Kevin Koster commented on Kirsten Powers Helps Fox News Use Limbaugh To Attack The Left
2012-03-10 07:11:25 -0500
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Calm down, Robert. You’re reciting Rush Limbaugh talking points and they’re as inaccurate as usual for Rush.
I don’t know anyone on the left saying that it’s okay for Bill Maher to make nasty comments about Sarah Palin or anyone else. And the whole David Letterman thing was something he apologized for, on the air. As for Ed Schultz making a nasty comment about Laura Ingraham (who herself has been openly nasty to people), he apologized both on the air and in a phone call to her the day he did it. He also took himself off the air. Essentially, he lost his temper and acted badly – he admitted it, and both he and Ingraham moved on.
In the case of Rush Limbaugh, it’s not just that he called Sandra Fluke names. And it’s not just two words. He did rant after rant about her for days, even after he knew he was in the wrong. He only offered a token apology over last weekend when his advertisers began jumping ship.
If anyone is having an issue with their ideology taking precedence over their morals, Rush Limbaugh would be a good place to start. I’d argue that Bill Maher would also fall into the same category.
It’s just sad that Fox News and Limbaugh are trying so desperately to spin this situation into something else. This is akin to when Limbaugh insulted and imitated Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, or when Limbaugh called anti-war Iraq veterans “phony soldiers” and then tried to hide behind Jesse MacBeth. It would do Rush Limbaugh a world of good to simply own up to the things he’s done and to humbly apologize for his behavior. Not try to justify himself or say that he picked the wrong words. Not try to say that he was “using the tactics of the left”. But to do the right thing, the honorable thing, the human thing and just say that he was wrong, admit it and move on.
I don’t know anyone on the left saying that it’s okay for Bill Maher to make nasty comments about Sarah Palin or anyone else. And the whole David Letterman thing was something he apologized for, on the air. As for Ed Schultz making a nasty comment about Laura Ingraham (who herself has been openly nasty to people), he apologized both on the air and in a phone call to her the day he did it. He also took himself off the air. Essentially, he lost his temper and acted badly – he admitted it, and both he and Ingraham moved on.
In the case of Rush Limbaugh, it’s not just that he called Sandra Fluke names. And it’s not just two words. He did rant after rant about her for days, even after he knew he was in the wrong. He only offered a token apology over last weekend when his advertisers began jumping ship.
If anyone is having an issue with their ideology taking precedence over their morals, Rush Limbaugh would be a good place to start. I’d argue that Bill Maher would also fall into the same category.
It’s just sad that Fox News and Limbaugh are trying so desperately to spin this situation into something else. This is akin to when Limbaugh insulted and imitated Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, or when Limbaugh called anti-war Iraq veterans “phony soldiers” and then tried to hide behind Jesse MacBeth. It would do Rush Limbaugh a world of good to simply own up to the things he’s done and to humbly apologize for his behavior. Not try to justify himself or say that he picked the wrong words. Not try to say that he was “using the tactics of the left”. But to do the right thing, the honorable thing, the human thing and just say that he was wrong, admit it and move on.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity And Gingrich Side With Israel Over U.S.
2012-03-06 14:32:48 -0500
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The next time that Newt Gingrich is being interviewed on CNN or on Meet the Press and he goes off on a rant like this, I’d really like to see the interviewer answer him with:
“Mr. Gingrich, you seem very angry and upset. Would you like to take a moment to compose yourself or do you think you can proceed with this interview?”
“Mr. Gingrich, you seem very angry and upset. Would you like to take a moment to compose yourself or do you think you can proceed with this interview?”
Kevin Koster commented on Ann Coulter Defends Breitbart: Ted Kennedy Deserved To Be Called “Excrement” When He Died
2012-03-03 14:25:55 -0500
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Hannity’s next guest made a point of calling him on the double standard, referring in particular to Coulter and the terrible things she has said. Hannity had no answer other than to try to bluster past it, without success.
Kevin Koster commented on Why Fox News Loves Andrew Breitbart
2012-03-02 10:53:09 -0500
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Andrew’s behavior was really more about being outrageous in order to get people to pay attention to him. He liked to present himself as a tactician but he really didn’t understand tactics or strategy. He just liked to make a grand statement or gesture.
