Democratic Underground
“What emerged clearly in the hearing today is that there were no military assets within range that could have prevented what happened in Benghazi that night.” ~ Lawrence O’Donnell
Tag Archives: Lawrence O'Donnell
With Sean Hannity Getting Stomped In the Ratings Fox News Attacks Rachel Maddow
Fox News epitomizes what’s wrong today’s the Conservative movement. If things don’t go their way (and they’re used to having things their way) they manifest their rotten philosophy of “our way or the highway”.
Whether they are right or wrong, it seems to me that most conservatives in the media and in politics act like spoiled children when the tide of approval shifts from them to their opposition. It’s what most would call plain old sour grapes.
Remedy: Get over it! You screwed up, now it’s time for the grown-ups to clean up your mess and take over.
PoliticusUSA
Since election day, Rachel Maddow has been beating Sean Hannity in the key demo ratings. Fox News has responded with a juvenile attack on Maddow.
There is something happening in cable news that can no longer be ignored. MSNBC is seriously challenging Fox News. Specifically, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell are regularly beating their Fox News competition in the key 25-54 demo. Last week, Maddow beat Hannity, 378,000 viewers to 352,000 in the demo.
This week Maddow handily defeated Hannity on Monday (394,000-336,000) andTuesday (388,000-285,000). Even with guest hosts filling in for Maddow on Wednesday and Thursday, Hannity was only able to eek out small wins of 55,000and 38,000 in the demo. From election day through the end of November, Maddow beat Hannity by 13%.
Hannity’s margin over Maddow in total viewers is inflated by the fact that Fox News is available in more homes than MSNBC. Bill O’Reilly’s show is the only thing keeping Fox News ahead in the primetime demo. If anything ever happens to O’Reilly, Fox News will be in deep trouble.
The biggest sign yet that Fox News knows they have a problem was how they responded to Rachel Maddow being nominated for a Grammy for her spoken word version of Drift.
Here was the headline on Fox Nation:
This behavior is nothing new for Fox News. Every since Jon Stewart started crushing them in the ratings, they have regularly and sometimes personally attackedThe Daily Show host. Among other things, Fox News has edited his appearances on their network and called Stewart a racist.
Stewart and Maddow both are the anti-Fox News. Both draw big ratings, and both are now enemies of Fox. As more younger Americans continue to rebel against information bubbles like Fox, they are seeking out alternatives that place an an emphasis on information over propaganda, and perhaps no show on Fox is as propagandistic as Hannity. On occasion during his broadcasts, Sean Hannity literally reads or quotes verbatim from Republican talking points. Maddow’s show is the exact opposite. She is fair to her guests, and is does not shy away from being tough on the Obama administration and Democrats.
If MSNBC was available in more homes, Maddow would have probably blown by Hannity in total viewers a while ago.
The Fox News style network is being rejected by more and more viewers. There may be little that Fox can actually do to stop this slide. So like the the impotent old man of cable news that they are becoming, Fox News has resorted to using juvenile attacks against younger and stronger competition that is gaining on them every day.
Related articles
- Monday Ratings: MSNBC’s Maddow Beats Fox’s Hannity In Demo (mediaite.com)
- Rachel Maddow Beating Hannity: Are People Finally Catching on to FOX News’ BS? (alternet.org)
- Wednesday Ratings: Rachel Maddow Wins The Night, Beats O’Reilly, Hannity In Demo (mediaite.com)
- Thursday Ratings: Maddow, O’Donnell Beat Hannity, Greta In Demo (mediaite.com)
- Rachel Maddow Up For A Grammy – Fox News Calls Her A Cow (VIDEOS) (addictinginfo.org)
- With Sean Hannity Getting Stomped In the Ratings Fox News Attacks Rachel Maddow (politicususa.com)
Filed under Fox Nation, Fox News, Rachel Maddow
MSNBC Hosts Visit Obama
In case folks of a different political ideology see the MSNBC anchors’ visit to the White House as confirmation of the fabled “Left Wing Conspiracy” theory, please be assured that President George W. Bush did the same thing with Fox News and right wing talk show personalities during his eight years in The White House…
Buzz Feed
Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow, Al Sharpton, and Lawrence O’Donnell all spotted entering the West Wing.
MSNBC’s prime time line-up was spotted entering the West Wing Tuesday afternoon for what host Ed Schultz tweeted was a meeting with President Barack Obama.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest released the following statement on the meeting:
“This afternoon at the White House, the President met with influential progressives to talk about the importance of preventing a tax increase on middle class families, strengthening our economy and adopting a balanced approach to deficit reduction.”
