Click here to view this media Bill O’Reilly thinks the Eric Fuller story is a Big Fracking Deal, revealign the depths of depravity of the “far left” and their use of violence — so much so that he devoted his opening “Talking Points Memo” segment to this thesis. A little later in the show, he brought on Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley to talk it over. Crowley, predictably, complained that the “story was buried” by the rest of the media. That’s because, in fact, it was rather more similar to the right-wing O’Reilly fan’s arrest last week for threatening Rep. Jim McDermott — which is to say, the story dealt with a threat and not actual violence. Did anyone happen to notice Fox News covering that story? I sure didn’t. But then Colmes started in with some serious points: COLMES: Look, I object to something you said in the opening talking points. You said that the logical argument could be made that the far left encouraged an unbalanced guy. There’s no more evidence of that than that the far right encouraged this guy Loughner to do what he did. O’REILLY: Wait. There is evidence in the specificity of what the man said. The names that he used in the context of the threat. Hmmmmm. Well, using that same criteria, we can definitively connect the man who threatened Jim McDermott to Bill O’Reilly now. Because not only did he call and threaten McDermott on the very same day that O’Reilly’s column attacking him was published, but the caller specifically threatened McDermott over the very same issue for which O’Reilly attacked him. But then it got really serious: O’REILLY: Loughner had no — and testimony now has revealed — that he didn’t watch cable TV. He didn’t listen to talk radio. COLMES: There is no evidence — look, you could make the case that Byron Williams went to attack the Tides Foundation and shot up the California Highway Patrol because of stuff that Glenn Beck said about the Tides Foundation. O’REILLY: You can’t make that case. COLMES: Sure you can. That’s just as much equivalency there as what you’re talking about! O’REILLY: No, there isn’t, because the overwhelming debate last week was about this story. It wasn’t one guy. It was everywhere. COLMES: But when a guy goes and wants to go attack the Tides Foundation and shoots up the California Highway Patrol because Beck is vilifying them and the ACLU — there’s equivalence! O’REILLY: All I’ll give you is it’s circumstantial. But the evidence is far more compelling — COLMES: You are doing, Bill, the same thing you are accusing the left of doing, by accusing the left of violent rhetoric. O’REILLY: No I’m not. No I’m not. I’m only dealing in the facts. And the facts as we know it were presented. O’Reilly is just flat-out lying. Because it was three months ago that a devastating story from Media Matters provided all the evidence you need to make that connection — since Byron Williams himself went on the record and explained quite ineluctably that he was directly inspired by Glenn Beck. Here are some of the things Williams said: “I’m not gonna say anyone is worthwhile,” he replies. “I would have never started watching Fox News if it wasn’t for the fact that Beck was on there. And it was the things that he did, it was the things he exposed that blew my mind. I said, well, nobody does this.” … Byron says he thinks Beck has improved in recent months. “I don’t think he’s a natural newscaster, you know what I mean?” he says. “I look at it more like a schoolteacher on TV, you know? He’s got that big chalkboard and those little stickers, the decals. I like the way he does it.” … “You know, I’ll tell you,” he says, “Beck is gonna deny everything about violent approach and deny everything about conspiracies, but he’ll give you every reason to believe it. He’s protecting himself, and you can’t blame him for that. So, I understand what he’s doing.” … “And I’d say, well, you know, that’s the thing. It’s that anything you do is going to be considered promoting terror attacks or promoting violence. So now they’ve got Beck labeled as this guy that is trying to incite violence. And what I say is that if the truth incites violence, it means that we’ve been living too long in the lies.” I don’t believe O’Reilly is actually ignorant of these facts — in fact, they read Media Matters almost obsessively over at Fox. O’Reilly is simply lying baldfacedly and pretending not to know these facts exist. And Monica? Perhaps when your channel actually reports anything on the Byron Williams matter or Charles Habermann’s threats , or for that matter any of the litany of threats and violence against liberals and the “government” perpetrated by right-wing extremists over the past two and a half years — threats Fox either ignores completely or dismisses as “isolated incidents” — then we may begin to take your complaint that no one reported much on the Fuller case seriously.
