MEDIA MATTERS INVITES BECK TO CALL ITS RED PHONE

An interesting little development that might warrant Glenn Beck taking a look to avoid the hypocrisy label or at least being perceived as being guilty of the same thing he accuses the White House of doing - ignoring his claims. Media Matters, led by John Podesta, has send Glenn Beck a letter and installed a "red phone" specifically for Beck to call so that he can set the record straight on his claims and clear up any discrepancies between those claims and Media Matters' "facts".

Yes, Media Matters is a shameless arm of left wing apparatus but if Beck doesn't call them, president of Media Matters, Eric Burns will be able to demonstrate, if at least to some degree, that Beck's ignoring them makes him no different than those he accuses.

Burns gets credit for an interesting tactic but it is just that and nothing more. If Beck responds, it derails him from his agenda (even if only slightly). If he doesn't respond, Burns can paint begin the assembly of his talking points - Beck won't do what he expects others to do.

Here is some of the letter to Beck:

January 5, 2010

Mr. Beck,

On October 13, you unveiled a “red phone” that the White House could use to call in and “correct the mistakes” on your show. On Monday, that red phone made another appearance, as you – responding to Media Matters naming you 2009’s Misinformer of the Year – again asserted your commitment to the truth:

If I’m not telling the truth, then why not just call me? That’s all you have to do. Call. Why is it that you attack this program, this network and anyone, the tea party goers, anyone who stands in your way, Washington? Why attack? You see, lies are so easily stopped. Lies that are broadcast nightly to an entire nation are easily stopped. They’re called laws — or here’s an idea, standards. Even if you think I’m wildly irresponsible, you have to know that News Corp. is not stupid. It’s a company worth billions of dollars. Do you really think this corporation would risk everything on an irresponsible crazy guy? That doesn’t make sense. And yet, the phone still doesn’t ring. Truth.

While we do not have the number for your red phone, we have on many occasions corrected falsehoods and misinformation from Fox News’ Glenn Beck and Premiere Radio Network’s The Glenn Beck Program – you simply refuse to acknowledge it. You claimed our decision to name you 2009’s “Misinformer of the Year” was not backed up “with any facts.” However, that decision was based on the 175 research items we posted in 2009 alone addressing claims made on your radio and television shows. For example:

To read the examples cited by Burns, click HERE. Personally, I found most of them not related to Beck's most central points and more about attempting to beat Beck at his own game by using sheer volume.

Interesting tactic but Burns' attempt falls very flat. For example, this one:

Beck falsely claimed Anita Dunn “worships” “her hero” Mao Zedong. Throughout most of his October 15 Fox News program, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that White House communications director Anita Dunn “worships” and “idolizes” “her hero” Mao Zedong. In fact, in the video that Beck aired as evidence to support his claims, Dunn offered no endorsement of Mao’s ideology or atrocities — rather, she commented that Mao and Mother Teresa were two of her “favorite political philosophers,” and based on short quotes from them, she offered the advice that “you don’t have to follow other people’s choices and paths” or “let external definition define how good you are internally.”

Burns apparently doesn't get it that defending someone for having a "favorite political philosopher" on par with Hitler is generally not a good idea. Nonetheless, Burns goes there.

This was a very lame attempt on Burns' part but I'll give him credit for creativity.

That said, Beck should call the phone during his live television show and respond to at least a few of the points Media Matters lists. This would embarrass Media Matters and allow Beck to demonstrate that he's willing to walk the walk by doing what he's challenging the White House to do. It would set a tremendous example in the arena of public perception of how Beck is willing to stand by his own claims and simply expects the White House to do the same.

For the whole thing, visit MEDIAITE

VIDEO: ROBERT GIBBS IS CORNERED BIG TIME

WOW! No, I mean WOW! Yesterday, the White House press corps. first pressed Gibbs about C-SPAN'S Brian Lamb formally asking the White House to honor its commitment to allow the cable network to show the health care negotiations. Gibbs did not answer the question because there was no way to do so without admitting the lie or creating a new one.

The arrogance was palpable.

Today, it got much worse because what you see in the exchange between Chip Reid and Gibbs is a man who is simply trapped and cannot wiggle out of it. Compounding all of this is Naked Emperor's release of a video montage that shows Obama claiming eight times on the campaign trail that the health care negotiations will be on C-SPAN. It is this level of specificity that makes the lie that much more inescapable. This is literally fascinating to watch. I realize the media has been more than passive when it comes to this administration but this is the kind of stuff that puts blood in the water that can't be ignored.

CLICK HERE to watch Gibbs writhe in political agony.

YOU LIE!!

