Hannity still flying with Pelosi plane falsehood
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SUMMARY: On his radio and television shows, Sean Hannity again claimed that "[n]o other speaker had" a military plane "before" Nancy Pelosi and that she is the "first speaker to ever have that plane." In fact, following 9-11, the House sergeant-at-arms, the Defense Department, and the White House agreed that military planes should be made available to the speaker of the House for national security reasons, and the first speaker to use such a plane was Dennis Hastert in 2001.
During the February 4 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Sean Hannity again falsely claimed that Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was the first House speaker to be granted the use of a military jet, stating, "No other speaker had one before her." Likewise, on the February 5 edition of his Fox News television show, Hannity stated that Pelosi is the "first speaker to ever have that plane." In fact, as Media Matters for America has documented, House Sergeant-at-Arms Wilson Livingood said in a February 8, 2007, statement: "In a post 9/11 threat environment, it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the Speaker for official travel between Washington and her district. The practice began with Speaker [Dennis] Hastert [R-IL] and I have recommended that it continue with Speaker Pelosi." In addition, then-White House press secretary Tony Snow said in a February 7, 2007, White House press briefing, "After September 11th, the Department of Defense -- with the consent of the White House -- agreed that the Speaker of the House should have military transport. ... So Speaker Hastert had access to military aircraft and Speaker Pelosi will, too."
Media Matters previously noted that, on the December 4, 2008, edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Hannity falsely suggested that Pelosi's use of a military jet for transportation was unprecedented, asking Fox News contributor and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), "If everyone's so angry at corporate jet use and corporations that have perks, why isn't there that same anger at Speaker Pelosi? You didn't have a jet as a speaker, correct?"
Additionally, on the February 4 broadcast of his radio show, CNN host Lou Dobbs said that Pelosi's "office was on me because I was giving her fits over the fact she had to have that great big old airplane, 'cause she had to get home to her constituents every weekend." But Dobbs' coverage of Pelosi's plane included repeatedly making false claims about the plane, and airing misleading reports on his CNN television program about the plane. Notably, on the February 5, 2007, and February 8, 2007, editions of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs falsely claimed that the military jet Hastert used for domestic travel had the capacity to fly Pelosi nonstop to her California district. In fact, CNN itself, among other media outlets, reported that Hastert's plane could not reliably reach Pelosi's district.
From the February 4 broadcast of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show:
HANNITY: We've got a brand new fleet of Air Force One jets being built for the president, a brand new fleet of limousines that have been built for the president, and then the president and his tax-cheat Treasury secretary, now they're insisting that companies that receive federal bailouts have got to limit executive pay to $500,000.
Now, when Nancy Pelosi gives up her plane, when every -- when every Cabinet secretary gives up their chauffeur, when they stop spending money like drunken sailors -- not to insult sailors -- maybe we can talk about executives. I told you this is the end of capitalism as we know it. And if the federal government is going to jump in and bail out these companies and dictate what people can and cannot make, we have now decided the government runs everything. There's even talk about either a government bed -- bad bank or a government takeover of the banking system.
And I don't begrudge the president, by the way, for changing the decorations of the White House. Go ahead, change away. I could care less, despite the fact that, on the public payroll, it's -- we're going to pay for it. The economy's in a full-fledged recession. It might be a good thing not to do it. I don't begrudge him upgrading Air Force One. Our presidents need to be safe. You know, despite his attacks on corporate execs who use private jets, why doesn't he take away Nancy Pelosi's jet? No other speaker had one before her.
From the February 5 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
HANNITY: Let's take away Pelosi's plane. Let's take away all the chauffeurs and the cars --
GERALDO RIVERA (Fox News host): She has a plane?
HANNITY: She has the Gulfstream. She flies home every weekend to San Francisco -- first speaker to ever have that plane.
GERALDO: Is that right?
HANNITY: Should we take that away?
GERALDO: Is that true?
STEVE ELMENDORF (Democratic strategist): She is not the first speaker to have a plane --
HANNITY: And we -- we pay for it.
GERALDO: Oh, all right. Here, see, I knew it.
HANNITY: Dennis Hastert --
ELMENDORF: That is not true. Dennis Hastert --
HANNITY: Dennis Hastert did not have a Gulfstream --
GERALDO: Oh, so his plane wasn't as good a plane.
HANNITY: -- taking it every weekend to San Francisco. I don't think she -- why should she get a plane? Why do I have to pay for her plane?
ELMENDORF: Because she's third --
RIVERA: Why am I hearing bad vibes about Air Force One? I never heard that when Ronald Reagan --
ELMENDORF: Yeah.
RIVERA: -- took Air Force One to vacation in California.
HANNITY: Listen, I don't mind, but, you know what? If we're going to, you know -- if we're going to manage money and we're going to, you know, demonize corporations, why don't we do it for the -- for the government?
ELMENDORF: The president of the United States deserves 24-hour, seven-day-a-week security --
HANNITY: I agree with you.
