NY Times Profiles Nut-Job Who Is Behind Obama Attacks

The rather pleasant looking guy on the left is Andy Martin, and, despite his smile, he is a definite nut-job. He is also the person who started the "Obama is a Muslim" smear that right-wingers love to pass around in email messages. The New York Times profiled him in an article that is dated October 12, 2008. This is from the article:

He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of “moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.”

He is a filer of frivolous lawsuits, in fact, he was profiled by the CBS News show "48 Hours". This is from the article:

The CBS News program “48 Hours” in 1993 devoted an hour long program to what it called his prolific filing of frivolous lawsuits. He has filed so many lawsuits that a judge barred him from doing so in any federal court without preliminary approval.

Mr. Martin came to the attention of the Times when Fox News had him as a guest on a supposed "documentary". The article points out that many of the anti-Obama rumors on the Internet go back to Martin and an article that he wrote back in 2004. Of course, Fox News and its bloviators like Sean Hannity don't tell their viewers about Mr. Martin's background. If you know anyone who has sent you anti-Obama emails, you might want to send a link to the Times article to them.

Fox News Won't Invite Ron Paul to Televised Debate

Just in case you thought that Fox News only screws over Democrats, check this out: Fox News is sponsoring a debate right before the New Hampshire primary. It didn't invite Ron Paul, but did invite Fred Thompson. The kicker? Ron Paul is polling ahead of Fred Thompson in New Hampshire. So why isn't the Fox letting Ron into its henhouse?

Paul told the Boston Globe that it was because they support the war, he opposes it, and they are "scared" of him. We think that it is more likely that Fox News is ticked off at Paul because he isn't afraid to criticize Bubble-Boy Bush.

Fox News isn't so much pro-Republican as it is pro-corporation, which usually, but not always translates into being pro-Republican. Our guess is that they aren't real happy about Mike Huckabee either, since he is running a populist campaign that talks about policies that helps working class families as opposed to helping corporations. Fox News, as the official network of the obscenely wealthy, isn't going to get on that bandwagon.

The New Hampshire Republican Party has called on Fox News to allow Ron Paul into the debate. It will be interesting to see if Faux News relents or decides to say screw it and drop all pretense of being a legitimate news organization.

News Corporation to Sell WJW in Cleveland

News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, is divesting itself of eight television stations across the United States, including WJW, Channel 8, in Cleveland. This divesture is being reported by MediaPost Publications in a story posted online and dated Monday, December 24, 2007. It will be interesting to see if the Republican/conservative bias that some observers have noted in Fox News reports will be eliminated from WJW news reports. It will also be interesting to see if WJW remains part of the Fox Broadcasting system, although, given that Fox Sports broadcasts NFL football games, it would be likely that WJW would remain part of Fox Broadcasting under its proposed new ownership.

Fox News Tries to Stir Up Controversy Over Obama Not Wearing a Lapel Flag Pin

This has got to be, even for Fox News, just a stupid move. Imagine trying to stir up a controversy over Obama's not wearing a flag pin on his lapel. Now, we understand why Fox News is trying to do this. Part of the radical right's campaign against Democrats is to try and make them appear elitist and out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. It is part of the whole social populism thing that conservatives have been doing since 1968. They try to make themselves look like ordinary people so that ordinary people won't realize how bad they are getting screwed over by conservative ideology.

Think about it, though: how many people do you see wear a flag pin during the day? Does your barber, hair stylist, attorney, accountant, sales clerk at the mall, do any of them wear flag pins at work? What Obama should say to the media is that "if you are concerned about whether I wear a flag pin with all the problems this country has, then you are just idiots." Of course, come to think of it, most of them are idiots.

Gingrich Tells Young Conservatives that "War on Terror is Phony and We are losing."

Listen to what Newt Gingrich told the Young America's Foundation National Conservative Student Conference:

"Republican political doctrine has been a failure. Look at New Orleans. How can you say that was a success? Look at Baghdad ... We've been in charge for six years and I don't think you can look around and say that was a great success."

"We have got to get beyond this political bologna. I'm not allowed to say anything positive about Hillary Clinton because then I'm not a loyal Republican, and she's not allowed to say anything positive about me because then she's not a loyal Democrat. What a stupid way to run a country."

"How can we tolerate systems more likely to send young Americans to prison than college? Republicans have this maniacally dumb idea of red versus blue. They say Detroit is a blue place, so we're not going to go there."

Then there was this tidbit for the young conservatives regarding Bubble-Boy's "War on Terror":

"None of you should believe we are winning this war. We are in a phony war ... we have not been taking this seriously."

