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It matters when those commentators affect the presenting of the news and the "sides" that are taken.



which they do on prime time shows or on stuff like "The Beltway Boys" or whatever else, but please point me to the clear bias that "liberal" Fox News (or MSNBC) people show when they are reporting -- not commentating -- on events in Iran.

also, you seem to be assuming that if someone is personally more liberal or conservative then they are incapable of delivering a factual newscast. am i to assume that because you are conservative that i absolutely cannot depend upon you to give me any sort of accurate reporting on any event in the news? aren't you assuming that reporters and journalists -- who are not being paid to offer their opinions, like O'Reilly and Hannity and others are -- must therefore be incapable of doing their job?

also, who are you to decide who is and who isn't liberal? is Shep Smith a "liberal" because he's said something against torture? is that the new standard of liberal?

you've devised a very convenient system of labeling people so that you can quickly dismiss any sort of news that might be discordant with your worldview.
 
also, who are you to decide who is and who isn't liberal? is Shep Smith a "liberal" because he's said something against torture? is that the new standard of liberal?

you've devised a very convenient system of labeling people so that you can quickly dismiss any sort of news that might be discordant with your worldview.


Unfortunately this is the new standard of the tea bag crowd.
 
Parade Magazine, yesterday


Two days before the inauguration, PARADE published a letter from Barack Obama to his daughters about what he hoped for them and all the children of America. The letter attracted international attention. On this Father's Day, we asked the President to reflect on what fatherhood means to him.


As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father’s Day—our first in the White House—with a deep sense of gratitude. One of the greatest benefits of being President is that I now live right above the office. I see my girls off to school nearly every morning and have dinner with them nearly every night. It is a welcome change after so many years out on the campaign trail and commuting between Chicago and Capitol Hill.

But I observe this Father’s Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters’ lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life. My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told. And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood.

As an adult, working as a community organizer and later as a legislator, I would often walk through the streets of Chicago’s South Side and see boys marked by that same absence—boys without supervision or direction or anyone to help them as they struggled to grow into men. I identified with their frustration and disengagement—with their sense of having been let down.

In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference.

That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.

As fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well—but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling. That is when they need us most.

And it’s not enough to just be physically present. Too often, especially during tough economic times like these, we are emotionally absent: distracted, consumed by what’s happening in our own lives, worried about keeping our jobs and paying our bills, unsure if we’ll be able to give our kids the same opportunities we had.

Our children can tell. They know when we’re not fully there. And that disengagement sends a clear message—whether we mean it or not—about where among our priorities they fall.

So we need to step out of our own heads and tune in. We need to turn off the television and start talking with our kids, and listening to them, and understanding what’s going on in their lives.

We need to set limits and expectations. We need to replace that video game with a book and make sure that homework gets done. We need to say to our daughters, Don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for your goals. We need to tell our sons, Those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in our house, we find glory in achievement, self-respect, and hard work.

We need to realize that we are our children’s first and best teachers. When we are selfish or inconsiderate, when we mistreat our wives or girlfriends, when we cut corners or fail to control our tempers, our children learn from that—and it’s no surprise when we see those behaviors in our schools or on our streets.

But it also works the other way around. When we work hard, treat others with respect, spend within our means, and contribute to our communities, those are the lessons our children learn. And that is what so many fathers are doing every day—coaching soccer and Little League, going to those school assemblies and parent-teacher conferences, scrimping and saving and working that extra shift so their kids can go to college. They are fulfilling their most fundamental duty as fathers: to show their children, by example, the kind of people they want them to become.

It is rarely easy. There are plenty of days of struggle and heartache when, despite our best efforts, we fail to live up to our responsibilities. I know I have been an imperfect father. I know I have made mistakes. I have lost count of all the times, over the years, when the demands of work have taken me from the duties of fatherhood. There were many days out on the campaign trail when I felt like my family was a million miles away, and I knew I was missing moments of my daughters’ lives that I’d never get back. It is a loss I will never fully accept.

