In the interest in serving up a heaping helping of current event meat on the Donklephant table, here is what memorandum informs us is the story of the day. There are many posts and stories to choose from, but we’ll go with the Weigel description:

“The video sting artiste publishes the latest work from his shop — a covertly taped interview with then-NPR Foundation senior VP for development Ron Schiller and current senior director of institutional giving Betsy Liley. Shaughn Adeleye and Simon Templar posed as members of a wealthy Muslim education foundation “founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood,” and taped the NPR representatives — largely Schiller — answering them with exactly what they wanted to hear… Schiller is a professional fundraiser, not a journalist. His pandering to the group is actually sort of masterful.”

I can’t get too worked up about this latest episode of Jackass Journalism* – The art of pranking political opposition in the hope of getting stupid and embarrassing quotes on tape (with extra credit for reinforcing your teams worst stereotypes of the other team).

I put this particular clip in the same category as the prank call to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. What did we learn from these “expose’s”? We learn that politicians and professional fundraisers are willing to pander and pretend to agree with whatever comes out of the mouth of potential contributors with big checkbooks. I’m shocked… shocked. Oh – we also learned that Ron Schiller and Scott Walker are dicks.

The only potential policy issue here is the federal funding of NPR. Frankly I don’t see how or why this should have any impact on that debate. It is interesting that Schiller says NPR does not really need the funding, but he also said he was speaking only for himself and not NPR. Personally, I don’t think there is any particularly good reason for taxpayers to fund this organization. But in terms of the actual level of funding, it is meaningless and a distraction from the very real budget crisis we are facing. I would far prefer to see our legislators working to solve the real problem – entitlements, rather than debating the merits of funding NPR.

We’ll get to the real issues eventually. One way or the other.

^{*BTW – I believe I am the first to use the term “Jackass Journalism” in this context, and am afraid I must insist on attribution whenever and wherever it is used from now until forever. Yes you can google some random earlier uses, but this is the right name for the O’keefe style.}

Cross-post at Divided We Stand United We Fall

I know many Dems who love him, but I can’t stand the guy. And the fact that he used Edward R. Murrow’s famous sign off to end his show…ugh.

From NY Times:

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion “all that surrounded the show – but never the show itself – was just too much for me.”

Mr. Olbermann thanked his viewers for their enthusiastic support of a show that had “gradually established its position as antiestablishment.”

In a statement, MSNBC said: “MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

The world will be better with him off the air.

Now…if only Glenn Beck would quit…

Usually I try to avoid stuff like this, but the following video was just too crazy. I mean…how does this guy have listeners? How is he so powerful? More importantly, why can’t GOPers distance themselves from or criticize him without having to apologize a couple days later?

Answer: morons.

Listen, most of you know I don’t usually get into name calling on this blog, but if you know somebody who likes or respects Rush Limbaugh after this…it’s safe to say that they’re a moron, right? If not…what’s wrong with them? Or what’s “right” with them?

Let me know…

Joe Scarborough will be part of the No Lables forum on December 13. And I am pleased.

From Huff Post:

WASHINGTON — TV’s Joe Scarborough, who today dismissed Sarah Palin as a symbol of “anti-intellectualism” with a “dopey dream” of being president, will help headline the launch next month of a new national group dedicated to restoring civility in politics.

Scarborough, a Republican, former Florida congressman and host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, will participate in the debut event of “No Labels” on December 13 at Columbia University in New York.

In case you haven’t heard, No Labels is a group who seeks to forward the political discussion beyond the partisan bickering.

And just in case you think No Labels is a partisan org, check out the pedigree…

Nancy Jacobson, a leading Democratic fundraiser and wife of Clinton-era pollster Mark Penn, launched “No Labels” last year with major advice coming from Mark McKinnon, who was media advisor to George W. Bush in 2000 and Sen. John McCain in 2008.

