I just read a article on fox about her....I joke and say she's hot and as far as most female politicians go she ain't so bad..but the bottom line is if we voted today I could not vote for her (gut feeling), it's like the Godfather movie when Michael says "I need a war time congsiadi"(spelling ?) I don't think war is always the answer but if it is present while she was president I think we would be in a world of poo poo as far as her policy's and political views go I don't know anything about hers,as I said lots of home work.
Godfather.
interesting, so would you vote for her or obama??
neither at this point, odd question why do you ask that ? I have never made it secrete that I did not vote for obama and will not either so why the one or other decision?
Godfather.
yeah your right sorry, let me rephrase that, out of these two, who would you trust to lead the country in a time of crises, and for arguments sake we will just say that these are your only two options
NO matter what you think of her as a political leader...she is a master at using the media and manipulating the media in order to gain exposure.
She's also very good at using her face time to appeal to Joe Public in a lot of ways. I know many think she is stupid but either she is or whoever is running the show is absolutely brilliant in this regard.
she manipulates the media because the media pays attention to her. the media goes where the ratings are.
why would anyone want a stupid leader after 8 years of w?
no she is actually pretty stupid...
and with her kids posting that stuff on twitter or facebook or whatever and her home life a trainwreck, how can she be a serious contender at all? imagine what would have happened if malia and sasha obama called people "faggots" on facebook posts during the campaign...
she quit as governor and that in my opinion makes her unelectable.
Never said she was electable as President. Just said she is currently the political personality that is best using the media to her advantage.
As for your comments about facebook, etc...maybe we'd start to see that politicians are just people too and not hold them accountable for what there kid says a few times on a webpage. Fairly certain my parents would have be unelectable if everything I said or did weighed into the subject matter. I must be getting old.
sb that's a tough one I don't know that Palin would be better or worse than obama.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
sb that's a tough one I don't know that Palin would be better or worse than obama.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
Godfather.
well it's good to see some one showing some critical thought on the matter and not just buying party lines of obama is amazing or obama is shite, i am now alot more understanding of your opinion... i think what too many people do is think one is right and the other is wrong, when in reality both have good ideas and both have shocking ideas. i would be fairly liberal however i would be neither left nor right wing, and even in classifying my self as liberal i do agree or respect some conservatives and disagree with some liberals
sb that's a tough one I don't know that Palin would be better or worse than obama.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
Godfather.
well it's good to see some one showing some critical thought on the matter and not just buying party lines of obama is amazing or obama is shite, i am now alot more understanding of your opinion... i think what too many people do is think one is right and the other is wrong, when in reality both have good ideas and both have shocking ideas. i would be fairly liberal however i would be neither left nor right wing, and even in classifying my self as liberal i do agree or respect some conservatives and disagree with some liberals
I absolutely expected a drop in the ratings for her show but just NOT this much. BTW, who the hell finds a show like this about this family interesting over a long period of time. There's not enough drama, A Moving Train has more drama than that show.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
I absolutely expected a drop in the ratings for her show but just NOT this much. BTW, who the hell finds a show like this about this family interesting over a long period of time. There's not enough drama, A Moving Train has more drama than that show.
Peace
i expected a drop too, but not a 2 million viewer drop....maybe people realized they can not stand to listen to her talk for an hour?
that is why it is funny to me.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
g under p
Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
Show had 3.2 million viewers per week. She was coming under fire for wildlife exploits, is that the main reason. Anyway BYE BYE Sarah never thought the show would last.
Sunday's season finale of Sarah Palin's Alaska is said to be the show's last episode, Entertainment Weekly reports.
The former Alaska governor's TLC reality series -- which premiered Nov. 14 -- averaged 3.2 million viewers per week, with its first episode delivering the network's best-ever launch ratings.
