Countdown's Worst Person: Threats and Feuds Edition
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It would appear that FOXNews and its parent company, NewsCorp., are peopled by overgrown third graders. It is the only way that I can account for the schoolyard tactics exhibited in Monday's Worst Persons in the World segment on Countdown.
First up in the bronze winner, FOX & Friends host Gretchen Carlson, who, as a dutiful employee of the White House propaganda arm, continues the tactic of attacking the messenger when the message makes the Bush administration look bad. In this case, she all but threatens former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan.
Scott McClellan better not have any skeletons in his closet, I hope he didn’t do anything that he doesn’t want the world to know about, because we all have and his secrets are going to be coming out.
The silver is awarded to national radio personality Mike Gallagher, whose cognitive dissonance on the invasion and occupation of Iraq came on display when attempting to smear McClellan.
I often wonder if people like Scott McClellan ever stop and think about the pain and grief their money-grubbing antics cause the families of the brave men and women who are serving their country overseas. After all, if one accepts the premise President Bush erred in going to war, then the mission of the United States military is absolutely in vain.
Well duh. Think how much pain the people who actually devised of this invasion and occupation and insist on continuing it have caused to families. And finally, the gold goes to the elder statesman of NewsCorp, Rupert Murdoch, whose only defense for taking the Bill O'Reilly/Keith Olbermann feud up the corporate chain to start smearing NBC and parent company GE is the decidedly immature "Well, they started it!"
“They’ve started it. We’ve had bitter, personal attack on some of our people. They tried to destroy our credibility as a network. But it is only natural that the people can stand who were personally attacked and their children were personally attacked should fight back and I support them. I support my people completely.”
Please do, Rupert. This feud is only brings ratings gold for Countdown.
Is that all the GOP has in their playbook??? Man, it's time to turn the page. Their "support the troops" bullshit has worn incredibly thin.
Gretchen Carlson is hot......like a Cleveland steamer.
Damn, Murdock even insulted Doocy's son by calling him "children", Doocy himself insulted his adult son by calling him kid last week. I am sure that is the "children" source to murdock's delusion.
And Gramme Frost was smeared on murdock's network, more than once.
Gretchen Carlson: "Scott McClellan better not have any skeletons in his closet, I hope he didn’t do anything that he doesn’t want the world to know about, because we all have and his secrets are going to be coming out."
If there are no revelations about McClellan and the male prostitute/White House reporter Jeff Gannon/James Dale Guckert then either there are no scandals there or McClellan must be holding some must worst secrets on Bush to keep the White House at bay.
I know Keith Olbermann was going for the Aussie inflection when parodying Rupert Murdoch, but I swear he must have visited this site:
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howto.html#basic
Which is appropriate considering what a pirate Murdoch is.
Let me get this straight, if you have a dirty little secret then do not expose goverment corruption.
If it is obvious that a war is in vain then stfu and let it continue.
StirFry @ 2:
Love how they put her in mini skirt in front of a low table and stick the camera in her crotch and have her cross and uncross her legs at least twice a segment.
Karl Rove @ 7:
Now you get it. Welcome to America.
Sounds more like Fox and Fiends. With friends like that, who needs John McCain, my friends?
eric @ 5:
Hard to believe Guckert got in on an assumed name under Scotty's authority. He was just a patsy. Someone else would have had to have been behind it.
an open message to Gretchen Carlson, aka "Stupid:"
Listen up, Stupid. I hope Scottie has lots of skeletons in his closet. Because THOSE skeletons, Stupid, will not be Scottie's alone. They will have "Property of the Bush Administration" stamped allllll over them, Stupid. You won't be able to malign Scottie, Stupid, without maligning Monkey Boy, Ol' Cranky Pants Cheney, Turd Blossom or those underlings who were so eager to suck their respective asses, your Stupid self included. So, to paraphrase your most frequent masturbatory figurehead... bring 'em on.
They tried to destroy our credibility as a network.
Um. Your lying fact challenged network has no credibility. They're just pointing out why.
My favorite Murdoch quote: He believes that deposing the Iraqi leader would lead to cheaper oil. "The greatest thing to come out of this for the world economy...would be $20 a barrel for oil. That's bigger than any tax cut in any country."
