A daily compilation edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert items are drawn from daily BiasAlert posts and distributed by the Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.
Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Thursday July 15, 2010 @ 09:29 AM EDT1. CBS Uses Al Sharpton to Boost NAACP's Accusation Tea Party is 'Tolerating Bigotry'
A night after ABC's World News elevated the NAACP's allegation that the "Tea Party movement is a threat to the pursuit of human rights, justice and equality for all," the CBS Evening News pitched in to advance the charge from the unlabeled liberal group. Over "BIGOTRY ALLEGATIONS" on screen beneath a Tea Party sign, from New Orleans Katie Couric teased at the top of her Wednesday newscast: "The NAACP accuses the Tea Party movement of tolerating bigotry." Anchoring from New York, Harry Smith announced "the Tea Party movement has come under fire from the NAACP. The accusation: the party tolerates racism in its ranks." John Dickerson related the charge the "Tea Party tolerates racists, says the NAACP, and these signs allegedly made by Tea Party supporters, are proof." The two signs shown, "Obama's Plan: White Slavery" and "Obama, What you talkin about Willis! Spend my money?" Explaining how the NAACP's resolution calls "on Tea Party leaders to 'repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches,'" Dickerson featured expert comment from race-hustler Al Sharpton who insisted the Tea Party mission "is to reverse what civil rights did."
2. Rick Sanchez & Roland Martin Slam Limbaugh, Beck as Illegitimate, 'Racist'
CNN's Rick Sanchez returned to attacking conservative talk radio on Wednesday's Rick's List program, lamenting that "a lot of people in this country...think that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are legitimate news organizations." Sanchez also brought on liberal CNN contributor Roland Martin to do the same: "The Glenn Becks of the world...use the race-baiting...Rush Limbaugh and his racist language." The left-leaning CNN anchor brought on Martin and Memphis, Tennessee Tea Party founder Mark Skoda just after the bottom of the 4 pm Eastern hour to discuss the NAACP's recently-passed resolution condemning the tea party movement's "racism." As you might expect, Sanchez singled out two isolated examples of racially-tinged signs at tea party rallies: a birther tea party protester who held a "sent Obama back to Kenya" sign while carrying a stuffed monkey, and a sign from the 9/12 rally in Washington, DC in 2009 that depicted President Obama as an African witch doctor.
3. Perplexed Matthews: How Can South Carolina GOPers Vote for Indian-American But Not Support a Black President?
Chris Matthews, on Wednesday's Hardball, invited on recently defeated Republican Representative Bob Inglis to slam Matthews' favorite targets, namely the Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin and after he got the requisite criticisms out of the South Carolina congressman of those entities asked him if he could explain how primary voters from his own party could nominate an Indian-American like Nikki Haley, even though they've "got a problem with a black president?" Matthews, clearly not grasping the concept that perhaps voters in South Carolina could cast their ballot based out of purely ideological and not racial motives, asked Inglis the following question: "How do you figure your state out? It's pretty conservative obviously. It's Strom Thurmond country in many ways and, and it has people like DeMint pretty far over and then people like Lindsey Graham who are sort of regular conservatives. But then you nominated, your party has nominated an Indian-American woman, Nikki Haley. Obviously an attractive candidate, she knows how to present herself obviously, but what's that about? Is that just an interesting little aspect? 'It's okay to be Indian-American but we got a problem with this black president?' What's that about?"
4. MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan Froths: Wall Street Frightens 'Little Boy' Obama, Makes Him 'Bend Over'
MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan appeared on Morning Joe, Wednesday, to dismiss Barack Obama as a "little boy" in the eyes of Wall Street and to assert the President "just bends over," rather than stand up to the financial industry. The charged language surprised host Joe Scarborough who sputtered, "You know, I was so uncomfortable with a couple of the things you said and then the exclamation point at the end." Speaking of financial reform, Ratigan attacked, "...When the Wall Street guys got across the table from him and said 'Oh you going to change our tax code little boy?'" After dismissing Obama's ability to oppose Wall Street, Ratigan vulgarly claimed, "But with this guy, he just bends over every time."
5. Today Show Job Search Segment Turns Into Ad for Obama Agenda
A segment that was billed as a guide to help some of Today's unemployed viewers find work, on Wednesday's show, turned into a platform for the president of the liberal National Urban League to attack those who opposed the President's plans, as he railed against those in Congress who have been filibustering extension of the unemployment benefits. Today co-anchor Matt Lauer, who hosted the segment, even prompted Morial to address how his organization was going to address the obstruction of the Democratic agenda in Congress, in the upcoming midterm elections, as he asked: "How much do you target candidates who have bad job policies...and support candidates who have good ones?"
6. Most Networks Skip Broadcast Profanity Case, Avoid or Skim Over Critics
Most networks skipped over the story of their own corporate advocacy of broadcast profanity Tuesday night when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals shredded the FCC's broadcast decency regulation. (All the major broadcast networks signed on, with Fox in the lead). NBC's Brian Williams offered 94 words, but erred in claiming "When a curse word has slipped out in the past, the FCC has imposed heavy fines on networks."
