The quote, When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross,” could describe one of the most popular themes on Fox & Friends, a morning propaganda show that never wastes an opportunity to denigrate those evil Jesus haters who oppose this Christian symbol being placed on government land other than a cemetery. Fox & Friends has done many segments regarding cross disputes and in each and every one, only one side, the Christian side is represented. As Roger Ailes is very concerned about evil secularists who are "threatening to cut America off from its Judeo-Christian roots," it isn't surprising that this meme is a consistent feature on the "morning happy-talk show that Ailes uses as one of his primary vehicles to inject his venom into the media bloodstream." It also plays to the popular meme of Christian victimization which,as Jon Stewart says, is the "true genius of Fox News." This morning's Fox & Friends revolved around whether a court decision, which ruled that the placement of a Christian cross on public land is unconstitutional, is "another example of the war on religious freedom."  Funny, the issue of religious freedom was never invoked when Fox "News" was aiding all those who opposed the so called "Ground Zero Mosque."

Donald Trump was back on Fox News and once again treated like a respectable pundit despite a discredited record of birtherism and lies. That’s bad enough. But he had the audacity to make personal attacks on conservative pundit George Will – and host Greta Van Susteren didn’t seem to mind, much less point out the irony of Trump criticizing anyone else’s track record or credibility.

Fox is the mouthpiece for the GOP and patriarchal Christian right who want to take Americaback to the "good old days" when women knew their place and were happy to make cookies and lots of babies. Thus, it's not surprising that Fox & Friends,America's flagship show for old school family values, would discuss a Washington Post article in which a columnist had the audacity to criticize the "smug fecundity" of sainted GOP politicians. And who better to assist Fox & Friends them in their support for breeding patriarchal Republicans and their smear of he WAPO columnist than polymath and former "," Brad Stine, a Christian "comedian" who is also leader of a macho Christian men's group who "give thanks" to a very macho God for their testosterone. And we gals should be thankful for guys like Stine who will wean us of our evil, family destroying birth control ways in order to save heterosexual marriage and the nuclear family from evil liberals who are out to destroy the foundations of our Christian society.

Sean Hannity's race-based attacks on President Obama – over a hug he gave to a “radical” Harvard law professor in 1990 – has been widely ridiculed, including a devastating send up by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Hannity's own colleague, Geraldo Rivera, called it a “sign of desperation.” But segregation-supporting Hannity isn't giving up on his efforts. In fact, last night, he spent most of his Fox News show doubling (or was it tripling?) down on his efforts to “prove” President Obama is a racist.

Count Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera as one of the many underwhelmed about Sean Hannity’s “exposé” into President Obama’s hug of Professor Derrick Bell 22 years ago via a post-mortem video clip from Andrew Breitbart. Rivera said that while Bell had some “far out theories,” it was “unfair” and “a sign of desperation” to try to turn him into a 2012 election version of Jeremiah Wright. 

Bill O’Reilly just can’t stop attacking Sandra Fluke. Fluke, as you probably know, exercised her American citizenship to testify before Congress on a subject she cared about – contraception coverage in health insurance – and the right has been going after her ever since. Rush Limbaugh’s shocking smears have cost him dearly in sponsors. But Fox News, which is largely ignoring the Limbaugh controversy, has gone after Fluke with its own smears, albeit less inflammatorily. So, for example, Bill O’Reilly implied Fluke is a slut instead of coming right out and saying so, as Limbaugh did. He followed that up with a convoluted conspiracy theory in which he “connected” Fluke to President Obama based on the fact that former Obama aide Anita Dunn works for the (large) PR company representing Fluke. Never mind that Dunn has already said she has nothing to do with Fluke’s account. Now, O’Reilly has some new information: Fluke’s boyfriend is the son of a “Democratic stalwart” who “has made at least 56 donations to many Democratic candidates or organizations.” Apparently, that’s proof enough that Fluke is some kind of Obama plant.

While much of the world awaits the HBO movie Game Change – the film about the 2008 election that has Sarah Palin fuming – Fox & Friends gave a nice little plug for the fawning documentary about Palin that will coincidentally run on the Reelz network at the same time. Gretchen Carlson introduced the segment by saying, “Now a documentary giving a more intimate look” at P alin. Carlson didn't mention the film was released last July and bombed. 

Yesterday’s award for Best Idiocy By A Fox “News” Anchor Named Eric Bolling would certainly have to be when he waved around a manila envelope on Fox and Friends and insisted it revealed a secret plan to reduce the price of gas to $2.50 a gallon.  He said he would reveal it only to the President of the United States of America if only the president would take some time out of his busy day and give Bolling a call.  Ever helpful to the president, Bolling held up his phone number on a white board but said he only wanted to hear from the president.  Geez, Bolling, even Glenn Beck showed more brains than that.  He passed the number to his red phone to the president quietly, so it would be free when the president called.  Bolling proved he didn’t care if the president ever got through, he was just performing a stunt.  Someone who didn’t seem to realize it was a stunt, and who is also a president (of a SuperPAC), is Stephen Colbert who had to find out what was in that envelope, so he called Bolling’s number: Video below the jump.

It’s always been my personal opinion, born of my personal experience (see below), that the best people to consider whether a racial slur has been used are those who feel aggrieved.  They have a context I simply do not.  During a recent discussion on The Five, the Fox “News” shout-a-thon, 3 out of 5 of co-hosts on Wednesday simply refused to accept that a chant of “U-S-A!” from a predominantly Caucasian high school, at a predominantly Latino team, following a basketball game could possibly have more than one meaning.  They all but paraphrased the father of modern psychiatry—“sometimes a patriotic chant is just a patriotic chant”—and Freud would have had a field day with this crew.  There’s no need to put them on the couch to know that Eric Bolling, Andrea Tantaros, and Kimberly Guilfoyle are in serious denial.  [Video below the fold.]

Jon Stewart gave Sean Hannity exactly what he and his big "race video" "exclusive" deserved last night - major ridiculing. Plus a dollop of noting the kinds of crooks and radicals that Hannity has palled around with. I would have loved it if Stewart had included the bigots Hannity has endorsed but we won't quibble. What we've got is penetrating, trenchant and funny!