In Cuyahoga, Ohio's largest county, 16,000 Republicans switched parties for the primary last month. Several did so in bad faith, without truly changing parties, according to newspaper interviews and Internet postings. The Cuyahoga Board of Elections recently voted to investigate the matter; a report is expected on March 31.Bill O'Reilly commented on what Rush was doing, on his radio show, his tv show, and the Brit Hume election coverage show. All the political experts know that Rush Limbaugh did it because he thinks Hillary will be easier to beat than Obama, as all the polls show. But O'Reilly downplayed it, and labeled it a simple "sabotage play" and not only did not condemn it as electioneering, or speak out against it, O'Reilly told Brit Hume that he found it amusing.
Despite the massive crossover voting, however, prosecutions are considered unlikely. A spokesperson for Ohio's Attorney General told Alternet that it is "very hard to prosecute" crossover voting cases, since the crime depends on proving a voter's motive on Election Day.
Limbaugh's motives, however, have been perfectly clear from the start. "I'm asking people to cross over, and if they can stomach it and I know it's a difficult thing to do, vote for Clinton," Limbaugh said before the Ohio primary. The goal, he explained, was to ensure Barack Obama was "bloodied up politically" and to extend the Democratic primary "soap opera."
MARIA BARTIROMO: So what about the top marginal rate for ordinary income? Who ought to pay more and who should pay less?Obama's website states that he "will create a new 'Making Work Pay' tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family." Obama will overhaul the tax code to lower taxes for the lower and middle class, and make it so most Americans can file their taxes in five minutes. The tax relief plan he envisions for the middle class alone would mean $80 billion or more in TAX CUTS.
OBAMA: Well, you know, what I've said is that we should go back to probably a top marginal rate of 39 percent -- what it was before the Bush tax cuts. So I would roll back those Bush tax cuts, I would not increase taxes for middle class Americans and in fact I want to provide a tax cut for people who are making $75,000 a year or less.
For those folks, I want an offset on the payroll tax that would be worth as much as $1,000 for a family. Senior citizens who are bringing in less than $50,000 a year in income, I don't want them to have to pay income tax on their Social Security.
And as part of my overall approach to housing, I actually want to provide an additional 10 percent mortgage deduction, a credit, mortgage interest credit, for those who currently don't itemize.
If you own a $100,000 house and you're making 65, $75,000 a year, you're not getting that same deduction. I think that they deserve a break as well. That will actually help relieve some of the pressure on homeowners.
Wal-Mart Plans to Take Money from Brain-Damaged WomanThis is a story that needs to be reported, yet Billy has never said one word about it. If O'Reilly really cared about the little guy he would report this story, and ask everyone to boycott Wal-Mart until they give the woman her money back.
Debbie Shank is a brain-damaged woman from Jackson, Missouri, who used to work for Wal-Mart.
In May of 2000, Debbie's minivan was struck by a semi-truck and her brain received the brunt of the trauma. She now lives in a nursing home. Debbie was covered by Wal-Mart's Health and Benefits Plan but after she settled with the trucking company that hit her, Wal-Mart sued her to get back the $417,000 it had paid out for her care.
What neither Debbie nor her husband, Jim Shank, noticed was a tiny clause in the health plan's paperwork that said if Debbie settles with a third party for damages, which she did, Wal-Mart has a right to recoup the money it spent on her care.
All that's left in the fund set aside to care for Debbie right now is $277,000 and she needs every penny of it. Her husband is working two jobs to care for her. She can't function on her own and, because he has to work, he can't always care for her at home. He even divorced her so she could get more money from Medicaid.
It gets worse. After they lost their first appeal in Missouri, their 18-year-old son was killed in Iraq. Debbie attended the funeral but because of her injuries, she doesn't remember being there or even remember that her son is dead. She still asks for him, and She does not understand why she lives in a nursing home.
Bill and Joel,O'Reilly Calls Liberal Bloggers Anti-American Fascists
"Oh, Bill, I just watched your segment, and talk about weak!
