CNN’s New ‘Crossfire’ To Star Newt Gingrich & Stephanie Cutter?

April 26, 2013 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Cable, CNN, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Government, Corruption, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Newt Gingrich, President, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Early in April, CNN reported that it was thinking of resurrecting Crossfire, the left-right political debate show it canceled in 2005. Now, as the network tries to regain its faded status as a cable leader, the network is reportedly wooing Democrat strategist Stephanie Cutter and longtime conservative bon vivant Newt Gingrich to helm a re-launch of the show.

Crossfire debuted on CNN in 1982 and was originally hosted by Tom Braden and Pat Buchanan the duo who first invented the premise as a talk radio show. As the years passed a series of hosts came and went until the series ended in failing ratings amid criticism of its often times shrill rhetoric.

Sources now tell Politico that Cutter and Gingrich are both in negotiations to host the re-launch. Neither personality returned calls to confirm their status.

Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and past candidate for the 2012 GOP nomination for President, is well known. Stephanie Cutter, however, is notorious for her work as Obama’s former deputy campaign manager.
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Dear TV, I Don’t Care About Your ‘Reality’

April 21, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Entertainment, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

I guess I am increasingly in the minority these days, but television entertainment has taken a turn for the worse. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic shows, many of which are written on a higher level than TV has enjoyed since the days of Playhouse 90 and other serious early drama offerings. But on the other hand TV has made Newton Minnow all too prescient.

My point is, of course, that there is nothing worse than the so-called “reality TV” show. These things are indicative of almost all that is bad in American society. Sloth, arrogance, ignorance–willful ignorance, even–outright stupidity, lack of restraint, lack of decorum, lack of civility, hate… did I mention gutter-level stupidity… in fact, aside from murder, there seemingly isn’t anything bad about America these TV series don’t showcase for viewers.

So, for my rant today, let me just say…

Dear TV,

I hate your search-for-love series and hope everyone in them dies alone, driven mad by the emptiness in their lives.

I hope your fat children die of heart disease before they are 20.

I hope your hip hop-loving Bee-atches are killed by the one-night-stands they indulge on a nightly basis.
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CNN Looking to Re-Launch ‘Crossfire’

April 11, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, CNN, Journalism, Media, Media Bias, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

In 1982, CNN debuted a current affairs debate show titled Crossfire. The show starred Tom Braden from the left and Pat Buchanan from the right in a raucous debate on the issues of the day. The show continued until 2005 when it was canceled. But now, CNN is hinting that it is considering a re-launch of the show.

Alex Weprin reported that CNN has not made any firm announcements, but that the cable news network is considering the idea. CNN is in the midst of a wide-ranging re-working of its programming as newly minted President Jeff Zuckerman tries to reverse years of failing ratings. Dominic Patten, however, claims his source says that CNN will re-launch the show in June, though he had no other information on hosts, times, or format.

The series originated from a Braden/Buchanan radio show which began in 1978 and over its twenty-three-year history, Crossfire had over a dozen co-hosts. The show was often criticized for its hard-charging style.

In fact, Crossfire ended only months after Comedy Central comedian Jon Stewart criticized the show for “hurting America” with its “miserable” example of public discourse.

Even though then, as now, Stewart indulged in the same “partisan hackery,” he exempted himself from any blame for “hurting America” claiming he’s “just a comedian.”

Nonetheless, Crossfire was canceled in 2005 after final conservative co-host Tucker Carlson left the network for a stint at MSNBC.
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Mark Levin On Fox’s Dana Perino: ‘I’m Sick Of The Preening, Elitist, Country Club Republicans!’

April 8, 2013 | Filed Under Congress, Conservatives, Elections, Ethics, Fox News, GOP, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Journalism, Media Bias, Radio, Republicans, Senate, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

On April 2 on Fox News’ The Five, former George W. Bush press secretary Dana Perino criticized Doctor Ben Carson for appearing on too many conservative shows. This criticism sent talk show host Mark Levin into criticism of his own saying he was sick of these “preening, elitist, country club Republican(s).”

Ben Carson is the newest star in the conservative firmament and he’s now entering that spot in his debut onto the scene were pundits think they know better about how he should comport himself than he does. Thus, Perino’s advice for Carson is to stop doing TV and radio and “lay low” for a while.

