some confidence is much different from expressing “none at all.” If the pollsters had grouped those who reported “a good amount” of confidence with those who reported “just some” confidence, Republicans in Congress would have received 61 percent support, 14 points higher than Obama. Second, Todd’s insinuation that the public preferred congressional Republicans to congressional Democrats in 1994 but not in 2010 contradicts the same poll he cited to advance the argument that Republicans will not maximize their gains in November. As of July 11, 2010, voters prefer congressional Republicans 47 percent and congressional Democrats 46 percent, a negligible difference. By contrast, on August 8, 1994, 49 percent of the public preferred congressional Democrats while only 42 percent of the public preferred congressional Republicans, a seven point edge. In fact, the public preferred congressional Democrats over congressional Democrats in every Washington Post-ABC News poll taken through the November election. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough challenged Todd on the preference issue, asking, “Aren’t these off-year elections really just an opportunity for Americans to vote up or down for the most part on the party in power, the party that’s running Washington?” Todd, seemingly uninterested in demonstrable trends, insisted that the White House and Democrats are capable of turning the election into something other than a referendum on their liberal agenda. An obstinate Todd continued to rain on the GOP’s parade. “Joe, I think it’s the difference between picking up 25 or 30 seats and picking up 40 seats,” he insisted. NBC’s chief political junkie was all too eager to report the results of a poll forecasting sobering prospects for Republicans without scrutinizing the data or researching relevant historical trends. A transcript of the relevant portion of the segment can be found below: MSNBC Morning Joe July 13, 2010 7:24 A.M. E.S.T. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Hey Chuck, let me ask you something. Of course let’s put up the polls really quickly again from the Washington Post and then I’m going to follow it up with some news you say may not as good for Republicans. First of all, let’s look at the polls. Sixty-eight percent of Americans have little confidence in Democrats; Seventy-two percent, Republicans. Of course we talk about 58 percent, Barack Obama. Now let’s go to the four reasons why you say Republicans may not take back the House in the fall. You wrote about this yesterday and it’s very fascinating. You said the favorable ratings the same as the Democrats. And you are exactly right. In fact, in this case it’s even worse for Republicans than Democrats. But I guess the bigger question is – and I want to get Mark’s thoughts on this as well – aren’t these off-year elections really just an opportunity for Americans to vote up or down for the most part on the party in power, the party that’s running Washington? CHUCK TODD, MSNBC political director: Most of the time they are, and for many voters, this will be the case. This wild card about this election cycle which makes it different from ’06, which makes it different from ’94, is this issue of the public’s view of the Republican Party. And the reason you have to sit there and not ignore it is look at what the message the White House is trying to drive. Look at the message that Democratic candidates in congressional races are trying to drive, which is saying, “okay, you may be mad at us, but look at them.” And look, when you already have 70 percent of the public having a negative view, you can sell that story – you have a better chance of selling the story. SCARBOROUGH: Does that work when Democrats – it’s a monopoly though in Washington though. I guess that’s why it’s so much harder to sell. Listen in ’94 the Republicans actually had a plan. We haven’t seen that yet from this group of Republicans. I guess the bigger question, Chuck is, can you beat something with nothing?    TODD: Joe, I think it’s the difference between picking up 25 or 30 seats and picking up 40 seats and 10 seats in the Senate. Do you see what I’m saying? I think the difference between having a good election night and the majority is somehow starting to improve their favorable rating, and starting to go out there and saying, “we have a plan.” And right now they don’t have that and I think that’s what’s keeping them from getting the entire enchilada here. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

Here is the original post:
NBC’s Chuck Todd Trumpets Flawed Election Poll, Parrots Democratic Talking Points

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Karzai’s Push for Talks with Taliban Renews the Risk to Afghanistan’s Women

