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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Elections - Family - GOP - Media Bias - Morals/Sex - News - President - Religion - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

The truth is not dishonorable

September 22, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

John McCain ran an ad criticizing Barack Obama for supporting sex education for kindergartners. The reaction of Obama and his media sycophants was so vociferous that you might have thought abortion had been curtailed. The ad was described as a total fabrication, swill, truly vile, and one of the sleaziest spots in history.

McCain lied. McCain is dishonorable. McCain is running a squalid campaign of bald-faced smears. That’s what we read in the newspapers, saw on TV, and heard on the radio.

The truth is McCain’s ad is accurate. Ah, say the Obamatons, it’s false because Obama didn’t sponsor the Illinois Senate bill in question. McCain’s ad didn’t assert he did.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Military - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

McCain or Obama? How About This Referendum…

September 22, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

To say the least, there is quite an ideological and political gulf between John McCain and Barack Obama. So too, is there a great deal of difference between their running mates, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. On just about every issue examined during this interminably long presidential election cycle the two tickets stand miles apart. From taxes to the struggle with radical Islam, energy independence to American sovereignty, McCain and Obama, Palin and Biden, stand diametrically opposed in their approaches to the issues. But one subject seems to be championed by both sides and by all the players, honesty.

To be certain, honesty, truthfulness, is a precious commodity in American politics. From the very days of our country’s creation many of those questing for political power have walked the fine line of fact and fiction in an effort to paint themselves in a better light than their opponents. With the advent of the professional “spin doctor” the line between fact and fiction blurred to an almost illegible point. Today, the process has become somewhat more simplistic, less refined and artful, almost crude in that Washington politicians have taken to simply calling each other “liars.”

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have taken issue with each other’s campaign ads, calling into question the validity of statements, requesting apologies and retaliating in kind. Statistics get cherry-picked and legislative attributions get skewed. Obama surrogate Jimmy Carter – father of the West’s modern day conflict with radical Islam – even went as far as to say that John McCain was unfairly playing up his stay at the luxurious Hanoi Hilton. And where McCain’s responses to Obama’s less than fully-truthful allegations may begin with his trademark salutation “my friends,” Obama’s mouthpieces respond to any less-than-thoroughly-accurate contention with a good amount of indignance, arrogance and caustic vitriol. Obama’s surrogates are even worse.
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00Publius Contributor - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - News - President - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Taxes, Unions, and Regulations Matter

September 19, 2008 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

To picture what Senator Obama’s economic policies hold in store for the United States look at the destructive impact of those policies in individual states.

The New England States and New York once were the industrial heartland of the United States. After the Civil War, industrial growth moved westward into Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and neighboring states. Even as recently as the end of World War II, New York City was the greatest manufacturing city in the world.

No longer. What happened?

To some extent the demise of these centers, especially a crowded New York City, reflects changes in technology and transportation. Trucking on the interstate highway system surged in the 1950s and the rise of air freight shifted lots of freight traffic from railroads. More cost-effective single-story, spread-out manufacturing plants along interstate highways replaced the multi-story plants in major cities that had to be within walking or subway and bus ride distances from workers.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - History - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

The First Rule of True Journalism

September 19, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

There was some minor media attention given to Ferraro’s qualifications when Walter Mondale selected her for his running mate in the 1984 Presidential Race. The Reagan/Bush ad campaigns treated her candidacy with caution based on a common sense strategy to avoid offending America’s women voters as well as an obvious need to avoid any mainstream backlash that might be generated by smear tactics.

Geraldine Ferraro – quick resume 
BA in English at 21  
Passed NY State Bar at 26  
Queen County DA staff at 39  
U.S. House of Representatives at 43  
Democratic Nominee for VP at 49  
Inducted into the National Of National Women’s Hall of Fame at 59

Back in 1984 there was ample opportunity to sling a lot of mud. During her campaign for VP, it was discovered that Ferarro’s husband, *John Zaccaro, was involved with some Income Tax issues. The media covered this news in a far more reasonable and professional manner than we see today.

