Latest Posts

Jon Stewart Likens Tea Partiers to Anarchists and Robbers
By Aubrey Vaughan | August 2, 2011 | 4:29 PM EDT

If there has been anything unifying the mainstream media coverage of the debt crisis, it has been attacking the Tea Party. Last night on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart joined the chorus, railing against the Tea Party's dislike of the debt deal, which he claimed they won through the plan's spending cuts, even though the cuts are in fact quite small.

According to Stewart, the Tea Party freshmen control less than half of the House, but they are the ones who caused the ruckus of forcing billions in spending cuts. He went on to say Tea Partiers don't want a government at all and likened them to bank robbers taking everyone hostage.

(Video after the break)

CBS's O'Donnell Suggests Obama's Reelection is a Done Deal
By Matthew Balan | August 2, 2011 | 4:24 PM EDT

CBS's Norah O'Donnell played the role of a clairvoyant on Tuesday's Early Show as she hinted that President Obama's reelection is assured in 2012. Anchor Erica Hill asked O'Donnell how the White House viewed the debt ceiling bill. She replied, "I think they feel like this was... not necessarily a victory for the President. He did get an extension of this debt ceiling through 2012 and through his reelection" .

Hill brought on the new CBS News White House correspondent, as well as Nancy Cordes, their congressional correspondent, to discuss the return of Rep. Gabby Giffords to the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday and their passage of the compromise debt ceiling legislation. Towards the end of the segment, after she and O'Donnell laughed it up about Vice President Biden's crack about Giffords being part of the "cracked heads club," the anchor asked her question about the White House's take on the bill. Her colleague replied with her off-the-cuff prediction:

Hypocrite Scarborough Laments Media Comparing Tea Party to 'Terrorists,' But Ignored Similar Smears on 'Morning Joe' Set
By Alex Fitzsimmons | August 2, 2011 | 2:56 PM EDT

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on Tuesday mourned the "absolutely dreadful" behavior of journalists and politicians who have compared Tea Party Republicans to "terrorists," among other things. But as NewsBusters previously reported, the "Morning Joe" co-host repeatedly ignored such transgressions when they occurred on his own show.

Scarborough, Heilemann Trivialize Defense Cuts: 'Martians Could Invade Any Time'
By Eric Ames | August 2, 2011 | 2:56 PM EDT

On Morning Joe's coverage of the debt ceiling deal, Joe Scarborough trivialized potential defense cuts by joking that the money is needed to repel extraterrestrial invasion. "I understand why some neocons are very upset because the Martians could invade any time, and so do we need to have a bigger defense budget than every other country on the planet, because when the Martians do come, we want to make sure we that have our radar gun technology ready," said Scarborough.

Salon Pins Blame for Planned Parenthood Vandalism on 'Right-Wing' Without Evidence
By Amy Ridenour | August 2, 2011 | 2:25 PM EDT

Ever creative in finding things for which to blame the "right wing," Salon magazine is criticizing conservatives in a headline ("Planned Parenthood Firebombed, Right Wing Silent") about an apparent incident in McKinney, Texas last Tuesday in which an unknown person allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at a Planned Parenthood establishment.

No one with even superficial understanding of conservatives and a sound mind could conclude the conservative movement supports throwing Molotov cocktails at business establishments, even left-wing ones. That we did not comment on an incident that received almost no press attention and at which no one was injured is more logically attributed to the fact that we, like almost everyone else on the planet, had no idea it took place.

CBS and ABC Ignore Biden 'Terrorist' Dust Up; NBC Only Promotes His Denials
By Kyle Drennen | August 2, 2011 | 1:16 PM EDT

On Monday, Politico reported that "several sources" in a private meeting of House Democrats confirmed that Vice President Joe Biden accused Tea Party Republicans of having "acted like terrorists." CBS and ABC completely punted the story on their evening and morning newscasts. NBC made mention of the controversy, but only to further Biden's denial of having made the comment.

CBS's omission was particularly stunning given that Evening News anchor Scott Pelley interviewed the Vice President on Monday. Politico noted that Pelley actually did ask about the 'terrorist' remark: "'I did not use the terrorism word,' Biden told CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley." However, Pelley's question and Biden's denial were completely scrubbed from the portion of the interview aired on Monday's Evening News or Tuesday's Early Show.

Gallup: Obama’s Approval Hits All-Time Lows With Independents, Moderates and Conservative Democrats
By Terence P. Jeffrey | August 2, 2011 | 12:02 PM EDT

President Barack Obama’s job approval ratings hit all-time lows last week among self-described Independents, moderates and conservative Democrats, according to the Gallup poll.

At the same time, Obama’s job approval ratings increased among self-described liberals and liberal Democrats, according to Gallup.