You can read the Salon Magazine story about Gingrich's appearance and the reaction to it by clicking here. Wonder what Fox News will do with this?

How Will Fox Spin This? Obama Up Over the Political Transvestite

According to this story, Obama is now leading Rudy Guiliani by six points and is also leading former Senator Fred Thompson by six. Obama also leads Giuliani in the poll when the questions are asked about whether the person being polled will definitely vote for or definitely vote against a candidate. Here is a quote from the article:

A separate survey found that 29% of voters say they will definitely vote for Obama if he is on the ballot in 2008. Thirty-seven percent (37%) will definitely vote against him. Twenty-five percent (25%) will definitely vote for Thompson while 34% will definitely vote against. The numbers for Giuliani are 22% for and 39% against.

So how will Fox spin this? Identify Obama as a Republican? Call him Osama? Run a report identifying him as a radical? With Fox anything is possible. Their motto should be "We distort and we decide."

No, This is Not a Parody: Ann Coulter Attacks Hilton Judge

The judge who sentenced Paris Hilton back to jail is attacked by Ann Coulter. Of course, that makes sense. After all, products of upper class homes have to stick together. Ann can identify with Paris and that's why she thinks she shouldn't be in jail. Some poor woman, though, facing a jail sentence wouldn't get a second's thought from the right-wing's own "Queen of Mean."

Pew Research Report: Fox News Viewers Not Well Informed

If you click on the link in this entry's title, you can read a report that appeared on Editor & Publisher's website about a recent report on news consumers released by the Pew Center for the Study of the People and the Press. According to the article, "Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report".
The report goes to note that: "Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News. Only 1 in 3 could answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly. Fox topped only network morning show viewers."

When Democratic candidates are asked why they won't appear on Fox News, they should cite to this report. The role of a news organization is to inform its users. Clearly Fox News is not fulfilling its role. Why? Because it cares more about pushing Republican talking points than informing its viewers. No Democrat should be heistant about pointing out this failure and using such a failure as a reason not to appear on Fox News programs.

L.A. Times Ron Brownstein on Dems & Fox News

Brownstein wrote a interesting column in Monday's L.A.Times about the Democrats and Fox News. He said that Democrats were right not to give it legitimacy, but also suggested that Dems need to do with Fox News what Republicans do with other media: both throw stones at it and use it to get out your message. He pointed to the Clinton interview with Chris Wallace last fall as one way to accomplish that goal. You can read the column by clicking on the link in this entry's title and we recommend that you do so. We think you will find the article very interesting.

Nevada Dems Cancel Fox Debate After Ailes "Jokes" About Obama and bin Laden

The Nevada Democratic Party has pulled out of the debate it was going to hold in August with Fox News. The reason given was the fact that Roger Ailes, the former Republican operative who runs Fox News, made jokes at a speech he gave about Obama when he compared Obama to bin Laden. The real reason, however, might have been the pressure that liberal organizations such as Move On were putting on for the Nevada debate to be canceled. (If you click on this entry's title you can read an article in Politico about the cancellation of the Nevada debate.)

This move will probably draw some criticism from the news media which has a vested interest in making sure that politicians give them access. It is, however, a very smart thing. Fox News is not a legitimate news organization. It is a propaganda machine for the Republican Party. Democrats, by appearing on its programs, are giving it a credibility that it certainly doesn't deserve.

Boycotting Fox News is something that Democrats should have done a long time ago. They should throw their reporters off the press planes, bar them from Democratic events, refuse to return their phone calls, and stop co-operating with them. Would other news organizations criticize them? Sure, but they would get the message that the Democratic Party is not going to co-operate with any news organization in its own destruction.

A Website Devoted to Attacking Fox News

If you click on the link in this entry's title, you will go to www.foxattacks.com where you can watch a video on how Fox News has presented news about Sen. Barack Obama. It is fascinating. It also gives you tips on how to fight back against Fox News.

Is Obama Putting Fox News in the Freezer?

According to the article linked to in this entry's title, Barack Obama has put Fox News in the freezer. While he has given interviews to CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, he has not given an interview to Fox News since commentators from Fox News claimed that he had attended an Islamist school. This report, which was thoroughly debunked by CNN, was picked up various right-wing outlets.

In the article there is a quote from an Fox News reporter who whines about Fox's reporters being punished for commentary by Fox analysts. Well, boo-hoo. If Obama is putting Fox in the freezer, good for him. Democratic candidates don't need Fox News to get their message out. If Fox News wants to be the official network of the Republican Party, that's fine, but don't whine when Democrats refuse to co-operate with Fox's reporters.