Coming under fire for her wildlife exploits, including caribou hunting and fishing too close to bears, Palin's Alaska also showcased the politician's children and husband, Todd.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
sb that's a tough one I don't know that Palin would be better or worse than obama.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
Godfather.
well it's good to see some one showing some critical thought on the matter and not just buying party lines of obama is amazing or obama is shite, i am now alot more understanding of your opinion... i think what too many people do is think one is right and the other is wrong, when in reality both have good ideas and both have shocking ideas. i would be fairly liberal however i would be neither left nor right wing, and even in classifying my self as liberal i do agree or respect some conservatives and disagree with some liberals
People are shades of gray. As soon as people start realizing that the world will be a better place. I too have a hard time understanding people who "hate the damn liberals" or the "right wing-nuts". The us vs. them mentality has worn me out on politics and the event in Arizona was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm done talking politics, even though I don't do it much here. When people are set in their opinions they almost never change their minds and there is way too much hate being spewed about.
sb that's a tough one I don't know that Palin would be better or worse than obama.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
Godfather.
well it's good to see some one showing some critical thought on the matter and not just buying party lines of obama is amazing or obama is shite, i am now alot more understanding of your opinion... i think what too many people do is think one is right and the other is wrong, when in reality both have good ideas and both have shocking ideas. i would be fairly liberal however i would be neither left nor right wing, and even in classifying my self as liberal i do agree or respect some conservatives and disagree with some liberals
People are shades of gray. As soon as people start realizing that the world will be a better place. I too have a hard time understanding people who "hate the damn liberals" or the "right wing-nuts". The us vs. them mentality has worn me out on politics and the event in Arizona was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm done talking politics, even though I don't do it much here. When people are set in their opinions they almost never change their minds and there is way too much hate being spewed about.
i haven't read all 19 pages of this thread but it's great to see people willing to be objective and honest. we'll never agree on everything, but at least this is an open dialogue. the most frustrating part of any debate is when either side resorts to demonizing the opposition and dismissing every argument without thought or consideration... in my opinion.
the fact she gets any attention at all is reflective of the kind of society we live in ... that is infinitely more sadder than anything she could do or say ...
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
this is clearly not living up to her expectations ...
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
Did you not see the speech last night?
Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
Ten thousand sign petition for rightwing talkshow host to be removed amid accusations that he has whipped up hatred in the wake of the Arizona shooting
Ed Pilkington in New York
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13 January 2011
A protest was staged against rightwing talkshow host Glenn Beck today, calling for his immediate removal from Fox News.
The organisers, Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ), a charity that campaigns for social change, delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures.
In the wake of the Tucson shooting, the TV and radio personality has had to defend his record against accusations that he has whipped up hatred within the public discourse.
For a media figure who has been variously lambasted as a liar, buffoon, clown, bigot and racist Beck is no stranger to the vitriol that currently passes in America as public debate. In fact, he's built a multimillion dollar empire out of it.
So the protest rally that was staged outside the News Corporation headquarters in New York today probably troubled him as much as water flowing off a duck's back.
The petition was part of a groundswell of opinion that when it comes to Beck, arguably the most extreme of America's multitude of rightwing talk hosts, enough is now enough.
Amid the billowing criticism, Beck has defended himself by claiming he has "softened" the tone of his monologues over the past couple of years. "Nobody wants to recognise this. Why? Because it hurts their dialogue."
But the evidence belies his claim of moderation. The JFSJ accompanied the petition with a list of 10 of Beck's most egregious comments in 2010 (see below).
They include Beck's radio comment on the financier and philanthropist, George Soros, that "here's a Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps". The remark was made in reference to Soros as a 13-year-old teenager in Hungary, who survived the Holocaust because his father hid their Jewish identity through elaborate forged documents.
The comment was made as part of a three-part Beck "exposé" of Soros on Fox News last November called the "Puppet Master". Beck's portrayal of Soros was so mendacious and malicious that he was accused by the New Yorker of broadcasting tropes that corresponded "uncannily to those of classical antisemitism". The Daily Beast noted that "nothing like it has ever been on American television before".
