The folks at the bash-FNC "media watchdog" outfit Media Matters sure are living in the wrong century--with their flair for propaganda, lies, and agenda-based distortions of the facts, they're more suited to doing media relations for Iron Curtain secret police. But like most zealots, they tend to get tripped up by their irrationality. Take, for example, their latest Bill O'Reilly rant. They hate O'Reilly, but they hate Ann Coulter too. So they go for a twofer--hit Coulter by hitting O'Reilly. But here's where Media Matters outsmart themselves: they flat-out lie about what O'Reilly really said about Ann Coulter's 9-11 widows comments:
Bill O'Reilly downplayed Ann Coulter's recent attacks on the widows of the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, baselessly alleging that "some far-left pundits have said far worse things." O'Reilly added that "it looks like there's a double standard" in the treatment of conservatives and liberals by the "mainstream media."
Oh, really? The Media Matters folks are masters of taking comments out of context--taking comments so far out of context they're actually in a different solar system. Let's get down to the cold, hard facts of what O'Reilly really said about Ann Coulter's comments in his Talking Points Memo:
Talking Points believes most Americans reject that kind of vitriol because it is mean and counterproductive.
The question then becomes, why does Ann Coulter do it? No doubt the publicity will sell her some books, but she is already well off and famous.
No doubt the widows have become liberal activists. They replied to Ms. Coulter today on a far left blog. But as Americans, they have a right to take any political position they want. No doubt some far-left pundits have said far worse things than Ann Coulter will ever say and the mainstream media often celebrates them. But a no-spin rule is that you don't justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior....
...if Ann Coulter is trying to persuade people to her view, the personal attacks are foolish. If she just wants to sing her choir a song, well, you can make money doing that.
I believe that in the end those standing on the high ground will win the culture war. The vicious fighter often loses to the smarter fighter.
And if you're a dumb fighter, like Media Matters? Well, we can imagine what Darwin would have to say about that, and it's spelled E-X-T-I-N-C-T-I-O-N.
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» Media Matters bait-and-switch on O'Reilly and Coulter...and hook nothing