Why? According to Perino it’s because doing conservative talk radio is bad for his image. Already Carson has “burned through so much of his credibility,” Perino claimed.
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Even Piers Morgan Criticizes Obama Over Lavish Vacation Spending

April 7, 2013 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Cable, CNN, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Government, Corruption, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, President, Progressives, Taxes, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Wednesday, April 3, President Obama announced he would be returning 5% of his paycheck to the federal treasury in a show of shared sacrifice with federal workers facing furloughs because of the sequester. The news came as he once again flew about the country pushing his anti-Second Amendment policies and only days after another lavish vacation indulged by the first family was in the news.

Morgan lambasted Obama’s attempt to spread the pain of austerity to his own household calling it a “pointless exercise” and despaired that the President wasn’t doing something more substantive.

Morgan railed saying, “if he gave up the vacations, which are costing the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars, it might have more impact than five percent of $400,000.”

But even here Morgan soft-pedaled the money the American people have spent on Obama’s many vacations.
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MSNBC’s ‘The Cycle’ Announces Ari Melber as New Co-Host

April 7, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, MSNBC, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

MSNBC has been playing musical chairs with its on-air hosts and one move left talk show The Cycle without a steady co-host. Now that Salon senior political writer Steve Kornacki has been pegged to helm a new weekend morning show, MSNBC has announced that The Nation correspondent Ari Melber will take up Kornacki’s The Cycle co-hosting duties.

In an email exchange with The Hollywood Reporter, Melber praised his predecessor. “Steve is irreplaceable; he was erudite, unique and downright lovable, and it’s clear the MSNBC audience is excited to see him develop as a weekend host,” Melber said.

Melber has been a long-time guest appearing all across MSNBC programming and will also be writing a blog on politics, law and constitutional rights for MSNBC.com. He has also been a frequent guest host.
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CNN’s Ali Velshi Joins Al Jazeera America

April 7, 2013 | Filed Under Al-Jazeera, Anti-Americanism, Anti-Semitism, Cable, CNN, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Ethics, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Marking its first high profile hire, Al Jazeera has announced that it has hired CNN’s chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, for its new Al Jazeera America cable network.

Al Jazeera America is preparing for a summer launch after having bought Al Gore’s Current TV network last December.

CNN President Jeff Zucker made the announcement in an April 3 staff meeting reporting that Velshi’s last day is April 5. Zucker assured staffers that the parting was amicable and that CNN was sorry to see him go.

“It’s been an amazing almost 12 years at CNN. Love it more today than I ever have, and CNN is going to be great under Jeff,” Velshi said. “I basically grew up here, so it’s sad to leave, but I’ve got a great opportunity to stretch some new muscles and grow something, and it appeals to my entrepreneurial side.”

That new opportunity turns out to be Al Jazeera. Upon Al Jazeera America’s launch this summer, Velshi will host an as yet un-named, “magazine-style,” half-hour weekend business program that is later planned to switch to weekdays.
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New York Investigating Anti-Fracking Lobbying by Yoko One, Mark Ruffalo, Robert De Niro

April 3, 2013 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Electric, Energy, Entertainment, Ethics, Fracking, Government, Government, Corruption, Hollywood, Liberals, Movies, Music, Natural Gas, New York, Oil, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A formal complaint has been filed with a New York lobbying board to investigate whether Yoko Ono, Robert De Niro and nearly 200 other celebrities have violated state laws with their Artists Against Fracking activist group.

Celebrities are well known for dabbling in social activism whether what they have to say makes sense or not and the recent cause célèbre is the anti-fracking movement. Along with Yoko Ono, actors Mark Ruffalo and Robert De Niro, and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, the movement has drawn the support of some 200 celebrities all donating time and money to stop efforts toward American energy independence.

The group has sponsored rallies and concerts and on it’s website the celebrity group urges visitors to “Tell Governor Cuomo Don’t Frack New York!”