I think he really did cross the lines of decency with several of his works, including the pushing of the edited ACORN videos and the slander and libel against Shirley Sherrod. The lawsuit over the latter matter will certainly drain his estate when they are forced to settle it.
This was a guy who seemed to enjoy walking out into a crowd of protestors and yelling at them. He seemed to enjoy being mean to people. And that, unfortunately, is his real legacy.
I think he really did cross the lines of decency with several of his works, including the pushing of the edited ACORN videos and the slander and libel against Shirley Sherrod. The lawsuit over the latter matter will certainly drain his estate when they are forced to settle it.
This was a guy who seemed to enjoy walking out into a crowd of protestors and yelling at them. He seemed to enjoy being mean to people. And that, unfortunately, is his real legacy.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity And Bozell Throw Stones At Media Matters From TheVery Thin Walls Of Their Glass House
2012-02-19 13:33:17 -0500
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Bill O’Reilly joined the pile-on on Friday, this time trying to say that Brent Bozell has never attacked anyone. This is untrue. Brent Bozell’s group, the Parents Television Council, which is really an offshoot of his Media Research Center, got in trouble ten years ago for attacking WWE and saying that they were encouraging children to violence. The WWE sued Bozell’s PTC and got a 3.5 million dollar settlement. Bozell was also compelled to post a humiliating apology to the WWE to complete his discrediting.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox News Blames The Victims For Foreclosure Abuse
2012-02-12 21:14:25 -0500
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Joseph, I hear you. I think we may agree to disagree on some of this.
I just think that a blanket statement that the buyers didn’t know what they were getting into when buying these overpriced properties goes past what actually happened here. It assumes that the buyers were not reading the documents they were signing every page of, or that they simply didn’t understand the terms of their loans. I’d like to think that most people, when making such a significant investment (for almost all of us, it’s the single biggest investment of our lives) would take the time to find out exactly what they were getting into. And that could and should take more than 30 minutes.
I’m not denying that there were bank and real estate people who acted in an unscrupulous way. There absolutely were. But there is still something to be said about the responsibility of the buyer. Again, without getting into the morality detour, the buyers were not forced to sign these papers and agree to these terms. I believe the overwhelming majority willingly signed because they wanted that nice house and because they assumed that if anything went wrong, they could just sell it at a higher price and still come out okay. I believe many of them didn’t think through the ramifications of the downturn that people like Dean Baker were warning about for years.
Many people specifically did NOT buy the expensive homes during this time because they knew they couldn’t afford them. There’s a simple logic to this – if I’m making 50K per year, that means I can’t afford a 500K house. I can’t afford it even if I take an ARM with no downpayment in the hopes that I can sell the house if the balloon payments are too much. Because at that point I’d be gambling – and doing so with the most significant purchase of my life.
And again, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t some really slimy real estate people peddling overpriced properties under ridiculous terms. There were. But nobody forces me to deal with those people – if the numbers don’t add up, I don’t press that button.
Even more to the point for this, I’m not certain that the Obama Administration relief effort here can do much to help the people who are underwater by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Further, there are plenty of people who paid their mortgages for 20 and 30 years and played by the rules, who are wondering why they don’t qualify for any relief…
I just think that a blanket statement that the buyers didn’t know what they were getting into when buying these overpriced properties goes past what actually happened here. It assumes that the buyers were not reading the documents they were signing every page of, or that they simply didn’t understand the terms of their loans. I’d like to think that most people, when making such a significant investment (for almost all of us, it’s the single biggest investment of our lives) would take the time to find out exactly what they were getting into. And that could and should take more than 30 minutes.
I’m not denying that there were bank and real estate people who acted in an unscrupulous way. There absolutely were. But there is still something to be said about the responsibility of the buyer. Again, without getting into the morality detour, the buyers were not forced to sign these papers and agree to these terms. I believe the overwhelming majority willingly signed because they wanted that nice house and because they assumed that if anything went wrong, they could just sell it at a higher price and still come out okay. I believe many of them didn’t think through the ramifications of the downturn that people like Dean Baker were warning about for years.
