Shaping Perceptions

It's this sort of reporting that makes anyone that has never had to take unemployment benefits think that those that have are lazy and honestly don't care about getting a new job.



Again, here's a topic discussed by two people that have likely never had to deal with the realities of being unemployed and having to find a way to make ends meet with what you get through unemployment insurance - something that we all pay into every pay period through state taxes.

Not only am I seriously doubting Kelly's claim that she knows someone that is refusing to take work because they make more in unemployment compensation, but William's statement that unemployment insurance creates a culture of laziness and unwillingness is completely unfounded and wildly inaccurate.

One can't but laugh at Kelly's statement regarding her "acquaintance", considering the fact that I don't know many people that would pass up an entry level position at Barnes and Noble that paid - presumably after taxes - $400 per week. Then again, I'm going with the notion that Kelly doesn't associate with many people below her own pay grade. And I'm fairly secure in the notion that Fox pays their more inflammatory employees more than others.

It's amazing, to many, that Fox and their easily lead automatons are more than willing to call those that have to rely on unemployment assistance lazy, unmotivated, and irresponsible. Having had to rely on these benefits myself recently, I can assure you that they are in no way an incentive to stay unemployed. Depending on the job that you lost, your bi-weekly benefit check would likely not cover anything more than the basics: rent, at least half your bills - dependent on where you live and what you have, and might allow you a modest allowance for groceries. Anything outside that is pretty much out of the question.

I'd like to see Megyn Kelly and Juan Williams spend 6 months on unemployment just to see how they fare. Of course, this would only require them to lower themselves just slightly, as they belong to a station of people that are paid far too much for their very limited skills. But, such is life in conservative America in 2010.

Fox-core Photo Shoot

So, are we about to see a partnership between Fox"News" and Cinemax where Fox's "hottest" women do softcore in order to get even bigger ratings? Well, it won't make their message any more accurate, despite what their palm-chapped fan-base will say.

TVNewser learns that “America Live” anchor Megyn Kelly is in the 2010 GQ Men of the Year issue, which hit newsstands this week. Kelly is the only tvnewser to be selected for the 2010 media personality.

Last year, the only tvnewser in the issue was “The Daily Show”’s Olivia Munn. Remember when you look at Kelly (in GQ, right), she recently announced that she was expecting her second child this April

And the Fox"Nation" followers go nuts and delve directly into the predictable realm of bashing Rachel Maddow. Wait, isn't that what conservatives call "sexism" when it's directed at Palin? Ah, I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning.

Degrating What They Endorse

In which we see Megyn Kelly do her best concern trolling.



One has to marvel at the rank hypocrisy of Kelly, considering the fact that her and Fox are continuously going to bat for the Tea Baggers that espouse the same type of idiotic prattling that Tancredo is displaying here.

Greatest Fox Cat-Fight Ever

In which Kirsten Powers has me, then loses me REALLY quick.



Powers has always been one of the "Democrats" on Fox"News" that is really just another blonde with a a Democratic label pasted on her dress. Some style and little if any substance. But here, she really got under Megyn Kelly's skin by correctly stating that J. Christian is nothing but a conservative activist with a history of misleading statements, as well as the fact that this singular case is the Fox"News" way of perpetuating the "scary black man" narrative.

And then Powers completely tanks it in the end.

Was there a producer off camera telling her to tone it down? Was she suddenly filled with this question of whether or not this could cost her her job? Both are likely but I'm not even going to speculate on it any further than that.

The larger point of this segment is that Kelly is continuing to prove herself nothing more than another "pretty blonde" on Fox that is willing to parrot fringe conservative talking points, invite on a completely discredited "whistle blower", and then do her best 'Sean Hannity In A Skirt' impersonation in that hopes that it will garner some of his attention and hopefully lead to a second debate with Powers on his show. I'm thinking it will probably just lead to some supplication from Hannity and more inflammatory rhetoric and race baiting from a man that learned his trade from the king of race baiters - Rush Limbaugh.

Bait And Spin

Fox Nation is all over the "shocking story" of how the case against 2 members of the the New Black Panther Party was dropped. A disgruntled, former employee of the Justice Department is having his turn in the spotlight by race baiting and accusing AG Eric Holder of dismissing cases based solely on race.



Fox"News" is relying on nothing more than specious claims and unfounded accusations in order to further racial divisiveness in America. They've been doing it for years and have had more than a modest amount of success. This is just another example of the conservative narrative of white victimhood at the hands of the evil black man.

The burden of proof is on this "whistleblower" and he certainly doesn't deliver. I'm wondering how long it's going to take Hannity to have this clown on his show with Eric Rush and Jessie Lee Peterson. The racial animus doesn't come any clearer from Fox"News" when you have a panel like that.

Wedding Support Group

In which Fox"News" does more damage control for Limbaugh



Because if Megyn Kelly says it's so then it must be true. But I'm sure that million dollar payday had NOTHING to do with Elton's scripted responses during the reception.

