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FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: KickTheBobo on June 12, 2008, 04:26:39 PM

Title: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: KickTheBobo on June 12, 2008, 04:26:39 PM
So I was flipping channels last night, and caught a few minutes of the Dan Abrams show(?) where him and a few talking heads were discussing our next first lady (and total hottie) Michelle Obama. At the bottom of the screen was the text: "Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?". Help me out here. Was this a misspelling on the part of whomever does the graphics or some sort of play on words? If it's the latter: what the do they mean by that?

I don't watch much of the TV News, so I guess I found it surprising that someone would spell "Lightning" wrong. Am I just being naive?

Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: A.M. Thomas on June 12, 2008, 04:28:46 PM
I'd rather have a misspelling than this:

(http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpg)
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: gravy boat on June 12, 2008, 04:34:32 PM
I'd rather have a misspelling than this:

(http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpg)

That is so vile. 
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: erika on June 12, 2008, 04:41:54 PM
That seriously makes me want to cry, it's so disgusting to me right now.

I fucking hate this country sometimes.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: samir on June 12, 2008, 04:48:18 PM
Fox News referring to the "terrorist fist bump", that's pretty despicable too.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Emily on June 12, 2008, 04:50:19 PM
i dont see why you have to hate the country over something fox news put in their headline.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: erika on June 12, 2008, 04:55:38 PM
i dont see why you have to hate the country over something fox news put in their headline.

They're catering to people who eat that shit up. It's all just a symptom of how dumb we've become. I don't know which came first -- dumb news, or dumb people, but I've sat through 2 elections where people don't give a shit about issues and elected a monster, so I'm a little bitter about the direction this one is going in...
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Bryan on June 12, 2008, 05:07:10 PM
Fox News referring to the "terrorist fist bump", that's pretty despicable too.

What on earth is a "terrorist fist bump"?
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: samir on June 12, 2008, 05:15:07 PM
(http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/25217/thumbs/s-FIST-BUMP-large.jpg)

that.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/09/fox-anchor-calls-obama-fi_n_106027.html
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Bryan on June 12, 2008, 05:37:15 PM
Simply breathtaking.

I don't get to see Fox News, and I find myself shocked at the way that host is talking. It's like she's from another planet. Can there really be a segment of US society that's so distant from pop culture that they don't understand the fist bump gesture?
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on June 12, 2008, 05:43:41 PM
Erika and everyone, Fox News is losing.  They're going to get more and more shrill and hateful and borderline-Nazi as the right-wing agenda crashes and burns (which will happen under McCain or Obama), and eventually Rupert Murdoch is going to have to decide whether he wants to throw good money after bad for the sake of an ideological vanity project (as he does with the NY Post), or hire some liberal commentators, or just become another corporate news network.

The bad news is it's not happening due to any kind of liberal triumph, but because Bush et. al really did a number on the country. 
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Matt on June 12, 2008, 06:08:30 PM
(http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpg)

And that's when Lincoln said, "Don't diss my homies!"
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Stan on June 12, 2008, 06:12:21 PM
Fox News referring to the "terrorist fist bump", that's pretty despicable too.

What on earth is a "terrorist fist bump"?

http://omgrespekknuckles.ytmnd.com/ (http://omgrespekknuckles.ytmnd.com/)
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: erika on June 12, 2008, 08:02:45 PM
Erika and everyone, Fox News is losing.  They're going to get more and more shrill and hateful and borderline-Nazi as the right-wing agenda crashes and burns (which will happen under McCain or Obama), and eventually Rupert Murdoch is going to have to decide whether he wants to throw good money after bad for the sake of an ideological vanity project (as he does with the NY Post), or hire some liberal commentators, or just become another corporate news network.

The bad news is it's not happening due to any kind of liberal triumph, but because Bush et. al really did a number on the country. 

I wish I could believe you. I have little faith.

Next to none, actually.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Phantom Hugger on June 13, 2008, 12:30:48 AM
Erika and everyone, Fox News is losing.  They're going to get more and more shrill and hateful and borderline-Nazi as the right-wing agenda crashes and burns (which will happen under McCain or Obama), and eventually Rupert Murdoch is going to have to decide whether he wants to throw good money after bad for the sake of an ideological vanity project (as he does with the NY Post), or hire some liberal commentators, or just become another corporate news network.

The bad news is it's not happening due to any kind of liberal triumph, but because Bush et. al really did a number on the country. 

I felt the same way after the 2004 election; looking for a mitigating factor. I saw it as a good thing that the extreme right wing couldn't hide behind false rhetoric any more, and had to just all out fess up to their hate and fear (pick your flavor: race/sex/religion/etc.).

I do believe that in a free society, everyone has the right to make a complete ASS of themselves in public, but it scares the shit out of me when a news organization is getting away with it and no one notices. Its a sick sad world.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on June 13, 2008, 12:43:05 AM
Well, it's sorta like what Kevin Phillips (the guy who wrote The Emerging Republican Majority in like 1970 or something, successfully predicting 40 years of GOP ascendancy) is saying about the economic meltdown, and what he's calling "optimism creep."  It's one thing for everyone to buy into absurd bullshit when things are choogling along OK, but quite another when people start to lose money.  Basically the lies have become so pervasive that they've become Soviet-scale - investors are starting to distrust official statements and statistics and are speeding the downfall of the American empire.