On my way to DC to visit with the President on fiscal cliff…Nancy Pelosi joins me tonight on the Ed Show..
Ed Schultz@WeGotEdJust outside the Press office at the White House… t.co/rmrQtAuJ
So… in the last hour, I watched Rachel Maddow, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell all walk into the West Wing. MSNBC love fest?
jennifer bendery@jbenderyMaddow, heading into West Wing, said she was here for a “hippie cabal.” Asked if I was coming. NO, DAMN IT, I WASN’T INVITED.
Related articles
- Obama Has Private White House Meeting With MSNBC Primetime Lineup (patdollard.com)
- MSNBC’s primetime lineup, other ‘progressive journalists’ summoned to White House love fest (twitchy.com)
- MSNBC Party at the White House (freebeacon.com)
- The left wing visits the West Wing (washingtonpost.com)
- Far Away From A Decision (theskewinthenews.wordpress.com)
- Norquist To MSNBC: Obama ‘Thinks Somebody Made Him King,’ Doesn’t Know ‘His Place In The Universe’ (mediaite.com)
- MSNBC Hosts Visit Obama (buzzfeed.com)
Filed under MSNBC Hosts
MIA: Akin Bails On Piers Morgan
I predict Rep. Todd Akin will resign by the end of the week.
The RNC has pulled their funding, Karl Rove has pulled his funding and big money donors are leaving in droves. Time to say “goodbye” Rep. Akin…
The Huffington Post
Todd Akin’s bad week keeps getting worse.
The six-term Missouri GOP congressman, a candidate for U.S. Senate, apparently bailed on a planned interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, leaving the host to berate him as a “gutless little twerp” Monday evening.
Akin’s troubles began Sunday when he suggested during a television interview that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” are biologically unlikely to become pregnant — attributing the dubious science to “doctors.” Numerous Republicans have called on the congressman to withdraw from his challenge against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.
Akin has apologized for his remarks, and insisted he’ll stay in the race. However, the media firestorm shows little sign of abating after two days.
Staring at the empty chair, a nonplussed Morgan issued this challenge to Akin: “Congressman, you have an open invitation to join me in that chair whenever you feel up to it, because if you don’t keep your promise to be on the show, then you are what we would call in Britain a gutless little twerp.”
MSNBC’s “Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell faced similar circumstances earlier this year, when Craig Sonner, then-lawyer for Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman, fled the scene of a planned interview moments before it was set to begin. O’Donnell proceeded to lambaste Sonner while sharing the screen with a live feed of the attorney’s conspicuously empty chair.
Filed under Todd Akin
Dallas Pastor Frederick Haynes III Defends Obama’s Declaration For Marriage Equality
Lawrence O’Donnell showed this video on his show last. O’Donnell was contrasting Terry Jones, who hung the President’s image in effigy to Pastor Frederick Haynes who simply wanted to educate his congregation.
I was absolutely floored by this man’s passion on the subject of marriage equality and how members of the Church slowly came around to understanding what Dr. Haynes was saying.
In the end they gave him thunderous applause as a sign of approval
Related articles
- Dallas Pastor Frederick Haynes Rips His Congregation for Opposing Gay Marriage: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- Dallas Pastor Preaches Compelling Endorsement of Marriage Equality, Says Baptist Church Should Change Its Views (thinkprogress.org)
- Preacher Reads Congregation For Their Outrage Over Obama’s Marriage-Equality Stance (queerty.com)
- Religion – Dallas pastor Supports Gay Marriage (thesecularity.com)
Filed under Marriage Equality
Tamron Hall Shuts Tim Carney Down: ‘You’re Not Gonna Come On And Insult Me’ (VIDEO)
Tamron Hall is a feisty young news commentator on MSNBC and she will not take the bullpocky (h/t: Rachel Maddow) that some of her guests throw at her without rebutting with her opinion.
I Tivo her show News Nation on a daily basis.
On a lighter note regarding Ms. Hall, the word is that she and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell are a couple. Since they are two of my many favorite personalities on MSNBC, I think it’s cute.
The Huffington Post
MSNBC’s Tamron Hall handily shut down guest Tim Carney on Friday, in an exchange so fiery that she immediately began trending on Twitter.