Pushing the issue on a national TV audience, Ono and son Sean even appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to sing a somewhat ridiculous anti-fracking song at the end of January.
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Glenn Beck Goes ‘Wobbly’

April 3, 2013 | Filed Under Chuck Busch, Conservatives, Entertainment, Ethics, Fox News, Glenn Beck, GOP, Government, Corruption, Journalism, Media, Media Bias, Republicans, Rush Limbaugh, Talk Radio, TV | No Comments

-By Chuck Busch

To: Mr. Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch

I just received your recent newsletter in which you related what Glenn Beck said on his Internet Broadcast program concerning inane ideas about “surrender.” I was not aware of his statement as I make it a point to not tune into Glenn on the Internet or on his radio program. Initially, I thought he was doing a service by bringing out controversial information on little discussed subjects that all American’s should be aware of. However after a time, he lost believability, was let go by FOX News and his radio program dissolved into silliness. This is not a time for frivolity and jokes. It is time for a serious effort to educate a misguided populace.

I have been concerned for some time that the host of conservative commentators on radio and TV, with the exception of Rush Limbaugh, have become entirely too harsh and strident contributing to the characterization that conservatives are uncaring and cold-hearted. Anger (and we all have reason to be angry) is too strong of an emotion to sustain over the long term and it is Obama’s strategy to wear us out. Rather than engaging in a personal shouting match with our opponents, we need to meet the challenges to our liberties with a steadfastness, confidence and calmness that will convince people of the soundness of our arguments. The face of conservatism and the Republican Party must attract more listeners and entreat them to consider objectively the major issues of the day. Instead of people reacting to the personality of the talk show host, let them focus on the substance of the debate. (See article on Fox News programming by Michael Reagan titled “New Song, New Singers” March 21, 2013.)

I have already mentioned Rush Limbaugh who founded conservative talk radio and is, without doubt, the master of the trade. He has an uncanny way of being critical of the administration but doing it in a good-natured humorous manner. Ridicule can be a good weapon against these uptight liberals but only if used in a skillful way. Rush, in this post-election cycle, has also made it his objective to connect with the “low information voter” which is a brilliant strategy. The people must be convinced that the supposed benefits of a generous federal welfare state are not only corrupting, but are unsustainable and are not worth the lost of liberties that they entail. They must also learn that this administration does not have their best long-term interests are heart and it’s social and economic policies have produced this ongoing distress in all aspects of American life.
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Report: BBC’s Doctor Who Staffers Used Show to Sexually Exploit Young Male Fans

March 28, 2013 | Filed Under BBC, Britain, Crime, Media, Media Bias, Sex Offenders/Rape, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) is being hit with new allegations that behind the camera staffers–this time from the Doctor Who kiddy sci-fi show–sexually abused youngsters who visited the famed broadcasting studios.

First airing in the early 1960s, Doctor Who is Britain’s longest running science fiction TV series and was until recently was considered a kid’s show. The allegations are over events that took place in the 1980s.

In a new book on the life of Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, fan writer Richard Marson claims that he was propositioned and assaulted by the producer when he was a teenaged visitor to the Doctor Who studios in 1984.
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Law & Order: SVU’s ‘Legitimate Rape’ Episode

March 26, 2013 | Filed Under Crime, Entertainment, Media, Media Bias, NBC, Sex Offenders/Rape, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The next episode of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU will feature another story “ripped from the headlines.” This time, the show that mines controversy will tackle “legitimate rape” ala former Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin.

The promo for the episode clearly gives the gist of the show.

A woman (The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan) is raped by a co-worker (David Marciano, Homeland) but she decides to keep the child. The episode features the rapist being tried for the crime. An “expert” witness is then seen uttering the Akinesque line.

The voice over says: “Ripped from the headlines. Words that set off a national controversy.”

A character sitting in the witness box then says, “It’s nearly impossible for a victim of legitimate rape to become pregnant.” This is followed by looks of disgust by the two female lead detective characters sitting in the courtroom gallery.

Clearly the jury accepts the expert’s testimony hence all the grimacing by the show’s stars,
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Despite Wide Appeal to Middle America, Jay Leno Out at ‘Tonight’

March 26, 2013 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Conservatives, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Government, Liberals, NBC, President, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Despite solid ratings and wide appeal to middle America, NBC is poised to replace Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon as the host of the Tonight Show as Leno’s contract nears its end.