And let’s heed the group’s call to action…

The message of the group, encapsulated in a “Declaration” written by McKinnon, is a plea for calm, reason and cooperation. “We are not labels, we are people… We believe hyper-partisanship is destroying our politics and paralyzing our ability to govern… We may disagree on issues, but we do so with civility and mutual respect….

“We have a crisis of governance – a crisis that compels us to work together to move America forward… We must put our labels aside, and put the issues and what’s best for the nation first.”

Certainly something we can all get behind?

More as it develops…

We started the weekend with the Olbermann kerfuffle, might as well end with it. For most of the weekend there was a lot of high dudgeon, pontification, indignation and snark but not much new information. One story claimed that Olbermann was suspended by management for refusing to apologize, and Olbermann broke his silence by tweeting his appreciation for the support of fans, but not offering an apology or his side of the story. Finally, on Sunday night MSNBC President Phil Griffin released this terse statement.

STATEMENT REGARDING KEITH OLBERMANN – SUNDAY, NOV. 7
From Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC:
After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.

So that will be the next chapter of the story. Will he or won’t he apologize? Should be good for a nice ratings boost on Tuesday.

More interesting than the specifics of the suspension and reinstatement itself (which strikes me as a pretty straightforward management action and not very newsworthy) is the reaction across the partisan spectrum, which I find fascinating.

In general, the right-o-sphere is amused. They acknowledge the right of Olbermann’s employers at MSNBC to suspend, discipline or fire Olbermann as they see fit, but in general think it was a mistake for them to do so. After all, it is not like he was hiding his bias for Democratic candidates. The surprise would have been if he was not contributing to Democratic Party causes.

A more interesting schism is on the left. The vast majority on the left can be exemplified by the Daily Kos reaction: Olbermann is right. MSNBC management is wrong. Full stop. But not everyone on the left felt that way.

Lets go back to Keith’s “good friend and colleague” Rachel Maddow (who owes her TV career on MSNBC to Keith Olbermann) when she explained exactly what happened on her Friday show:

If you look past her sympathetic demeanor and pay close attention to what she is saying, the unmistakable takeaway is that (unlike most of the left-o-sphere) Maddow is standing foursquare on the side of MSNBC management. She is saying her “good friend and colleague” Keith Olbermann was flat out wrong. Worse than that – he was “Fox News wrong.”

She spends several minutes tut-tutting over a litany of egregious examples of Fox personalities raising funds and contributing to Republican candidates and causes. Well and good, but once she starts down that path, there is no way to backtrack and justify Olbermann’s contributions to Democratic candidates as acceptable since – you know – that would make MSNBC just like Fox.

Ever since Jon Stewart put Fox and MSNBC in the same journalistic basket at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the MSNBC punditocracy have been a bit touchy on exactly that subject.

It is obviously important to Maddow to demonstrate that she works for a news organization that has higher standards than Fox. Important enough that, if necessary, her “good friend and colleague” Keith Olbermann had to go under the bus. She even seems to agree the punishment meted out from MSNBC management is fair (as long as the suspension does not go on to long – which it didn’t), concluding with a wish that he will be back soon (which he will be). Perhaps it was more like a plea for an MSNBC News Presidential Pardon (which he got). Perhaps she is hoping that Olbermann will show remorse. Perhaps.

Or perhaps he won’t apologize, and will emerge as a Hero of the Kos Kids by bravely standing up to the MSNBC corporate bullies for the right to – ummm – Be just like Fox!!!

Although in a minority, there are some on the left who were not riding with the herd. A good synopsis from this perspective – Nojo at Stinque (a group blog that is hard to categorize, but sits well left of Dennis Kucinich and a bit right of Bernie Sanders) describes The Cult of Keith:

“…we don’t come to this mess from the perspective of an Olbermann-basher. We like Keith. He’s fun. He’s the only reason we even turn on the tube at 5pm Pacific. San Diego has a 24-hour jazz station. We have options. That said, we agree with MSNBC management: Olbermann violated a clearly stated ethics policy, and his suspension is not unwarranted. Olbermann did the same thing with Richard Wolffe, after all. What disappointed us after the news broke Friday is that we’re in the minority. At least among progressive bloggers — the progressive bloggers we also read daily as we scrape the Internets for story tips. They’ve ignored entirely the facts of Olbermann’s suspension, and the principles behind it. And in so doing, they’ve shown themselves to be hacks.”

