Media Matters - Attacks on Progressives

Media Matters - Attacks on Progressives http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/attacks_on_progressives This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Attacks on Progressives en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson echoed falsehood that Gore claimed to have invented the Internet http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070004 While discussing reports of a shortage of one type of IP addresses, Gretchen Carlson stated: "I was wondering if we should call up Al Gore. Because maybe he would have a solution for this, since he invented the Internet." In fact, Gore never said that he "invented the Internet." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070004 Mon, 7 Jul 2008 15:00:02 EST On CNN, Kurtz again falsely claimed Clark "strafed" McCain http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070003 On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz again falsely claimed that, as Kurtz worded it this time, Sen. John McCain got "strafed by [retired Gen.] Wes Clark over his Vietnam service" during Clark's appearance on Face the Nation, and also said: "I would have bet a sizable sum of money that of all the possible attacks against John McCain, the Democrats would not have gone after his Vietnam War record, which, of course, includes his capture and torture in Hanoi. Well, I was wrong." But Clark neither "strafed" McCain's Vietnam service, nor went "after his Vietnam War record." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070003 Mon, 7 Jul 2008 14:50:42 EST Limbaugh: Democrats will not say "We honor your service" to troops returning from Iraq http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030005 Rush Limbaugh asserted that troops returning from Iraq "will not receive anything from the Democrat [sic] Party along the likes of 'Job well done. We're proud of you.' And this is highly distressing. Not only will Democrats not say, nor leftists, say to any returning troops from Iraq, 'Good job. Job well done. We honor your service.' No, they did just the opposite. They sought to secure defeat of the U.S. military in Iraq." In fact, many Senate Democrats recently honored the service of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030005 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 15:34:03 EST Savage repeatedly referred to Pelosi as Mussolini, called her "the Mussolini in a skirt" http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010010 On his radio show, Michael Savage repeatedly referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Mussolini, at one point calling her "the Mussolini in a skirt." He later referred to her as "Nancy Pelosi Mussolini" and the "Mussolini-like woman of the day." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010010 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 19:38:10 EST Media continue to falsely claim Clark criticized McCain's service http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Several media reports falsely claimed that Wesley Clark criticized Sen. John McCain's military service during a June 29 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, including CNN anchor John Roberts, who said that "Clark took a weekend hit at McCain, targeting his history as a war hero and his possible future as president." In fact, Clark praised McCain as "a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the Armed Forces as a prisoner of war." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:42:51 EST Crowley falsely claimed Obama "stole" Ahmadinejad's campaign slogan http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270007 On The Laura Ingraham Show, Monica Crowley claimed that Sen. Barack Obama "lifted his campaign line 'Yes, we can' from the recent presidential campaign of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Crowley claimed that Ahmadinejad used the slogan "We can." In fact, Obama reportedly used the phrase "Yes, we can" during his 2004 Senate campaign -- a full year before Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270007 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:30:05 EST Limbaugh falsely suggested Hamas supports Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200806240009 Rush Limbaugh asserted, "Hamas has endorsed Obama. ... Why do you think they've endorsed Obama? Because they want a very strong ally for Israel in the White House?" In fact, Obama stated his support for Israel in a speech June 4 speech in which he said: "Those who threaten Israel threaten us. ... And I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel's security." Hamas reportedly responded to Obama's remarks by saying, "Hamas does not differentiate between the two presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, because their policies regarding the Arab-Israel conflict are the same and are hostile to us, therefore we do have no preference and are not wishing for either of them to win." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806240009 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:44:16 EST Responding to critics, Dowd reportedly falsely claimed "nobody had objected to her use of" gender stereotypes "about men" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806220003 New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd responded to complaints about her frequent use of gender stereotypes by saying that "nobody had objected to her use of similar images about men over seven presidential campaigns," according to Times public editor Clark Hoyt. However, many writers and organizations -- including Media Matters for America -- have noted Dowd's feminization of male Democratic presidential candidates. