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Unlike Chris Matthews who did an absolutely horrible job interviewing this guy, CNN's John Roberts and Roland Martin actually did a pretty well in taking on Jim Greer over his fear mongering on Obama's upcoming speech to students.
A little back ground on this. The invaluable Media Matters took everyone's favorite Drudge gossip-rag, The Politico to task for their initial fact free "reporting" on Jim Greer's statements.
Politico forwards falsehoods on Obama speech to students:
Reporting on the conservative reaction to President Obama's planned speech to students, the Politico uncritically quoted Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer's claim that Obama will speak about "his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies." PolitiFact.com, however, found Greer's claim to be "factually incorrect" and noted that the Florida Republican Party was unable to provide any support for his statement.
PolitiFact gave Greer a "Pants on Fire" rating for his fear mongering and Roberts and Martin actually do their job and confront Greer with their reporting. Of course Greer just tries to dismiss them as some "liberal" outfit that shouldn't be taken seriously. What a surprise, huh?
Steve Benen has a great write up on this at the Washington Monthly:
IT'S COME TO THIS.... In 1988, then-President Reagan spoke to students nationwide via C-SPAN telecast. Among other things, he talked about his positions on political issues of the day. Three years later, then-President Bush addressed school kids in a speech broadcast live to school classrooms nationwide. Among other things, he promoted his own administration's education policies.
President Obama wants to deliver a message to students next week emphasizing hard work, encouraging young people to do their best in school. The temper tantrum the right is throwing in response only helps reinforce how far gone 21st-century conservatives really are.
Transcript below the fold.
Okay, we've had the tea baggers, the birthers, the deathers and so what do we have now? The "speechers"? Good grief. Our own Susie Madrak wrote about this in her post Wingnuts Are In Full Bloom. Obama Speaking to Schoolchildren Is Really 'Recruiting for Hitler Youth.' and Media Matters has a good run down of the collective freak out over this at Fox Noise and some of the right wing blogs as well- Conservatives on Obama's stay-in-school speech: "Indoctrination," "brainwashing," Communist China, Hitler Youth.
Never ones to go off script, Laura Ingraham and Monica Crowley continue the hysteria about Obama potentially wanting to have some sort of mind control over children by giving a speech that they should stay in school and Alan Colmes, for once, counters his right wing Fox cohorts and treats this nonsense as anyone with a functioning brain should. By mocking it.
Crowley: This guy is not over exposed enough right. So now he's going after pre-K, four and five year old kids, up to sixth grade with this message. Look, just when you think that this administration can't get any more surreal and Orwellian, here he comes to indoctrinate our children.
Colmes: Indoctrinate...
Crowley: You know that there's going to be a political message in here Laura, right? It's going to be something about the environment, green jobs...
Colmes: Where? I don't see that?
Crowley: Something is going to be embedded here because the guy cannot help it.
Colmes: Right.
Crowley: And look, there's a reason why he's only going up to the sixth grade. Because number one the older kids would be like "what is this?" And number two, he's gotta' get them young.
Colmes: (laughter)
Crowley: This is such, this is what Chairman Mao did Laura.
Colmes: Oh my god.
Crowley: This is Max Headroom. This is going into every single classroom. There is no escape from him.
Ingraham: Monica, I hate to burst your bubble, but there are also materials going out for sixth grade and high school...
Crowley: Oh! See, I knew it!
Colmes: Get 'em young! Get 'em in that tent! Get 'em in that Democratic liberal tent!
Crowley: That is the point.
Ingraham: Well first of all Alan the thing I like is that it's so micro-managed, it's so micro-managed that they even suggest the ways to make posters with Obama's notable quotes...
Colmes: It will be like this..
Ingraham: ...about past speeches. What is this?
(crosstalk)
Colmes: Next you're going to accuse them of implant chips in these kids' brains, right?... And they're going to program kids to go Obama... Obama... Obama right? That will be your next ah...
And they go on from there. Jebus, I think Ingraham and Crowley were trying to give Beck a run for his money tonight. I was glad to see Colmes looking like he had some what of a spine for once.
August 15, 2009 MSNBC
