Anatomy of a Right Wing Smear III-Hannity calls Obama #1 Liberal Senator
By John Amato Thursday May 22, 2008 1:30pm
Following up on C&L's running series on the smear if Obama's voting record. One that Howie thoroughly debunked. I bring you---Sean Hannity repeating the same lie. I would ask if he had any shame, but...
Hannity: The number, the number one liberal in the Senate.
It's important that America know his voting record because they only have smears to work. (I'm interchanging the words "lie"with "smear" with "myth" on these posts.)
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"Not that there's anything wrong with it"
"Of course not, my father's a liberal!"
Sean Hannity is the number one jacka$$ on tv, anytime of the day. The douche bag demo simply loves him, he scores 99.99% with them
johnnyRocketpants @ 1:
Jesus was a liberal.
This whole campaign to demonize the word liberal by these srewballs is so passe, look what the conservative has accomplished in 8 years.
So now we're buying into the framing that being called a liberal is a smear?
Not me!
-Proudly Liberal.
we only wish he was the number one liberal....
as in slashing the defense budget by $400,000,000
making a manhattan project for renewable energy
locking up the war criminals
making a department of peace
taxing for profit churches
single payer universal healthcare
busting up the communication trusts
fortifying social security
balancing the budget
cutting world population growth
ending china's control of our economy
WE heard this 4 years ago about John Kerry, too. Right before they successfully swift-boated him. I hope that people are more aware of it this time. But heck, Fox news viewers aren't really gonna vote for Obama anyway are they?
Can we now openly call Sean Hannity a RW neocon thug and question his friendship with that other neonazi Hal Turner,
and has Hal sold his recordings of his and Hannitys phone calls yet, supposedly they are quite juicy.
Did you buy them Sean or did one of your friends buy them for the 1.5 million asking price !?
Someone needs to tell this hateful man that being liberal is a cool thing to be.
Crooks and Liars, I love ya. But you keep making the mistake that everyone seems to make.
You keep classifying the likes of Sean Hannity as a journalist. I have yet to see his credentials that makes him a real journalist in the manner of, say, Bob Herbert of the New York Times.
Where did Hannity come from? Never heard of him until he started schilling for the Fake News Network.
Like I said, you keep classifying him as something he has yet to prove.
Just wait to the smear masters like Tim Griffin start lobbing their stink-bombs at Senator Obama.
When anyone makes the statement about Senator Obama that Hannity made, we should just quote Dick Cheney and say, "So?"
Liberty(appeaser)Lover @ 7:
Considering the demographic that watches Fox (Appalachian Mountain Folk), I'd say no.
Albatross @ 5:
Well, I think that the point of the post is that it is meant to be a smear and also to point out how a righty smear works. Generally speaking, all blowhard media whores like Hannity have at their disposal are lies and distortions, all meant to muddy the waters of intelligent discourse, rally the righty base and failing that, at the very least keep everybody as confused and ill-informed as possible; certainly not to report the actual news. I see your point, though. Maybe the title of the post doesn't convey that sentiment clearly enough.
But I am also on board with you: I am fiercely liberal. And frankly, what that ultimately means to me is that I am interested in the truth and fairness and doesn't necessarily pigeonhole me into any particular set of values. There is a lot of room for nuance in a liberal's personal philosophy.
How is the Right able to label every and any Democratic candidate the "#1 liberal member of congress?" Oooooh...... such a scary term. Whatever.
Why can't someone just punch Hannity on his stupid face. I know it's not the best approach, but I am only human, and tired of that shit coming from that man's mouth, and out of everyone at Fox.
Hannity is a giant self important turd!!!!!!!!!!! He loves working for the military industrial complex. It makes him rich!
He needs to have a heart attack or stroke.
The number one poopie in the ca-ca! Who DOES this underdeveloped homunculus appeal to???
The Political Junkie @ 10:
mediocre (presumably) but controvertible local radio afternoon and late night talk radio until hired by Ailes for Faux.
The word Liberal doesn't work for the Reslugs anymore and the stupid, mindless, morons on Fixed Noise are just showing their total desperation.
Hannity missed it by "THAT" much. We should be so lucky that Obama'a a liberal. Maybe next to the old codger the Republicants put up. Puleeze, Obama a liberal? Not so much.
They did the same thing to John Kerry and John Edwards in 2004. Both were supposedly the #1 (kerry) and #2 (edwards) most liberal members of the U.S. Senate. Now in 2008 it's Barack Obama who is the #1 liberal in the U.S. Senate? Please... this appears to be more than mere coincidence.
Hannity and Beck both come from the High School Diploma school of Journalism. From there they moved on to the talk radio school of slander. I don't think either one qualifies as a journalist.