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Karzai Push for Talks With Taliban Renews Risk to Afghan Women, Group Says By James Rupert – Jul 13, 2010 U.S.-backed efforts by President Hamid Karzai to reconcile with the Taliban and other Islamic militants threaten to reverse improvements in the lives and rights of Afghanistan’s women, Human Rights Watch said. The revival of Taliban control in southern and eastern Afghanistan has forced women to abandon jobs and social work, the New York-based advocacy organization said in a report today. Guerrillas have destroyed at least 456 girls schools, the Afghan human rights commission said in March. Interviews with Afghan women in Taliban-controlled regions show that “as the prospect of negotiations with the Taliban draws closer, many women fear that they may also pay a heavy price for peace,” Human Rights Watch said in its report. The Taliban’s renewed campaign against any public role for Afghan women has focused on Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second- largest city, which served as the Taliban’s headquarters during their rule in the 1990s. The Taliban last year claimed responsibility for shooting dead Sitara Achakzai, a women’s activist who served on the provincial legislative council. On April 13, a gunman in Kandahar ambushed and shot dead a 22-year-old woman named Hossai who worked as an aid worker with Development Alternatives Inc., a consulting firm based in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. The following night, another woman aid worker in the south received an anonymous letter warning that she, too, would be killed if she did not stop working for her employer, an international organization, Human Rights Watch said. Sanctions Since January, Karzai has pushed for the lifting of UN sanctions on some Taliban leaders, curbs which freeze their assets abroad and prevent them from traveling, in a bid to pull them into peace negotiations. The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, has supported a revision of the list of 137 Taliban leaders subjected to the sanctions. In March, Karzai’s administration held several days of direct talks with another militant insurgent group, the Hezb-i- Islami (Islamic Party) led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, which Human Rights Watch said “is also known for its repressive attitudes towards women.” Any insurgents who rejoin Afghanistan’s society and politics “must respect women’s rights,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said May 13 at a conference with Karzai in Washington. Afghan groups have criticized Karzai for surrendering women’s rights to win political support. In March 2009, he signed into law a bill that required women of the Muslim Shiite sect to submit to their husbands’ demands for sex and to restrictions on their movement outside the home. ‘Active Role’ Karzai’s efforts to reconcile with Taliban leaders “should not be seen as a zero sum process and women are fundamental to the future development of Afghanistan,” State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said in response to a reporter’s question yesterday. While Karzai included women as 20 percent of delegates at a national conference last month to plan a peace process, women have had little presence in the government bodies preparing peace feelers, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said in March. Women “must not only be consulted” in preparing peace talks, “but must play an active role at the negotiating table,” the commission said. http://www.thedailygetup.com/wp-content/uploads/ai_images/44785AfghanWomen01.jpg added by: EthicalVegan