But on this Father’s Day, I think back to the day I drove Michelle and a newborn Malia home from the hospital nearly 11 years ago—crawling along, miles under the speed limit, feeling the weight of my daughter’s future resting in my hands. I think about the pledge I made to her that day: that I would give her what I never had—that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father. I knew that day that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless she had every opportunity in hers. And I knew I had an obligation, as we all do, to help create those opportunities and leave a better world for her and all our children.

On this Father’s Day, I am recommitting myself to that work, to those duties that all parents share: to build a foundation for our children’s dreams, to give them the love and support they need to fulfill them, and to stick with them the whole way through, no matter what doubts we may feel or difficulties we may face. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this nation in the months and years ahead.
 
South Carolina, a GOP stronghold.

Mike Green, an employee with Lexington GOP consulting firm Starboard Communications apologized for an online joke about President Barack Obama taxing aspirin “because it’s white and it works.”
 
Aside from him and Pat Buchanan, I can't think of other conservative-leaning people on that network. Fox has frequent guests Alan Colmes, Juan Williams, Bob Beckel, Ellis Henican, Mort Kondrake, Geraldo Rivera and hosts Shepard Smith and Greta all lean left.

You can't make this comparison, though. O'Reilly has criticized both sides and been fair to Obama on mulitple instances. Olbermann doesn't do that. Beck has been very critical of Republicans recently. Maddow, Olbermann and Schultz are hardcore Democrats. They just are. I have never seen them attack a liberal or defend a conservative. Matthews is slightly more fair, but not much.

That's not true. Juan Williams, Mara Liasson and Mort Kondrake are regular panelists on that show.

Cavuto has attacked the Bush administration constantly when it comes to spending.

Who cares what the slogan is? MSNBC is "the place for politics," but I could certainly argue that they specialize in presenting primarily liberal politics. CNN is "the best political team on television," and that's debatable also...

I forgot I even responded to this thread, sorry for a late response.
If you include 'contributors' which let's face it, you have to when discussing the balance of Fox, then it's pretty much the same list.

Mort Kondracke is a liberal? Yeah, that about says it all, doesn't it?
I sort of like him, he's consistent and pretty measured but he ain't no liberal. Not in the real world. Ellis Henican writes for Newsday, so does that mean MSNBC gets credit for the people who appear that write for the Washington Post or The Weekly Standard or National Review?

You see what I mean? This is silly. If I wanted to take the time I could list plenty of them but it's a silly issue to me. You're not being the least bit objective. The cable news shows ask people to come on, they almost always come on and all the networks have all sorts of different 'contributors'. This particular myth about MSNBC comes straight from the talk radio crap.

I think Bill-O runs his ship pretty well and believe it or not, I think he holds a high ground over the farce that is Olbermann. Beck being critical of Republicans means nothing, Republicans aren't conservative half the time, they parrot the message to get the vote. Then they go and spend, spend, spend like their hair is on fire. Criticizing Reps has nothing to do with this. It's about conservative/liberal.

Rachel Maddow has gone after Dems before, because she is a true liberal.
If you can understand what I just said, then we can find common ground here.

Cavuto is a harcore conservative!!! Bush was anything but, with regard to fiscal policy. This is evidence of what, exactly? That Cavuto actually is a conservative? Uh, yeah.

Who cares what the slogan is?
So you don't care about truth in advertising? Honesty?
Wow, that's disappointing.

As for that Fox panel show, I watch it often. It's actually a pretty decent barometer of where (generally speaking) some of the more sober conservative opinion is at the moment. And occasionally Juan Williams will be on it. And because Mara works for NPR, that automatically makes her a liberal? Uh, no.
Their opinions tell you more than their place of employment.