Many people specifically did NOT buy the expensive homes during this time because they knew they couldn’t afford them. There’s a simple logic to this – if I’m making 50K per year, that means I can’t afford a 500K house. I can’t afford it even if I take an ARM with no downpayment in the hopes that I can sell the house if the balloon payments are too much. Because at that point I’d be gambling – and doing so with the most significant purchase of my life.
And again, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t some really slimy real estate people peddling overpriced properties under ridiculous terms. There were. But nobody forces me to deal with those people – if the numbers don’t add up, I don’t press that button.
Even more to the point for this, I’m not certain that the Obama Administration relief effort here can do much to help the people who are underwater by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Further, there are plenty of people who paid their mortgages for 20 and 30 years and played by the rules, who are wondering why they don’t qualify for any relief…
Kevin Koster commented on Birther Donald Trump Lectures Rick Santorum About Being A Credible Presidential Candidate
2012-02-09 02:51:01 -0500
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I’ll give van Susteren a point for making Trump admit he was also taking cheap shots at Jon Huntsman, including a gratuitous one about refusing a meeting with Huntsman. Van Susteren pushed Trump into admitting that this is something that happened while Huntsman was a candidate months ago, and not something he just did today.
Kevin Koster commented on Donald Trump: We Don’t Really Know Where Obama Comes From
2012-02-04 13:18:36 -0500
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And the ridiculous Georgia birther case has been thrown out by the judge for obvious reasons, including the fact that they had no legal grounds and that the “case” presented by Orly Taitz and friends did not include any experts to know from what they were talking about.
Let’s see if the Birther bunch decides to discredit the judge now that he’s spoiled their fun…
Let’s see if the Birther bunch decides to discredit the judge now that he’s spoiled their fun…
Kevin Koster commented on Monica Crowley Cheers Gov. Jan Brewer “Getting Up In The President’s Grill”
2012-01-28 18:55:23 -0500
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It’s pretty clear what happened in this case.
Brewer used a standard tarmac greeting situation to try to push her usual spin with Obama, and he was having none of it. He reminded her that she wrote nasty and biased things about their last meeting and she immediately got on her high horse and tried to talk over him. After a few moments of this, he realized the conversation was going nowhere and he moved on.
Brewer is using this event for free publicity for herself and to pump sales of her book. Which is why Obama couldn’t help laughing about it when he was asked.
Brewer used a standard tarmac greeting situation to try to push her usual spin with Obama, and he was having none of it. He reminded her that she wrote nasty and biased things about their last meeting and she immediately got on her high horse and tried to talk over him. After a few moments of this, he realized the conversation was going nowhere and he moved on.
Brewer is using this event for free publicity for herself and to pump sales of her book. Which is why Obama couldn’t help laughing about it when he was asked.
Kevin Koster commented on Chris Wallace Tries To Push Boehner Into Holding Payroll Tax Cut Hostage To Keystone Pipeline Approval
2012-01-23 03:44:07 -0500
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Wallace was actually a little more even handed over the course of the interview. He correctly noted that the GOP House members were not going along with agreements that Boehner had made with President Obama. He also started to get into the area of Eric Cantor’s disagreements with Boehner, which is crucial to understanding what is actually happening in the house. (It’s obvious that Cantor wants to become Speaker, and that he’s been repeatedly undercutting Boehner to make sure he gets that post when Boehner either gets voted out or steps down at the end of the year.)
Wallace did get one major point out – that 2012, just like the past 3 years, will completely be about politics for the GOP. Not about jobs, the economy or actually trying to do the work of the Congress. Just about political chess games using such things as the budget, the debt ceiling, and any other thing they can to obstruct any step President Obama tries to take. The GOP position will be to say no to everything, just as it has been since Obama was sworn in, in the hope that this will play well on Fox News and give them a talking point for the fall election.
But there was a pretty smarmy tone to the whole thing. Boehner could only repeat a few talking points and point his finger at President Obama without getting into any substance. And Wallace, at the end, made a particularly nasty comment when he asked Boehner how he was planning to stay awake during the State of the Union Address. Boehner, typically, responded that he would focus on the back of the President’s head, rather than on anything the man was actually saying.
