Friday, June 1, 2018

The Astonishing Silliness of CNN

National Review
The hysterical chyrons, the endless drama, Stormy, Stormy, Stormy . . . Better to watch sports or read a book.

. . . "Witness the now-legendary CNN chyron — that’s the line of headline text gracing the bottom of the screen during every news story — which has taken to reminding viewers, often in cheeky parentheticals, what exactly one should think. Here’s a doozy from February: “WH: TRUMP HAS BEEN TOUGHER ON RUSSIA IN ONE YEAR THAN OBAMA WAS IN EIGHT (NO, HE HASN’T).” On Thursday, in response to a rather fluffy White House–sponsored “Sports and Fitness Day,” CNN got weirdly ponderous: “TRUMP AND FITNESS: AN EXERCISE IN HYPOCRISY?” During my brief yet torturous airport restaurant foray, the network’s chyron read something like — and please forgive my paraphrasing, but I was desperately trying to ignore the TV blaring over my head — “TRUMP FALSELY SLAMS ‘SPYING’ DURING HIS CAMPAIGN (ISN’T HE CRAZY? IT WAS AN ‘INFORMANT,’ NOT A SPY!).”

"The good people at CNN can do what they want, but this blatant chyron-splaining sends a rather clear and unfortunate message: that they think their audience is daft and incapable of figuring things out for themselves." . . .

CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta said Tuesday that the one thing he likes about the Trump presidency is that it is “good for news.”

Obeidallah Defends 'Important Voice' Samantha Bee; Lemon Defends Behar
. . . "CNN.com contributor Dean Obeidallah came to the liberal Bee's defense, lauding her as "an important voice."

"And, in response to conservative talk radio host Stacy Washington complaining about the double standard of liberal comedians Bill Maher and Joy Behar being tolerated when they attack conservatives, host Don Lemon defended Behar for recently painting Christians as mentally ill." . . .

Did Michelle Obama successfully lobby ABC TV’s president to fire Roseanne?

In its actions, ABC blew off a franchise that may have been worth close to $1 billion in advertising revenue. Who else in 2018 America has the degree of cachet and influence to insist that that kind of decision be taken?
Peter Barry Chowka   "There are many angles to the this week’s Roseanne Barr controversy, but this one caught my attention: On Tuesday afternoon, about twelve hours after Roseanne tweeted and quickly deleted her comments about Valerie Jarrett that almost instantly eviscerated her TV career, a Twitter user named Josh Cornett tweeted this:


BREAKING: According to sources ABC President Channing Dungey had a long conversation via phone with former First Lady Michelle Obama before deciding to cancel the Roseanne show. Michelle Obama was reportedly enraged and insisted an apology was inadequate......developing
. . . 
" Early Thursday morning, I sent Cornett a direct message on Twitter. I asked him if he could clarify his unnamed source(s) for his tweet claiming that Michelle Obama had called ABC TV president Channing Dungey and demanded that Roseanne be fired. He replied a few hours later and, as I expected, he declined to identify a source.
Can't tell you the source, but I stand by it and put my name on it. The Obamas’ ire directed at Roseanne dates back several days before the infamous "Tweet." Apparently they were outraged about Roseanne ridiculing their Netflix deal and it snowballed from there. SEVERAL PHONE CALLS were made.
. . .  

Roseanne Barr and the Death of Mercy

When you talk to your friends who aren't conservative, point out that conservatives condemn what Barr said, and we condemn Democrat Senator Byrd for his membership in the KKK, while leftists condemn only Barr.

Tom Trinko  . . . "Also, there is no evidence to date that Barr has acted in a discriminatory or racist way in the past.  We have no reason to doubt her apology or to believe she's secretly a KKK member.

