"Let Me Be Clear"

post from My Left Wing - Front Page on 30 March 2011 02:44:57 PM. © My Left Wing - Front Page

Crossposted from MyFDL

For a man whose favourite phrase has been, for these past few years, "Let me be clear," President Obama seems hellbent on being as opaque as possible in his very few speeches and press conferences. And given the grotesquely broken promise of transparency from his Administration, that phrase is also sadly ironic every time he utters it.

"I made it clear that Gadhafi had lost the confidence of his people and the legitimacy to lead..."

"So for those who doubted our capacity to carry out this operation, I want to be clear: The United States of America has done what we said we would do."

"But it should be clear to those around Gadhafi..."

"I've made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly..."
Ever noticed that when someone prefaces what they're about to say with the word "Honestly," the chances are, they're full of crap? Well, when someone feels the need to tell you four times in one speech how clear they've been, the odds are huge that they've been obfuscating or dodging the issue. Mr. President, the only thing that's clear is that what you are saying is absolute garbage.

"Born as we are, out of a revolution by those who longed to be free, we welcome the fact that history is on the move in the Middle East and North Africa and that young people are leading the way, because wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United States. Ultimately, it is that faith -- those ideals -- that are the true measure of American leadership."

Really? I'm now going to join the vast hordes who've pointed out how many other oppressed peoples, longing to be free, suffering under brutal regimes... we are utterly failing to befriend in this manner. Of course, in places like the Sudan, our "interests" aren't threatened. I would argue that our stated "values" are... and certainly "preventing genocide and keeping the peace, ensuring regional security" sure as hell qualify. But if we interfered, it would definitely interrupt the maintenance of our good friend China's "flow of commerce," and since we owe them pretty much everyone's firstborn, I guess you can't help out the Sudanese, eh? Never mind the genuine genocide happening there -- babies being thrown onto bonfires, mass rapes... They're on their own.

I cannot listen to this President make pretty speeches anymore. Was a time, I loved listening to him, no matter what the topic, because, frankly, he just wasn't Bush. I was just so damned proud to have a President who could talk. Only, now, see... it kind of makes me sick to my stomach, because really, the only difference between the two of them appears to be eloquence and intellect. I donated money, I campaigned, I voted for this. And come 2012, I'm going to be backed into the traditional Democratic corner of having to vote for it again for lack of any other viable option. Such is the evil of the two party, winner-take-all, "lesser of two evils" (yeah, but it's still evil, ain't it?) system.

When I think back to election night, 2008, and the seemingly bottomless cup of my joy, how high my hopes soared... and compare that night to the present, the depth of the sense of betrayal I feel from this man I call my President knows no bounds. This President seems to have done virtually everything he can to maintain the Bush legacy, from obliterating a man's civil and Constitutional rights (Bradley Manning -- to say nothing of the men at Guantanamo and Bagram) to continuing the dismissals of gay service-people (despite the repeal of DADT); from immediately giving away the store in virtually every possible corporate deal to refusing to even consider investigating -- let alone charging -- anyone from the previous Administration for the crimes they committed; from continuing the no-bid contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan to the escalation of the latter's senseless, pointless, purposeless, endless combat operations... The despair I feel over what I had hoped for and what I actually got is immeasurable.

Every time I hear Barack Obama say "Let me be clear," I want to throw up. Because what he's really saying is, "I'm about to try to justify more of my unjustifiable behaviour." And I'm not buying it anymore. Cutting food stamps? How on earth can you possibly justify that, Mr. President? Directly contradicting what you yourself said four years ago about taking military action when we are not in immediate danger without consulting Congress? How on earth can you possibly justify that, Mr President? No. I'm not buying what you tried to sell Brian Williams. It's nonsense. I bought what you were selling as candidate Obama. You know why? Because you were right. Now? You're WRONG.

Sorry... I'm rambling. I've been at loose ends these past several months -- got out of the habit of writing, because, frankly, I've been too damned depressed by what's been happening to my country at the hands of a President I thought was going to be, at the very least, honest. And what I ended up getting was the Republicans' dream come true. I'll make a prediction: they're going to nominate a sure loser, so they can have their cake and eat it too: an Obama victory, because he is giving them everything they could possibly want and the excuse to bitch about the President every chance they get because he's of the opposing party. Michael Moore once famously called Bill Clinton the greatest Republican President we ever had; Barack Obama has unseated him. By a landslide.