On the other hand, anything that might indicate Sara Palin (nee Sarah Louise Heath) is not qualified to be VP gets intense examination. Example: In a recent interview on ABC News, Charles Gibson asked Palin if she had an opinion about “The Bush Doctrine” and she asked, “In what respect Charlie?” He acted like a bored teacher with a stupid student when he recited his definition of the “Bush Doctrine.” I will not embarrass Mr. Gibson by quoting the brief definition he recited. Instead, I will cite internet’s Wikipedia: “Jacob Weisberg, a political journalist, identifies six successive ‘Bush Doctrines’ in his book The Bush Tragedy, while former Bush staffer Peter D. Feaver has counted seven.” I am astounded that in posing this question, Mr. Gibson did not observe the first rule of journalism: CHECK THE SOUCE! Please note that in this case, the unchecked source is an intellectually pretentious assumption fabricated by Charles Gibson himself.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Race - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

CNN’s Cafferty: Not Voting Obama? You’re a Racist!

September 18, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

To show the empty “logic” that Jack Cafferty of CNN employs in his political commentary all one need do is check out his September 16 Political Ticker blog post on why the race for the White House is so tight in the polls. Reason: the country is filled with racists. Yes, folks, if you are voting against Obama (and no matter who or what you are actually supporting and why) it must be because you are a racist. It isn’t because you stand against what Obama stands for, it has to be because you are a racist.

This delusional, preconceived notion is becoming the excuse du jour with Democrat supporters that have lately seen a dawning hint that McCain may just win this election. And, that is really all it is, too. An excuse. An excuse that ignores all the warts and obvious problems with Barack Obama, his record, and the fantasy stage show that is his campaign.

Continue reading “CNN’s Cafferty: Not Voting Obama? You’re a Racist!”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Old Media Helps Obama Push False Rush Limbaugh Immigration Quotes

September 18, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Yesterday, the Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe reported that the Obama campaign was releasing some new Spanish language campaign ads on TV in Florida and other markets that feature Rush Limbaugh making what appears to be anti-Mexican comments. The ads then link Limbaugh to McCain on immigration attempting to smear them both in the minds of voters. The Limbaugh quotes, however, are so out of context that their use constitutes a lie. Unfortunately, too many media outlets are allowing these lies to stand unchallenged.

As O’Keefe reported on September 17, the ads feature quotes from Rush that display a shocking anti-Mexican immigrant feel. Titled “dos caras” — or “two faces” — Rush is quoted as calling Mexicans names and telling them to “shut up and get out.”

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Atlantic Mag: McCain-Slandering Photographer Fired by Her Own Rep Agency

September 18, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Jeffery Goldberg from The Atlantic Magazine is reporting that underhanded, leftist photographer Jill Greenberg has just been let go by her Representing Agency, the Vaughan Hannigan photo agency. This is a perfect example of a lesson of consequences. When Greenberg admitted that she lied and tricked John McCain so that she could manipulate his image to slander him and did so in the employ of The Atlantic Magazine, she lost any future work with that magazine for her unprofessional behavior. And now, more consequences have come her way.

No one is, of course, saying that Jill Greenberg isn’t allowed to be as bigoted as she wants to be, but she should be ready to accept the consequences if she does so while acting as a representative for someone else. In this case she was representing The Atlantic Magazine when she was assigned to photograph McCain and then used her position to trick him into a situation where she could use his image for political attacks at a later date.

Goldberg reports from the inside:

The Vaughan Hannigan photo agency, which has represented the disgraced, excrement-obsessed photoshopper Jill Greenberg, has just dropped her from its client list. Bill Hannigan, who runs the agency, told me a few minutes ago that Greenberg and the agency had “different views on how to conduct business.” He said he couldn’t say anything more because he is “still sorting out some issues with Jill related to her contract.”

Vaughan Hannigan has done the right thing, of course, and not only because it’s best not to represent photographers who deceive their clients, but because the damage Greenberg has done to her fellow photographers is tremendous.

Well, Greenberg’s unprofessional actions have led to the magazine saying it will no longer employ her and now her agent has also dropped her over her behavior.

She really does have every right to say whatever she wants about politics. And her agent and Atlantic Magazine have every right not to associate with her over her underhanded, unethical actions in pursuit of those political statements.