(It’s interesting to note that the GOP has stayed in lockstep in their opposition to everything Democratic or Obama-originated. They are determined not to participate in the Obama-era government. It’s almost as though they’re trying to ignore its existence. The Dems did go along with much of the George W. Bush-era government, approving most of his programs and apppointments, including the Iraq War and two inappropriate Supreme Court nominees that should have been rejected for cause. Of course, the Dems’ votes for these things then gets used as a way to include them in the blame for these things, and the GOP’s intransigence gets used as a way of noting their “integrity”. We’ll see what the voters do in November, given the spectacular unpopularity of this Congress.)
Wallace did get one major point out – that 2012, just like the past 3 years, will completely be about politics for the GOP. Not about jobs, the economy or actually trying to do the work of the Congress. Just about political chess games using such things as the budget, the debt ceiling, and any other thing they can to obstruct any step President Obama tries to take. The GOP position will be to say no to everything, just as it has been since Obama was sworn in, in the hope that this will play well on Fox News and give them a talking point for the fall election.
But there was a pretty smarmy tone to the whole thing. Boehner could only repeat a few talking points and point his finger at President Obama without getting into any substance. And Wallace, at the end, made a particularly nasty comment when he asked Boehner how he was planning to stay awake during the State of the Union Address. Boehner, typically, responded that he would focus on the back of the President’s head, rather than on anything the man was actually saying.
(It’s interesting to note that the GOP has stayed in lockstep in their opposition to everything Democratic or Obama-originated. They are determined not to participate in the Obama-era government. It’s almost as though they’re trying to ignore its existence. The Dems did go along with much of the George W. Bush-era government, approving most of his programs and apppointments, including the Iraq War and two inappropriate Supreme Court nominees that should have been rejected for cause. Of course, the Dems’ votes for these things then gets used as a way to include them in the blame for these things, and the GOP’s intransigence gets used as a way of noting their “integrity”. We’ll see what the voters do in November, given the spectacular unpopularity of this Congress.)
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity Trots Out Gingrich Daughters To Deny “Open Marriage” Claim
2012-01-20 04:21:46 -0500
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Newt’s attempt at being “Happy Old Uncle Newt” fell apart the moment he was challenged by Romney. Then the “Angry Old Newt” came back out, which revealed the other pose to have been an acted one.
The strangest part of his campaign has been the frozen grin he’s used since May whenever he’s asked a hard question…
The strangest part of his campaign has been the frozen grin he’s used since May whenever he’s asked a hard question…
Kevin Koster commented on Bill O’Reilly Uses Martin Luther King Day To Play The Racial Victim
2012-01-18 16:33:55 -0500
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I think Harpootlian got himself in trouble with the statement on MSNBC, where he could be heard to say that holding the debate on MLK Day was indicative of GOP disregard for the black community. Had he just commented about the difference between the 2008 MLK Day situation and the current one, O’Reilly would not have been able to attack him.
And then when O’Reilly got Harpootlian on the air, he took advantage of the fact that Harpootlian didn’t remember that the Dems had their debate on MLK Day in 08, as sponsored by the CBC.
Harpootlian should have done his homework on both counts – of making the acccurate comparison, and of anticipating what O’Reilly would pull. Since he didn’t, O’Reilly had a field day and spent the rest of his hour gloating about it. And he’ll continue to gloat about it, no doubt, when discussing any further racial issues during the campaign. Every discussion will include an obligatory mention of “…this is the same thing as when you left wingers were telling the Republicans they couldn’t have a debate on MLK Day and we on the Factor had to point out the truth…” It’ll be just as much fun as the fictional $16 muffin he keeps using to bash the government.
And then when O’Reilly got Harpootlian on the air, he took advantage of the fact that Harpootlian didn’t remember that the Dems had their debate on MLK Day in 08, as sponsored by the CBC.
Harpootlian should have done his homework on both counts – of making the acccurate comparison, and of anticipating what O’Reilly would pull. Since he didn’t, O’Reilly had a field day and spent the rest of his hour gloating about it. And he’ll continue to gloat about it, no doubt, when discussing any further racial issues during the campaign. Every discussion will include an obligatory mention of “…this is the same thing as when you left wingers were telling the Republicans they couldn’t have a debate on MLK Day and we on the Factor had to point out the truth…” It’ll be just as much fun as the fictional $16 muffin he keeps using to bash the government.
