Archive for August 22nd, 2011
Gallup Poll: GOP Top Tier = Romney, Perry, Paul & Bachmann
To defeat the Left, it’s important for libertarians and conservatives to understand how media coverage works to shape the debate. And it’s vital that we be able to recognize when a RINO candidate (such as John Huntsman or Mittens “Mood Ring” Romney) is being shoved down our throats, lest we get a repeat of Bob Dole and John McCain.
However, it’s just as important for us to recognize when the media is using sleight-of-hand and misdirection to keep us from seeing what’s behind the curtain.
Although this story was posted on Drudge today, I doubt that you will see this headline anywhere:
Gallup Poll: Romney, Perry, Paul & Bachman In Dead Heat With Obama Among Registered Voters
A survey of 879 registered voters conducted August 17th and 18th reveals that the Top Tier of GOP candidates is Mitt “Mood Ring” Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and Michelle Bachmann. The margin of error is +/- 4%.
When considering the 4% margin of error, all four GOP candidates would be in a statistical dead heat with Obama if the election were held today.
- H/T Gallup
And Mittens, Perry and Ron Paul all beat Obama among Independents, which Michelle Bachmann not far behind.
And another interesting statistic: Herman Cain has incredibly high “positives,” beating out all the other GOP candidates.
Now, why is this important?
Because you WILL NOT see this voter preference reflected in media coverage.
If you’re a new reader, some background for you. I’ve been a Ron Paul fan for at least 10 years. I know Ron’s positions on the issues inside and out. I’m pretty familiar with his voting record. And because PR is my profession, I pay a LOT of attention to media coverage and bias.
Yes, there is bias against all GOP candidates. But because my focus has been Ron Paul, I’m in more of a position to notice bias in coverage of his campaign. And the bias against him has been outlandishly obvious. It used to take the form of complete fabrications about his policy issues or voting record. But now, it’s most often a bizarre, near-total news blackout. As John Stewart asked on The Daily Show, since when does the second-place finisher in the Iowa Straw Poll become the 13th floor in a hotel?
Of course, this frustrates me, as a Ron Paul supporter. But what frustrates me more is GOP voters continuing to get their candidate information from the lamestream media.
And just to clarify…I don’t care whether or not you like Ron Paul! I know that Kevin will work tirelessly for Sarah Palin once she enters the race. And I would be thrilled with a Sarah Palin presidency.
What I’m urging you is to do your due diligence on EVERY GOP CANDIDATE.
Do not let the overwhelmingly Leftist Washington Press Corpse tell you who is “electable” or “top tier” or “serious.” That’s YOUR decision to make. We will only know who is electable after the election.
Put the pejorative “unelectable” in the garbage with “polarizing,” where it belongs.
And remember, when the Lamestream Media calls a GOP candidate–ANY GOP candidate—”polarizing” or “not serious” or “unelectable,” that’s code for “Oh sh*t…this one could beat Teh Messiah.”
UPDATE: The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism conducted a study of news coverage in the days after the Iowa Straw Poll. The word “shocking” is perhaps overused when referring to blatant media bias…but kids, it doesn’t get much worse than this:
H/T PRC Project for Excellence in Journalism
Barack Hussein Obama, who is not a Muslim, has received the bulk of media coverage since January 1st.
Pew’s analysis of three network Sunday morning shows on August 14, the a.m. and p.m. network news programs on August 15, and four hours of prime-time cable and one hour of daytime from each of the three major cable news networks on August 15 revealed that Ron Paul was mentioned just 29 times.
By comparison, the LSM covered Rick Perry 371 times, Michelle Bachmann was mentioned 274 times, and Mittens Romneycare was mentioned 183 times.
A new gym is set to open in Boston that caters to…..gang members.
Hey, the gym could use the gang members mug shots for gym membership ID pictures.
There’s a new gym that is set to open soon in South Boston. Well…to be accurate, the InnerCity Gym had a grand opening date when the community found out who the members of the gym would be. This isn’t going to be your local Gold’s Gym or LA Fitness. This gym specifically caters to the ”most influential gang-involved youth in the Boston area,” including active and former gang members. The developer of the gym, InnerCity, decided to keep the community in the dark about their plans and sunk $30,000 in renovations into the building and signed a 3 year lease. Once residents in the community were tipped off about the plans, the protests began and the opening has been delayed. I wonder if any stimulus money went into this project. You know…one of those shovel ready jobs to help “reinvest in the community”. After-all, gang members need to stay in shape too.
I have one question though.
How exactly do you cater to “influential gang members”?
Great Merciful Zeus! Biden sent to outer Mongolia. For real.
Joe Biden is currently in outer Mongolia.
Democrats sent him there.
There are apparently pictures of him screwing around with camels and horses and other livestock, while grinning stupidly, surrounded by people who have no idea why he’s there, bothering them.
Whenever someone is so inept and disliked in an office, the joke becomes having that person transferred to “outer Mongolia”.