And while Fox"News" isn't the only one defending Elton John's poor judgment with such hamfisted examples of him doing duets with Axl Rose and Eminem, one can't but sense the overwhelming hypocrisy in all this. I guess conservatives are only ok with gays that can be paid off.

Some Thoughts For Your Afternoon

- Apparently it's not good form to teach kids to eat healthy anymore. Michelle Malkin takes after Michelle Obama like she's built up a police force that is going to prevent parents from feeding their own children what they think is good for them. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that some conservatives are intentionally getting fatter to show their hatred of Mrs. Obama. Rush Limbaugh has already got a good start on this.

- It seems that some people in Alaska are starting to wake up to the fact that Sarah Palin is a complete and utter disaster. Some within the conservative realm are claiming that the release of her next book will boost her ratings, I have to question that. After all, people thought that here Fox"News" special would be a ratings phenomenon, but it turned into something wholly unspectacular. I'm fairly certain that her "nature program" isn't going to be a shining star on her record either.

- For conservatives to continually claim that there is no violent rhetoric directed at liberal/progressive, this little stunt doesn't really help their cause.

- You can generally tell when a conservative is completely out of rational ways to discuss any given topic when they result to homophobic/sexist blatherings. I can recall when Newsweek ran a cover picture of Sarah Palin and conservatives went completely bat-shit insane, calling it a blatant, sexist, attack. Personally, I didn't find it sexist at all, as Palin posed for and signed off on the picture herself. But there certainly are different rules for anyone outside the conservative sphere, isn't there.

- Much in the same way that Glenn Beck is completely misrepresenting what Net Neutrality is, Megyn Kelly is doing here part to misinform people by actually censoring the realities of what the FCC is trying to do. What happened to "fair and balanced"?

- Seems that Arizona has a serious problem not only with Hispanics, but takes issue with students even learning about them. I'm sure the term "racial animus" will be striken from any English text within the next few months as well. The one question I have is this - does this just do away with only learning about hispanics or anyone that isn't white and from America?

Lost In Translation

I've been asking this question to conservatives that I know since Obama was elected. Seems that it's a question no one is really keen to answer, or they simply misrepresent what they think they can and can't do.

David Neiwert at Crooks And Liars highlights a video of Megyn Kelly and Alan Colmes talking about "freedoms". Alan poses the question - what "freedoms" have these people lost. Turns out Megyn can't answer, just like every conservative.

Colmes: I'd like to know exactly what freedom -- what freedoms are being taken away from people?

Kelly: People are worried they're going to lose their health-insurance coverage! They're worried the federal government is going to step in, take over, and they're not going to be able to see their coverage.

Colmes: I didn't see any particulars about exactly what freedoms people think are going to be taken away. I would like to know what they are.

Kelly: There is just as much in this survey about health care as there is the Patriot Act!

Colmes: Yeah, but nothing in this survey says particular health care, particular Patriot Act, it's just a general question, "freedoms". I mean, what particular freedoms. People call my radio show all the time, 'My freedoms are being compromised.'

All right, I ask them. What freedom is being compromised? What freedom have you lost under Barack Obama?

Kelly: You tell me, Alan -- do you think the Democrats on Capitol Hill are going into 2010 election thinking, 'The problem with numbers like this is the Patriot Act! It is the Bush administration policies.'

Colmes: They're also not going, 'The problem is health care. If we get health care, my freedoms are being taken away.' How do your freedoms get compromised?

Here are some answers that were given to me by members of my own community while attempting to discuss this on a local message-board.

You asked about loss of freedoms, let me suggest a few: 1) I cannot hunt unless I purchase a permit from the government 2) I cannot fish unless I purchase a permit from the government 3) I cannot improve my property unless I purchase a building permit, you guessed it, from the government 4) The law of the land requires me to wear a seatbelt in my car which is equipped with hundreds of safetly features including about 4 airbags that deploy in the event of a crash 5) Although I am not a smoker, we watched as locally a non-elected body passed legislation that essentially took away private property rights and then watched as the elected body tried to save face and modify the rules 6) We have recently seen the Obama administration expand the definition of streams to include any place that water will run off at all so they can essentially take away our right to make a living in the mining industry.

Here's some freedoms lost: Ever heard of assualt weapons bans? What about school choice? Christian symbols removed? Parental notification in abortions? Must you trust so much in a government that carves and carves away freedom? Taxes by their very nature take freedom from us. The Bush tax cuts gave us 5million jobs (that Obama has erased completely) despite a Democratic congress increasing spending by 42%.

You'll notice that there has was not one "right" listed in any of these responses to my question. People hunt, fish, buy guns, worship whatever God they want, can chose either private or public schools, smoke, refurbish their home, or do any of these things they think they can't. It's this mind-set that somehow, since Obama was elected, the country has changed in such a radical way that it is literally unrecognizable.

