How much does CNN pay people to pump out right wing spin like this?
First, Glenn Beck suggests that
to protest Blackwater is to "hate America". Clearly, that seems to be his implication when Beck states:
"I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today." in the context of wildfires which first hit Potrero, a community which is home to a large number of opponents to a proposed Blackwater installation.
Now, possibly Mr. Beck had something else in mind. Perhaps he feels that Californians in general constitute that "handful" of people who "hate America".
But then, of course, one would need to add (to the number of Californians) all those people "posing as Democrats" that also "hate America".
Let's see. Population of California 36,457,549 + ?? how many people are "posing as Democrats" anyway?? = ???? Well, whatever it is, it looks like that would be more than a "handful".
No . . . . . It seems pretty obvious that Mr. Beck was referring to those ungrateful
Blackwater protestors who lived in Potrero, California. And, since he knows exactly two things about these people (that they (1) are protesting a Blackwater installation in their neighborhood and (2) their houses burned down), that would seem to indicate that, in Mr. Beck's world, the following applies:
If you protest a mercenary, politically connected hired-gun contractor taking over your neighborhood, then you definitely "hate America".Maybe there is a 3rd explanation.
But, for once Mr. Beck is not talking. He's not giving out his formula for determining just which Americans "hate America" (It understandably is hard for him to do, since he drops his "hate America" bombs about Blackwater protestors and apparent Democrats only after he presents himself as a conciliatory man of goodwill (he works for CNN, after all), one who operates on the premise that we "ALL (excepting, of course, that "handful" of protestors and posing Democrats) LOVE AMERICA".
Instead, he is leaving the right-wing spinning to HIS CNN PRODUCER, Chris Balfe, who thinks we need to change the subject & frame it differently. According to this CNN PRODUCER, it's not about who Mr. Beck labels as "hating America". No, not at all..... According to CNN Producer Balfe, the whole key to understanding this is the word "unfortunately". You see, since Mr. Beck thinks it is "unfortunate" that this "America hating" handful (excuse me, this should be half a "handful", since we must account for all those people "posing as Democrats" who also are part of the "handful") are losing their homes, then obviously he is a fair-minded commentator, and has been grossly misunderstood.
Just how much does CNN pay their PRODUCER to spew out this right wing spin? And how much was paid to educate him? (How much do they charge at the Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies anyway?)
More photos of "CNN Producer" Chris Balfe, and Mr. Beck, here http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.glennbeck.com/news/02022004.shtml&h=300&w=450&sz=14&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=v8ot_g1qoyU_eM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Chris%2BBalfe%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den )Write CNN. . . . . .
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/ Ask them how much they pay Mr. Balfe?
And exactly what is his job description?
And, most importantly:
Is it CNN's official position that American citizens who protest Blackwater "hate America"Don't let them off the hook by having second rate spinmeisters try to change the subject. Don't let them try to say that it's about whether or not Mr. Beck thinks it in "unfortunate" that people who he claims "hate America" lose their homes.
Nobody cares whether Mr. Beck thinks it is "unfortunate" or not.
The issue is simple:
CNN's
hired right wing bomb-thrower has
labeled Blackwater protestors people who "hate America". And,in a snide aside, CNN's
hired right wing bomb-thrower has asserted that those who may appear to be
Democrats include an unknown number of posers who "hate America". And finally,
CNN, when confronted with the above, will neither acknowledge it, nor repudiate it. Instead, they
send out their PRODUCER to shadow-box against false issues. Email CNN . . . . .
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/ Hold their feet to the fire.
Make them address the issues.
Make them answer our questions.
"America wants to know."
Beck producer: "To most rational people," Beck's CA wildfire comments not uncivilAn October 23 post at USA Today's On Deadline blog highlighted nationally syndicated radio host Glenn Beck's statement -- documented by Media Matters for America -- concerning the Southern California wildfires that "I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today." The entry also noted that
Chris Balfe, the producer of Beck's radio program, "expressed surprise that bloggers are seizing on this quotation as an example of incivility." On Deadline quoted Balfe saying: "To most rational people, unfortunately still means unfortunately." The On Deadline entry gave no indication that Balfe addressed Beck's statement linking the "handful of people who hate America" and the destruction of homes by the California wildfires.
According to CNN, the evacuation triggered by the fires is the largest evacuation forced by a natural disaster since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
From the October 23 On Deadline entry:
Conservative talker Glenn Beck is under fire today for comments he made about some of the victims of the southern California wildfires during yesterday's edition of The Glenn Beck Program.
Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, recorded Beck making the comment on his radio show during a lengthy monologue about the importance of coming together as one nation, with the understanding that:
We all love America. We all love America. We just disagree on how we should function, what we should do, big government, small government. It doesn't mean you hate America. I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today. There are a few people that hate America. But I don't think the Democrats are those. I think there are those posing as Democrats that are like that.In addition to the radio program, Beck hosts a prime-time TV show on CNN's Headline News. We have requested comment from Beck and will update this posting if he gets back to us before the end of the day.
Update at 10:17 a.m. ET: A spokesman for Beck expressed surprise that bloggers are seizing on this quotation as an example of incivility. "To most rational people, unfortunately still means unfortunately," Chris Balfe, the show's producer, tells On Deadline through a spokesman.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200710230011?f=h_top