This is how I think it nets out:

If you stand with MSNBC management, you are standing for a principle (however weakly enforced) and claiming that MSNBC is something qualitatively different than Fox News. This possibly explains why much of the right wing is with Olbermann. It validates that they are the same, except with vastly different ratings. That is the point that Maddow tries to refute.

But – if you stand with Keith Olbermann against MSNBC management, you are acknowledging that you don’t really care about whatever principle that Maddow was flogging, and saying you prefer MSNBC to be (as Jon Stewart describes it) Fox-Lite.

The remaining question is this – Where does Keith Olbermann stand? Will he apologize, acknowledge he was wrong, and work to make MSNBC something qualitatively different than Fox? Or is it to be – Fox-lite Starring Keith Olbermann!

partially cross-posted form “Divided We Stand United We Fall“

Keep Keith! – William Kristol

MSNBC’s suspension of Keith Olbermann is ludicrous.

First, he donated money to candidates he liked. He didn’t take money, or favors, in a way that influenced his reporting.

Second, he’s not a reporter. It’s an opinion show. If Olbermann wants to put his money where his mouth is, more power to him.

Third, GE, the corporate parent of MSNBC, gives money to political organizations. GE executives and, I’m sure, NBC executives give money. Why can’t Olbermann?

Perhaps Olbermann violated NBC News “policy and standards.” But NBC doesn’t have real news standards for MSNBC—otherwise the channel wouldn’t exist. It’s a little strange to get all high and mighty now.

But there’s now a Republican House, and perhaps GE is trying to curry favor by dumping Olbermann?

Republicans of the world, show you believe in the free expression of opinion! Tell the crony corporatists at NBC—keep Keith!

Ummm… I don’t know what to say.

Kranky requested an open thread. Knock yourself out.

This election cycle precipitated a conversation about the virtues and vices of a divided federal government in both new and traditional media. In the last few days before the vote, the amplitude spiked. Much of the most recent attention is in the form of an attack from the left on the foundation of the divided government voting rationale. Recent entries include Ezra Klein (again and again), Matt Yglesias, New York Times, John Sides (and again), Paul Pierson at American Prospect and Anne Lowrey at Slate.

It almost looks coordinated. No matter. The reason is not hard to understand. The biggest erosion of Democratic support from ’08 to ’10 is from the independent, moderate, centrist, libertarianish vote. For the most part, these voters are not choosing to vote Republican in 2010 because they like the Republican candidates or because they suddenly have embraced GOP values. They are voting Republican to divide the government in the hope of reining in the Democratic agenda and restoring some semblance of fiscal rationality (either that or it is because the voters are stupid and gullible and Republicans tell better lies). The only surprise is that it has taken this long for Democrats to understand that their core problem is not apathy in the base. Their core problem is they have lost the center.

I don’t think this flurry is going to help short term, and in the longer term will be problematical for these scribblers. In two years they will all be making the argument for divided government. It won’t look good.

As a consistent advocate for a divided government voting heuristic, I am of the view that all publicity on this topic is good publicity. Over the four+ years I have been blogging about divided government, this election is the first time I have seen it discussed as if it is a conscious decision, rather than some inchoate, subconscious voter preference that mysteriously shows up periodically in the electoral results.

In any case these posts have kept me busy on my blog offering rebuttals to some of their arguments (for any interested, you can find my responses here, here and here).

Here at the Donk we’ll feature just one attack from liberal darling Paul Krugman. This – an awe inspiring, world class hysterical hissy fit from the lofty platform afforded him by the New York Times:

Divided We Fail – Paul Krugman

Whoa. Somebody get that man a Prozac.

The Economist responds:

Krugman’s Prophecy of Doom – The Economist

The money quote:

“It’s a little sad, isn’t it, when even our most eminent public intellectuals waste so much of their time, and ours, on baseless partisan freakouts?”