Simon Greer, JFSJ's president, said that following last Saturday's Tucson shootings, in which a Congresswoman was shot and six people died, it was time for action. "We are not accusing Glenn Beck or Roger Ailes or Rupert Murdoch of pulling the trigger in Tucson, only one man did that. But we are accusing them of playing to the worst in all of us."
He said that over the past 18 months Beck had referred to Hitler and Nazi Germany more than 400 times in his show.
There is no love lost between Soros and the Fox News stable. A month after the Puppet Master was aired, Soros hit back that the combination of Fox News, Beck and the Tea Party movement was a threat to America that might lead "this open society to be on the verge of some dictatorial democracy".
The billionaire has donated $1m to the liberal media research body, Media Matters. The organisation's founder, David Brock, this week wrote to Murdoch calling on him to do something about Beck and Sarah Palin, who also appears on Fox News.
"In the wake of the [Arizona] killings, your network must make a stand," Brock wrote. "You have the power to order them to stop using violent rhetoric. If they fail to do so, it is incumbent on you to fire them or be responsible for the climate they create."
Glenn Beck soundbites
• Beck likens himself to Israeli Nazi hunters: "To the day I die, I am going to be a progressive hunter." 20 January 2010
• Social justice is a "perversion of the Gospel, not what Jesus was saying". 11 March 2010
• "Charles Darwin is the father of the Holocaust." 20 August 2010
• "We have been sold a lie … that the poor in America are suffering." November 20 2010
• Beck mocks President Obama's daughter Malia and questions her "level of education". He later apologises. 28 May 2010
• Uncle Sam is a "child molester" who is "raping our wallets … and destroying our families". 16 April 2010
• Beck said the prime goal of his coverage of the midterm elections was to "make George Soros cry" which was hard to do as Soros "saw people into gas chambers". 2 November 2010
• "Women are psychos". 20 January 2010
• Putting the "common good" first is the kind of thing that "leads to death camps". 28 May 2010
• "God will wash this nation with blood if he has to." 25 August 2010
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
:problem:
Would you say that Gabrielle Giffords' husband and work colleagues are 'Libs'?
And what 'freedoms' are you talking about? The freedom to murder 6 people, including a 9 year old girl?
Obama takes opportunity Palin missed
By: Jonathan Martin
January 13, 2011 04:27 AM EST
In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency in next year.
At sunrise in the East on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest — or capacity — in moving beyond her brand of grievance-based politics. And at sundown in the West, Barack Obama reminded even his critics of his ability to rally disparate Americans around a message of reconciliation.
Palin was defiant, making the case in a taped speech she posted online why the nation’s heated political debate should continue unabated even after Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson. And, seeming to follow her own advice, she swung back at her opponents, deeming the inflammatory notion that she was in any way responsible for the shootings a “blood libel.” (See: Shooting presents 2012 test)
Obama, speaking at a memorial service at the University of Arizona, summoned the country to honor the victims, and especially9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, by treating one another with more respect. “I want America to be as good as Christina imagined it,” he said.
It’s difficult to imagine a starker contrast.
Many Republicans believe that it’s mostly the media that is obsessed with Palin, and that there’s little chance she could win the party’s nomination. (See: Republicans disappointed at Palin)
But if she does manage to, Wednesday illustrated why so many in the GOP fear that it would be disastrous.
The former Alaska governor has a knack for supplying rhetoric that will delight her supporters, send her critics howling and invariably create a frenzy of coverage. But her response suggests she is capable of hitting just that one note.