According to wiki (I know but it is most often fairly accurate) Hannity never graduated college and only has an honorary bachelors degree from some college. They do not use the word "journalist" to describe him.
But I thought, according to Sean, that Kerry was the most liberal senator. When did that change?
The GOP has totally hi-jacked that word. I love how the term "liberal" is on a par with "drunken whore" or "child molester."
Call me anything you want...just don't call me a "liberal." The shame, the shame!
I want Senator Obama to assign Senator Biden to be his attack dog throughout the rest of the campaign. Every time Griffin and his like come out with a false attack on Obama, Biden could go in and knock them cold with facts. Sounds like a job Biden would love and I think he would be great at it too.
The Truth Hurts @ 25:
So what does the term 'family values Republican' stand for me wonders !?
nazi war criminal, cannibal, genocider, serial killer !?
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually
come to believe it."
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister
My best friend is a conservative. I completely support his lifestyle.
.
REMEMBER:
InSannity is paid to propagate misinformation.
InSannity accepts payment to mislead information.
InSannity is a PAID HACK!
.
i only wish our nominee did have the most liberal voting record in the senate.
*sigh*
renaz @ 24:
When the 2004 race ended and Obama became the presumptive Democrat nominee for the 2008
Whoever's running as a Dem is ALWAYS the most liberal, (gasp, shock, horror!). Carter, Dukakis, B. Clinton, Kerry, Gore, doesn't matter, run 'em against a Repuke and before you can say, "Harry Potter Loves Satan!", they are magically transformed into the Most Liberal Ever!
And Repukes, following their team motto,
"When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout",
will do exactly that: run in circles, screaming and shouting that ________ is THE MOST LIBERAL EVER!!
Whatever.
That braindead 27% that still loves Bush will be louder than everybody else about this, only, hopefully, we won't let them shout us into letting them have their way this time.
I hope we've learned this very expensive lesson enough to relentlessly tell them to STFU.
ferrofluid @ 8:
What you mean we couldn't before? I have.
Hannity is among, if not the, the worst on TV. It is time the attention of truth is turned on him. He gets the prime time slots and is the one who gives the most air time to Rove, North, and Luntz. He is the one that perpetuates ad neauseum all the damn smear distractions.
O'Reilly is digging himself deeper and deeper into irrelevancy, Wallace is simply a whore who will be okay as long as you throw him an interview bone now and then, Hume is like an old walkman tape player with low batteries that will run out soon enough, Greta is actually as fair as you can expect from that side when she is not doing tabloid trash. The FNSunday panel, however, is quite horrible.
Sean Hannity is shit, will always be shit. We needs to be shoveled off before he can produce any more maggots and flies with the shit that he is.
"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing
the same way they label every "terrorist" the #3 man in al qaeda. it's easy when the truth doesn't matter.
Dear Sean Hannity,
You're a douchecanoe.
Whoops rather than simply add an edit, because it deserves to be repeated....
Sean Hannity is shit, will always be shit. He needs to be shoveled off before he can produce any more maggots and flies with the shit that he is.
What is Crooks and Liars problem? Calling Obama the most liberal senator is a lot like calling him the nicest senator. It's not really true but it's not really an insult either. That Obama isn't all that liberal doesn't make him more attractive to me. In fact, it's a sign that not much will change. Does Crooks and Liars really want to go with a slogan, "Vote Obama. It won't be that much of a change!"
Sean who?
Sue @ 35:
It bears frequent repetition.
Typically White & Bitter Agent Huessein Provocateur @ 38:
agreed and well said
Embittered-Max-Hussein-1 @ 30:
The problem is that this isn't known to people who only watch Faux News or the Crappy News Network. This most liberal label will get stuck to Obama and the right wing will use it to smear him. I've had more than one conversation with people who onlylisten to Hannity and crew and believe them to the end of the earth.
rooth hussein @ 41:
Truth told.
It's strange. Why is being called liberal such a smear these days?
There's two sides. One is liberal, one is conservative. No one side is any better than the rest.
Who gives a shit if someone votes liberally or conservatively more than the other? If you agree with them, vote for them. If you don't, vote for the other guy.
Andrew @ 14:
It's basically the same as the WH announcing at least 42 times that we've captured the #2 in Al Quada.
Liberty(appeaser)Lover @ 7:
Yup, you're exactly
rightcorrect. But what needs to happen, what I hope that Obama's campaign is working on, is that it is not enough to "hope that people are more aware." Obama needs to have a comeback to these lies that not only neutralizes the, but sets the discussion back on the policy rails.He might point out that the Right can only count to two: every Democratic candidate is the #1 liberal, and every Al Qaeda leader captured or killed is #2.
When they lie call them liars, it's way past time for being polite with the propaganda machine.
ass hannity.
