Posted by Pam Spaulding May 25, 2008 in Uncategorized, Media, Election, Boggles the Mind, Bad Ideas, Assholes
(UPDATE: See Francis’s take here and here. Also read the post over at A Slanted Truth about why these assassination remarks cut deep.)
How on earth do these sick people at Fox News get away with sh*t like this? Here is Liz Trotta, brought on to comment about Hillary Clinton’s ill-conceived remarks, and Trotta not only blurts out “Osama”, but laughs and “corrects” herself, suggesting it would be a good idea to knock both off. My god.
This is yet another example of filing the edges off of the egregious casual mention of assassination, so that those offended and concerned about such casual talk are eventually the ones perceived with a hangup. It is a caustic and disgusting tactic frequently used by Fox, Limbaugh and the rest. It surfaced a while ago in regards to overt racism in the conservative MSM (see my post Filing the edges off of racism). Watch for more of this crap.
“and now we have what … uh…some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama …uh..um..Obama [after being prompted by the FNC anchor]….well both if we could [laughing]”
Hat tip, floozy.
31 Responses to “Faux News talking head gleefully suggests ‘knocking off’ Obama”
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Good thing Fox is on the right, because, y’know, if anyone on the left advocated using murder to derail the legitimate process of government the FBI and secret service would be having some serious talks with them.
I think her comment was just out there and is undermining and ridiculing the entire Democratic party. That comment she made was so much worse than what Hillary said, by a long shot. Yes, Hillary really didn’t make herself very clear with how she referenced the RFK shooting, but at least her intentions weren’t about suggesting Obama’s assassination. But when this woman came out and made a remark that assassinating Obama would be the same as assassinating Osama it is just absurd, and pardon me for saying, bullshit.
Osama, Obama - all them mooslims are the same. They all hate us because we have freedumb!
You know what they say, the only good mooslim is a dead mooslim…
***
Maybe Faux can do a documentary covering all the major American assassinations (and attempts), the men/women who did them, the weapons they used, their techniques, etc.
And then they can get some White Power asshole on to give some opinions on some strategies to use on Obama.
Then they can turn it into a reality show and have contestants compete to see who can actually do it…
Sick, disgusting, sad…
Fixed News appeals America’s built in audience of subliterate mouth-breathers. Over the course of the election I hope it will give fence sitters quite an education on just who the GOP and the right-wing noise machine cater to.
IOKIYAR
nothing to see here . . . move along
/snark
Can you believe I thought that Hillary’s statement was worst it could get for this week? I know! How silly of me! I’m obviously totally spaced out because of all these allergy medications I’m on.
Tyler DiPietro: y’know…I’ve always wondered…what’s the neg about mouth breathing?
Roxie: AFAIK the slack jawed look associated with casual mouth breathing (that is, not while doing intense cardio exercises or the like) is the source of pejorative.
Hmm - should someone dig out teh right-wing reaction to that recent film documenting a hypothetical assassination of Bush?
What Paul Krugman said:
What Krugman said:
It is, in a way, almost appropriate that the final days of the struggle for the Democratic nomination have been marked by yet another fake Clinton scandal — the latest in a long line that goes all the way back to Whitewater.
This one, in case you missed it, involved an interview Hillary Clinton gave the editorial board of South Dakota’s Argus Leader, in which she tried to make a case for her continuing campaign by pointing out that nomination fights have often gone on into the summer. As one of her illustrations, she mentioned that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June.
It wasn’t the best example to use, but it’s absurd to suggest, as some Obama supporters immediately did, that Mrs. Clinton was making some kind of dark hint about Barack Obama’s future.
But then, it was equally absurd to portray Mrs. Clinton’s assertion that it took L.B.J.’s political skills to turn Martin Luther King’s vision into legislation as an example of politicizing race. Yet the claim that Mrs. Clinton was playing the race card, which was promoted by some Obama supporters as well as in a memo by a member of Mr. Obama’s staff, achieved wide currency.
Why does all this matter? Not for the nomination: Mr. Obama will be the Democratic nominee. But he has a problem: many grass-roots Clinton supporters feel that she has received unfair, even grotesque treatment. And the lingering bitterness from the primary campaign could cost Mr. Obama the White House.
Well, Nancy…I hope you are wrong but I suspect it may be more of a problem for Obama than many supporters think.
What I don’t understand is how you can defend this comment when it isn’t the only time she’s said something that alluded to assassination. One time, yeah…okay…she’s tired and maybe not being as eloquent as she could be, but you know darn well that her staff immediately told her how that would fall on the ears of the listeners.
Did she not believe them? Did she decide to use the example again anyway regardless of the fallout?
Stupid? Blind? Calculating? Which? She used up her one time “oops” factor on this issue. Continuing to allude to assassination is then a choice.
Some things HAVE to be out of bounds. You’d think racism was one of those things. You’d think assassination references would be as well.
You’d think.
Menopausal Mick
I have no idea why Krugman is lowering himself to crying and stomping his feet over Hillary Clinton, but whatevs. Methinks his final statement above reflects his own bitter wishes than reality.
Sorry, Pam…got distracted with Clinton…but about your Fox News/Limbaugh post. We, as a people, have allowed this bunch free reign for so long that the shock factor of their unbridled political effluence has become rather common place.
Your reference to “filing off the edges” is a fitting way to describe what has happened in certain areas of our media. I’ll go read that specific post next.
Rupert Murdoch has done this sort of thing to our country on purpose according to several reports. My research on him in this shameless plug:
http://phukkoff.com/blog/2008/05/19/the-fourth-trailer-park/
Menopausal Mick
What gets me is that she said, “Both, if we really could,” and then laughed about it. What a psychopath.