A perfect lesson that actions have consequences.

Continue reading “Atlantic Mag: McCain-Slandering Photographer Fired by Her Own Rep Agency”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Religion - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Newsweek: Palin ‘Inflicts’ Her Religion on US, She’s ‘Not a Woman’

September 17, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The racist Reverend Wright wanted God to “damn America.” Jesse Jackson called New York City “hymie town.” Various Evangelical preachers have been heard to utter some pretty nasty comments here and there, as well. So, flawed as we are, apparently being religious doesn’t preclude a venomous diatribe now and again. And now comes hate wrapped as political commentary from another supposed person of faith, this time in Newsweek. Wendy Doniger is a columnist for Newsweek’s “On Faith” beat and is also the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. But that doesn’t seem to have made her less of a venom spewing, wiled-eyed Republican hater, unfortunately. Naturally, like all women such as herself, all her hate is directed at Governor Sarah Palin — also showing that these sorts of women aren’t interested in helping strong women to public influence but only their kind of mindless ideologue is acceptable.

Doniger starts her hate-filled rant in All Beliefs Welcome, Unless They are Forced on Others with what will shortly turn out to be a lie compounded by a blind assumption based on no proof to shore up her claims that Sarah Palin’s exclusively allows her religious beliefs to direct her public actions.

“I am on record…,” Doniger begins, “as not objecting to any candidate’s religious views.” And then she goes on to bash Palin exactly on terms that would seem to make the lie to her claim of a hands off attitude. And now for the hate and a lie neatly wrapped up in one paragraph (and it isn’t the first lie this so-called religious scholar tells here):

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00Publius Contributor - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Here is Where we WILL Hurt if Journalists Lose Their Jobs En Masse

September 17, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Of course our purpose here at NewsBusters is to shed light on the obscene bias often underlying what passes for journalism here in the United States (and in Canada and Europe sometimes, as well). We here at NB, however, want to stress that we aren’t out to “destroy” journalism itself. We understand how important a free and open press is to keep our democratic republic on the straight and narrow. And, with this piece I’d like to present one reason why seeing journalists lose their jobs in such massive numbers should serve as a warning to us all about the health of our system.

Journalists have traditionally been antagonistic toward government, we all know. Certainly, they sometimes take this antipathy too far and become responsible for nearly treasonous actions — The New York Times is the perfect example of that these days. But this antagonism is not all bad because while in practice it can and does lead to exposing the sort of government corruption that can and should be stopped but won’t be unless it becomes public knowledge. The light that journalists shed on these corrupt government officials using open records requests is an integral part of our system and not one we should so blithely forget about while hoping to see the field of journalism get its comeuppance.

A recent little blog post by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a non-profit legal assistance agency for journalists (est. 1970), gives us a warning that we should all heed, which I repeat in it’s entirety:

Continue reading “Here is Where we WILL Hurt if Journalists Lose Their Jobs En Masse”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Atlantic Mag Apologizes, Says Won’t Hire Greenberg Again

September 16, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a follow up to the controversy over the choice of partisan photographer Jill Greenberg to shoot the cover shot of John McCain by Atlantic Magazine, we find that the Atlantic folks have issued an apology for ever having hired her. After it was revealed that she indulged in tricks and lies to ridicule John McCain while she was in a position of representing Atlantic Magazine as its photographer, the folks at Atlantic expressed their disappointment and shock at the photog’s unprofessional behavior. They promise not to repeat the error of hiring her again.

Editors’ Note

We stand by the respectful image of John McCain that we used on our cover, and we expect to be judged by it. We were not aware of the manipulated and dishonest images Jill Greenberg had taken until this past Friday.

When we contract with photographers for portraits, we don’t vet them for their politics–instead, we assess their professional track records. We had never worked with Jill Greenberg before (and, obviously, we will not work with her again). Based on the portraits she had done of politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger and her work for publications like Time, Wired, and Portfolio, we expected her, like the other photographers we work with, to behave professionally.

Jill Greenberg has obviously not done that. She has, in fact, disgraced herself, and we are appalled by the manipulated images she has created for her Web site of John McCain.

