Condi for President!!!

[Bruzilla]

I like the network - but it IS conservative. My answer to that is - so what?

And how do you arrive at the term "Conservative?" I would consider the PTL Network conservative because it is totally dominated by Conservatives. I consider PBS to be Liberal because it is totally dominated by Liberals. I consider CNN to be Liberal because it is predominantly staffed by Liberals.

Please find me one network, aside from the religious ones, that are predominantly staffed by Conservatives? I don't mean a network like FNC that's equally divided, I mean one where you have Liberals greatly outnumbered by Conservatives?

All the networks give airtime to both parties, and most hosts beat on Liberals as much as Conservatives. But as we all know from Rathergate, it's the host of the show that really drives the discussion, and the hosts and commentators of Fox's shows are pretty evenly divided. That spells fair and balanced to me, not Conservative.

 

[SamSpade]

.
All the networks give airtime to both parties, and most hosts beat on Liberals as much as Conservatives. But as we all know from Rathergate, it's the host of the show that really drives the discussion, and the hosts and commentators of Fox's shows are pretty evenly divided. That spells fair and balanced to me, not Conservative.

Well, who's their number one host? O'Reilly. NOT liberal. People may tell me he's not conservative either, but they're lying. There's a *reason* that nutcases like Franken hate him. Who's next after that? Sean Hannity (yes, I know Alan Colmes is there too, but he might as well not be). Who's next? Shepard Smith, then Brit Hume, then maybe Neil Cavuto or Tony Snow.

Is there any doubt where the political views of Brian Kilmeade, E.D. Hill or Steve Doocy lie?

Go to their website. Read about the GOP, conservatives, the Swift Boats. Links to conservative sites.

Look - I *like* FOX News. It's my main source of news. I'd watch O'Reilly every night if I had time. I'm a bona fide conservative. But you can't be really honest to claim that a Murdoch-owned, Roger Ailes network is going to be anything but conservative. To deny it is just as blind as for the liberals to say that CNN or The New York Times isn't liberal. Of course it is.

Now, do I think FOX is *fair*? Damn right it is. They balance their coverage. If they can regularly get the head of the DNC on there badmouthing the President, they can't be *too* afraid of being fair, can they? Even their business shows have people on there like Wayne Rogers who absolutely hates Bush, and never fails to take a shot at him even on a show unrelated to politics.

But who fills in for the regular hosts? Known conservative pundits.

I don't mind. It's a breath of fresh air, just to not have to see someone like Katie Couric point her finger to her throat when talking about Republicans - to hear Dan blather on - to listen to windbags like Ted Koppel defend his reading of names of the fallen in Iraq. They're NOT conservative, and it p!sses them off that everyone doesn't agree with them. They think *they're* mainstream, and the 'right' is just everyone who *isn't* mainstream. They don't see 'right' and 'left'. To them, it's normal, and wackos.

But I'd be lying if I said FOX ain't conservative. It *is*.

 

[SmallTown]

Well, who's their number one host? O'Reilly. NOT liberal. People may tell me he's not conservative either, but they're lying.

I say he is a conservative and a reluctant republican. Kind of reminds me of myself. I find myself more aligned with the right, but don't like what they are as a whole. From watching O'Reilly, he definately sounds the same way.

 

[vraiblonde]

O'Reilly is not my idea of a conservative. He's pro-abortion, anti-death penalty, pro-drug legalization, supports gun control, thinks we should all give up our SUVs because of global warming, etc, etc, etc. The only reason he likes Bush now is because Bush came on his program - prior to that he had good things to say about Kerry, until Kerry refused to come on his show.

Unless by "conservative" you mean "not liberal", which is the definition that is commonly accepted these days.

 

[SamSpade]

O'Reilly is not my idea of a conservative. He's pro-abortion, anti-death penalty, pro-drug legalization, supports gun control, thinks we should all give up our SUVs because of global warming, etc, etc, etc. The only reason he likes Bush now is because Bush came on his program - prior to that he had good things to say about Kerry, until Kerry refused to come on his show.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=23246

He's against the death penalty ONLY because he thinks it's not harsh *ENOUGH*. He thinks McVeigh got off *easy*.

