O'Reilly, Ingraham Stoke Fairness Doctrine Paranoia

Yesterday, we talked about how conservatives were all a-leap with terror over the wholly hallucinatory notion that President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress were going to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The facts are these: Obama's against its reimplementation, Democratic lawmakers are mystified over the concern, and given the chance as recently as last year to put the Doctrine back in place, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives shot the idea down, with Democratic members voting against it in large numbers.

And yet, last night -- right on cue -- two of Fox News' media celebrities continued to waste their own airwaves talking about this entirely spectral inanity. Here's Laura Ingraham and Bill O'Reilly discussing it. O'Reilly doesn't understand that cable news shows aren't part of the Fairness Doctrine. Laura Ingraham believes that a quip Chuck Schumer made on Fox News (see second paragraph) to mess with their heads constitutes a policy position. O'Reilly doesn't believe the Doctrine will be reinstated (which is correct) because it would be Obama's "don't ask, don't tell" (which is straight up daffydoodles).

Matt Yglesias, using his excellent summative wit, says "It's very strange. Political movements mischaracterize the other side's general goals all the time. But I've never heard of anything like the current conservative mania for blocking a particular legislative provision that nobody is trying to enact." Too right! I'd say that when it comes to phantom menaces, it's far more likely that we need to worry about that crazy Year 2012 Mayan Calendar Apocalypse thingy than we do about the Fairness Doctrine:

I mean, that's just bananas! And the only thing in place to prevent that is a damned Buddhist monk with a bell? That's crazy.

Anyway, here's a video of doctors removing a "brain worm" from some woman's head. I know! WE HAVE GOT BRAIN WORMS NOW, APPARENTLY. Anyway, maybe these brain worms are what's causing so many conservatives to freak out about the Fairness Doctrine, and also defend Sarah Palin.

Comments

[javaJimmy]

Why isn't Laura Ingraham in jail for telling her listeners to flood the phone line of a Democratic protect the vote hotline?
But then again, I don't think 4 people can do that much harm.

[RationalDubSteppa]

This is so funny that it almost seems pathetic. This will take hold, but only with those people that think Sarah Palin qualified to be president, coincidentially those are the same people that think dinosaurs and man lived together like the flintstones and that the world is only 6000 years old. Either way the world views them as intellectually mediocre "pinheads" and my feeling is so does the rest of America.

[kitvancleave]

Some form of the Fairness Doctrine needs to be imposed. I see nothing in the Constitution which allows demagogues to rant one point of view, one set of GOP talking points, every three hours on AM radio and poison the discourse on important issues. Limbaugh is already calling the economic mess, which is undoubtedly the responsibility of Bush's watch, "the Obama recession." For God's sake, Obama isn't even inaugurated yet! This domination of the airwaves, backed by neocon advertisers, is an imposition on the people, to whom the airwaves should belong. And while we're at it, let's impose taxes on all property held by churches which is not church-related. That should ease the debt; these megachurches need to pay their fair share of taxes, especially as they are always telling people to vote Republican, thus violating the law.

[SOLERSO68]

Kit i think that the right wing bloviators are helping us more just the way they are. they are paranoid loony toons and they scare normal people. that helps us. add to that ,AM radio really isnt the wave of the futureLOL the "fairness doctrine just isnt needed in the modern world. there are too many other ways to spread information. as for taxing churches, you really ARE a radical , but i dont think anyone is going to push for that either. better off restoring the Clinton tax rates, building up american manufacturing base again and implementing universal health care. as for the debt? building more in america than we buy from china is the only way to fix that.did you know we dont even produce most of our own food anynmore. sad sad sad.

[SailFree]

One notes that being paranoid does not guarantee that there is not a tiger stalking you.

[pfc1369]

I bet you thought of that all by youself!

[Degringolade]

While I am ideologically opposed to the Fairness Doctrine, my non-ideological side would love to see Hannity, Ingraham, Limbaugh and their ilk panhandling for change.

[Forest]

Old age happens.

[likeicare]

What they really fear is, someone is going to look into violations of the law passed right after WWII ended, that said it is illegal for the US government to sponsor a media outlet for its agenda (translation: propaganda organ) -- which is what Foxsnooze is in reality.

Then, their little scam will be over and they'll have to find some other scheme to rip-off people with -- like religion, or used car salespeople.

This is a phoney non-issue, which is routine stuff that bullies like them use to create a crisis where none exists. And the MSM falls for it every single time.

[SailFree]

So, you are saying that PBS has been illegal all along?

[SailFree]

NPR is illegal? Who would have guessed...

[Bettysdad]

Everything these paranoid crybabies say should be amplified and repeated constantly.
When it doesn't happen, everyone will see them as the lunatics we know them to be.

[WNCmom]

It will never happen in Western North Carolina.I've lived here for 10 years and met a lot of people. I'm a Roman Catholic. There is one church in the county I live. The rest are all Baptist Congregations. All my friends try to convert me to their church., or to listen to Rush Limbaugh. Unfortunately, i have lost touch with many of these people. It's sad but true. The folks down here don't have cable, Direct TV or pick up a newspaper. They rely on the sermon their preacher gives on Sunday.

[breezyholler]

The fairness doctrine should apply to all aspects of our culture...especially with the regard to media information...There are too many who will bear false witness casually just to antagonize and incite controversy....and there are far too many who are gullible enough to accept it as truth !

[WNCmom]

FOX News and their anchor's ,analysts and on air -guests offer nothing but hate and vitriole towards the new administration. Where is their champion Bush during this crisis? Nowhere to be found... They offer no credible solutions, only blame and smear. They never talk about Presidential leadership which is needed now in this time of crisis. Who the hell is running this country? It's apparent the White House isn't. I'll say a prayer for all of us tonight.

[JailNeoconVicts]

In all fairness, I'd like to see Ingraham administer a lufa to O'Reilly.

[raskolnikov72]

If I were Obama, I would pull this feint for 2 years .. make these guys believe that he is going to re-instate the fairness doctrine and have them frothing about it while he goes about doing the Nation's work. Chess, not checkers.

[SheamusK]

The pomposity of these people never ceases to amuse me.

I guess what Laura, Bill, Rush , Sean, et al. really fear is that maybe now the news and commentary really will be "fair and balanced".

[Nikola Tesla]

Fairly Unbalanced?

[strifeknot]

So, why would Obama and the Dems oppose the reimplementation of the Fairness Doctrine? Besides the usual and obvious answer of spinelessness, I mean.

[johnnyjust]

Democrats only want the fairness doctrine applied to news radio, where conservatives rule the airwaves. They certainly don't want it applied to tv or cable news shows.

But I think we should give it a trial. We'll start in state-funded colleges, with a conservative standing beside every yapping liberal professor.

[Bettysdad]

Conservatives should not be allowed to walk around state-funded colleges.

It's socialism, don't you know?

[Applecheeks]

Has is ever occured to you that Professors are intelligent and conservatives...not so much. Why aren't there as many conservative professor's as liberal ones (according to your own logic)?

Oh, before you attack, where's your PhD? Have you ever even been in the same room as a professor. Uhm, doubt it...

[WolfLady]

Ingraham is nothing but Michelle Bachmann with bleach.

~WolfLady~

[pons1595]

They had no ideas during the election, except social non-issues, and now you expect them to have IDEAS to discuss.