Personally, I find her work grotesque, even when she isn’t being overtly political.

Take a look at some of the grotesque photos of young children crying that she has created and this will show a deeply twisted look at children that should disturb anyone. They are almost pornographic in the harsh way in which these poor kids were depicted.

The Atlantic folks have definitely made the right choice, this time.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

McClatchy Whines: Public Unfair to News Media

September 16, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

You… yes, you reading this right now. McClatchy wants you to know you are mean to them, your mistrust of them is merely egged on by a sly political tactic, and you fall for it because you only get your news from an “ideologically tailored” source. In other words, they are telling you that you are misinformed, mean-spirited, easily led… well, they are telling you that you are stupid. And then they wonder why people don’t trust them!

In “McCain campaign systematically targets the news media,” McClatchy writers Steven Thomma and Margaret Talev decided to try and explain why the Republicans are attacking the media with their basic conclusion being that it is an unfair convention that the GOP has employed at least since Spiro T. Agnew (of “Nattering nabobs of negativity” fame) was VP. But, despite the truth staring them in the face, they explain away the ire Americans have with the Old Media.

In fact, it is an interesting tack that Thomma and Talev take on that ire that the McCain campaign has shown the media for their feeding frenzy of attacks on Governor Sarah Palin. Even as McClatchy seems to recognize that the media has been responsible for “errors, rumors and perceived sexism” as they piled onto Palin, they still arrive at the fault being that of Republicans and the public and not the media.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Did ABC & Gibson Use Camera Trickery To Belittle Gov. Palin?

September 15, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Did ABC use particular camera tricks to make Governor Palin look small and powerless in their Charlie Gibson interview? I’ve been pointed to a blog that makes a compelling case that they did just that. Using still shots of the Gibson interview with Palin compared to similar Gibson interviews with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it seems this blogger has proven it to be an open and shut case of manipulation of the viewer. The writer shows how ABC used special camera placements and lenses to make Governor Palin seem small and Charlie Gibson seem overpowering and large by comparison.

By now, just about everyone is aware of Hollywood’s special effects and camera techniques. There have been so many TV shows explaining them, so many DVD extras laying out the techniques that most Americans are at least a little familiar with the effects and techniques that filmmakers use to heighten and enhance their work. The anonymous blogger is familiar with these special effects, claims to work in the business in Hollywood himself, and does a great job explaining and pointing out where such effects were used to belittle Governor Palin.

Citing the anti-conservative, Hollywood hatemongering we are all familiar with our blogger remains anonymous. He says he doesn’t want to hurt his career any more than he already has being a conservative in Hollywood. So, with deference to “HollywoodTrench’s blog,” I’ll lay out his argument for you all to decide if he has hit the spot or if he is a bit too conspiratorial for your tastes.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Marie Jon - Media Bias - News - President - Religion - Society/Culture

Palin’s Religious Beliefs Are The Same As Middle America’s

September 15, 2008 by

-By Marie Jon’

As the “drive-by-media” continues to look at every aspect of Sarah Palin’s personal and religious life, they are digging themselves into a big hole, turning what they believe will cause her harm, to work for her good. If you take nothing else from this, remember this quote: Bitter Pennsylvanians “cling to their guns and religion.” (As Barack Obama Says)

Reporters for CNN and other networks are not prepared to write honestly or objectively about matters of faith. These are people who view life from a much different perspective. They are not so naive to overlook that Christians from all denominations are offended by such things as CNN’s hit piece about Gov. Palin’s faith.

The mass media and the Obama camp want to paint a ridiculous picture of Christians who refuse to embrace progressive liberal doctrine. Atheist George Soros ingratiates leftist denominations with his money. The teachings of the “Religious Left” have little to do with the Gospel of the Holy Bible.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Did Chris Matthews Twist Palin’s Israel Reply to ABC’s Gibson?

September 14, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

On the September 12 edition of Hardball, Chris Matthews so twisted what Governor Sarah Palin said in reply to Charlie Gibson’s question about Israel’s defense decisions that her reply is hardly recognizable in Matthews’ hands. By slyly adding his own additions to Gibson’s question and Palin’s reply, Matthews attempted to make Palin look naive on the foreign policy question. In essence, Matthews lied about what Palin said.

