Hey Drew… is it mandatory to editorialize negatively in every single FNC post? Just wondering… since it happens every time a Mediaite writer says something about an FNC program.

Although, to be fair, it happens in all the Maddow posts too… just those are more of the ooey-gooey hugs and kisses variety.

@ImNot Blue: I would love for you to check out these articles:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/leftist-blogs-run-with-fox-friends-lies-story-but-thats-not-whole-truth/

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/louis-farrakhan-rev-jeremiah-wright-and-a-catholic-priest-walk-into-a-benefit/

http://www.mediaite.com/online/chris-matthews-compares-republicans-to-north-korean-politicians/

He couldn’t resist calling Tom Hanks a “pinhead” because he jibed at Fox News. I guess it doesn’t matter that while on the air on Morning Joe, Tom Hanks called it Morning Junk. But no … just another left wing pinhead who somehow produces and directs some of the most patriotic movies and documentaries in the last decade. Because he does not like Fox News.

Drew, don’t bother wearing out your keyboard with IMB. Judging by his comments here, unless you’re throwing lavish praise on Fox News and bowing down to their staff, apparently you’re a left wing hack.

O’Reilly is just defending — what? Fox Not News Channel? The 24/7 ‘news channel’ that is about 18 hours of ‘entertainment’ of the O’Reilly/Hannity/Beck/Fox and Friends’ type is ripe for just what Hanks did – tell the truth with pointed humor. Hey, Bill O’Lielly !! It’s OK!! Hanks is, unlike you, a real entertainer!!

OK — This is snark purely because it’s easy and I don’t mean a lot by it…

Barbara Walters to Bill O’Reillly (3:14);
You are the only person, practically, who I know in television who doesn’t have a reality show

Drew Grant says:
March 6, 2010 at 1:52 pm

And your point is, what, Drew?

That “sometimes” you’re not shilling for a particular ideology. Terrific.

I know this is a defense used frequently here on Mediaite… the “look, we also did an article about XYZ… that proves we’re not biased.” Really? Do you think anyone is buying that?

I’ll prove my point with a question: Yesterday, Glynnis wrote a piece about Glenn Beck (shocker) attacking the NYTimes… and defending David Paterson. Is this evidence that Beck isn’t a right-winger, or at least to the right of center? Does this mean that Beck is a centrist… or even a Democrat, because he stood up for Paterson?

Somehow, I think we all know the answer to that. Just because there is an article here or there that doesn’t needlessly bash FNC or Republicans, snarkily misconstrue something someone on the “right” has said, or is somewhat critical of someone on the left or left-of-center… does not mean that the whole of the work is without criticism.

If it makes you feel better, I’ll say that 95% of your work is snarky, misleading, and shills for the anti-FNC, anti-Republican crowd… you hang your hat on the other 5%.

Vik Sidhu says:
March 6, 2010 at 1:57 pm

False.

I’m just a fan of fairness. Attack FNC when they deserve it… but the trend of Mediaite writers to editorialize negatively about any and all things FNC or Republican is a problem.

If my calling Mediaite out on their undeniable bias makes me a bad person… well, sign me up.

PS- I’d love to see some examples of what you’re talking about.

Uhmm, Drew, young boy, the Joseph McCarthy era (the one you love to hate) was in the 1950′s. The Eugene McCarthy era (the one I love to hate) was in the 1960′s.

Sorry, young lady.

Why is Bill O’Reilly attacking Tom Hanks in this episode about Hollywood greats? Is it because Mr. O’Reilly does not think he is one, or is it an unnecessary sniper attack because Hanks does not like Fox News? Isn’t this an easy answer without getting into “WOE!” everyone is against Fox News, all the constant examples.

If you are proud of your Fox News product then there is no need to be so defensive as to call someone a pinhead. I mean really — Tom Hanks?? What is he going to call him next? Not a real American?

@Azarkhan: Well, if we’re going to nitpick… Hanks has only made movies for 25 years and he was in television for the previous four, so the 30+ is a bit of an exaggeration also. Though, I just saw this as pointer post which embedded a couple of videos that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise, for which I’m grateful and I just believe it’s all in good fun.

Actually, despite the fact that he has won two Oscars, I call Tom Hanks a mediocre actor.

Aside from that, he is your typical wealthy Hollywood liberal who lives in a mansion (cost: $26,000,000 dollars, 14,500 sq ft) on a large estate, sends his kids to expensive private schools, and looks down on the average American because he or she is not as “progressive” as he is. Nothing really new here.

Magister-It’s not about nitpicking; it is about getting history right.