Congressman: ‘Tea Partiers’ Have 'A Plan to Dismantle the American Government’
By Nicholas Ballasy | August 2, 2011 | 11:56 AM EDT

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) has claimed that "Tea Partiers" have enacted a "plan to dismantle the American government" and in the process, the country has lost its "moral compass."

"These ‘Tea Partiers,’ as willing conspirators with their so-called leadership have enacted on a plan to dismantle the American government and in the process, we have lost our moral compass," said Johnson when speaking with the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus last week.

Democrat Lawyer, Alleging Fraud, Sues Md. to Overturn DREAM Act Referendum, But He's Opposed Voter ID Laws
By Ken Shepherd | August 2, 2011 | 11:45 AM EDT

The illegal immigrant advocates at CASA de Maryland have really called in the big guns with their lawsuit in Maryland aimed at thwarting a popular voter referendum on the so-called Maryland DREAM Act, which provides for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

The law firm for which former Democratic National Committee (DNC) general counsel Joseph Sandler works has taken up the case, the Washington Post's Aaron Davis reported this morning.

Davis quoted Sandler's concerns about fraud in the petition-gathering process whereby a large number of petitions were generated from a website linked to a database of registered voters:

George Stephanopoulos Worries That Tiny 2012 Budget Cuts Will 'Hurt' the Recovery and 'Cost Jobs'
By Scott Whitlock | August 2, 2011 | 11:44 AM EDT

Apparently, cutting a $3.7 trillion budget by $21 billion will hurt the economy. Talking to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Tuesday, Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos worried about the just-agreed to debt deal: "But, don't you think that any deficit reduction now will hurt the attempts of the economy to recover?"

The former Clinton White House official turned journalist highlighted "economists who say cuts like this will make our weak economy weaker and cost Americans jobs." In total, Stephanopoulos raised the question three times, wondering, "So, this won't cost us jobs?"

After Ignoring Islamic Affiliation of Terrorists, Media Push Incorrect Line That Breivik Is Christian
By Aubrey Vaughan | August 2, 2011 | 11:21 AM EDT

Most journalists would never correlate terrorism with Islam for fear of being criticized as Islamophobic, but now they are relishing in the opportunity to connect Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik to Christianity using a fairly weak link.

Breivik, who published a manifesto hours before his shooting spree, discussed his cultural connection to Christianity only as a vehicle by which he could accomplish his goal of a pure Nordic race. He even wrote, "I'm not going to pretend I'm a very religious person, as that would be a lie." Nevertheless, Breivik's supposedly radical Christian beliefs are making the headlines, instead of his truly radical belief of eliminating Muslims through modern eugenics.

Open Thread: Who Is the Real Winner of Debt Deal?
By NB Staff | August 2, 2011 | 10:45 AM EDT

Republicans and Democrats both seem to have come up short of a debt deal they really like. Many Republicans wanted more cuts, while many Democrats wanted more taxes on the rich. Both sides technically got something good out of the deal, but neither side is satisfied.

One person that might have emerged as a winner, though, is President Obama, who supported a deal that will push any fiscal problems until after the 2012 election. Do you think he emerges victorious from the debt debates? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Matthews Mars Giffords' Return By Connecting Tea Party and 'Violent Level of the Right-Wing'
By Noel Sheppard | August 2, 2011 | 10:03 AM EDT

At the conclusion of a fractious national debate about the debt ceiling, a truly marvelous moment occurred Monday when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) returned to the House floor after being shot in the head almost seven months ago.

Apparently unable to control himself, the sadly getting more and more disgraceful Chris Matthews chose to mar the emotional homecoming by connecting her shooting to the Tea Party and "the violent level of the right-wing" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Sawyer and Williams Cue Up Pelosi to Expound on Her ‘Fear’ Debt Deal Will ‘Hurt Real People’
By Brent Baker | August 2, 2011 | 8:43 AM EDT

Two network anchors, 24 hours apart, cued up House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to despair from the left how the debt ceiling deal, presumably because of some future potential slight reductions in the projected rate of spending increases, will “hurt real people” as NBC’s Brian Williams asked her to confirm her “fear” that “the poor are gonna get hurt and the rich are gonna get by without harm.”

On Monday’s World News, ABC’s Diane Sawyer inquired (video below): “You think this is really going to hurt real people?”

NYT Trumpets Female Catholic 'Priests' For Second Week In a Row; HuffPo Fumbles
By Dave Pierre | August 2, 2011 | 12:04 AM EDT

For the second week in a row, the New York Times has embraced the mission of trumpeting the fruitless cause of female "priests" in the Catholic Church. What gives?

As faulty as Laurie Goodstein's article was last week, the offering from Dirk Johnson (Sun., 7/31/11) doesn't fare much better. Johnson's one-sided piece omits a number of important facts in reporting the issue.