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The Fix We're in For: Bridges and our
Infrastructure

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 30 March 2011 02:42:02 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Yesterday I put up a post about a report that was to be released today, the report is now public and it isn't a pretty picture as noted by those who put it together. And this report is only on the Bridges around this Country and broken down by[...]

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GOP defends government shutdown as being a walk
in the park

post from Daily Kos on 30 March 2011 02:25:01 PM. © Daily Kos

Rep. Paul Broun, Republican of Georgia, giving voice earlier this morning to the newest GOP argument about a federal shutdown: that shutting down the government wouldn't be a big deal at all.

Broun's argument is that if Congress fails to fund government past April 8, it wouldn't completely shut down?essential functions would remain operational. "Shutting the government down," he said, "is not going to stop the essential services of the federal government."

But while it's true that the Obama administration would almost certainly find a way to make sure Social Security checks go out, if you needed to change your address or bank account information, or sign up for payments, you'd be a out of luck. A wide range of important services?everything from issuing passports to conducting energy research to operating national parks to operating the veterans administration?would be shuttered.

The strange thing about the GOP's new argument is that at the same time that they are arguing that a government shutdown wouldn't be a big deal, they are also arguing that Democrats are trying to engineer a government shutdown to gain a political advantage. For example, just before saying a shutdown would be no big deal, Broun said of Democrats that "their diabolical plan is to shut the government down, blame Republicans, and try to get re-elected." But if Republicans really believe a government shutdown is as good an idea as they say it would be, then why are they accusing Democrats of trying to force once? If that's really what they believed, wouldn't they be trying to take credit instead?

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Anti-gay Bush crony Scott Bloch may be heading to
prison this afternoon

post from AMERICAblog News on 30 March 2011 02:00:20 PM. © AMERICAblog News

Good riddance.

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Poll: PBS is the most trusted name in TV news as
Fox plummets. The price of being O'Keefe'd

post from Crooks and Liars on 30 March 2011 02:00:12 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Fox News has now lost their perch as most trusted news in the PPP's newest survey. However, since PBS wasn't polled last year, I'd say they never had that distinction in the first place.

Raw Story:
In the space of one year, Fox News has lost its perch as the most trusted TV news network in the US and is now average at best, a new survey has found.

A poll gauging public trust in TV news has found that PBS is the most trusted name in news, while trust in Fox News has dropped significantly.
According to a survey from Public Policy Polling, "a year ago a plurality of Americans said they trusted Fox News. Now a plurality of them don't."
In a survey taken a year ago, PPP found that Fox was the most trusted news network, with 49 percent saying they trusted the network, and 37 percent saying they did not. In the new poll, 42 percent said they trusted the network while 46 percent disagreed.
The new reigning champion is PBS, which was not included in last year's inaugural poll. The public broadcaster was found to be trusted by 50 percent of respondents, and distrusted by 30 percent -- the closest any news network has come to gaining the trust of a majority of Americans.
Fox News has found itself in roughly the same place, trust-wise, as NBC and CNN, but still above ABC and CBS, who were trusted by 35 and 36 percent, respectively, in the latest poll.
PPP notes that trust in the network declined only marginally among conservatives, from 75 percent to 72 percent. "But moderates and liberals have both had a strong increase in their level of distrust for the network -- a 12-point gain from 48 percent to 60 percent for moderates and a 16-point gain from 66 percent to 82 percent for liberals," the institute reported...read on

They lost 12 points of trust with moderates. As Digby says, who are these people? Anyway, it's good to see some people understanding the truth, but it's really taken a lot of crazy-town to convince them and as the election draws near, the amount of crazy will surely rise to incredible heights.

enlarge Credit: jezebelJames O'Keefe the Pimp!

I know conservative flim-flam artists will not abide. Here's a reminder to PBS and their staff and brass: Beware being O'Keefe'd.

