Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:54 pm
According to a new Poll: Fox News Most Trusted Source for ‘News or Commentary’, a finding that makes intelligent people shake their heads. Yet, the same poll has Donald Trump leading all other GOP contenders, which speaks to the innate stupidity of those polled. However, according to the cheeky reportage at AdWeek: ‘Undecided’ Toppled as Most Trusted Source of News, Commentary:
Its dominance has been unparalleled, dominating poll after poll year after year, but in a stunning turnaround, “Undecided” has been toppled from its mighty perch as the nation’s Most Trusted Source of news or commentary.
A Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Wednesday finds “Undecided” slipping to second place with 22 percent, behind the upstart Fox News Channel, taking first place with 27.5 percent.
In the ratings sweepstakes Fox News Channel Beats ‘Walking Dead’ Zombies, NBA All-Stars, no doubt because of hard-hitting reporting like this:
Shep Smith Brings His Show
to a Grinding Halt to
Investigate a Strange Noise
Maybe its ratings are a direct consequence of Fox News: The Home of Two Newly-Designated Anti-Muslim Hate Groups. Meanwhile, Fox News Settles 9/11 Photo Lawsuit Just Before Trial, probably because it would have lost.
ATHEISTS IN A FOX HOLE: It caused a major existential crisis at Murdoch’s Mendacious Media™ when the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God (the Pope’s proper title) appeared to attack the Fox “News” God, Donald Trump. Yes Virginia, Pope Francis Suggests: Donald Trump ‘Is Not Christian’:
“Can a good Catholic vote for this man [Trump]?” a reporter asked him.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” His Holiness responded. “This is not in the Gospel.”
“As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that,” he said. “I say only that this man is not Christian if he said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way, and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.”
Seeing a Godly grudge match, few sources quoted the “benefit of the doubt” part of the Pope’s remarks. But that would have hardly mattered as the thin-skinned Trump [bloviated]: When ISIS Sacks the Vatican, Pope Will Understand Why He Needs President Trump. It took almost no time for Fox News Cohosts [to] Rehab Donald Trump From The Pope’s Criticism as A Laughing Biden Says Choosing Between Pope, Trump ‘Not a Hard Call’. Unless, of course, you’re a Fair & Balanced Channel where a Fox Contributor [laughingly suggested]: Pope Francis “Needs To Ask Donald Trump’s Forgiveness” For Implying Trump Is Not A Christian. This, as Howard Kurtz worries about the political ramifications as Trump punches back against Pope just before crucial primary: Who does that?
Friday morning (as this column is being compiled) Geraldo Rivera and Father Jonathan Morris appeared separately with the ladies on Fox and Friends. Both suggested the Pope was wrong, will eventually come to realize it, and finally walk back his comments. Watch:
What’s HIGH-LARRY-US is listening to Brain Brian Kilmeade read the Pope’s mind followed by quoting a BS Facebook poll.
IRONY ALERT: In the same week that Media Matters for America posts Things Conservatives Have Compared to the KKK, Fox does this…
…and also does this, as a Fox Guest [said]: “Blacks Should No More Vote For Hillary or Bernie Than They Should The Grand Wizard Of The KKK”.
CRYSTAL WRIGHT: It doesn’t resonate with me, but yes it resonates to black people who want to keep buying the Democrat lies. I mean Brian, don’t we hear this every presidential cycle? Every election? Over the past 50 years, Democrats say the same thing about black people, we’ve got to stop the mass incarceration, we’ve got to stop the high crime, high employment. Have any of those problems been solved? No.
BRIAN KILMEADE: Right. But Republicans to their detriment don’t try and the Democrats take it for granted. But now it’ll split the difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Do either one of them deserve that vote, from what they’ve done and what they plan on doing?
CW: Bernie and Hillary, just like Barack Obama and every Democrat before them, has done nothing for black people but tell them lies. And then what happens is they look at black leaders and they fight to pimp out the black vote. So they are jockeying now, Bernie and Hillary. They’re fawning all over the black leaders and they are trying to get black people to tell us, like we’re dummies, hey black people, vote for these Democrats who aren’t going to do anything for you, and the cycle keeps repeating itself. I have always said Republicans need to go out there and ask for the black vote. Because blacks should no more vote for Hillary or Bernie than they should the grand wizard of the KKK, because they keep giving us all these bad policies. And last night you know what they should have said, Brian? Hey, black people, stop having 72% of your babies out of wedlock and your kids won’t be going, won’t be massively incarcerated and arrested.
BK: Well, that’d be an interesting message. I’m not sure it would have resonated, unless you said it.
Which is exactly why Fox got Crystal Wright to say it, of course. As Friday Fox Follies is fond of pointing out, the station allows their Black guests to make the most inflamatory comments. That gives Fox “News” plausible deniability should the feces hits the fan.
