Memo to Democrats: Sean Hannity is a Lying Bully. Don't Expect Him To Fight Fair
Reported by Ellen - October 14, 2004 -
Sean Hannity bullied and lied his way through last night's Hannity & Colmes, except when he changed the subject after being challenged by Democrats.
Example 1: Segment with Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. After McAuliffe's segment with Alan Colmes, Hannity said, "OK, Terry, time to answer a real question
Can you look into that camera right there and name
one specific piece of legislation that John Kerry passed that made this country better in 20 years?"
TM: He's got a lot of bills with his name on them
SH (interrupting): Name one that he's accomplished on his own. (Comment: Since when does legislation get "accomplished" on someone's own. It's a group effort, by definition. Surely, Hannity would know that.)
TM: He did a small business financing to help small business.
SH:What, what was the bill?
TM: Loans for more small businesses.
SH: That's it? One bill? That's all he's done?
TM: Starts to answer
SH: 20 years, that's all he's done?
Comment: McAuliffe originally said there were lots, but Hannity insisted McAuliffe name only one. Hannity has mischaracterized not only McAuliffe's answer but his own question.
Example 2:
SH: The tone in Washington came up. I want to know if you support your candidate repeatedly referring to the president as misleading and lying to the country and Ted Kennedy saying he concocted a war for political gain, Howard Dean saying that the president
knew about 9/11 ahead of time, Dennis Kucinich saying that he targeted civilians for assassination these are the leaders of YOUR PARTY (points an accusatory finger at McAuliffe). (Comment: This is another lie or at least misstatement by Hannity. They are not the leaders of the party. McAuliffe, Kerry, Edwards, Daschle, Pelosi, et al are the leaders.)
SH: (continuing): That's the negative tone in Washington. Look in the camera and tell America you're proud. Are you proud of what they said?... You want to call the president a liar?
TM: You bet I do!
SH: We're at war and your party has politicized the war. (Comment: Another mischaracterization. Bush, the Republicans and especially Hannity politicize it at every opportunity.)
SH: (continuing) Your party calls the president a liar and I think as a leader, you ought to say..
TM: Why don't we talk about the real issues, Sean?... If people think that George Bush has done a great job in this country creating jobs, then go vote for him.
SH: (Notice that he changes the subject here, rather than defend Bush's jobs numbers) Give us one accomplishment
(which McAuliffe already did).
Example 3: Segment with General Wesley Clark
SH: Saddam would still be in power if Kerry was president.
WC: Not if it's done the right way
the same way Milosevic was thrown out of power in Yugoslavia. We didn't invade Yugoslavia and throw Milosevic out. The Yugoslavian people overthrew Milosevic.
SH: (changes the topic rather than debate Clark's excellent point): My problem with John Kerry is he has a 20-year record of being weak on defense. When Reagan was confronting evil in his time, Kerry was wrong and wanted a nuclear freeze (a favorite Hannity talking point)
Example 4: Segment with Dick Morris
SH: (Bush) pointed out and I had Terry McAuliffe in this chair earlier (Kerry had) no accomplishments in 20 years.
Comment: Both McAuliffe and Clark did an excellent job of holding up their end of the argument. But I don't understand why neither of them confronted Hannity on his rude, boorish and dishonorable tactics. There was a large, partisan crowd behind the set. I was hoping that the Kerry supporters would have started booing Hannity loudly. They should have!