"Hence, in a Christian society, her apology would have been accepted, and while she may have been punished, people wouldn't demand or rejoice at the destruction of her career.
"The problem is that the left has continually repudiated Christian values and replaced them with a dualist approach to life, where any crime by someone who is a leftist can be excused or ignored but any perception of a crime by someone who is not part of the left can be condemned and the person punished to whatever extent is possible.
"For example, Robert Byrd was a long-serving Democratic senator.  He also was a legal official for the West Virginia KKK.  One would think that founding a KKK chapter and raising funds for the KKK is a bit more odious than one tweet. Yet the left extolled Senator Byrd and declared that since he'd apologized, all was well.
Robert Byrd in pre-Senate years
"This establishes that the left is eager to forgive racism so long as the racist is a Democrat." . . .

Bear in mind that my personal disgust is over the silencing of conservative opinion and not necessarily defending Roseanne as a person. Remember this?



Just as bad were the liberal comments to this video supporting what she did.

CNN being CNN: CNN Analyst Loves Tweet Claiming Ivanka Trump Is Worse Than A 'C**t'

UPDATE: The official spokeswoman for the first lady, Stephanie Grisham, gave The Daily Caller a statement on behalf of Mrs. Trump:
“The double standard is truly astounding. Time and again the Trump family and members of this Administration are subjected to false reporting, hateful rhetoric, and outrageous lies all in the name of freedom of speech or comedy, yet the mainstream media stays silent,” said Grisham.
Daily Wire  "The vicious attacks started when CNN ran a segment on Monday attacking Ivanka for holding her child in a loving manner while the network criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies." . . .



Trafficking Ring  Stephanie Grisham Retweeted AprilDRyan 
If you’re a journalist w many followers & a contributor...is it ok to retweet any headline you want, regardless of if it’s true? Remember: “The core purpose of a journalist is to research, document, write, & present the news in an honest, ethical, & unbiased way.”
. . . "Others within the media were appalled by Ryan's tweet.
Ryan


"In a tweet, Fox News' Brian Flood wrote: "Can you imagine the outrage if a cable news correspondent with White House credentials tweeted this about Hillary or Obama?" 


Five takeaways from the Samantha Bee affair ". . .are important in understanding where this is leading us." 
"Takeaway Number One: Trump Derangement Syndrome has overwhelmed the entire corporate power structure at Time-Warner.
. . . "The only explanation that occurs to me is the pervasiveness of Trump-hatred in the entertainment sector in which Time-Warner lives." . . .
"Takeaway Number Two: Advertisers are ahead of TBS and Time-Warner in reacting.
"Two substantial advertisers, Autotrader and State Farm, have announced they are pulling out of sponsorship of Bee's program Full Frontal." . . .  
"Takeaway Number Three: The remarks were infantile and in no way humorous.
"Takeaway Number Four: Bee was honored by her peers, but they were so ashamed that they kept cameras away."
"Takeaway Number Five: A gift to Trump, proof of double standard, and media hostility."  "CNN, which has bet its ratings on Trump-hatred and tanked, is a corporate sister of TBS in the Time-Warner conglomerate." . . .

"It is not merely CNN, but the entire universe of Trump-hating media and the entertainment industry that is discredited.  President Trump's strategy of disempowering his media enemies now has more evidence that they are not to be trusted."

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Samantha Bee and Stephen Colbert: one repentant because she is forced to be, the other must know he cannot be fired

Samantha Bee Apologizes For Calling Ivanka Trump A "Feckless C**t" As Advertisers Flee  
. . . 'On the night before she is set to receive an award from the Television Academy for "advancing social change," The Daily Caller's Derek Hunter reports that the so-called comedian called presidential adviser (and first daughter) Ivanka Trump a "feckless c**t" in her show's monologue.
“You know, Ivanka, that’s a beautiful photo of you and your child," Bee said,
“but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad’s immigration practices you feckless cunt!”
"The crowd then screamed and cheered.
“He listens to you,” Bee continued.
“Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to fucking stop it,” she said.
"And here is the icing on the cake...
"Bee will be receiving an award from the Television Academy Thursday night for “advancing social change.' ” . . .

How about Stephen Colbert?