>>> NewsBusters.org, the MRC's blog you trust to expose the liberal media's bias every day, is turning 5 years old in August! Several activities are underway to celebrate this milestone, including a T-shirt giveaway. Every weekday between now and August 17, we will give away five NewsBusters T-shirts. Sign up for a chance to win one: http://www.mrcaction.org/556/petition.asp
The sooner you sign up, the more chances you'll have to win! Also, be sure to visit www.NewsBusters.org each Friday for more anniversary news and surprises. <<<
CBS Uses Al Sharpton to Boost NAACP's Accusation Tea Party is 'Tolerating Bigotry'
A night after ABC's World News elevated the NAACP's allegation that the "Tea Party movement is a threat to the pursuit of human rights, justice and equality for all," the CBS Evening News pitched in to advance the charge from the unlabeled liberal group. Over "BIGOTRY ALLEGATIONS" on screen beneath a Tea Party sign, from New Orleans Katie Couric teased at the top of her Wednesday newscast: "The NAACP accuses the Tea Party movement of tolerating bigotry."
Anchoring from New York, Harry Smith announced "the Tea Party movement has come under fire from the NAACP. The accusation: the party tolerates racism in its ranks." John Dickerson related the charge the "Tea Party tolerates racists, says the NAACP, and these signs allegedly made by Tea Party supporters, are proof." The two signs shown, "Obama's Plan: White Slavery" and "Obama, What you talkin about Willis! Spend my money?"
Explaining how the NAACP's resolution calls "on Tea Party leaders to 'repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches,'" Dickerson featured expert comment from race-hustler Al Sharpton who insisted the Tea Party mission "is to reverse what civil rights did."Following a clip of FreedomWorks' Matt Kibbe asserting they do not tolerate racism, Dickerson countered with how "sometimes it's the community's leaders who go too far. The Iowa Tea Party purchased a billboard in downtown Mason City comparing Barack Obama to Hitler and Vladimir Lenin."
Such a billboard may be stupid or counter-productive, but how is it racist? Indeed, displaying an image of Hitler and George W. Bush, Dickerson acknowledged "partisans comparing a President to Hitler is not unique to the current President."
From Tuesday night: "ABC Hypes NAACP Indictment of Tea Party as Racist, a Smear the Network Stoked."
From the Wednesday, July 14 CBS Evening News:
— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.HARRY SMITH: Race and politics now. The Tea Party movement has come under fire from the NAACP. The accusation: the party tolerates racism in its ranks. Here's John Dickerson.
JOHN DICKERSON: The Tea Party tolerates racists, says the NAACP, and these signs allegedly made by Tea Party supporters, are proof [signs: "Obama's Plan White Slavery" and "Obama, What you talkin about Willis! Spend my money?"]. Members of the civil rights organization passed a resolution at their annual convention calling on Tea Party leaders to "repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches."
AL SHARPTON: The Tea Party, as a political philosophy, is to reverse what civil rights did and that is saying the federal government must protect people.
DICKERSON: The NAACP also claims activists shouted a racial slur at Congressman John Lewis during a health care protest last March. On her Facebook page, Sarah Palin, a supporter of the movement, called the charge "false, appalling, and a regressive and diversionary tactic." Organizers of the anti-tax, anti-government Tea Party movement, like Matt Kibbe, say they have already made it clear they do not tolerate racism.
MATT KIBBE: We will not tolerate any kind of hate in our groups and that if you see it in the community, you need to call them out.
DICKERSON: But sometimes it's the community's leaders who go too far. The Iowa Tea Party purchased a billboard in downtown Mason City comparing Barack Obama to Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. The group has since covered it up, saying it was counterproductive. But partisans comparing a President to Hitler is not unique to the current President [Hitler and George W. Bush image]. Tea Party activists say the NAACP is making this incendiary charge for political reasons.
KIBBE: They're trying to mobilize voters in an election that looks very bad for Democrats.
DICKERSON: The core supporters of both political parties are now in a battle with each other over race, one of the country's most sensitive issues. And now an already contentious election year has gotten more so.
Rick Sanchez & Roland Martin Slam Limbaugh, Beck as Illegitimate, 'Racist'
CNN's Rick Sanchez returned to attacking conservative talk radio on Wednesday's Rick's List program, lamenting that "a lot of people in this country...think that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are legitimate news organizations." Sanchez also brought on liberal CNN contributor Roland Martin to do the same: "The Glenn Becks of the world...use the race-baiting...Rush Limbaugh and his racist language" [audio clips available here].
The left-leaning CNN anchor brought on Martin and Memphis, Tennessee Tea Party founder Mark Skoda just after the bottom of the 4 pm Eastern hour to discuss the NAACP's recently-passed resolution condemning the tea party movement's "racism." As you might expect, Sanchez singled out two isolated examples of racially-tinged signs at tea party rallies: a birther tea party protester who held a "sent Obama back to Kenya" sign while carrying a stuffed monkey, and a sign from the 9/12 rally in Washington, DC in 2009 that depicted President Obama as an African witch doctor.
Martin treated Skoda in a confrontational manner from almost the beginning. The Memphis tea party leader brushed aside Sanchez's citation of a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll which apparently found that "49 percent of Americans saying that they believe the tea party movement is based in some part on racial prejudice." The pro-Obama contributor then pounced: "Well, actually, he didn't actually answer your question. He danced around your question because I don't- he obviously did not want to answer it. So I will let him have a second opportunity, Rick, to actually answer the question."
Sanchez agreed to Martin's point and asked, "Would you like another chance to answer the question?" Skoda replied, "Sure, I'd be happy. First of all, I don't know the statistics, and certainly, what the sampling size of this poll." Both Sanchez and Martin interrupted at this point, repeating it was an ABC News/Washington Post poll, with the anchor adding, "a very legitimate organization- very legitimate polling data."
