Sunday, May 07, 2006
The Sean Hannity Beat Down Session
Mediamatters has a few great pages on Orifice. I have many warm memories of Hannity’s soulful declarations of support for the president, his endless hostility at those who would dare to question the Commander-in-Chief of the military in a time of war, and his saccharine, coercive concern for the troops that was immediately withdrawn if they should come home and question the war or the leaders of it. I remember his lowlights:
1. Was an apologist for the torturers and abusers in the US military.
On June 7, 2005, on The View, he said the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was limited to “underwear on the head of one of them,” a ridiculous falsehood contradicted by thousands of media stories, the Taguba Report, and eye-witness accounts.
On September 10, 2004, he suggested that the Abu Ghraib prison photos might be a DNC plot.
On May 31, 2005 edition of Hannity and Colmes Hannity asserted that “we didn’t hurt anybody” at Guantánamo Bay, also asserting on the March 3 edition of that show that “there’s nobody at Guantánamo Bay that’s there for nothing.”
2. Hannity defended all conservative figures when fairly criticized.
Hannity falsely asserted that Bill Bennett was “Quoting from a book” (on January 18th of 2006) when Bennett said that "if you wanted to reduce crime ... you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down."
Amusingly enough, Hannity used the same show to apologize for Trent Lott’s racist remarks, remarks that Hannity described as “throw-away comments.” Hannity does indeed want to throw the comments away, and I’m sure that Trent Lott did at the time, but what was said was said.
On October 25, 2005, Hannity labeled a caller a “nutcase” for daring to suggest that the president should fire Karl Rove because the president said he would fire anyone involved in the leaking of her name.
Hannity has not only defended but hosted the most extreme and dangerous of right-wing radicals. Ann Coulter is usually a guest on his show, a woman who has said “I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo,” on her December 21, 2005 syndicated column.
On always has to wonder if Coulter is joking, though she has said previously that she means everything she says, and it is beyond the scope of any argument to speculate baselessly on what she really meant. She has a long career of misogyny (women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, women “just aren’t as bright” as men), racism (Arabs are “tent merchants” and “camel jockeys”), and a fulminating hatred for “liberals” (her above comments, among thousands of others).
3. Hannity is a shill for conservative politicians.
Every issue that comes up every day is tendentiously reported by Hannity. To cite three or four or ten is ridiculous: he deceptively frames an argument in the service of the GOP about five times every day. Here are a few completely arbitrary examples:
*Hannity accused democrats of “politicizing” Coretta Scott King’s funeral
*Hannity has continuously, for years now, asserted that it is immoral to criticize the president or US foreign policy as it gives “aid and comfort” to terrorists, in the clumsiest of fascist rhetoric.
*Hannity said that John Kerry called our troops “terrorists,” a mischaracterization so ridiculous as to defy explanation.
*On September 15 and November 21 of 2005 Hannity falsely claimed that “Reagan’s” tax cuts “doubled” revenue, an assertion that is simply false. http://mediamatters.org/items/200511220007
*Hannity, on the October 31 broadcast of Hannity and Colmes, slandered Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the false accusation that she suggested lowering the age of consent to 12 and supported legalizing prostitution. http://mediamatters.org/items/200511010012
*Hannity pimped endlessly for the conservative cause in the Terri Schiavo case, including hosting a false “nobel-prize nominated” doctor and hosting eighteen Schiavo advocates with one opposed.
*In March of 2005 Hannity, along with the rest of the GOP representatives in media, lied endlessly about how no republicans had ever filibustered a democratic judicial nominee
*In Februrary 11th of 2005 Hannity said there was “an absence of evidence” that Kerry saw combat in Vietnam, one of the more disgusting Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smears.
*Hannity repeatedly praised Jeff Gannon, gay male escort and fake journalist, as “a terrific Washington Bureau chief and Washington correspondent for Talon News.”
I actually have pages of Hannity misquotes typed out. To put them all in one blog entry would be a little overboard. But a beat down session has been long in coming for Hannity.
# posted by BitterHarvest @ 10:21 AM 
