Tag Archives: Tucker Carlson

November 20, 2012 · 12:10 AM

How The Conservative Media Lost The Election

BuzzFeed Politics

The plan was to unmask Obama. It didn’t work.

President Obama’s decisive reelection has promised the conservative new media four more years of fodder, but it’s also left some of its more earnest participants with a gnawing question: What went wrong?

The new online right came roaring out of 2008 convinced that the only reason Obama won was because John McCain’s weak-stomached campaign — cowed by the aura of the first black presidential nominee — had failed to document his ties to the radical left. Their mission would be to “vet” the president as McCain hadn’t, and convince the American people to reject him.

Now the loose coalition of scrappy bloggers, advocacy journalists, and unrepentant trolls who spent four years writing about Jeremiah Wright and Saul Alinsky are coming to terms with reality: The polls weren’t skewed, and their narrative didn’t stick.

And with the Republican Party now in full-throttle soul-searching mode, many in the conservative blogosphere are turning introspective as well.

“I think the right media may have erred,” Dan Riehl, a contributor to Breitbart News and longtime proprietor of Riehl World News, told BuzzFeed a week after the election. “I think we let Obama get into our heads and we wound up campaigning against him, rather than for the things we believe in.”

“It was a trap,” he added. “And one I can’t say I didn’t fall into.”

In hindsight, Riehl questioned the wisdom of devoting so much energy to combing through the president’s early life for signs of radicalism — a process that yielded few true exposés, but rather a handful of scraps that bloggers tried to spin into scandals. For example, in March, Breitbart News reported that Obama attended a 1998 production of a play about left-wing Chicago activist Saul Alinsky. The story, which was presented as a major scoop on the site, included this memorable lede:

In The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama claims that he worried after 9/11 that his name, so similar to that of Osama bin Laden, might harm his political career.

But Obama was not always so worried about misspellings and radical resemblances. He may even have cultivated them as he cast himself as Chicago’s radical champion.

“I just don’t know that America cared,” Riehl now says of this story genre. “The guy had already been elected, and our message was that Barack Obama’s a socialist that wants to control your life. I’m not arguing that he isn’t, but is that a message people want to hear?”

Continue reading McKay Coppins‘ article here…

Related articles

Comments Off

Filed under U.S. Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 3, 2012 · 9:31 AM

Tucker Carlson attacks Obama over ‘phony’ black vernacular

Daily Caller’s Tucker Carlson speaks to Fox News

The Raw Story

Tucker Carlson, founder of The Daily Caller, on Tuesday night slammed President Barack Obama for using black vernacular in a “racially divisive” speech that occurred five years ago.

“Let me just be totally clear, anyone who just watched it and has seen Obama speak in public over the last ten years will note this accent is absurd,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This is not the way Obama talks. At least it is not the way he talked in the scores of speeches I’ve watched him give, the public appearances I’ve seen him make. This is a put on. This is phony.”

The Daily Caller on Tuesday published a “never-before-seen” video of Obama delivering a speech at Hampton University Annual Ministers’ Conference in 2007 in which he spoke about poverty among African-Americans.

Tucker said the speech was meant to tell the mostly African-American audience that the federal government was racist. He accused Obama of making “appeals to racial solidarity.”

“The falseness here is overwhelming,” Tucker said, after Hannity played two clips where Obama spoke in different tones.

“And I would say whether he was putting on a southern accent or Asian accent, it doesn’t matter. He is playing a role in one of these cases. It is not clear in which one. I assume in the Hampton’s speech he is putting on a persona he doesn’t usually occupy to pander to the crowd, but who knows?”

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube, below:

 

Related articles

5 Comments

Filed under U.S. Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 25, 2012 · 1:13 PM

Tucker Carlson: Reporters have ‘slavish, dog-like loyalty’ to Obama

Tucker Carlson speaks to Brent Bozell

Republicans try to be as crude as possible when critically referring to President Obama.  History will not be kind to them…

The Raw Story

The Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson on Thursday blasted “the average working journalist” for having a “slavish, dog-like loyalty” to President Barack Obama.

Guest hosting on Fox News’ Hannity, Carlson told the conservative Media Research Center’s Brent Bozell that he was outraged because the media had not spent enough time promoting Ed Klein’s anti-Obama book, The Amateur.

“What is it about this president that so commands the slavish, dog-like loyalty of your average working journalist?” Carlson wondered.

