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

[CabaretArtist]

Two of the least at Faux News. Laura couldn't even keep a show on the air with her pathetic self. And old gully neck Bill-o with this closeted self (it's rumored he loves to be treated like a slave by young twinks...b­ut, that is his thang ...run with it). I cannot wait until Miss Laura's daughter comes home with a Latino husband ....the way she puts immigrants down, it's bound to happen. Fate has a way of outting us all at some point. I can't wait until these 2 losers' kharma catches us with them. hee hee It's gonna be a front-pager. Remember, we all thought the rumors about Edwards, Foley, Craig et al were false and they came to light. Stay tuned ....

[BlackJAC]

How many people really listen to AM radio, anyway? My last encounter with it was Election Night coming home from night school so I could gauge Obama's progress, and haven't been near it since. So will someone please explain to the freakjobs that they don't have anything we want on that particular section of the dial?

[Marcospinelli]

Everybody but you listens to AM radio at some time or other going about their day, in their car, at work or at home. If that wasn't true, Rush Limbaugh wouldn't be the power he is or get the money he gets (he just signed a $400 million contract this year). Limbaugh is just the best known radio personality. Every market has local conservatives filling in the hours around Limbaugh, and then those who have crossed over and are on both radio and TV, like Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly.

The Fairness Doctrine applies (or it did) to TV, too.

[BlackJAC]

So Rush has a cult following like BLADE RUNNER and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA have; what's your point?

[motoGpifupleez]

Hey now, don't discount the Mayan doomsday calander. There was a History Channel show about it after all. Just one more piece of the puzzle that leads us to Palin 2012! If we're gonna go down, let's go down in flames!

[LKV]

Im just curious how can someone present themselves as a news show and then LIE!! This is beyond lying it is deliberate miss information for slandering the person for their own ratings. I can not understand how they can get away with it.

[4evryoung]

they are both plagued with "brain worms"

[atomic]

O'Reilly - Ingraham - two seriously flawed individuals.

[dhertzfe]

Ingraham looks like someone pushed both sides of your head toward the center.

[RobinLandseadel]

If you folks at Faux News stopped lying, you really wouldn't have a problem now, would you?

We don't need a "fairness" doctrine, we need a reality doctrine.

[ladycubsfan]

I would be inclined to believe that O'Reilly, Hannity, Rush and their wingnut cohorts, all have brain worms, but that would imply that they actually HAVE a brain and I'm not willing to concede that. Let's just keep fanning the flames of their paranoia, shall we? We may as well have some fun while we can.

[ajax2]

Fairness should scare O'Reilly and Ingraham. Their only purpose was to promote propaganda for the Right Wing. "Shut off his mike", exposed O'Reilly's deepest fear, a reasoned opinion.

[2351]

I saw this last night, and frankly I enjoyed watching the fear in their eyes. They really appeared to be concerned. They love spreading that fear and inciting that hatred.

[BLinCincinnati]

I don't support the Fairness Doctrine, but I would like to see a return to a limit on how many media outlets can be owned by one corporation, or individual. A corporation or individual shouldn't be allowed to own major chunks of the media. It makes it too prone to pushing propaganda­.... from either side.

[truth2008]

Ingraham, Billo, Rus hand Insanity need to crawl back into their holes and go away! These people are a menace to society. I hope the the fairness doctrine is reinstated and we never have to hear these d-e-m-o-n-s spew their h-a-t-r-e-d again!

[PacificGatePost]

Post election we look for actions that might provide a glimpse into the potential of “change” arriving with an Obama Presidency.

The first “Tell” - - -

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-first-tell.html

[BlueNotRed]

Even if the Fairness Doctrine was reinstated (which I hope it's not), what difference would it really make? Do we really believe that equal air time for oppossing views would enlighten the drooling fan base of Hannity, Limbaugh or Ingraham?

[disgusted48]

It would mean less time for right wing hate radio to spew. I hope they do bring it back. Hate, lunecy, and ignorance should not go unanswered.

[Eoin45]

Why do you hope it's not. I was in my teens and 20s when the fairness doctrine was in force and the news was far more balanced than it is today. The LImbaugh's of this world rose to prominence precisely because Reagan got rid of it. And he did precisely to aid the right in slanting the news. I would welcome its return.

[BlueNotRed]

I would like nothing more than to see Limbaugh and Hannity go away. However, the point I was trying to make is that even if the conservative radio stations that broadcast the Limbaugh and Hannity shows are forced to air a show with an oppossing view, who is going to listen to it? Do you really think the glazed eyed Hannity/Limbaugh faithful have the capacity to rationalize an oppossing view or even want to hear one? To these people, whatever comes out of Hannitys/Limbaughs mouth is undIsputed FACT!

[Brian187]

These same 2 windbags were talking about this same thing last week on his show. I guess he is running out of topics fast now that the election is over. O'Reilly and Female O'Reilly are annoying..­.especiall­y when they are involved in the same conversation.