I think that pretty much sums it up. Except for what Nike Gardiner at the Telegraph had to say:

Paul Krugman and the last gasp of America’s liberal elites – Nike Gardiner

That first sentence above being the other money quote. That really says it all. Well, except for…
Krugman: The Only Think We Have is Fear Itself - Ed Driscoll

Paul Krugman says “This is going to be terrible” – Ann Althouse

When Paul Krugman says the 2010 election means disaster, you can bet on the opposite happening – Mark Hemingway

To be fair, all the comments quoted in response to Krugman’s column are from right-of-center columnists and bloggers. OTOH, Google could not find anyone of note from the left trumpeting or even defending Krugman’s column.

Methinks even his liberal brethren are embarrassed about this particular Olbermannesque screed.

X-posted from “Divided We Stand United We Fall“

On the Left:

The most important part of our jobs as United States Senators is to create jobs in our states. That is especially true in times like these, when so many are reeling from so much economic pain – Harry Reid

and on the Right:

in my view it’s an insult to the millions of Americans who want us to focus on jobs – Mitch McConnell

They’re having a big ol’ soundbite fight!

They’ve chosen their words carefully and positioned themselves firmly on the correct side of the aisle. Now they can skip off with their corporate campaign finances and continue the show.

A responsible legislature would let this bill come up and have the JOBS discussion over a potential piece of legislation. A functional media would report without bias upon the proceedings and possible effects of the legislation. A thoughtful, engaged populace would pay attention and decide for whom to vote.

Instead, Republicans and Democrats feint toward legislating with bipartisan political burlesque (now playing in “We the People’s Theater”); the media fans the partisan flames and drools psychotically over the polls; and a distracted populace remains ignorant and fiercely protective of their partisan views.

It’s easier for our elected officials to smack-talk in the substance-free campaign world than it is to govern responsibly. It pays better too.

Listen, it’s not like I’m necessarily surprised, but to make such a dumb lie?

Here’s what he said…

“I have been going to Mt. Vernon,” he explained. Holding out his hands for emphasis, he declared with emotion, “I went to the National Archives, and I held the first inaugural address written in his own hand by George Washington.”

So what really happened?

Well, he was near George Washington’s inaugural address…but that’s about it…

Beck did receive a special VIP tour of the archives, arranged by an as-yet unidentified member of Congress. During that tour, he did get a peek inside the “legislative vault,” which isn’t open to ordinary visitors. But Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper insists that Beck didn’t lay a finger on any precious documents, much less George Washington’s inaugural address. That would be a major violation of policy. “Those kinds of treasures are only handled by specially trained archival staff,” she explains. Cooper acknowledges that someone at the archives did show the document to Beck, but that was the extent of it.

Examples like this just makes me more and more convinced that while these folks are getting plenty of attention now, this is not a sustainable path. They’re obviously liars and will say and do anything to get people to pay attention…which will ultimately result in the the wrong type of attention and their credibility imploding.

And that’s why I put that picture of one of the rally attendees up on this post. Not because I want to pick on her, but because folks like her actually need to be educated about what people like Beck are doing to them. These media personalities don’t really care about the country. And yes, I will say that I think Beck is pretty much craven and self-serving here. Because when you so easily lie to tens of thousands of people about something like the above…on the anniversary of MLK jr’s historic speech…and on the exact same spot…it’s not hard to draw a straight line between the lie and the motives for that lie. Glenn Beck cares about Glenn Beck being famous…and that’s about it.

But hey, feel free to disagree and convince me otherwise. I double dare you.

I refuse to call it the Ground Zero mosque because, well, it’s not at Ground Zero. It’s close, but it’s not at the site…which I think most people who opposed it think it is.

But here’s the thing…looks like it’s moving to another part of the city.

From Haaretz:

After weeks of heated debate over plans for an Islamic community center near Ground Zero – the site of the 9/11 attacks on New York – it seems Muslim leaders will soon back down, agreeing to move to a new site.