The guy even took a slimy shot at CNN. What did they ever do to him? I mean, CNN even does its best to support the Tea Party. PBS, just remember the pimp.

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Should Apology Bill for Recy Taylor Include New
Rape Crisis Funds

post from The Francis L. Holland Blog on 30 March 2011 02:00:08 PM. © The Francis L. Holland Blog

Dear Friends:

The Alabama House has voted to apologize to Recy Taylor for the State's refusal to charge and punish the men known to have raped her.

This is a step forward, but does an apology by the House branch of Alabama Government really constitute an apology by the State of Alabama? Or, is Alabama one of those funky states where the Senate has to agree and then the Governor has to sign the bill?

Will the apology include new monies for rape crisis counseling for women referred by prosecutors' offices and others, so that the bill actually gives voice to some of the thousands of women who suffered the same systematic abuse of the sort that Recy Taylor's case represents?

Here's an excerpt from The Root:

Finally! Ninety-one-year-old Recy Taylor, whose cause was championed at one time by Rosa Parks, will receive an apology by the state of Alabama for its mishandling of her 1944 rape case. The Alabama House has reached back into history and apologized for how authorities mishandled the 1944 rape of a young black woman by a gang of white men as she walked home from church.The House on Tuesday approved by an apparent unanimous voice vote a resolution that expresses ?deepest sympathies and solemn regrets? to Recy Taylor, who is now 91 years old and lives in Florida.
And from the WaPost via AP:
The House on Tuesday approved by an apparent unanimous voice vote a resolution that expresses ?deepest sympathies and solemn regrets? to Recy Taylor, who is now 91 years old and lives in Florida.

Recy Taylor is in her nineties and an apology to her alone cannot possibly undo the horrors suffered by her and thousands of women like her, who experienced the systematic and State-sanctioned abuse of women of color, and women in general.

Shouldn't this apology bill, to be meaningful, include new monies for rape crisis counseling for women referred by prosecutors' offices and through other means?

Francis L. Holland, Esq.

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Christie Defends Muslim Judicial Appointee:
‘I Am Proud To Have Nominated Him’

post from ThinkProgress on 30 March 2011 02:00:04 PM. © ThinkProgress

This week, considerable attention has been paid to presidential hopeful Herman Cain’s statements – first reported by ThinkProgress — that he would not appoint any Muslims to his cabinet if elected because “I get upset when the Muslims in this country, some of them, try to force their Sharia law onto the rest of us.”

Cain’s Islamophobia sadly fits into a pattern of conservative attacks on the Muslim faith. In recent months, Rep. Allen West (R-FL), who has said that “Islam is a totalitarian theocratic political ideology,” is now a star within the Republican Party. Rep. Peter King held controversial hearings depicting mainstream Muslim groups as enablers of terrorism. And in 2007, likely GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney reportedly said he would not appoint any Muslims to his national security team if elected president.

But one prominent Republican is bucking the trend: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. As ThinkProgress noted earlier this year, Christie appointed Sohail Mohammed to serve on the New Jersey Superior Court. Mohammed is an immigration lawyer who defended many Muslims caught up in post-Sept. 11 dragnets. Yesterday, Christie was challenged at a town hall about the appointment, and offered a stirring defense:

“If it is disqualifying for the bench to be an Arab-American in New Jersey who represents innocent people and gets them released, then this isn?t the state I believe it is,” Christie said. “I?ve known this man for 10 years. He?s a good, decent American and New Jerseyan, he?s an outstanding lawyer, and he deserves the opportunity to be on the bench. I am proud to have nominated him.”

When Christie first appointed Mohammed, right-wing reaction was fierce. In a widely linked post, blogger Daniel Greenfield wrote that “New Jersey, the Garden State, has just taken its first step toward becoming the Sharia State,” and criticized Christie for being “willing to stand up to the teacher?s union, but not to the terrorist?s union.” It’s hard to imagine the xenophobic elements on the right will be moved by Christie’s latest rousing defense of his Muslim appointee.

