Sunday Roundup

In my new book, Right Is Wrong, I show how the lunatic fringe of the right has hijacked the media (along with our democracy) -- not via FoxNews and the blowhards of talk radio, but through the complicity of high-profile enablers in the mainstream media. This week's disgraceful debate on ABC was further evidence. The slime parade was straight out of the Rovian playbook. For much of the night, I wasn't sure if I was watching Gibson and Stephanopoulos or O'Reilly and Hannity. In fact, Stephanopoulos' ludicrous question about 60s radical Bill Ayers had been suggested to him by Hannity the day before the debate on Hannity's radio show. After Hannity made his Ayers pitch, Stephanopoulos revealed the hijacking in process, saying: "I'm taking notes right now." And indeed he was.

My new book, Right is Wrong, is coming out on April 29. Please click here if you'd like to pre-order

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[halyscomet]

Arianna,

Again, an excellent post. This week's debate was undoubtedly the worst I have ever witnessed. Let's hope the same is not replicated in the General Election.

Comet

[Bruce Steinberg]

Arianna,

Don't you think we in the blogosphere should be calling for an all out boycott of ABC NEWS to show them how powerful we are and how we can affect change.

I think given what was said this morning they are defending themselves instead of apologizing and they should be made to realize that they live in a bubble.

ABC news managers need to be really sweating this one out and the only way to do that is with ratings.

Thoughts anyone?

[john85msy]

I totally agree! My family down South and up the East coast stop watching Fox News. We make a conscious effort to not even surf through the channel.

[cheykutuo]

Thank you, Arianna, for another clearly written post.

There is one other thing about this "debate," and a lot of other news coverage, that is really bothering me. Frankly said, elitist translates into "uppity" and I feel too many of the so-called questions and coverage are for the purpose of putting this "Negro" in his place. Which is down. I believe there are a lot of people from "the old politics," as Obama calls it, that were pretty sure an African-American would never make it this far, let alone become President of the United States, and now they are really worried and doing whatever it takes to try to discredit him. The "first black president" and his wife not excluded.

Fortunately, he has a dignity about him that appears unable to really be touched and a code of honor that seems to be real. And he has this awesome wife that puts the woman running for president to shame. I am hoping they cannot be beat. Certainly not by someone as shabby as Stephanopoulos, and that other boring guy...

[chinaskee]

Things were so much easier for us liberals before right wing talk radio. We could ram our radical candidates down the country's throat by making sure they never got asked any hard questions from our accomplices in the media. But the times they are a changing.Oh woe is us.Our revolution is being thwarted.

[plutorage]

There are so many constructive steps we can take to help America that I'm not sure we even need to take the right into consideration.

The Brits just announced that the govt is ready to buy up sub prime mortgages on the market in UK which nobody wants and swap it for government paper (govt bonds, notes, bills, etc.)

Here in the USA the govt just sits around and expects the Fed to reduce interest rates to bail out Wall Street.

The liberal British government is much more savy in how they are dealing with their problems than the Republican government here.

We need dems in office badly but it seems that everybody is more concerned with Iraq and lapel pins than they are about their country.

[gomer2000]

This was McCarthy commission rerun: Are you patriotic, Are those that you know patriotic, Do you know somebody that is not patriotic, Do they love A-ca, Do you love A-ca, Why you don't wear a flag etc. And H. just added to them. O. should walk out, actually.

[Beowoof]

I'm glad that Ayers was brought up along with the rest of it that Hillary inc. has tested him with. I'd like to think that she's a martyr and is neutralizing the Wright, Ayers, and bitter issues. Hillary hasn't been tested at all though. She has set herself up for an overwhelming defeat since her own campaign has been it's worst enemy. Obama has not used his money to destroy her, but the Republicans will.

[Jazz42]

Ms Huffington.
Greta post.
Thank you,

[MikeBHryan]

You're silly with your silly perspective. That the Republican's will do the same only serves to justify that she is using Republican tactics. If the Republican's will do it, then let them do it and do not do it for them. Whether he did well or not is irrelevant (I would beg to differ considering Bill pardoned two Ayers while Obama has merely come in contact with one), when in debate with a Republican, he will have the whole difference in philosphy to work with.

