News Hounds

Another Death Wish For Obama On Fox Nation

Reported by Ellen - Thu 12:22 AM

We have repeatedly posted about death threats toward President Obama on Fox Nation, the website that boasts about its commitment to tolerance and civil discourse. We just found another one. This reader says he hopes Obama "gets what Kennedy got." All comments are pre-moderated on Fox Nation. This comment was posted on a David Letterman thread on 10/6, almost 36 hours ago and it's still on the site. We'll be contacting the Secret Service in the morning. Screen grab after the jump. (h/t Bob B.)

Doocy And Kilmeade Use Questions To Slap At Obama's Health Care Speech

Reported by Guest Blogger - Wed 6:10 PM

Guest blogged by notveryhow

"To question is the answer." It's a Unitarian thing, but it seems an apt description of this Fox & Friends interview with Dana Perino (of "What Cuban Missile Crisis?" fame), former press secretary to George W. Bush, on Monday (10/5/09). In an earlier segment, she had claimed to be just waking up. Perhaps she needed her second Double-Foam, Cinnamon Ham-Glazed Cappuccino to be in attack mode, for her answers were non-committal and sometimes rambling. But that didn't matter, for the questions were the important points. With video.

More Teabaggin’ Pimpin’ On Fox Nation

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 3:56 PM

Lest there be any doubt that Fox Nation, a media site which is joined at the hip to Fox News, is a teensy bit partisan in their promotion of the teabagging movement, we have (Drum role please!) today’s headline “Tea Party Express: “Countdown to Judgment Day’ Starts October 25th." No it’s not the rapture; but yet another rolling freak show which, hopefully, will feature Fox cub reporter, Griff Jenkins, (with assistance from his producer) cheering on the patriotic teabaggers while gleefully proclaiming that the teaparty movement is just totally awesome and the most fun that he ever had. Maybe he’ll treat us to more local events like the one in Texas that featured a John Wayne look alike and a goat. Yep, that crazy clown car (bus actually) is getting ready to roll and Fox Nation provides the information. Like the Hannah Giles Defense Fund, the headline links directly to the website for the Tea Party Express. Golly gosh, if you can’t get raptured, teabagging is the next best thing. And the end point of the “express” is Orlando which is fitting considering that Orlando is the home of Mickey Mouse and Goofy!

Is Bill O’Reilly The Devil?

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 2:41 PM

America’s big loofah loving, propaganda pimping daddy, Bill O’Reilly, can give it; but he just can’t take it. He used last week’s interview with the Senior Editor of the NY Times Book Review, Sam Tanenhaus, to engage in yet another exercise in conservative victimhood. Tanenhaus recently wrote a book about the “Death of Conservatism” (oh, hush your mouth) – something Bill didn’t buy into. So he used the interview as a platform for more whining about poor persecuted conservatives. Somebody call me a whambulance!

Glenn Beck Loses 19 More Advertisters

Reported by Ellen - Wed 12:45 PM

ColorOfChange.org has announced that 19 new advertisers have dropped Glenn Beck, bringing the total number of companies who have pledged not to advertise on Beck's TV show to 80. Two of those companies have reportedly dropped all advertising on Fox News as well. You can read the ColorOfChange press release on the subject here.

Hannity Plays The Victim Card In Jennings Witch Hunt

Reported by Ellen - Wed 12:39 PM

After engaging in a relentless witch hunt against President Obama’s “safe schools czar” Kevin Jennings, even after his accusations against Jennings have been debunked, Sean Hannity has not only refused to drop his attacks, he has declared himself the victim. While he was at it, Hannity added a new smear against Jennings, comparing him to disgraced Congressman Mark Foley. But there are at least two big differences between Jennings and Foley that negate the comparison. Nobody on the panel, not even supposed liberal Nina Easton, pointed out the dissimilarities. With video.

Tammy Bruce on The O'Reilly Factor: ACORN is the Democrats' . . . Watergate?

Reported by Julie - Wed 12:51 AM

“Are we overdoing the ACORN deal?” O’Reilly queried last night (10/6/09) on The O’Reilly Factor, before introducing Fox News analyst Tammy “Michelle Obama is Trash in the White House” Bruce and “radio talk show star” Leslie Marshall. Typical day in the life of Fox-News-Targets-ACORN – well, except Bruce compared ACORN’s handful of Mickey Mouse voter registrations with Watergate and thinks Eric Holder should investigate ACORN instead of the CIA and torture. Guess it’s pretty close to Halloween – Sean Hannity’s going as Glenn Beck and Bruce is going as Michele Bachmann. With video.

