conservative media

Trump Allies Might Create Fox News Competitor

January 13, 2020 Buck Banks

$250 million

“Allies of President Trump are pursuing an effort to acquire right-leaning news channel One America News Network, in a bid to shake up a conservative media market that has been dominated by Fox News,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The investment firm Hicks Equity Partners is looking to acquire the channel and is pitching other wealthy GOP donors to arrange a bid of roughly $250 million for the channel’s parent company, the people said. The firm is owned by the family of Thomas Hicks Jr., co-chairman of the Republican National Committee and a close friend of Donald Trump Jr.”

Tucker Carlson Takes Trump Admin to Task Over Soleimani Assassination

January 8, 2020 Buck Banks

“Seems like about 20 minutes ago, we were denouncing these people as the ‘deep state’ and pledging never to trust them again without verification. Now, for some reason, we do trust them — implicitly and completely.”

— Fox News host Tucker Carlson, quoted by the New York Times.

Walsh Says Fox, Conservative Media Lying to Americans

November 6, 2019 Buck Banks

“This is an absolute shame and I think you’ve got to call it out for what it is. The Americans who listen to Fox News and conservative talk radio are being lied to and manipulated every day when it comes to impeachment.”

— Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who is also running for president, slammed Fox News and conservative talk radio for their coverage of the impeachment probe of President Trump, CNN reports.

Trump Already Is a Right-Wing Media Personality

September 7, 2016 Buck Banks

Trump’s greatest trick has been to realize that right-wing media stars have a built-in audience that Republican politicians don’t. To that audience, Jeb Bush talks like Washington talks. Ted Cruz talks like conservative ideologues talk. Marco Rubio talks like the last consultant he spoke with talks. But Trump talks like a true talk radio fan?—?longtime listener, first-time caller. He comes off like the winner of a reality TV show in which one lucky Fox viewer gets picked to run for president of the United States.

— Jon Favreau

Sean Hannity Is One of Trump’s Biggest Supporters at $31 Million

August 25, 2016 Buck Banks

$31 million

Amount of free advertising Fox News host Sean Hannity has given Donald Trump’s campaign, according to an analysis by liberal watchdog Media Matters.

Kelly Vows to Continue Doing ‘Good Journalism’

August 18, 2015 Buck Banks

I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism, so I’ll continue doing my job without fear or favor. This is a tough business and it’s time now to move forward.

— Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, quoted by the New York Times, noting she would not respond directly to any of Donald Trump’s numerous insults and disparaging statements about her.

They Sound Alike

November 12, 2014 Buck Banks

Breitbart fact-checkers sure need to do better.
Especially when the reporter’s a real go-getter
Who can’t tell between
A Lynch and a Lynn,
When one’s white, one’s black, and they’re both Lorettas.

Glenn Beck Explains Why He Acts the Way He Does

November 12, 2014 Buck Banks

I had begun to have a string of health issues that, quite honestly, has made me look crazy. And quite honestly, I have have felt crazy because of them.

— Glenn Beck, telling viewers of The Blaze that he has been suffering from debilitating health problems for the past five years which have included severe pain and seizures.

Will — He Shills!

September 5, 2014September 5, 2014 Buck Banks

It’s true the right-wing apologist George Will
Often is scheduled on wingnut speaking bills.
But he’s not a journalist,
He’s special — he’s a columnist.
Which allows him to shill for the Koch brothers at will.

Limbaugh Conservatism Versus O’Reilly Conservatism

April 2, 2013 Buck Banks

There are various ways to describe the civil war rising inside the Republican Party: insiders versus outsiders, pragmatists versus true-believers, establishment versus Tea Party. Here’s another: Bill O’Reilly conservatives versus Rush Limbaugh conservatives. … O’Reilly and Limbaugh are both conservative; they both idealize an older, pre-lapsarian America that they believe leftists want to destroy in the name of progress. The difference is that Limbaugh’s conservative vision is more static and more personal. For O’Reilly, traditional morality is not an abstract, coherent set of beliefs; it’s the folk wisdom of ordinary people at any given moment, and it can change.

$250 million

— Fox News host Tucker Carlson, quoted by the New York Times.

“This is an absolute shame and I think you’ve got to call it out for what it is. The Americans who listen to Fox News and conservative talk radio are being lied to and manipulated every day when it comes to impeachment.”

— Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who is also running for president, slammed Fox News and conservative talk radio for their coverage of the impeachment probe of President Trump, CNN reports.

— Jon Favreau

$31 million

Amount of free advertising Fox News host Sean Hannity has given Donald Trump’s campaign, according to an analysis by liberal watchdog Media Matters.

I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism, so I’ll continue doing my job without fear or favor. This is a tough business and it’s time now to move forward.

— Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, quoted by the New York Times, noting she would not respond directly to any of Donald Trump’s numerous insults and disparaging statements about her.

I had begun to have a string of health issues that, quite honestly, has made me look crazy. And quite honestly, I have have felt crazy because of them.

— Glenn Beck, telling viewers of The Blaze that he has been suffering from debilitating health problems for the past five years which have included severe pain and seizures.

— Peter Beinhart, in the Daily Beast.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One thing you have to remember when you work for President Trump is that you don’t make the waves. He makes the waves. Your job is to surf the wave as best as you can every day. And you have to always smile and have a sense of humor with it, because he’s the one who’s got the instinct.”

— Jared Kushner, quoted by Time.

“President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the President. I have no intent, I have no reason to speak to any of these officials.”

— Lev Parnas broke his silence in an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

“There is an effort to limit the press …. I’m going to vote against that, if I’m allowed to vote. U.S. senators are grown women and grown men. If they don’t want to make a comment, they know how to say ‘no comment.”

— Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) distanced himself from proposed restrictions on reporters covering the upcoming Senate impeachment trial, calling it a “huge mistake,” The Hill reports.

“I presume I’ll be voting in favor of hearing from John Bolton.”

— Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), quoted by The Hill, on calling witnesses for the Senate impeachment trial.

— Jonathan Chait

Numerati

49% to 45%

38th

“Virginia moved to the brink of becoming the crucial 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesday, a momentous victory for many women’s rights advocates even though it is far from certain the measure will ever be added to the U.S. Constitution,” the AP reports.

25%

4

“Four Republicans have agreed to vote with Democrats in support of the measure, according to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who wrote the legislation that seeks to prevent President Trump from further escalating hostilities with Iran,” the Washington Post reports.

15%