Nice prediction, ass. I cannot think of a single thing Murdoch has done that has benefited the common good. Undocumented aliens have done more for our economy than Murdoch.
Rupert -- you don't HAVE any credibility as a network. And your key demographic is dying dude.
You're nothing anymore. The only reason ANYONE watches is because of the official "Waiting for O'Lielly's Head to Explode" watch.
He hasn't aged well - do you think people watch him for his looks?!? He's almost uglier than you. Or his journalistic integrity?!? Remember ...? he has none.
Think again.
*
Only Fox News can get away with threats of retaliatory exposure, equating hatred of Bush to hatred of America, and accusing war opponents of wasting the deaths of the troops...AND claim to be CREDIBLE!!!
Should a Democrat take the White House I hope he/she will direct the FCC to register Fox as an arm of the Republican Party.
Anon @ 13:
Well, he did do this for us:
Murdoch’s surprise decision to raise money for Clinton in July, on behalf of NEWS CORP., parent company of FOXNEWS and the NEW YORK POST, underlines a dramatic turn of relations between Murdoch and Clinton, who in 1998 coined the phrase “vast rightwing conspiracy” to denounce critics of her husband.
Some say the move by Murdoch reflects approval of her Senate career. Others note his record for picking future national leaders. Last century, he threw over the British conservatism he’d long supported to back longshot Tony Blair.
Clinton surprised Washington and media watchers recently by attending a FOX NEWS anniversary party, where she toasted Murdoch.
Gretchen Carlson. Good God, what a name for a spinster if I've ever heard one. Harriet Miers is another. Hey, honey, toots, baby, doll, sweetie, calm the chr**t down already. Wow, take things personal much? If any people have a RIGHT to take things personally it's the American people. The one's that Bush is supposed to be the leader of, the whole country, not just the idiots like you and the rest. Let's be clear, shnookums, he was the one, under Karl Rover's direction, who decided in 2002 to SPLIT the country, to DIVIDE it, for political gain by using 9/11 and terrorism as a wedge issue to paint the Democrats as soft or whatever. And this wasn't even a year after 9/11, an event where WE ALL suffered at the hands of those terrorists. Bush, your man Bush, that utter failure of a leader, showed his true colors as a DIVIDER and then the next year after winning more seats he decided to invade Iraq: the costliest, stupidest, least well thought out and most ill-considered blunder by pretty much any American President. And then, Gretchie honey, just recently he gave a speech in front a foreign government where he obliquely, yet really clearly, called those who disagree with his thuggish tactics as appeasers. You know, the Barack Obamas of the US, and ALL of his supporters. Yes, and Bush did MEAN Obama, and indirectly all of his supporters. And this is the SITTING President of the United States undermining MILLIONS of his fellow countrymen, just because they don't agree with him on one issue, in front of a FOREIGN government assembly. What sort of damned LEADER is that, c-word? Huh, can you answer me that, beeatch? He is not a leader and he never was. He is a Republican, as is John McCain. That's enough of a reason to not vote for McCain: because, like Bush, he's a Republican. I am very much willing to 'try' the brave experiment that Barack Obama, and his obvious limited experience, is, over the 'tested, experienced, and wise' John McCain. Any day. Any time. McCain is old, a GOPer, and of the last century. That isn't change. Not even close. It will take a while to remove Bush's stench from us, but I can't wait for the air freshener a Democrat, any at this point, will bring on Jan 20. Oh, and shove it, toots. Nuff said.
Gretchen Carlson: "Scott McClellan better not have any skeletons in his closet, I hope he didn’t do anything that he doesn’t want the world to know about, because we all have and his secrets are going to be coming out."
Because "we all have"? Just what is it that YOU don't want the world to know, Gretchen? Can we get someone to start investigating her? Did you do something shameful, naughty or maybe illegal to get where you are or to get that Miss America crown?
*****
Murdoch: "“They’ve started it".