Matthews made a knot out of Palin’s words, like taking a straw and tying it in a knot. It’s still a straw, but it is no longer useful for what it was intended. With his underhanded additions to Palin’s answer, Matthews made her words no longer fit the situation.

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00Publius Contributor - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Failed With Earmark Attempt, Yet Attacks Others For Taking Earmarks?

September 14, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is the pot calling the kettle for sure. Earlier this week, Obama made an early attempt to attack Governor Sarah Palin on the earmark issue. He claimed that Palin is responsible for taking many earmarked funds for her state as she sat in the Governor’s office in Juneau and that her attack on him for earmarks is, therefore, illegitimate.

“I know the governor of Alaska has been, you know, saying she is change and that is great. She is a skillful politician. But when you been taking all these earmarks when it is convenient and then suddenly you are the champion anti-earmark person. That is not change, come on. I mean, words mean something. You can’t just make stuff up. You can’t just make stuff up. We have a choice to make and the choice is clear.”

But, this return fire on Palin’s ridiculing of Obama for his many earmarks is not very effective. While Obama is pointing fingers at Palin, news came out this week that Senator Obama had unsuccessfully tried several times to get multi-million dollar earmarks for one of his biggest Chicago contributors. So, his attack on Palin seems more like smokescreen than cruise missile.

Obama twice attempted to direct more than $3 million dollars in taxpayer funds to the Adler Planitarium Museum in Chicago. It just so happens that the Adler’s chairman is one of Barack’s biggest Chicago fundraisers.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

The Final Daze of the Elite Media?

September 14, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

The inconsistencies we are seeing in the elite news media are disturbing.

Mention of Obama’s connection to Islam is considered lacking in news value and not a factor to consider during the 2008 Presidential Race. Obama has not denied that his father was a Muslim, that he spent time in Mosques, and that his name is more readily associated with Islam than Christianity. Despite the world wide presence of Islam, the elite news media accepted this without further ado and has moved on.

On the other hand, the elite news media has focused upon Sara Palin’s connection with a Pentecostal Church in a small Alaskan town and her degree from the little known University of Idaho. They hint that these realities indicate background might not be appropriate for the office of Vice President of the United States!
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Entertainment - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Mo Dowd, Matt Damon Repeat NutRoots Lie About Palin

September 13, 2008 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

**Video Below the Fold**

As if we needed another reason to think that the excitable Maureen Dowd and the empty headed Matt Damon are… well, excitable and empty headed… we get the newest raindrop in their river of blather as proof that their “research” into a subject seems to consist of hearing an unsupported claim and deciding it represent gospel truth. Our latest proof is that they both seem to have been taken in by a nutrooter lie, a fake quote that claims Sarah Palin said, “dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago.”

Both seem to have fallen for a parody of Governor Palin invented by a blogger whose post seems to have been taken literally. The following self-identified “fake Governor Sarah Palin Quote” was posted on August 30: “God made dinosaurs 4,000 years ago as ultimately flawed creatures, lizards of Satan really, so when they died and became petroleum products we, made in his perfect image, could use them in our pickup trucks, snow machines and fishing boats.”

Damon’s laughable little attempt at political analysis consisted of an interview he recently gave where he ripped into Governor Palin. He claimed he felt she was unqualified, yet then turned around one sentence later to say he knows nothing about her. Isn’t that like claiming to be an expert on something then immediately admitting that you’ve never studied the subject? Near the end of the interview, Damon said. “I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago, that’s an important… I wanna know that, I really do.”

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00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - GOP - Judges - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Whoopi Thinks Slavery Still In Constitution?

September 13, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

**Video Below the Fold**

On ABC’s “The View” on September 12, Whoopi Goldberg asked Senator John McCain if she should worry about being made a slave again once he becomes president. Newsflash, Whoopi: There was this little fracas we call the Civil War where six hundred thousand Americans died and that resulted in the elimination of slavery from existence. Oh, and Whoopi, it happened nearly 150 years ago! Just trying to help you with that whole “history” thing, Whoopster.