Leno was off the show for six months between 2009 to 2010 when Conan O’Brien briefly hosted the Tonight Show, but as the news breaks that he’s to be replaced, this time by Fallon, some news outlets are calling Leno the “conservative’s” TV host.

Politico reported on March 22 that the “Right bemoans possible Jay Leno exit,” and asks, “Could Jay Leno become a new conservative hero?”

Politico features a Tweet from Matt Drudge saying, “Left cheering Leno exit typical, he dared to entertain and offer jokes for the other 50% of country. Unacceptable in ‘New America’…”
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Fox News Mentions Me About Jay Leno Being Fired by NBC

March 25, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Entertainment, Fox News, Journalism, NBC, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today at 11:45 AM, Fox Newser John Scott of Happening Now read my story posted to Breitbart’s BigHollywood.com. My piece was headlined, “Despite Wide Appeal to Middle America, Jay Leno Out at ‘Tonight’.”

NBC Suits Criticize Jay Leno for Late Night Jokes

March 20, 2013 | Filed Under NBC, TV, TV News, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Host of the The Tonight Show, Jay Leno, has come under fire from NBC executives for making jokes about the network’s recent slide in the ratings during his monologues.

Reports suggest that Robert Greenblat, Chairman of Entertainment, fired off a series of emails slamming the late night comedian for daring to lampoon the ratings slide. Leno gave back as good as he got, insiders say, and bristled against the PC, company line criticism.

What offended Greenblat? On February 28, for instance, Leno kicked off his NBC ratings segment saying, “For the first time in history NBC is going to finish fifth in the ratings period. We are behind the Spanish-language network Univision — or as we call it here in Los Angeles: Cinco de Ratings.”

He went on to joke that, “It’s so bad, ‘The Biggest Loser’ isn’t just a TV show anymore; it’s our new motto.” And: “It’s so bad, NBC called Manti Te’o and asked him to bring in some imaginary viewers.”
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Matt Lauer to Replace Alex Trebek on ‘Jeopardy!’

March 20, 2013 | Filed Under Entertainment, NBC, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Matt Lauer, co-host of NBC’s struggling morning news show, Today, may have a new job offer. Reports are the Lauer is being considered as a replacement for Alex Trebek as host of the long-running game show, Jeopardy!.

Trebek has suffered repeated health scares, recently suffering a second heart attack, and is expected to retire from his game show hosting duties sometime in the next few years.

Sources say that Sony Pictures, producers of the lucrative game show, have reached out to Lauer to replace Trebek starting in the 2016 season.

Lauer has experienced steeply falling popularity on the set of Today, after the mishandling of the firing of co-host Ann Curry–an action that many assume Lauer helped initiate. In 2012, Lauer’s “Q Score,” an industry measure of popularity, took a sharp dive.

NBC’s Today has also suffered in the ratings ever since.

Another name under consideration to replace Trebek is CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
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Joy Behar Leaves ABC’s ‘The View’

March 11, 2013 | Filed Under ABC, Entertainment, TV, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Joy Behar, one of the original couch members of ABC’s late morning gabfest, The View, has confirmed that she is leaving the long-running show.

Billed as a comedienne when she first hit The View’s couch 16 and 1/2 years ago, Behar livened the show with her progressive perspective and sharp tongue.

Aside from Barbra Walters, the show’s originator, Behar is the show’s last remaining original cast member.

Behar will finish out this season before she moves of to “other things” that she has wanted to do.

“You reach a point when you say to yourself, ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’ There are other things on my plate I want to do–I’ve been writing a play, I’ve been neglecting my standup,” Behar said Thursday in an interview posted at Deadline.com.
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Soledad O’Brien: Being Fired by CNN is a ‘Win-Win’

March 1, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, CNN, Democrats/Leftists, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

CNN recently canceled Soledad O’Brien’s short-lived morning show, Starting Point, but the anchor is now saying she’s not at all unhappy about it.

“I think it has worked out best for everyone,” O’Brien told reporters.

The anchor reports that she realized she had creative differences with CNN’s new chief, Jeff Zucker, and complained that her show never got “a lot of support” from CNN executives during its one-year run.