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HI-Sen: Lingle performs poorly against all Dems

post from Daily Kos on 30 March 2011 01:50:01 PM. © Daily Kos

Hawaii panorama

Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos/SEIU (3/24-27, Hawaii voters, no trendlines):

Ed Case (D): 52
Linda Lingle (R): 35
Undecided: 12
Colleen Hanabusa (D): 51
Linda Lingle (R): 40
Undecided: 9
Mufi Hannemann (D): 47
Linda Lingle (R): 40
Undecided: 14
Mazie Hirono (D): 52
Linda Lingle (R): 40
Undecided: 9
Ed Case (D): 50
Duke Aiona (R): 35
Undecided: 15
Colleen Hanabusa (D): 48
Duke Aiona (R): 43
Undecided: 9
Mufi Hannemann (D): 42
Duke Aiona (R): 42
Undecided: 16
Mazie Hirono (D): 49
Duke Aiona (R): 42
Undecided: 10
Ed Case (D): 53
Charles Djou (R): 35
Undecided: 12
Colleen Hanabusa (D): 50
Charles Djou (R): 40
Undecided: 10
Mufi Hannemann (D): 46
Charles Djou (R): 40
Undecided: 14
Mazie Hirono (D): 51
Charles Djou (R): 40
Undecided: 9
^{(MoE: ±3.3%)}

In the wake of Sen. Dan Akaka's retirement announcement, Beltway pundits started talking up the chances of Linda Lingle, the recently termed-out Republican governor. This chatter ignored quite a few things: the fact that Lingle left office pretty unpopular after eight years (41-56 job approvals); that 2010's massive red tide failed to wash up on Hawaii's shores (GOP Rep. Charles Djou lost to Colleen Hanabusa; Dem Neil Abercrombie won the gubernatorial race over then-Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona in a landslide); and that a dude named Barack Obama would be on the top of the ticket next year (the native son won by 45 points in 2008).

Now, to imagine Lingle might be competitive, there's one more piece of evidence that will have to get ignored: this poll. With her underwater 41-51 favorable rating, she can't crack 40% against any Democrat, even the least popular among them, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (39-48 favorables). And indeed Hanabusa, Rep. Mazie Hirono, and ex-Rep. Ed Case all clear 50 against her. If Lingle's own internal polls are showing markedly different numbers, then I think she's deluding herself. Of course, Aiona fares only slightly better, while Djou does no better than Lingle, but if Hawaii Republicans want to take on a hopeless suicide mission, they're welcome to do so.

One final note: If you weren't familiar with Hawaii politics, you might take a look at these numbers and say, "Wow! Who is this Ed Case guy? He performs the best of all the Dems, and does really well among independent voters!" These things are true, but don't be fooled: Ed Case has a long conservative pedigree as scion of the (now-defunct) Democratic Leadership Committee, the same corporatist outfit which more or less gave Joe Lieberman a reason for being. I won't spill a lot of electrons on him right now, but I'm sure commenters will regale you with his greatest hits. I am somewhat surprised to see his favorables are so strong (51-30), despite running in a nasty special election last year which tarnished both Djou (40-47) and Hanabusa (45-41).

But while these numbers might offer Case an "electability" argument, all Dems are clearly capable of winning?and what's more, Case would have to make it out of a primary first. So it's important to look at each Dem's favorables among members of their own party:

Hirono: 72-16
Hanabusa: 65-19
Case: 50-30
Hannemann: 44-44

That's going to be tough for Case to pull off (and Hannemann, too?his negative primary against Abercrombie last year seems to be hurting him). But Hirono and Hanabusa should talk, though, and figure out which of them ought to run, because in a multi-way race, Case could definitely sneak through, and we definitely do not want that.

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GOP Communications Arm Fox News Attacks
Democrats For Using Talking Points

post from Media Matters for America - Latest Items on 30 March 2011 01:41:14 PM. © Media Matters for America - Latest Items

Following audio of Sen. Chuck Schumer coaching other senators on language to use when discussing budgetary issues and a potential government shutdown, Fox News figures have attacked Democrats for coordinating talking points. Their criticism comes despite the fact that, among other things, Fox News itself consistently adopts GOP talking points as its own, has been caught broadcasting GOP press releases -- typos and all -- and it's Washington managing editor Bill Sammon has been caught instructing Fox's anchors and reporters to use GOP-friendly language in their reporting.