Apparently, Whoopi is unaware that slavery was removed from the Constitution, because during a discussion about the Law of the Land on the TV talk show, Whoopi wondered if she should “worry” about being cast into chattel slavery should John McCain get in office and institute his desires that strict construction of the Constitution be observed by his judicial picks.

The subject of how McCain would handle the Roe v Wade abortion situation is what prompted Whoopi to blurt out her uninformed view of the Constitution.

Continue reading “Whoopi Thinks Slavery Still In Constitution?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Religion - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Conn. Paper: Tired of Attacking Palin, Attacks ‘Angry’ Town of Wasilla Instead

September 12, 2008 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

This one has got to take the cake for stupidity and lack of journalistic integrity. The Old Media has been gyrating in ever widening circles to find new and unheard of ways to destroy Governor Sarah Palin and now from the Hartford Courant (Connecticut) we find the most ridiculous one yet. With this Robert Thorson column we have now gone from slandering Gov. Palin herself, to attacking every last member of her family — including her Down Syndrome child, Trig — to this latest stop on the smear Palin express: attacking Palin’s hometown Wasilla, Alaska. Thorson seriously tries to make us believe that Wasilla is an “angry” town! Why? Because of its “geography.” And because of something that happened in 1976.

Yes, Wasilla is filled with “disappointed” and “angry” people and this is what “scares” Thorson about Governor Sarah Palin. And Thorson knows that everyone in Wasilla is foaming at the mouth mad because of his intimate knowledge of Wasilla and it’s people, right? He knows this because of his extensive research into Wasilla’s newspapers, or TV reports, or interviews with citizens all of whom are telling him about their mental perturbation, right? Uh, no. He “knows” this because of an Encyclopedia entry and little else.

Thorson gives us the sad tale of a Capitol move gone wrong and posits that this has made Wasilla a town of crazies, losers, and trouble makers, a dangerous place that he obviously thinks might give us a dangerous vice president. Thorson tells us that in 1974 Wasilla was chosen to be Alaska’s new capital city because the original capitol, Juneau, is not easily accessible. But the big move ended up not happening because by 1976 the voters of Alaska decided not to foot the one billion dollar price tag to pay for it all.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - President - Religion - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Some Endorsements Worth Review

September 12, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Since Sarah Palin was nominated for Vice President my E-mail has been overloaded with negative and caustic commentary about both McCain and Palin. My response is herewith respectfully submitted.

Back in July 2008, Obama was proud to accept the endorsement of John Edwards. I can’t fault Obama for never mentioning this fact once since the day Edwards denied being the father of a baby born by a woman he was dating while his wife was battling breast cancer.

Jesse Jackson and Bill Clinton have endorsed Barack Obama. This is one endorsement I am absolutely certain that neither Palin nor McCain would object to.

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00Publius Contributor - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Newest Palin Attack: Son Vandalized Buses, Forced to Join Military (NYDaily News Debunks)

September 11, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It seems like the rumors, innuendo and smears thrown by the left against Governor Sarah Palin and her family will never stop. Apparently, the newest lie being casually thrown about by the DemocraticUnderground and the National Enquirer is that Palin’s soldier son Track was involved as an unidentified vandal of Wasilla school buses in 2005. Worse, the rumormongers are denigrating Track’s patriotism for joining the military and claiming that he was somehow “forced” to join to avoid prosecution. Naturally, they haven’t a shred of proof. Fortunately, the New York Daily News has quickly debunked this lie.

In a DU posting from September 2, it was claimed that a “non-disclosed judicial source” said that Track Palin was an “unidentified minor” involved in tire slashings of a fleet of school buses in Wasilla in December of 2005. A 2005 report says that several teens had been found “deflating tires in 44 First Student buses, breaking mirrors and unplugging 110 buses from their engine-block heaters, which caused the buses not to start in subzero weather on Nov. 29.”

Continue reading “Newest Palin Attack: Son Vandalized Buses, Forced to Join Military (NYDaily News Debunks)”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Philly Inquirer’s New Palin Slam: She Sold her State’s Plane? So What?