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

CBS Continues to Pressure Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Saturday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Jeff Glor decided what should be at the top of Congress’s agenda as it returned from the July 4th recess: “Congress returns to Washington next week to face a big backlog of unfinished business, and topping the list is the future of unemployment benefits.” In a report that followed, senior White House correspondent Bill Plante chided elected officials for going on vacation without resolving the issue: “It’s been ten days since senators went home for their July 4th vacation without extending unemployment benefits ….They’ve now run out for more than 1.3 million people and the Labor Department says that number could rise to 3 million by the end of this month.”   Plante then touted Democrats blaming the GOP for the inaction: “As he campaigns for Democrats, the President paints the lack of new benefits as Republican heartlessness ….There were protests this week from labor unions against some Senate Republicans. This one in Lexington, Kentucky directed at the GOP leader Mitch Mcconnell, calling for action when the Senate returns next week.” Plante noted the Republican response to such claims: “But Mcconnell blames Democrats for refusing to cut spending to pay the $34 billion cost of the extension.” Saturday’s broadcast was taking over where CBS had left off prior to the holiday. As Congress adjourned on July 1 , fill-in Evening News anchor Scott Pelley proclaimed: “We have decided to start with the 1.3 million Americans whose unemployment benefits have run out, stopped cold, in the last 30 days. And we’re starting there because the U.S. Senate went on vacation today without solving the problem.” Correspondent Chip Reid then reported: “So who’s fault is that? On the surface, it appears Senate Republicans are to blame. Led by Mitch McConnell, they killed the bill with a filibuster. But McConnell points the finger at Democrats, especially Leader Harry Reid, for refusing to pay for the bill in this age of sky-high deficits.” Unlike the July 1 coverage, Saturday’s Evening News briefly highlighted the debate among economists over whether unemployment benefits even should be extended. Plante explained: “Some economists contend that unemployment benefits did not help that much in earlier recessions.” A clip was played of University of Maryland Professor Peter Morici citing past abuse of such benefits. Plante then noted: “Others believe the time paid for unemployment benefits is when the economy improves. They argue that the extension is needed right now.” A clip of Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi was played: “It’s the most effective stimulus that can be provided….They get a check and they spend it and it helps the economy immediately.” Despite that back and forth, Plante concluded his piece by anticipating an extension of benefits: “When the Senate returns next week they will bring the benefit extension to another vote, but not until West Virginia’s governor appoints someone to fill the Senate seat of the late Robert Byrd. That should give the Democrats enough votes to pass the extension.” Also on the economic front, on Tuesday’s Early Show, Plante reported the results of a new CBS News poll , which “shows that the public, when it comes to the economy, has very little confidence in either Congress or the President.” He described how 54% of respondents disapprove of the President’s handling of the economy and that a majority believe the recession will last at least another two years. However, Plante tempered the bad news for the White House by noting: “He’ll [Obama will] blame Republicans for the policies which led up to the recession. And it may be small comfort for Democrats, but the public has just as low an opinion of Republicans in Congress.” Here is a full transcript of Plante’s July 10 Saturday Evening News report: 6:35PM ET JEFF GLOR: Congress returns to Washington next week to face a big backlog of unfinished business, and topping the list is the future of unemployment benefits. Senior White House correspondent Bill Plante has more tonight. BILL PLANTE: It’s been ten days since senators went home for their July 4th vacation without extending unemployment benefits. ROLAND BURRIS [SENATOR, D-ILLINOIS]: The motion is not agreed to.                                  BILL PLANTE: They’ve now run out for more than 1.3 million people and the Labor Department says that number could rise to 3 million by the end of this month. As he campaigns for Democrats, the President paints the lack of new benefits as Republican heartlessness. BARACK OBAMA: They said no to extended unemployment insurance for folks who desperately needed help. PLANTE: There were protests this week from labor unions against some Senate Republicans. This one in Lexington, Kentucky directed at the GOP leader Mitch Mcconnell, calling for action when the Senate returns next week. But Mcconnell blames Democrats for refusing to cut spending to pay the $34 billion cost of the extension. MITCH MCCONNELL: The only reason the unemployment extension hasn’t passed is because our friends on the other side simply refuse to pass a bill that does not add to the debt. PLANTE: Some economists contend that unemployment benefits did not help that much in earlier recessions. PETER MORICI [UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND]: Unemployment was a terribly intractable problem and we had big benefits. And many folks abused those benefits to stay out of the labor force to do other things they were interested in doing. PLANTE: Others believe the time paid for unemployment benefits is when the economy improves. They argue that the extension is needed right now. MARK ZANDI [CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY’S ANALYTICS]: It’s the most effective stimulus that can be provided. Many of these people are very hard pressed. They get a check and they spend it and it helps the economy immediately. PLANTE: When the Senate returns next week they will bring the benefit extension to another vote, but not until West Virginia’s governor appoints someone to fill the Senate seat of the late Robert Byrd. That should give the Democrats enough votes to pass the extension. Jeff. GLOR: Bill Plante at the White House tonight. Bill, thank you. 

Read the original here:
CBS Continues to Pressure Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hours After Fireworks, Pacifica Aired Michael Moore Saying Americans Will Be Rejected from Heaven

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Pacifica Radio, funded in part by federal grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has a habit of ruining the patriotic holidays with their programming. On Memorial Day, their show “Democracy Now” hosted radical leftist Noam Chomsky railing against the “grand criminal” Ronald Reagan . On July 5, while many were still warmly recalling the Independence Day fireworks displays, “Democracy Now” aired a special interview with leftist filmmaker Michael Moore , who concluded by suggesting taxpaying Americans (even anti-war taxpaying Americans) aren’t getting into Heaven due to their government’s warmongering. Moore said he would tell President Obama to withdraw all U.S. troops now from Iraq and Afghanistan, because the wars there were immoral: I just wonder sometimes, who do we think we are as Americans, that we’re not going to have to answer for this someday? You know, whether we answer for it here or there, or if you’re a religious person and you think there’s a life after this, you know, what do you think is going to happen up at the Pearly Gates when they check your citizenship and go, “Oh, you were an American? Ha, well, here’s your list of crimes”? “Oh, yeah. No, I was against the war! I was against the war!” “Did you pay your taxes?” “Well, yeah, you got to pay your taxes.” “Well, then you helped fund this, didn’t you?” “Oh, yeah.” “OK, well, you know, turn around. You’re not coming in the Gates. ” I just—I think that there’s so much good that we could do. You know, if you travel the world, you know that people like us as people, as individuals. There’s something charming about our naïveté and our, you know, right? I mean, you know, “Hey! Hey! How ya doin’! Hey, yeah! I’m from Detroit! Yeah!” They could spot us coming. But I think we’re capable of a lot of good. And when you have a billion people on this planet that tonight cannot drink a cup of clean water, two billion who don’t have clean sanitation, what if we used our money to do that? I read this crazy statistic—and I have not fact-checked this, I’ll just throw this out there—but it was something like, for $15 billion or something like that, we could dig so many—x number of wells in the third world that would greatly reduce that number of how many people don’t have clean water. And I’m thinking, $15 billion is what we’ve been spending almost most every month on Iraq and Afghanistan. So, one month of the killing machine could give clean water to virtually all the people that don’t have it? Wouldn’t you rather be known as, you know, a citizen of a country that a child 10,000 miles away, while growing up, drinking clean water, saw that plaque on that well that said, “Brought to you from your friends in the United States of America”? That’s how I’d like to be known. Earlier in the show, Moore thanked the nuns who foiled his school newspaper career since he wrote the Catholic Church was a “woman-hating institution.” He said he showed his film “Sicko” to elderly nuns in Michigan and “nuns are great, because they know the [bleep] that goes on in the Catholic Church, and they were always more radical and more antiwar and all that, because obviously they were suffering their own oppression being nuns and just taking it out on the rest of us.”