I saw it just the other day. Barnes Hayes Kondracke Krauthammer Baier.
That's 3 died-in-the-wool conservatives, a moderate conservative and the host, who I would assume because he ascended to Brit Hume's throne, follows the line. Brit Hume is a bigtime admitted Jesus conservative. I don't know that for sure about Baier but I would assume. He's a Catholic from the South. I mean, c'mon.

You could argue that's all 5.

We aren't going to agree, so I'll move on.
 
Think Progress

Maryland GOP group: ‘Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common.’

Today, former TP member Judd Legum reports that the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County, “one of Maryland’s most prominent Republican organizations,” has launched a vicious attack on President Obama. Featured prominently on the front page of the group’s website is a letter from RWAAC President Joyce E. Thoman, who explicitly equates Obama with Hitler:

Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common in my view. Obama and Hitler use the “blitzkrieg” method to overwhelm their enemies. FAST, CARPET BOMBING intent on destruction. Hitler’s blitzkrieg bombing destroyed many European cities – quickly and effectively. Obama is systematically destroying the American economy and with it AMERICA. First the banking/investment industry, next private enterprise (GM and Chrysler) and now HEALTH CARE. And he is working on grabbing more of the American economy with his environmental extremism!

We too CAN fight back. Contact everyone you know. Start a blitzkrieg of our own. Shut down the Capitol switchboards and the White House switchboards! Say NO to the Obamination of Obama Care!
 
" Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common in my view. Obama and Hitler use the blitzkrieg method to overwhelm their enemies. FAST, CARPET BOMBING intent on destruction. Hitler’s blitzkrieg bombing destroyed many European cities – quickly and effectively. Obama is systematically destroying the American economy and with it AMERICA. First the banking/investment industry, next private enterprise (GM and Chrysler) and now HEALTH CARE. And he is working on grabbing more of the American economy with his environmental extremism!

We too CAN fight back. Contact everyone you know. Start a blitzkrieg of our own. Shut down the Capitol switchboards and the White House switchboards! Say NO to the Obamination of Obama Care! "
Churchill was better at this sort of thing, in my view.
 
time.com

Monday, Jun. 29, 2009
The Obamas Find a Church Home — Away from Home
By Amy Sullivan

For the past five months, White House aides and friends of the Obamas have been quietly visiting local churches and vetting the sermons of prospective first ministers in a search for a new — and uncontroversial — church home. Obama has even sampled a few himself, attending services at 19th Street Baptist on the weekend before his inauguration and celebrating Easter at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Now, in an unexpected move, Obama has told White House aides that instead of joining a congregation in Washington, D.C., he will follow in George W. Bush's footsteps and make his primary place of worship Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David.

A number of factors drove the decision — financial, political, personal — but chief among them was the desire to worship without being on display. Obama was reportedly taken aback by the circus stirred up by his visit to 19th Street Baptist in January. Lines started forming three hours before the morning service, and many longtime members were literally left out in the cold as the church filled with outsiders eager to see the new President. Even at St. John's, which is so accustomed to presidential visitors that it is known as the "Church of the Presidents," worshippers couldn't help themselves from snapping photos of Obama on their camera phones as they walked down the aisle past him to take communion.

maybe not..

The White House said Monday that President Barack Obama continues “to look for a church home,” and said a magazine report that he has stopped is erroneous.

White House deputy press secretary Jen Psaki said by e-mail: "The president and first family continue to look for a church home. They have enjoyed worshiping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is best for their family.
 
I honestly dont think Obama believes in god or is religious. I think he just said that he was so he wouldnt upset half of America. I, personally, would have no problem voting for an agnostic or atheist (as I am agnostic myself)... but unfortunately this country puts personal religion as one of the most important traits a president should have.
 