Fox Figures Mock, Attack Schumer For Using "Democratic Talking Points"

On Conference Call, Schumer Advised Democratic Colleagues To Call GOP Budget Cuts "Extreme." From USA Today:

Speaking to several Democratic colleagues Tuesday, Sen. Charles Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said they should all use the word "extreme" when describing the budget cuts that Tea Party Republicans were seeking in the ongoing budget negotiations. [USA Today, 3/30/11]

Doocy Claims Schumer Coaching Dems On Talking Points Is "Quite Embarrassing." On the March 30 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy reported on the story and said that Schumer was overheard on a conference call "paint[ing] the Republicans as extremists." Doocy noted that Schumer "specifically wanted people to use that word" and called the incident "quite embarrassing." Co-host Brian Kilmeade later claimed that "people like [Sen.] Harry Reid and company are going to go forward with the same message. This is the talking points. You just got the facts in the behind-the-scenes look at what Democrats are doing." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/30/11]

Kilmeade: "You Wonder Why" Democrats "Say The Same Thing In Every Interview." Later on Fox & Friends, Kilmeade responded to audio of Schumer's call by saying:

KILMEADE: You wonder why everyone says the same thing in every interview, and leaders [say] the Tea Party is holding the hostage to the Republican Party. Republicans don't know what to do. Boehner is in a box. Why do they say it? Because he's saying it. This is how. And guess what the Majority Leader Harry Reid says? The exact same thing.

After playing a clip of Reid, Doocy said, "They both said exactly the same thing. What a coincidence." [Fox & Friends, 3/30/11]

Van Susteren: Schumer Has "Egg On His Face Tonight." On the March 29 edition of Fox News' On The Record, host Greta Van Susteren introduced a segment on Schumer by claiming, "Does Senator Charles Schumer have egg on his face tonight! This is one conference call the senator will never forget!" Later in the segment, Van Susteren said:

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, it's sort of interesting. I suppose that in the Republican caucus in both houses, they're given instructions, too. But it's rather -- you know, it's sort of enlightening for the rest of us to hear Senator Schumer find out -- he takes marching orders from his caucus. They're all using the word "extreme." And I guess that it's sort of hard to think that if you're automatically tagging your opponent with "extreme," it's sort of hard to get a negotiation, get any traction when negotiating. But he got caught with his pants down on this one. [Fox News, On the Record, 3/29/11, accessed via Nexis]

Hannity: "That's Just A Sort Of Class That We've Come To Expect From The Democrats." On the March 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity, host Sean Hannity played the audio of Schumer's remarks and responded by saying, "[T]hat's just a sort of class that we've come to expect from the Democrats." Fox Business host Stuart Varney responded by saying, "[T]hat was a disgrace to be playing politics." Fox News contributor Dana Perino stated: "What is interesting to me about that phone call is that, so Senator Schumer says, I was instructed by the conference to say this. And so, therefore, I'm saying it. When they realize that reporters were on the phone, they quickly shut up. More interesting sound bite to me was that right immediately on the heels of Senator Schumer saying what he had to say, Senator Boxer then repeats it." [Fox News, Hannity, 3/29/11, accessed via Nexis]

Cameron Hypes Schumer's Remarks, Airs GOP Reaction. On the March 29 edition of Fox News' Special Report, Fox News chief political correspondent Carl Cameron promoted the Schumer story and aired clips of a GOP press conference held to respond to Schumer. Later, host Brett Baier again aired the clip. Both times, Special Report responded by airing House Majority Leader John Boehner's claim that, "Instead of them issuing marching orders, maybe what they should do is get to work and actually pass a plan." [Fox News, Special Report, 3/29/11, accessed via Nexis]

Yet, Fox News Repeatedly Presents GOP Talking Points As "News"

Fox Figures Use GOP "Ram It Through" Language To Attack Health Care Reform. During the debate over the health care reform bill, numerous Fox figures, including Hannity and Van Susteren, as well as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum -- both of whom were employed by the network at the time -- mimicked Republican politicians' language by claiming Democrats were attempting to "ram it through" Congress. [Media Matters, 2/25/10]