More:
Hours After Fireworks, Pacifica Aired Michael Moore Saying Americans Will Be Rejected from Heaven

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Tax Cut All-Star — CNBC’s Trish Regan: Calls It ‘Inherently Un-American’ to Penalize Prosperity

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Throughout the last half-century, time and time again, a means to stimulate an ailing economy has occurred through tax cuts. Former Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have proven economic relief is most effective through tax cuts – not government spending.  Still that method has detractors. However, CNBC “The Call” co-anchor Trish Regan, with a panel decidedly against her, made the case for tax cuts. On NBC’s July 11 broadcast of “The Chris Matthews Show,” Regan explained how tax cuts encourage businesses to help reverse the trend of high unemployment and that businessmen are worried about the end of the Bush tax cuts. “They absolutely are,” Regan said. “They’re concerned about it and this is one of the issues when it comes to hiring. They’re hesitant right now when it comes to bringing more employees on board because one, you’re not seeing final demand because consumers aren’t spending that much, and number two, they’re dealing with the tax consequences of having more people in their companies. So that’s definitely an issue.” Matthews followed up Regan’s response with a question to Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page. He asked would if “Democratic progressives” would be open to the idea of tax cuts, if it meant rescuing the economy and solidifying President Barack Obama’s chances for re-election in 2012. “Well, only if it hit those at the bottom,” Page said. “You should expand the earned income tax credit or give some kind of a job incentive. But I disagree that he ought to call off, well continue the Bush tax cut. That’s not going to win Democrat support.” However, as the Congressional Budget Office shows , upper-income taxpayers pay more than their fair share of taxes, over six times as much in terms of a percentage of household income overall. And Regan as explained, penalization through taxation is “inherently un-American” because it discourages aspiration. “Isn’t there something kind of inherently un-American about the more money you make, the more money we’re going to take from you?” Regan said. “I mean, even if you’re not making $250,000 a year as a couple, you may aspire to make that. The government’s going to take more.” Probably at this point, Matthews may have been wondering how someone with these views wound up booked on his shows. Regan’s remarks drew laughter and protest from “The Chris Matthews Show” panel. Nonetheless, Time magazine’s Joe Klein offered up his pro-taxation view – suggesting all conservatives want to abolish the income tax, which he deemed as “radical.” “It’s called the progressive income tax for a reason,” Klein said. “Now conservatives want to abolish the income tax. That is so radical.” But Regan fought back, explaining taxation discourages productivity which is essential to economic growth. “What I’m saying is, you don’t want to necessarily discourage productivity,” she said. “You want the country to grow and there are ways to do that through tax cuts whether it be through individuals or to businesses.” Klein attempted to use former President Bill Clinton’s 1993 tax hike as evidence higher taxes don’t necessarily discourage economic growth. And although there is significant evidence to dispute Klein’s point , Regan explained the economy was in a different place then as it is now. “He did it at a time when the economy was growing,” she said. “We’re in a very different situation right now.” Take away: Good thing Regan is anchoring a CNBC show and Klein is writing a column for a magazine with a dwindling circulation.