Coming from a guy who said "Michelle Obama looks like a washer woman", followed up with "I didn't say that, somebody else did!" while smirking and gloating, I am not surprised by how low Hannity can sink. I think CBS's "60 Minutes" said it best when they described him as "a political junkyard dog". Tom Tomorrow had an excellent article on how these people work: repeat a smear continuously and people start to believe.
I thought John Kerry was the "Number One liberal in the Senate."
Oh, that's right, Kerry's not running this year.
Wasn't Hillary the "Number One liberal in the Senate?"
Oh, but she's losing now.
Of course "Number One" doesn't actually mean anything. It's an advertising null-word, as in "Number One Hair Conditioner." It has all the significance of the word "NEW" on a box of cereal. Yup, that's a new box of cereal, all right.
My dream ticket would be Obama and Russ Feingold. I'm betting that Feingold is the most liberal senator and if he's not, he's gotta be close. He is a DC insider but he is hardly typical. From what I'm hearing on tv, President Clinton is pushing Obama to put Senator Clinton on the ticket with him. I hope the Hillary people don't try to blackmail Obama into doing that.
Problem #1:
Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, the Big Falafel et al, are vacuous irrelevancies. It is their producers, and commercial sponsors, who are the problem. We need to know more about the people who put together these shows -- need to know how they decide which lies to tell, when to tell them, and how often to repeat them.
We also need to be placing pressure on the companies who buy ads on these shows.
Blaming Hannity and other numbskulls for what goes on the air is like blaming shadows for the shade they create. Look for the structures on which those shadows rely.
Problem #2:
As if being the most liberal senator is a smear, rather than a compliment.
jake39888 @ 45:
I love the smell of naivte in the morning.
It matters when liberal is sold as a smear. It matters when it is equated with crimes by propagandists. If they can get away with it - and for the last 7 years, they have, they can do great damage, and they have. And your country has suffered greatly for those lies. Arlington National Cemetary is filling up because of those lies.
Lies matter when they are allowed to stand unchallenged as truth.
Sue @ 35:
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes....
Every middle American needs to be reminded. Every American needs to be retaught that the things we take for granted weren't handed to us. We had to fight for them.
ckerst @ 48:
From your mouth to God's ear, my friend.
Ummm...
What Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, Malkin, Pat Buchanan and their followers are all missing is that:
a) We have a Democratic majority of State Legislatures, Governorships and the House and Senate precisely because we the people wanted to elect liberals,and did in 2006 and will again in 2008 to further cement our majority, because, and this is what Hannity doesn't get....
America IS a Liberal Country.
and
b) More importantly, the precise reason that Barack Obama is doing so is because he is liberal.
Game's over for Republicans and they know it, which is why listening to Right Wing Hate Radio is so amusing these days. They're hosed and all their old tactics, including screaming 'Wibewal!!! Wibewal!!! Wibewal!!!' at the top of their lungs isn't working anymore.
Their listeners know that the sputtering economy, $4+ bucks a gallon for gas, two unwinnable occupations, etc, etc are their own fault for following these morons who told them to vote for Busch and so they're leaving them, and Fox Noise in droves.
By all means let Hannity call Obama a liberal all he wants, at this juncture it won't hurt Obama, but help him.
In fact, let me go out on a limb here and state that Obama's Landslide Victory in the fall will be of Reaganesque Proportions, thanks in no small part to Hannity selling him to the American Public.
~Nyc
Albatross @ 47:
"He might point out that the Right can only count to two: every Democratic candidate is the #1 liberal, and every Al Qaeda leader captured or killed is #2"
Yeah, cause #1 can never be caught, can he? The boogeyman is only scary if he's free.
Red Macadam @ 53:
The main advertisers are:
1. Military Industrial Complex
2. Pharmacueticals
3. Oil companies
$. Insurance Companies
6. Investment Banks
7. Coal companies
Others also in the large corporations. Do you really think they are going to listen to us consumers?
When Fox viewers and listeners hear "liberal" it's a dog whistle for gay marriage and abortions. Beyond that, I doubt any fox fan could describe what they believe a liberal to be.
Varodan @ 50:
Washer woman? When was the last time anyone used that term? Who talks like that? Washer woman???
Washer woman, tar baby, macaca - I swear, it's like they found some John Birch Society handbook from the 1950s. Or is there some bigots thesaurus I don't know about?
(voice of southern trailer trash nincompoop)
Sean, you're a GREAT American, I love you soooooo much !!
cnn is reporting that the obama and clinton camps are in negotiations regarding the vp slot
i for one dont understand this, unless hillary has basically stated that if she does not get the slot, she will not fully back obama's campaign
i dont know why she wants to be vp, as she will most likely either get the leader of the senate or ny governor's office...either one better than the vp slot
oh well
pissed off patricia @ 60:
They can't and when you tell them Jesus was a liberal the freak out.