I honestly dont think Obama believes in god or is religious. I think he just said that he was so he wouldnt upset half of America. I, personally, would have no problem voting for an agnostic or atheist (as I am agnostic myself)... but unfortunately this country puts personal religion as one of the most important traits a president should have.
That's a very good point, given his upbringing and the very practical benefits that he touts about faith (a means to an end, rather than an end in itself), it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't accept a lot of Christian doctrine (Jesus literally being the son of God for instance), but saying he is probably a nonbeliever comes across as an attack on his character, which is because of the obscene religious tests which the American public have been conditioned to accept.

For all the rubbish involving Rick Warren at the inauguration, faith based initiatives, and invoking religion in the campaign, he hasn't mixed religion and public policy very much. I'm very pleased with his secularism, which seems considered, and is admirable regardless of his personal beliefs.
 
What do you base this on?

There's no way the combined biases of Ed Shultz, Olbermann, Matthews, Maddow are less apparent than that of Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, Van Susteren...

Again, there are far more liberals on Fox then conservatives on MSNBC. This cannot be disputed.

This is one of my biggest problems with Fox News. Guys like O'Reilly and Hannity spend half their show defending Fox and accusing every other station of being liberal as if fox is in the middle. Most of my conservative friends say that Fox is unbiased and I could not understand this until I saw O'Reilly's tactics of repeatedly telling that he his unbiased. Being liberal, I clearly see fox as being quite conservative, but I don't try and deny that MSNBC is quite liberal. There's nothing wrong with Fox being conservative, and nothing wrong with MSNBC being liberal. Everyone knows that's how it is. I don't know why Fox tries to deny that. In doing so they are just lying and being disrespectful imo.
 
This is one of my biggest problems with Fox News. Guys like O'Reilly and Hannity spend half their show defending Fox and accusing every other station of being liberal as if fox is in the middle. Most of my conservative friends say that Fox is unbiased and I could not understand this until I saw O'Reilly's tactics of repeatedly telling that he his unbiased. Being liberal, I clearly see fox as being quite conservative, but I don't try and deny that MSNBC is quite liberal. There's nothing wrong with Fox being conservative, and nothing wrong with MSNBC being liberal. Everyone knows that's how it is. I don't know why Fox tries to deny that. In doing so they are just lying and being disrespectful imo.



Again, we don’t have MSNBC in Australia so I have no comment on them and I’m happy to accept that they’re exactly the same but from the opposite angle, but agreed there’s nothing wrong with Fox being conservative. I’m all for intelligent conservative opinion. I’d be all for a decent news channel staffed with conservative hosts, if there’s a clear line between news and opinion.
But Fox ain’t it. It’s a terrible news channel, and a dumbed down opinion channel.

Their coverage of Iran as a good recent example – would you actually learn anything from watching Fox, or will you just see show after show, moronic host after moronic host, Kristol after Morris (on repeat – there doesn’t seem to be that many guests for them to choose from?), all just screaming about probably the least important part of the whole story - Obama’s reactions - trying desperately to push something very big and complex through the most narrow of US left v right ongoing fist fights. That’s all just meaningless rubbish and if either MSNBC or CNN are doing the same, they’re definitely just as bad.

I’m not American, so I don’t really care. I also get CNN (International version), BBC and SKY so I’ve got actual, real news channels. But if I were a conservative American, I’d be p*ssed off that this is my voice and my most public representation. Internationally it actually has become a symbol for American stupidity, endlessly mocked and sneered at. And it’s conservative, so by extension, it’s the US conservative voice and opinion that gets continuously laughed out of the room. Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck are your global ambassadors. And you wonder why global polls had Obama scoring something like 98-99% during the election.
 
I used to watch O'Reilly every night until some of the things he said started to set off my bullshit detector. Like calling Geroge Carlin a "far-left comedian". Then i noticed how much he says "fox news leads CNN and MSNBC in the polls by 43543% blah blah blah" and "far-left this and far-left that" and constantly interupting guests. pretty soon i quit watching it and started looking at other sources of news. now i look at his show and think most of it is bullshit. my dad is still hopelessly devoted to the show. :lol:

it's pretty clever how he draws you in and says "oh well we just present both sides and you make up your mind". yeah ok :rolleyes:
the "other side" being constantly interupted and make to look like the wrong side of the issue. and people who exercise their 1st amendment rights are "pinheads".
 