The CNN anchor returned to the idea of the supposed legitimacy of the mainstream media versus conservative talk radio near the end of the segment as he and the pro-Obama contributor blasted Beck and Limbaugh:
SANCHEZ: Roland, you get the last word.MARTIN: I...think part of the problem here is that when you look at the people who I think some tea parties- tea party folks look to, the Glenn Becks of the world, who say the President's a racist, and they use the race-baiting, when you look at Rush Limbaugh and his racist language as well- that's what you have here, and at the end of the day, if it's about rights, fine, but reject the people who want to bring race into the rally, into the party. So, I salute those who do that. They're the righteous folks. But not all tea party leaders are willing to do that, and I think the NAACP is simply saying, remove the racist elements from your existence because they're the ones who are hindering your message.Martin also attacked Limbaugh during an October 20, 2008 segment with CNN's Campbell Brown, using the cliched "fat idiot" insult against him.
SANCHEZ: Well, unfortunately, there's a lot of people in this country that look at legitimate news organizations like The Washington Post and scoff, and actually think that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are legitimate news organizations.
MARTIN: Well, they make up stuff. They're not legitimate to me at all.
SANCHEZ: Sad as that may be- gentlemen, we'll have to leave it there.
Earlier in the segment, the tea party leader noted that he and his organization had "repudiated racism at every chance," and added a critique of the media's coverage of the New Black Panther Party: "On the other hand, I didn't hear too much being said when Shabazz suggested that white cracker babies and police should be murdered, and that is, far and away, extreme, versus a sign that might be carried at such an event."
Martin brushed aside this critique and attacked Fox News to the apparent amusement of Sanchez:
MARTIN: Media Matters has an interesting take on that, and that Fox News has actually put the New Black Panther Party on the network more than anybody else in the past 10 years. So maybe they're the ones pushing that story he's talking about, so maybe they should answer why they are giving them a platform to espouse their views. (Sanchez laughs) That's one thing they should answer....CBS had a poll, as well, of tea party members where more than a quarter said they believed this president was doing more for blacks than anybody else- not based upon any real data, just simply a particular view. And so, I can understand why people hold a view. But the tea party should be saying, if you come with your racist rhetoric and your signs, you are not welcome- get out of here. That's the right response.The CNN anchor then used a liberal talking point about the tea party movement in his next question to the tea party leader: "How much of this do you think, Mark, has to do with the fact that the tea party has come to fruition at a time when we have our first African-American president in the history of the United States, and it's almost impossible to look at those two without seeing them together?"
Sanchez has attacked conservative talk show hosts on several occasions. On July 9, the anchor hinted they were uneducated: "Many...don't even have a college degree." Earlier in 2010, the CNN personality repeatedly insinuated that "crazy talk show hosts that are so right wing" were to blame for ten congressman requesting extra security just before ObamaCare was passed.
Back in 2009, Sanchez had to apologize for running a fake quote attributed to Limbaugh in October. Two months earlier, he accused anti-ObamaCare activists of spreading lies, attributing this to the protesters relying "exclusively [on] right-wing media and right-wing television channels." The CNN anchor also hinted on June 11, 2009 that the white supremacist who killed a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, might have been "motivated to move by right-wing pronouncements...on some TV and radio outlets." Sanchez went beyond hinting during an April 8, 2009 segment about the murder of three Pittsburgh police officers: "That weekend tragedy involves a man who allegedly shot and killed three police officers in cold blood. Why? Because he was convinced, after no doubt watching Fox News and listening to right-wing radio, that quote, 'Our rights were being infringed upon.'"
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.
Perplexed Matthews: How Can South Carolina GOPers Vote for Indian-American But Not Support a Black President?
Chris Matthews, on Wednesday's Hardball, invited on recently defeated Republican Representative Bob Inglis to slam Matthews' favorite targets, namely the Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin and after he got the requisite criticisms out of the South Carolina congressman of those entities asked him if he could explain how primary voters from his own party could nominate an Indian-American like Nikki Haley, even though they've "got a problem with a black president?" Matthews, clearly not grasping the concept that perhaps voters in South Carolina could cast their ballot based out of purely ideological and not racial motives, asked Inglis the following question:
How do you figure your state out? It's pretty conservative obviously. It's Strom Thurmond country in many ways and, and it has people like DeMint pretty far over and then people like Lindsey Graham who are sort of regular conservatives. But then you nominated, your party has nominated an Indian-American woman, Nikki Haley. Obviously an attractive candidate, she knows how to present herself obviously, but what's that about? Is that just an interesting little aspect? "It's okay to be Indian-American but we got a problem with this black president?" What's that about? [audio available here]Before Matthews ended his show on that stumper of a question, he egged on the soon to be former Representative Inglis to attack the Tea Party, Limbaugh and Palin, as seen in the following exchanges that were aired on the July 14 Hardball:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, the Tea Party has racked up big wins already in 2010. They scared Senator Arlen Specter out of the Republican primary and watched him lose as a Democrat. Former Alabama Democratic Congressman Parker Griffith did the exact opposite. He jumped into the Republican primary and lost down there. Tea Partiers ousted Senator Bob Bennett at the Republican state convention out in Utah. They ran Governor Charlie Crist right out of the Republican Senate primary in Florida. And the latest victim of the Tea Party is South Carolina congressman Bob Inglis who lost a Republican runoff just last month after getting hammered in town halls for voting for TARP and knocking down false rumors about death panels. He joins us right now. Congressman Inglis, I want to make sure everybody knows you're not a RINO. You've got an 85 percent conservative record, you've got a five percent liberal record. You're a conservative, right?—Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here
REP. BOB INGLIS: Right, I think it's actually 93 percent ACU rating. Yeah, yeah.
MATTHEWS: Well I looked, I looked at it a couple years ago. So you're up to date at ninety, ninety-what?
INGLIS: Ninety-three percent.