The decision follows a high-profile campaign against the project that included advertisements on New York buses showing images of the burning Twin Towers, an iconic landmark razed when al-Qaida terrorists flew packed passenger planes into them in 2001. The New York Republican party is also said to be planning a hostile television campaign.

Every hack politician who has actively pushed this should be ashamed of themselves. This is a completely worthless debate, driven, might I add, by the same folks who cry every single day about their constitutional rights being violated.

And lest they forget another important point about why a mosque would be appropriate near Ground Zero…a reminder from the Village Voice…

Muslims were victims of 9/11, too. Sorry, but it’s true. And one was an NYPD cadet.

Heads up Republicans…politicizing this might drive some of the base to the polls this year, but it’ll drive nobody else. And as you continue to ostracize groups that are expanding, instead of having an open tent, you’re marginalizing your party in the long run. Because for every voter you keep with nonsense issue like this (and revising the 14th amendment), you lose 2 new voters in the future. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

UPDATED:
Looks like the report was false. The mosque is going forward.

The official Twitter account of Park51, the developer constructing the center, has now stepped in to deny the story. “Reports by Haaretz are completely false,” tweeted @Park51. “We are committed to plans of building Park 51 to serve the community of Lower Manhattan.

Score one for American media. And cross Haaretz off your list of sources for news on this story.

Good.

UPDATED UPDATE:
However, David Patterson is trying to get the mosque to move…

New York Gov. David Paterson (D) will meet with the imam and developer of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero “later this week” to discuss the possibility of removing the mosque to an “alternate location”, according to Rep. Peter King.

King, an outspoken opponent of placing the mosque and Islamic cultural center so close to where terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, received a call from Paterson this morning.

“We are working with the developers on a staff level but there have not been any formal discussions between the Governor and Imam or developer,” said Morgan Hook, a spokesman for Paterson. “However, we expect to have a meeting scheduled in the near future.”

Something tells me this will keep on going and going and going…

We here at Donklephant want to make sure you know that we’re laughing at you, not with you…

23) Saul Alinsky (7)
23) Bill Clinton (7)
23) Hillary Clinton (7)
19) Michael Moore (7)
19) George Soros (8)
19) Alger Hiss (8)
19) Al Sharpton (8)
13) Al Gore (9)
13) Noam Chomsky (9)
13) Richard Nixon (9)
13) Jane Fonda (9)
13) Harry Reid (9)
13) Nancy Pelosi (9)
11) John Wilkes Booth (10)
11) Margaret Sanger (10)
9) Aldrich Ames (11)
9) Timothy McVeigh (11)
7) Ted Kennedy (14)
7) Lyndon Johnson (14)
5) Benedict Arnold (17)
5) Woodrow Wilson (17)
4) The Rosenbergs (19)
3) Franklin Delano Roosevelt (21)
2) Barack Obama (23)
1) Jimmy Carter (25)

If I were picking worst blogs, guess which ones would be on that list…

UPDATE:
Rick Moran of Right Wing Nuthouse concurs.

… by cleverly adopting a circular firing squad formation.

READY…

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs raises his sights and gets a bead on the target:

AIM….

Glenn Greenwald takes it personally, almost as if Gibbs is aiming directly at him:

FIRE!

Nate Silver takes a shot at understanding the exercise:

“…the White House has had two incredibly cynical moments in the past several weeks — Gibbs’ rant today and the premature firing of Shirly Sherrod three weeks ago. Both reflected politics at its worst, the clumsiest possible efforts at “triangulation”.

I am taking it for granted, of course, that Gibbs’s comments today will prove not to be a cagey political strategy: they were so naked and inartful, such a Velveeta attempt at Sister Souljah moment, that I don’t see how they possibly could be. They will annoy the left but do nothing to placate Obama’s critics on the right or persuade those in the center.”

The full gun battle can be watched here.

From the sidelines, Matt Welch comments on the poor marksmanship:

Well Matt – I’m doing my part.