This is a far different world than that when Starting Point debuted. Then Executive Vice President and Managing Editor of CNN Mark Whitaker said in a press release that the launch of O’Brien’s show was “an exciting time to be relaunching our morning show.”
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Could CNBC Be Depriving Viewers of Vital Information?

February 23, 2013 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Cable, Capitalism, CNBC, Ethics, Fox Business Network, NBC, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

There was once a day when particular media outlets were so dominant that they could essentially make the rules on who they permitted to appear with them whether in print, on the radio, or on TV. Those days are long gone, of course. So, why does CNBC still think it has the power to demand that guests appear solely on its network? And, in so doing is CNBC depriving its viewers of the vital financial information that they need to plan their business days?

CNBC is the most watched financial-centered cable news network, certainly. Though its younger competitor, Fox Business Network, has been making amazing inroads into CNBCs viewer base, the older network is still on top of the heap… for now.

But will that hold if CNBC’s booking practices stay as they are now? One might wonder.
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MSNBC: Why Not Let Sonia Sotomayor Become The Next Pope?

February 22, 2013 | Filed Under Abortion, Bible, Cable, Catholicism, Christianity, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Liberals, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

On a February 17 broadcast of MSNBC Live, panelist Chris Smith thought it would be a great idea to have U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor replace retiring Pope Benedict as head of the Catholic Church.

Smith, a contributing editor of New York magazine, thought Sotomayor would offer a “trifecta” of liberal attributes.

“Here’s a trifecta: Latin, female, American. It would do a lot of good. I mean it’s ridiculous, we’re talking about a religion here where women can’t even become priests… but it would speak to some of the issues about how the Church needs to open itself up,” Smith said.

Smith also offered another reason that Sotomayor would be a great Pope. It is because she is a Puerto Rican who lived in the Bronx and is “someone who lived in the real world.” Smith felt this “real world” life is something that “would be good for whoever is Pope.”

Smith was the only one that offered a “fantasy pick” for the new Pope. The other panelists picked current cardinals.
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NCIS: LA Paints Patriots as Terrorists

February 21, 2013 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Hollywood, Liberals, Los Angeles, Progressives, Tea Party, Terrorism, TV, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The February 19 episode of CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles offered a veritable smorgasbord of liberal tropes–Tea Party types portrayed as terrorists, private healthcare insurance companies slammed and a potpouri of anti-capitalist themes.

The episode started off in an interesting direction when the NCIS team came across the murder of a 1960s leftist radical who had been on the run from the feds for inadvertently killing a fellow terrorist. But it wasn’t long before the idea of a ’60s-era radical became an attack on all things conservative.

As the team members entered into their investigation, they discovered a tie to a local college professor. The team decided to go undercover and, as Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) began to socialize with students, she found one planning an Occupy Wall Street protest on campus.

All the talk about Occupy was entirely positive, of course, but in one scene as the peaceful Occupy gathering was in full swing, a group of violent thugs dressed in red and sporting bandana masks burst onto the scene. The thugs, wielding bats, assaulted the peaceful Occupiers and destroyed their displays.
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MSNBC’s Horrid ‘Race Joke’ Segment Mostly Anti-White/Anti-Conservative Jokes

February 20, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Government, Journalism, Liberals, Media Bias, MSNBC, Progressives, Religion, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry must have thought she was getting “edgy” in a recent segment on her show when she turned to the topic of “race jokes.” But instead of Maury Povich or Jerry Springer she ended up with sanitized PCism and another prosaic, partisan attack on whites and conservatives–the latter the only subject MSNBC ever seems to discuss.

To open the February 18 segment, Harris-Perry suggested that a good way to talk about race is to do so with humor. “Maybe race jokes are the place where we can actually talk about race,” she said.

One wishes that Harris-Perry had taken just a minute to define what she meant by “race jokes,” though. After all, there is humor based on damaging stereotypes and humor based on amusing, even affecting ethnic eccentricities and the two are not the same. In fact, when Harris-Perry asked the panel to throw out their best “race jokes,” her offering was a classic Jewish joke, a joke that wasn’t so much “race humor” as warm, cultural humor.
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MSNBC: NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre is ‘Afraid of Dark People’

February 17, 2013 | Filed Under 2nd Amendment, Anti-Americanism, Cable, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Gun Control, Guns, Journalism, Liberals, Media Bias, MSNBC, NRA, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Once again MSNBC has accused the National Rifle Association of being racists. Now host Alex Wagner claimed that NRA chief Wayne LaPierre employed coded racism in a recent op ed he wrote.

