Glenn Beck

If it's Friday, Bill Maher must be saying something offensive about conservatives.

True to form, during his opening monologue on HBO's "Real Time," the host quipped about ESPN terminated its relationship with Hank Williams Jr. this week, "If we're going to fire every southern hillbilly who thinks Obama is like Hitler, who will be our Republican Congressmen?

New York Times columnist Joe Nocera has devoted his last two columns to the spreading scandal over News Corp., owned by Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who incurs the hatred of liberals.

Nocera, not content to report on the woes afflicting News Corp. outlets overseas, insisted without evidence on Saturday that one of Murdoch’s American media properties, the Wall Street Journal, has succumbed to the dreaded disease of “Fox-ification,” “The Journal Becomes Fox-ified.” As you can guess, that is not a compliment at the Times.

Former Obama green jobs czar Van Jones likened Fox News to "stalkers" on Wednesday's MSNBC Live with left-wing pugilist Cenk Uygur.

Despite challenging Glenn Beck to a debate while speaking at the liberal Netroots Nation convention and in a MoveOn.org spot, and reportedly threatening legal action against Fox News, it was Jones who claimed the popular cable network has an unhealthy obsession.

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The White House is amping up its vigilance in silencing its critics with the creation of a new communications position designed to respond to unfavorable online stories about the President.

Attacking critics is nothing new for the administration, and the creation of this position is only the latest effort to throw the considerable weight of the White House bully pulpit behind efforts to attack Obama's critics. For the president, this tactic began during the campaign and has continued to date.

Until now, though, the fight was mostly funded by the DNC or campaign teams, as is standard practice for the sort of oppositional approach this position seems poised to adopt. But as an official White House position, taxpayers are actually the ones footing the bill for Obama’s new attack dog.

Update: Correction made below

In an interview with John Hudson of the left-wing magazine The Atlantic, screenwriter and producer Aaron Sorkin described where he gets his news and quickly launched into a tirade against conservative media figures: "Beck and Limbaugh are eye-poppingly awful. It would be easier to buy their love of America if they didn't have such hate for Americans. They're my generation's Joe McCarthy..."

Sorkin claimed Beck and Limbaugh were guilty of "tarring anyone who disagrees with them with schoolyard epithets and, of course, being 'un-American' or even on the side of America's enemies....They appeal to the worst in the worst among us..."

 In spite of former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann’s history of using distortion and even misinformation to attack conservatives, and his infamously recurring conspiracy theory that the Bush administration made terrorism-related announcements to distract from politically embarrassing news, CNN host Howard Kurtz on Sunday’s Reliable Sources defended Olbermann’s Countdown show and MSNBC generally when right-leaning guest Amy Holmes of America’s Morning News pointed out the excesses of left-wing MSNBC anchors during a discussion of FNC host Glenn Beck’s upcoming departure from the network.

Kurtz: "Now, I don't put Keith Olbermann in the same category as Beck at all. His MSNBC show, agree with it, disagree with it, was a very well-researched program."

He later added: "I've got to push back on this, though. You say that some of the people at MSNBC, just as bad. Now, they may be as opinionated, they may be as strident, they may occasionally be irresponsible. But they are not trafficking conspiracy theories, they're not making things up."

It's certainly not surprising that the New York Times would publish a hit piece on Glenn Beck, but coming hours after CNN's Howard Kurtz spent almost ten minutes bashing the Fox News commentator makes me smell a rat.

Add to this the increased pressure Beck has come up against from MSNBC personalities since Keith Olbermann surprisingly left America's most liberal television news network in January, and one has to wonder what Times author David Carr had in mind with his Monday piece "The Fading Power of Beck’s Alarms":

Howard Kurtz on Sunday spent a whopping 45 seconds scolding Chris Matthews for saying former House Speaker Newt Gingrich looks like a car bomber.

This was after the "Reliable Sources" host did an entire ten minute segment lambasting Glenn Beck (video follows with transcript and commentary):

With his total number of viewers having declined by 45 percent since his premiere in the 8PM time slot, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell appears to be taking a page from his predecessor Keith Olbermann's handbook.

On Monday's "The Last Word," the host did two segments about Fox News, the first included insults about Irish guys and  Bill O'Reilly's "gullible" audience that ended with a school yard challenge to cable news's most-watched personality (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday gave some advice to Fox News about how to treat Keith Olbermann now that he's partnered with Al Gore's struggling cable network.

"Do not ever talk about what goes on over there and nobody will ever hear about it" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Having mercilessly attacked Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) for six days in a row, MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Wednesday set his sights on conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.

After an opening teaser in which the "Hardball" host referred to "the right-wing freak-out over Egypt," Matthews ended up doing two segments about the Fox News star in which he and his perilously liberal guests called the object of their disaffection a "fear mongering," "completely crazy," "full mooner," "Captain Queeg" (videos follow with partial transcripts and lengthy commentary):

As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday got duped by a satirical website quoting from their spoof article about Sarah Palin advocating an attack on Egypt as if it was a serious commentary.