Although – strictly speaking – I guess I am not a lefty now.

But I was in 2006, and hope to be again in 2012. Does that count?

UPDATE:
Mister Gibbs sheepishly “walked back” his earlier statement, describing it as “inartful”.

My question is not why his liberal base is frustrated, that is pretty obvious. My question is what exactly was Gibbs trying to do? The initial rant was not “off the cuff”. Let’s get real. Gibbs serves up exactly nothing that is not first chewed up, digested and excreted by Axelrod and Rahm.

Then I read this in his artful walk back from the interview:

“In November, America will get to choose between going back to the failed policies that got us into this mess, or moving forward with the policies that are leading us out.”

Now I get it. They want to run against GWB again in 2010 because – you know – it worked last time. I mean – Bush was not running then… Bush is not running now… What’s the difference?

But they really can’t run against Bush if the best and brightest in their base keep saying that Obama is acting just like Bush.

This was all about getting them to stop making that comparison – at least until after the election.

^{x-posted from Divided We Stand United We Fall”}

Hey, if he’s right, shame on them. Well, more than shame on them. They should spend their lives in prison for all of the destruction they’ve caused.

But for some reason…I don’t think folks who have spent their lives defending the environment would deliberately cause one of the worst environmental disasters in our lifetime just to get legislation passed that they felt was inherently compromised.

Call it a hunch.

In any event…the Rush…

I want to get back to the timing of the blowing up, the explosion out there in the Gulf of Mexico of this oil rig. … Now, lest we forget, ladies and gentlemen, the carbon tax bill, cap and trade, that was scheduled to be announced on Earth Day. I remember that. And then it was postponed for a couple of days later after Earth Day, and then of course immigration has now moved in front of it. But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they’re sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they’re sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig? I’m just noting the timing here.

Yeah, just noting the timing…sure…

Seems like the right wing is trading in many conspiracy theories these days and none of them have any validity whatsoever. But that doesn’t stop them from making them and trying to convince their followers that they should always question everything except what they say.

By the way, genuine props to Sarah Palin for her post about this tragedy. It was a serious response to what happened and regardless of her “drill baby drill” attitude, I applaud the seriousness with which she addressed this situation.

It’s official…he’s turning into a cult leader.

And no, I’m not kidding. He’s turning politics isn’t a religious movement. Listen to the ENTIRE audio clip down here or read the partial transcript I provided below. It’s scary how much he’s mixing the intentions of the Founders with those of God.

And here’s a partial transcript…

Yesterday, when I got off the air, I had a conversation between, um, Pat and myself and it lead to a meeting last night. Because, um, I’m going to, um, change the TV show again. I felt like, I, I mentioned last night that we were flying, circling an airport and I know the landing strip is down there, but the lights aren’t on. And I can’t see it yet, but I know we’re close and we’re circling. And this is not good enough.

And, um, I tell you, you don’t know…just like I don’t really know you, and I know in generalities, how hard you work and what you do and what your life is like…I don’t. I know in generalities. The same with you with me. We both have trust in each other that we’re doing everything in our power, and I have asked you recently, if you’re not doing that, to decide. Because now is the time. Are you here to relax and be entertained, or are you here, will you pick up the mantle left to you by the Founders to be a guardian of man’s freedom? Will you do it? Because your children will ask you what did you do? I believe your God will ask you what did you do.

We all find ourselves at a certain place at a certain time and we may not know what the role is we’re suppose to play, we may, in the end, we may not even know how much we effected different things, but we each are here and experience everything for a reason, that’s why I asked you yesterday…do not accept coincidence in your life. Look for the answers in your life, look for your answers in your life through coincidence, because there’s no such thing as a coincidence.

God is giving a plan I think to me that is not really a plan. And I stopped myself because I didn’t want to utter those things out loud, because that’s not exactly right, and it’s not.