Paging Joe Wilson.....

h/t to HA

VIDEO: C-SPAN CALLING OBAMA ON HIS PROMISE MAY HAVE LEGS

The C-SPAN argument is not new but when its Founder and CEO Brian Lamb politely threw down the gauntlet with the Obama administration recently, it may have provided a necessary spark, especially in light of the eight times Obama was caught on tape during the campaign proudly boasting that health care negotiations during his presidency would be out in the open and shown on C-SPAN.

This ad from the GOP appears to be effectively piggybacking on the issue.



h/t to HAP

VIDEO: O'REILLY DEBATES CAIR SPOKESMAN IBRAHIM HOOPER

The enraging thing about this exchange is that Bill O'Reilly has a high-ranking individual who represents a group that was an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Trial in which the defendants were found guilty; a group that has ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood; the FBI has severed ties with the Council of American Islamic Relations.

Yet, they continue to get a forum on O'Reilly's program while men like Walid Shoebat, a former Muslim terrorist who converted to Christianity is consistently denied appearances on the Factor (yes, I know this first hand).

As for the exchange itself, it's not bad. A couple of premises to keep in mind before viewing if possible.

1.) America's Islamic enemies use projection (accusing the west of what they themselves are doing)
2.) Like the left, America's Islamic enemies generally say exactly the opposite of what they actually mean

Example #1: Listen as CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper says profiling is a "victory for al-Qaeda". What this tells us is that profiling would harm al-Qaeda.

Example #2: Listen as Hooper says al-Qaeda's talking point is that the West is at war with all of Islam. No, Mr. Hooper, it is al-Qaeda that claims Islam is at war with all of the west and that Islam should rule the world.

Example #3: Hooper says "profiling is ineffective and counter-productive". Considering that Hooper is a member of a group that should be labeled an enemy of the United States, it only means that it's ineffective and counter-productive for America's enemies.

There are plenty more but see for yourself.



h/t to H4A

VIDEO: ROVE PASSIONATELY SLAMS OBAMA / GIBBS

On one hand, I feel the same anger Rove is expressing. On the other hand, I have been waiting for quite some time to see this kind of passion from members of the political establishment. If this clip is any indication of what we can expect in 2010, perhaps "above the fray" discourse will reach its end, to which I say GOOD RIDDANCE.

It is NO LONGER OK to disagree without being disagreeable. It's time to start seeing this level of passion and anger on a much more regular basis. The Founding Fathers had plenty of knock-down-drag-out fights and it spawned the greatest nation in history.

I also am impressed with Greta lately. Long gone are the days when she spent an hour on Anna Nicole-Smith type sagas and I genuinely look forward to her show these days.



h/t to H4A

VIDEO: OBAMA'S MANY PROMISES ABOUT HEALTHCARE DEBATE ON C-SPAN

Naked Emperor brings forth eight instances of Barack Obama engaging in what must necessarily be considered LIES. I've said it before but Joe Wilson's "you lie" shout out to Obama on 9/9/09 at the joint session of congress has aged like a fine wine despite his courage being met with censure.

YOU LIE!

Here, Obama is caught lying eight times in light of the way the healthcare negotiations are being handled - behind closed doors. Not only is C-SPAN prohibited from airing them but Republicans are prohibited from being in the room. Check out what Obama said during the campaign.

I also found it interesting that the one big mistake he attributes to the Clintons' health care plan going up in flames is the fact that it was negotiated in secret. That should count as another lie because he is endorsing the same mistake.



h/t to NEN

IDENTIFYING THE ENEMY - WHAT A CONCEPT!

There was the war on poverty, then the war on drugs, and now we have the war on terror. Oh wait, we don't call it that anymore. While I don't think we should call it that either, declaring the war "over" and identifying acts of terror as "man-caused disasters" is actually much worse. We have moved from declaring war on ghosts to declaring war on the wind.

Another thing it's time to end is identifying the refusal to identify the enemy as political correctness. That's simply a "politically correct" way of saying "cowardice". You see, when someone is constrained by something like political correctness, there's an inherent acceptance that it's something outside of their control. However, no one wants to be associated with something like cowardice, which always comes down to an individual choice.

Great editorial in the Jerusalem Post:

...if Americans are "weary" at this stage of the conflict, it is partly because their leaders - and media - have not properly framed the nature of the threat.

Neither former president George W. Bush, who spoke mostly of a "war on terror," nor President Barack Obama, who speaks in terms of "violent extremists" - and no European leader - has had the courage to say that the enemy is global jihad.

The authors go on to declare Obama the most "Churchillian" of the world leaders on this issue. If that's true, the west really is in trouble considering Obama was apparently so disgusted with Churchill that he sent the bust of the WWII hero displayed at the White House, BACK to Great Britain.

Read the WHOLE THING.

h/t to Barrackaid #7