Hannit had GOP whip Boner on yesterday and presented him with his version of the Contract on America. One of his 10 points was to end all earmarks.
Boner said, ummm, NO. No way Repugs will sign on to that.
I see another $300,000,000 bridge to nowhere for somebody !!
why not just own the word liberal and all it stands for.
Hannity is right...
Obama is NUMBER ONE!
GO OBAMA!
Hannity keeps just making up this crap. He's called Kennedy the "No. 1 liberal" before, as well as John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, and the list goes on. And besides, what does it mean anyway, other than a term to distinguish Obama from pinheads like Hannity?
Hannity needs to go back and finish high school.
I wear the liberal label with pride - as should any true Democrat. Instead of running from the word they need to priase it and define it in HONEST terms....much like John Kennedy did:
"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."
For the full piece: http://www.myleftwing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=539
Don't these idiots at FAUX know a different tune!!!!????? They should a put out a greatest hits CD:
1- #1 liberal in congress
2- He's a trial lawyer
3- San Fransisco Values
4- Weapons of mass destruction
etc, etc, etc!
And Hannity is the dumbest son of a bitch on TV. That makes 'em even...
It has often been repeated by people who have met or had dealings with Hannity that he is as dumb as a rock (I know, that's an insult to all rocks out there).
On the contrary, Obama has brillant men like Lawrence Tribe say he is one of the most intelligent men they have ever met.
Obama is such a "great American" he is running for the highest public service office in the land.
Hannity is such a "great American" he sits on the radio calling people names.
We report, you decide
LegallyBlonde @ 72:
LOL :)
rich @ 4:
Yeah, but what else can Hannity do?
I wonder if Hannity knows who Bernie Sanders is?
This is the same exact crap they were saying when Kerry ran.
#1 Liberal...
It's almost as compelling as when they endlessly announce we caught/killed the #2 al Qaeda guy......
These idiots need new writers.
Even if it's not true, So. What. If. It. Was? I'm so frickin' sick of this. It's exhausting. Imbecile.
I thought Al Gore was the number one liberal? No wait was John Kerry? On second thought, Barack Obama?
Would a #1 liberal be a good thing for the country? Someone that is open to new ideas and not at all narrow minded?
What's wrong with being #1 liberal senator? It's the conservatives who have bankrupted the nation, depleted our military, diminished our moral standing in the world, alienated our allies, emboldened our enemies, trampled our constitution, broke law after law after law, thrown elections, gotten in bed with religious extremists and polarized our nation.
Seems to me being the #1 conservative senator is the thing you most don't want to be.
Ruthless People @ 79:
...oh, and I forgot one minor thing. Started a lie based oil war for the profits of big oil, Halliburton and Dick Cheney that has cost 4000 US lives and countless innocent civilian lives. Seems to me being labeled a conservative is the thing to be avoided.
When is Hannity going to release the financial statements on his " Freedom Concerts?"
As of this date Hannity hasn't released "ANY" Financial Reports on how much money that 5 years of his concerts have brought into Freedom Alliance!
No where in Freedom Alliance's Tax Form 990's since '03, are the concerts mentioned,or are any monies reported!
This year's concerts have disappeared from Freedom Alliances "Main Menu," where they had been proudly listed for the past few years! Calling them, they have no knowledge of any concerts, or dates when they'll be held!
Strange, mighty strange here it is Memorial Week-end, and no concerts being advertised for the summer!
Call Freedom Alliance Monday @ 703-444-7940 and ask them!
Go to guidestar.org register, type in Freedom Alliance, then click on the one for Dulles Va. read their tax reports and look what a pitiful amount of money is actually going to the Vets and their Families!
Go to Part 1 - Line 2 = $397,900
That's the actual amount out of the $9.6 million collected that went to the Vets and their Families, in '06, 4.14 %
Sean, "SHOW ME THE MONEY?"
Hanitwit is a rude and arrogant dipshit. He needs to be tied up and gang-ignored.
#1 Liberal = Tip-Top Best.
That's a badge of honor, baby!
Betty Smith @ 78:
They try this old trick every four years. Americans aren't buying it anymore.
hannity is the #1 asshole on tv.
when twits like hannity and oreilly are recognized it is usually for something they've said on their TV shows but their talk radio shows are where they really get to play god and where they do the most damage with larger audiences, two or three times the time, and unlimited repetition of stuff they will never get called on because it is largely ignored by those they attack the most. and they don't even have to put on a pretense of balance.
And being a liberal senator is bad because ...?
Keep up the good work, Barack!
The hell with the Baby Jesus Hannity. Talk about a myopic little punk ...
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