ELMENDORF: -- for good reason. The speaker of the House is third in line for the presidency of the United States.
HANNITY: Newt Gingrich didn't have one.
ELMENDORF: Yes, he did.
HANNITY: He did not have a plane -- no, sir.
ELMENDORF: Newt Gingrich had a lot of security --
HANNITY: He did not have a plane.
ELMENDORF: Dennis Hastert --
HANNITY: No plane.
ELMENDORF: -- the Republican speaker, had an plane, because after 9-11 --
HANNITY: Newt Gingrich had no plane.
ELMENDORF: -- after 9-11, the security people made a decision that these guys needed a plane.
HANNITY: All right. I have an idea. When they can balance their budget, when they can give us back the money they misappropriated on Social Security, I'll -- I'm with you. But we've got to take a break.
From the February 5 edition of United Stations Radio Networks' The Lou Dobbs Show:
DOBBS: All three CEOs of the auto companies got a lot of grief because they flew their corporate jets in instead of driving or being driven into Washington, D.C. But there was no discussion that [Rep.] Barney Frank [D-CA] or [Rep.] Chris Dodd [D-CT], the chairs of the House Financial Committee, or the Senate Banking Committee, or Harry Reid [D-NV], the Senate majority leader, or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should give up their perks, and their -- in the case of Pelosi and Reid, their big old jets that they get as a perk on the job. Are you surprised by that, Burt?
CALLER: Oh, yeah. And Pelosi couldn't get a big enough plane. Remember that?
DOBBS: Do I ever. Man, her office was on me because I was giving her fits over the fact she had to have that great big old airplane, 'cause she had to get home to her constituents every weekend -- crazy stuff. But, no, you're -- we're not going to see Congress roll anything back -- it just isn't in the cards, in my opinion, Burt.
CALLER: Yeah, I guess not.
DOBBS: I think we would -- it would be just as likely we would see Wall Street CEOs start giving back their pay, and their restricted stock, and their stock options, and their bonus money just because they lost tens of billons of dollars for their shareholders -- not any more likely at all.
Was Hannity the author of this?
Someone refresh my memory...didn't Sean Hannity win an award for lying just a couple of months ago? I hope he got a plaque for it because that's something any good Catholic boy should be proud of. I'm sure baby Jesus is very proud.
Why would this upset him? Does he care that the person 2nd in line to the Presidency should for some reason be less safe? Does he really care about the line of succession to the top office? It's OK for republicans to have this plane (and it is, trust me, it is), but it's not OK for Pelosi?
Sean is a one note record. Republicans good. Democrats bad. No matter what happens. He's a joke.
3rd.
2nd.
VP
Speaker of the House
I hate it when people can't count.
MAGNOLIALOVER, You are sooooooo correct about SEANNIE boy's tantrums over PELOSI'S plane. If the speaker of the house was a REPUBLICAN,this issue woulden't even be raised.
He may be a (racist, sexist, bigot, Nazi, jackässhole, servant of Satan, chickenhawk, cow's äss, closet facist, inarticulate hypocrite, Republican imbecile... "everything but a child of God"), but the FA protects him from censorship like it protects you and me from the exact same thing. We can't take the microphone away, but we can refute his points when they happen to be incorrect.
I beg to differ...No one has a right to get on radio and spread falsehoods on a daily basis! They were allowed to do this because they changed the rules some years back which has given us the likes of a Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity! Frankly, I'd like them to have to follow the same rules as everyone else when they spout off about a person or a principle...but Nooooo, we got to hear this dribble so we must refute it everytime!!! Good job, Heraldo!!
Apparently, I've been denied my right to a national radio and tv audience my entire life, and didn't even know it. I'm willing to forgo the lawsuit if, starting tomorrow, I am allowed to start exercising my Constitutionally Guaranteed Right to spew crap all over the airwaves through 400 radio stations for three hours a day.
Oh, and my Freedom of Speech also requires that I be handed a TV show, too. And millions of dollars.
Are you also required to have a nationally syndicated column in the NYT WaPo and LAT?
Maybe not, but my own porn channel would be just fine. More people watch porn than anything else, so if I created a few democratic talking points based on porn I bet I could get my message out quickly. "Oh papi, that stimulus package is just what I need! Give it to me, papi!"
Sean Hannity is the intellectual equivalent of porn.
I don't think even Hannity could have come up with the truly inspired porn movie title
Shaving Ryan's Privates. I never saw the movie, but the title cracked me up.
Well, when you think about it, when the FA was written, there were only two forms of communication - in person (speech) and in writing (press). There was no alternate forms of communication such as broadcasting mediums like radio and television, and there wasn't the Internet either. Had such forms of communication existed, I'm sure the founding fathers would have protected those forms of communication as well.
The FA is one of the biggest tools in limiting the power of government. Right next to the SA, but that's another topic...
Another topic upon which you have no knowledge as well.