Erika, I'm no optimist, really - even Republican operatives are declaring movement conservatism dead.  I'm just hoping that it's not replaced with full-blown authoritarianism or a crippling economic and environmental meltdown.  I'm happy to see the American empire go - I hope we just fade peacefully, and don't flame out like 20th-century Europe.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Bryan on June 13, 2008, 08:36:16 AM
Apparently the woman who made the "terrorist fist bump" comment has been fired from her show on Fox News.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on June 13, 2008, 10:42:04 AM
My wife and I have started to say "terrorist fist jab" and bumping fists during happy or triumphant moments.  I think this has real meme potential.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: cutout on June 13, 2008, 02:18:14 PM
More proud GOP moments:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-btl_13pol.ART.State.Edition1.4601c51.html?silly

Quote
Robert Hurt went to Washington and didn't like what he saw – nudity in the nation's capital.
"Nude women, sculptured women," he told the state Republican platform committee, which sat in rapt attention.

Of all the evils in Washington that the Texas GOP took aim at this week, removing art with naked people from public view was high on the list for Mr. Hurt, a delegate from Kerrville.

"You don't have nude art on your front porch," he explained. "You possibly don't have nude art in your living rooms. So why is it important to have that in the common places of Washington, D.C.?"

 The GOP platform will be presented today to the full convention. Like all platforms, it's a statement of principle and a political document to rally the troops.

In this, a presidential year, it advocates prayer in school, getting out of the United Nations, teaching intelligent design with evolution in science classes, repealing of the minimum wage, declaring illegal immigrants criminals and outlawing abortion with no exceptions.

"Hallelujah!" said a delegate who had urged strong anti-abortion language.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: jbissell on June 13, 2008, 05:43:27 PM
On a mostly unrelated note, Tim Russert died today.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: erika on June 13, 2008, 06:22:47 PM
I'm sad. He was very good at what he did and he didn't make me nauseous like most other newscasters these days... plus he was so young.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: iAmBaronVonTito on June 13, 2008, 06:36:45 PM
I'm sad. He was very good at what he did and he didn't make me nauseous like most other newscasters these days... plus he was so young.

i dont watch the news (dont judge!), but hearing about a guy that young, he just came from his son's graduation, and his dad is in his late eighties- could you imagine burying your kid (adult kid) at that age?

anyway, i admit, i was very sad as well.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Andy on June 13, 2008, 10:13:41 PM
I am the only one who constantly watched Fox News?  They're like an oasis in the Sahara that is the liberal media. 

I will admit that they SOMETIMES lean a little right, but I find them way closer to the middle than any other news organization out there.  They are where I turn if I actually want some news and not just liberal opinions.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: cutout on June 13, 2008, 10:31:38 PM
Who's your favorite among the talented journalists Fox News employs? I find it hard to pick just one.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Andy on June 13, 2008, 10:34:12 PM
it has to be Hannity.  O'Reilly can be a little abrassive.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Regular Joe on June 13, 2008, 10:47:03 PM
In the early days of Fox News, every morning I would obsessively watch 'Fox and Friends' after being up all night. In my insomnia warped mind it became sickly fascinating to watch those talking bobbleheads doing cheerful fluff news stories and crazy in-studio games.

Due to this experience, I have to claim Brian Kilmeade as my favorite Fox personality ever. His head's full of sand!
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: iAmBaronVonTito on June 13, 2008, 11:15:32 PM
I am the only one who constantly watched Fox News?  They're like an oasis in the Sahara that is the liberal media. 

I will admit that they SOMETIMES lean a little right, but I find them way closer to the middle than any other news organization out there.  They are where I turn if I actually want some news and not just liberal opinions.

You sound like my mother!
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: Andy on June 13, 2008, 11:23:12 PM
she sounds like a smart lady.
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: erika on June 14, 2008, 09:28:10 AM
I prefer to read the BBC news. I mean, I read CNN too but I think they're a load of crap most of the time. (My favorite headline of this week was "Incest Dungeon Girl Wakes from Coma")
Title: Re: Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?
Post by: yesno on June 14, 2008, 09:46:14 AM
I wish I read the news less, except for stuff that is relevant to work or inherently interesting.  I'd rather read more books and watch more movies.  I'm down to just skimming the NY Times RSS feeds and checking Drudge, for general purpose stuff.  Podcasts have replaced NPR.  I think I'd be better off not even reading the general news sections of the Times, and just subscribing to The Week (a magazine that is a very, very concise summary of the week's news/important columns).

It is kind of useless to be "informed" about insignificant events and/or things you can have no effect on.  The worst is just hearing constant updates and speculation about ongoing political scandals.  Who cares?  It's not like I have trouble deciding who to vote for.* Now that the Daily Show is on Hulu, maybe I'll just watch that.

Every so often I read a book or something by someone who advises ignoring the pseudo-information that is the news, or who points out the diminishing returns to be had from paying too much attention to the news.  Black Swan, recently.  4 Hour Workweek.  There's a great quote about the uselessness of news from HL Mencken or Mark Twain or someone that I can't remember.


* LaRouche