Skip to main content
  • CNSNews.com
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • TimesWatch
  • Take Action!

Join Us @:
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Kindle

Tell the Truth campaign logo
NewsBusters.org logo

May 26, 2012
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • RSS

Hot Topics

  • Anti-religious Bias in the Media
  • Same-sex Marriage
  • 2012 Presidential Race
Home » Blogs » Matthew Sheffield's blog
  • Ashley Judd to NBC: Republicans Are 'Really Dumb,' Obama Has 'Flowered'
  • Bozell Column: Canada's 'Scientific' Museum of Smut
  • CBS: 'Troubling Signs' For Obama, Like Bush in '92, But President 'Cannot Control' Economy
  • On and On It Goes: Networks Cover 'Predator Priests' As They Stay Silent on Catholic Liberty Lawsuits
  • NBC's Williams Touts L.A. Banning Plastic Bags As Effort to Keep Them 'Out of the Natural World'
  • Bozell, Carlson Note Media's Silence on Obama Supporter's Bribe to Hush Rev. Wright
  • Very Annoyed Matthews Rips ‘Horse’s Ass Right-Wingers’ Who Cite ‘Thrill Up My Leg,’ Calls C-SPAN Host a ‘Jackass’
  • CNN Asks Tony Perkins 'Why Do Homosexuals Bother You So Much?'

Kos Falsely Smears GOP Senator With Leftist Troll's Words

By Matthew Sheffield | August 15, 2007 | 15:29

Change font size:  A |  A
Matthew Sheffield's picture

Whether it’s comparisons between the United States and the Soviet Union or George Bush and Saddam Hussein, the far left has always specialized in false moral equivalence.

In the latest example of this, Daily Kos proprietor Markos Moulitsas has been trying to shift the spotlight that’s now being shined on the numerous vulgar and hateful remarks for which his site is famous over to conservative sites, implying that the right is just as full of hate as his followers.

Trouble is, that’s just not the case. As NewsBusters pointed out earlier, left-wing blogs and their commenters are much more likely to use profanity than conservative blogs.

Brushing aside those pesky facts, Moulitsas launched a false attack on Maine senator Susan Collins today implying that “Arthur Frain,” a commenter on Maine Web Report, a site run by her online communications director was speaking for Republicans when he/she wrote the following:

You know what this country needs? Another terrorist attack. Take out SF or some other city full of dirty libs, and then the country will rally behind the GOP for protection.

Take a step back from that for a second. According to Moulitsas, a comment on a site that Susan Collins does not own or operate is somehow representative of her. That's the equivalent of holding the Bush White House responsible for a comment left at the personal blog of Patrick Ruffini, his 2004 webmaster. That’s ridiculous enough on its own. Things go further into hah-hah land when you realize that “Arthur Frain” is actually a left-wing troll, as revealed by Maine Web Report blogger and NB contributor Lance Dutson.

Last month, a person using the same IP address 74.75.145.243 visited Maine Web Report and left the following comment under the user name “Jason in Maine:”

Wow, Collins must be getting desperate if she's allying herself with such wackjob extremists and serial liars as Michelle Malkin and Bill O'Reilley.
Allen's campaign hasnt even started yet, and she's already this desperate!!
Too bad for Collins that Mainers have noticed her lockstep support for George W Bush. Not only does she support his failed policies, she oversees them via her role in DHS and its huge failures.
Silly stunts like this aren't going to fool anyone, and they aren't going to slow down Allen's campaign. If anything, it will give it a boost.

In other words, Moulitsas is blaming Collins for a comment on a site she doesn’t own written by a person who is a left-wing Democrat.

That conclusion becomes even more probable when you consider that “Arthur Frain” seems to pop up all over the place on liberal blogs making obscene, left-wing comments. Kos could easily have verified this by spending a few minutes in Google. He opted instead to play fast and loose with the facts.

Here’s “Frain” (minus the vulgarities) at Crooks and Liars July 22:

National security means jack and s*** to these assclowns.
Today is the day that the Republican party tore up their “national security” card, and s*** on the Constitution.
How long before the disappearings start? How long before George - or his illegitimate successor - reaches for the imperial crown?

Here “he” is Feb. 8 at a Baltimore Sun blog:

How is this a bigger story than the dozen plus truckloads of cash that the CPA simply lost - as in "misplaced" - as in "we don't know what happened to it - in Iraq?
How many billions of dollars can this administration waste before it becomes a story?

