Newt Gingrich, Wrong Again!

Images from source, Think Progress

I already ran a post that refutes Newt Gingrich's assertion that past Presidents didn't "But we didn't rush over, smile, and greet Russian dictators." But it just so happens that the excerpted post below has a treasure trove of past Presidents doing just that. Gingrich is wrong again, which comes as no surprise to me. What surprises me is that he seems to have become a leader in the Republican Party again.

[Excerpt]

History Professor Gingrich Falsely Claims U.S. Presidents Don't 'Smile And Greet' Russian Leaders

Yesterday, President Obama shook hands and briefly chatted with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, explaining in a press conference afterwards that he was trying to move towards a "more constructive" relationship with the South American country. . .

Read more (with video) at: Think Progress

Jon Stewart Takes on CNBC

Funny as it is, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart sometimes serves the public interest. When they do segments with collages clips from politicians, pundits and the like, they serve up a slice of the past. News, political and financial shows are seldom rerun, and only the most egregious slip-ups usually get replayed. But when Stewart airs these kinds of stories, he assembles the many, many times the subjects are wrong, with dates included.

So, you'll see for yourself when somebody like John Boner Boehner says one thing when there is a Republican President, and then the opposite when a Democrat is in office. In this case, it isn't politics, it's financial news. And Stewart shows that the "financial experts" don't know any more what they're talking about than most politicians and pundits. And yet they get to keep their jobs.

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Arianna Huffington on the Right Wing Media

Image from Amazon.com

One of the most frustrating nuggets of "conventional wisdom" we liberal/progressives have to hear is liberal media bias. It is usually offered without any sort of evidence, as though it is just a fact. I often counter with, OK, outside of Countdown with Keith Olbermann which of the media is liberal? In return, the whole alphabet of ABCCBSNBCPBSMSNBCCNN is offered, but still with skimpy reasoning.

I long ago came to the conclusion that conservatives see any media that does not promote conservative bias is de facto liberal. I find that preposterous, and so does Arianna Huffington, proprietor of The Huffington Post. HuffPost was one of the primary influences and inspirations for this blog, and the following excerpt might give you a clue as to why I like it, and her so much.

[Excerpt]

Probing a Political Paradox: Why the Discredited Right Still Sets the Agenda and Dominates the Debate

It's a paradox: the political center has clearly shifted; what used to be considered "left wing" positions have now become part of the mainstream, and the views of the Right are now at odds with the majority of the American public -- and with reality.

Yet, despite this seismic shift -- grossly underreported by the media -- the Right remains as powerful as ever when it comes to setting the national agenda and dominating the national debate. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post