September 10, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mario Cattabiani of the Philadelphia Inquirer wants you to know that Governor Sarah Palin’s selling of her state’s plane is no big deal. Why? Well, because Democrat Governor Ed “Fast Eddie” Rendell sold his state’s plane, too, and he got a better deal. So, Palin’s plane purveying pales next to Rendell’s according to Cattabiani. Only, there are quite a few facts that Cattabiani seems to have skipped in his story. So, apparently, the only way for the Philly Inquirer to pooh pooh Palin’s efforts is to mislead us about Rendell’s. Unfortunately for Cattabiani, his piece ends up being just another way to lie about Palin’s record.

Starting out suitably flippant, Cattabiani takes a sarcastic jab at Palin telling her that she should “take a lesson from the Rendell administration on how to sell a state airplane,” and then goes on to relate how Rendell sold his state plane at a profit. And Cattabiani then quotes a Rendell crony to the effect that Palin is “inexperienced” because of it all. Naturally, there is no investigation into what sorts of planes the two Governors sold, nor what they were worth because it turns out the Pennsylvanian plane was worth more than the Alaskan plane in the first place — nor does Cattabiani give the Palin camp any space to reply to the political jab.

Continue reading “Philly Inquirer’s New Palin Slam: She Sold her State’s Plane? So What?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Outrageous: Fake ebay Listing Selling Palin’s Baby Trig as ‘Political Prop’

September 9, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

**Image Below The Fold**

This one was all over the net yesterday. Apparently, a poster at the radical nutroot site, DemocraticUnderground, created a fake listing for someone pretending to sell baby Trig on ebay. The faux listing read “Baby used prop newborn boy 3-6 months special needs,” and included a description that called Governor Palin a “pushy social climber, unwilling to let pregnancy and children stand in the way of ambition.” It also listed baby’s Trig’s father as “unknown.”

Originally appearing on the DemocraticUnderground at around 1PM on September 4, by DU poster Bob Weaver, the thread was soon locked by DU moderators and the image scrubbed from the site. But not before a screen shot was taken…

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00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Warner Todd Huston

The Original Mavericks

September 8, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A warning comes to my mind from this ad. The fact that Republicans are just as eager to smack down the Republican Party as anyone else seems to me to be a very upsetting notion. Not upsetting as in a liar’s claim, but upsetting that it is TRUE!

Think of it people. We are all ecstatic that Palin is on the ticket, we are all resigned that McCain is on the ticket. BOTH are famous for attacking their own Party! And we are FINE with that for the most part (though McCain has taken it too far more often than not).

What will this “maverick” deal spawn? Will it create a whole raft of GOP followers that specialize in bucking the GOP? And won’t that weaken this party even more than it already is?

Food for thought. Let’s not take this “maverick” thing too far.

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

NYT/LAT Disrespecting Mrs. Palin’s Marriage?

September 8, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

What’s in a name? Well, if you’ll excuse my Shakespeare, what’s in a name is a certain level of respect. And in the pursuit of straight news a person’s name should be presented without sarcastic manipulation as well as with proper titles affixed. For instance, Hillary Clinton is properly either Mrs. Clinton or Senator Clinton. On the other hand, calling Hillary “Her Thighness” is not appropriate in a straight news story. It may be funny, of course, but it is not proper nor does it show the respect due the woman. (I know, I’m a killjoy) So, why does the New York Times and the L.A. Times both so often call Governor Sarah Palin Ms. all the time?

Could it be that they wish to subtly bestow as much disrespect as possible in their news stories on McCain’s VP pick without going as far as calling her a name like the sarcastic jab “Her Thighness” might serve for Hillary? Could it be these supposedly serious news sources wish to attack Governor Palin and they don’t think anyone will notice the slight of her marriage by the misuse of the title Ms.?