I’m not American, so I don’t really care. I also get CNN (International version), BBC and SKY so I’ve got actual, real news channels. But if I were a conservative American, I’d be p*ssed off that this is my voice and my most public representation. Internationally it actually has become a symbol for American stupidity, endlessly mocked and sneered at. And it’s conservative, so by extension, it’s the US conservative voice and opinion that gets continuously laughed out of the room. Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck are your global ambassadors. And you wonder why global polls had Obama scoring something like 98-99% during the election.
exactly. having been in australia for a few days and also in nz for a bit now, i can definitely understand this. though thankfully, no one's assumed i'm the stereotypical stupid american or anything. but the news is so different, it makes me glad that when i'm home the only thing i'd consider watching anyway is cnn.

having grown up in a household where one parent is democrat and one is republican i certainly know not all republicans are complete idiots, though it can be hard at times to know this when their biggest public representation is fox news.
 
I believe enough in that man's integrity that I don't question his belief in God. I see that as absolutely genuine. I don't think he's "religious" in the way that most in FYM define that-but not every Christian is, despite statements/stereotypes here to the contrary.
 
Gov. Sarah Palin tells mag: I could beat President Obama... in running

By Michael Sheridan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, June 30th 2009, 7:27 PM
Sipkin/News

Gov. Sarah Palin talks of her love for running, and how she could out-run President Obama,

Who would win in a race, Sarah Palin or Barack Obama?

President Obama

Governor Palin


If only all political races could be settled with a simple cross country run.

That's probably what Sarah Palin would want, anyway.

In a recent interview with Runner's World, the governor of Alaska expressed how she'd do in a race against President Obama.

"If [it] were a long race that required a lot of endurance I'd win," she said, boasting that while she may lack the physical strength to take on the President, she could outlast him by sheer will power.

"I betcha I'd have more endurance," she said. "If you ever talk to my old coaches they'd tell you, too. What I lacked in physical strength or skill I made up for in determination and endurance."

Although Palin did admit she likely wouldn't do well against Obama at basketball, the President's chosen sport.

"He towers over me and I wouldn't be complaining about an unfair advantage there," she said. "But maybe I'd do better playing H-O-R-S-E with him than one-on-one," she said.

betcha!
 
I used to watch O'Reilly every night until some of the things he said started to set off my bullshit detector. Like calling Geroge Carlin a "far-left comedian". Then i noticed how much he says "fox news leads CNN and MSNBC in the polls by 43543% blah blah blah" and "far-left this and far-left that" and constantly interupting guests. pretty soon i quit watching it and started looking at other sources of news. now i look at his show and think most of it is bullshit. my dad is still hopelessly devoted to the show. :lol:

it's pretty clever how he draws you in and says "oh well we just present both sides and you make up your mind". yeah ok :rolleyes:
the "other side" being constantly interupted and make to look like the wrong side of the issue. and people who exercise their 1st amendment rights are "pinheads".

I agree with you completely. So many conservatives fall for the "no spin" and "fair and balanced" stuff. It's very frustrating at times trying to talk to republicans (which most of my friends are) about politics because they seriously think they have a fair, normal view of things when they are actually being very conservative.

I used to actually watch the O'Reilly factor for humor last summer up until around the election. That's when I found out that people actually took that man seriously, and I just couldn't believe it... It scares me actually.
 
Obama, I'm sure, has been receiving a lot of pressure not to support an ally of Chavez, Zelaya. But I commend his values, his moral belief, and his superior legal knowledge. While Hillary has been impulsive to condemn the coup ocurred in Honduras, Obama, the smarter person, has been prudent in not condoning a course of action that negates everything democracy stands for.
 