View post:
Tax Cut All-Star — CNBC’s Trish Regan: Calls It ‘Inherently Un-American’ to Penalize Prosperity

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Despite Obama’s Lofty Words, Scientific Integrity Rules Are Lagging

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Last March, President Obama promised he'd have a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to the federal government on hand by July 29. A full year later, federal agencies still have not received any new directives and some government scientists say that conditions have not improved noticeably since Obama took power. Obama made scientific integrity an issue in his presidential campaign, and his March 9, 2009 memo outlined a series of high-minded principles — advocating, for instance, for “transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific and technological information in policymaking.” The memo also ordered John Holdren, the director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop guidelines “designed to guarantee scientific integrity throughout the executive branch.” Obama gave Holdren 120 days. That deadline came and went. And Friday is its one-year anniversary. The White House won't explain what's holding things up. In a June 18 posting on the White House website, Holdren simply said that “the process has been more laborious and time-consuming than expected at the outset.” He set a new deadline, saying he would deliver “a high-quality product” to Obama “in the next few weeks.” (That was three weeks ago.) Holdren, however, also tried to argue that the directives weren't really a big deal. “There should not be any doubt that these principles have been in effect — that is, binding on all Executive departments and agencies — from the date of issue of the Memorandum on March 9, 2009,” he wrote. The hold-up, he insisted, only affected “recommendations to the President on what further instructions he might issue in augmentation of these principles in order to advance the goal of achieving the highest level of scientific integrity across the Executive Branch.” (Holdren's italics.) But that, people who follow the issue closely tell the Huffington Post, is baloney. “You can't enforce a principle, without a rule,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a whistleblower group that he describes as “sort of a shelter for battered staff.” Ruch's group is calling attention to the one-year anniversary of the blown deadline in hopes of spurring action. More at the link…. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/despite-obamas-lofty-word_n_641082.html added by: treewolf39

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff

Tagged , , , , , , ,

George Will: Obama Is An Expert At Selling Snake Oil

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

George Will on Sunday accused Barack Obama of being an expert at selling snake oil. As the Roundtable segment of ABC’s “This Week” began, host Jake Tapper asked Will if the President’s claim that Republicans “are peddling that same snake oil that they’ve been peddling now for years” will resonate with voters this November. Will marvelously responded, “No, because he is an expert on snake oil.” “This is the man who said, if we pass the $767 billion stimulus bill, which it turns out costs $862 billion, a $95 million oops, we would have unemployment at 8 percent and no higher, and it went higher,” continued Will. “This is the man who last week was out saying, ‘I’m going to give $2 billion, about $2 billion, to two companies to create about 1,600 jobs.’ That’s $1.5 million per job. That is snake oil” (video follows with partial transcript and commentary:  JAKE TAPPER, HOST: I want to start with President Obama out on the campaign trail again this week trying to sharpen his message. Here’s a glimpse. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: They’re not coming back and saying, “You know what? We really screwed up, but we’ve learned our lesson, and now we’ve got this new approach, and this is how things are going to turn out really well.” That’s not their argument. They are trying to sell you the same stuff that they’ve been peddling. They are peddling that same snake oil that they’ve been peddling now for years. (END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: So the president, George, is trying to make this not a referendum on him, but rather a choice between him and Republicans. Is it going to work? WILL: No, because he is an expert on snake oil. This is the man who said, if we pass the $767 billion stimulus bill, which it turns out costs $862 billion, a $95 million oops, we would have unemployment at 8 percent and no higher, and it went higher. This is the man who, in another form of snake oil, said we have this wonderful idea of homeowner tax credits for buying first-time homeowners, which we now realize has largely subsidized home purchases that would have been made anyway. This is the man who last week was out saying, “I’m going to give $2 billion, about $2 billion, to two companies to create about 1,600 jobs.” That’s $1.5 million per job. That is snake oil. A bit later, Tapper asked the Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus, “Is the president doing the right thing here? Is this — is this the effective message to help at least lower the losses in November? Marcus surprisingly responded: Well, that presumes there’s any effective message. And the president says, look, these guys drove the car into the ditch. Why would you give the keys back to them? The only problem with that is, who’s been driving the car for the last 18 months and where are we? Quite shocking to hear that from the Obama-loving Marcus, wouldn’t you agree? 