Here’s “Frain” at Think Progress calling President Bush a variant of b**** and saying he should be impeached:

Mildly profane is a code word for “BS”.
Impeach the beech!

Kos should stop trying to shift the blame from himself and his hate site and take responsibility to clean things up. The left has always been chiding the right for its so-called “hate,” in reality, they should have been looking in the mirror.

Moulitsas should remove his false attack and apologize to the Collins campaign and Dutson for failing to check his facts.

Update 15:38. Charles Johnson points out that Moulitsas should not be complaining about people holding him responsible for his bloggers' comments since there is no disclaimer on any "diary" entry at Daily Kos.

Update 18:37. The left-wing blog Firedoglake picked up Kos's item as "proof" that the right is hate-filled. Will "Jamie" correct his error now that it's been exposed here at NB?

Share this

About the Author

Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and president of Dialog New Media, an internet marketing and design firm. Click here to follow Matthew Sheffield on Twitter.
  • 2008 Congressional
  • Markos Moulitsas Zuniga
  • Susan Collins
  • Blogs
  • Daily Kos
  • Matthew Sheffield's blog
  • Login to post comments
  • Printer-friendly version
Donate to NewsBusters

  • Is liberalism dead? (Roger L. Simon)
  • The media's next move on same-sex marriage (Get Religion)
  • Senate Dems pay women staffers less than male staffers (Washington Free Beacon)
  • Left targeting Chief Justice Roberts in attempt to save ObamaCare (IBD)
  • Walker's chance of defeating Wisc. recall looking great (Ace of Spades)
  • Ex-prez Bill Clinton poses for pic with porn stars (Fox Nation)
  • Protests against conservative group ALEC draw pitiful numbers (YouTube)

Donate to NewsBusters Today!

This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead

User Shortcuts

Log in

  • My account
  • My buddylist
  • Log in to check messages
  • RSS feed
  • About NB
  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise on NB
Scott Rasmussen
Rasmussen Column: 'Austerity' Talk Is Just Political Cover for More Government Spending
Walter E. Williams's picture
Walter E. Williams
Walter Williams Column: Should Black People Tolerate This?
Cal Thomas's picture
Cal Thomas
Cal Thomas Column: The Media's Religion Deficit
Chuck Norris's picture
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris Column: IRS Gives Billions in Tax Refunds to Illegals
Michelle Malkin's picture
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin Column: How the Gay-Marriage Mafia Slimed Manny Pacquiao
More >

RSS FeedAmazon KindleFacebookTwitter

Recent comments

  • Wait. Did I accidentally click on Ace of Spades?
    39 sec ago
  • Subtropical Storm Beryl
    53 sec ago
  • I'd say the petulant, prissy,
    4 min 28 sec ago
  • I've come to the conclusion
    10 min 4 sec ago
  • Apparantly Baraka was a
    11 min 54 sec ago
More >

More Like Farcebook
more cartoons
  • Howard Stern Hasn't Been 'King of Prime Time'
  • All Purpose Weekend Open Thread
  • NPR Celebrates Transgender Olympics Hopeful as Hammer-Throwing 'Jackie Robinson'
  • Bashir to Facebook Co-Founder: Go 'Play with the Traffic'
  • Piers Morgan Whacks 'Little Wretch' Who Says He Taught Phone-Hacking
More >
NewsBusters

Executive Editor
Matthew Sheffield

Editor at Large
Brent Baker

Senior Editors
Tim Graham
Rich Noyes

Managing Editor
Ken Shepherd

Associate Editor
Noel Sheppard

Contributing Editors
Tom Blumer
Geoffrey Dickens
Dan Gainor
David Limbaugh
Lachlan Markay
Mithridate Ombud
Clay Waters
Scott Whitlock

Senior Contributor
Mark Finkelstein

Contributing Writers
Matthew Balan
Michael M. Bates
Erin R. Brown
Jack Coleman
Kyle Drennen
Douglas Ernst
P. J. Gladnick
Stephen Gutowski
Matt Hadro
D. S. Hube
Kathleen McKinley
Dave Pierre
Amy Ridenour
Julia A. Seymour
Terry Trippany
Rusty Weiss
Brad Wilmouth

Publisher
Brent Bozell

Site Design
Dialog New Media

 

  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • rss
  • CNSNews
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • Take Action!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Amazon Kindle
  • Advertise
  • Jobs

Copyright © 2005-2012 NewsBusters. Terms of Use.