................................................................................................................................
. . . "Coming to Dickerson’s defense, Colbert went on an extended rant against Trump, saying that Trump was disgracing the nation, was a “real prick-tator,” and that “the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c*** holster.”
"Colbert was criticized by Trump supporters, but also by some liberals, who felt the joke was homophobic. The host did not apologize, but he did say on his show the next day that “while I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be.”
"The FCC ultimately decided not to take action against The Late Show. On YouTube, the monologue became Colbert’s highest-viewed ever." . . .
.................................................................................................................................... . . "On top of the vulgarity and swearing, many people are offended by the homophobic nature of Colbert’s rant.
"Here’s what he said:
“Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine,” Colbert said near the end of the insult-laden rant. “You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign language gorilla that got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c–k holster.”

CNN calls FCC investigation something they should do

Dixie Caron Adams tweeted this bit of advice on how to make your opinion of a sow noticed:
"Allow Tonight show w/Colbert and then switch channel. Networks monitor viewers switching during programming. Better than turning off or switching before he comes on. Sends a message. "

Trey Gowdy Didn’t Even See Documents He Claims Exonerate FBI On Spygate: Reports


Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist
Gowdy claimed that the FBI's use of spies against the Trump campaign was perfectly proper, but multiple reports indicate he never even saw the full records Congress subpoenaed on the matter.
. . .  CNN’s Marshall Cohen repeatedly claimedGowdy’s comments were a “debunking” of the claims that the FBI used at least one informant to surreptitiously collect and report information against the Trump campaign and presidential transition. CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeted, “Gowdy refutes Trump, Nunes, Fox ‘spy’ conspiracy.” ABC News similarly alleged that Gowdy was “disputing Pres. Trump’s unsubstantiated claim the Obama administration used spy to infiltrate his campaign.”

"The claims that Gowdy had somehow “refuted” allegations that the FBI used at least one informant to spy on the Trump operation are in direct conflict with confirmed reporting from The New York Times and Washington Post that the FBI did, in fact, use at least one individual to secretly collect information against the Trump campaign for use in the bureau’s anti-Trump investigative efforts. Gowdy himself suggests confirmation that such a government agent was used to secretly collect information on the Trump campaign." . . .

The Carnivores of Civil Liberties

Victor Davis Hanson

A bank of microphones sit before a press conference on Capitol Hill
. . . "Liberalism rode high during the Watergate era. It had demanded that civil liberties be protected from the illegal or unconstitutional overreach of the Nixon-era FBI, CIA, and other agencies. Liberals alleged that out-of-control officials had spied on U.S. citizens for political purposes and then tried to mask their wrongdoing under the cover of “national security” or institutional “professionalism.”
"All those legacies are now eroding. The Democratic party, the investigative media, and liberalism itself are now weirdly on the side of the reactionary administrative state. They have either downplayed or excused Watergate-like abuses of power by the former Barack Obama administration.
"Liberal journalists apparently have few concerns that the FBI apparently used at least one secret informant to gather information about the 2016 Trump campaign. Nor are they much bothered that members of the Obama national-security team unmasked the names of U.S. citizens who had been improperly surveilled. Many of those names then were illegally leaked to the press.
"Democrats seem indifferent to the fact that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign paid a foreign agent, Christopher Steele, to compile dirt on Republican candidate Donald Trump — largely by trafficking in unverified rumors from Russian interests. Obama administration officials leaked details from that dossier." . . .

Obama's Netflix; They and the Clintons will never go away.

Netflix twice rejects Hebrew’s right to exist  "A language with ancient roots that chronicled the foundation of Western civilization, arose as a spoken language after a nearly 2,000-year-old slumber, and now symbolizes the re-establishment of Jewish national sovereignty has reached a new milestone in its long and storied history: censorship by Netflix.
"On May 28, the Jerusalem Post reported that Netflix's website had airbrushed out the Hebrew word "shalom" from an image of rapper Jay-Z's T-shirt in the documentary series Time: The Kalief Browder Story.  The very same words in Arabic ("salaam") and English ("peace") remained untouched."









We’ll Never Be Rid of Them: Obamas Sign a Deal With Netflix  . . . "The Obamas aren’t going to be out in “communities” looking for humanity’s hidden gems. They are going to be busy doing the thing they love most: being celebrities.