"Please, please, call me so we can discuss the issue.
"You tell your audience that I'm a Wright apologist, but you don't even bother to tell your audience what I even said on the issue. Dude, that's Journalism 101. You offer no facts, no analysis, just a weak opinion. You paraphrased me saying that I didn't think the issue is no big deal. WRONG. Then you, and Bernard Goldberg, go on to state some of the "crazy" things, as Bernie said, that Wright has said.
"Did you bother to even see that I said ON CNN that what he said about the AIDS issue is flat out wrong? And what he said about the government injecting blacks with syphilis was wrong? BUT it is correct that the federal government allowed black men to go untreated. It is known as the Tuskegee Experiment, something President Bill Clinton apologized for.
"If you want to tell your audience that I'm an apologist, do me the favor and say what I said, as opposed to show a photo of me and offer no facts whatsoever.
"Oh by the way, Bill, Bernie noticed that I'm a black guy and then decided to go on and discuss white liberals.
"Please, ask me if I'm a conservative or a liberal. Be upfront and ask me. Even you would be shocked by the answer.
"Again, just in case you actually want to have a conversation that is fact-based, call me at 4XX-XXX-XXXX.
"For someone who has done your show eight to 10 times, and who has actually defended you from the folks who think you are to the right of Hitler, I'm terribly disappointed that you was so weak with the facts. Had you worked under me at the three papers I've run, as well as website and radio station newsroom, you would have gotten verbally smacked down for such weak journalism.
"Call me. I'll be happy to chat with you."
See, a real debater would pick up the phone and accept the challenge. Let's see if Mr. No Spin Zone is really interested in the facts.
O'REILLY: But Barack Obama -- and I don't believe this to be true, I could be wrong -- he doesn't have anything to do with what Media Matters or the DailyKos or any of these people do. I want everybody to be clear about this. None of the candidates can control the kind of filth and -- talk about anti-Americanism, I mean these Media Matters --Reality check: Basically O'Reilly calls anyone who disagrees with him politically Anti-American Facists. And the reason they speak out is they love their country, we love America, that's why we report on the lies and the corruption by O'Reilly, Bush, Cheney, etc. All those liberals do is report on the corruption and illegal activity by O'Reilly, the Bush Administration, and the Republican party.
INGRAHAM: Yeah, it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable --
O'REILLY: Huffington Post, DailyKos, I mean, these are fascists. They're dishonest people.
1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism: Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.Read the other 11 here:
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4.) Supremacy of the Military: Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5.) Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
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Two Fox News anchors Chris Wallace and Brian Kilmeade are speaking out -- and one walked off the set -- over the "Obama-bashing" on their network. Hey Billy, when two of your own people think your network is doing too much Obama bashing you have a serious problem, so when are you going to report this. |
Hey listen, I love you guys but I want to take you to task if I may, respectfully, for a moment. I have been watching the show since 6:00 this morning when I got up, and it seems to me that two hours of Obama bashing on this typical white person remark is somewhat excessive and frankly I think you're somewhat distorting what Obama had to say.Wallace -- who said that the issue "was a little more complicated than we've been portraying" -- went on to chastise his very uncomfortable-looking colleagues for the next five minutes.
Far be it for me to be a spokesman for the Obama campaign, and I will tell you that they would laugh at that characterization, but you know, the fact is that after giving a speech on race earlier this week, on Tuesday, he gave a major speech on Iraq on Wednesday and a major speech on the economy yesterday. And so, I think they would say that in terms of deflecting attention away from the issues people really want to hear about, maybe it's the media doing it, not Barack Obama."I appreciate you respecting us enough to say it on camera as opposed to writing an email," said Kilmeade sarcastically after hearing Wallace's criticism.
We appreciate Chris Wallace for doing his job as a tough but fair journalist on a network that has been deeply irresponsible over the last week in its unrelenting and sensationalistic coverage of Senator Obama.FOX News Ignoring Obama Passport File Breach Story
Senator Obama gave the speech he did on Tuesday because he believes that Americans are ready for a thoughtful, mature discussion about race, and are hungry to move past media-generated controversies that distract from the struggles they face in their everyday lives.