You know, where Biden’s at now.
Hope!
Change!
Hilarity!
When was the last time you could afford to have roast beef or lobster for dinner?
The Obamas are off on their latest vacation adventure, burning through hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars eating every exotic avian, ungulate, or crustacean imaginable (while they still can, before they’re both booted from the White House in 2013).
Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass recently wrote about Jimmy Carter’s encounter with a swamp rabbit (another critter the Obamas would no doubt devour, if marinated in Perigord black truffles jus and served with however much champagne the two of them could get their hands on) and warned Obama of the danger of having a “Carter meets killer bunny” episode while on his own vacation.
I’ve long said that Michelle Antoinette is Obama’s biggest danger, because her clueless spending and determined extravagance has only been indulged by a media that seeks desperately to make this woman appear “fashionable”, when she’s a First Lady who needs to be a lady first, and a responsible role model in a time of great austerity for many.
Democrats flat-out admit Jon Huntsman is a Democrat-backed spoiler in Republican nominating contest
Democrats flat-out admit they adore Jon Huntsman.
And by “adore”, I mean “are pushing Huntsman as a spoiler in the Republican nomination race, because they know he not only would lose to Obama, but would probably only run a Washington Generals-style campaign”.
Since I was a Democrat until 2008 when the party left me (on its swerve to the far Left), I still have trouble sometimes understanding how conservatives think on practical levels.
It’s so obvious to me when I see the DNC up to mischief, like what it’s doing here with Huntsman, who is clearly a Democrat tool in play, and I’m surprised many Republicans are oblivious to this.
The Left and its media mouthpiece obviously want Mittens “Mood Ring” Romney to be the GOP nominee. Huntsman is some sort of bizarre fail-safe strategy, just in case the Left needs someone with a lot of money and zero sense to be an independent candidate spoiler when Mittens is not the nominee.
Sometimes, this stuff is like watching a kindergarten production of a play I’d already seen on Broadway years ago. I can see what’s really happening, and what’s obviously coming in Act II, but I’m startled by how few conservatives seem aware of what’s going on when it seems really obvious from where I’m sitting.
Do you see Huntsman for who and what he is?
I’d love some honest answers on that.
An Open Letter to Art Johnston Owner of Sidetrack the Video Bar Asking Why Hatred Towards Special Needs Children is Allowed to Play on His Screens
Art Johnston, Owner
Sidetrack the Video Bar
3349 North Halsted
Chicago, IL 60657
info@SidetrackChicago.com
CC: Chuck@SidetrackChicago.com
Dear Mr. Johnston,
On Tuesday August 16th at 730pm, Sidetrack screened the pilot episode of a talk show named “Only@Brunch”, which is produced by Jared Hall’s DowntownCupid Productions and features Jared Hall, Jesse Budlong, Bradley Thomas Balof, Terrence Chappell, Craig Rathwell, and Brian Felder as hosts. At the 1:37 mark of the original broadcast of this program, Budlong made a tasteless, unjustifiable, and cruel attack on Trig Palin, the son of Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd. As you well know, Trig Palin is a 3 year-old toddler with Down Syndrome who was mocked on “Only@Brunch” for his physical appearance and because of the condition of his birth.
As you also know, Bradley Thomas Balof is a longtime employee of yours, working as a Sidetrack bartender and the M.C. for both your Thursday “Laugh Track” comedy nights and your various special events. The “Only@Brunch” premiere was a Sidetrack-sponsored event, with Sidetrack’s logo emblazoned on the advertisements for the talk show (see image below) and Sidetrack providing FREE mimosas to entice members of the Chicago LGBTQ community to come to Sidetrack to view “Only@Brunch”. The pilot episode for this show was prominently endorsed by Sidetrack by being projected on the giant screen in your Main Bar, the largest screen on which Sidetrack could have possibly shown “Only@Brunch” (see below photos from the event). It is rare for any group to be afforded these privileges at Sidetrack, as this treatment is reserved strictly for causes and projects you personally endorse.
Because this attack on a special needs child was made at your establishment Sidetrack, the most prominent gay venue in Chicago, and was apparently so enthusiastically endorsed by you and your staff, the gay community may think mocking children with Down Syndrome is acceptable behavior. You clearly gave your personal seal of approval to “Only@Brunch” and its content, which includes the bullying of special needs Americans and vicious attacks on conservative and Christian women. What are young gay men supposed to think when you promote yourself as their community leader and a show like this airs in your bar?
Sidetrack chose to promote and air the “Only@Brunch” pilot, complete with the attack on Trig Palin, despite it containing cruel bullying on the part of the show’s hosts, including Sidetrack employee Balof, who sat there on screen saying nothing to Budlong after he attacked a toddler with Down Syndrome. None of the co-hosts, in fact, said on camera that this sort of bullying is wrong.
