Normally apolitical Americans turn out in droves at town hall meetings to express their anger at the Government 'ramming through' health care reform. [ctrl-click to launch post subject video] Caption and Image Credit: nzherald.co.nzObama Slaps Fox News As Ratings Continue To Soar
Last night, Bill O'Reilly delivered his show starting opinion presentation, and it spoke "truth to power" in a way that few such presentations have done during this Carter's Second Term of the 44th Presidency - The Obama Administration.
The "Talking Points Memo" ended up being a tour de force about how this current leadership regime has decided to align itself against the majority of American people, who are becoming fearful of a leadership that has decided to demonize any effort to engage in debate and counterpoint to the direction they wish to take this country, politically and socially.
The funny thing is, the more they (the Obama Administration and Congressional leadership) claim that people making an honest attempt to get educated and deliver their views to their representatives are actually a militia educated mob of unruly individuals organized by the vast deep pocket resources of the insurance industry, the more Americans turn to media outlets that attempt to give a voice to both sides of debates and issues in the news.
As a set up and perspective to last night's starting opinion memo on the O'Reilly Factor, Tuesday's Talking Points Memo presentation described the ratings numbers behind the drive for truthful information.
This excerpted and edited from Fox News -
FOX News Explodes While Liberal Media Burns
By Bill O'Reilly - Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Last Thursday was a huge victory for FOX News. "The Factor" at 8:00 p.m. beat CNN by 380 percent, MSNBC by 247 percent and Headline News by 299 percent. Total "Factor" audience for 8 and 11 was 5.4 million folks, more viewers than the "CBS Evening News" averaged last month.
Beck, Smith, Greta, and "The Factor" all won their time slots easily. In fact, last Thursday, those programs beat all four competitors combined.
So why is this happening? Well, a major reason is the health care debate. While the other network news broadcasts downplay the dissent and promote the government takeover of the health care industry, FOX News highlights the intense debate. When we cover the town hall meetings, we don't describe the protesters as loons. We don't denigrate people who disagree with President Obama. That's the big difference between FOX News and all the others.
Now, some liberals will say we intentionally glorify the protesters. That doesn't happen here. We've said there's no doubt some of the dissent is organized by people who dislike President Obama. That's a fact, and we've reported it.
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Fair-minded Americans know our reporting is honest, while much of the other TV news media is simply in the tank for the president.
Now you'd think that liberal Americans would flock to hear their side propped up, but that's clearly not happening. For libs, conservatives and independents alike, there's really no choice. They have to watch us if they want to know what's going on. And they are in record numbers.
Reference Here>>
Last night, as an example on how vicious the news coverage has become as it relates to citizens showing up to voice their displeasure in where this leadership is taking our country, Keith Olberman of MSNBC and Anderson Cooper of CNN interviewed Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
This excerpted and edited from CNN AC360 transcript -
ANDERSON COOPER, AC360, CNN: According to a new report, people drawn to these groups share a hatred of paying taxes, a suspicion of anything the government does, and deep outrage over the election of an African-American man as president.
So let's dig deeper with Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
MARK POTOK, DIRECTOR, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, I think, as you suggest in your intro, it really has a lot to do with the rise of the power of a black man.
You know, for these people, for this movement in general, the primary kind of enemy is the government, the federal government. That was true in the '90s, and it's true today. But the big difference today is that the federal -- the face of the federal government is the face of a black man.
So, you know, I'm not suggesting that all militias or all people involved in this movement or in this ideology, you know, are really Klansman secretly, but it is a far more racialized movement than what we saw in the '90s.
COOPER: And how many of these groups are just, you know, talkers? People who, you know, talk big, you know, love running around in forests dressed up in paramilitary gear, but ultimately, they don't amount to much?
POTOK: Well, I think that a lot of them are essentially just talkers, but talk is not always completely benign. I mean, I think we're seeing that right now in the town-hall meetings and so on.
And I think it is especially un-benign, if that's a word, malignant, you know, when the talk is coming from what I think are those really mainstream aiders and abettors. In other words, politicians and commentators who really reiterate and give some authority to the completely false ideas and propaganda theories of these groups.
So you know, what I'm saying is that there's a kind of poisoning of the mainstream political discourse. You know, instead of talking about health care, we're talking about death panels and that kind of thing.
Reference Here>>
Nice set-up Anderson! Thanks for insulting all Americans that may have a different view than Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the extreme political left in this country.
I suppose, according to Mr. Potok's unchallenged interview, that since Sarah Palin used the term "Death Panels" on her Facebook page in an entry about the Government rationing healthcare ... she is now a member of a MILITIA hate group!
