FX’s Fargo Shows Reagan Bringing Man to Tears with Inspiring Speech

Previewing last Monday’s episode of FX’s Fargo, set in 1979, I highlighted a promotional clip in which a man declared “I’m not shaking” Ronald Reagan’s hand because Reagan “made a movie with a monkey. It wouldn’t be dignified.” In fact, the November 9 episode presented Reagan as a charismatic figure whose “shining city on a hill” speech, at a campaign stop in Minnesota, moved the man to tears.…
Brent Baker
November 16th, 2015 8:08 PM

Heilemann: Governors Refusing Syrian Refugees 'Shameless, Un-American'

Would John Heilemann have called Francois Hollande "shameless" and "un-French" if a few months back he had halted the immigration of Syrian immigrants into France, thus stopping two of the Paris terrorists—who reportedly posed as refugees—from entering the country? The question arises because on today's With All Due Respect, Heilemann condemned as "shameless" and "un-American" the dozen or so…
Mark Finkelstein
November 16th, 2015 6:05 PM

Kos: Conservatives Afraid of Gun Attacks Only If Shooters Are Muslim

Many on the left have accused conservatives of exploiting the Paris terrorist attacks for political gain. On Monday, Daily Kos founder and publisher Markos Moulitsas jumped on the pile, alleging that the right’s main reaction to the attacks was not sadness or outrage, but “excitement” over the prospect of stirring up Islamophobia -- perhaps to the point of getting the Middle East war that they…
Tom Johnson
November 16th, 2015 5:52 PM

Amanpour, Analysts Rip Obama on ISIS: 'The Strategy Is Not Working'

On Monday, CNN's Christiane Amanpour and two of her network's analysts blasted President Obama moments after he ended a press conference where he defended his anti-ISIS strategy. Amanpour underlined that Obama "something that was pretty incredible...that our strategy is working. People do not believe that to be the case. The only strategy that's working is the strategy that he tends to dismiss —…
Matthew Balan
November 16th, 2015 5:15 PM

ABC News Consultant Rips Into Rubio as Refugee Hypocrite on 'The View'

Monday’s The View featured a segment with Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant and former Clinton and Bush national security staffer. Clarke iterated that “We are a country of refugees. The people we're allowing in are the victims of terrorism. We shouldn't punish victims of terrorism.” When Paula Faris brought up that Marco Rubio said “you can't do a background check on a lot of these refugees…
Michael McKinney
November 16th, 2015 4:38 PM

AP, NY Times Not Reporting Obama's Disinterest in 'America Winning'

The obvious pull quote of the day from President Obama's contentious press conference in Antalya, Turkey is this statement: "What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever other slogans they come up with ..." Obama then claimed that any ideas coming from those who believe in such a notion have "no relationship to what is…
Tom Blumer
November 16th, 2015 4:22 PM

NBC, ABC: Obama ‘Extremely Defensive,’ ‘Irritated’ by ISIS Questions

Following a press conference in which President Obama stubbornly refused to admit any failures in his strategy to fight ISIS, reporters on NBC and ABC were stunned by the commander-in-chief’s dismissive attitude toward the legitimate tough questioning he received.    
Kyle Drennen
November 16th, 2015 4:10 PM

Failure: Nets Make No Mention of ‘Islam’ in Israeli Terror Attacks

There is no denying the horrors of the terrorist attacks on Paris, and even some liberals and their media pals are beginning to chafe at the left’s refusal to call radical Islam by its name. So maybe we’ve reached a tipping point, and will henceforth be allowed to speak frankly about who the enemy is. Unless of course the terror victims are Israeli.   Israel faces acts of terror rooted in…
Erin Aitcheson
November 16th, 2015 3:54 PM

Nightly News Skips Dem Avoidance of ‘Radical Islam'

In a recap of the November 14 Democratic presidential debate, Sunday’s Nightly News avoided awkward moments, such as the candidates refusing to use the term “radical Islam” or Bernie Sanders doubling down on climate change being the greatest national security threat.
Scott Whitlock
November 16th, 2015 3:47 PM

Nets Ignore Runner Disqualified for Bible Verse; Covered Hijab Case

Was a teen runner disqualified for wearing a Bible verse? That’s the question Fox News commentator Todd Starnes is putting into the national spotlight. On Nov. 7, West Forsyth High School runner John Green finished in 3rd place in the Georgia 5-A cross-country state championship. Immediately afterwards however, he was disqualified for wearing a white headband with a Bible verse on it. The three…
Katie Yoder
November 16th, 2015 3:35 PM

Scarborough Asking If Obama Looks Engaged Leaves Mika Mute

Silence spoke powerfully today on Morning Joe. After a clip rolled of a listless President Obama speaking about the Paris attacks, Joe Scarborough asked Mika Brzezinski what amounted to a rhetorical question: "does he look like he is engaged and understands the level of threat?" When after a few seconds Mika failed to reply, Scarborough tried rephrasing the question, but still elicited no…
Mark Finkelstein
November 16th, 2015 2:37 PM

Eleanor Clift: Treasury Has 'Never Recovered' After Reagan Tax Cuts

Having shown her affinity for the nonsensical when it comes to the oil export ban, Daily Beast columnist Eleanor Clift has now demonstrated her refusal to accept the reality of three major economic booms in the United States over the last century that were preceded by major tax relief. Appearing as one of the regular panelists on this weekend's McLaughlin Group, Clift made a claim that was…
Jack Coleman
November 16th, 2015 1:15 PM

Morning Joe Sees the President Disengaged Against ISIS

Monday’s Morning Joe began with an evaluation of the actions of the White House prior to and after the attack on Paris Friday night. Joe Scarborough began by demanding to know if the roundtable thought the President actually looked involved and engaged in understanding “the level of threat.” When Mike Barnicle tried to claim the President “looks fully engaged,” Scarborough felt it necessary to…
Michael McKinney
November 16th, 2015 12:17 PM

Despite Slaughter in Paris, NBC Skips Latest Gitmo Release

In the wake of the terrorist slaughter in Paris, one might expect coverage of the Obama administration’s announcement that five more detainees would be released from Guantanamo Bay. Yet, NBC’s Today show, despite a four hour run-time, ignored the story. The New York Times, which often is used by the networks to select story topics, covered the release.
Scott Whitlock
November 16th, 2015 12:06 PM