No, Murdoch, your people at FOX who started it and destroyed your credibility with their bending over backwards and spinning for the right-wing (despite calling the network fair and balanced), with Steve Douchebag by pimping his son as some sort of news item that deserves mention over and over again and, finally, with Falafel Guy BillO for letting his sexual picadillos spill over into the workplace.
That's right, Murdoch, blame yourself and your own people for your woes. Don't try to pin it on the people at NBC who talk about the bad behavior over their at FOX News.
“They’ve started it. We’ve had bitter, personal attack on some of our people. They tried to destroy our credibility as a network. But it is only natural that the people can stand who were personally attacked and their children were personally attacked should fight back and I support them. I support my people completely.”
Credibility? Huh? What?!?
correction: over there at FOX News.
They are focusing on McClellan's routine account to divert attention from Sanchez's more damaging glimpses of our batshit-insane head of state. Keep the focus on Sanchez, he's the real threat.
"it is only natural that the people who were personally attacked and their children were personally attacked should fight back and I support them."
- Rupert Murdoch
Does that mean he supports the insurgents in Iraq?
The "news" corp is really more about the corp.part. Fox news is just to direct mush heads to watch more commercials by displaying train wrecks, fetuses and soft core porn. The whole right wing pandering thing is probably a combination of shrewd marketing sense and an in your face indulgence by a crotchety billionaire.
Carlson graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1990 with a self-designed degree in Organizational Behavior
says it all really, trouble is shes not stupid but is backing the wrong team for the wrong reasons.
[Deleted. I'm sorry Dave. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
[Deleted. I'm sorry Dave. Again, off topic-Sitemonitor]
Dave @ 25:
Idiotic.
So even though Bill O is an arrogant fool, he should be recorded more respect than KO because more people watch Bill O making a fool of himself?
I don't think so....
They tried to destroy our credibility as a network.
Sorry Rupie, but your credibility went down the tubes by your own sleazy actions.
Dave, Dave.
There are a lot of stupid people in America. A lot of them watch Faux News. A lot of them voted for Shrub. A lot of them are bitter and defensive and myopic and hostile to the truth.
Are you one of them? Please tell us you're not.
Dave @ 25:
Lots of people watch american idol too. So whats your point? That there is no shortage of idiots in america? Well Duh. After all, shit-for-brains was elected (?) twice.
And how many times do you right wing losers have to be told that "libruls" are busy enjoying life and doing things, so they are much less likely to sit at home with a chip on their shoulder, looking for someone on t.v. to reinforce their own warped version of the world -like O'rally's viewers, and you.
crikey! do we sound like that ?
oh well , it was good enough to make me laugh.
Mr Olberman needs more vegemite is his diet :)
jason @ 31:
I lurve his Murdoch. Murdoch fired him some time ago.
And no. You lot don't sound like the Dirty Digger. Or Olbermann's impression of him.
Billo is a rightous hot headed jerk. He is rude and clueless. Unfortunately his show is for people of the black and white thinking philosophy. I'm not going to defend Olbermans show or his persona but I can't stand...O'Reilly wrong demographics for me.........I want to hear the guest not hte host. O'Reilly has a superiority complex. I understand why people watch him they hear what they want to hear
Faux News serves up a consistent diet of Administration propaganda that right wing neo-con idiots, religious right wing zealots, and misguided Republicans who believe patriotism means supporting this Administration, cannot find anywhere else on the airwaves. These 28 percenter’s are drawn to Faux in order to reinforce their narrow minded beliefs to the exclusion of all other channels. Time for another dose of Kool-Aid.
“We repeat, you agree”.
A correction:
Rupert Murdoch is not Australian. He became a naturalised American (thereby renouncing his Australian citizenship) in order to buy the Fox network - which is an insult to both our nations.
Evidently a media empire is more important to him than citizenship.
Remember this next time you hear Fox talking about patriotism.
You link to a December 2006 article on ratings for Countdown? That's weak. You don't have any recent ratings numbers for Countdown? (I wonder why)
Look, I'm a fan of Olbermann (not as much as I used to be, which I'll explain later), but Keith did start this dirty feud. Both sides, Keith and FNC/O'Reilly/Murdoch have crossed the line in recent weeks and days in going after NBC and Keith personally (i.e. the New York Post listing Olbermann's home address in an article about Keith's tax problems).
