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

[noseysniper]

rofl He said pbs and msnbc is bias

and then admitted fox news serves the christian right and didn't see a problem with it

[btanner]

Do we have enough mental institutions to house these right wing nuts?

[grf67]

Ingram is like most republicans. She operates on hate and fear and has nothing to add to the general good for the country. If she was so patriotic, she would have joined the military instead of being a coward who supports others going into the military.

[NonLeftist]

What do you do? Where do you stand on the military. Remember, honesty is the best policy.

[chronic]

Laura looks like Ann Coulter on steroids.

[JADE2002]

The moral of the story people:

WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

[jgrh]

Yeah! And then the Fairness Doctrine will outlaw Christmas!

[StevenBolstad]

Perhaps making this straw dog and posing the Fairness Doctrine as their cause celebre they can pretend they have a big Win when they "succeed" with keeping it from happening.
Like the big win of Reagan's on the battle of Grenada.
Much ado about not much at all.
Certainly they need to show a little victory for the team now.
Now that they are so disheartened and dejected.
Pick the smallest guy and punch him out. Winner!
Just like everything FOX News does - a sham.
A sham filled with half truths and false bravådo.

[pipp]

Their style of garbage mongering--under the guise of "conservative ideals" is on its way out. A bitter brew of interrupting one another's sad sack rantings Laura's own fiance broke their engagement, it is so unappealing. Hers is a toxic pill, steeped in a fantasy world of what she thinks the liberal left is all about and more will be breaking their viewing engagement to her sad sack frustrated tirade, as she continues to get more and more awkward in front of the camera with the facial tics and weird lip licking. She is turning into a lizard before our very eyes with her reptilian thought processes.

[chin075]

HuffPo, please change the headline to "Republicans Stoke Fear/Bigotry/Ignorance" and run it every day with the daily sample of Republican idiocy under it. Republicans seem to be good at nothing but stoking fear.

[majorteddy]

God forbid Obama's fairness might be anything like that of FOX NEWS !

[Progress08]

If FOX were really fair and balanced they would welcome the Fairness Doctrine. I'm a pretty passifistic person, but I'd kick the crap out of Rush/Bill-O,/Hannity if I ever met them. It'd be worth the jail time to really beat the crap out of them.

[eugenegerard]

It is unkind to brain worms to compare them or blame them for the hate and bile of Republicans.

[imsosure]

Too Laura and Bill O, it's really not your way or the highway, you and your party Lost!

[Myshkin57]

We're having an economic crisis and those two still have jobs? They add nothing to the world and take a good bit away. They need to be out of work.

[schicklett3]

Who really cares what O'Reilly thinks or says???? NOT ME!