“Some Say” Fox&Friends Promote "Teabagger" Tee Shirts
Reported by Priscilla - August 23, 2009 -
Contrary to Sean Hannity’s assertion that “liberals do make themselves out to be victims,” conservatives do love a good whine. We had Carrie Prejean whining about being attacked by that evil Perez Hilton (and of course, the more macrocosmic “gay agenda”) and we had Katy Abram whining about getting one nasty phone call. But now we have a new victim of the librul agenda who, naturally, is getting free publicity on Fox News while Fox News gets to work in a Republican right wing talking point under the “some say” mantra. It’s just too cute by half – and quite obvious.
Yesterday morning on Fox&Friends, a right wing propaganda show that cloaks its right wing talking points in the guise of happy and simple talk directed at those who like their pablum sweet and easy to digest, they interviewed a Republican college student whose tee shirt “caused some controversy” - no, not “Bong Hits for Jesus” whose irreverent wearer would have never been interviewed by Fox News, but “RIP the Constitution” on the front and this quote from Ronald Reagan on the back: "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." This shirt was given to Georgia Congressional Represenative Jack Kingston at a Town Hall Meeting at Valdosta Georgia by Ashleigh Kenny, who attends Valdosta State College in Georgia. Kingston. Kingston posed with Ashleigh, who is a teabagger, and posted the photo on his Flickr account. Ashleigh claims to be suffering the slings and arrows of the librul attack machine and Fox News is here to reinforce the meme and support her. “Somebody call me a whambulance!”
Dave Briggs wanted to know “why this shirt caused so much controversy.” Well poor lil Ashleigh said that she was subject to “personal attacks” as a result of some bloggers putting it up on a website.”* When asked why she felt the constitution is under attack, she replied that she feels “smothered” by the government. While squirming excitedly on the Fox couch, Alyson Camerota asked what Ashleigh thought of the “cash for clunkers” program and – get ready for propaganda – “SOME PEOPLE have said that this is an example of how BIG bureaucracy can’t even get something that’s fairly small right.” (Who’s that Alyson, your zen masters at the RNC?) Ashleigh, a good ole conservative gal, gave the perfunctory republican teabagging talking point – ready for more propaganda – “why would anyone want to their life if they can’t even run a rebate program. in government hands if they can’t get a rebate.” Ashleigh said that she will continue to sell her teeshirt which she designed for a tea party. She is suprised at the number of sales as she didn’t expect to get more than one order (Oh, yeah, right!) She then gave the website address in case y’all want to order some. Camerota said that “some people” do think there should be some kind of reform and asked Kenny what would have been better. Kenny said “work on what you have, don’t try to make it bigger.” (That’s right we wouldn’t want it expanded to those tacky poor people some of whom might have dark skin, would we?) Ashleigh wants to “clean up the mess we’re in”. (Does Ashleigh realize that "the mess we're in" is due to a republican president who had no problem spending lots of money on an arguably unnecessary war and whose handling of the constitution (warantless wiretaps, torture, rendition) might have been a little sloppy.Then there was the GOP congress and the prescription bill…) Briggs wanted to know why she thought “some people” were angry with the tee shirt. The victim meme was reinforced with Camerota’s question “how are you handling all the personal attacks now?" Ashliegh said that the first attack hurt but she’s getting used to the attacks which “mean she’s getting something right”. (Gee, Fox&Friends weren’t concerned about all the attacks on Janeane Garofalo some of which were inspired by Fox coverage!) Briggs gave her a shout out by saying if she can get this many people up she must be doing something right. He then wished her luck for the tee shirt sales. He asked her to repeat the website.
Comment: Poor Asleigh. She’s being smothered by government and attacked by librul bloggers. Life sucks. But then she, according to WCTV, has sold over a hundred and she’s on right wing Tee Vee where she gets to promote them nationally so it’s not all bad. And as a propaganda piece for Fox News, it was actually pretty good. They got to 1)work in a right wing talking point about “cash for clunkers” 2) show how nasty those evil libruls are in "attacking" 4) a virtuous, Republican gal whose just trying to make her way in a cold, cruel socialist world where the 5) Constitution is under attack. All in all a nice piece of work. (although “some might say” that it was just more right wing bullshit about a manufactured controversy.)
*Oh, and the nasty, bad librul – Oliver Willis who, over the photo of Ashleigh and Kingston, asks, what I consider to be, a legitimate question: “This was inexplicably posted on Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)’s official Flickr account. Why would any American congressman do something like this?” Under the photo: “The GOP embraces the fringe, and the fringe dooms them to failure.” Wow, really incendiary and insulting!