However, that doesn't excuse the attacks Keith is guilty of and should immediately apologize for if he wants these tit-for-tat BS attacks on him and NBC to tame down (followed by apologizes from the NY Post and O'Reilly for his sliming of GE). On the May 5th Worst Person segment, Olbermann attacked FNC host Steve Doocy's son Peter by saying his "mind was nailed shut" just because he acted like the Sean Hannitys of the world in asking fellow Villanova students what they think of Obama and the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Sure, Peter is a typical Republican partisan, but Keith did cross a big line with that statement, which C&L apparently will not publish in full, so I'll do it for them: "Wonder which emotion impacts dad [Steve Doocy] more at this moment, pride that at 20 years old, the boy is already a completely replaceable cog in the vast Rupert Murdoch media manipulation machine, or buyer‘s remorse when he gets the bill from college and realizes the kid‘s mind has already been nailed shut?"
And Keith also made fun of O'Reilly's kids in April (which is probably how this whole fight started). It's in the Howard Kurtz piece that C&L linked and goes like this: "Some Fox staffers say Olbermann was out of bounds last month when he imagined the fate of "a poor kid" born to a transgendered man who became pregnant, adding: "Kind of like life at home for Bill's kids." He can go after O'Reilly and FNC personalities all he wants for being dishonest republican-biased hacks, but what was that for? Would Keith allow a comment like that to go uncriticized if he had kids, and someone said that about him and them? (No) And is it right for Keith--even if he takes his newsman hat off to be a commentator every night for a segment--to call a female anchor "dumb as a pole" like he called Gretchen Wilson in this Worst Persons segment? I don't think so. He would be all over Lou Dobbs or any other news anchor (except NBC/MSNBC personalities like Chris Matthews, of course) if they made such an insult on air. Gretchen is an idiot, but professional broadcasters like Keith should know better than to insult people in O'Reilly fashion--and neither of them should get away with it because it is juvenile and cheapens political discussion, which is already way too partisan these days.
It's remarks like these that have made me (and I'm sure lots of others here) lose some respect for Olbermann, who becomes a hypocrite when it comes to attacking others. And to C&L, I know you're a liberal website but come on, you can criticize Olbermann once in a while. If you don't, then you lose credibility in my eyes too.
Is she the Gretchen Carlson that was Miss America 1989? I'm sad that somebody from Minnesota would spout such nonsense. She looks good doing it, though. Next time she is on I will mute the TV and just watch the eye candy.
Steve Doocey has no business crying about Olbermann "picking of people's children" if Doocey is going to put his kid on TV (does anyone know what nepotism means?) and pretend it's an objective youth perspective. If the kid can't take the heat Steve, then take him out of the kitchen.
I agree that Olbermann has cheapened his points with cheap shots, but this wasn't one of them. Doocey doesn't get to put his kid on TV and have the kid parrot his father's position, dress it up as a youth perspective, and not get called out on it.
I don't know how much of the News Corp GE/NBC feud is genuine being that the two corporations have banded together to try and launch a joint venture that would be the equivalent of YouTube/MY Face hybrid, said venture being one more attempt to control the flow of information in the intertubes. An enemy unites kind of thing.
These insane Christian terrorists and traitors hate everything that the United States supposedly stands for. It's a wonder that these piles of Republinazi shit don't move to some other country that more ideologically suits them -- like Nazi Germany, Circa 1930s.
These Repuiblinazis hate Americans for our freedoms. And our rights and liberties. They want to install a theofascist Christian terrorist State even beyond what it is defacto extant today.
Keith does a spot-on impression of Rupert Murdoch. Or maybe it was Cpt. Ahab. Anyway, I truly enjoyed it. Arrrgggh.
A better question would be...since when is a twenty year old a kid? There are tens of thousands of those "kids" that fox news is defending getting shot at in Iraq.
So the analogy for Murdoch and Co. is hurtfull words (and that's certainly debateable) are bad..but bullets or shrapnel is good?
Must be a part of character building that I'm not privy to.
Beyond that, the quote "mind nailed shut" is not bullying, it's a statement of fact.
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