Although much has been made of the optics and the fact of the confrontation between Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison and Sean Hannity, much less attention has been paid to the substance of Ellison's allegations. For one thing, it bears emphasizing that the video that set off Ellison was a mashup video, obviously designed to put President Obama in as negative a light as possible, presented by Hannity as an introduction to their discussion. But more important were Ellison's allegations that Hannity has a long history of making truth secondary to his political agenda. Media Matters came up with ten examples of Hannity falsehoods. I found several more.
In Media Matters' list, my "favorites" are Hannity's deliberate promotion of birtherism (while, in another falsehood, pretending otherwise) and fueling the "Obama is a secret Muslim" meme. But there are many, many more. Here are some of my own "favorites:"
Hannity promoted the baseless theory that Obama would start a war with Iran in order to win re-election.
Hannity insisted he never questioned President Obama's patriotism.
Hannity repeatedly hypes phony links between Obama and Louis Farrakhan in order to paint them as racial soulmates.
Hannity repeatedly insisted Democratic criticisms of the Iraq war were harming our troops, even though Geneal Tommy Franks figures told him otherwise.
And last but not least: Hannity promised he'd undergo waterboarding for charity in order to prove it's not torture.
You can watch Ellison v. Hannity below.
The Express encourages all the masses to send a Tweet to Rep. Ellison with the following links:
@keithellison
Hannocchio and Hal Turner
http://youtu.be/me7_ub_cjjk
Hannocchio’s association with convicted felon Robert Allen Stanford
http://youtu.be/HKxJIo0o-Pk
Hannocchio fired for discrimination
http://may-chang.com/?p=4084
Hannocchio’s association with white nationalist Pat Buchanan
http://youtu.be/YNFmMi0zvEs
Hannocchio’s friend Pat Buchanan’s association with white nationalism
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2006/fall/blood-and-soil
Hannocchio supported George Allen’s campaign. Photo of Allen with white nationalists
http://www.thenation.com/article/beyond-macaca-photograph-haunts-george-allen#
Hannocchio’s appearance with George Allen
http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2006/09/get-hannitized-george-allen-to-appear.html
Tell Rep. Ellison to go public with these gems to his constituents, and to the world.
Hannocchio is a troubled man with a dark side. His audience would drop him if they learned of his true nature, and he knows it.
Here’s a little secret about Hannocchio. He hates being called Hannipie the tin man and grandpa.
NOTE TO HANNITY
You were a big mouth in 1989, and still a big mouth in 2013.
Hannity didn’t want to hear it. He was so desperate for his “Obama=Hitler” smoking gun that he tried to shut the horse’s mouth while it corrected the record.
There are so many more examples, from Hannity bullying callers with demands they answer Hannity’s questions or he will hang up on the caller, to Hannity not really doing a live show, recording starting two hours earlier each day to brow-beating callers who are not on point with HIM to flat out acting like he can read the president’s mind and knows how and why he is acting, which, of course is not true, like today, when Hannity accused Obama of trying to make the economy fall into the Sequester to hurt Republicans, and that the president did not care what happened to the nation.