Continue reading …If liberalism is more “academic” than conservatism, it's because it looks a lot better in a classroom (or a newsroom) than it does in real life. Just ask Harper's Magazine publisher John “Rick” MacArthur. In a recent article, New York magazine detailed an ongoing fight at Harper's between MacArthur and his recently-unionized staff. MacArthur fought hard against unionization, and is now trying to lay off a veteran at the magazine who, according to NY mag, “played a key role in the union drive.” The newly-formed union says the effort “is pure retaliation.” The irony of the situation has the righty blogosphere giggling : despite his vehement efforts to prevent unionization, MacArthur and his magazine have a history of supporting the labor movement. NY magazine reported: In a follow-up phone call, MacArthur told Rosenstein that he viewed the union as a “power play” by the staff. “He was very hostile,” Rosenstein told me. “He said people had lied and misled him me about the reason they wanted to form a union, and that the staff was angry about Roger Hodge being fired. This was about Ben Metcalf becoming editor and they were against Ellen.” MacArthur contested the entire staff's right to unionize, arguing that editors and assistant editors who make up about half of the editorial team were management and thus did not qualify. Staffers couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony: The staunch defender of unions, who in a 2009 Harper's piece called the UAW “the country’s best and traditionally most honest mass labor organization,” was now on the other side of the table as the “worst kind of factory owner,” as one staffer put it to me. MacArthur hired veteran employment lawyer Bert Pogrebin, who had previously faced off against the Village Voice union, to negotiate on his behalf. In August, the matter was taken up by the National Labor Relations Board. Pogrebin tried to get many of Harper’s' editors, including Metcalf and senior editors Donovon Hohn and Chris Cox, excluded from the union on the grounds that were in management positions. In September, the NLRB ruled that Metcalf and the others could join the union. In October, the NLRB denied MacArthur’s appeal, and the union went ahead with plans to hold elections that would certify the union. Staffers put up signs around the office and a ballot box was placed in the conference room. On October 13, the day before elections were scheduled, MacArthur sent a letter to the staff lobbying employees to vote against the union. “I confess that I remain confused about the goal of the people seeking union representation,” he wrote, “but I have to assume it has something to do with my firing of Roger, objections to my promoting Ellen over Ben, and general insecurity about the future of the magazine.” MacArthur wrote that forming a union “will not, as some have requested, give any of you a great voice in the selection of the next editor,” and added, “Certainly, the union will not be able to solve the financial problems of the magazine or get us more subscribers, newsstand buyers or advertisers. It will, of course, be able to collect initiation fees and dues from you.” On October 14, staffers certified the union and formally joined UAW Local 2110. MacArthur had lauded unionization in writings beyond the April 2009 article NY mag mentioned – which, of course, praised the same union, the UAW, that now represents Harper's employees. Two years earlier he bemoaned “the bipartisan bludgeoning of labor unions into nothingness.” (Harper's has generally been, editorially, a pro-union publication. The magazine's left-wing Washington Editor, Ken Silverstein, has written numerous articles extremely friendly to union interests. In one, he described efforts to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act as “the latest onslaught in a business crusade to destroy the labor movement” – hardly a neutral presentation of the issue.) But now MacArthur is in the position of having to deal with some of the consequences of unionization, and all of a sudden the labor movement is not looking so helpful.
Continue reading …There’s an interesting new poll that was just done by Democracy Corps and the results aren’t a surprise to us. they would be to the Villagers and the RWNM. (check out the pdf) The voters have a clear and dramatic message for the new Republicans in Congress and the President on the eve of his State of the Union Address: focus on jobs and the economy and show how America is going to be economically successful again. This is not a nuanced poll. If Democrats did not get the message in 2010, voters are ready to send a message again, according to the first Democracy Corps-Campaign for America’s Future survey of 2011. The media pundits and Washington conventional wisdom say deficit reduction and cutting government spending are the top priorities for the nation; yet, the Republican Congress has prioritized health care repeal and Social Security cuts (which are on the table for the first time.) They could not have it more wrong. It is jobs, stupid. What, the deficit isn’t driving people to write Obama is a Nazi/Socialist signs and harm each other? I’m just stunned. Stunned, I tell you. Digby: Democracy Corps has released a new poll in anticipation of the impending assault against social security and it turns out that Washington is once again focused on the wrong problems: Which TWO of the following do you think are the most important economic problems facing the country right now? High unemployment……………………………..41 Outsourcing of jobs……………………………33 The budget deficit is big and growing……………23 Wages and salaries have not kept up with the cost of living……………………………………….18 The economy is not growing……………………..17 Taxes are too high…………………………….15 The government focused on bank bailouts and not on the middle class………………………………………..14 America is not keeping up with China and other countries…………………………………….12 The economic stimulus is not working…………….11 (Don’t know/refused)………………………….. 