On Tuesday, proving once again that it takes a lot of rationalizations to be a liberal these days, Maddow blamed her mistake on Fox News's Glenn Beck and other prominent conservatives (video follows with partial transcript and commentary):

There are times it seems the folks at MSNBC are so driven by their liberal agenda that they're missing their own hypocrisy even when it happens on the same show separated by mere minutes.

Take for example Chris Matthews who moments after a lengthy segment Monday complaining about Glenn Beck and the so-called "violent rhetoric of the Right" ironically tied Tea Party members to "Nazi stuff" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Left-wing bloggers are touting their latest smear of a conservative radio talk show host and as you would expect, there's absolutely nothing to the charge.

The target this time is FNC host and radio talker Glenn Beck. In a segment last year, Beck warned establishment liberals that encouraging the far-left revolutionary types could end up backfiring in dangerous ways. "You're going to have to shoot them in the head," he warned, when the uber-leftists find out that the center-leftists aren't really on board with their revolutionary endgame.

Clearly, as Patterico notes, "you" in that sentence is referring to the establishment left, and "them" is referring to the wackos who want to do away with capitalism and "American imperialism" and such - you know, the folks who think Hugo Chavez's brand of dictatorship is just swell (video and transcript below the fold).

 As he hosted a special two-hour edition of Countdown on Saturday night to cover the violent attack on Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann ended up delivering a "Special Comment" in which he called for an end to the use of violent imagery by political figures of all ideologies, even apologizing for his own history, but he also at one point seemed to describe Sarah Palin and other conservative public figures as "slightly less madmen" than the gunman who attacked Giffords. Olbermann:

We will not because tonight what Mrs. Palin and what Mr. Kelly and what Congressman West and what Ms. Angle and what Mr. Beck and what Mr. O'Reilly and what you and I must understand was that the man who fired today did not fire at a Democratic Congresswoman and her supporters. He was not just a madman incited by 1,000 daily temptations by slightly less madmen to do things they would not rationally condone.

Although the MSNBC host only provided one example of his own past misdeeds - which involved a comment he made about Hillary Clinton in April 2008 - Olbermann’s own history also includes a June 2006 case in which he depicted an image of conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh as a target of gunfire, and in October 2008 when he showed a cartoon image of FNC’s Bill O’Reilly being beaten bloody by the Stewie Griffin character from a Family Guy DVD extra scene. And just in November of last year, Olbermann complained that President Obama would likely negotiate with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell over tax policy "instead of kicking him in the ass."

Journalists are practically giddy in anticipation of this weekend's Jon Stewart rally on the National Mall. The Rally's staff has recieved more than 1,000 requests for press credentials for the event. Only 400 were given out.

Those statistics underscore just how much the media loves Stewart's leftist message (and it is a leftist message). For some perspective, consider that the September 12, 2010 Tea Party on the Mall received roughly 150 requests for press credentials, according to FreedomWorks, which sponsored the event.

Has anyone noticed a leftward tilt by Politico lately? More and more, the respected inside-the-beltway publication seems to be more aggressive in its tack with conservatives.

Here’s one such example: In the Oct. 21 issue of Politico, an article written by Jonathan Martin attacks former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for her political activities and her dealings with other conservative leaders. One of Martin’s examples of Palin “wreaking havoc on the campaign trail” involved a disagreement with Fox News host Glenn Beck:

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Nation magazine editor Katrina vanden Heuvel made some truly disgusting remarks on MSNBC Monday.

Chatting with Ed Schultz about Saturday's "One Nation" rally, vanden Heuvel first offered a despicable racial comparison between the makeup of that crowd and the one at the "Restoring Honor" rally in August.

Next, the unapologetic liberal said Glenn Beck and Fox News "shamed Martin Luther King's great speech by appropriating that terrain" (video follows with transcript and commentary): 

The delusion starting to take hold of the liberal media as the midterm elections near is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day.

Despite pictures clearly showing that Saturday's "One Nation" rally had far fewer attendees than August's "Restoring Honor" event, MSNBC's Ed Schultz claimed Monday the crowds were equal in size.

So separated from reality is Schultz that towards the end of "The Ed Show," he even got into a fight with a guest about the matter.

But before we get there, here's an MSNBC anchor, someone actually on the payroll of a major television network, blatantly lying to his audience (video follows with partial transcript and commentary):

Ed Schultz on Friday predicted that more than 300,000 people would attend Saturday's "One Nation" rally in Washington, D.C.

This wasn't the first time he made such a bold forecast, for on August 31 just days after Glenn Beck's successful "Restoring Honor" rally, Schultz arrogantly boasted on his radio program, "I could get the Service Employees International Union, I could get AFSCME, I could get all these -- I guarantee you, I could do more than 300,000!"