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806220003 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:44:18 EST Savage: "I'd hang every lawyer who went down to Guantánamo" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806190010 While discussing the case of two students on trial on charges that they provided material aid to terrorists, Michael Savage told a caller, "If I ran this country, I'd hang the lawyer. I would try her for aiding and abetting terrorism -- I'd hang her and I'd hang every lawyer who went down to Guantánamo to defend those murderers." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806190010 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:04:32 EST Matthews said, "I don't hear Democrats talk ... about the need to reduce the number of abortions," but they do, often, and on his show http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160006 On Hardball, Chris Matthews asserted, "I don't hear Democrats talk ... about the need to reduce the number of abortions." He continued: "[Y]ou don't hear them talking a lot about the need for education, for much fewer, maybe enormously fewer, unwanted pregnancies, which is the reason people get abortions." In fact, Sen. Barack Obama said in April, "[W]e should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160006 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:28:21 EST MSNBC shows great interest in purported Clinton "enemies list," despite NY Times article's absence of on-the-record evidence http://mediamatters.org/items/200806120009 Despite the absence in a June 11 New York Times article of on-the-record evidence of a Clinton "enemies list," MSNBC interviewed New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich twice and devoted a total of nearly 25 minutes to the topic in at least 10 separate segments that day. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806120009 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:50:59 EST CNN's Dobbs, Daily News' Goodwin expressed incredulity that Pelosi would "giv[e] the Iranians the credit," but her comments echoed CNN's own reporting http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040005 On Lou Dobbs Tonight, Lou Dobbs and Michael Goodwin cited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comments about Iran negotiating an end to fighting in Basra, Iraq, to accuse her of being unwilling to give credit to U.S. troops and being "invested in failure" when, in fact, CNN itself reported that Iran had played an integral role in brokering a cease-fire in Basra, as did numerous other media outlets. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040005 Wed, 4 Jun 2008 15:16:21 EST GOP strategist Holt, Politico's Vogel revive false assertion about Gore and Internet http://mediamatters.org/items/200805280005 On Fox News' America's Election HQ, GOP strategist Terry Holt said that Al Gore "claimed to have invented the Internet," and on Fox News' On the Record, Politico reporter Ken Vogel stated: "And they're going to try to show him [Sen. Barack Obama] as a chronicle -- a chronic exaggerator, like they did with Al Gore in 2000, when they seized on his every claim, starting memorably with his claim that he invented the Internet, as some say that he said." In fact, Gore did not claim that he "invented the Internet." Rather, he said: "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805280005 Wed, 28 May 2008 17:15:50 EST Michael Savage plays Dead Kennedys song "in some respect for" Sen. Kennedy http://mediamatters.org/items/200805210001 On the day it was announced that Sen. Ted Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage opened his show by interspersing audio of Kennedy singing "Ay Jalisco No Te Rajes" with clips of news reporters discussing Kennedy's diagnosis and audio from Kindergarten Cop in which Arnold Schwarzenegger's character says, "It's not a tumor." Later, Savage played the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles" after stating: "The poor guy's been suffering for years, you know? Unfairly he's been accused of alcoholism, but we see now that it was something much more deep-seated. And so, to cut this out in some respect for Ted Kennedy, here's a tune coming at you from the Dead Kennedys. Go ahead and play it, please." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805210001 Wed, 21 May 2008 00:08:28 EST O'Reilly compared Moulitsas to white supremacist David Duke http://mediamatters.org/items/200805150003 Bill O'Reilly compared Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive Daily Kos blog, to white supremacist David Duke and criticized Newsweek for its decision to hire Moulitsas as a regular contributor, stating: "And Newsweek magazine, by the way, has legitimized him by giving him a columnist position. I talked to the editor by email, and I said I can't believe that you're -- that's like hiring David Duke. Again, I use Duke too much, but I have to -- the level of hatred coming out of that website is unprecedented." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805150003 Thu, 15 May 2008 15:44:22 EST