Hall asked Carney about Mitt Romney’s testy reaction to a reporter asking about marijuana on Thursday. Before addressing the question, he alleged that she and the rest of the media were focusing too much attention on the candidate’s past — including his bullying of two classmates in high school.
“What you’re doing here is a typical media trick,” Carney charged. “You hype up a story and justify the second-day coverage of the story.”
That set Hall off. She began to tell him that he didn’t have to “answer a single question” she asked or “accept the invitation to come on” and speak. Carney tried to interject, but she told him, “You’re kind of in my house,” and proceeded to smack him down for over a minute.
“You’re not gonna come on and insult me, you’re not gonna come on and insult the network when you knew what we were gonna talk about,” she concluded. “Done.” With that, she cut to another guest.
Hall immediately became a trending topic on Twitter, as people reacted to the segment. Viewers called her a “badass” and a “hero,” and said that she “schooled,” “filleted,” “checked” and “ripped a layer of skin off” Carney.
UPDATE: Tim Carney responded to the incident on Twitter:
@TPCarney Timothy P Carney
The question I was sent for the Romney bullying segment was “Does the story matter?” So I was answering it, not dodging.
He also sent an email to Politico about the fracas.
Related articles
- Tim Carney Schools ‘Ridiculous’ MSNBC Host Over ‘Absurd’ Attack on Mitt Romney (newsbusters.org)
- Tamron Hall Kicks Tim Carney Off Her Show For Refusing to Answer Romney Bullying Question [Video] (gawker.com)
- Tamron Hall Reams Tim Carney, Cuts His Mic For Accusing Her Of ‘Media Trick’ (mediaite.com)
- MSNBC’s Tamron Hall to reporter: ‘You’re not going to come on and insult me’ (rawstory.com)
- MSNBC’s Tamron Hall Shuts Down Reporter Over Romney’s Bullying (lezgetreal.com)
- Tomron Hall Shuts Down Conservative Journo For Refusing To Answer Question About Romney Bullying (thinkprogress.org)
Filed under Media, Tamron Hall
THE SECRET SERVICE SAYS THEY ARE INVESTIGATING TED NUGENT’S THREATENING REMARKS TOWARD OBAMA
Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC’s The Last Word host) and his guests pointed out tonight that the GOP were “outraged” over Hillary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney, but have remained silent over Ted Nugent’s outrageous innuendos about assassinating the President of the United States! In my opinion this is just another example of the GOP’s faux outrage, which they conveniently use to gin up their “not very bright” base.
Think Progress
Ted Nugent’s threatening remarks about President Obama at the annual National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis have earned him a follow-up conversation with the Secret Service.
On Sunday, the singer remarked that “if Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” The Secret Service, which investigates all threats against the President, confirmed to New York Magazine’s Daily Intel blog that they have in fact flagged Nugent’s comment. “We are aware of it, and we’ll conduct an appropriate follow up,” the agent told the magazine.
Nugent endorsed Mitt Romney — albeit reluctantly — via Twitter last month, and at least one Romney, middle son Tagg, was excited about the news. Watch the video of his remarks, courtesy of Right Wing Watch:
Related articles
- Ted Nugent Defends Obama Remarks, Refers To Himself As ‘Black Jew At A Nazi-Klan Rally’ (mediaite.com)
- The Secret Service Says They Are Investigating Ted Nugent’s Threatening Remarks Toward Obama (thinkprogress.org)
- Ted Nugent’s Remarks On Obama Draw Secret Service Scrutiny (radio.woai.com)
- Romney Campaign Calls For Civility After Endorser Ted Nugent Kinda Sorta Threatens To Assassinate Obama, Again [Video] (gawker.com)
- Secret Service To Investigate Ted Nugent’s Obama Remarks (alan.com)
- Ted Nugent Declares ‘I Will Either Be Dead or in Jail’ if Obama Is Re-elected (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
Filed under Radical Right
Lawrence O’Donnell And Charles Blow Give George Zimmerman Pal Joe Oliver Epic Grilling
I saw Lawrence O’Donnell’s show last night and was absolutely floored by O’Donnell and Charles Blow (NY Times columnist) ability to dissect Joe Oliver’s story methodically and succinctly.
Mediaite
On Tuesday night’s The Last Word, George Zimmerman friend and former news anchor Joe Oliver finally ran into an interviewer who has beenwatching the game films, and the result was an epic two segments of television that left Oliver’s premise, that he knows Zimmerman well enough to know he couldn’t have killed Trayvon Martin in cold blood, in tatters.