And while some will chalk this up to racial divisiveness, I think it has more to do with people's inability to understand that this isn't a country run by conservative law or liberal law. This isn't a country that ordained Bush as Monarch until his death. This isn't a country that is governed by the minority. Conservatives have literally wet themselves in abject fear over what they perceive, not what is real.

Exploiting A Tragedy: Fox"News" Style

Admittedly, I initially thought that Joseph Stack would have links to the Tea Baggers. But after carefully reading his manifesto, I started to realize that this man had much more complex problems.

While some conservative bloggers, pundits, and politicos have attacked this situation head-on ( in an attempt to remove any question that this man may have have right-wing, conservative views ) and loudly scolded any and all that make any form of a connection between Stark and the Tea Baggers, they haven't let that stop them from politicizing this event for their own personal gain.

Just take a look at Fox"News".



This is how conservatives create the narrative that the entire Left is out to blame conservatives for everything.

I've already addressed how Scott Brown did precisely what Megyn Kelly was chastising, but it bears repeating that the blatant and unblushing double-standard that is in play on this.

We've still got a great deal to learn about Stack, and none of it is going to be pretty. I'm just hoping that liberals and progressives don't get too caught up in the mire that Fox"News" and conservative talk-radio is highly likely to make of this. After all, they continually push the falsity and Hitler was a Leftist, so what's to stop them from creating a character sheet to reflect the same on Stack?

Oh, Dear Sweet 8lb. Baby Jeebus.

I'm all for a good laugh, but something tells me that Playboy writer Guy Cimbalo is doing this in that classic "tongue-in-cheek" fashion. The topic is the ever creepy "hate-fucking" - you know, not really liking a woman ( that is nominally attractive in a sort of fetishistic way ) to the extent that you would shag them rotten.

Granted, it takes a particular kind of sick humor to understand the "hate-fuck". And no, it's not a rape joke. Needless to say, the Hot Air crew is PISSED.

Here's the list:

Michelle Malkin

Megyn Kelly

Mary Katherine ( mouth the size of a canned )Ham

Amanda Carpenter

Elisabeth ( don't make me cry Whoopie )Hasselbeck

Dana Perino

Laura Ingraham

Pamela Geller ( who? )

Michelle Bachman

.............ok, I think I just threw-up a little.

and.......

Peggy Noonan?

The last four would practially require a double dose of viagra and some whiskey in order to even tolerate an evening of neo-conservative coitus.

All this silliness aside, I have seen some comments on HotAir by guys that had to be cranking-one-out while complimenting the woman they refer to as "The Boss".

Worst In The World v. 7.4, 7.5, & 7.6

(m)Ann Coulter

Bill O'Reilly

Ignorant, Hysterical, Signmaker

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bill O'Reilly

Megyn Kelly & Congressman Trent Franks ( R-AZ )

Sean Hannity

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bill O'Reilly

Newt Gingrich

Sean Hannity

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And Now, A Moderately Attractive Woman Shouts At O'Reilly

More "War On Christmas" Clap-Trap



I don't care for Megyn Kelly, and I loathe O'Reilly to the Nth degree. But, since Kelly used to be a lawyer, it's rather enjoyable to hear her tell him:

I've never met a non-lawyer who argues the law so confidently, albeit so wrongly

But, what O'Reilly doens't understand, the Governor isn't being mocked by the excessive signage, it's him.

Megyn Kelly Really Wants To Keep Her Job

Megyn Kelly has been quite the fireball lately, hasn't she?

Perhaps she's trying to prove to her bosses that her contract needs to be renewed at a higher-dollar value, seeing as how her interviewing style is becoming more Hannity-esque, more like O'Reilly's.

Check out this exchange with Obama spokesman Bill Burton regarding Fox's latest, favorite "news" story - Obama's redistribution comments:



This exchange was promted when Burton released this statement:

"This is a fake news controversy drummed up b the all too common alliance of Fox News, the Drudge Report and John McCain, who apparently decided to close out his campaign with the same false, desperate attacks that have failed for months. In this seven year old interview, Senator Obama did not say that the courts should get into the business of redistributing wealth at all. Americans know that the real choice in this election is between four more years of Bush-McCain policies that redistribute billions to billionaires and big corporations and Barack Obama's plan to help the middle class by giving tax relief to 95% of workers and companies that create new jobs here in America. That's the change we need, and no amount of eleventh-hour distractions from the McCain campaign will change that."

Megyn Kelly, and all Fox"News" employees, have no choice but to argue in such terms as "fair" and "balanced". They live off of glittering generalities and beauty-pagent answers ( that's why they love Palin so much ) and will never be able to directly refute any claim that they are a legitimate source of news.

I've been trying to find just one of the multiple polls that Kelly cited and I can't find anything.

Typical.