The day after the President’s State of the Union speech, LaPierre posted an op ed detailing the NRA’s response to Obama’s speech. In the op ed, LaPierre said that gun ownership was not just “paranoia.”

Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Riots. Terrorists. Gangs. Lone criminals. These are perils we are sure to face–not just maybe. It’s not paranoia to buy a gun. It’s survival. It’s responsible behavior, and it’s time we encourage law-abiding Americans to do just that.

This paragraph is what set Wagner off. “There’s also a lot of racial–racism imbedded in that full statement. He goes on to impugn Latin America as these kind of dark nights with dark people in Brooklyn,” she said.
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Bill Maher: Endorsing the Confederate States Constitution

February 17, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Entertainment, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, President, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Left-wing comic Bill Maher has a new idea, something he feels will fix the mess the United States is in. Dump the possible two-term Presidency and replace it with a single, six-year term… just like the President of the Confederate States of America.

Maher thought avoiding the usual mess of scandal and failure so often seen during that second term curse could be eliminated with but one, longer term.

“Why not give presidents one six-year term where they don’t have to worry about re-election or raising money or anything but trying to pass the test of history? Especially since they really only have six years anyway, and then the next election starts,” Maher said on his cable TV show.

So, where have we heard this idea before?

To quote from the Constitution of the Confederate States of America:

Article II., Section I.

The executive power shall be vested in a President of the Confederate States of America. He and the Vice President shall hold their offices for the term of six years; but the President shall not be re-eligible.

Well, then. Looks like Bill Maher is signing up for the “Lost Cause,” eh?
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Al Jazeera Sends Lobbyists to Capitol Hill

February 16, 2013 | Filed Under Al-Jazeera, Cable, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Journalism, Lobbyists, Media, Media Bias, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

After buying Current TV, Al Gore’s struggling cable TV network, Al Jazeera has now hired a lobbying firm to push its interests in Washington D.C.

The Muslim-owned TV network hired the firm of DLA Piper to ply the halls of Congress pushing its issues on our elected officials.

The official filing by DLA Piper says that the firm will be providing “informational communications regarding client’s cable television channel.”

One of the firm’s lobbyists is Mark Paoletta, a former chief counsel for oversight and investigations for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

DLA Piper is an international firm with offices in 30 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Current TV was purchased in December by Al Jazeera America Holdings, a U.S. subsidiary of the Qatar-based TV network.
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Scott Brown Joining Fox News

February 14, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Entertainment, Fox News, Media, Scott Brown, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Fox has announced that former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown will join the network as a contributor debuting on the Sean Hannity show on February 13.

Recently a handful of Fox News contributors–including Sarah Palin and Dick Morris–have found contracts un-renewed. Brown joins Dennis Kucinich as the network’s newest contributor.

Executive vice president of programming for Fox News Bill Shine released a statement saying, “Senator Brown’s dedication to out-of-the box thinking on key issues makes him an important voice in the country and we are looking forward to his contributions across all Fox News platforms.”
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Big Three Nets Slant Overwhelmingly For Obama’s Gun Ban Campaign

February 8, 2013 | Filed Under 2nd Amendment, ABC, Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, CBS, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Government, Government, Corruption, Gun Control, Guns, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, NBC, President, Progressives, Regulation, States Rights, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new study of coverage by the big three networks of President Obama’s anti-gun crusade shows an overwhelmingly positive slant toward the President’s policy ideas at an 8 to 1 ratio.

The study conducted by the Media Research Center reviewed coverage from December 14 to January 17, or from the day of the crime at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, to the day after Obama made a speech surrounded by children who purportedly sent him letters pleading for more gun control. MRC reviewed the evening newscasts as well as the three networks’ morning shows.