[jayzam]

Arianna..

i supported you when yo ran for governor,, i even gave your campaign money.. you are really disappointing me with your "Rovian" analogies here...you are going to far to the left.. Obama is an untested neophyte..and we need to know how he is going to perform when the heat is turned up by the republicans..and as we can see Obama did not do that well.. if people think that he will be able to dismiss these attacks in a national election they are seriously crazy and you keep feeding this nonsense that he will not and should not face these nonsense attacks that the republicans will confront him with...his juvenile response to brush it off his shoulders is not going to work... if he is nominated and he handles the attacks the way he did last week...McCain will be our next president... Arianna... i admire you.. but you are wrong!

[MikeBHryan]

You're silly with your silly perspective. That the Republican's will do the same only serves to justify that she is using Republican tactics. If the Republican's will do it, then let them do it and do not do it for them. Whether he did well or not is irrelevant (I would beg to differ considering Bill pardoned two Ayers while Obama has merely come in contact with one), when in debate with a Republican, he will have the whole difference in philosphy to work with.

[Osprey3]

It's this kind of gotcha politics that's gotten us into the mess were in now. Wise up and reject this type of politics. It serves nobody but the lobbyists and vested special interests!!!

[Fairmind]

There is a reason for Fox's Hannity and Bill Oreilly attacking Senator Obama night after night..
It is to keep John McCain free to explore the best way to undermine the Democratic nominee. Except for George S's show today, you hardly hear about McCain. All this dirt that Hannity has dug up about
a pastor and a man names Ayers is to cloud the real issues about the war and the economy which
should be directed at John McCain. While I did not watch the so-called debate, George S should
never have been allowed to question Mrs. Clinton , his former employer.. Both he and Hannity want
Mrs Clinton to succeed. Hannity said he kept the Rev. Wright's tapes (made soon after the tragedy of 9/11) in his bottom drawer to be used
at the appropriate time, while Rush Limbaugh is on a "high" that his plan to disrupt the contest
between Obama and Clinton is working. These people are just plain wicked.

[avraamjack]

.
If I preorder the book can I get it autographed?
.

[Cherlesq]

I want to know why we did not have any questions about "Paul V. Clinton" and her membership in the "Fellowship" Both critical to an examanation of her character and judgment.

[democraticjack]

Because it is a red herring. Obama has attended those prayer breakfasts as well.

[beautifuldisaster]

Whatever...

[THEhillbilly]

You said, "For much of the night, I wasn't sure if I was watching Gibson and Stephanopoulos or O'Reilly and Hannity." That isn't hard to believe. Hell hath no blinding fury like a woman manipulated by O'Reilly and Hannity. In the state you're admitting to, everyone even a notch to the right of distant left puppets like Jeremiah Wright's magniloquent done-nothing protege Barack Obama all look alike to you.

By the way, O'Reilly's show would be a fine place to promote your new book. You'd get a far larger audience than anywhere else. I (and all of those mean old righties) would love to watch you and O'Reilly debate those issues that show Obama's true disposition. Surely you could make O'Reilly admit that hobnobbing with an unreconstructed criminal and a clownish hatemonger is no big deal.

Censoring honest criticism is a telling form of hypocrisy for someone who wants to project the image of a claim on the moral high ground..

[Aussie10]

I'm happy with what Hillary's doing and with her policies. I'm looking forward to an America that the world can trust as a leader again with Hillary Clinton leading a new era.

The whole world adored Bill Clinton too, it will be amazing to have him and Hillary to give America pride and dignity again.

Get behind her.

Wouldn't you love if China and Iran also had a mature female leader we could feel secure with and establish friendly diplomatic relations with?

I would feel safe in the world again.

Americans, please don't knock down Hillary. Don't knock down a historic hero. Raise her up.

[jwsub28]

How can you even support this woman who lies openly to you? She would be willing to start a war with Iran, did you not hear her in that stupid debate the other night. Her umbrella talk, did you miss that in the midst of the flag pins?

NAFTA , she supported it. Only now she dosen't because it does not fit into her presidential ambitions. Her chief strategist Mark Penn and his Columbian ties. This is all information she knew about. Her 109 MILLION DOLLARS, we had to grab those taxes from her greedy hands, she didn't want that info to get out.
If you don't believe me go on youtube and listen to her, it is her voice and words and face saying complete lies.