SCOTUS WATCH: The other issue causing an existential crisis at Fox “News” was the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The station couldn’t figure out on which side its fealty lie, the Constitution of the United States or the GOP, which demanded President Obama roll over and play dead, as suggested by As Obama Moves To Replace Scalia, The Press Enables Radical GOP Obstruction:
Again and again, the press has depicted Obama’s expected action in the wake of Scalia’s death as being highly controversial or partisan, when in fact it’s Republicans who are acting in erratic ways by categorically announcing they’ll refuse to even consider Obama’s next Supreme Court pick.
The sad part is this type of media acquiescence has become a hallmark of the Obama era. Republicans have routinely obliterated Beltway precedents when it comes to granting Obama the leeway that previous presidents were given by their partisan foes in Congress.
Yet each step along the way, journalists have pulled back, refusing to detail the seismic shift taking place. Instead, journalists have portrayed the obstruction as routine, and often blamed Obama for not being able to avoid the showdowns.
There are opinions on both sides of the debate:
Right-Wing Media To Senate
Republicans: “Stand Firm” Against
Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination
Supreme Court Experts And Reporters:
Obstructionists Should Read The Constitution
The station can’t even decide which side to support:
Fox vs Fox: GOP Supreme Court Obstruction Edition • Megyn Kelly Helps GOP Sen. Sessions Attack Democrats Over Scalia Replacement • ‘Straight News Anchor’ Megyn Kelly: I ‘Idealized’ Antonin Scalia • Fox Analyst Rips Republicans Pledging To Block Obama’s SCOTUS Nomination Before It’s Made:
TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): I think there’re very few Republicans who want to see President Obama in his eighth year in office fill the ninth seat of the Supreme Court. The question is, as a tactical matter was it wise for the Senate majority leader to say we’re not even going to consider a nominee?
PETER JOHNSON JR.: No, I think the Republicans have to recalibrate immediately.
When you make a mistake, say you make a mistake. Part of the reason the outsiders are doing so well is that they’re disgusted with the Congress of the United States. Democrats and Republicans. And if you were a Republican leader to say we’re not going to count any nomination, any person that the president puts up, that’s a problem. They’re going to have a countdown and a clock as to the intransigence of the United States Senate going forward.
CARLSON: So you’re saying it would be wiser just to take a look at the nominees and then evaluate them and then turn them down if you don’t like them?
JOHNSON JR.: It is what I’m saying. In order to be true to conservative principles, in order to be true to the Constitution, in order to be true to the memory of Justice Scalia, then you say yes, Mr. President, send who you want to send over. We’re going to take a look at that man or woman, whoever you send, and we’re going to make a determination. Because you obviously have decided in spite of precedent, most precedent, you say in an election year that you want to force the issue. Fine. If you want to force the issue, then you will force the issue, and we in due time, just as you in due time making a nomination, will decide whether to consent to that nomination of a United States Supreme Court justice.
However, this is a seriously disingenuous statement from Roger Ailes’ personal lawyer. President Obama is not forcing the issue. He is merely doing his job as required by the Constitution that Fox “News” touts all the other times they want to chastise the president.
FOX “NEWS” ELECTION: There is nothing Roger Ailes (age 75) and Rupert Murdoch (84) would like better than to retire as a king-makers by hand-picking the next POTUS on our behalf. For a while it looked like Trump. However, continued animosity on both sides put the kibosh on that pipe dream:
Trump Campaign: Cruz
Winning In New Poll Because
Murdoch-Owned Paper Commissioned It
Donald Trump Campaign Suggests Rupert
Murdoch Rigged A Poll Against Him
Rupert Murdoch: No, I’m Not
‘Running Anti-Trump Conspiracy’
Donald Trump Whines That Fox News
Treats Him ‘Worse Than Anybody’
No doubt The Orange One thought otherwise as Fox News hosts grill Donald Trump in tense interview about his George W. Bush criticism.
However, some fan boys just can’t let go: Fox Co-Host Claims Both He And Eric Bolling Support Donald Trump “Emotionally”. You could just read this dry transcript, but then you’ll never get to see the exact moment Bolling’s head explodes (1:55):
GERALDO RIVERA (CO-HOST): My thought is this. I believe that you, Eric Bolling, favor, at least emotionally, Donald Trump. In the same way that I may — let me finish, I may favor Donald Trump emotionally. If I put words in your mouth —
ERIC BOLLING (CO-HOST): Yeah you are putting words in my mouth.
RIVERA: Let me finish my sentence. That’s my premise. So no one can be further right in the GOP, nor further left in the GOP, than you and I. The fact that Trump is appealing to both of us is a function of this.
BOLLING: Well he appeals to me but not for the emotional reasons that you’re suggesting.
RIVERA: Let me get to my punch line. Let me get to my punch line. The fact that he appeals to both of us —
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE (CO-HOST): Suggests something.
