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Sunday Roundup

What's Your Reaction:

This week, Justice Alito offered up the refined, Supreme Court version of Joe Wilson's "You Lie!"; James O'Keefe went from ACORN-busting "pimp" to FBI-busted perp; and Kirstie Alley, under the influence of her made-for-TV diet, Tweeted her desire to "bash" Joy Behar "in the vagina with her microphone." President Obama, meanwhile, was so effective during his masterful 82 minute Q&A session at the House Republican retreat on Friday that Fox News cut away from the riveting broadcast 20 minutes before it ended -- turning the airtime over to his critics. The president being smart, forceful, and offering well reasoned, fact-based arguments didn't jibe with the relentless Fox framing of him as a radical, Kenya-born Muslim socialist.

 
 
 

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10:33 PM on 01/31/2010
GIVE ME A BREAK! I watch Fox and there is no harping about an African-born president. There is harping about an ill-prepared Hawaii-raised, Chicago-trained, on-the-job-learning president of the Uinted States.
The liberal Democrats are slowly but surely learning that the man who would lead them out of the desert -- is not the man. They have once again elected a line-toting liberal who is sworn to defend and protect the interests of unions -- and federal, state and local unions primarily -- over the interests of those that really 'create' jobs -- the private sector.
Wake up and smell the coffee -- the country he is destroying yours -- and if we wait to long, we won't be able to right this ship of state!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
macday
11:00 PM on 01/31/2010
If you have ever watched FAUX noise and never seen all this crap about being born in Kenya or a socialist you must sleep through all the hate and fear mongering that is preached every day 24/7 on this Liars rethug cable channel
11:06 PM on 01/31/2010
I do watchy FOX News. There is no metion of his birth -- immaculate or otherwise. Have you seen it recently?
11:07 PM on 01/31/2010
Arianna must be watching a different version of Fox news than I am. Never heard this Kenyan born socialist stuff before.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Suntio
Amat victoria curam.
11:15 PM on 01/31/2010
That's right, because Bush left us in such a good place, didn't he? When are you going to learn that Republican policies are nothing but bull? Open your eyes, look at their results:

THE LEGACY OF GEORGE W. BUSH’S PRESIDENCY: The Country He Inherited, The Country He Leaves Behind

THE ECONOMY: JANUARY 20, 2001 TODAY UNDER BUSH
REAL GDP GROWTH1 4.09% Over Prior 8 Years 2.65% Over Prior 7 Years
NATIONAL DEBT2 $5.7 Trillion $9.2 Trillion
BUDGET DEFICIT/SURPLUS3 $431 Billion Surplus $734 Billion Deficit
NEW PRIVATE SECTOR
JOBS CREATED4 1.76 Million Jobs/Year 369,000 Jobs/Year
AMERICANS IN POVERTY5 31.6 Million 36.5 Million

QUALITY OF LIFE:
AMERICANS UNINSURED & 38 Million 47 Million
CHANGE IN UNINSURED6 4.5 Million Fewer in 2 Years 8.5 Million More in 6 Years
ANNUAL PREMIUM COST7 $6,230/family $12,106/family
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME $49,163 $48,023
CHANGE IN MEDIAN INCOME8 $6,000 Increase in 8 Years $1,100 Decrease in 6 Years
PRICE OF GAS9 $1.39/Gallon $3.07/Gallon
COST OF COLLEGE10 $3,164 per year $5,192 per year
PERSONAL SAVINGS RATE11 +2.3% -0.5%
CONSUMER CREDIT DEBT12 $7.65 Trillion $12.8 Trillion
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RussT
A system of reward, not entitlements.
10:27 PM on 01/31/2010
I applaud President Obama's unscripted facing off with the GOP.

He was the first Democrat I ever voted for. This week, he may not have won Republican hearts...but he no doubt won their respect. This in despite of Fox News cutting away from this most fascinating event.

Who knows...with this latest gaff, Fox News may have just jumped the shark with this "convenient" cut away.

President Obama - I am glad I voted for you. Keep it up Sir. Cheers!
11:09 PM on 01/31/2010
Does no one remember that Mr. Bush met with the Democrat opposition? Oh, that's right he did it, but without cameras -- for 8 years.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BigPictureReg
11:30 PM on 01/31/2010
You are suggesting that 'no one remembers' that Bush did this? That failure is your own creation. Why did you feel the need to imply it?