“[Obama is] a radical and there are so many that are just radicals in the liberal media,” Bozell speculated. “But it’s also that they were completely vested in him in 2008. They gave him 100 percent positive treatment. And the last thing a liberal likes to admit is that he was ever wrong.”

Carlson saved his harshest criticism for MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who recently accused Newark Mayor Cory Booker of “an act of sabotage” for saying that Obama campaign ads about presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital were “nauseating.”

“What a Stalinist!” Carlson exclaimed. “So it’s not criticism, it’s betrayal.”

“He really is the original throne sniffer of the Obama administration,” he added, referring to Matthews.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism determinedthat Romney’s coverage was twice as favorable as Obama’s between January and April. Romney’s coverage was 39 percent positive during that period, while Obama’s coverage was only 18 percent positive.

“That means Romney’s depiction by the media was more than twice as positive as the president’s,”The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz wrote. “So much for liberal bias.”

Related articles

1 Comment

Filed under Tucker Carlson

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

November 19, 2011 · 1:13 AM

Politico’s: The Week In One-Liners

The week’s top political quotes …

“Got all this stuff twirling around in my head.” — GOP presidential candidateHerman Cain struggling to answer a question about Libya.

“I’m too old to be a princess.” — House Minority Nancy Pelosi dismissing  Cain’s nickname for her.

“Hang him from the highest tree and I’ll bring the rope if he’s guilty of what’s been alleged.” — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin weighing in on the Penn State scandal.

“They were flirting with me.” — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reminiscing  about when he was encouraged to run for president.

“There is a decency that emanates from him, despite all of the accounts.” Daily Caller founder Tucker Carlson complimenting former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

“But we’ve been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.” — President Barack Obama commenting on U.S. efforts to boost foreign investment.

“That’s pathetic.” — Republican White House hopeful Rick Perry responding to Obama’s remark.

“Frankly, I thought the ‘Gingrich Group’ were his wives.” – Rep. Barney Frank  tweaking the former House Speaker, who has been married three times.

Comments Off

Filed under Politico top quotes of the week

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 1, 2011 · 10:00 AM

Rachel Maddow: Fox News Is A “McCarthyite Chamber Of Horrors”

Mediaite

In a profile of Rachel Maddow, The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz reveals how Maddow puts together her nightly show and also gets many comments praising the new “face of a cable network.” With Keith Olbermann gone, MSNBC is clearly looking to Maddow to lead the way and she seems eager to assume the position.

MSNBC’s President Phil Griffin says of Maddow, “she’s our biggest show . . . [she's] so friggin’ smart . . . Very few people can be so honest with a remark, a giggle, a serious look. There’s no performance art. That performance is Rachel.” Even conservative commentator and former co-worker Tucker Carlson has nice things to say about Maddow. Despite Maddow seemingly being pleasant to work with, one thing that isn’t different between her and Olbermann is a distrust of her cable news competition.

Maddow’s take on Glenn Beck’s recent Muslim-related shows is that he is “running baroque conspiracies that are designed to freak people out about bogeymen coming to get them, conspiracies that are unsupported by the facts.” And her harshest blow is saved for the entire Fox News Channel, dismissing it as a “McCarthyite chamber of horrors . . . You can’t really call yourself a news channel if that’s what you broadcast.”

Kurtz notes that “Maddow’s repeated attacks have not provoked a response from Fox” yet maybe with her latest round of criticism things might change. Or maybe since Fox rarely acknowledged Olbermann’s comments, they plan on using a similar strategy against Maddow to help make her disappear too.

Check out Kurtz’s full story on Maddow.

Related Articles

Comments Off

Filed under Fox News, Fox News Distortions, Fox News Lies, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

January 5, 2011 · 1:36 AM

Tucker Carlson Backtracks On Michael Vick: ‘Of Course I Don’t Think He Should Be Executed’ (VIDEO)

From Alex-s on Flickr. Cropped photo of Tucker...

Image via Wikipedia

Tucker Carlson is such a jerk…

Huffington Post

Tucker Carlson returned to “Hannity” on Monday and walked back his statement that footballer Michael Vick “should’ve been executed” for his abuse of dogs.

He had made the statement on last Tuesday’s show after it emerged that President Obama had spoken with Vick. Sean Hannity joked that he’d read that Carlson was “destroying the show” during his break and asked him to explain his comments.