4 And they know what they want the government to concentrate on: Now I am going to read you a list of issues and I would like you to please tell me which TWO should be top priorities for the new Congress. Economic recovery and new jobs…………………………..46 Protecting Social Security and Medicare…………………..34 Making sure that our children receive an education for these times…………………………………………………27 Cutting spending and the size of government……………….25 Repealing the new health care law………………………..17 Reducing the federal budget deficit………………………15 Keeping taxes low………………………………………14 Investing in infrastructure, like roads and bridges, and in new industries…………………………………………….14 (Don’t know/Refused)…………………………………….2 Now I suppose if what you really want to do is please big business and Wall Street, this sort of thing would be irrelevant. But it’s not the way one would normally go about winning elections. I hope the President and his speech writers have had a chance to see this latest poll and make changes to the SOTU where necessary. Making the case to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits to save it will not fly if that is indeed what President Obama has in mind,. I don’t know this for a fact. I only wish to pass on valuable information because in reality Republicans only care about their free markets. Ralph Reed’s army, teh gays, returning to the gold standard and freaking out about the federal deficit are not what Americans are really concerned about. People want jobs and their safety net when they get get old enough is more important. When I say old, I don’t mean 66 and above either. To be fair, the media has been harping about job creation, but they shudder when they talk about the deficit. Then they tell us, along with Conservative politicians, that the working class will have to feel the pain, make tough decisions , have an adult conversation about entitlements while the super elites fight over what villas to buy. Have you ever heard a talk show host even mention this article — The Rise of the New Global Elite ? Because we’re also witnessing the Fall of the Middle Class.
Continue reading …Of course, longtime C&L readers are well aware that Arizona’s new Senate president, state Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has a long and colorful history of associating with and endorsing neo-Nazis, particularly noted Arizona Nazi J.T. Ready. Now that Pearce is leading the national effort to undermine the 14th Amedment and end birthright citizenship, he’s eager to put all that behind him. Indeed, for the past couple of years, whenever anyone has brought up the old Pearce connections has been met with scornful and adamant denials. Right. So it’s a little harder for Pearce to explain as Stephen Lemons at Phoenix New Times reports, Pearce ordained Ready as an elder in the Mormon church they both attend. Or why, as Dennis Gilman demonstrates in the video above, Pearce applauded Ready’s speech at an anti-immigrant event in 2007, and gladly posed for pictures with him that same year. And then heartily endorsed Ready as an upstanding soldier in the fight against immigration. Gilman has been making important and brave videos from Arizona for the past several years now, and his HumanLeague002 channel at YouTube is one of the most important sources of information and insights on the immigration issue available. Here’s how he describes the above piece: This video shows State Senator Russell Pearce endorsing JT Ready (AZ’s most famous White Supremacist) in 2006 for Mesa City Council. The footage has never been seen by the public until now. The footage and the Mormon Document and picture was given to Steve Lemons (Phoenix New Times) by a confidential source. He gave me a copy. You can get more info here: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-1… The video also shows Pearce deny knowing Ready in 2007 as well as an exclusive interview with JT Ready telling his side of the story. It’s interesting. According to Ready, they used to hang on his porch and tell Mexican jokes. I asked Ready if Pearce ever told him to “cool it” as JT Ready openly supports NSM and other white supremacist ideals. Ready stated that he never did but his wife, Lu Ann had as she was concerned of Russell’s career. Probably the most interesting thing is Ready explaining his relationship and role with Pearce’s long-time political crusade against Mexicans. It’s also important to note that while JT Ready seems to be telling the truth-I have no way of verifying everything he says. I will give him credit as so far he seems to show more integrity and honesty then Senator Pearce. Ready is not happy with Pearce’s recent activities with Lobbyists, his public disapproval of the NSM march on Nov 13, 2010 and his repeated denial of their long time friendship and political alliance on the immigration issue. Andrea Nill adds some follow-up : Though Pearce has tamed his rhetoric in front of the public eye, the information provided in Lemons’ video doesn’t come as a surprise. Last month, at an event hosted by Judicial Watch, Pearce compared undocumented immigrants to an enemy invasion, Hurricane Katrina, and mad cow disease. He also joked that President Obama “may not be visiting Arizona because we actually require papers now.” Pearce responded to the video posted by Lemons stating, “That is a complete LIE. No such swapping of jokes and I never knew about any of his [Ready's] dealing until you exposed them. I do not understand his motives for such statements.” Actually, all you have to do is watch the video to see who’s lying here: Russell Pearce. Time after time.