No cameras?

Imagine Fox news if the results would have given the 'hosts' the advantage. Why did Fox feel the need to show questions asked but partial answers given by the President? To keep the sheeple repeating useless sound bites and to keep them ignorant of the proper responses.

The events with Bush were never intended to be an ambush, to embarrass, as was the intent this time. If that wasn't the case, then why are there so many comments of the cameras being 'a mistake' in hindsight, given the unintended positive reactions in the Presidents favor.

Even so, the effort applied and results reached pale in comparison. Hence, it's news this time.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lilchas
09:35 PM on 01/31/2010
Out of her league? You have it backwards. He would not answer the question about fox cutting and running
because the world could see the cowardice.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jeanrenoir
09:23 PM on 01/31/2010
Fox is a symptom, not the problem. The problem is the hunger of a huge, furious segment of white America for media that channel their resentment, the way George Wallace and the other segregationists used to channel the bitterness of poor whites in the South by promising always, no matter what to "keep the n........s down." Obama demonstrated in '08 that it's possible to peal away enough independents for a center-left BLACK Democratic pragmatist to win the White House, IF he's perceived as an outsider and thus a vehicle for "sending them a message," as Wallace used to put it. Being a center-left pragmatist myself, rather than a "progressive" naif and idiologue, I still like Obama as much as ever myself. I just hope he keeps going on the attack against the Republicans and turns the tables on them, as Clinton did in his own way in the mid-90s, when Republican arrogance did them in. But the vast majority of poor whites nationally really are even more devoted to their bitterness than to God and guns, so it's going to be a hard row to hoe to win a critical mass of them again in '12, unless Scott Brown, the Republicans' Great White Hope, shoots himself in the foot and is thus incapable of being the REAL (read "white") outsider the independents really want to vote for.
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
RButler
I've always wanted to have everything I wanted
08:47 PM on 01/31/2010
If the republicans don't want a rematch, can't Obama 'invite' the 41 republican senators for the same kind of Q & A on camera? That would also be interesting.
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mlaiuppa
Pres. Sarcasm Society. Like we need your approval.
10:20 PM on 01/31/2010
They won't show up.

Which will look just as bad, if not worse.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
RJchoice
choose active solutions, not useless reactions.
08:44 PM on 01/31/2010
"we're not about politics. we're about ratings" - Roger Ailes

so was Jerry Springer , and so is WWF "pro" wrestling.

see? even Mr. Ailes can spout a "truth" when bragging about ratings and profits.

the irony is that if FOX were really a "news" organization then the "truth" would come BEFORE
ratings or profits.
07:49 PM on 01/31/2010
The amazing thing about all the politicians and commentary/news media in the US is that all of these so called pundits and politicians have NEVER worked in industry. They pontificate and theorize until the cows come home and NEVER does their rubber hit the road. We pay outrageous salaries to them and provide all their health care and pensions, and then they become lobbyists. Biden is owned by the credit card industry in Delaware, Liberman is owned by Aetna in Connecticut, and Obama by BP Amoco, Pharma, and Wall Street. We are down to 5 major news corps from 350 with pablum spewing non-fact checking yesisms "I see your point" commentary. Where are the antitrust regs on them and the campaign finance reform?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Mabo
Conservative...dialogue welcome!
07:44 PM on 01/31/2010
So...Alito should be blasted for his mouthing of disbelief, yet the president gets a pass for his blatant, rude calling out of those that cannot defend themselves publicly? Sorry, but if the president gets a pass...then so should Alito.
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
RButler
I've always wanted to have everything I wanted
08:28 PM on 01/31/2010
Oh, knock it off. When Joe Wilson yelled 'you lie' Fox News went over Nancy Pelosi's reaction to it (she simply looked at where the sound came from) and played the video over and over and mocked her. She didn't shake her head 'no' or mouth any words yet they made up stuff about her reaction.