I thought the liberals here would like this:

A Letter to Sarah by Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online

A Letter to Sarah
Stay home and do your job and your homework.

By Jonah Goldberg


Dear Governor Palin,

You’re blowing it.

We haven’t met, but you might remember I was one of the first columnists to tout you for John McCain’s running mate. I cheered you mightily when Senator McCain selected you, and I still believe that you were the smartest choice he could have made given the obstacles before him. I’m also assuming you want to run for president some day.

There’s a reason why the Left and much of the media establishment hated you from day one. Some hated you out of the fear that you might stop Barack Obama’s unfolding coronation. Others because you seemed to expose the snobbery, arrogance, and ideological pieties of elite feminism. Your beauty, your status as a working mom, your blue-collar husband, your bravery in taking on the political establishment in Alaska, your proud status as a pro-lifer and mother of a special-needs child: All of these things were — and are — deeply threatening to a secular left-wing cultural elite.

All of this was an incredible compliment. Powerful people don’t fear the powerless. Remember how Mike Huckabee borrowed that Air Force maxim when he got grief during the primaries? “If you’re not taking flak, you’re not over the target.” Well, you were over the target.

But not anymore. Oh, you’re still taking flak, but not because you strike fear in the hearts of Democrats. You’re taking flak because you’re striking fear in the hearts of Republicans. For Democrats, fairly or not, you’ve become a laughingstock. And for some of McCain’s campaign managers, you’ve become a convenient excuse for their failures.

But while McCain’s strategists do not cover themselves in glory for scapegoating you, you are not without blame either. You do seem to think the best advice is for you to stay just the way you are. Leaders listen to the advice they don’t necessarily want to hear.

For starters, every time I see you on TV, you’re whining about unfair press coverage. Don’t get me wrong: Much of it is unfair, and some of it deserves a response. But it’s not presidential. It’s not even gubernatorial. You are constantly taking the bait, taking up the fights your biggest fans want you to take up.

But here’s the thing: Don’t listen to your biggest fans. Don’t alienate them either, but don’t think that because the Palin4Pres crowd cheers, you’re making progress. Politics is ultimately about persuasion, and you seem entirely uninterested in that, preferring instead to play the victim. Well, victims don’t get elected president. Ronald Reagan was a laughingstock for liberals and despised by the press. But he didn’t whine or take the bait.

Second, peddling a few platitudes and truisms about free markets and limited government is no substitute for really knowing what you’re talking about. Yes, you can talk well about the stuff you know — oil drilling, energy, etc. — but beyond your comfort zone, you fall back on bumper-sticker language that sounds fine to the people who already agree with you but is useless in winning over skeptics.

President Bush had the same problem you do, which is why there’s a hunger for Republicans who can effectively articulate and sell our policies and philosophy. That’s why the wonks have the upper hand. Mitt Romney, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and other hands-on types are what the party wants and, frankly, needs.

Here’s the good news: You have time. Here’s the better news: You have something no one else in the party has — charisma. And I don’t mean you have the most charisma like it’s a consolation prize for not being elected prom queen. If money could buy what you have, Romney would have bought it all by now. Good politicians can learn how to win over audiences, but the great ones are born with the ability. Reagan had it. Clinton had it. Obama has it. You have it. You are the “It Girl” of the GOP.

What you lack, you can learn. If knowing how to describe the situation in Pakistan or explain the “doughnut hole” in health-care coverage was all you needed to get elected, an intern with a subscription to The Economist could be president.

So here’s my advice. Stay home and do your job and your homework. You’ll still be a national figure come the primaries. But if you can’t surprise your detractors with your grasp of policy when you re-emerge on the national stage, you won’t win the nomination. More important, you won’t deserve to.
 
Well he's half right... That's probably the most intelligent response to Palin that I've seen from a conservative. Maybe there's hope for some of you yet...:wink:
 
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