RIVERA: — across a huge ideological gap —
BOLLING: Of course, I’ll agree with that.
RIVERA: — means we are putting into Donald Trump what we want to see. That is the brilliance of Donald Trump.
BOLLING: Can I just clarify this before I bring it on to everyone else? I don’t have an emotional attachment to Donald Trump. I like the fact that he’s a businessman. I’ve known him a long time and frankly tired of business as usual in D.C. and would like to see someone with fresh blood change and shake the place up.
In other election news:
Marco Rubio’s Poor Shaming Comments Come Straight From Fox News’ Talking Points • Fox Keeps Pushing Contributor Scott Brown As Trump’s VP Pick • Fox Pushes “Regular Guy” And Contributor Scott Brown For Trump VP:
Fox News has spent years trying to further Brown’s political career. The channel spent significant time boosting his only successful Senate run in 2010. After he lost his reelection bid in 2012, Brown was hired by Fox News. He then left the network and received major but ultimately unsuccessful help from Fox in his New Hampshire Senate bid. He was rehired by Fox in 2014.
Megyn Kelly Gins Up ‘Controversy’ Over
Richard Dreyfuss Attending A Ted Cruz
Rally • Megyn Kelly Tells Actor Tim
Allen He’s “Very Brave” To Come “Out
Of The Closet As A Conservative”
This sequence of stories could almost be a comedy routine. Incredibly perceptive Sanders Skeptical Of Chris Wallace’s Promise For A Fair Fox Debate: ‘I Have Seen Other Interviews’ and then, as if to prove him right, Fox Host Attacks Bernie Sanders: Rich Kids Deserve Free College Because ‘Their Parents Worked Incredibly Hard’ as Fox’s Gasparino [says]: Bernie Sanders Is “A Freak To Look At”.
A CASE OF THE BLONDE FOLLOWING THE BLONDE:
‘Fox & Friends’ Replaces Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Fmr. WLTX Anchor Named ‘Fox & Friends’ Host
As Ainsley Earhardt Replaces Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Fox & Friends, be sure to watch as the latest interchangeable blonde tips her coif to God (at 3:30):
Meanwhile, she’s not as innocent as her aw-shucks southern smile would indicate:
Segregation-Apologist Ainsley Earhardt
Named As Fox & Friends Cohost
I’ve exaggerated that Earhardt shows more leg than all the other women on Fox put together, but Are The Hiked-Up Skirts On Fox News Just A Coincidence?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: The more leg she shows, the smarter she seems to the average Fox “News” viewer.
BULLY BOY BOLLING: I used to follow Eric Bolling much more closely, dedicating an entire series to him called Chow Mein and Bolling. After tweeting me how little he cared that I caught him in another lie, he blocked me. That’s all water under the bridge.
This week Fox’s Eric Bolling [asks]: “Has [Obama] Ever Been Presidential?”
ERIC BOLLING (CO-HOST): In fact Hillary Clinton, on Saturday Night Live, made a big the joke, oh, we got Trump? Ha ha ha. And now they’re going, uh oh, we might get Trump. President Obama, to say, oh he’s just a reality show host or whatever he said, that’s ridiculous. President Obama broke the mold. Everyone said, well here’s a guy who was basically born of the internet. He was cooler, he was hipper, and now he’s saying well that’s not very presidential. Has he ever been presidential? Obama? Has he really? Let’s be honest. Does that sound bad?
It doesn’t sound any worse than other manure that he has spewed in the past and this week:
Any wonder why I call him a bully?
‘BAMA BASHIN’:
Fox’s Kelly, Perino Rip Obama:
If Scalia Was Liberal, He Would
Definitely Be at Funeral
FOX BYTES: Glenn Beck claims Fox told him not to push prayer because it takes God’s attention off of war • Watch What Happens When Geraldo Rivera Tells Fox News Colleagues Benghazi And The Clinton Emails Are Fake Scandals • Fox Host: Apple Resisting the FBI Is Basically ‘A Victory for ISIS’ • Tucker Carlson Gripes About Plus-Size Model: ‘Keep Politics Out Of My Swimsuit Issue’ • Fox News Erroneously Insists It Was Illegal For Hillary Clinton To Discuss NY Times Articles In Emails • Fox’s Katie Pavlich Blames ‘Far Left Radical’ Teachers For Liberal Millennials
Headly Westerfield, Head Writer at the Not Now Silly Newsroom., also fronts Facebook’s Fox Follies and Fallacies. And, he loves alliteration.
- Friday Fox Follies: Trump Tee Vee - Fri, Jun 23rd, 2017
- Friday Fox Follies: Fair & Balanced No More - Fri, Jun 16th, 2017
- Friday Fox Follies: Comey Comedy Cavalcade - Fri, Jun 9th, 2017