The production value — from the heavily scripted speech to the American flag just behind her left shoulder — of Palin’s address appeared presidential. With Obama set to speak later in the day, it almost had the feel of a State of the Union response from the opposition. And, in condemning violence, she displayed some flourishes that touched the country’s spirit. (See: Tragedy marks turning point for Palin)
“Yes, our debates are full of passion, but we settle our political differences respectfully at the ballot box — as we did just two months ago, and as our Republic enables us to do again in the next election, and the next,” she said in her first on-camera remarks since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
But for much of the eight-minute talk she was defensive and showed little interest in doing anything other than channeling the understandable resentment of her ideological kinsmen over the blame-casting. And that won’t appeal much to a political center that — even while they may not think Palin is in any way responsible for Tucson — preferred more conciliation even before the jarring attempted assassination of a member of Congress. (See: Palin grabs spotlight with video)
Even on the right, her talk was seen as a missed opportunity.
“The strongest way to rise above would have been to talk about suffering, tragedy, hope, strength and recovery,” said former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer. “Instead, she followed the more conventional political route and made it about herself rather than the victims.”
At a moment when even the famously combative Fox News chief Roger Ailes was saying take it down a notch, his most famous contract employee did just the opposite.
Her timing was especially maddening to some Republicans.
The furious response on the right to the notion that conservatives were somehow responsible for the tragedy had been articulated by respected voices such as George Will and Charles Krauthammer, each of whom wrote compelling columns. A CBS poll released Tuesday night validated their claims, showing that 57 percent of Americans didn’t think that the country’s harsh political tone had played a role in the shooting. Most important though, there was mounting evidence that the gunman was a deeply disturbed young man who was not motivated by any traditional political cause. The left, it was becoming increasingly clear, had overreached before she reignited the issue.
Further, Palin’s pushback served to reinforce the message behind Obama’s speech, providing the president with an opportunity to transcend both the immediate finger-pointing on the left at Palin and other conservatives and her angry denunciation and counterattack. (See: Obama: 'I believe we can be better')
What attracted so many centrist voters to then-candidate Obama in 2008 wasn’t any of his policy prescriptions but rather his pledge to change the conversation in Washington. He hasn’t done it yet and has, at times, not lived up to his own stated desire to bring down the temperature. But his fundamental political worldview is that most Americans prefer conciliation over confrontation.
And, speaking to a capacity basketball arena filled with leaders of both parties and those touched by the tragedy, he appealed to that spirit. (See: Mourning turns to cheers)
“Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together,” implored the president.
The speech was a vivid example of the promise of Obama and a reminder of why, even after so many missteps, he remains a formidable figure. (See: Obama challenges America)
“It was supposed to be simply a chance to make a good speech, but it may be more than that,” said GOP pollster Steve Lombardo after the address. “It may be a time when we look back and say that he re-made himself tonight into the President we thought he could be.”
Krauthammer, one of the president’s sharpest critics, suggested the speech saw Obama find his role as head of state.
“I wouldn’t underestimate how this is going to affect the perception of president,” Krauthammer said on Fox News after the memorial service, comparing what Obama did in Tucson to President Bill Clinton’s speech following the Oklahoma City bombing and President Reagan’s address in the wake of the Challenger explosion.
What few Republicans wanted to say for attribution — but what was manifestly clear — was that Palin had made Obama look even bigger than he was.
Her argument for conflict-oriented politics lent itself as the near-ideal foil for his plea for civility. It was a clear contrast and, for Republicans, a dispiriting one. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47543.html
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
:problem:
Would you say that Gabrielle Giffords' husband and work colleagues are 'Libs'?
And what 'freedoms' are you talking about? The freedom to murder 6 people, including a 9 year old girl?
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
:problem:
Would you say that Gabrielle Giffords' husband and work colleagues are 'Libs'?
And what 'freedoms' are you talking about? The freedom to murder 6 people, including a 9 year old girl?
By the way, the Libs know better than to waste tragedy. They love this stuff. It gives them more ground to use to strip us of the few freedoms we still have.
Hypocrites.
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Proofreading and I should become better friends, I guess
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Comments
yeah your right sorry, let me rephrase that, out of these two, who would you trust to lead the country in a time of crises, and for arguments sake we will just say that these are your only two options
Never said she was electable as President. Just said she is currently the political personality that is best using the media to her advantage.