The results showed that stories that pushed for more gun control vastly outnumbered stories that opposed gun control by 99 to 12, or a ratio of 8 to 1.
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Dick Morris Out at Fox News

February 7, 2013 | Filed Under Cable, Elections, Ethics, Fox News, GOP, Journalism, Media, Media Bias, Republicans, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The next in a line of recent Fox News departures is on-air contributor Dick Morris whose contract, it has been announced, will not be renewed. The departure was reported early on Tuesday and not long after Fox confirmed that it will not be renewing Morris’ contract.

Morris spent many of his last appearances on Fox News predicting a big victory for Mitt Romney in the late presidential election. He has not appeared on the cable network since November 12.

As we know, Morris missed that prediction by quite a lot. The former Clinton operative later apologized for his misstep, but perhaps his prediction that Romney would win big was the last missed predication Fox executives could take.
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Hawaii Five-O’s Anti-Gun Tirade

February 6, 2013 | Filed Under 2nd Amendment, Anti-Americanism, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Ethics, Government, Gun Control, Guns, Hawaii, Liberals, Media, Progressives, Regulation, States Rights, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

On the Monday’s broadcast of the long awaited remake of a popular 1970s era episode of Hawaii Five-O, one of the main characters went on a rant against “gun nuts” and the lack of both strict regulations and a pervasive, privacy-invading registration process. But later in the show the same character was apologetic over not having a warrant to review records of owners of post office boxes because it is an invasion of their right to privacy.

The episode, titled “Hookman,” is a remake of the 1973 fan favorite from the original Jack Lord series and featured a double amputee who lost his hands in the commission of a crime decades ago who then went on a campaign of revenge against members of the Hawaii Police Department that put him in jail.

But this year’s remake was not a carbon copy of the original as, unlike the 1973 episode, in this version there was time enough for one of the characters to go on a tirade against guns, gun laws and gun owners.

In the original episode, one of the clues left by the killer was a rifle with a golden plaque affixed to it bearing the name of the policeman slain by the killer. In the new one, however, the clue was a rifle shell casing with the name engraved on it. In the original, Jack Lord’s Officer McGarrett went to a plaque-maker’s shop to try and find out to whom the proprietor sold the item. In the remake, the team went to a local gun shop to try and chase down the shell casing. This alteration in the original script specifically set today’s character up for his anti-gun rant.
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ABC Ignores Tim Scott’s Senate Appointment in Dec., By Jan. Hails Mo Cowan’s as ‘History’

February 4, 2013 | Filed Under ABC, Anti-Americanism, CBS, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Ethics, GOP, Government, Journalism, Liberals, Massachusetts, Media, Media Bias, NBC, Progressives, Senate, South Carolina, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In December, ABC’s World News saw no news at all in the historic appointment of African American Tim Scott to the Senate in South Carolina. No mention was made of it during the broadcast.

Only a month later, though, the same program suddenly hailed African American William “Mo” Cowan’s appointment to the Senate as history making.

When Republican Tim Scott was appointed to fill retiring Senator Jim DeMint’s Senate seat he became the first African American from South Carolina to be sent to the Senate since 1881. Further, when he took his seat he was the only black Senator from either party in Washington D.C. But despite all these notable historic facts, ABC’s World News never mentioned Scott’s appointment.

However, this month when the Governor of Massachusetts appointed African American, Democrat Mo Cowan to finish out John Kerry’s term, ABC suddenly found it to be a moment worthy of coverage.
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Obama Operatives Training Media How to Sell Obamacare

February 2, 2013 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Cable, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Health, Journalism, Liberals, Magazines, Media, Media Bias, Obamacare, President, Progressives, TV, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Old Media is getting a little help from team Obama on how to report about Obamacare the “correct” way. To achieve that goal, Obama operatives are setting up propaganda symposiums for journalists and giving large cash donations to journalism associations to help spread Obama’s word.

This Obamacare propaganda campaign seriously blurs the line between government and “journalism” and seems to be a blatant attempt by team Obama to write the media’s Obamacare stories for them.

Rusty Weiss recently discussed a series of large donations made to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) the latest of which was donated expressly for the purpose of relaying the left-wing agenda on Obamacare.

The donation, a $15,000 grant, was made by the Commonwealth Fund, a group now headed by former Obama operative David Blumenthal who served as the national coordinator for Obama’s Health Information Technology effort.
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Tags: Warner+Todd+Huston, Media+Bias, Old+Media, Journalism, Obama