Let’s use the results of a quick Google search of both the L.A.Times and the New York Times websites to find keywords that might illustrate the point here. And let’s compare citations of Mrs. Palin with Mrs. Clinton to see if there is a difference in the level of respect shown the two women in the news. (Remember exact numbers change from search to search, but they rarely differ tremendously when searched over a short period of time)

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00Publius Contributor - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture

Palin and the Power of Real American Women

September 8, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

It is the consensus among conservative new media pundits – and the Conservative mainstream for that matter – that the speech Governor Sarah Palin gave in accepting the Republican Party’s vice presidential nomination effectively put the Progressive-Left and the Democrat Party on notice. The double-standard hypocrisy demonstrated by the Leftist mainstream media on behalf of Barack Obama’s campaign will not stand. If the cowards of the Progressive-Left want a fight, they’ve got one…and it’s with someone who plays hockey. Oops!

I was raised by a good mother, no, a great mother. She instilled in me the critical thinking skills needed to divine right from wrong, good from evil. She also provided me with an appreciation for compassion so that I might understand when to “give someone a fish” and when to “teach someone how to fish.” My mother didn’t abandon me to the education system, in fact, I knew how to read and do simple mathematics before I was enrolled in kindergarten. She took seriously her obligation to explain world events to me just as she understood that at times it was more important to play, to enjoy life, than to allow time to pass without amassing memories to hold for my lifetime. She knew who my friends were, who their parents were, where we were and what we were doing. She was a responsible parent and to this day she remains a dear and close friend.

I mention all this because I grew up in a household where the mother was civically engaged. She was active in the school organizations throughout my academic career and that of my sister. She then moved into village politics and eventually ended a long and distinguished career as a senior staffer to the Illinois Senate President back when Republicans controlled both houses of the legislature and the governor’s mansion. During her political career she served as the Executive Director of the Republican Party for our county; the second most effective Republican county in the United States at the time. While serving in this position it wasn’t uncommon for her to put in twelve or sixteen hour days, coordinating, pacifying politicians, handling the media, you name it, this “jack-of-all-trades” not only did it, she did it well; better than anyone who has come since, to be sure.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

The Swift-Skirting of Sarah Palin

September 7, 2008 by 4 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently the media wants to get even for the Swift-Boaters successful torpedoing of John Kerry in 2004 because they are by the dozens every day promulgating lies about the career and life of Governor Sarah Palin. I recently posted a piece on the lies, exaggerations and misbegotten assumptions of a Baltimore Sun columnist and it got me to thinking to try and gather one thread rebutting the media’s ever evolving negative memes against this strong woman. From unproven claims of infidelity, to claims she is a book banner and a negligent Mother, the media have been smearing this woman daily since she stepped out onto the national stage. One recent Politico attack on Palin was made up solely of the claim that she was once mean to someone… yes, Politico actually was trying to say that their report was serious.

In any case, I’d like to present and knock down some of the swift-skirt attacks the media is launching. So, in no particular order…

Continue reading “The Swift-Skirting of Sarah Palin”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

SF Chron: McCain Voters Racists and Easily Fooled

September 7, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on September 7 masterful for its underhanded back slapping of John McCain, Sarah Palin and anyone who would vote for them all while pretending to say how successful the McCain/Palin ticket is in garnering support since the end of the GOP Convention. Nearly every “positive” thing said about Republicans and anyone who would vote for McCain was framed as a negative and the way this article states its case proves as one of the most perfectly sly pieces of pro-Democrat propaganda I’ve seen in a long time. It’s so good that you don’t even realize your being manipulated until you sit back and think about the piece as a whole.

In this story by Chronicle writer Carolyn Lochhead, the headline properly elicits curiosity enough to draw the reader in: “Palin may woo blue-collar voters from Obama” it reads intriguingly. But think about this header. The headline assumes from the start that “blue-collar voters” are Obama’s to lose, that McCain doesn’t have any to start with but has to “woo” Obama’s. Negative strike against McCain number one. There are many more to come

So, how do we start an article about how John McCain will woo, or is wooing blue-collar voters? Do we start it by saying what McCain does that appeals to blue-collar voters? No, we start by quoting Democrats saying that McCain fails to appeal to blue-collar voters and that he is just like Bush. In a story that at first seems to be about John McCain’s success the very first paragraph of the story is anti-John McCain. Strike number two.

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