WellPoint Sued An Entire State To Increase Profits

Reported by Ellen - Wed 12:23 AM

Our friends at Brave New Films, with whom we are proud to be associated, have a new video out illustrating one way that our profit-driven health care system drains money away from helping patients. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald writes: Netting $2.5 billion in profits last year wasn't enough for WellPoint, the nation's largest insurance company. Now, WellPoint's affiliate, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is suing the state of Maine for refusing to guarantee it a profit margin in the midst of a painful recession. Watch the video after the jump and join the WellPoint watch campaign here.

Michael Moore Takes On Hannity

Reported by Ellen - Wed 12:20 AM

Michael Moore did a lengthy interview with Sean Hannity last night (10/6/09). If you ask me, Moore repeatedly got the upper hand of the debate. What I particularly liked is that Moore did not allow Hannity to control the interview but repeatedly reframed the issues. Favorite line: "Only a wuss would be afraid of (Al Qaeda)… Why haven’t they been brought to justice by now?" I just wish Moore had asked Hannity why he hasn’t followed through on his promise to be waterboarded.

Cavuto And Huckabee Use False GOP Talking Point To Attack Obama Over Unemployment Numbers

Reported by Guest Blogger - Tue 4:26 PM

Guest blogged by Brian

On Friday’s (10/2/09) Your World, Mike Huckabee came by to attack discuss Obama’s record on unemployment. Host Neil Cavuto began by noting that the jobless rate reached 9.8% last month, “much worse than expected.” Huckabee started by repeating a false Republican talking point that Obama had promised that the stimulus would prevent unemployment from rising about 8%. In fact, Obama did not make that promise. But Cavuto never corrected the record. With video.

Attend A "Rethink Afghanistan" Screening

Reported by Ellen - Tue 3:56 PM

Our good friends at Brave New Films (with whom we are proud to be associated) remind us that tomorrow will mark the 8-year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald writes, "The country remains in chaos, civilian deaths have risen along with troop levels, the financial cost of the war is skyrocketing when our economy can least afford it, and the Al-Qaeda leadership is nowhere to be found. All over the country, activists are educating their friends and neighbors about this misguided war by hosting hundreds of house party screenings of 'Rethink Afghanistan.'" Click here to attend a screening near you. Click here to sign their petition for Congressional hearings on non-military solutions for Afghanistan.

While Hannity Continues To Smear Kevin Jennings, Reality Based Community Praises Him

Reported by Priscilla - Tue 2:20 PM

As we've been recently reporting, Fox News (and Fox Nation) have pulled out all the stops in their relentless and homophobic attack on Obama's "Safe School Czar," Kevin Jennings. But as Fox has been smearing, those in America's educational community (godless libruls all) have issued statements in support of Mr. Jennings. The National Association of School Psychologists - Jennings is a "champion in the Departement of Education." Learning First Alliance - "Kevin Jennings is the right person to lead the Education Department's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools." National Education Association - Jennings is "highly qualified" and that his "proven track record of success speaks for itself." Gerald Tirozzi of the National Association of School Principals on CNN (will he appear on Fox?) - "a powerful voice to continualy help us not to back away from doing the right things for kids in our schools." One hopes that Fox News, being "fair and balanced," will mention this homage!

And using the "logic" of all those who attack Obama's appointees based on past statements and writings (distorted by Fox), it is clear that nobody with even half a brain should vote for Virginia Republican Candidate for Governor, Bob McDonnell given that McDonell's past views (in his thesis and voting record) about women and gays were- uh -truly twisted.

Video of CNN debunking Fox's smears of Jennings below the fold

Dick Morris Channels Glenn Beck: Obama Is “Repealing The Declaration of Independence”

Reported by Ellen - Tue 1:08 PM

Sean Hannity and Dick Morris were busy swapping conspiracy theories on last night’s (10/5/09) Hannity. First, they traded baseless speculation about why Obama went to Copenhagen. Morris followed that up with his thoughts on the G20 summit which he characterized as “the first step in repealing the Declaration of Independence.” His explanation had to with them imposing their “socialistic principles” on us and somehow that was also the driving force behind health care reform. Maybe you can follow his argument. I could not. With video.