MATTHEWS: So you're not conservative enough for South Carolina.
INGLIS: I needed that extra seven.
MATTHEWS: Oh my God! Well you told the Associated Press, quote, "I think we have a lot of leaders that are following those television and talk radio personalities and not leading us." We've had a little contest here, as you know, waiting for somebody. Well, you're a lame duck now but maybe you count. But we've been waiting for somebody to say "I'm not really a ditto head. I don't really follow Rush Limbaugh's thinking. He's not my leader." Are you ready to be the first?
INGLIS: Well I'll tell ya-
MATTHEWS: Or are you still gonna hold back?
INGLIS: I don't, I don't follow Rush Limbaugh's lead. You know, when, when I found out I didn't? I was in six years and I was out of Congress for six years and I was listening to him one day and he's making fun of people in cars who get high fuel efficiency and I thought, you know, Rush, that's it. I turned the radio off.
MATTHEWS: Yeah.
INGLIS: Because it didn't fit with my dad who's 87 years old. He's my idea of conservative. He used to tell us, "Now, we gonna let off the gas at the Tarvers' and you coast to our driveway," because he's a conservative.
MATTHEWS: Well what happened to Teddy Roosevelt? Wasn't he a great conservative in the Republican Party?
INGLIS: Yeah, absolutely.
MATTHEWS: A conservationist.
INGLIS: Yeah and so my, yeah and so my thought was, you know, listen, conservatism is saving resources, and, and what Rush was further making fun of is people driving electric cars with regenerative braking. I'm thinking, if I make the investment to get up the hill with my gas, why wouldn't I want to generate electricity coming down the hill? I'm a conservative.
MATTHEWS: Rush, by the way, says a lot of things. He makes fun of anybody who tries to deal with conservation issues, which are traditionally conservative issues. He makes fun of all kinds of things.
...
MATTHEWS: You, you sir, strike me, as I hate to use the word, as someone who's well-educated. I know you went to UVA Law School. Is that hurting you? Is - no I'm dead serious about this. Do you get hurt in the Republican Party now for having had a fine education? Do people think, look askance at you and say, "Oh he's an egghead, he's got a good degree from UVA" Is that a problem now, it's better to be a yahoo? Well I mean to be really uneducated like Palin, to really be proud of the fact you don't know anything?
INGLIS: There, there is a sense out there that ignorance is strength. But you know ignorance really is not strength.
MATTHEWS: Where did that come from? Where did that come from?
INGLIS: And here's my view. I'm ignorant of a lot of things. There are a lot of things I need to know but if I choose to remain ignorant of those things, that's when, that's quite a different matter. So I have a sense of how much I don't know and I need to find out a lot of information. I think that's what education gives you is a sense of how much you don't know and let's go find it out.
MATTHEWS: Well, what do you make of Palin's -- without getting -- she seems like, I guess a nice person as a human being but the question is, is she selling herself as someone - she calls it common sense. But I think what she's really selling is "I don't read books. I don't read newspapers, Katie Couric. I don't read magazines. I don't need information. I have common conservative sense." What does that mean? To say you know things without having read it or learned anything? What do people know naturally?
...
MATTHEWS: Well, that fear that led people like Rick Perry of Texas to talk about secession, those old scare terms about race. I mean race is always an issue in America but to go back and rip that scab off? What's that about? Why are people doing that? Is it their fear, fear of change or is it just anger or what?
INGLIS: Yeah well, I think that we, what we're finding out here that in 2010 we have not fought the final fight against the scent of racism and won. We're still in it. We're still dealing with that problem. We always will be, but we need to extend grace to one another and have some honesty about it, understand that we are different, but let's find a way to extend grace and get through it, and that's - rather than womp up those fears and drive with misinformation reactions against people because of their party or their ethnicity. That's a real problem and it-
MATTHEWS: How do you figure your state out? It's pretty conservative obviously. It's Strom Thurmond country in many ways and, and it has people like DeMint pretty far over and then people like Lindsey Graham who are sort of regular conservatives. But then you nominated, your party has nominated an Indian-American woman, Nikki Haley. Obviously an attractive candidate, she knows how to present herself obviously, but what's that about? Is that just an interesting little aspect? "It's okay to be Indian-American but we got a problem with this black president?" What's that about?
MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan Froths: Wall Street Frightens 'Little Boy' Obama, Makes Him 'Bend Over'
MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan appeared on Morning Joe, Wednesday, to dismiss Barack Obama as a "little boy" in the eyes of Wall Street and to assert the President "just bends over," rather than stand up to the financial industry. [Audio available here.]
The charged language surprised host Joe Scarborough who sputtered, "You know, I was so uncomfortable with a couple of the things you said and then the exclamation point at the end."
Speaking of financial reform, Ratigan attacked, "...When the Wall Street guys got across the table from him and said 'Oh you going to change our tax code little boy?'" After dismissing Obama's ability to oppose Wall Street, Ratigan vulgarly claimed, "But with this guy, he just bends over every time."
Today Show Job Search Segment Turns Into Ad for Obama Agenda
A segment that was billed as a guide to help some of Today's unemployed viewers find work, on Wednesday's show, turned into a platform for the president of the liberal National Urban League to attack those who opposed the President's plans, as he railed against those in Congress who have been filibustering extension of the unemployment benefits. Today co-anchor Matt Lauer, who hosted the segment, even prompted Morial to address how his organization was going to address the obstruction of the Democratic agenda in Congress, in the upcoming midterm elections, as he asked: "How much do you target candidates who have bad job policies...and support candidates who have good ones?" [audio available here]
NBC's Ann Curry, at the top of the 8:30am half hour of Today's July 14 show, teased viewers that "Americans, on average, took about 17 weeks to find a job. Well today the number has actually doubled. It's twice that. So the question is where should you be looking for work? We've got some answers this morning." However when viewers tuned in for those answers they also got a not so veiled anti-Republican diatribe from the National Urban League's Marc Morial as he chastised those who opposed Democratic measures.