This interview, with host Lawrence O’Donnell(possibly still steaming from last night’s walkout by Zimmerman’s lawyer) and The New York Times‘ Charles Blow, is amazing on many levels, and covers many of the points I’ve raised about themisleading, nonsensical things Oliver has been saying, and challenging the closeness of his relationship with Zimmerman. By the second segment, when WaPo’s Jonathan Capehart tagged in, Oliver began to actually dispute the characterization of him as a “close friend,” and told all three that “My role in this just doesn’t make sense.”
Some highlights include Oliver’s weird evasion of O’Donnell’s questions about whether Oliver and Zimmerman were ever co-workers. By the end of the second segment, Oliver acknowledged that “we’re co-workers.” He also made several stunning admissions, including volunteering that “George may have been drinking” the night he was arrested in 2005, then quickly adding that he’s never, ever known Zimmerman to drink.
Aside from the blistering barrage of questions, there were a few unrelated, priceless moments, like when O’Donnell is quizzing Oliver about anger management counseling, and looks like he’s about to slug some guy at the bar. Then, toward the end of the first segment, some of the lights go out in Oliver’s studio, leaving him in a sinister half-light. That should have been a clue to Oliver that things were not going to get better.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with a friend trying to help out a friend by attesting to his fine character, but what Oliver was doing went well beyond that.
I can’t figure out, for the life of me, why Oliver hung in there for two whole segments of this, but the result was as compelling as anything I’ve seen on cable news. I’ve seen O’Donnell do the pit bull thing before, with varying results, but tonight, he got a subject he could really sink his teeth into.
Here’s the interview, in two parts.
Related articles
- Mr. Joe Oliver ~ Not So Close (Black) Friend Of George Zimmerman (theobamacrat.com)
- Lawrence O’Donnell Goes Ballistic On Zimmerman’s Lawyer, Interviews Empty Chair After He Runs Out Of Studio (businessinsider.com)
- Video: George Zimmerman’s Friend Joe Oliver Grilled on ‘The Last Word’ (littlegreenfootballs.com)
Filed under Lawrence O'Donnell, Trayvon Martin Shooting
National Ads Suspended on The Rush Limbaugh Show
This news has been around for almost 24 hours but after reading about it in detail, I think it’s another win for Ms. Sandra Fluke and women everywhere…
Crooks & Liars
Lawrence O’Donnell had the editor of Radio-Info.com, Tom Taylor, on to discuss this unusual move in the wake of the Sandra Fluke debacle, aka “Slutgate.” Taylor sees this as a cooling off period as Premiere Networks plans their next move:
TAYLOR: The whole temperature level of this thing is something that the syndicator and Rush himself would like to bring down. And as you say, that’s why Rush had a round of golf today.
via Think Progress:
Radio-Info.com reports that Premiere Networks, which syndicates the Rush Limbaugh show, told its affiliate radio stations that they are suspending national advertising for two weeks. Rush Limbaugh is normally provided to affiliates in exchange for running several minutes of national advertisements provided by Premiere each hour. These ads called “barter spots.” These spots are how Premiere makes its money off of Rush Limbaugh and other shows it syndicates.
But without explanation, Premiere has supended these national advertisements for two weeks. Radio-Info.com calls the move “unusual.” The development suggests that Rush Limbaugh’s incessant sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke have caused severe damage to the show.
From the memo:
Attention Traffic Managers of Premiere News/Talk Affiliates:
We are suspending the requirement to run barter spots for two weeks, March 12th and March 19th, for our News/Talk affiliates only.Please replace/re-traffic any Premiere barter spots immediately. Contractual requirements to run barter spots are being suspended for these two weeks only. Replace them with Lifelock and Lear Financial or a local spot of your choice.
Think Progress have also reported that 140 sponsors have now requested their ads no longer appear on the Limbaugh Show.
Related articles
- BREAKING: Rush Limbaugh Syndicator Suspends National Ads For Two Weeks (thinkprogress.org)
- Rush Limbaugh Scandal Proves Contagious for Talk-Radio Advertisers (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
- theatlantic: For the Next Two Weeks, Rush Limbaugh Won’t Have… (shortformblog.com)
- Mario Piperni’s Rush Update (seniorsforademocraticsociety.wordpress.com)
- Mike Huckabee’s Excellent Timing (themoderatevoice.com)
Filed under Premier Networks, Rush Limbaugh