Rather Than Retract Falsehoods About “Safe Schools Czar,” Kevin Jennings, Hannity Doubles Down On The Smears

Reported by Ellen - Tue 3:27 AM

Since Sean Hannity’s last broadcast, in which he and two guests attacked “safe schools czar,” Kevin Jennings, for not reporting the “statutory rape” of a gay student who said he had gone home with an older man after meeting him in a bus station bathroom, new information has surfaced about the young student. The then-student has come forward with his driver’s license showing that he was 16 at the time, the age of consent. But rather than retract his smear and his demand that Jennings resign from his current position in the Obama administration, Hannity doubled down on the smears, this time with an unsubstantiated suggestion that Jennings is a supporter of NAMBLA. It’s worth noting that Hannity has still not come up with a single incident showing that Jennings has performed his current job improperly. With video.

Fox and Friends, Beck and Hannity -- Running a Con

Reported by Julie - Mon 9:48 PM

As reported by Ellen of News Hounds, the monkey-see/monkey-do duo of Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck have been targeting President Obama’s “safe schools” czar, Kevin Jennings. Does it matter to the Fox News powers that be that their “evidence” is based on lies? Nah . . . who needs facts when they can run a con on their gullible audience without ‘em?

Huckabee Fleeces His Sheep - Petition URL Redirects to Huck PAC

Reported by Alex - Mon 7:45 PM

For the past two weekends Mike Huckabee has been directing his Sunday evening viewers to a site called balancecutsave.com (no embedded link for you, Huckster) to sign a petition calling for Congress to balance the budget by cutting spending. However, the URL he provdes redirects to huckpac.com ...

Sean Hannity’s Hypocrisy

Reported by Priscilla - Mon 12:07 PM

Fox News is aiding and abetting the right wing’s attack on Obama’s “Safe School Czar,” Kevin Jennings who, in the 80’s, gave advice to a 16 year old (age of consent in Massachusetts) student and who is now being accused of covering up statutory rape. But it’s not surprising given that Fox is the go to network for conservative Christians whose love of Jesus is matched by their hatred of homosexuality. Media Matters for America has a very extensive compilation of the Fox attacks, some of them homophobic in nature. Brian Kilmeade, like the American Taliban group the Family Research Council, opined that Jennings' advocacy for gay students is “promoting homosexuality.” (I guess Brian wants gay youth to be consigned to a life in the closet with all its attendant problems some of which could lead to suicide.) But leading the Fox charge partisan attack on Jennings is Sean Hannity who, in engaging in his baseless smears, is engaging in hypocrisy – given his lack of outrage towards republicans who commit real “sins of the flesh” while in office.

Forbes On Fox Panelist Says Creating Green Energy Jobs Is A Bad Thing

Reported by Guest Blogger - Mon 8:41 AM

Guest blogged by Brian

Saturday's (10/3/09) Forbes on Fox featured a discussion on cap and trade with the suggestion that it might “melt down our job market.” Coincidentally, this suggestion came right after a Fox News alert advising that unemployment rose to 9.8%, the same week that Democrats in the Senate released their cap and trade bill. One panelist actually complained groused that the bill would create jobs, that that would be a bad thing, With video.

The Glenn Beck Week That Was: Olympic Teabagging Edition

Reported by Guest Blogger - Sun 4:06 PM

Guest blogged by Aunty Em

Froggy Beck, who makes approximately $49,315.00 per day (weekends included), got an extra, unplanned, Monday off this week, but I am sure he didn’t relax. Knowing The Beckineer like I do, he, no doubt, spent Monday ferreting out more corruption in Washington, D.C. and putting the finishing touches on his next book which, I expect, will be a rewritten Bill of Rights, fully-illustrated with 4-colour cartoons. It’ll be called “How Idiots Talk to Founding Fathers.” Another best seller.

Chicago Dropped From Hosting 2016 Olympics, Beck Cheers For Obama's Failure

Reported by Guest Blogger - Sat 7:43 PM

Reported by Jonathan

Remember back during the Dark Times (aka: the Bush era) when criticism of the president's handling of the Iraqi War was a big no-no in this country? God forbid that anyone, be it then Minority Leader Harry Reid or any anti-war activist, should speak the obvious and inconvenient truth about the conditions on the ground; they would have been called out by bully boy Hannity or Bill O'Reilly as unpatriotic or un-American, even going as far as to say that they were rooting for the other side to win. So I thought that in spite of all of Glenn Beck's attacks and lies this week on President Obama's attempts to persuade the International Olympic Committee to vote for Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympics, the TV crybaby would at least have the decency to not add more insult to injury yesterday when we learned that Chicago got the ax in the first round.