O'Reilly promotes misinformation to attack Franken-Lieberman exchange as "disrespect[ful]"
Bill O'Reilly attacked Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) as a "punk" for denying Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) request for additional speaking time on the Senate floor, aired Sen. John McCain's criticism of Franken's actions as unprecedented, and allowed Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to claim that Franken was "[a]bsolutely not" telling the truth when Franken explained that he was instructed by Democratic leadership to strictly adhere to Senate rules that establish a 10-minute speaking limit. But in addition to Franken, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Lieberman himself reportedly agree that Franken was following instructions; another Democratic senator denied a similar request earlier the same day while presiding over the Senate; and McCain has reportedly objected to a request for additional speaking time in the past.
O'Reilly lets McCain and DeMint attack "punk" Franken
O'Reilly airs McCain's claim that Franken's actions were unprecedented. From the December 18 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Franken, who was in a rotation presiding over the Senate, objected to Lieberman continuing his remarks in a stunning display of disrespect.
[...]
[video clip]
FRANKEN: In my capacity as senator from Minnesota, I object.
LIEBERMAN: Really? OK, I don't take it personally.
[end video clip]
O'REILLY: But many others did take it personally, including John McCain.
McCAIN [video clip]: I've been around here 20-some years. First time I've ever seen a member denied an extra minute or two to finish his remarks.
O'Reilly lets DeMint claim Franken was "[a]bsolutely not" telling the truth that leadership instructed him to strictly enforce the rules. From The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now, Franken defended himself on the radio today. I want you to react to this. Roll the tape.
FRANKEN [audio clip]: When you're presiding, you really have no choice on what to do. And, you know, the leader -- the majority leader is the leader of the Senate, and he gave me -- gave all of us today who were presiding instructions that no one was to speak over 10 minutes, and because there's been some attempt to string out the debate. So, I really just had no choice.
O'REILLY: Is Franken telling the truth?
DeMINT: Absolutely not. I can't believe he's throwing Harry Reid under the bus.
O'Reilly and Goldberg call Franken a "punk" and a "petty" "mean-spirited doofus" for enforcing rules. Discussing the floor debate, Fox News contributor Bernard Goldberg stated, "Look, is Al Franken a mean-spirited doofus? Of course he is. Should he have been more generous with Lieberman? Of course he should. Was he petty, as you said in your talk? Yes." After O'Reilly rejected the suggestion that Democratic leadership instructed Franken to strictly enforce the rules, he stated, "Look, there's no shortage of villainy going on right now on Capitol Hill, but I think everybody ought to know who the people of Minnesota put in the Senate." After lauding Lieberman as a good man, O'Reilly said, "That punk Franken, he -- you know, he just demeans the whole body." [The O'Reilly Factor, 12/18/09]
Reid and Lieberman reportedly confirm that Franken was following instructions
Reid's office reportedly said Franken was adhering to his request. Minneapolis Star Tribune correspondent Eric Roper reported on December 17: "A spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid said that Franken was merely adhering to a request from Reid to strictly enforce the rules because the Senate is already in session practically 'round the clock.' " Politico reported on December 18 that Reid spokesman Jim Manley stated of Reid's request, "We did that to maintain order and that no senator had an unfair advantage over another in terms of speaking. ... It was a simple request of the leader and Sen. Franken was adhering to the request of his leadership."
Wash. Post: Lieberman said Franken "was following procedures ... handed down by Senate leaders." On December 17, The Washington Post's Joel Achenbach reported:
Lieberman laughed off the incident as much ado about nothing when he returned to the chamber a couple of hours later. He said that Franken apparently was following procedures for sticking to time limits that had been handed down by Senate leaders. Franken had made a good-natured gesture with his hands, Lieberman said, "as if to say 'There's nothing I can do'."
Lieberman said he appreciated his good friend McCain coming to his defense.
"No hard feelings," he said.
Franken's actions were not unprecedented
McClatchy: Begich also "asked to limit everyone to 10-minute speeches." Politico reported that "[e]arlier on the floor, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), presiding over the Senate, objected to Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) request for additional time to speak -- clearly annoying Cornyn." McClatchy reported that Begich "had been asked to limit everyone to 10-minute speeches to speed up proceedings" and that "Cornyn's spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said they quickly figured out it was 'obviously procedural.' "
Think Progress: McCain objected to request for extended speaking time during Iraq war debate. In October 2002, McCain reportedly objected to requests for extensions during debate on the authorization of the use of military force against Iraq.
Why didn't O'Reilly know about that?
DeMINT: Absolutely not. I can't believe he's throwing Harry Reid under the bus.
How is sticking to the policy set forth by Sen. Reid throwing him under the bus? I am afraid this "bus" phrase is getting quite old.
By the way, you stay classy Bill O'Reilly
But, for this particular case, I think the big deal is simply this: It's Mr. Bill O'Reilly saying something negative about Senator Al Franken:
O'Reilly opines Franken's election is a sad day for America.
O'Reilly falsely claims Franken's opponent, Coleman, was 'certified winner.'