He's against *late term* abortions. He's a little fuzzy elsewhere - like many conservatives.

I haven't heard that he's "pro-drug legalization". He is absolutely against drug dealers, and clearly thinks they are the bottom rung of humanity. He IS for decriminalization of marijuana especially if it is prescribed. Decriminalization is NOT legalization. He's just for punishing the pusher, not the user.

He's not against gay adoption - and neither am I.

He absolutely supports the war in Iraq.

He's got an ongoing battle with the CBC because they're a state-run *liberal* news broadcast - and he's NOT liberal enough for them.

And he's got this schtick about gangsta rap and the ACLU.

When he's not on the air, he always has a conservative host fill in for him - like John Kasich.

Until 2000, he was registered as a Republican. When newspapers were going to call him on that, he switched to independent.

And you only have to read his books to know, he sure ain't no liberal.

 

[vraiblonde]

He's against the death penalty ONLY because he thinks it's not harsh *ENOUGH*. He thinks McVeigh got off *easy*.

O'Reilly has a whole chapter devoted to this in The O'Reilly Factor - he is decidedly anti-death penalty.

I am not saying O'Reilly is a liberal - I'm saying that he is not a conservative. He tends to be all over the political map with his opinions.

 

[rraley]

ADA: 20%
ACU: 78%

A conservative would score something like...0% and 100%.

Larry, the average ACU rating for a Republican is 80% and the average ADA rating is in the 30s...so McCain seems to be quite at par for the GOP...the thing is that he has some hot-button issues that he leans to the Democratic side and that is when we hear him on television. Vice versa for Joe Lieberman. The two of them are open to working with the other side and will criticize their own side...doesn't mean that they aren't good Democrats or Republicans; it means that they have open minds and are committed to governance, not politics.

As for the networks...CNN is more left and Fox News is more right and MSNBC/NBC seem to be the best (in my opinion). What Sam Spade had to say was quite satisfactory to me...but I disagree with any network claiming to be fair...it's impossible.

 

[Bruzilla]

But I'd be lying if I said FOX ain't conservative. It *is*.

Since you're into the mode of name dropping, let's look at a tote board for Fox News hosts, contributors, and reporters:

Republicans:

Kilmeade
Hill
Hannity
North
Snow
Barnes
Huddy
Leventhal
Kristol
Cavuto
Baker
Baier
Thomas (Cal)
Kelly
Hume
Kasich
Crowley

Democrats:

McCuddy
Varney
Griffin
Kondracke
Connely
Williams
Angle
Vester
Rivera
Salinas
Van Susteren
Colmes
Pemmeraju

Anyone's Guess?

Doocy
Napolitano
O'Reilly
Smith

Do the math. I'll admit there's a slight edge for the Republicans, but I would challenge you to find another network that's anywhere near that balanced.

And I don't see anyway possible for anyone to call O'Reilly anything. He's a self-serving suck-up artist who's for anyone who'll give him the time of day and against anyone who won't. I haven't watched his show for close to a year because I got tired of him talking tough about people, then fawning over them when they came on. He's a total .

 

[Larry Gude]

Yeah...

Republican

But that's the key there. I think what I was trying to say is that he is not a conservative.

Democrats are in a tough spot. There party cannot run someone as openly liberal nationally. The media, for basically the whole last election cycle, tried to ignore Kerry's voting record and help paint him as some sort of moderate.

This was attempted by using the EZ method; make the argument that the other guy, W, is WAY to far right. If people buy it, it moves your guy to the center without lifting a finger in spite of his record.

On the other side, Republicans do very well nationally with conservatives. So, while your side might talk openly of McCain being acceptable to you, your party marginalizes it's own moderates like Leibermann. We're suppossed to compromise when you won't?

Besides, what we're doing is working.

 

[Toxick]

I haven't watched his show for close to a year because I got tired of him talking tough about people, then fawning over them when they came on. He's a total .