Clearly, this guarantee wasn't worth much as pictures show Saturday's event receiving far less attendees than the Beck gathering in August.

But before we get there, here's what Schultz said at the end of Friday's "The Ed Show" (video follows with transcript and commentary): 

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank on Sunday said conservative commentator Glenn Beck is dangerous.

Discussing his new book about Beck with Howard Kurtz on CNN's "Reliable Sources," Milbank said, "When a man is frequently talking about Hitler and Nazis, and then you see the Tea Party rally with the same quotations of Tea Parties and Nazis... you have to say, where does all this come from and why is it suddenly out in the open?" 

This came moments after Milbank stated, "While you can't be blamed for any individual act, it is evidence that he is disseminating a very dangerous doctrine."

When Kurtz questioned him about whether or not he really believes this, Milbank responded, "I think it's been manifestly true that he's dangerous" (video follows with transcript and commentary):  

Since the Tea Party movement first captured America's attention in 2009, the media have gone apoplectic over some of the signs held by event attendees.

To give you an idea of the level of fascination, a Google search of the phrase "hate-filled Tea Party signs" produces 378,000 results. 

With this in mind, as Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in the nation's capital approached, numerous press outlets hyperventilated in expectation of all kinds of offensive posters adorning the National Mall.

Sadly for the conservative despising media, such fears didn't come to fruition.

However, at Saturday's "One Nation" rally, numerous hate-filled signs did emerge:

The media - and especially MSNBC's Ed Schultz - were hoping for a huge turnout at Saturday's "One Nation" rally in Washington, D.C. 

So hopeful were so-called journalists that this liberal event would top the attendance of Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in August that Schultz even "guaranteed" on his radio show that he "could do more than 300,000."

Well, here's a picture of Saturday's gathering followed by a similar angled shot taken during "Restoring Honor."

You decide which event drew a bigger crowd (h/t Gateway Pundit):

What – was Janeane Garofalo busy this week? If not, she has some real competition in the "lefty comic making outrageous statements" category.

On HBO’s Oct. 1 “Real Time with Bill Maher,” during the “Overtime” segment available on HBO.com, left-wing comedian David Cross of “Arrested Development” fame appeared to offer his view on issues of the day. This segment of the program is produced generally to answer viewer emailed questions. One of those questions was if people in the media “should be held more legally accountable for presenting false or misleading information.”

The host, Bill Maher likened that scenario to the system in place in the United Kingdom. However in the United States, Americans are protected by the First Amendment and he explained the legal implications of speech in the U.K. compared to the U.S. But in Cross’ estimation, that protected right is somehow wrong. He named two Fox News Channel hosts, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, and declared he would like to see them taken off of the airwaves although he wasn’t clear about what “false or misleading information” they may have presented that would warrant this action.

“I think so, absolutely, and I say that as somebody who would like to see Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity off the air, you know,” Cross declared with an approving response from the audience. “So, I think to -- it’s just part of the job. It should be part of the job, you know, if you knowingly do that, then absolutely you should lose your job. We don’t get to, you know, lie and make up things in our jobs, you know. And nobody really does.”

CNN's John King on Wednesday mocked Barack Obama for calling Fox News a "destructive" force in our society while at practically the same time a White House spokesman was saying MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow provide "an invaluable service" to the country.

As NewsBusters reported Tuesday, the President bashed FNC in a just-published interview with Rolling Stone magazine shortly before his Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton was praising MSNBC during a gaggle held on Air Force One.

With this in mind, on Wednesday's "John King USA," the host surprisingly derided the White House's inconsistency (video follows with partial transcript and commentary): 

Liberal radio host Bill Press on Friday called Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly bullies and cowards for never bringing people on their programs that disagree with them.

Most comically, Press made this pathetic and indefensible remark on MSNBC, the nation's most biased cable news network that hires anchors who categorically refuse to allow any dissenting views on their shows.

But Press was clearly missing the irony in the following position espoused on "The Ed Show" as was the host who seemed to very much agree (video follows with transcript and commentary): 

An organization once headed by former Obama administration official Van Jones tried it. Other so-called grassroots organizations have given it a shot. Now Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., with the power of Congress in tow, has taken his best shot to shut Glenn Beck down. But so far it isn’t really working.

On Sept. 23, Weiner called a representative from Santa Monica, Calif.-based Goldline to testify before the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee about what he deemed to be the firm's unfair business practices. However, it just so happens that Goldline sponsors Beck and other conservative media personalities.

With congressional hearings, you'd expect the media to be all over this, right? Not exactly, at least thus far. The most attention Weiner’s charade could muster was a segment at the end of MSNBC’s bomb-thrower show, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” Olbermann asked Weiner on his Sept. 23 broadcast if Goldline was in cahoots with “willing partners like Glenn Beck,” since anyone who suggests gold be a part of someone’s portfolio is up to no good.