The Blue State

Terry McAuliffe hearts FOX

The Clinton camp shows its true colors.  Even when you are this desperate, why stoop that low?

Catholic priest challenges Fox host on Wright

I saw this on Youtube yesterday.  This Catholic priest, a supporter of Reverend Wright, stood up to a FOX News reporter on the issue of racism in America.  Nice job!

This is a two-part video:

And he elaborates more:

FOX Host: Democrats are "damn fools" for not coming on FNC

FOX News' Chris Wallace tells Politico what he thinks about the Democratic presidential candidates:

“I think the Democrats are damn fools [for] not coming on Fox News,”Wallace said. “And my guess is that once you get a nominee, theyprobably will come on, because they know that we get a lot of votersthey are going to need if they are going to win the election.”

Hillary would go on FOX if she gets the nomination.

A right-wing poll if you've ever seen one

You can always count on FOX News Opinion Dynamics to make a point out of every single poll they release.  Look at their latest one.  What kind of a question is this?

Do you personally think the world would be better off if the United States
loses the war in Iraq?

ALL: Yes - 11%, No - 73%
DEMOCRATS: Yes - 19%, No - 62%
REPUBLICANS: Yes - 7%, No - 76%

Of all three political affiliations, you can bet which one FOX News used in its headline about the new poll.  Here was the Fox headline:

FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War

The odds are that O'Reilly and Hannity will have fun with that.  But you haven't seen anything yet.  The questions in the poll got even crazier:

Have you ever said a prayer for President Bush?

Have you ever said a prayer for soldiers serving in Iraq?

Have you ever prayed for the war in Iraq to end?

How often do you pray?  SCALE: 1. Every day 2. Several times a week 3. Several times a month  4. About once a month 5. A few times a year 6. Never 7. (Don’t know/refused)

Can this so-called poll from this alleged 'news channel' get any more personal?  Maybe.  I came up with six more questions FOX News might want to consider in their next poll:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the most), how uncomfortable do you feel around gay people?
2. How many guns do you own?  Five?  Four?  Three?  Two?  One?  Or are you a wimp?
3. Do you use an assault riffle while hunting?  Or were you already taught how to aim?
4. Who is hurting America more: Michael Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Hillary Clinton or the Dixie Chicks?
5. Who is more fair and balanced: Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Neil Cavuto, John Gibson, Brit Hume, or All of the Above
6. George W. Bush is an amazing ______ 1) Leader 2) Conquerer 3) Philosophizer 4) Strateger 5) Efficient Spender-er

I'm still working on it!  I'd love your ideas, if you have any.

(Video) Jon Stewart exposes Cavuto's crush on Bush

After watching the entire interview earlier this week, I have been patiently waiting for someone -- ANYONE! -- to point out how ridiculously flirtatious Fox News host Neil Cavuto was towards George W. Bush.  With Bill Maher on vacation and Al Franken busy running for Senate, who else but Jon Stewart came to the rescue.

My favorite line:

STEWART: I have a follow-up (question).  Can I lick you?

It comes as no surprise that Cavuto has been granted four interviews with Bush since 2001.  Gee, I wonder why?

Cal Thomas: Murdoch a savior of US media

At least Thomas wrote those words, so he did not have to worry about maintaining a straight face while speaking them.

In a Wednesday column, Cal Thomas -- a Fox News contributor, obviously -- commended News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch for saving US media:

Before Fox News Channel was born, I met with several network newspresidents, telling them that someone was going to go after ademographic that felt shutout by the mainstream media. These people, Isaid, go to church, fly the flag, respect the nation’s traditions andinstitutions and hate the liberal media. They feel censored, orstereotyped, by the media elites. I told them the person who recognizesthat demographic and gives them a voice would reap a huge reward.

That person is Rupert Murdoch. He is not the media Satan, as the leftlikes to portray him. Some of the offensive (to me) tabloid stuffnotwithstanding, he just may be the media’s savior. The elites hatehim, but growing numbers of people are buying his products.

Elites hate him?  How can that be if he is an elite himself?

Just to get things straight, let's have a refresher on what the word "elite" actually means:

a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group

Rupert Murdoch owns News Corp -- which includes the Fox Network, Fox News Channel, 20th Century Fox Studios, Dow Jones, dozens of magazines, and the list goes on.  Looks elite to me.

As far as being a media savior, it's not a strange coincidence that growing numbers of Americans choose to get their news from blogs.  There is little diversity in the traditional media industry, and bloggers are filling the vacuum.

Rupert Murdoch buys Dow Jones & Co

Early this morning, word crossed the wires that Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch purchased Dow Jones & Co for $5 billion.  Dow Jones is the parent company of the Wall Street Journal:

The companies said in the wee hours of Wednesday morning that theysigned a definitive merger agreement after the deal won sufficientsupport to pass from a deeply divided Bancroft family, which hascontrolled the storied newspaper publisher for generations.

Murdoch is getting one of the great trophies of U.S. journalism anda newspaper that is considered required reading among the business andpower elite.

The deal will also expand Murdoch's already massive global media andentertainment empire News Corp., which owns the Fox broadcast network,Fox News Channel, the Twentieth Century Fox movie and TV studio,MySpace, newspapers in Australia  and the U.K., and several satellite TV broadcasters.

A very sad day for the traditional news media.  With all this media consolidation, blogs just became all the more important.

