Fox and MSNBC's embarrassing coverage of the anti-health care rally
November 05, 2009 1:56 pm ET by Matt Gertz
Fox News' hosts have been aggressively promoting today's anti-health care reform rally at Capitol Hill, so it's no surprise that they jumped to provide live coverage as soon as it started. Unfortunately, this left them with three minutes with their camera pointed at the rally's invocation, followed by hundreds of Republican representatives reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Perhaps aware that members of Congress praying and reciting the Pledge doesn't meet even Fox's standard for news, the network immediately cut away... to live coverage of a press conference about a rescued Florida baby. Is it possible that even Fox is getting embarrassed by this protest?
Meanwhile, MSNBC decided they wanted to cover the rally, going live just in time to show actor Jon Voight go after Obama's "connection to ACORN." Because Jon Voight hating Democrats is apparently news to someone. Minutes later, anchor Jeff Rosen aired a clip of Michelle Bachmann attacking the House Democrats' bill, then asked Republican Rep. Cynthia Loomis whether she agreed that the bill comes close to socialism. Loomis' response? "Don't take it from us, take it from The Wall Street Journal." This is degenerating into farce extremely quickly.
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She questioned him about some of the really offensive, untrue and bigoted signs that some of the protestors have displayed today.
He started with the false equivalency argument and went off, as politicians often do, and never addressed her question about those offensive signs at all.
Her comeback was a point that I often make - that if we didn't have attitudes like those displayed here, if we didn't have these false talking points that had to be addressed and debunked before we could proceed to discuss the actual issues, then maybe we'd get more done!
Then Rep Cantor again tried the false equivalency argument that both sides do it. They don't.
I'm not making this up. He said exactly those words!
This makes me want to PUKE! I'm SOOOO sick of these HORRIBLE people. The congressmen/women who are promoting this CRAP should be ashamed of themselves.
I watched on CSPAN3 and all of the rhetoric was surreal enough.
Approximately 99% of the attendees seemed to be competing over who could appear the most bat-$h!t crazy.
There is no organization in this country better at throwing temper tantrums and getting the media's attention.
AND they get the MSM to treat their goofball antics and ideas as straight news.
The fact that the media leaches on to those belches has everything to do with the media and nothing to do with the belches.
What a mandate - NOT!!!!!!!