Nancy like it or not, it was a politically stupid thing for Clinton to say (not once but 4 times). Especially since it is the 3rd rail, and especially since many Obama supporters (myself included) have feared just that scenario.
She could have just cited RFK’s campaign as lasting through June, but she had to say assassination.
Now I know that it just may have been that the assassination is the push pin that helps her remember that it happened in June. But to not be aware that this would play very badly in a week where our thoughts were about Ted Kennedy, etc. etc. troubles me greatly.
Tired or not, she needs to know what is going to inflame the situation – and this was it. What happens if she is POTUS, and is tired and has that 3am call?
In recent weeks I have seen many Clinton supporters jump ship and support Obama because of what she, Bill and her campaign have done and said. And I’ve actually been surprised by a few of them.
You know, there’s a quick and simple solution to ensure that no wingnut even considers knocking Obama off after (and if) he gets elected.
Obama/Gore 2008…
Phoenician in a time of Romans
actually I think it’s Obama/Clinton
they hate her so much that they may take great pains to make sure he stays alive
Gore’s already been VP so they wouldn’t fear him as much because they “know” him … sort of their version of “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.”
Go here for Liz Trotta’s FAUX bio:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,34775,00.html
On the left side you’ll see a little gadget to offer news tips to FAUX ‘News’. Here’s mine, engineered to avoid spam robots:
“Liz Trotta favors killing presidential candidates.”
Here’s the autoreply:
“Thanks for the tip! We’ll look into this. And, we promise, your anonymity is guaranteed.”
Have at them. Remember to alter the wording.
I hope they enjoy mine…
“Secret Service agents could be investigating Liz Trotta for suggesting Obama should be assassinated.”
LlamaCorey
I hope they enjoy mine…
Secret Service agents could be investigating Liz Trotta for suggesting Obama should be assassinated.
LlamaCorey
I hope they enjoy mine…
Secret Service agents could be investigating Liz Trotta for suggesting Obama should be assassinated.
I hope they enjoy mine…
Secret Service agents could be investigating Liz Trotta for encouraging the assassination of presidential candidates.
LlamaCorey
… well they could be. Heck, they’re probably investigating me for calling GWB “Chimpy McCokespoon.”
Eric, Rejector of Memes:
Using the FOX tips box you describe, I attempted—unsuccessfully, I believe—to submit this tip:
“Telephone or Internet tips to the United States Secret Service, concerning a broadcast statement by FOX contributor Liz Trotta that expressed a desire for the assassination of presidential candidate Barack Obama, should be expected. Some of the tips may suggest that Liz Trotta be placed on the appropriate watch list.”
I think they'’ll find it anyway.
“What gets me is that she said, “Both, if we really could,” and then laughed about it. What a psychopath.”
I think she was just being honest. It’s interesting that she started the interview foaming at the mouth about Clinton, but then showed her true thoughts about Obama in the process. She offered a candid glimpse into the MSM mind. I’m sure she is not alone in feeling this way: paying lip service to someone whom she despises.
Anybody remember the outcry that ensued from these assholes when that European movie about a theoretical assassination attempt on Bush came out? Seriously, they were acting like the mere suggestion that Bush could be assassinated was an act of war.
And now this.
IOKIYAR, indeed.
There are times I kind of wish the US had incitement laws in the way certain European countries do. This is one of them.
They always say that the Osama/Obama thing is just an imitation of Ted Kennedy accidently saying it once (yeah right.)
Under The United States Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter XIV, Section 879:
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully threatens to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon—
(1) a former President or a member of the immediate family of a former President;
(2) a member of the immediate family of the President, the President-elect, the Vice President, or the Vice President-elect;
(3) a major candidate for the office of President or Vice President, or a member of the immediate family of such candidate; or
(4) a person protected by the Secret Service under section 3056 (a)(6);
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
(b) As used in this section—
(1) the term “immediate family” means—
(A) with respect to subsection (a)(1) of this section, the wife of a former President during his lifetime, the widow of a former President until her death or remarriage, and minor children of a former President until they reach sixteen years of age; and
(B) with respect to subsection (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section, a person to whom the President, President-elect, Vice President, Vice President-elect, or major candidate for the office of President or Vice President—
(i) is related by blood, marriage, or adoption; or
(ii) stands in loco parentis;
(2) the term “major candidate for the office of President or Vice President” means a candidate referred to in subsection (a)(7) of section 3056 of this title; and
(3) the terms “President-elect” and “Vice President-elect” have the meanings given those terms in section 871 (b) of this title
Sorry, but I can’t just grant her that distinction anymore.It’s not the first time she referenced the assassination. It was quite possible for her to say “campaign” instead, in fact, given the situation with Teddy, if was more appropriate for her to do so.
Why didn’t she? Because she can be stopped with the fact that Bobby entered the race later, after LBJ backed out and that her husband actually had his campaign sewn up in March, since he had no serious competition after that.
By referencing “assassination” she brings up not only the fears many have for Obama’s candidacy, but the spectre of MLK’s assassination the same year as Bobby and the Dem convention riots that year. It was rehearsed and loaded.
She knows that her people are of the reality-based community. The facts will matter to them more than the rhetoric.
Do I think she really wants Obama dead? No. Do I think she wants to capitalize on his death should he be murdered. Absolutely, it’s her most plausible scenario right now, and I think she and Bill are just vile enough to consider it.
More to the point of this post, Hillary’s remarks were in no way as vile as this Liz person’s.
Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll even see an apology from Fox, much less any real censure.
There is a distinct difference between wishing something would happen and threatening it. I may wish that Bush lose a fight with a pretzel, but the SS would only start to worry if I start sending economy packs of them to teh White House…