As for your comments about facebook, etc...maybe we'd start to see that politicians are just people too and not hold them accountable for what there kid says a few times on a webpage. Fairly certain my parents would have be unelectable if everything I said or did weighed into the subject matter. I must be getting old.
also I must apologize for obama bashing,after reading through here I have come to realize that any good that obama may have done or do in the future will not be seen until months or even years after his service as president but also the bad choices he makes may not be seen till then as well just like any president before him,
I made my assumptions on a gut feeling and those were fueled by negative reports from the media so unfortunately we will not know the full scope of his choices for some time...good or bad.
Godfather.
:thumbup:
Godfather.
where did all of the viewers go?
i guess it was only the novelty that made viewers watch...
‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’ ratings drop 40 percent in week two
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket ... n-week-two
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I absolutely expected a drop in the ratings for her show but just NOT this much. BTW, who the hell finds a show like this about this family interesting over a long period of time. There's not enough drama,
A Moving Train has more drama than that show.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
that is why it is funny to me.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4N5wkp ... r_embedded
http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmu...-report-201181
Quote:
Sarah Palin's Alaska Not Renewed: Report
Credit: John Moore/Getty Images
Saturday – January 08, 2011 – 4:28pm
Sunday's season finale of Sarah Palin's Alaska is said to be the show's last episode, Entertainment Weekly reports.
The former Alaska governor's TLC reality series -- which premiered Nov. 14 -- averaged 3.2 million viewers per week, with its first episode delivering the network's best-ever launch ratings.
Coming under fire for her wildlife exploits, including caribou hunting and fishing too close to bears, Palin's Alaska also showcased the politician's children and husband, Todd.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
People are shades of gray. As soon as people start realizing that the world will be a better place. I too have a hard time understanding people who "hate the damn liberals" or the "right wing-nuts". The us vs. them mentality has worn me out on politics and the event in Arizona was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm done talking politics, even though I don't do it much here. When people are set in their opinions they almost never change their minds and there is way too much hate being spewed about.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
i haven't read all 19 pages of this thread but it's great to see people willing to be objective and honest. we'll never agree on everything, but at least this is an open dialogue. the most frustrating part of any debate is when either side resorts to demonizing the opposition and dismissing every argument without thought or consideration... in my opinion.
well done!
What a disgusting fucking human being.
She can find a reason in anything to claim to be a victim.
Well, when MSNBC stops being ridiculous and accusing her of things like this, maybe she won't have cause.
If anyone here even remotely blames her, you are hopelessly beyond help.
Hypocrites.
this is clearly not living up to her expectations ...
I love how, in her speech yesterday, she made no mention of not one victim. But she did say plenty about herself...
That says it all.
Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me
Call for Fox News to drop Glenn Beck
Ten thousand sign petition for rightwing talkshow host to be removed amid accusations that he has whipped up hatred in the wake of the Arizona shooting
Ed Pilkington in New York
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13 January 2011
A protest was staged against rightwing talkshow host Glenn Beck today, calling for his immediate removal from Fox News.
The organisers, Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ), a charity that campaigns for social change, delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures.
In the wake of the Tucson shooting, the TV and radio personality has had to defend his record against accusations that he has whipped up hatred within the public discourse.
For a media figure who has been variously lambasted as a liar, buffoon, clown, bigot and racist Beck is no stranger to the vitriol that currently passes in America as public debate. In fact, he's built a multimillion dollar empire out of it.
So the protest rally that was staged outside the News Corporation headquarters in New York today probably troubled him as much as water flowing off a duck's back.
The petition was part of a groundswell of opinion that when it comes to Beck, arguably the most extreme of America's multitude of rightwing talk hosts, enough is now enough.
Amid the billowing criticism, Beck has defended himself by claiming he has "softened" the tone of his monologues over the past couple of years. "Nobody wants to recognise this. Why? Because it hurts their dialogue."
But the evidence belies his claim of moderation. The JFSJ accompanied the petition with a list of 10 of Beck's most egregious comments in 2010 (see below).