MATT LAUER: Marc, let me start with you. I mean 9.5 percent, that's where the unemployment rate stands right now. It's been stubborn, it's not going down nearly fast enough and apparently this job crisis is not an equal opportunity unemployer. It's striking minorities much harder, isn't it?Lauer then turned to Today's financial editor Jean Chatzky who, finally, did offer the job seeking advice teased at the top of the half-hour, as she highlighted the best cities to look for new jobs. However Lauer then quickly returned to Morial who finished the segment with a pitch for the National Urban League and its efforts to help elect candidates in the midterms who will help advance the President's agenda.
MARC MORIAL: African-Americans, the, the rate is more like 16 percent, for Latinos it's 12 percent. There is no doubt that this recession has been tough for everyone but it's been especially tough for communities of color. People are hurting. They're hurting in a very significant fashion and many, many people who've worked their entire lives find themselves without work. The new unemployed, it's a lavender recession. It's white collar, blue collar, pink collar, it's across the board, Matt, but especially tough for people of color.
LAUER: When you talk about minority communities and you talk to the people in those communities, are you telling them you think the jobs are coming back or are they gone for good?
MORIAL: We're saying that steps have to be taken. And I think our message has been consistent throughout the year that it's not gonna happen serendipitously. There's gotta be public policy steps. There's gotta be a concerted effort. In this nation we can't tolerate the new normal of a nine percent unemployment rate. That's not, that's not acceptable. And right now Congress has been stalling, really the Senate through the use of the filibusters, been stalling an up or down vote on the extension of unemployment benefits, an expansion of the home purchase tax credit, summer jobs.
LAUER: Right.
MORIAL: These measures, while small, could help many, many people.
LAUER: And you know Marc, let me ask you this. I mean we're coming up to midterm elections here in a couple of months. How political does the National Urban League get with this? How much do you target candidates who have bad job policies, in your opinion, and support candidates who have good ones?—Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here
MORIAL: I think we've got to highlight that there's been a lot of stalling. The use of the filibuster in the Senate troubles me the most because what it's done, it's blocked legislation that would help the economic picture, while on the same time, the very same people who use the filibuster accuse the President and others of not doing enough. So we've got to highlight the fact that there's sort of an inconsistency in that type of message. And jobs, jobs, jobs, are the most important issue we think this fall.
LAUER: Marc Morial, Jean Chatzky. Folks thanks very much.
Most Networks Skip Broadcast Profanity Case, Avoid or Skim Over Critics
Most networks skipped over the story of their own corporate advocacy of broadcast profanity Tuesday night when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals shredded the FCC's broadcast decency regulation. (All the major broadcast networks signed on, with Fox in the lead). NBC's Brian Williams offered 94 words, but erred in claiming "When a curse word has slipped out in the past, the FCC has imposed heavy fines on networks." There were no fines for NBC when Bono said "f—ing brilliant" at the 2004 Golden Globes, nor were their fines for Fox when Cher and Nicole Richie for profanity at (respectively) the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards.
ABC and CBS aired nothing. Fox News had no story in the transcripts offered to Nexis for searching. Fox's corporate brethren at The Wall Street Journal had a story, but reporters Amy Schatz and Jess Bravin wrote a 727-word article with absolutely zero space for critics of the judges' decision (including the Brent Bozell-founded Parents Television Council).
The story did make explicit that Fox "led the case against the FCC and that "Fox is a division of News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal."
Other newspapers offered small scraps for anti-profanity groups. The Washington Post's front-page story by Cecelia Kang offered 50 words out of 771, in paragraph eight:
The Parents Television Council called the decision a "slap in the face," and Concerned Women for America, an advocacy group for indecency rules, urged the agency to appeal, lest broadcast television be open to the sexually explicit content and language of cable programs such as "The Sopranos" and "True Blood."The New York Times story by Edward Wyatt put the anti-profanity spokesman in the very last paragraph (of a 17-paragraph story), with just 75 words out of 940:
Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, said that while the court's decision was troubling, it also emphasized the need for clarity about broadcast standards. ''It's of concern because the F.C.C. has been a critical protector of children's interests when it comes to media,'' he said, adding that he expects that the commission will try to construct a more targeted approach to keeping indecency off the airwaves at times when children are likely to be watching.National Public Radio reported the story on Tuesday night's All Things Considered by getting a rundown and analysis of the court case from legal reporter Nina Totenberg, but she offered zero reaction to the decision from anti-profanity groups. But on Tuesday's Morning Edition, NPR offered another story on FCC regulatory policy – on the proposed NBC-Comcast merger – and NPR found air time for several critics gainst the media companies on the antitrust front. (And Totenberg did a story in that program on the Supreme Court year in review, with former Totenberg intern Tom Goldstein insisting there are not really any liberals on the court.)
The networks are obviously terrible at covering themselves when they were brazen enough to go to court and argue that they should have the right to broadcast profanities of any kind at any time of the day. That is the effect of the 2nd Circuit's decision. At the very least, they ought to be willing to air critics of ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox (and CW, if anyone cares). Censoring the story and the dissenters is a cowardly act. Remember this the next time they bray about the "public's right to know."