Kevin Koster commented on Monica Crowley Helps Bill O’Reilly Use Martin Luther King Day To Play The Racial Victim
2012-01-17 20:08:25 -0500
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The swipe at the Kennedys was the point where I had to say “Are you kidding?” I honestly think Brit Hume didn’t really know how to respond. As it was, he didn’t even deny the premise.
Kevin Koster commented on Bill O’Reilly Uses Martin Luther King Day To Play The Racial Victim - Pt. 2
2012-01-17 16:28:18 -0500
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Things got decidedly worse in the Colmes/Crowley debate.
That started with a discussion of Voter ID, where Crowley made the outrageous assertion that the Dems intend to commit voter fraud as an electoral strategy without any objection from O’Reilly. When Colmes brought up the fact that voter fraud is an insignificant problem, and that this ID balloon is really about intimidating poor and minority voters from the polls before they can vote for Dems, THEN O’Reilly steps in and tells Colmes he’s out of line. And Crowley is allowed an additional shot to tell Colmes his statement is outrageous – the irony of which was quite thick.
Then they moved on to discussion of the Harpootlian interview, for which O’Reilly gloated about having nailed him. Colmes attempted to make the point that Harpootlian had fumbled but couldn’t get past the filibustering from O’Reilly, who only wanted to hear a yes/no about whether it was smart of Harpootlian to say there shouldn’t be a debate on MLK Day in light of 2008. Colmes eventually backed down in light of the filibustering and both O’Reilly and Crowley telling him to calm down.
Finally, they brought up the old canard of the Black Panther/Christian Adams mess in Philadelphia, with Crowley once again accusing the Obama Justice people of dropping the case. Colmes then tried to correct the record for what must be the umpteenth time, and as they talked over each other, he reminded her that most of this happened under the Bush Department and that no complaints were ever filed in the case. O’Reilly and Crowley once again told Colmes to calm down and used semantics to maintain their case. Colmes by this point really did look frustrated, possibly from ending the segment with this kind of “Whack a Mole” discussion.
O’Reilly must have been in some kind of mood last night, since he also took the time during his Brit Hume discussion to bring up the whole Kennedy Family bootlegger story as a way of dismissing the family’s fortune. At several points during this, Hume was laughing as well, possibly out of nervousness or perhaps because he agreed.
All said, this was a pretty shocking hour of television.
That started with a discussion of Voter ID, where Crowley made the outrageous assertion that the Dems intend to commit voter fraud as an electoral strategy without any objection from O’Reilly. When Colmes brought up the fact that voter fraud is an insignificant problem, and that this ID balloon is really about intimidating poor and minority voters from the polls before they can vote for Dems, THEN O’Reilly steps in and tells Colmes he’s out of line. And Crowley is allowed an additional shot to tell Colmes his statement is outrageous – the irony of which was quite thick.
Then they moved on to discussion of the Harpootlian interview, for which O’Reilly gloated about having nailed him. Colmes attempted to make the point that Harpootlian had fumbled but couldn’t get past the filibustering from O’Reilly, who only wanted to hear a yes/no about whether it was smart of Harpootlian to say there shouldn’t be a debate on MLK Day in light of 2008. Colmes eventually backed down in light of the filibustering and both O’Reilly and Crowley telling him to calm down.
Finally, they brought up the old canard of the Black Panther/Christian Adams mess in Philadelphia, with Crowley once again accusing the Obama Justice people of dropping the case. Colmes then tried to correct the record for what must be the umpteenth time, and as they talked over each other, he reminded her that most of this happened under the Bush Department and that no complaints were ever filed in the case. O’Reilly and Crowley once again told Colmes to calm down and used semantics to maintain their case. Colmes by this point really did look frustrated, possibly from ending the segment with this kind of “Whack a Mole” discussion.
O’Reilly must have been in some kind of mood last night, since he also took the time during his Brit Hume discussion to bring up the whole Kennedy Family bootlegger story as a way of dismissing the family’s fortune. At several points during this, Hume was laughing as well, possibly out of nervousness or perhaps because he agreed.
All said, this was a pretty shocking hour of television.