So Fox “News” labelled an apparent sexual predator as a “Democrat”, despite the indisputable fact that the man, disgraced Congressman Mark Foley, is a Republican.
As THE BRAD BLOG originally reported the day before last, Fox did so three different times during Tuesday’s O’Reilly Factor and have never admitted this outrageous misreporting. They simply disappeared the issue on the subsequent rebroadcasts of the program after they were caught having done it.
The next day the Associated Press — who appear to be a real news organization — did something similar. However, they did the right thing within hours, and admitted the error in subsequent corrected versions of their original article, which had labelled the REPUBLICAN Mark Foley as a Democrat.
Everyone in the world, it seems, has now picked up on the story of Fox’s outrageous “error.” (Including Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann — both videos now linked below.) Everyone, it seems, except for Fox. To our knowledge, Fox has not taken responsibility or accountability in any way.
For now, we’ll presume that’s the end of this particular story, which sheds additional light (as if any further was needed) on the absurd claims that the Fox “News” Channel is actually a “news” organization. It is not. It is a Propoganda Ministry beyond the reach of the accountability and responsibility under which any self-respecting and true news organization would normally operate.
We can only imagine the uproar from the “conservative” community, and the heads which would have been forced to roll had the situation been reversed and CNN, or anybody else in the media, labelled a Democratic sexual predator as a Republican. Three times. Without apology or correction.
As mentioned, both Stewart and Olbermann ran with the story yesterday. Here are links to each clip, both courtesy of Crooks & Liars…
Countdown with Keith Olbermann video clip…
Daily Show with John Stewart video clip…
UPDATE 10/6/06 3:49pm PT: O’Reilly Executive Producer now says ‘no on-air correction necessary.’ Full details…
well, golly… maybe the folks at Fox haven’t apologized or even acknowledged the error because maybe they haven’t been watching t.v. or payng attention to the news lately. maybe they were waiting for their cable or DSL to be installed, and haven’t been online in a few days to find out about their error. maybe nobody told them!
Well, I guess the taping in advance of Un-Ruly’s Factor kind of lets out the “oh it’s just a typo” excuse.
In the polls today, the number of folks who agree with the handling of the Foley affair was something around 16%. For months we have kind of assumed the leveling-off percentage of the Republican base was around 25%–the estimated size of the Do No Wrong Religious Right. Is it fair to say the real level of that base is closer to 16%, or just that 9% of them have just crossed over into reality?
I look forward to “Olbermann Time” !
“Hats Off” to those “Those Courageous Pages” that blew the whistle on the (R ) CHICKENHAWK . . .
Hero’s ??????
cromulant #2: Remember, that the 25% base is a COMBINED base of neo-con nut-jobs and the religious right. Clearly, some of those on the right are a bit perturbed that: 1. There are so many gays in the G.O.P., 2. That there are so many pedophiles in the G.O.P., and 3. That the G.O.P. would “cover” for a pedophile. I suspect they lost a bit of their 25% “base” there.
They are probably also realizing that they “were had” by the neo-cons and Rove and that he didn’t give a damn about their core issues, but was only using them as wedges and mechanisms to get them to the polls.
The core support for Bush, the neo-cons, and their cabal is around 20%, which is way too high (imagine, 1 in 5 people is certifiablly insane) but still, it could be worse.
Of course, the Nazi’s never had more than 35% of the vote in any legal election and look how far THEY got.
Nixon was a Democrat.
You would think Fox would figure eventually it hurts to take it in the A## so much.
But, Brad, they ran the story without “D-FL” later…isn’t that a retraction? (just beating the trolls to the punch)
I saw later, on a story about Hitler, it said “D-FL” under Hitler’s picture. (that’s a JOKE, stupid rightwingers…but with FOX, you never know if it actually may happen!)
Brad, what I want to know, is did ANBCBSNN cover the “D-FL” thing??? I expect the 2 best news, Daily Show and Olberman, to cover it.
I SERIOUSLY stopped watching corporate news, and only watch Democracy NOW! on LINK-TV and FSTV on DISH 9410 & 9415…if ANBCBSNN DID NOT cover the “D-FL” thing, that is EXACTLY why I stopped watching them.
Although, on Democracy NOW!, Amy Goodman interviewed the ABC investigative journalist who broke the story. I found that odd, that she was on Democracy NOW! being interviewed, and not on a corporate network. Maybe she was, and I don’t watch them enough to know this?
Where does a guy like Hannity get off (whoops) never mind the question.
FOX ran the Hitler special later on without the “D-FL”…
You have no idea how much I hate Hannity and Limbaugh. They are ruining America, with 24×7/365days a year GOP misinformation, and all radio stations that broadcast them are complicit in ruining America. “You’re a great American”, says the used car salesman Sean Hannity all the time. They purposely lie, and their idiot followers believe them and repeat the lies. They float the GOP talking points to the mindless corporate MSM. Right now, their talking points are to blame the victims, the kids, and somehow blame the Democrats. The unbelievable thing, is that idiots fall for it! There’s probably people running around at work, saying, “Did you see that F-F-F-F-F-F-ucking Democrat F-F-F-F-F-F-F-oley…what he did??? (ok, the guy I know at work stutters…)
This D – r stuff smells like rove’s crap.