"A common fear among the more imaginative anti-Obama people back in the day was that he would do something nefarious to keep himself in office past his term limits. I remember talking about that with an astute friend of mine who just laughed at the suggestion. I asked her what was so funny and she said, “They don’t want to be in politics, they want to be TV stars.”
"Bingo.
"I had never really thought of it like that before but as I watched the rest of the Obama presidency it made sense.
"Face it, Obama’s presidential “accomplishments” will eventually be picked apart by honest historians in the far future. He was, however, very good at getting Hollywood lefties to adore him. Sure, they all love Democrats anyway, but Obama makes them swoon.
"Most presidents leave office intent on writing a book or two, or finding a noble cause to throw their celebrity behind. The aforementioned Habitat for Humanity gained fame through the efforts of Jimmy Carter. George W. Bush does a lot of work with veterans.
"Barack Obama got a production deal." . . .

Roseanne's New Job, Michael Ramirez.

ABC's bipolar values

OK, we've discussed this and agreed Roseanne's comments were unacceptable. But what if Roseanne made this remark about Trump or pretty much any conservative?...

ABC Axes Roseanne’s Hit Show After Her Tweets Disparaging Obama Alum, Valerie Jarrett
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” said ABC
. . . "The reboot of Roseanne raked in killer numbers, irking critics who were less than thrilled that a pro-Trump, middle-American show could do so well without their blessing." . . .

So then what about this?


Trump: Where is my apology from Disney CEO?

Trump Tweets on ABC's Apology to Valerie Jarrett: They Never Called to Apologize for Insulting Me


‘Roseanne’ Canceled; Why Not ‘The View’?

The Political Insider   . . . "(RELATED: Comedian Joy Behar Mocks Mike Pence For Talking With Jesus: ‘That’s Called Mental Illness’).


Further proving just how intolerant she truly is, the very same month she attacked Pence’s faith, Behar also outright stated, “As a Democrat, I am offended by Republicans!” (RELATED: Joy Behar Explodes On Meghan McCain: ‘I Am Offended By Republicans!’).
"But perhaps the most disgusting thing to ever fly out of Behar’s mouth occurred in October 2016. During a discussion about Donald Trump’s news conference prior to the second presidential debate, Behar called Bill Clinton’s rape accusers “tramps.” (RELATED: Paula Jones Responds To Joy Behar For Calling Her a ‘Tramp’).
"Yet, she somehow remains employed, and “The View” remains on the air.
"Upsettingly, Behar is far from the only unabashedly bigoted member of “The View.” Earlier this month, co-host Whoopi Goldberg suggested that President Donald Trump should endure torture. (RELATED: Diamond And Silk: Whoopi Goldberg Should Try Waterboarding).
"Even the show’s producers are guilty of outrageous cultural bias: in October 2017, they censored the word “Jesus” – twice. (RELATED: ‘The View’ Censors ‘Jesus’, Twice)." . . .
All emphases in the original. TD

"Terminally hip" Starbucks. Updated already

"If you’re unhip like me you had to look up “third place”
In community building, the third place is the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places would be environments such as churches, cafes, clubs, public libraries, or parks. – Wiki"
Rich Terrell
Alveda King: Starbucks Should Stop Funding Planned Parenthood if Serious about Ending Racism. . . "A letter sent to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, and signed by King and other pro-life leaders, said, “If you think this public relations fix means Starbucks is no longer complicit in racism, it’s time to wake up and smell your own coffee.”
. . . ."In her column, King observed to Starbucks the racist roots of Planned Parenthood, beginning with its founder, eugenicist Margaret Sanger." . . .

Updates from the Daily Wire: 


Starbucks: When Your 3rd Place Is Also Your 1st and 2nd Place
. . . "Good luck Starbucks. I hope you enjoy your new 3rd place. Or worse.
Meanwhile, the company's "Third Place Policy" — which would allow anyone to hang out or use the restrooms in its stores, regardless of whether they purchase anything — has already been leading partners and customers to question how Starbucks can continue to function as a business and refrain from becoming a chain of "homeless drop-in centers." – Fox   Hat tip to Doug Ross Journal 
politicalcartoons.com