Ms. Grant should simply take the extra minute to Google Sen McCarthy. Otherwise, an intelligent, objective reader (not me-I’m a fucking white racist and proud of it!) might be tempted to dismiss her whole argument.

Opinionated pinhead attacks Tom Hanks and calls him an opinionated pinhead. Nice little racket O’Reilly carved himself.

I would not call Tom Hanks a great actor, either — another reason why I was puzzled as to why Bill O’Reilly would bring him into the discussion on that topic. So I guess you would agree that it was a petty attack.

Also, when did Tom Hanks look down on people as not progressive?

And is there a difference in rich or not rich people sending their children to public or private schools — or even home schooling? I think that is a parental decision and none of our business.

@magister: Hanks first movie was in 1980 (but no one saw it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080850/)

@Azarkhan good catch!

@Azarkhan: I completely understand and because aging Tom Hanks ages me, I had actually written the same “nitpick”, but a quick refresh showed that you beat me to it.

Of course towards Drew point, it’d probably be easier for her to change “the 60s” to “the 50s” rather than replace “McCarthy era” with Vietnam or Civil Rights, though either way, the gist of her joke would remain the same.

sueNaustin:

I think when you push a progressive agenda, support public schools and not charter schools, support the NEA and not vouchers, and believe strongly in integration, then you should put your money were your mouth is, so to speak, and send your kids to public schools. Especially if you are in politics and your last name is Clinton, Gore, Kennedy or Obama.

Otherwise, you are a filthy hypocrite. That’s all I’m saying!

I find it interesting that some will actually come to this site, read the column and then attack the messenger when it does not “fit” with their ideology. I don’t necessarily agree with everything that is written but I have never attacked a columnist.

Here’s a little secret. Unless someone is holding a gun to your head you really don’t have to come to this site, read what you apparently disagree with, and attack the columnist. Seriously, it’s true, give it a try.

Is that what Tom Hanks has been doing? Is he supposed to represent all Progressives/Liberals/Democrats? I don’t think that is what he is doing. Why are we taking Tom Hanks and smearing him into this huge cauldron of a mess that O’Reilly concocted out of nowhere?

Hanks is a filthy hyprocrite? Really, I mean I remember him in that cross-dressing series … I did enjoy it, so I guess I can blame him for all the ills that liberalism has brought.

Sue, since you obviously didn’t read this part, I’ll post it again:

I think when you push a progressive agenda, support public schools and not charter schools, support the NEA and not vouchers, and believe strongly in integration, then you should put your money were your mouth is, so to speak, and send your kids to public schools. Especially if you are in politics and your last name is Clinton, Gore, Kennedy or Obama.

No, I did read it — no need to be nasty. But thanks for repeating it — to sum up you are saying that to be a Democrat you have to send your children to a public school.

Does that mean to be a Republican you have to make sure your children join the military?

Sue, good point. I think politicians should have/encourage their kids to do some kind of public service, and I consider the military to be part of that. However, you can’t make someone who is eighteen join the military, or anything else for that matter.
But I have more respect for politicians whose sons or daughters join the military. I think VP Bidens son was stationed in Iraq. Gotta give him props for that.

The public schools in the DC area are so bad no one should send their kids there.

Only 14 percent of Washington’s fourth-graders score at or above proficiency in the reading and math portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test. Their national rank of 51 makes them the nation’s worst. Eighth-graders are even further behind with only 12 percent scoring at or above proficiency in reading and 8 percent in math and again the worst performance in the nation. One shouldn’t be surprised by Washington student performance on college admissions tests. They have an average composite SAT score of 925 and ACT score of 19.1, compared to the national average respectively of 1017 and 21.1. In terms of national ranking, their SAT and ACT rankings are identical to their fourth- and eighth-grade rankings — dead last.

Are we talking about the same Tom Hanks who made “Band of Brothers”? Seems pretty patriotic to me. Are we talking about the same Tom Hanks who makes “Big Love”? He is a god!

Azarkhan, thanks for your response. I just have to wonder, when President Obama asks for people to engage in some kind of public service and is (almost vilified) .. more MOCKED, I guess is the right word, what does that mean? What is public service?

As to joining the military service as an adult — It didn’t immune John Kerry from extreme jokes at his expense, did it?

Moderate, to your point:

“The Cato Institutes’s Andrew Coulson had crunched the numbers and finds that the District of Columbia public school system spent almost $1.3 billion educating 45,858 students for the 2008-2009 school year (data here).

That works out to spending of $28,169 per student (and that’s for last year, spending is probably higher this year), which is almost as much as Harvard tuition of $32,550 for the 2009 academic year (data here), see chart above. And the D.C. district’s annual budget for 2008-2009 of $1.29 billion places it just slightly below the annual GDP of the entire country of Belize (data here) in 2008, see chart above.”