Jared Hall and Downtown Cupid productions could have easily edited out the attack on Trig Palin before the show aired; in fact, they’ve subsequently edited this part out of the current YouTube video they have posted (live since 8/21/11) as “Only@Brunch” has received great national criticism for encouraging gay men to bully children (just because they don’t agree with their mothers’ politics).
Jared Hall and Downtown Cupid productions should have cut tape and reshot that original opening segment before finalizing the episode for broadcast. Since this attack on Trig Palin happened just 1:37 into the show, that would not have been difficult for them to do. Instead, they chose to let Budlong’s bullying stand.
Sidetrack then chose to screen this bullying before a live audience drawn to the event by Sidetrack’s encouragement of free alcohol.
Mr. Johnston, Sidetrack has a longstanding habit of airing videos that bully and degrade conservatives and Christians, especially females on the Republican side of the political spectrum. I have personally written to you on previous occasions and have spoken directly to your partner, Jose Pepin “Pepe” Pena, about the shamefully sexist and misogynistic attacks Sidetrack screens on conservative and Christian women such as columnist Ann Coulter, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Governor Jan Brewer, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and most especially, Governor Sarah Palin. I have been told on several occasions, in person, that you and your partner think these videos are funny and that you will continue to play “whatever you want, whenever you want” because it is your bar.
Your partner Pena was manning the VJ booth on Thursday January 12th, 2011 (just four days after the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona) and played an almost 12-minute long assault on Governor Palin that included videos depicting Kate Gosselin and her family picking up automatic rifles and executing the Governor, her husband Todd, and her children in the wilderness like they were the Romanovs. The video was gory, and was followed by a series of clips from famous horror movies depicting people being chopped up and bloodily abused, with a graphic Sidetrack inserted at the end to the effect of “Wouldn’t you want to see this happen to Sarah Palin?”. Up in the video booth, I saw Pena laughing, so proud of himself for getting this violent and hateful message against Governor Palin out there.
Until the “Only@Brunch” attack on Trig Palin aired August 16th, that January 12th montage Pena played in your bar was the most disgusting and reprehensible video I’ve ever seen endorsed by those who claim to be part of “The Tolerant Left” and actively engage in accusing conservatives and Christians of bullying gays.
No, Mr. Johnston, you have this dead wrong. YOU and your establishment, Sidetrack, are the ones that are spreading hatred in the community and encouraging bullying and violence towards those who do not agree with you politically. While you may claim to be “Chicago’s Harvey Milk”, as I have personally heard you refer to yourself in public at events Sidetrack has held, you default any status as a “leader for equal rights” by allowing your business to be such a broadcaster of hatred against others.
You, Art Johnston, and your partner Pepe Pena, are the kings of all gay bullies — and you have proven it yet again with this “Only@Brunch” endorsement.
There are no other bars in Boystown that devote time on their video screens to savaging Governor Palin, Congresswoman Bachmann, and other conservative and Christian women the way Sidetrack does.
There are no other bars in Boystown that allow videos mocking and bullying children with special needs to air on their screens.
This is only happening at Sidetrack, and it needs to stop because you are encouraging a whole generation of young gay men, who don’t know any better, to revel in this hatred and accept sexism, misogyny, and the brutalization of the innocent as appropriate political discourse.
They see you do it. They see you encourage it. So it’s no surprise when they start doing it too.
I am anxiously awaiting an explanation from you as to why Sidetrack endorsed the “Only@Brunch” pilot and allowed its content to air so prominently on Sidetrack’s massive Main Bar screen, complete with Sidetrack-provided FREE mimosas to encourage a large crowd of viewers.
How can you on one hand keep insisting gay people are victims, when you and Sidetrack encourage young gay people to bully and victimize conservatives and Christians (and their families)?
Please explain yourself and the conduct of your business.
Sincerely,
Kevin DuJan
Concerned Citizen
My Love/Hate Relationship with The Glee Project: I Love Them, They Hate Me (and You)
Are you a conservative? Have a Slushee! (H/T LA Weekly)
I spent high school escaping from my reality as a pimply, socially awkward, genius IQ teacher’s pet by hanging out on the Island of Misfit Toys (a.k.a. Drama Club.) We didn’t have a Glee Club, so the talented nerds at my small high school in semi-rural Ohio were distributed between Drama Club and Marching Band. (I think I remember hearing rumors about a “Show Choir,” but they must have spent all their time on the road, because I don’t remember ever hearing them.)
Anyway. The point is that I completely “get” Glee, and its farm team, The Glee Project. Like the band kids and drama geeks, Gleeks feel a soul-level connection with other people who biologically need create art as much as they need to breathe. Glee also “gets” the plight of any high school student who was not one of the cool jocks, not one of the cheerleaders who dated the cool jocks, or a member of the Homecoming Court (redundancy alert!) “Glee,” and the feeling of camaraderie you get when you create art as part of a group, is the feeling we all wanted to escape to.