“This is what happens when you get too emotional,” Carlson said. “I’m a dog lover…I love them and I know a lot about what Michael Vick did…I overspoke. I’m uncomfortable with the death penalty in any circumstance. Of course I don’t think he should be executed, but I do think that what he did is truly appalling.”

Watch (skip to 4:09 for Vick segment):

Hannity noted that Vick had gone to prison for what he did and paid a heavy public price, and that he has done work with many animal rights groups since his release. “Shouldn’t we believe in redemption?” he asked.

“A convicted child molester doesn’t get to adopt kids,” Carlson responded. He quickly added that he wasnt comparing Vick to a child molester, but wanted to point out that just because he worked with animal rights societies didn’t mean that people couldn’t be “disgusted” at his actions.

Related Articles

Comments Off

Filed under Michael Vick, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 29, 2010 · 4:04 AM

Tucker Carlson: “I Think Personally [Michael Vick] Should Have Been Executed”

Sometimes I believe that Tucker Carlson has this unending determination to say the most ignorant things just to assure he gets noticed.

If Carlson thinks Michael Vick should have been executed because of his abhorrent treatment of animals, how does he feel about the GOP and their equally disgusting treatment of the middle class?

And why all the uproar over President Obama calling the Eagles’ owner, Jeffery Lurie and commenting on the fact that Lurie gave Michael Vick a second chance at playing football AFTER a substantial probationary period and certainly AFTER going to jail and serving time  for cruelty to those animals?

Isn’t it time for America to forgive Vick for his past youthful indiscretions?

Mediaite

Tucker Carlson again filled in for Sean Hannity on Hannity tonight, and couldn’t resist, as others already had, delving into the issue of President Obama praising Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie for giving quarterback Michael Vick a second chance following Vick’s prison sentence for dog fighting. And while Carlson said he “believe[s] fervently in second chances,” he didn’t in Vick’s case. At all.

Carlson differentiated between Vick and others because Vick “killed dogs…in a heartless and cruel way.” This is true. But what Carlson believed to be the proper punishment for Vick is sure to get some attention:

“I think, personally, he should have been executed for that.”

Whoa. The conversation eventually turned to whether it was appropriate for Obama to weigh in on this matter at all (although, as the White House said, the primary focus of Obama’s discussion with Lurie was alternative energy) – golfer Ben Crenshaw, on the panel for some reason, came off as a Vick supporter but sounded unsure of whether the president should be discussing the matter. Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez voiced similar views, whereas Fox News contributor Doug Schoen didn’t see an issue with Obama’s comments.

The most notable aspect of the discussion, though, was still Carlson’s “executed” line, for the sheer extreme nature of it. There’s no question Vick has done terrible things, but to hear a pundit openly opine that a prominent person should have received the death penalty – and being completely sincere in doing it – is not something you’ll see too often.

Video of the clip, via Fox News, below.

2 Comments

Filed under Michael Vick, President Barack Obama, Tucker Carlson

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

December 9, 2010 · 9:51 AM

Thursday Morning Blog Round Up

Hackers Give Web Companies a Test of Free Speech
Facebook and Twitter face tough decisions around how they should handle situations as..

Video: Upsetting the left, Obama strikes balance
Frank Rich, columnist for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about Preside..

Right-wing pundits all too happy to help Democrats tear each other apa..
Click here to view this media Probably the most aggravating aspect of President Obam..

Harry Getting Tough?
Everyone agrees that Harry Reid really upped the pressure on DADT repeal negotiation..

Dear Mary: You voted for the Bush tax cuts
This was some tough talk from Mary Landrieu yesterday — but there’s a catch: Though..

Bachmann’s Tax Double Standard: Cuts For Middle Class Cost Money, Cuts..
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers who ..

President George H.W. Bush Urges Senate To Ratify The New START Treaty
Given the overwhelming military , foreign policy , and public support for the new ST..

Tucker Carlson, Class(less) Act
In his race to the very bottom, media hack Tucker Carlson goes lower , sending a col..

Exactly What Glenn Beck Lied About When Vilifying Soros
Glenn Beck demanded an apology from Forbes magazine for claiming that he has been

Boston Foreclosure Fighters: Banks Are ‘Deceptive In Hosts of Ways’
When Sandra Douglas, 60, received a letter on her door saying that the Boston house

Comments Off

Filed under U.S. Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

November 10, 2010 · 1:43 AM

Keith Olbermann Hoax: Did Tucker Carlson Pose As Olbermann In Emails?

Tucker Carlson doesn’t like Keith Olbermann. He even purchased a website domain entitled www.keitholbermann.com. 