The problem is that I think the plan that the Lord would have us follow is hard for people to understand. But I’m telling you, here’s what I feel with everything in me, and, if you’ve listened to this program for a long time, you know who I am. Um, and you know many of things I’ve done and said that have put me in, ya know, harm’s way one way or another, they always start at the same place, they always start at my gut or my heart, and then I figure it out as we go along. All the stuff that I feel has been important on the show has been things that I felt and didn’t understand.

Because of my track record with you who have been here for a long time. Because of my track record with you, I beg of you to help me get this message out, and I beg of you to pray for clarity on my part. The plan that He would have me articulate, I think, to you is “Get behind me.” And I don’t mean me, I mean Him. “Get behind Me. Stand behind Me.” I truly believe I have done years now of reading the Founders, their diaries, their letters, the Pilgrims, their diaries, their letters. I’ve held their letters in my hands. The exchanges between the Founders, I’ve held their actual letters in my hand. I have seen it with my own eyes…and I will tell you that God was instrumental and then knew it! They knew they had very little to do with it. They just stood where they were supposed to stand and they said the things that they were supposed to say as He directed. Some of them lost their way, some of them got it wrong, they got back and forth…they were human. But that’s what He’s asking us to do…is to stand peacefully, quietly, with anger, quiet with anger, loudly with truth.

Faith…is the answer. Get on your knees, don’t like it take a September 11th, get on your knees, please, I don’t care what church you go to, no church at all, I don’t care. Turn to Him.

When we were, and I’ve never told this story before…when we were starting the TV show, ya know, there were things that I did that I wouldn’t do now because I had to be more of an entertainer to get people to go, “What is this show at five o’clock?” I never said anything I didn’t believe, but I may have said things in an entertaining fashion. And I’m also, I also had to figure out, I’m a learning curve here, what is true and what is not and we were alone, and we still are. Nobody is helping us on this, we have to piece it together.

After that he talks about something regarding Van Jones and it’s just more of the same. He somehow “knew” about Van Jones, his producer found similar information, and he was led there by God…blah, blah. blah.

Listen, I’m not here to bash Beck’s faith. I’m an agnostic myself so I leave the possibility open for creators or a Creator, but to tie God to the intentions of the Founders…wow. I mean, it’s the logical next step in the evolution of a two-bit, opportunistic, intellectually dishonest, political radio shock jock, but yeah…wow.

One thing’s for sure…if the Tea Party ever wants to be taken seriously they’ll jettison this guy post haste. Of course…how can they since he has championed them from day one and is arguably the reason they’re getting so much mainstream media coverage.

Oh, the predicament!

You’ll remember Victoria from Saturday Night Live fame and the fact that she thinks Obama is the anti-christ.

Cue hilarity…

Yes, Glenn Beck has taught Victoria Jackson well.

And that’s all that really needs to be said…

Rick Ungar pivots off of conservative talker Debbie Schlussel’s investigation and comes up with the following about Freedom Alliance’s “Freedom Concerts,” which were supposed to raise money to send the children of fallen soldiers to college and help wounded soldiers pay their bills.

Apparently they’ve done little of either.

The numbers…

In 2008, the charity raised $8,781,431 in revenue and gave out just $1,060,275.57–or 12%–to seriously wounded soldiers and for scholarships to kids of soldiers who have died. About 80% was spent on expenses, including $1,055,791 on postage, $925,392 on printing and $157,041 on travel.

Folks, when a charity’s expenditure on stamps equals the amount they spent fulfilling the actual mission of the charity, something is seriously wrong.

It is a well established rule of thumb that a legitimate charity is expected to spend 75% of its revenues on the mission of the charity. In 2008, Freedom Alliance spent 12%

And that was a good year!

The charity’s 2007 tax return reveals only 7% was spent on scholarships and payments to veterans. The 2006 returns reveal a truly appalling situation – while the organization took in almost $11 million, they spent only $400,000 on scholarships and grants to injured soldiers.