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Fwd: MRC Alert: CBS Uses Al Sharpton to Boost NAACP's Accusation Tea Party is 'Tolerating Bigotry'
Fwd: Morning Bell: Why the Obama Stimulus Failed
07/15/2010
Today, President Barack Obama will attend a groundbreaking ceremony in Holland, Mich., for a South Korean-owned factory that will make batteries for electric cars. The purpose of the trip is to highlight the "success" of the President's $862 billion economic stimulus package which the White House claimed yesterday has already "saved or created" 3 million jobs. Specifically, this factory is being subsidized by $151 million of stimulus funds from an even larger $2 billion honey pot of stimulus money set aside for electric car battery investments. This one plant is expected to employ 300 workers. That works out to more than $500,000 per job created. $500,000 per job. This plant, in a nutshell, explains why the President's stimulus plan has been an objective failure.
The American people know the President's stimulus has failed. A new CBS poll out today shows that 74 percent of Americans believe the Obama stimulus either damaged the economy or had no effect. And a Washington Post poll released Tuesday again showed that a majority of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of the economy. So how on earth can the White House claim they "saved or created" 3 million jobs? By rerunning the same economic models that predicted the stimulus would prevent unemployment from ever rising above 8%. That's right. The White House's 3 million jobs number is not based on any real world data.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fwd: U.S. Spent $410,624 on Project to Teach Chinese Meditation to Cocaine Addicts
Today's Headlines Tuesday, July 13, 2010
U.S. Spent $410,624 on Project to Teach Chinese Meditation to Cocaine Addicts
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government has spent $410,625 to study the effects of teaching Chinese meditation to cocaine addicts. "Our clinical experience and pilot studies suggest that Integrative Meditation from Chinese medicine may help clients engage in treatment, reduce cravings/withdrawal symptoms, and increase treatment retention, which appear missed by a typical behavior therapy," says the official description of the project published by the National Institutes of Health.
Senate Committee That Failed to Hold Confirmation Hearing for Obama's Medicare Czar Held Only 12 Hearings of Any Kind Between Obama's Nomination and Recess Appointment
(CNSNews.com) – The Democrat-controlled Senate Finance Committee, which had oversight for the confirmation of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held only 12 hearings between the day that President Barack Obama sent Berwick's nomination to the Senate and the day Obama gave Berwick a recess appointment. The 12 hearings the Finance Committee held during the time Berwick's nomination was pending dealt with such matters as trade restrictions under the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, America's trade relationship with China and the confirmation of lower-level executive branch appointments.
White House: GOP Would Have 'Dragged' Recess-Appointee Berwick's Confirmation 'On and On'
(CNSNews.com) - White House senior adviser David Axelrod said it was "very clear" that President Barack Obama's nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was going to be "dragged on and on" by Republicans, and with the "challenges" facing America's health care system, it was "vitally important that we fill this position" without a Senate confirmation hearing. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat whose party controls the Senate, did not schedule a hearing for Berwick although he was nominated by Obama on Apr. 19.
Experts to Obama: You Can't Ignore the Islamic Ideology Behind Terrorism
(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration's reluctance to acknowledge and confront the religious motivation behind Islamist terrorism is not helping the counter-terror effort, leading experts warn in a new report. The administration's recently released National Security Strategy defines the enemy as "al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates," but the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argues that the enemy is a bigger one – "the extremist ideology that fuels and supports Islamist violence."
Obama Administration Uses New 'Restore the Gulf' Web Site to Spin Its 'Quick' Response to the Oil Spill
(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration has launched a new, informational Web site that puts a positive spin on its handling of the Gulf oil spill. The restorethegulf.gov Web site, launched last week, describes itself as "a one-stop repository for news, data and operational updates..." But the Web site also touts the administration's "quick" response to the disaster, stating that it has been on the scene "since the moments after the oil rig explosion" and "from the very beginning."
Contrary to NASA Administrator's Claim, White House Says Muslim Outreach 'Not the Task of NASA'
Washington (CNSNews.com) – Although NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that President Obama charged him as a NASA official "to reach out to the Muslim world" to help Muslims "feel good about their historic contribution to science," the White House said Monday that outreach to Muslims is not the task of NASA. Gibbs said he did not know whether Obama had spoken with Bolden about the issue.
Stimulus Funds for Education Spent on Movies, Trip to Water Park, GAO Found
(CNSNews.com) – The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that some of the stimulus money given to North Carolina schools was spent on movie tickets and a water park trip – "a potentially unallowable use of these funds," the GAO said in a recent report. The GAO also found that two North Carolina school districts failed to obtain multiple bids or price quotes for purchases made with stimulus money, as required for purchases exceeding $5,000.
Independents Oppose Justice Department Lawsuit against Arizona Immigration Law by More Than Two-to-One, Says Gallup Poll
(CNSNews.com) - By a margin of more than two to one, according to a new Gallup poll, Independents oppose the Obama administration's lawsuit against the new Arizona immigration law that requires local law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of someone they have stopped if there is reason to suspect the person might be in the United States illegally. The Justice Department contends the Arizona law usurps federal authority to regulate immigration.
CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO
Census 'Successfully Completed' Work to Date Despite 'Shaky' Computer Problems, Census Director Says
(CNSNews.com) - The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Robert Groves, told CNSNews.com there's no evidence that the IT problems had a "quality impact" on the accuracy of the population count, but he encouraged people to wait for a final report from the Commerce Department's inspector general to "see what he has to say."