If you're supposed to sit and not react or applaud to the president's speech as a SC justice and can't control yourself. What does that say about your 'temperament'? We expect more from 3rd graders.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jmz4gtu
08:36 PM on 01/31/2010
No, neither should happen. Alito had a small reaction that wasn't disrupted and probably would have gone unnoticed by 98% of the people in the room.
Obama was within his rights to express his reservations with the recent supreme court decision and his desire for Congress to make a law to obviate it.
07:38 PM on 01/31/2010
The middle class is maxed out with 30% credit cards, homes far exceeding their income, no increase in income salary power in 10 years. Meanwhile the cost of mortgages, health care, college have gone up 100%. The net amount of income left over is just not there. Add in the billions of dollars we send to the oil skeiks who have unsettled over-educated youth without jobs who are going 9/11 on us. And all of our manufacturing gone to China? It is just astounding. Kool Aid in cherry flavor and every other flavor you can name.
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mlaiuppa
Pres. Sarcasm Society. Like we need your approval.
10:22 PM on 01/31/2010
Speak for yourself.

Of course, I may not be middle class by definition anymore.

I make way less than $100,000 a year.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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MyTake
Release the Hydrogen Economy now!
07:32 PM on 01/31/2010
Ah, can I politely disagree with your assessment of Obama's GOP visit?

You have done some excellent work recently with articles critical of the Obama administration and indeed of Obama's performance as well.

This GOP visit appears to me as a stage managed production and it was crafted by people at the NY Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

For 1 year now, Obama's government speeches, and indeed his SOTU speech, has not matched the performance level of his primary speeches. During this year, he was on a TELEPROMPTER and his public opinion polls declined as a result. When he reads from a LECTERN, his body language flourishes and he is humanized as a result. Many people can identify with someone at a lectern and not with someone at a teleprompter with their head wagging from side to side.

Since CFR control many of the key players in the GOP and DEM party's, it was they who controlled who was there, who asked questions and what questions were asked.

Here is the very most despised VP ever gloating over withholding his CFR directorship from government vetting while addressing a CFR audience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbnpN07J_zg&feature=related .

And here is a partial membership list of the Rockefeller funded and controlled CFR roster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_Foreign_Relations .

So, please continue your writings of the past 2 months and keep your foot on Obama's agenda. It is very important that you do so.
07:09 PM on 01/31/2010
Alas the Kool Aid is still being drunk and the economy even drunker. We need Fair Trade; an end to our jobs in China, removal of China as our banker and pay them off; campaign finance reform; O getting rid of Geitner, Summer, Jarrett; Medicare option for everyone, impose antitrust regs on health care and insurance; Glass Seigel and an end to hedge funds, derivatives, and the Enron loophole for energy trading ; separation of banking from brokers. Without these we are heading to greater economic disaster and the Kool Aid will not help.
06:05 PM on 01/31/2010
Arianna,
I keep seeing both sides say they want to go through the budget line by line. In doing this, I wish they would start with thier medical coverage. The Politicians medical coverage should be just like all other Americans that are paying for the politicians coverage.
The politicians are showing they really don't think we are all "equal". They are very affraid fo the rest of us being "equal".
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
LiberalBuzz
Voting republican is voting against America.
05:58 PM on 01/31/2010
What can be done, that most people forget about, is that the case of the SCOTUS selling the U.S. to the highest rightwing bidder is the case can easily be redone. The SCOTUS does it, while not often,it is done. I can think of two case in the last few years that the SCOTUS took another look at within two terms and reversed themselves in one case and did a partial reversal on another.

So it can be done and it should be done.
05:24 PM on 01/31/2010
This was a great week for Democrats.
Ranks up there with 2008 election night.
04:08 PM on 01/31/2010
Well,, Arianna,

Alito did it for me! What a telling, flagging of evident partisan bias and blatantly apparent breach of even the most basic common sense AND just a RUDE Jerk!

Wait,,, RUDE? Yeah,, Another “R” word, to taint the Republican BRAND.

Regressive, Radical, Recalcitrant, Repressive, Reactionary,….

The Week that the Supreme Court sold America.

First,,, Eminent Domain,,, so that private parties and Corporations can define Best Use or GOOD of community. Not the next school, or road expansion, or library, or city park, but for the next Wal-Mart, Strip Mall, or McDonalds. Sheeeese!!

All the best, Knute
TR Knudtson