And apparently conservatives warned Hannity about his profligate ways. Schlussel shares this email from a “well known conservative writer” and his conversation with a friend at FOX News:

The guy went on to tell me about Hannity’s “Freedom Concerts,” which are staged across the country with the proceeds going to children of slain soldiers. Of course, as the guy tells it, there’d be a lot more money every concert to go to the cause if Hannity didn’t demand–and get–use of a Gulfstream 5 plane to fly him and his family/entourage to the concerts; a “fleet” (that’s the word the guy used) of either Cadillac or Lincoln SUVs for him and his family/entourage; and several suites at really expensive hotels for him and his family/entourage. The promoter apparently values Hannity’s star demands at well over $200,000 per event. The source says he heard that Oliver North pulled Hannity aside at one of the concerts and told him that this had to stop. But that may mean that, from now on, Hannity has to fly on a G4 instead of a G5, gets only a few luxury SUVs, and two or three suites.

Here’s the thing…the goal of this organization is very valuable and if it worked the way it should it would help a lot of people. So I applaud those who started this because I’m sure the intentions were noble.

Still, Hannity now has a choice…either return the money he has taken out of the organization (since we all know he can afford it) or suffer the wrath of conservatives, liberals and military personnel everywhere.

In short, do the right thing Sean.

More as it develops…

First, the promo…

Then, the whole thing…

Listen, you may not agree with Stewart’s politics and Beck is certainly an easy target…but given our current state of affairs, having somebody like Stewart lampoon Beck is what we need right now to balance things out.

In short, if Beck is the voice of libertarianism/conservatism…you all need to find a better messenger…and soon.

What say you?

The Tea Party protests last spring could have been the start of something important in American politics had it not been for the vocal group of far right wingers who insisted on leveling all sorts of racially charged attacks at Obama and his supporters.

Well, this weekend they’re holding their convention in Nashville, Tennessee and former Congressman Tom Tancredo was a speaker.

And boy did he deliver the red meat.

And boy did the crowd eat it up.

Check it out…

Yes, that’s just the type of hearty, bombastic rhetoric that builds strong coalitions of independent and swing voters.

I also liked how he talked about voting tests in one breath and socialism in the next, thus proving that irony is indeed dead…and least in Nashville this weekend.

Well done Tom!

The Daily Show lampoons Glenn Beck’s, Sean Hannity’s & Bill O’Reilly’s clarion calls to the right about how America is being transformed into something scary and unrecognizable.

Enjoy…

And scene.

Last week’s White House Blog post by Dan Pfeiffer was notable for the brutal unvarnished honesty of its title:

The Same Old Washington Blame Game
Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on December 30, 2009 at 03:34 PM EST

We are unaccustomed to this kind of refreshing candor coming from a Communication Director of any administration in recent memory. After all, the job of a Communication Director is “spin” – to frame everything in the most positive light for the President and the administration. But there it is… Pfeiffer delivers on the promise of the title “The Same Old Washington Blame Game” with much more of the same old Washington blame game in the selfsame post.

In the first paragraph, Pfeiffer writes “too many are engaged in the typical Washington game of pointing fingers and making political hay…”. In the rest of the post he points fingers and makes political hay:

Kudos to Dan Pfeiffer. No telling where this kind of honesty might lead. If Congress followed his example and gave honest titles to its legislative efforts, the stimulus bill might have been named: “Bring Home the Bacon to Democratic Districts Porkfest“; the Cash for Clunkers program would be entitled “We Will Borrow Money From China To Be Repaid by Your Children And Give It To You So You Can Buy a Car Now Act“; and the health care reform bill that recently passed the Senate would be known as “A Giant Hairball That No One Understands Except the Big Pharma and Health Care Insurance Lobbyists that Wrote This Bill“, or just “Frankenbill“.

I can only hope this trend will continue. Perhaps other political bloggers will be inspired to be more candid about their blog posts. We, the Donklephant bloggers, could follow Dan’s example. I’ll start. Please mentally substitute this post title: “A Smarmy, Cynical, Sarcastic And Unfunny Take On The White House Blog”.

^{Hat Tip – Kate at Small Dead Animals}

X-posted from Divided We Stand United We Fall