CNN Uses Suspicious Newsweek Poll to Boost Democratic Congress

Already being suspicious of media polling, my eye was caught by the CNN.com article titled: "Approval of Congress at 22 percent." The article begins by stating that:A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Friday shows the approval rating for all members of Congress sits at a dismal 22 percent, while 75 percent of those surveyed disapproved of the way Congress is handling its job. This…

WaPo Hails Henry Waxman But Panned GOP Predecessor Burton

Thursday’s Washington Post front page featured a laudatory profile of hard-charging partisan House Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman. Reporter Jonathan Weisman hailed the liberal veteran from Beverly Hills as a “tireless” bright spot for House Democrats. The only Republican quotes used by Weisman underlined how impressive Waxman was. Ten years ago, when conservative Dan Burton…

AP, Not DNC, Describes Dem Tax Hike as 'Asking' Rich to Pay More

Notice Norah O'Donnell glancing down? Although the screen graphic refers to the Lewinsky scandal, the MSNBC anchor was at that moment discussing the Democrats's $1 trillion tax proposal with Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY). As Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rangel is the key mover behind the tax plan.O'Donnell, obviously reading from a document, described the proposal as a plan "to…

NYT Talks Around Charlie Rangel's Big Tax Hike

A big individual income tax hike is being pushed by Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel, chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, but New York Times economics reporter Edmund Andrews failed to capture the import in a slanted front-page business section story Thursday.The Times manages not to spell out precisely where Rangel's tax-hike proposal would begin to bite on "the wealthy." "The House'…

Stark's Humiliating Retraction Framed as Republican Failure

Reid Letter: 'Today' Omits Mention of Rush's $2.1 Million Donation

Given his show's modest ratings, it's unlikely that Keith Olbermann would be in a position to make a multi-million dollar donation to charity anytime soon. But let's imagine he did. Do you think that, in a segment on a related subject, NBC might find a moment to mention Olbermann's generosity?So do I.But "Today" managed to get through its report this morning about Rush Limbaugh's auctioning off…

Matthews Dredges Up Old Bush Lines to Offset Stark

A few days after 9-11, President Bush, in an impromptu moment on the White House lawn, referred to the war on terrorism as a crusade. What does that have to do with the vile claim Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) made this week that Pres. Bush sends our soldiers to Iraq to have their heads blown off for his "amusement"?Nothing that I can see. But on this afternoon's "Hardball," Chris Matthews dredged…

Pete Stark, Laff Riot? Crawford Calls Him 'Court Jester

Did I miss the joke? Was there something funny about what Pete Stark (D-Calif.) said on the floor of the House, claiming that President Bush sends our soldiers to Iraq to get their heads blown off for his amusement? Craig Crawford can apparently see some humor in it.Crawford appeared on today's "Morning Joe," and while the MSNBC political analyst certainly didn't approve Stark's statement, he…

Congressman Stark’s Disgusting Rant Against President Bush Ignored B

Americans on both sides of the aisle should be bitterly angry today. A United States Congressman stood on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday and said that kids are being sent "to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president`s amusement." As if that wasn't bad enough, the three evening news programs of America's top broadcast networks didn't feel this despicable act…

Mika Defends Carter's Cheney-Bashing: 'A Responsibility to Say Somethi

Surprise! Mika Brzezinski, far from criticizing Jimmy Carter's excoriation of the Bush adminstration, applauds it . . .View video here. In a free-swinging democracy such as ours, rare are the restraints on political speech by our elected representatives. One exception are rules of decorum, such as those governing the House of Representatives that prohibit members from speaking in negative…

Extra! Extra! NYT Corrects A Mistake

CNN’s Cafferty Laments War Spending, Bush Veto of SCHIP

CNN’s Jack Cafferty, in a "Question of the Hour" segment on Wednesday’s "The Situation Room," offered a loaded question involving President Bush’s veto of a proposed expansion of the SCHIP program. "President Bush has increased the national debt by trillions of dollars. Why would he veto a bill providing health insurance for children?" Cafferty’s question came 10 minutes into the 5 pm Eastern…

NY Times Misleads on Limbaugh, Phony 'Phony Soldiers' Controversy

Scarborough: Media Matters Used 'Phony Story' to Go After Rush

As Brent Baker of MRC/NB has documented, MSNBC has been among the worst MSM offenders in propagating the falsehood that Rush Limbaugh had accused all anti-war military members of being "phony soldiers." A point of light at that same network this morning, however, as Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist combined to debunk the Media Matters allegation, accusing the organization of using a "phony…