Fox Adopts Opposition's Choice Of Phrase "Obamacare" For Health Care Reform. Fox has consistently referred to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as "Obamacare," both in its straight news reporting and opinion shows. Despite acknowledging that the phrase is the name preferred by opponents to the health care bill, Fox figures have even gone so far as to replace the actual name of the bill with the phrase "Obamacare" when reading press releases that referred to the law as "the Affordable Care Act." [Media Matters, 3/4/11; 3/23/11]

Scott Passes Off GOP Press Release As Original Reporting, Typo Included. In February 2009, Fox host Jon Scott purported to "take a look back" at how the economic recovery plan "grew, and grew, and grew." In his report, Scott referenced seven dates, as on-screen graphics cited various news sources from those time periods -- all of which came directly from a Senate Republican Communications Center press release. A Fox News on-screen graphic even reproduced a typo contained in the Republican press release. Scott later apologized, but only for the typo. [Media Matters, 2/10/09; Media Matters, 2/11/09]

Fox & Friends Hosts Recite Misleading House GOP Press Release. During the October 22, 2009, broadcast of Fox & Friends, the co-hosts did a segment on the stimulus package in which they parroted a House Republican press release and repeated its claim that the stimulus' impact is "6 million jobs shy of what the administration promised us" since the administration stated "that 3.5 million jobs would be created." Carlson added, "And, in fact, the United States has lost 2.7 million since the stimulus plan." However, the administration estimated that by 2011 -- not September 2009, when the 2.7 million job losses since February were recorded -- 3.5 million jobs would be created or saved by the stimulus compared to the number of jobs that would have existed at the end of 2010 had the government not passed the legislation. Their numbers came directly from a GOP press release that relied on misleading comparisons and distorted data to attack the stimulus. [Media Matters, 10/22/09]

Fox & Friends Promotes Pawlenty Health Care Reform Ideas. From the February 12 edition of Fox & Friends:

KILMEADE: Meanwhile, talk about health care reform, Tim Pawlenty, who by all accounts has got to be running for president it seems, or definitely testing the waters, on yesterday wrote a big editorial today about the five things that he would do, and we all could do, and that they hope Republicans bring up in the big summit to make health care reform a real reform.
DOOCY: Because the president has asked, "Give me some ideas." Here they are.
KILMEADE: All right, here it is. First one: incentivize patients to be smart with consumers.
[...]
DOOCY: Also pay for performance, liability reform -- that's something that has been missing -- interstate health care insurance -- make it portable -- and modernize health insurance. Seems pretty simple.
KILMEADE: And also make it transferrable. [Fox & Friends, 2/12/10]

Fox Adopts GOP Talking Points On "Uncertainty" Of Economy. In advance of the 2010 midterm elections, Fox adopted Republican claims that failing to immediately vote to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthy injects "uncertainty" into the economy that hinders hiring, a claim which both Reps. John Boehner and Kevin McCarthy had recently made on the Sept. 26, 2010, edition of Fox News Sunday. Following Boehner's and McCarthy's claim that "uncertainty" on tax cuts was hindering job creation, several Fox News anchors adopted the language as their own. For instance, on the September 27, 2010, broadcast of Fox & Friends, Doocy claimed: "People say the uncertainty is just killing people. Why can't we know what we're going to pay in taxes next year?" Carlson added:

CARLSON: People across America should be really, really upset about this. Steve touched on the big buzzword here, and that is uncertainty. That means that businesses are not going to continue to hire, or start hiring, they're not going to continue to lend to small business -- I mean, everyone is living in this cloud of unknown, including even people who work in payroll departments. [Media Matters, 9/27/10]

Busy Repeating GOP Talking Points, Fox News Forgets To Report Fannie/Freddie Facts. On both "opinion" and "straight news" programs, Fox News channeled the GOP talking points that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac caused the financial crisis and are "getting a free pass" because they are not overhauled by Democrats' financial regulatory reform legislation. Following Boehner's statement on proposed financial reform legislation in which Boehner stated, "[H]ow you can attempt to fix it without going to the root of the problem, Fannie Fae and Freddie Mac, is really beyond me," many Fox hosts promoted and adopted Boehner's statement. For instance, on Fox & Friends, Carlson asked of Fannie and Freddie: "Why the heck are they not anywhere in financial reform?" Fox News' America Live host Megyn Kelly stated: "Well, they were public enemies number one and two in the economic meltdown. But when President Obama called for strict new regulations on the financial sector today, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were all but absent from the discussion. So are they really getting a free pass as we decide to crack down on all the fat cats?"