And this from Kieth Olberman's Countdown on MSNBC -
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
In an interview given by Matt Lauer of the NBC News morning program, The Today Show, yesterday morning, Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary criticized the reporting on some "cable" outlets by saying, "Well, I think we all have something to lose, Matt, if we let cable television come to town hall meetings and kill health care reform for another year and put the special interests back in charge."
Is this a good strategy - to insult and malign citizens with concerns as racists and aligned with militia organizations and then declare a media war against news outlets that try to report in an honest manner, what these citizen concerns are and why they seem to be alarmed at the legislative actions proposed?
Enter the tour de force:
This excerpted and edited from Fox News -
Has the Obama Administration Declared War on FOX News?
By Bill O'Reilly, The O'Reilly Factor Talking Points Memo - Thursday, August 13, 2009
Obviously, Mr. Gibbs is criticizing FOX News, and it sounds like he's spoiling for a fight, does it not?
So the question becomes: Is that smart? Let's look at the facts.
A new Rasmussen Poll says 53 percent of Americans now oppose ObamaCare; 42 percent support the president. In the latest Gallup poll, 49 percent disapprove of the way the president is handling the health care situation; 43 percent support him.
Those numbers tell the story, and even though FOX News has big ratings, FOX News has nothing to do with the negative numbers.
Now, we invited Robert Gibbs on the program, but once again he declined. That is foolish. He and his cohorts should be all over FNC trying to convince you that ObamaCare is a good thing, a major benefit for the country. Instead, Gibbs is living in cheap-shot alley, and the president's strategy is falling apart.
On Tuesday, Mr. Obama told the country this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Another myth that we've been hearing about is this notion that somehow we're going to be cutting your Medicare benefits. We are not. The AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
But the night before the president said that, the AARP said this on "The Factor":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CERTNER, AARP POLICY DIRECTOR: We have not endorsed any specific piece of legislation right now, but we really are intent on trying to fix the health care system and the pieces that concern our members.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So the president misstated the AARP position. Obviously, that does not help his credibility, which the press challenged Wednesday:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS REPORTER: Yesterday, the president said the AARP endorsed the plan. As you are aware, yesterday the AARP said it hasn't endorsed a plan. Where on the information or the disinformation scale would the president's remark fall?
GIBBS: Well, the president said well, AARP has said they are certainly supportive and have been for years on comprehensive health reform. I don't think the president meant to imply anything untoward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The issue is not untoward; it is untrue.
And then there was this exposition:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What's your name?
JULIA HALL, KID AT OBAMA'S NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN HALL: Julia Hall from Malden, Massachusetts.
OBAMA: Nice to meet you, Julia.
JULIA: I saw — as I was walking in, I saw a lot of signs outside saying mean things about reforming health care. How do kids know what is true? And why do people want a new system that can help — that help more of us?
OBAMA: Well, I've seen some of those signs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Cute little girl, but the question was a set-up. Julia's mother is Kathleen Manning Hall, the coordinator of the Massachusetts Women for Obama organization during the election. In my opinion, Julia was fed the question.
By the way, the Boston Globe uncovered the contrivance.
Did President Obama know about the set-up?
Did Robert Gibbs?
I mean, that kind of stuff is incredibly dumb and again damages the president's credibility. You may recall Mr. Obama challenging the legitimacy of those speaking against him at the town hall meetings, and then they use a child in that way?
Hard to believe.
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Millions of Americans are now skeptical of President Obama's leadership on health care because he has not been able to persuade them that his trillion-dollar vision will make their lives better.
One way to do that is to appear on the nation's highest-rated prime-time news program, "The Factor," and FOX News in general. Again, the Democrats should be all over this network. Most of us here want robust debate, but they don't show up. And now it looks like the Obama administration wants a war with FOX News.
Let me ask you: Who will that help? Us, that's who. Our ratings are already soaring because we do not denigrate the protesters like many other TV news organizations do. They are dying. We are on fire. If the Obama administration wants a war with FNC, they are dunderheads.
If you watch "The Factor" you know that I have been fair to the president, but there comes a time when the benefit of the doubt shifts. Misstating the AARP position, using a young girl as a set-up, attacking a news organization that actually covers the news honestly does not speak well, Mr. President. You guys need to take a deep breath and smell the angst. Your health care vision is not playing in Peoria, or most other places. You want to turn things around, stop the nonsense and present your case on a news network that really matters.
And that's "The Memo."
Reference Here>>
To all who wish to discount the television broadcast news ratings leader by referring to it a Faux News ... start watching, you just might learn something ... at the very least you will be able to see what a debate of issues, that have more than one side, looks like!
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