If Fox News wants to play clips of the same offensive sound bites every day from now until November, that's their right, but that type of coverage does a disservice to their viewers and to a nation that is facing serious challenges that merit thoughtful and honest reporting.
Please note that all comments are moderated and therefore may not appear immediately after submission.So those comments were acceptable?
In a press conference, John McCain misspoke and immediately corrected himself by stating that Iran is in fact supporting radical Islamic extremists in Iraq, not Al Qaeda -- as the transcript shows.The fact that McCain made identical remarks on Hugh Hewitt's radio show as well makes it clear McCain did not simply misspeak. What's more, McCain corrected himself only after Sen. Joe Lieberman "stepped forward and whispered in the presidential candidate's ear."
O'REILLY: "Likewise, the nightly network news programs have downplayed the situation. On Friday, ABC News ignored it and NBC News gave it 20 seconds."What he dont tell you is that ABC News reported it on thursday morning on Good Morning America. And MSNBC has been reporting it almost as much as FOX has.
Had the "O'Reilly Factor" not broken the story last Thursday night, it would have likely died which is exactly what the leftist media wants.
HANNITY: We broke this story. I know everyone's taking credit for it now. Won't this put him in the category of being seen by the American people as your average politician, spinning like a top, and that this is done to save and salvage his campaign, and it's being done for political expediency.They are both liars, neither one of them broke the story, and I wonder if Billy knows that Hannity also claims he broke the story. I do know one thing, only right-wing idiots would fight over who broke the story, especially when neither one of them broke it.
Former Bush political adviser Karl Rove recently confirmed that he has made a financial contribution to John McCain's presidential campaign. On March 8, the Politico reported that Rove is "now informally advising" the McCain campaign. But Bill O'Reilly and FOX News don't want you to know it.O'Reilly demands full disclosure from everyone else, when he don't do it himself. At CNN when Paul Begala and James Carville reported they were advising the Clinton campaign, CNN took them off the air, and they are only allowed on if there is an Obama spokesman on with them.
Since the Politico story, Rove has made four appearances on Fox News primetime in his official capacity as a political contributor to discuss the 2008 presidential elections. In the 2 factor appearances, he has praised McCain and attacked Barack Obama -- without being identified as a McCain adviser.
Despite discussing how John McCain should run against Barack Obama if he is the Democratic nominee, neither Karl Rove nor Bill O'Reilly addressed Rove's role in "informally advising" McCain's campaign. Further, Rove did not disclose that he has given $2,300 to McCain's campaign.
In the Politico article, David Paul Kuhn reported that Rove "gave money to McCain and soon after had a private conversation with the senator," adding: "A top McCain adviser said both [former Bush campaign manager] Ken Mehlman and Rove are now informally advising the campaign. Rove has not addressed these issues in repeated appearances on Fox News, and refused to detail his conversation with John McCain."
Black: What Sen. McCain has said repeatedly, is that these candidates cannot be held accountable for all the views of people who endorse them, or people who befriend them. And fortunately, I heard you report earlier that Sen. Obama has repudiated these very unusual views. But what John McCain believes is that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton should be held accountable for their public policy views. The things we've described before. Big government vs. small government.Scarborough: So this isn't an issue for John McCain.
Black: I don't think Sen. McCain wants to get in the middle of a discussion about Sen. Obama's former pastor, or his faith. He believes that people who endorse you, people who befriend you, are entitled to their own views, but you are not personally held accountable. That when someone endorses you or befriends you, they are embracing your views - the candidate's views - not the other way around.I agree with Charlie Black, nobody can be held accountable for what someone else says. And yet O'Reilly and the Republican smear machine still continue to link the comments to Obama, and O'Reilly plans to talk about it more tonight. I just want to know when O'Reilly is going to actually be fair and balanced and talk about Pastor John Hagee. Answer: Never.