Fox repeatedly ignored that the Obama administration has initiated a separate effort to reform the housing finance system, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and have warned against moving too quickly on this front given the fragility of the housing market. Moreover, economists reject the notion that Fannie and Freddie were the root cause of the financial crisis. [Media Matters, 4/23/10]

Ailes Brings GOP Talking Points To ABC's This Week. Fox News president Roger Ailes made his debut as a panelist on ABC's This Week on January 31, 2010. However, he brought little to the roundtable beyond hackneyed conservative talking points repeatedly advanced by Republican leaders and his own network's stable of right-wing pundits. Ailes advanced GOP talking points related to the length of the health care bill, the claim that Obama wants "radical change," and that profiling is necessary to protect Americans. [Media Matters, 1/31/10]

Echoing GOP, Fox Figures Falsely Claim Reid Included $8 Billion In Bill For High-Speed Rail. Fox News hosts and contributors advanced the false claim -- pushed by Republican lawmakers -- that Reid included a provision in the recovery bill directing that $8 billion be spent on a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas. In fact, the bill did not direct high-speed rail funds to any specific project, and any funding would be allocated by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman. Numerous House Republicans had pushed the false claim that the legislation directed money to the California-to-Las Vegas rail line during floor debate on the bill several days prior to Fox News adopting the falsehoods. [Media Matters, 2/18/09]

Fox Insider: Network Talking Points Evolving From "Conservative Take On Things" To "Made Up." In an interview with Media Matters, a Fox News insider replied to a question regarding what most viewers and observers of Fox News would be surprised to learn about the controversial cable channel by saying: "I don't think people would believe it's as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up." [Media Matters, 2/10/11]

Doocy Proves He "Sounds Like" Rubio By Airing A Clip -- Of Rubio. During the October 7, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, then-Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek appeared on the program to discuss his campaign and his opponent, Republican Marco Rubio. After parroting GOP talking points, Meek told Doocy he "sounds like" Rubio. Doocy responded by airing a clip of Rubio. [Fox & Friends, 10/7/10]

Fox News Executive Bill Sammon Has Been Caught Instructing Anchors To Use GOP-Friendly Language On Air

Sammon Issued Memo Instructing Reporters To Replace "Public Option" With GOP-Preferred Term "Government Option." At the height of the health care reform debate last fall, Bill Sammon, Fox News' controversial Washington managing editor, sent a memo directing his network's journalists not to use the phrase "public option." Instead, Sammon wrote, Fox's reporters should use "government option" and similar phrases -- wording that a top Republican pollster had recommended in order to turn public opinion against the Democrats' reform efforts. [Media Matters, 12/9/10]

Sammon Instructed Fox Figures To Highlight Skepticism When Reporting On Climate Change. In the midst of global climate change talks in December 2009, Sammon sent an email questioning the "veracity of climate change data" and ordering the network's journalists to "refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question." [Media Matters, 12/15/10]

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http://feeds.mediamatters.org/~r/mediamatters/latest/~3/Usi_KvFSuSM/201103300024

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Why the Case for a Big Bear Just Got Stronger!

The risks of investing in most U.S. stocks have been extremely high for a host of reasons:

Interest rates have been rising nearly nonstop since August 2010. Energy and food prices have catapulted sharply higher. The U.S. housing market has been declining relentlessly. The labor market has been in dire straits with . . . → Read More: Why the Case for a Big Bear Just Got Stronger!

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http://jutiagroup.com/20110330-why-the-case-for-a-big-bear-just-got-stronger/

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