We Report, You Decide

Other than Republicans, Fox Propaganda News Network viewers are the most loyal to President Bush.

Yet, in our 2004 polling with Media Vote, using Nielsen diaries, we found that Fox News viewers supported George Bush over John Kerry by 88 percent to 7 percent.

No demographic segment, other than Republicans, was as united in supporting Bush. Conservatives, white evangelical Christians, gun owners, and supporters of the Iraq war all gave Bush fewer votes than did regular Fox News viewers.

I wonder why?

A study by a University of Maryland center concluded, “Those who receive most of their news from Fox News are more likely than average to have misperceptions” about Iraq. For example, in 2003, 67 percent of those who relied primarily on Fox wrongly believed the U.S. “found clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with the al Qaeda terrorist organization.” Only 40 percent of those who relied on print media harbored this illusion, debunked thoroughly by the 9/11 Commission.

Instead of providing “fair and balanced” reporting, Fox has created an audience ignorant of the facts, but fully supportive of management’s ideology.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via New York Times)

Kevin Drum of the Washington Monthly:

Shorter George Bush: Allow me to spend a few minutes scoring political points by accusing Democrats of scoring political points.

How did he know?

Atrios of Eschaton wrote this before President Bush press conference today.

My bet is that this will be one of his "stamp my feet and declare I'm the decider" speeches, one of the mini-tantrums he confuses with leadership.

I just watch President Bush press conference and he nail it. Basically, President Bush told the Democrats in Congress to go 'Cheney' themselves.

President Bush wants the Karl Rove and the rest of the gang to give the Democratic controlled Congress unsworn testimony about the firings of U.S. attorneys. Again, Atrios nail it.

The only reason to refuse to be under oath or even have a transcript is because you plan to lie and you want to do it with impunity.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

“After telling a bunch of different stories about why they fired the U.S. Attorneys, the Bush Administration is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt. Congress and the American people deserve a straight answer. If Karl Rove plans to tell the truth, he has nothing to fear from being under oath like any other witness.”

Indeed. This Republican Administration is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt. If you don’t put them under oath, they will continue to lie. Heck, they might still lie under oath. Scooter Libby did.

It’s easy..

.. to make Republican Tom Delay look like a fool.

But, retired Navy Admiral Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) rips apart Tom Delay who fancy himself a military stagiest.

At one point, DeLay claimed that places like Bahrain and Qatar wouldn’t accept U.S. troops who had redeployed out of Iraq. Sestak put his hand on DeLay’s arm and informed him that the U.S. military already has bases in those countries.

Ouch.

Click on the following link to view the clips of Tom Delay and neocon Richard Perle on Meet the Press.

Why is Rudy running?

Rudy Giuliani whole presidential campaign is base on this national security credentials. His supporters dismiss his liberal social views will hurt him in a Republican primary because he has this national security credentials. Basically, Rudy Giuliani is running for President of 9/11.

Which lead to Markos of Daily Kos to ask the following questions.

What "national security" experience does Giuliani actually have? Other than being mayor of a city that got hit with a terrorist attack?

None.

Republican Rudy Giuliani is going to play on people fears to disguise his lack of national security experience to the American public.

Up on the dais, it’s Rudy’s turn to raise the subject of the terror attacks. September 11 is proving to be a versatile tool. In Delaware, he used it to invoke heroism. Here, it’s all about scaring the bejesus out of country folk. Someone asks him what his management style would be as president if there was another Katrina or terrorist attack.

The secret is to be prepared for anything, Rudy says. Terrorism can happen in New York or Boston or in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, “one of the smallest towns in the United States.”

The punchy good cheer of this small town is replaced with grave attention. Rudy notes that he once spoke to the Shanksville high-school graduating class. “But for the grace of God and the bravery of the people who brought that plane down,” he says, “those kids wouldn’t be with us.”

Tonight’s attendees, of course, have a far greater chance of being killed on an icy road on the way home tonight than via a plane falling out of the sky. But those are facts; Giuliani is playing on emotion and fear.

Playing the fear card worked for President Bush in 2004, Giuliani is just following this lead.