This page may have saved DEMOCROCY !
Could this be Rove’s “October Surprise.” “The issue has certainly galvanized the right wing–this is what gays do, so why is anyone surprised? And there is this gay network of congressional staff who “cover” for each other. Hestert and Reynolds SHOULD have known about it, but their staff didn’t tell them about it for years. Why? To protect their own. Hestert and Reynolds are victims too. This is why we have to keep gays out of public office–they prey on young people. And they want marriage rights? Just an excuse to allow them access to children to molest and make gay.” A couple of GOP congressman may go down, but Hestert will survive and will get over the stress, at least until after the election. But this will mobilize the base, and with the addition of some election fraud, protect the republican hold on the house and senate. Seems very fishy to me!
Bob Mason #13 – You, sir, are way beneath contempt. Get your head screwed on straight! Bastert and Reynolds are the victims here? Gay = pedophile? What a sick puppy…
Some October surprise! Losing the House of Congress??? Now that really IS an October surprise. It’s fun to listen to Limboob and Handjobbity doing the rope-a-dope, dancing around this Republican pedofile sex scandal. I hate those guys, but I love to listen to them while this is happeneing. “You are a great American, Mr. Foley!!!” (hannity) Everything’s the Democrats’ fault, even when a Republican congressman writes sexually explicit emails to a minor, it’s the Democrats’ fault. If you believe Limbaugh’s and Hannity’s crap, you better check out your psychiatric benefits at work…
Anyone who listens to and believes Limbaugh and Hannity, it must spill over into other facets of their life. I wouldn’t want to be around people like this. It’s scarey, that these people even have families, I feel sorry for their spouses and children…
Amy Goodman of Democracy NOW! was on the Colbert Report last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bob Mason # 13,.. are you serious ? Misinformed ?
Or a Kool Aide drinking,.. propaganda devouring lunatic ?
—————-
Bob Mason says,..
“”“this is what gays do, so why is anyone surprised?”
“This is why we have to keep gays out of public office”“they prey on young people.”
“Just an excuse to allow them access to children to molest and make gay.”
“Seems very fishy to me!”
—————-
oldturk says,.. I think it,..
“Seems like you got fish chowder for brains,”
================
Here is a study performed by the Journal of Pediatrics, published in July 1994 with regard to sexually abused children, and the act of pedophilia.
2% of the boys in the study were molested by gay males.
98% of the boys in the study were molested by heterosexuals. Of that number, 75% were molested by heterosexual males KNOWN TO THE VICTIMS in an incestuous scenario.
0.05% of the girls in the study were molested by a lesbian.
99.5% of the girls in the study were molested by heterosexuals. Of that number, 80% were molested by heterosexual males KNOWN TO THE VICTIMS in an incestuous scenario.
=================
Bob Mason says,..
” Hestert (sic) and Reynolds SHOULD have known about it, but their staff didn’t tell them about it for years. Why? To protect their own. Hestert(sic) and Reynolds are victims too.”
“The issue has certainly galvanized the right wing”“”
“But this will mobilize the base, (???) and with the addition of some election fraud, (???) protect the republican hold on the house and senate” (Aren’t you lost,.. are you on the wrong blog ?)
——————
Mr. Mason there are many dynamics going on here that have obviously escaped your grasp.
* It is quite well known in Florida that Mark Foley is gay.
* Republican staffers, explicitly upon orientation of new congressional pages, warned to be careful around Mark Foley and his propensity to be “friendly”.
* 2003 Kirk Fordham(who is gay) at the time chief of staff for Mark Foley complained to Hastert’s office that Foley was making inappropriate sexual advances to congressional pages. Foley was warned by Hastert’s office to curtail his conduct of “friendliness” with the pages.
* 2003 Foley runs for Senate,.. issues of sexual orientation surface in the Florida, New York, and Washington D.C. press. Foley again contemplates a run for the senate in 2006,.. but is discouraged from running by the Republican leadership. (Info from Wikipedia Bio) – In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican front-runner for Bob Graham’s Senate seat, especially after Graham had announced his retirement. However, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley was either gay or bisexual and was in a long-term relationship with a man. The story was initially published only in local and gay press; then the New Times broke the story in the mainstream press. Other papers, including the New York Press, then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the “revolting” rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant, but did not specifically deny the rumors. A few weeks later he withdrew his candidacy, saying his father’s battle with cancer had caused him to reassess his perspective on life (the seat was later won by Republican Mel Martinez). Foley had raised $3 million in campaign contributions before withdrawing.
In 2006, as Republican division over the candidacy of Katherine Harris grew, Foley’s name was mentioned as a contender for the race against Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, but he did not file by the May deadline.