They include Beck's radio comment on the financier and philanthropist, George Soros, that "here's a Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps". The remark was made in reference to Soros as a 13-year-old teenager in Hungary, who survived the Holocaust because his father hid their Jewish identity through elaborate forged documents.
The comment was made as part of a three-part Beck "exposé" of Soros on Fox News last November called the "Puppet Master". Beck's portrayal of Soros was so mendacious and malicious that he was accused by the New Yorker of broadcasting tropes that corresponded "uncannily to those of classical antisemitism". The Daily Beast noted that "nothing like it has ever been on American television before".
Simon Greer, JFSJ's president, said that following last Saturday's Tucson shootings, in which a Congresswoman was shot and six people died, it was time for action. "We are not accusing Glenn Beck or Roger Ailes or Rupert Murdoch of pulling the trigger in Tucson, only one man did that. But we are accusing them of playing to the worst in all of us."
He said that over the past 18 months Beck had referred to Hitler and Nazi Germany more than 400 times in his show.
There is no love lost between Soros and the Fox News stable. A month after the Puppet Master was aired, Soros hit back that the combination of Fox News, Beck and the Tea Party movement was a threat to America that might lead "this open society to be on the verge of some dictatorial democracy".
The billionaire has donated $1m to the liberal media research body, Media Matters. The organisation's founder, David Brock, this week wrote to Murdoch calling on him to do something about Beck and Sarah Palin, who also appears on Fox News.
"In the wake of the [Arizona] killings, your network must make a stand," Brock wrote. "You have the power to order them to stop using violent rhetoric. If they fail to do so, it is incumbent on you to fire them or be responsible for the climate they create."
Glenn Beck soundbites
• Beck likens himself to Israeli Nazi hunters: "To the day I die, I am going to be a progressive hunter." 20 January 2010
• Social justice is a "perversion of the Gospel, not what Jesus was saying". 11 March 2010
• "Charles Darwin is the father of the Holocaust." 20 August 2010
• "We have been sold a lie … that the poor in America are suffering." November 20 2010
• Beck mocks President Obama's daughter Malia and questions her "level of education". He later apologises. 28 May 2010
• Uncle Sam is a "child molester" who is "raping our wallets … and destroying our families". 16 April 2010
• Beck said the prime goal of his coverage of the midterm elections was to "make George Soros cry" which was hard to do as Soros "saw people into gas chambers". 2 November 2010
• "Women are psychos". 20 January 2010
• Putting the "common good" first is the kind of thing that "leads to death camps". 28 May 2010
• "God will wash this nation with blood if he has to." 25 August 2010
:problem:
Would you say that Gabrielle Giffords' husband and work colleagues are 'Libs'?
And what 'freedoms' are you talking about? The freedom to murder 6 people, including a 9 year old girl?
By: Jonathan Martin
January 13, 2011 04:27 AM EST
In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency in next year.
At sunrise in the East on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest — or capacity — in moving beyond her brand of grievance-based politics. And at sundown in the West, Barack Obama reminded even his critics of his ability to rally disparate Americans around a message of reconciliation.
Palin was defiant, making the case in a taped speech she posted online why the nation’s heated political debate should continue unabated even after Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson. And, seeming to follow her own advice, she swung back at her opponents, deeming the inflammatory notion that she was in any way responsible for the shootings a “blood libel.” (See: Shooting presents 2012 test)
Obama, speaking at a memorial service at the University of Arizona, summoned the country to honor the victims, and especially9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, by treating one another with more respect. “I want America to be as good as Christina imagined it,” he said.
It’s difficult to imagine a starker contrast.
Many Republicans believe that it’s mostly the media that is obsessed with Palin, and that there’s little chance she could win the party’s nomination. (See: Republicans disappointed at Palin)
But if she does manage to, Wednesday illustrated why so many in the GOP fear that it would be disastrous.