But that’s just part of the story.  The plot thickens…

Huffington Post

Did Tucker Carlson perpetrate a hoax by posing as Keith Olbermann in a series of emails?

On Tuesday afternoon, a set of emails surfaced on the Philadelphia news site Phawker. Phawker said that the emails showed the “100% for real” correspondence between Olbermann and Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky over the weekend. In the emails, “Olbermann” talks about his boss, MSNBC President Phil Griffin, in hyperbolic, insulting terms.

In one email, “Olbermann” says that Griffin is “not my boss (thank god), nor is he intellectually qualified to be…I’ll be anchoring on election night 2012, long after Phil Griffin has moved on to a job for which he’s actually qualified, perhaps on QVC.”

In another, “Olbermann” writes that “I could have Phil Griffin fired tomorrow if I felt like it, trust me. And if he keeps yapping about me in public, I may. For the moment, however, keeping Phil around is like having a drunk chimp in the office — more amusing than threatening.”

The incendiary emails seemed too good to be true — and, as it turns out, they were. The emails from “Olbermann” came from keith@keitholbermann.com. That’s an address that is not owned by Olbermann, but by Tucker Carlson, conservative pundit and editor of the Daily Caller website. In July, Carlson announced that he had purchased the domain name KeithOlbermann.com, and told Politico that people could email him at Keith@KeithOlbermann.com — the same address that the emails to Bykofsky came from.

Once people raised their suspicions about the authenticity of the emails, Olbermann quickly denied that he had any involvement in them. “Complete fake,” he tweeted. “Email address shown not mine.” Bykofsky and Phawker both acknowledged that they had been hoaxed.

The only one who hasn’t spoken out? Carlson himself.

Related Articles

Comments Off

Filed under Keith Olbermann, Tucker Carlson

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

November 2, 2010 · 12:25 AM

Keith Olbermann Suspends ‘Worst Persons’ Segment Until Further Notice

In a move that was sparked in part by the Rally To Restore Sanity, Keith Olbermann is doing his part to restore it…

Mediaite

Longtime fans of Countdown may have been disappointed to learn tonight that one of the franchise segments, “Worst Persons,” is no longer – at least for the time being. Why? Well as host Keith Olbermann explains in the segment below, its original reason for being (Tucker Carlson?) no longer seems relevant. Oh, and it’s probably more than just a coincidence that Jon Stewart held up Olbermann as an example of the divisive nature of cable news (among many others) during the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the “sanity rally” was that cable news programming, specifically those who successfully traffic in “opiniontainment” like Fox News and MSNBC, is not helping our country, but rather is hurting the public discourse, at least in the eyes of the rally’s host. This raised the ire of at least one cable news host, Keith Olbermann, who, after seeing his own heated political rhetoric amidst Fox News personalities (and others), expressed his outrage over Stewart’s apparent false equivalency between he and his political opponents.

Olbermann used that as an introduction into his explanation behind suspending the popular (and yes, hyperbolically divisive) segment:

The overall message that the tone needs to change, was not lost on any of us. The anger in this news hour was not an original part of it, nor was it an artifice we added to it. It was a response to a threat to this democracy posed by Mr. Bush and now by his lineal descendants. The anger happened, it will still happen, it is not for ratings and it is not ‘get angry first and find a reason later.’

But there is an institutionalization of it that may no longer be valid. That is the ‘Worse Persons in the World’ Segment. Which started, of all things, as a way of defending Tucker Carlson. Its satire and whimsy have gradually gotten lost in some anger, so in the spirit of the thing, as of right now, I am unilaterally suspending that segment with an eye towards discontinuing it. We don’t know how that works long term. We might bring it back. We might bring back something similar to it, might kill it outright, and next week we will solicit your input.

Its just that today, given the serious stuff we have to start covering tomorrow, we think its the right thing to do short term and then we will see what happens. And we’ll also see if anyone else, on tv, or radio, will do something similar.

Olbermann has never been one to shy away from a fight, as evidence by his Saturday tweet that was critical of Jon Stewart’s media critique. This makes his suspension of “Worse Persons” all the more impressive. Media critics are certain to predictably say that Olbermann somehow caved to Stewart’s critique, but that would miss the point entirely. What Olbermann announced was remarkably sane, and regardless of where one finds him or herself on the political spectrum, he should be lauded.

Related Articles

Comments Off

Filed under Keith Olbermann, Media

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,