Gibbs Dodges Question of Whether Obama Agrees That Health-Care System Must Redistribute Wealth
OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES
Afghan Soldier Attacks, Kills Three British Troops
French Parliament Set to Approve Ban on Muslim Veils
Obama HIV/AIDS Plan Calls for Reducing Infections
U.S. Fails to Punish Sudan, Despite Threatened Clampdown
Fidel Castro Suddenly Reappears, Going Public on Cuban TV
Log Cabin Republicans Challenge U.S. Policy on Homosexuals in the Military
Obama Administration Issues A Revised Moratorium on Deep-Water Offshore Drilling
Two New England Republican Senators Say They'll Support Financial Regulations Bill
Republican Senator Says He Backs 'Birther' Lawsuits
Newt Gingrich Once Again Considering A Presidential Run
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NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP
Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds
High-risk health insurance pools off to slow start
Small-business lending drops in June after federal program runs out of money
N.J. commercial fishermen are caught in tightening net of government restrictions
An estimated 6,300 safety hazards lurk on Capitol Hill, new report says
NAACP considers condemning Tea Party for 'racism'
Michelle Obama addresses NAACP, pushing her 'Let's Move' campaign
Michele Bachmann sees a 'nation of slaves'
Chicago police supt. on gun law: 'We want to know who has weapons'
Backlash grows against full-body scanners in airports
Democrats and AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic
Army Navy Country Club members sue club's leaders over bike path
GOP poised to grab control at state levels
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie plans to sign 2 percent tax cap into law
Influx of illegal immigrants spurs resentment in Massachusetts town
Felons voting illegally may have put Al Franken in Senate, study finds
N.J. Supreme Court side with non-English speaking drivers stopped for DUI
Democrat Dianne Feinstein backs effort to defeat marijuana legalization
Taxpayers spend $1 million a year in settlements to abused congressional employees
Baltimore Gas & Electric tries again on 'smart meter' technology
COMMENTARY
The War on Arizona
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Not since President Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock and JFK sent U.S. marshals to the University of Alabama has the federal government seemed so much at war with a state of the union. Arkansas and Alabama were defying U.S. court orders to desegregate. But Barack Obama's war on Arizona is not a war of necessity. It is a war of choice—an unprovoked war, undertaken not to defend constitutional or civil rights, but to pander to his party's left and Hispanic voters.
Uncle Sam: Generous to a Fault
By Ed Feulner
Americans deserve a federal government that's efficient and effective. Reforming the way it pays civil servants would be a good first step.
Fwd: Morning Bell: The Obama Tax and Spend Threat to Economic Recovery
07/13/2010
The Obama Tax and Spend Threat to Economic Recovery
Remember President Barack Obama's promise to the American people not to raise taxes? Forget about it. While the President has already raised taxes on cigarettes and tanning beds, none of that compares to what could happen in January. If you earn income, your taxes are about to go up. If Congress does not act to preserve current law, even the lowest 10 percent bracket will rise to 15 percent. Throw in tax hikes on capital gains, dividends and other tax code fixes, and the American economy is staring straight down the barrel of $3.2 trillion tax hike over the next ten years.
It doesn't take a genius to realize that raising taxes by $3.2 trillion dollars would be an economic recovery killer. Even Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) admitted to CNBC yesterday: "We don't need to raise taxes now."
The tax raising culprit here is the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts set to take effect on January 1, 2011. The leftist majority in Congress is refusing to extend current law because they believe that these tax cuts are the cause of our trillion dollar deficits. They are wrong. Heritage Foundation research fellow Brian Riedl explains why in today's Wall Street Journal: With Washington set to tax $33 trillion and spend $46 trillion over the next decade, how does one determine which policies "caused" the $13 trillion deficit? [President] Obama could have just as easily singled out Social Security ($9.2 trillion over 10 years), antipoverty programs ($7 trillion), other Medicare spending ($5.4 trillion), net interest on the debt ($6.1 trillion), or nondefense discretionary spending ($7.5 trillion)."
Fwd: The International Criminal Court’s Threat to America
Is "Natural Law Liberalism" A Contradiction in Terms or the Foundation of American Conservatism? To find out, watch or attend Christopher Wolfe's lecture this Thursday. A Debate on Judicial Activism: Is It Just in the Eye of the Beholder? Around the Country
Professor Hadley Arkes discusses Judge Tauro's irrational decision throwing out a key part of DOMA. How should we think about the family in the modern liberal society? Scott Yenor responds during his lecture at Saint Vincent College's Center for Political and Economic Thought. Quick Thoughts
Do you think that Justice Thomas can revive the meaning of the Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship? Guess who is really responsible for America's legacy of debt. What We're Reading: by Thomas G. West
The International Criminal Court's Threat to America
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is more aggressive than ever. Last month, at the ten year review conference in Uganda, the ICC added the crime of aggression to its jurisdiction and agreed upon a definition. The task of the conference overall was to assess the success of the institution and to strengthen it through amendments. The purpose of the ICC as an international institution created to prosecute war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity is lofty. But, a lofty goal cannot atone for the tremendous threat that this court poses to America's first principles.
As Marion Smith writes in his essay, "An Inconvenient Founding: America's Principles Applied to the ICC," the ICC fundamentally challenges America's first principles. For instance, the ICC's jurisdiction enables the body to prosecute crimes committed by Americans against Americans in U.S. territory, even if the U.S. investigates and concludes that no crime occurred or that there is insufficient evidence to convict a suspect. Also, the system of legal due processes adopted by the ICC differs radically from the due process guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Most egregiously, there is no right to trial by jury or to a speedy trial. Moreover, the ICC would easily become a tool for political prosecutions, since the independent prosecutor would be unaccountable to any electors in America.