Visit link:
George Will: Obama Is An Expert At Selling Snake Oil

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Inception’ Stars Trash Evil, Stupid Cheney, Palin, Preach Hypocritical Environmentalism

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

One of the big stories in filmdom today is about all the concerns surrounding the marketing of Christopher Nolan’s new film “Inception,” which cost a reported $160 million to produce and hits theatres next Friday, July 16th. According to Reuters, awareness isn’t as high as the studio would like, especially in Middle America. Well, here’s one way to entice Middle America into your film, insult them by having your three main stars hit the promotional circuit and savage Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin as stupid and evil (video below the jump). QUIZ: What makes you most want to see “Inception” now? 1. Ellen Page’s insufferably cruel sanctimony? 2. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s pathetic, butt-boy me-toosim? 3. Leonardo DiCaprio’s wild hypocrisy? Actually, “wild hypocrisy” is an understatement…. The same Leo you see in that video belly-aching with so much touching concern over Mother Earth, just happens to be the very same elitist whose PRIVATE jet-setting helped cause the chaos that cost hundreds of World Cup fans — who had spent upwards of $1300 for tickets — the ability to attend the game. Found buried yesterday in the sometimes useful L.A. Times: The congestion on the ground, caused in part by earlier bad weather on Wednesday and in part by the arrival of large numbers of private aircraft, led to what one British Airways pilot described as “absolute chaos.” According to a report in Britain’s Financial Times, “Some of the fans had spent upward of $1,300 for semifinals tickets but were stuck in Johannesburg while private jets carrying Spain’s King Juan Carlos , South African President Jacob Zuma , actor Leonardo DiCaprio and socialite Paris Hilton landed.” Keep in mind that Leo isn’t just any hypocritical Hollywood environmentalist, he is the hypocritical Hollywood environmentalist. If you recall his film “The 11th Hour”: Had Leo simply practiced what he preached and flown commerical, maybe things would’ve been a little  less chaotic and a few more of those folks wouldn’t have wasted their hard-earned money. But they’re just the great unwashed and Leo is the The Great Movie Star Who Commands From Above, so… whatever. Leo may want to get in the head of BP’s CEO, but I’d like to get in Leo’s head and understand why someone who believes the planet is in peril would commit an act of genocide against the entire human race by flying around in private jets. My vote, however, goes to Ellen Page, who just went from the lovable and spunky Juno to a shorter, joyless, less-likable version of Rachel Maddow. How sheltered of a self-involved little bubble does one have to live in to think speaking the term “holistic intelligence” out loud doesn’t automatically qualify you for the All-Time Top Five Moments Of Hollywood Assholery. Page actually considers herself a feminist and yet here she is trashing the compassion and questioning the intelligence of a self-made Governor raising a special-needs child as her oldest son serves in Iraq. What’s young Page’s claim to intelligence and compassion fame. Oh, that’s right, she’s a celebrity. Man, I wish I’d never seen this video. I love Christopher Nolan and have been dying to see “Inception.” But goodwill matters and this Terrible Trio of Tactlessness just dropped the needle on that meter way below the half-way point.

Read the original here:
‘Inception’ Stars Trash Evil, Stupid Cheney, Palin, Preach Hypocritical Environmentalism

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Open Thread: Gingrich Says Obama Doesn’t Understand America

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Newt Gingrich says President Obama doesn’t understand America (h/t Ed Morrissey ). Thoughts?

Follow this link:
Open Thread: Gingrich Says Obama Doesn’t Understand America

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dobbs Calls MSNBC’s Ratigan ‘Insane and Inane’

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In a July 9 post on www.loudobbs.com , Dobbs let fly bashing the staff at his one-time competitor for “two gems that can’t be ignored.” “MSNBC guest anchor Cenk Uygur filled in for the equally insane and inane Dylan Ratigan and pushed the crazy idea that President Obama is a conservative,” he wrote. The video of the segment is all there because Dobbs embedded it from the Media Research Center. Dobbs, who still has a talk radio show, then went on to criticize Uygur’s twisted logic that, Uygur’s words Obama “seems to have bought into the Republican talking point on deficits.” Then he went on criticize “the old-standby, Mr. Tingle Up His Leg Chris Matthews” for saying there are only two camps in the nation – “those who want things to improve and those who want to see the country, and therefore the president, fail.” Dobbs summed it up with a good question: “How can anyone watch this nonsense?” Dobbs, you may recall, was pushed out by CNN for his own opinionated statements that ran counter to lefty orthodoxy on immigration especially.

See the article here:
Dobbs Calls MSNBC’s Ratigan ‘Insane and Inane’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,