The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West....a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.More quotes from John Hagee:
"Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews." - Jerusalem Countdown (revised edition, 2007, p. 114)O'Reilly claims that he is a non-partisan Independent who will be fair to both sides. Yet he ignores every negative story there is about John McCain. John Hagee is a right-wing nut who wants the USA and Israel to blow Iran off the map because God told him to. And he thinks if we do that Christ will be re-born. This guy is 100 times more scary and dangerous than Farrakhan, yet O'Reilly don't say a word about him because he endorsed John McCain.
"Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God." - keynote address to AIPAC, (March 12, 2007)
You will either offend the world and please God, or please the world and offend God." - Faith under Fire broadcast, (September 12, 2005)
"If you live your life and don't confess your sins to God Almighty through the authority of Christ and His blood, I'm going to say this very plainly, you're going straight to hell with a nonstop ticket." (October, 2006)
"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that."
"The most important thing to the Christian community is not the environment but evangelism." "The Fish Gate" (9/2/07)
"Christians don't steal or lie, they don't get divorced or have abortions. If the Ten Commandments were followed by everyone we would be able to fire half the police force and in six months the prisons would be all half empty." ("The Fish Gate" 9/2/07)
O'REILLY: And then there's the press. A study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs says that from December 16 to February 19, an astounding -- are you ready for this? -- 84 percent of network news reports on Barack Obama were favorable. Eighty-four percent. And Hillary Clinton, the number was 53 percent. Very high, favorable.NOTE: O'Reilly has the date of the study wrong, he claims it ran from December 16 to February 19. That is wrong, the study ran from December 16, 2007 through January 27, 2008. O'Reilly also has the percentage for Hillary wrong, it's 51%, not 53%, so he cant even get the dates or percentages right.
Once again, "Talking Points" is on the case. You'll get no spin here, despite all the madness.
Sen. Barack Obama has led the race for good press and Sen. Hillary Clinton has lagged the farthest behind. From Dec 16 through Jan 27 five out of six on-air evaluations of Obama (84%) have been favorable, compared to a bare majority (51%) of evaluations of Mrs. Clinton.What O'Reilly dont tell you is that in the same study John McCain has 73% positive press coverage. So it's ridiculous for O'Reilly to claim the media is in the tank for Obama when McCain is getting 73% positive press coverage, which is only 11% lower than Obama.
These results are from CMPA's 2008 ElectionNewsWatch Project. They are based on a scientific content analysis of 765 election news stories (22 hours 15 minutes of airtime) that aired on the flagship evening news shows on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX (the first 30 minutes of (Special Report with Brit Hume) from December 16, 2007 through January 27, 2008.The study is flawed, because they only did an analysis of one show on FOX, and only used the first 30 minutes of that one show. When all the bias is in the last 30 minutes, and most of the bias on FOX is on all their other shows.
Perhaps surprisingly, coverage of the candidates on Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Brit Hume" was very similar to that of the broadcast networks. FOX's coverage of Hillary Clinton was evenly balanced - 50% positive and 50% negative comments, compared to 51% positive and 49% negative on the "big three" networks.Which is a total joke, and laughable. Because their analysis was only for one show on FOX. They ignored the other 99% of the network, and the last 30 minutes of Brit Hume, which is where all the bias is. They cherry picked the first 30 minutes of one show, then they claim it shows FOX coverage was the same as the broadcast networks. That is just insane, and anyone who cites this flawed study is a right-wing moron.
Overall the presidential field has received more good than bad press - 62% combined positive comments on the Democrats and 58% positive about the Republicans. The broadcast networks and FOX both treated the Democrats slightly better than the Republicans, but FOX's coverage was more negative toward candidates of both parties -- only 53% favorable evaluations of all candidates combined vs. 63% favorable evaluations by the other networks.It shows the Democrats had 62% positive comments, and the Republicans had 58% positive comments. That's a 4 point difference, a virtual tie. Yet O'Reilly claims the liberal media is helping Obama with all the positive coverage. When overall it's only a 4 point difference from Democrat to Republican.