O'Reilly claims of Minnesota recount 'the fix is in.'
Of course, Mr. O'Reilly prefers to attack Senator Franken from the safety of his TV show, because in a face to face meeting...
But this incident gave O'Reilly just the excuse he needed to go after Franken, without regard to the facts. As we all know, O'Reilly is not very careful when it comes to the facts.
Bill is certainly not going to give Franken the benefit of the doubt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOAYI6Qnl6E
This is a truth that needs to be repeated. It provides an excellent explanation of so much right wing behavior.
Their viewers could learn alot from MMFA, but this would be the last site they'd visit because they believe that they will only get the facts from an entertainment network.
Now, years later, O'Really? is grasping at any hint of anything he can spin to make Sen. Franken look bad.
Conservative gasbags love to talk about the success of reichwing radio. Name a conservative talking head who has run and won national office.
That list is just as long as the roster of Republican congresspeople and senators who reject the idea that the American people should have a health insurance public option, so they've declined their Federally-paidfor medical coverage.
Sheer "Am i An Idiot" InSannity brags about thinking about running for public office. So does The Little Guy.
They don't have the guts to get into the arena. Sen. Franken did, and won the first time out, beating the incumbent. They talk - Al does!
Reminds me of how the Middle East has people who are carrying on feuds (e.g. Shi'a vs Sunni) for decades or centuries. There is a lot of lack of understanding o this, the closest U.S. example would be the almost mythical Hatfields vs McCoys. Many people have a problem in comprehending time scales beyond a year or two, which also leads to the Creationist/ID shortened timeline for the Earth being only six thousand years... millions or billions are far beyond their comprehension, which is also how the 'waste' of a couple million isn't seen as a percentage of a trillion dollar budget.
Much remains to be done, and I and millions more look forward to the day when ou country commits the resources to ensure that health care is a RIGHT of all Americans, rich and poor alike.
exactly why lieberman didnt get angry and object... in fact, he more or less laughed it off.
What is personal is Billdo's ( and wingnuts in general's ) irrational and emotional hatred of Franken
Here's how the item was reported at crappy website RealClearPolitics.
No context, no explanation, but read the comments. A bunch of ignorant wingnuts sharing their insights on a subject they've been completely misled about.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry or be terrified by what I read there. Is it ignorance or stupidity?
I have read 9-10 comments posted there. Their beef seems to be that Franken was a (professional) comedian before he became a Senator.
OTOH, if he was a lawyer, doctor or an Ivy league school graduate, he would we be derided as being elitist.
Go figure.
by the way, speaking of being a doctor, arent there a few (maybe more) doctors who are republicans in congress and oppose the health care bill? i believe barrasso and coburn are. so are they seen as elitists and not a part of the folks?
This from the loofah/falafel king? Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!
He calls the Senator punk? If he has any guts, he would run for public office and on the Senate floor call Franken a punk.
But Fox News opinionators are nothing but frauds and cowards. And cowards/hypocrites kind of defines Fox News believers too.
While comments like "punk", on the other hand, certainly don't demean the body. No, they clearly elevate the discourse. I'd like to ask if O'Reilly's viewers can possibly be this stupid, but then I remember: they also watch (and nod vacantly to anything he says) Glenn Beck.
“If any woman ever breathed a word I’ll make her pay so dearly that she’ll wish shed never been born. I’ll rake her through the mud, bring up things in her life and make her so miserable that she’ll be destroyed. And besides, she wouldn’t be able to afford the lawyers I can or endure it financially as long as I can. And nobody would believe her, it’d be her word against mine and who are they going to believe? Me or some unstable woman making outrageous accusations. They’d see her as some psycho, someone unstable. Besides, I’d never make the mistake of picking unstable girls like that.â€
~~~Bill O'Reilly (4/13/04)
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Fox News loses attempt to block satirist's book Judge:
Cover creates no confusion over origin, sponsorship
From Phil Hirschkorn CNN
[excerpts]
NEW YORK (CNN) --Saying "This is an easy case," a federal judge ruled Friday against Fox News in its lawsuit asserting that a book by liberal satirist Al Franken violates its trademarked slogan, "fair and balanced."
Fox was seeking an injunction to halt distribution of "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin, after listening to about half an hour of oral arguments, said the lawsuit was "wholly without merit, both factually and legally."
Fox objected especially to its cover, which displays the "fair and balanced" phrase in its subtitle and an unflattering photograph of the news channel's most popular host, Bill O'Reilly. It argued that the cover layout "is likely to cause confusion among consumers as to the origin and sponsorship of the book."
Along with O'Reilly, still frames on Franken's book's cover also show President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and conservative commentator Ann Coulter in separate TV monitors, around the title's first word, "Lies."
Franken, who won four Emmy awards for his work on "Saturday Night Live," is the author of four previous books, including the recent bestseller, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot."
A chapter focused on O'Reilly is subtitled, "Lying, Splotchy Bully."
* * *
Some people say the Judge is still laughing . .
Can you say "Senator Franken"?