Actually, you're wrong about that. The first amendment guarantees that the government will not interfere with the right of the citizen to communicate ideas which may diverge from those of the government or a majority, with certain limitations. It does not guarantee nor promote a method of communication.
We CAN take his microphone away without violating his first amendment rights. But the fact is that Fox and ABC will continue to provide that mic as long as all the drivel he spews makes them money, no matter (as he's repeatedly demonstrated) how stupid or inane that drivel may be.
1: And isn't the federal government the one who you're asking to handle that problem?
2: Even if FOX and ABC decided to can him, he could go to another radio/TV broadcasting company and the cycle continues.
You know what? You are absolutely right. Let's take the federal government out of this equation altogether. Let's tear up all the free licenses handed out which give radio stations the exclusive right to slots on the dial, and, as Hannity's intro music says, Let Freedom Ring.
In a few weeks we'll have nothing but static on the radio, as anyone with a few hundred dollars and the tech savvy of your average Radio Shack employee launches his own little radio station from his home. Of course, you won't really have "freedom of speech," because people with access to more advanced equipment will drown out YOUR message with THEIR message, but that's just the beauty of competition, right?
Better yet, why don't you just admit that the PUBLIC AIRWAVES are the property of THE PUBLIC and therefore the PUBLIC has the right and responsibility to see to it that they are not monopolized by one side. Right now, the "public" airwaves are like a picnic area which is reserved for the same family every single day- sure, it's "public," but its only actually AVAILABLE to THESE guys. Don't like it? Tough!
Say, DAWUSS, how did your post get by the censors at MMFA? I used one of your words, but with ********s and they sent me a message saying, IN BIG RED LETTERS, "try not using offensive language".
I think the umlauts fool the filter.But what the fück do I know?
Aw, crap. Now they'll have to go in and reprogram the Cyber Nanny.
Yup. The "at" symbol followed by two dollar signs is soooo 90's.
Thanks, Col. I got it, now. Umlauts! That's the secret. You just PROVED it.
HA HA AH, HA HA!
I'm pretty sure Hannity taped his radio show about two weeks ago and has been running the same three hours every day since. You can switch on his show at any point in the three hours and hear the same crap spewing out of this melon head- Air Pelosi, Obama the Messiah, Socialism, Nationalization of our Economy, We Need To Return To the Reagan Model, Democrat Party wants Tax and Spend, Tax Cuts for People Who Don't Pay Taxes, Newt Gingrich Will Be On the Program Tonight, Ann Coulter Will Be on the Program Tonight, They Want to Shut Us Up with the Fairness Doctrine, blah blah blah lather rinse repeat.
The revolting thing is that this twit gets paid big bucks for doing the best impersonation of a broken tape recorder ever.
Revolting? Obscene is more like it. If Talk Radio were really governed by market forces, no-talent douchebags like Hannity wouldn't even get in the door.
I know I'm beating a dead horse, but the Democrats should find the clip of Rush telling them to "Shut the hell up until you win an election" and play it over and over and over.
Horses&it. Not all speech is protected. Radio and TV are commercial speech, which is not protected. If you're doing it for free, fine.
What these guys always seem to forget, is that there are already restrictions on what you can and can't say, or do on TV and radio. That's why we have the FCC isn't it? You can't say certain cuss words. Can't show certain body parts. Can depict certain situations. Radio and TV are far from free speech already.
You give him too much credit.
Once you realize how long it took them to train him just to say "unrepentent", you'll understand the limitations of his cognizance.
Shamity Rule #1 (posted on the studio wall) Never let facts get in the way of the agenda.
Shamity Rule #2 (also posted on studio wall) When in doubt, refer to Rule #1.
Have you ever really thought about WHO gets us so mad? Hannity: a drop-out from NYU and Adelphi (I taught there for years.) He loved radio. Of course, he likes the sound of his own voice. Limbaugh: a flunk-out from Southeast Missouri State. Couldn't even pass a ball-room dancing class! Again, loved being on the radio. Loves his own voice. Savage (Weiner): Ph.D in Nutritional Ethnomedicine. Degrees in Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy.
ALL are "experts" on economics, foreign relations, government administration, and sociology.
Worse yet, these are the "brains" of the right wing. Makes you wonder about their audience's collective IQ. Bigger than a bread basket or smaller than a pea. You make the call!
Randy
Those who intentionally forget the past are doomed to repeat it on right wing talk radio.
Randy
Surely any thinking person would start with the fact that Republican spin machine is alive and well and to get to the truth on any comment most of them makes, one needs to divide by 3 million and then subtract about an even thousand from anything they say these days. Poor, poor things parade those lies in front of both children and adults all the time. My great great granddaughter is more truthful than that. Led by the likes of Hannity and Rush, how can they expect any respect for their point of view since they are so careless with the facts. With folks like Hannity and Rush, it is evident why Republicans have lost their moral authority. Of course add to the list Mr. Steele who has no concept of what a job is.