Take action against Fox advertisers

  In July, Bill O'Reilly and his supporters took action against jetblue for sponsoring the Yearly Kos Convention, and in the end scared the company into dropping its spot.

If the 'fair and balanced' personalities over at Fox can scare sponsors into steering clear of a people-powered convention, then you and I can do the same to Rupert Murdoch.

The Blue State is joining alongside MoveOn.org and DailyKos to encourage every single blog reader to write an email to companies that advertise on Fox news.  All it takes is just a few minutes.  For example, try emailing Home Depot, which is a heavy advertiser on Fox.  Tell them you will boycott their company because it funds unfair and unbalanced news personalities that are hurting our country:

• Home Depot > Write to Paul Raines, Executive Vice President

I am focusing on Home Depot because they are a national company.  But I encourage all of you to call, email or write to local advertisers, since they are the most likely to change course.

If this is not a big issue to you, then don't do anything.  But if you think Fox News is hurting America and want to do something about it, then this is an effective way to take action.  Join us in this effort! 

The Unfair & Unblanced World of Journalism

With all the attention FNC is getting for their lack of reporting on the warin Iraq, and their commentators bashing the "left wing bias" forreporting too much time on Iraq, I give you this.

Journalism as described by Wikipedia.

Journalism is a discipline of gathering, writingand reportingnews, and morebroadly it includes the process of editingand presenting the newsarticles. Journalism applies to various media, including newspapers,magazines, radio,and television.

While under pressure to be the first to publish their stories, newsmedia organizations—each adhering to its own standards of accuracy,quality, and style—usually editand proofreadtheir reports prior to publication. Many news organizations claim proudtraditions of holding government officials and institutions accountable to thepublic, while media critics have raised questions about holding the press itselfaccountable. Readon...

'The OathThey Never Took' How journalists should behave and guidelines they shouldfollow: I sincerely wish the news businesswould once again recognize their obligation to their public and measure theirperformance by the standards they once enshrined--the oath they never took.

From the Fair & Balanced No Spin Zone desk of Bill O'Reilly:

"I don't mind being criticized with facts, but if you call me a racist ordishonest, I'm coming after you." Bill O'Reilly, to whom facts are likekryptonite, during a speech at the National Society of Newspaper Columnistsconference 6/22/07.

"That's enough. Miss Swanson, we'll bid you adieu." Bill O'Reillyto guest Robin Swanson as he cut her mic and camera, the O'Reilly Factor6/20/07.

"It's wrong for the media to beat up those with whom theydisagree." Here

 

'O'Reilly and Malkin fair and balanced week in review' (30 seconds on Iraq. Only because he was hammered by the media for dismissing the importance of the deaths of the Afghan children) (click ON video to watch in larger screen)

Lets face it, the unfair and balanced news that comes from the conservative right is pathetic (see last nights night owl clip...'Bill Kristol'. This war has been crumbling for years, and there are politicians and news media that are dropping from the support ranks of the war, but not fast enough.

Renovations to the Gores home

After listening to Sean Hannity's (among other's) constantattempts at smearing Al Gore and trying to get everyone in the phone bookto say he is a hypocrite, I can't express how pleased I was when AssociatedPress Writer Erik Schelzig interviewedAl Gore about his 'green' lifestyle and his TN home's "green-ness".This information has been out for a couple of week, but is a great"at-a-glance" reference and worthy of having on hand.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Al Gore, the environmental activist stung by criticismover his house's energy efficiency, said Friday that renovations are nearlycomplete to make it a model "green" home

"This plan has been in the works for a long time," the former vicepresident said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The only thingthat has changed is that we're more public about it because of the misleadingattack by a global-warming denier group."

Earlier this year, a conservative group criticized Gore, citing electricbills that were far more than the typical Nashville home. Utility records
showed the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200last year for its 10,000-square-foot home.

Gore's renovation project, which he said has been in the works for months,seeks to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED,standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Once his upscale neighborhood changed zoning laws earlier this year, Gore wasable to place solar panels on his roof, and he's now preparing to
install a geothermal system that will, among other things, drastically reducethe cost of heating his pool.

Gore is also upgrading windows and ductwork, installing more energy-efficientlight bulbs and creating a rainwater collection system for
irrigation and water management

The home houses offices for Gore and his wife, Tipper, as well as acommercial kitchen for formal events.

Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, thegroup that initially criticized Gore, said the "renovations areobviously in direct response to our finding that he's a hypocrite on the issueof global warming." Read on...

WhenHannity tried to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to buy into his "Gore's a hypocrite"theory-smear on 'Hannity's America', the governor responded to Hannity's long winded sales pitch:

Thegovernor diplomatically brought it up himself. Schwarzenegger said focusing onhow much a public figure contributes to global warming is fair game. "But Idon't think you should crucify someone like that, because if he does so muchgood and inspiring people and changes millions and millions of people to drivewith clean cars and inspires millions of people to use less energy, less waterand all of those things but in the meantime maybe he drives the bigger car, Ithink it is some what of an unfair thing to go and attack him. Yes there is ahypocrisy, absolutely."

On a global warming note: In lastnight's 'BlueNightowl Clips' post, we featured a video titled 'TheMost Terrifying Video You'll Ever See', where a rather knowledgeable H.S.science teacher  simplifies the global warming issue using common sense,and in a very humble way. His 3 follow-up videos titled 'PatchingHoles' (1,2 & 3) are more than worthy of viewing.