America has long rejected any institutions or arrangements that would subjugate its people to foreign jurisdictions and deny the basic protection of the rule law. In fact, the Declaration of Independence protested King George III's "subjecting us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution" and consequently having "deprived us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury"; and "transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for pretended offences."
The ten year review conference did not remedy the problems inherent to the ICC. Rather, it exacerbates them. A nation's right to self defense is a fundamental aspect of self-government. But, the addition of "aggression" to the ICC's jurisdiction only increases the likelihood that the ICC will threaten the national sovereignty and security interests of the United States. This threat is evident in the ICC's current investigation of alleged war crimes committed by NATO and U.S. troops. America, therefore, must not join—or even support the activity of—the ICC.
There is a moral imperative to seek justice, but there is no moral imperative to globalize it. It is far from obvious that international justice is best served by putting it into the hands of the ICC. But it is certain that such an unaccountable, international institution represents a tremendous challenge to America's first principles.
Keep Reading about the ICC's threat to America's First Principles
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Monday, July 12, 2010
Fwd: Today's Headlines Monday, July 12, 2010 New Financial Regulations Create Diversity Czars for All Federal Financial Regulators
Today's Headlines Monday, July 12, 2010
New Financial Regulations Create Diversity Czars for All Federal Financial Regulators
(CNSNews.com) – The financial regulations package recently passed by the House of Representatives would create a new diversity overseer at each of the major federal financial regulatory agencies, including the new ones created by the legislation itself. This new office, called the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, would be responsible for making sure that each of the major federal financial regulators is hiring enough minorities and women, and contracting with enough minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
Government's New $25-Million Fund to Help Pregnant Teens May Benefit Abortion Providers, Pro-Family Advocates Say
(CNSNews.com) – The Department of Health and Human Services is now accepting applications for a new grant program that will help states provide support services to pregnant teens and women. But some pro-life and pro-family advocates point out that pregnancy resource centers have provided similar support services for decades -- without government funding. The pro-life advocates see the new grant program as a way for the Obama administration to funnel more taxpayer dollars to pro-abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
86 Percent of Afghan Army Recruits Cannot Read and Write, Complicating U.S. Efforts to Train Self-Sufficient Security Force
(CNSNews.com) – A low literacy rate is one of the "biggest" obstacles to training Afghan National Security Forces, according to Col. John Ferrari, deputy commander for the NATO training mission in Afghanistan. Only about 14 percent of the Afghan recruits are literate, meaning they can both read and write, according to the U.S. Defense Department.
China Bristles at Prospect of U.S. Aircraft Carrier in the Yellow Sea
(CNSNews.com) – Plans for joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises that may involve an American aircraft carrier are drawing growing criticism in China, where many view the drill as insulting to their country despite its intended goal of deterring North Korean aggression. Initially scheduled for several weeks ago, the exercises were postponed in late June until after the U.N. Security Council finalized its response to the sinking of the Cheonan. As China's naval power has grown it has become increasingly resistant to U.S. military movements in waters to its south and east.
Oil Spill Gives Obama Administration an Opening to Push 'Access to Needed Services'
(CNSNews.com) – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visited the Gulf Coast of Louisiana on Friday as part of her department's ongoing efforts to address the public health and mental health aspects of the Gulf oil spill. "We are committed to working with state, local, and community partners to ensure people here have access to needed services," she said.
Poll: 75 Percent of Americans Blame Politicians for State Budget Woes
(CNSNews.com) - A Rasmussen Poll released on Thursday shows that 75 percent of Americans place responsibility for their state's budget problems on politicians' unwillingness to cut government spending. Only 13 percent attribute state budget woes to the unwillingness of Americans to pay more taxes.
CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO
Census 'Successfully Completed' Work to Date Despite 'Shaky' Computer Problems, Census Director Says
(CNSNews.com) - The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Robert Groves, told CNSNews.com that the Census has "successfully completed" all operations to date, despite a "shaky" information technology system that affected the early weeks of door-to-door counting. Groves said he does not have any evidence that the IT problems had a "quality impact" on the accuracy of the population count, but he encouraged people to wait for a final report from the Commerce Department's inspector general to "see what he has to say."
OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES
Debt Commission Leaders Paint Gloomy Picture; Nation's Debt 'Is Like A Cancer'
U.S. Should Better Define Islamic Extremism in Order to Fight It, Report Says
Obama's Spokesman Says Democrats Could Lose House
Eric Holder Raises Question on Death Penalty for Sept. 11 Mastermind
International Court Charges Sudan President With Genocide
Twin Explosions Kill Dozens in Uganda As Crowds Watched World Cup Final
Spain Beats Netherlands 1-0 for Its First World Cup
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NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP
White House: Berwick recess appointment key to 'move forward'
NRA takes flak for ties with left
Jesse Jackson: Cavs owner sees Lebron James as 'runaway slave'
Liberals analyze their Obama 'despair'
Democratic governors worried about Obama's lawsuit against Arizona
Holder hints of second lawsuit against Arizona
General sees drop in IED attacks by year's end
Women's groups press for passage of international anti-violence-against-women bill
Lawmakers tuck their earmark requests in obscure corners of their Web sites
COMMENTARY
The Useless U.N.
By Rich Galen
On March 26, 2010, North Korea sank a South Korean naval vessel sank in the waters off the western coast of the Korean peninsula. North Korea denied any responsibility for the sinking, of course, and it took the United Nations from March 26 to July 9 to negotiate a statement which condemned the sinking of the naval vessel but, in spite of overwhelming evidence, refused to condemn the country that launched the attack. The United Nations is a great idea -- on paper. In reality it is worse than useless, because it allows rogue nations like North Korea to commit an act of war and get away with it.