2005 Rep. Rodney Alexander R-La. who was a sponsor for a congressional page received a contact from the parents complaining that their son was being inappropriately contacted with emails by Rep. Mark Foley. Rep. Alexander R-La. took the parents complaint up the chain of command. US Rep. John Shimkus R-Ill. the Chairman of the House Page Board was notified as was Hastert’s office was notified. Rep. Shimkus and the House Clerk were dispatched to Mark Foley to notify him to stop contact with this page and exercise caution in his dealings with other congressional pages.
Rep. Tom Reynolds R-NY and Rep. Boehner R-Oh. were also told of the Foley’s inappropriate congressional page contacts.
July 2006 Rep. Mark Foley gives $100,000.00 to Rep. Thom Reynolds Republican Congressional Election Fund.
October 2006 ABC News inquires about Rep. Mark Foley’s inappropriate conduct with male pages, the matter is about to go public. The chairman of the Republican Congressional Election Committee, Rep. Thom Reynolds R-NY. is immediately contacted. Reynolds immediately dispatches his chief of staff Kirk Fordham to Florida, (Fordham was formerly the chief of staff to Foley) in Florida Fordham was to convince Foley to resign from congress. Once Foley agreed to to idea Reynolds was contacted and his office drew up the formal agreement of Rep. Foley’s resignation.
The Fascist Conservative Christian Right-wing of the Republican Party is livid that the political party of “Family Values” has been infiltrated by “Homo”/”Pervert”/”Pedophile” politicos and their backup office personnel. These Christo-Fascists demand that the “Homo’s” be cleansed from the Republican Party
or the the conservative Christian’s will boycott the polling booth this election cycle causing the Republican Party to loose a significant portion of their voting base and possibly/probably majority control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
A Washington DC – Black List – to flush the “Homo”/”Pervert”/”Pedophiles” from the halls of congress and out of town is currently being compiled.
The fan,.. the poop,.. has not yet begun to fly.
The “Homo” Purge/Black List
Mr. Ultra Right-wing Conservative Fundamentalist Fascist Christian – Paul M. Weyrich steps in to the middle of the forray. He will clean up the Republican Party,.. and start the Washington DC Fag/Witch Trials.
Weyrich,.. Robertson,.. Falwell,.. Dobson et al will burn all these heathens at the stake.
Enter Christo-Nazi Paul M. Weyrich/ABC News
The Christian Dominionists are going to flex their political muscles,.. the wrath of God will visit upon Washington DC if they have their way. Fire up the popcorn,.. grab a front row seat,.. Washington DC may soon heat up 10X hotter than the Middle East.
Who is Paul M. Weyrich,… ?
Paul M.Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation,.. the Free Congress Foundation,.. and one of the primary founders of the right-wing Christian Fundamentalist Fascist movement,”¦ was taped while speaking in private, at a church, to Republican activists:
“How many of our Christians have what I call the goo-goo syndrome? Good government! They want everybody to vote! I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people, they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections, quite candidly, goes up as voting populace goes down.”
The Republican Party has turned Democratic Party voter suppression and disenfranchisement into a well practiced art and science,.. while the Democratic Party does zero to curtail this illegal conduct. Demos win elections ? Hardly,.. the percentage the Rethugs illegally shave off,.. causing Demos inability to place a valid vote,.. is the percentage the Demos need to prevail as the winners of an election. They are nibbling away at our total eligible vote count to skew the numbers by design,.. making it impossible for the Dems to achieve victory at the ballot box. And nothing is done to remedy this illegal scam to game the vote result and hijack democracy,.. giving habitual control of our government to these greedy fascist warmongers.
Keith Olberman’s latest special comment!
Keep up the great work Keith. It’s nice to see a serious news show on television that is motivated by good intensions. Thanks for keeping the focus on Bush’s lies and disregard for the constitution!
I still doubt this page episode will actually do anything more then prove the Republicans can get away with ANYTHING, again, but it is fun as hell to watch how uncomfortable they are with it.
I NEVER watch Joe Scaro-what’s-it’s show, but got pulled into it last night. Pat Buchannan is losing his mind live-on-television. He has been one of the better con men because of his ability to cleverly contradict his party, (like David Gergen), at times. Pat is clearly upset by this scandal and looks like a fidgety child. Maybe a fidgety homophobic child!
He came up with this ridiculous story last night about Nancy Pelosi marching with NAMBLA. Funny how they never bring up the fact that NAMBLA was an organization formed within the Catholic church. Poor Pat has the same problem McCain has. Trying to live in some sort of reality-based world AND supporting George Bush.
This is like going to the amusment park every night!
Load up the tilt-a-whirl with right wing crazies and turn it on high! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…
When I saw the Fox news picture of Foley, with a (D)below his face, and then the Right Wing Blogs that were brought to my attention, my blood started to boil. Damn these Lies and lying liars. I’ve had enough of this disinformation. That’s why I tackled these Family Values hypocrites in my latest toon. Including the lies from Fox news that Foley was a Democrat! (arggg)! It’s my hope that these brainwashed Family Value Voters will wake up and see the light, and either vote these monsters out of office or stay home hiding in shame over the fact that they decided to vote for someone over a few crummy slogans.
to see my Folly GOP cartoon, go to my website
http://www.whatnowtoons.com