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/02/dc-public-schools-129-trillion-28170.html

The DC school system is a disgrace, and its not because of lack of funding. Anyone who argues that will have to explain why Catholic schools do so much better with no public funding.

Sue, John McCain was also not immune to criticism.

But I think national service should be required, with the individual having the option of going in the military or another type of service, e.g., hospital work, public works, etc.

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more SHOCKED at the BIAS exhibited here on Mediaite, along comes THIS hit piece!!1 Instead of reading a blog that I LIKE, I vow to stay RIGHT HERE and continue to point out the fact that the staff of this site are just more LAMESTREAM MEDIA ELITIST LIBS!!1 I suggest all of my fellow Right-Thinking Americans DO THE SAME!!1 Together, we will force Dan Abrams to CLEAN HOUSE and hire all of us!!1 I vote I’mNotBlue for EDITOR IN CHIEF!!1

If there are any moderators out there could you please, please make Karl Spenser stop SCREAMING AT US!!!!!!

Don’t worry, soon ImNotBlue will show up and “expose” Karl once more, finally putting an end to his reign of terror and capital letters! (!!1)

Azarkhan says:
March 6, 2010 at 4:48 pm

I totally disagree with you on this, Az on general philosophy and the mechanics.

Coerced “public service” are not good works by definition. It is state mandated indentured service.

Additionally, what size government bureaucracy at what cost to the taxpayers would it take. How much power would it cede to bureaucrats over every young adult and their families. How many gold mines of corruption would it create.

I know BHO talked about this in the election in terms of “an army” worthy of defense magnitude spending. Count me out of that for more reasons than one.

Grammie, I see your point(s).

For me it is a fairness issue, esp. regarding military service. During Vietnam privileged males who were able to go to college were given exemptions from military service while the rest were subject to being drafted.

While the volunteer Army pays a lot more, it is still only a small percentage of the population that serves while the entire population enjoys the benefits. And since the rich enjoy more benefits then everyone else, I think they should also do some form of national service.

Ted says:
March 6, 2010 at 3:27 pm

I find it interesting that some will actually come to this site, read the column and then attack the messenger when it does not “fit” with their ideology. I don’t necessarily agree with everything that is written but I have never attacked a columnist.

Ted… come on. We’ve all read your stuff. You attack posters, and the subject of posts in some of the most nasty and vile ways. I get you’re argument, but really… we all know you. You can’t pretend you’re someone you’re not, when we already know who you are.

Here’s a little secret. Unless someone is holding a gun to your head you really don’t have to come to this site, read what you apparently disagree with, and attack the columnist. Seriously, it’s true, give it a try.

Do you feel the same way about people who watch FNC and complain? The people who report on everything Sarah Palin, or Glenn Beck, or Bill O’Reilly have to say… and then whine for one reason or another? Shouldn’t they too ignore them?

sueNaustin says:
March 6, 2010 at 4:34 pm

Azarkhan, thanks for your response. I just have to wonder, when President Obama asks for people to engage in some kind of public service and is (almost vilified) .. more MOCKED, I guess is the right word, what does that mean? What is public service.

If I remember the situation correctly, he was suggesting he would require public service. There’s a difference between asking for it and requiring it. Although personally, I don’t think putting a requirement in for high school graduation would be a bad thing.

Karl Spensen says:
March 6, 2010 at 7:39 pm

Oh, Christian… we were making such progress. You were doing so much better… posting real comments, instead of your snarky and sarcastic drivel. *Sigh* So close.

Anyway, I don’t think Abrams has to clean house… just bring on some additional staffers. You agree with diversity, right? Well, what about intellectual diversity? Isn’t that important too?

Either that, or finally declare Mediaite to be a left-of-center site… be honest about its bias. What’s wrong with that?

Cubby says:
March 6, 2010 at 9:59 pm

You think about me a lot. Honestly, I’m flattered.

(PS- Hey Ted. Karl and Cubby both called me out before I got here… neither of them really responding to my comments. Do you want to attack them for “attacking the messenger,” for consistency sake… or just pretend you didn’t notice it?)

O’Reilly is a banal blow hard and will never shut up as long as their is a camera in his face…

Though I’m a conservative, I give Hanks a pass because of his involvement in the National World War II Memorial and some of the greatest movies & mini-series I’ve ever seen: “Saving Private Ryan”, “Band of Brothers” and “John Adams”.

Nice of you to ‘give Hanks a pass…” Didn’t hear him ask for one nor does he likely want one for recognizing Fox Not News Channel as what it is.