Continue reading …enlarge And no, he’s not talking about a salad bar! Don’t you just love this ? We’re in the middle of a depression and Chris Christie is begging Congress not to send his state more money. (Because it wouldn’t give him the excuse he needs to break the unions and steal their pensions, and it won’t help the Republicans destroy Medicaid): Gov. Christie on Sunday ur ged Republicans in Congress not to “paper over” the problems facing deficit-racked U.S. states with an additional round of stimulus spending. Christie, a Republican entering his second year in office, said in an interview on Fox News Sunday that he had asked federal lawmakers not to approve additional money. Christie said states must cope with the expiration next year of funding under the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. “It’s time to make some tough decisions,” he said. “It’s time for us to belly up to the bar and make the tough decisions.” Christie’s comments come as 40 states have projected deficits that may reach $140 billion in the 2012 fiscal year, according to a December report from the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. President Obama’s stimulus bill contained $140 billion to help states cope with the recession. Christie has warned of cuts to New Jersey’s Medicaid program as it faces a $1.4 billion deficit because of the loss of $900 million from the federal government and the requirement to maintain services at levels mandated by the United States. The state’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services projected Christie may face a deficit of $10.5 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, equivalent to more than a third of the current budget. Christie last year closed a $10.7 billion gap in part by skipping a $3 billion pension payment and cutting $1.3 billion in aid to schools and cities .
Continue reading …Click here to view this media Unfortunately for the rest of us, Sarah Palin announced she’s not going to sit down or shut up any time soon during her interview on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox. Lawrence O’Donnell doesn’t think Palin is going to run for President and just wants to keep her profile up so she can keep making lots of money. David Frum and Howard Fineman were not impressed with her performance on Fox and relayed as much during this interview on MSNBC’s Last Word. Here’s more from CNN’s Political Ticker on the interview: Palin: ‘I am not going to shut up’ : In her first interview since the Arizona shootings, Sarah Palin Monday sharply beat back critics who have suggested her at-times charged political rhetoric and use of a graphic featuring crosshairs may have contributed to the shooter’s motivations. “The graphic that was used was crosshairs. That’s not original. Democrats have been using them for years,” Palin said in the interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, where Palin is a paid contributor. “For many years maps in political races have been used to target certain districts that people would feel that they can get into those districts to whom they believe would represent the constituents’ will better than the incumbent,” she added. The map in question – created by Palin’s political action committee last spring – featured the crosshairs of a gun over the congressional districts of 20 Democratic candidates – including that of Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot in Tucson nine days ago. Last week, Palin aide Rebecca Monsour defended the graphic, saying the crosshairs were not those of a gun but rather “a surveyor symbol.” But Palin’s PAC quickly scrubbed the graphic from its website after the shootings, a move Palin said she found appropriate. “The contract graphic artist did take it down and I don’t think that was inappropriate,” said Palin. “If it was going to cause much heartburn and even more controversy I didn’t have a problem with it taken down.” In the 30 minute interview, Palin also addressed the criticism she has faced for her video response to the shootings posted last week on Facebook. Critics particularly took issue with the former governor’s use of the term “blood libel,” a phrase that for many conjures anti-semetic connotations. “Blood libel obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands. In this case, that’s exactly what was going on,” she said, adding later, “Just two days before an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal had that term in its title. And that term has been used for eons.” The phrase, which traditionally refers to a long-standing anti-Semitic myth that Jews murder children for religious rituals, drew fire from the Anti-Defamation League and others. But Palin insisted critics were taking issue with the phrasing in hopes of derailing her overall message. As they noted, Palin claimed that this was not all about her and that the left just wants to destroy her. I think she’s doing a pretty good job of that all on her own. And way to stay classy Sarah with doing exactly the opposite of what you claim and making this day where we should have been celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. all about you instead of Dr. King for the viewers of Hannity’s show on Fox. Second half of the Last Word interview with Frum and Fineman below the fold. Click here to view this media
Continue reading …According to Hugh Hefner , Playboy magazine, “both old & new” is coming to the iPad, and it “will be uncensored.” That’s somewhat surprising, considering that Apple CEO Steve Jobs once claimed the iPad was designed to offer “freedom from porn.” Related Entries January 17, 2011 Apple’s Personality in Chief Takes Medical Leave January 13, 2011 From the Publisher Who Brought You the New Huck Finn
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