Historic hero, are you kidding me? This is a woman that stays with a man for her own political gain. I wouldn't let my daughter around her. What a important lesson to teach your daughter, your father can cheat on me with anyone and I will stick by him. What a loser! You are forgetting the bad days in the 90's ,seriously you need to be informed.

Mature leader with China and Iran. She wants to attack Iran, watch the speech. She is like a republican in democrats clothing. She is scary. I would never trust her.

[AlG1]

Cqn't tell you much about the debate. I turned it off at 8:37. It was the most ludicrus debate I have ever seen. Shame on the moderators!

[dawlishgal]

Apparently, you haven't followed Hillary's illustrious career (or Bill's)....the constant investigations, the financial improprieties, the philandering, the loss of congress, Hillary's inability to delegate or to compromise. And her tendency to bear grudges. These traits do not bode well for this country in times of constant crises.

I am reading the Carl Bernstein book, and am amazed at how much I had forgotten about the way they had behaved when they were in power. If Hillary had been able to compromise just a tiny bit, we would have had healthcare for almost a decade and a half. But she can't and we still don't have it.

I had forgotten that she was forced to back off after the loss of congress, and that her place as Bill's confidant was taken by the repellent Dick Morris (at Hillary's suggestion).

UGH...we have had way more than enough of these two. Without them the Democrats might have retained control of congress, and we certainly wouldn't have had 8 years of George W. Bush.

[Cherlesq]

See "Paul v. Clinton" as a possible example of what we can expect in the future.

[MikeBHryan]

Yay! Hillary! She will take us back to the 90’s, better times than now for sure, but with Obama we will finally be carried into the 21st century! Yay!

Do you really think that American's are going to allow perhaps our most talented politician ever just disappear into the night, dear friend? Like he's a Dukakis or Kerry? Noone will feel bad about doing the same to Hillary. I mean, after all, she will always be Bill's wife.

[jwsub28]

I have given up on the cable and the local channels. They take something like when Obama didn't put his hand up for the NATIONAL ANTHEM not the Pledge of Alligence! I don't put my hand on my chest for the National Anthem. Most people don't!! But the press kept going with the story, stating Obama did not put his hand on his heart for the Pledge. It wasn't the freaking Pledge! It's like talking to your kid over and over again, nothing sinks in until they are way into their 20's or 30's if you are lucky!

They are a bunch of idiots! David Gregory his new show sucks, Race to the White House! He has Joe Scarborough on it, another idiot. He walks off the set because the only woman on his show made more sense than him. Rachel Maddow should be the one with her own show!

Chris Matthews, what is up with him lately? His college tour with McCain was laughable! David Brooks from the NYT he actually thought ABC asked good questions! Tucker Carlson, thank god they got him off the airwaves! I don't watch Fox News at all, CNN has Glenn Beck!!

The only one that I enjoy is Keith Olbermann and also, Bill Moyers has an excellent show.
For humor I have to turn to Bill Maher, Colbert and Jon Stewart , they are the only ones worth watching anymore. Face it people, the media on TV suck

[apoyo]

Tim Russert this morning again stated that Obama didn't have his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance when it's already been clarified that it was during the national anthem. He also stated that Michelle had said she wasn't proud of her country when what she actually said was "really proud of her country". It's on video. He also pointed out the so called Ayers connection. All for the purpose of charging that the republicans would use it.

Why would they need to use it? When everyone, including Tim, holier than thou, Russert is doing their dirty work for them already.

These MSM millionaires are looking out for their bottom line. I guess integrity doesn't pay.

[jwsub28]

I saw that this morning. I got mad and turned it off after awhile. They are such asses. I just want to scream at him. It was the freaking National Anthem! We just have to stop watching their shows. He along with the other ones that I listed above all suck big time! They will do anything for RATINGS

[Charmed]

What some middle Americans don't realize is that some of these news people are looking out for their own bottom line. Remember Gibson was only concerned about the capital gain taxes. Tim keeps telling lies over and over again and nobody seems to be calling him on it BUT the downside to that for him is that many americans are actually tuned in and they know what's what. There are some who are still hung up on when bill clinton was the president and they think hillary will be the same type of president but I don't think that.

She's smart but she doesn't have the temperment to be president.