It would certainly be fun to watch O'Reilley and Al Franken get into a b¡tch-slapping competion, though - Don & Mike style.


Anyone unfamiliar with that: Two opponents face each other and take turns delivering a facial slap on each other. Neither one is allowed to defend himself, but must take the slap in stride. Oftentimes the intensities of the slaps gain intensity as the opponents anger increases, but Don & Mike always step in before it comes to fisticuffs.

The contest continues until one of the b¡tchslappers quits because of face-pain or shoulder fatigue.




I would buy a $50 pay-per-view to watch a Franken/O'Reilley b¡tchslap fight.

 

[SamSpade]

Do the math. I'll admit there's a slight edge for the Republicans, but I would challenge you to find another network that's anywhere near that balanced.

You mean, *add up* the number of persons on one side versus the other? You can't be serious.

Try to remember - this is my *favorite* network. I can't turn on Chris Matthews for more than a minute without reaching for the remote. To me, he typefies MSNBC.

But two of those you listed as Democrat - Rivera and Susteren - are bona fide liberals, it's true - but you wouldn't know it generally, because their news coverage isn't commentary on politics. And if you'd watched Geraldo covering the war, you'd swear he was a bona fide conservative, even though he declares otherwise.

Mainly, I look at the hosts of shows. I dismiss Alan Colmes, because to be fair, he's a wuss. And that's being nice. The guy's a pushover. It's Hannity's show. You didn't mention John Gibson, host of The Big Story. Conservative. Even Linda Vester, whose credentials should make her liberal almost constantly defends stories of interest to conservatives - "News Hounds" hates her for this. Liberal or not, she reports a conservative viewpoint.

Let's see. Williams. I'm guessing, *Juan* Williams? Yeah, liberal. Although he doesn't get to say much. On the Sunday talk shows, you can tell he's biting his tongue, much as George Will is on "This Week" for the same reason - he's outnumbered.

Most people I know who have turned to FOX do it for one reason - they see it as conservative. My parents now watch it almost exclusively. I don't see why this appears to bother people. Every outlet by Murdoch is conservative. The head of FOX News is Roger Ailes, a campaign strategist for the Bushes, consultant to Reagan and Nixon. A bona fide conservative.

Look, I *like* FOX for being conservative. I'm just not in denial over it. What it DOES do, is attempt to be *fair*. I once heard Sam Donaldson discuss this - can you make your bias known, but STILL be fair about how you handle the news? I think so. To this day, I don't know what side politically John Chancellor ever was - or Tim Russert still is. I know Chris Wallace is liberal, but he doesn't pull punches on *anyone*. He is fair.

And I don't see anyway possible for anyone to call O'Reilly anything.

Supposedly, the Republican 'tent' is a bigger one than the Democrat one - you can be pro-choice and still be a successful Republican - it doesn't work the other way for Democrats. I like O'Reilly for at least a couple things - he doesn't just follow the party line if he disagrees with it. Nobody should.

But he has *been* Republican in the past, and voted for them. He's definitely right of center if anything. He hates the ACLU and berates organizations with a "liberal agenda". You won't find him sneering at neo-cons or right-wing "nutjobs" but you will hear "lunatic left" from time to time. He doesn't skewer without bias.

 

[Bruzilla]

I think you would be really hard pressed to find many conservative slanted reports on FNC. I'm talking news (Brit Hume, Tony Snow, etc.) not commentary (Hannity & Colmes, O'Reilly, etc.) Most all of the Fox news shows always have discussion panels with Dems and Republicans, but I think the biggest difference between Fox and the others is they actually report the whole story, good or bad for Republicans, rather than just the parts of the story that support one agenda or another.

My apologies to Gibson... I forgot about him. But then Crowly isn't on Fox anymore, so the numbers are still the same.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Sam, I disagree with you about Fox News. I can watch and be angry one minute because I find the view point too liberal and nodding with approval the next. There is no other network that comes even close to being balanced. Fox seems conservative by comparison to the others because they are so liberally biased.