The former Alaska governor has a knack for supplying rhetoric that will delight her supporters, send her critics howling and invariably create a frenzy of coverage. But her response suggests she is capable of hitting just that one note.
The production value — from the heavily scripted speech to the American flag just behind her left shoulder — of Palin’s address appeared presidential. With Obama set to speak later in the day, it almost had the feel of a State of the Union response from the opposition. And, in condemning violence, she displayed some flourishes that touched the country’s spirit. (See: Tragedy marks turning point for Palin)
“Yes, our debates are full of passion, but we settle our political differences respectfully at the ballot box — as we did just two months ago, and as our Republic enables us to do again in the next election, and the next,” she said in her first on-camera remarks since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
But for much of the eight-minute talk she was defensive and showed little interest in doing anything other than channeling the understandable resentment of her ideological kinsmen over the blame-casting. And that won’t appeal much to a political center that — even while they may not think Palin is in any way responsible for Tucson — preferred more conciliation even before the jarring attempted assassination of a member of Congress. (See: Palin grabs spotlight with video)
Even on the right, her talk was seen as a missed opportunity.
“The strongest way to rise above would have been to talk about suffering, tragedy, hope, strength and recovery,” said former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer. “Instead, she followed the more conventional political route and made it about herself rather than the victims.”
At a moment when even the famously combative Fox News chief Roger Ailes was saying take it down a notch, his most famous contract employee did just the opposite.
Her timing was especially maddening to some Republicans.
The furious response on the right to the notion that conservatives were somehow responsible for the tragedy had been articulated by respected voices such as George Will and Charles Krauthammer, each of whom wrote compelling columns. A CBS poll released Tuesday night validated their claims, showing that 57 percent of Americans didn’t think that the country’s harsh political tone had played a role in the shooting. Most important though, there was mounting evidence that the gunman was a deeply disturbed young man who was not motivated by any traditional political cause. The left, it was becoming increasingly clear, had overreached before she reignited the issue.
Further, Palin’s pushback served to reinforce the message behind Obama’s speech, providing the president with an opportunity to transcend both the immediate finger-pointing on the left at Palin and other conservatives and her angry denunciation and counterattack. (See: Obama: 'I believe we can be better')
What attracted so many centrist voters to then-candidate Obama in 2008 wasn’t any of his policy prescriptions but rather his pledge to change the conversation in Washington. He hasn’t done it yet and has, at times, not lived up to his own stated desire to bring down the temperature. But his fundamental political worldview is that most Americans prefer conciliation over confrontation.
And, speaking to a capacity basketball arena filled with leaders of both parties and those touched by the tragedy, he appealed to that spirit. (See: Mourning turns to cheers)
“Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together,” implored the president.
The speech was a vivid example of the promise of Obama and a reminder of why, even after so many missteps, he remains a formidable figure. (See: Obama challenges America)
“It was supposed to be simply a chance to make a good speech, but it may be more than that,” said GOP pollster Steve Lombardo after the address. “It may be a time when we look back and say that he re-made himself tonight into the President we thought he could be.”
Krauthammer, one of the president’s sharpest critics, suggested the speech saw Obama find his role as head of state.
“I wouldn’t underestimate how this is going to affect the perception of president,” Krauthammer said on Fox News after the memorial service, comparing what Obama did in Tucson to President Bill Clinton’s speech following the Oklahoma City bombing and President Reagan’s address in the wake of the Challenger explosion.
What few Republicans wanted to say for attribution — but what was manifestly clear — was that Palin had made Obama look even bigger than he was.
Her argument for conflict-oriented politics lent itself as the near-ideal foil for his plea for civility. It was a clear contrast and, for Republicans, a dispiriting one.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47543.html
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
hilarious!
I don't know anyone doing those things.
You are such a sensationalist. Spare me.
Pot, meat Kettle...
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
what's a "MEAT KETTLE"?
It's what you cook stew in, silly...
Proofreading and I should become better friends, I guess
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln