Saturday, September 19, 2009

Edits of Videos.. Don't Like it When FOX Does it, Don't Like it When the Left Does it

Last night and this morning, as I was browsing some news before I left to help my mom, I saw a little article I was not too happy about. It seems Glenn Beck has been at it with his edit button again..

This time he is taking the President's words where he has been talking about the Constitution and leaving out passages and changing the entire meaning of what he is saying.

Here is what then IL State Sen. Barack Obama had to say.. This was September 2001 in an interview with radio station WBEZ in Chicago.

HOST: Barack Obama, what are your thoughts on the Declaration and Constitution?

OBAMA: Well, you know, I think it's a remarkable document. I think --

HOST: Which one?

OBAMA: The original Constitution, as well as -- as well as the Civil War amendments, but I think it is an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture -- the colonial culture nascent at that time.

African-Americans were not -- first of all, they weren't African-Americans. The Africans at the time were not considered as part of the polity that was of concern to the framers. I think that, as [program co-panelist] Richard [John] said, it was a nagging problem in the same way that, these days, we might think of environmental issues or some other problem that, where you have to balance, you know, cost-benefits, as opposed to seeing it as a moral problem involving persons of moral worth.

And, in that sense, I think we can say that the Constitution reflected a enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on until this day, and that the framers had that same blind spot. I don't think the two views are contradictory to say that it was a remarkable political document that paved the way for where we are now, and to say that it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day.


Now, here is how Beck treated it on his program the other day.

OBAMA: The original Constitution [edit] I think it is an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture -- the colonial culture nascent at that time. [edit] I think we can say that the Constitution reflected a enormous blind spot in this culture [edit] and that the framers had that same blind spot. [edit] It also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day.


Here is the video also so you can see I am not making this up.



Quite a difference there.. He cuts quite a bit out of what the then Senator said.. and changes the meaning completely.

As Media Matters says..

Does Beck really believe that such original elements of the Constitution should not be considered imperfections -- imperfections that were indeed the product of a cultural "blind spot" shared by the 18th century individuals who authored it?

Even if he doesn't, the intent of a segment such as this one is still clear. Beck isn't interested in seriously examining the Constitution, nor does he care to honestly reflect on race in America. Instead, he wants to portray Obama as a man who harbors a generalized and racially motivated resentment toward the Founding Fathers and the document they authored -- exactly the kind of person who would seek to exact race-based justice through reparations, which Beck has already declared to be at the heart of Obama's entire agenda.

This isn't the first time that conservatives have deliberately distorted this interview to make the exact same point. Rush Limbaugh did so last October, and the RNC did it again in May. It's the sort of willfully ignorant, historically inaccurate, deliberately deceptive, and racially provocative argument that has become common in the modern conservative movement. And it shows how untrustworthy individuals like Beck truly are.


Now, for the second part of this.. the left side of my argument..

I am so tired again of reading crap like this from some of the people on the left and the media.. President Obama has come out stronger for the Public Option in the last 3 weeks than he has before, yet this is what I found on Huffington Post.

President Obama has been desperate to ditch the public option for weeks.


-snip-

But every time they tried to jettison the public option through surrogates like Kathleen Sebelius or "senior White House officials" speaking anonymously to media outlets, the base went haywire and Obama's poll numbers started tanking.


This is written by none other than Jane Hamsher.. of course she has never been a fan of Pres. Obama. So it really doesn't surprise me that she is criticizing him but the dishonest way she is doing it is beyond belief. Look at this and you will see what I mean.



Because they used an edited video, which didn't include a part of the speech where he said "Public Option" but did include his trademark (so to speak) "Fired Up, Ready To Go", and this ad was put out by the DNC, she is using this as her basis for saying he is dropping the PO and has been for weeks.

That's just dishonest, and is really I would say a lie.

That's just as much a lie and just as dishonest as Glenn Beck is being with his edits of the Obama interview from 2001 in my opinion.

You can see the entire post by Jane, at Huffington Post.

Maybe I am off base.. you can let me know.. but it just didn't seem right to me for her to say this.. I could be running around with my head in the sand as I have been told. But to me it seems she is just being dishonest, just as the ones on the right are being by editing the videos and the speeches of Pres. Obama from his earlier years.

8 comments:

TomCat said...

Eventually they get caught. The difference is that when the left gets caught, they get embarrasses. When the right gets caught, they claim that the left all the copies of the original.

themom said...

spin,spin,spin,spin,spin,spin - it is what the Beck's, Hannity's and their like, do best. It scares the living hell out of me.

Sue said...

thats why those who swear by Fox are total morons who cannot think for themselves, they are robots who never liked Obama in the first place so they have a "leader" telling them they are right.
Every time I listen to Obama speak on the PO I'm relieved and feeling great, then the next day more shit talk and people don't know what to think anymore! His numbers drop not because we libs are leaving him, its because we get angry and think he's leaving us!!

Annette said...

Sue, that's why we can't give up.. we have to keep fighting until there is a final bill written..

I won't give up until there is a final bill written and on the President's desk.. I don't feel and have never felt he is leaving us... that's why I don't usually read these blogs and crap.. I have a few I read.. but Jane has always had an agenda against the President and will use anything against him.. She was a Hillary supporter and has never gotten over it.

I used to visit her blog once in a while..but got tired of the bash Obama crap after about 3 weeks after the election and just stopped going there.

TomCat said...

I'm glad you visit my lace, Annette. Your comments are always lucid and well considered. Before the last election, I was an Edwards supporter in the beginning. After he dropped out, I listened and considered carefully until a few days before the primary. I voted for Obama. I did not volunteer for him before the general election. This is Oregon. There was no way McConJob and Snake Oil Sarah would challenge him and Biden here. So I volunteered for Jeff Merkely, helped rid the Senate of goose-stepping Gordon Smith, and now am fresh out of Repuglicans to fight here.

When I think Obama is wrong, I say so. That doesn't mean that I'm not behind him, because I am.

Annette said...

I always admired Edwards, but this last time something just seemed off about him.. and I had been impressed with Obama when I saw him several years ago.. So when he threw his hat in the ring I was happy.. I jumped on his band wagon and stayed there.. I agree, if he screws up I am there to criticize .. and yes, he has been a little hesitant at times on the message.. but I don't believe he has ever truly wavered on the PO.. Maybe that's my head in the sand.. but I just haven't seen it... he has used different terms.. but that's mostly because people became so obsessed with it.. and it seemed to turn some off, so he started talking about an exchange.. but it was still the same thing..

But as I said.. I won't give up until the final bill is written.. I was just reading that Think Progress said he was saying yesterday he supported the BARF bill.. Now I sure didn't hear that yesterday morning.. but maybe they heard something I missed.. See that's what I mean about the different liberal blogs.. they just hear things different..

As I said.. Jane Hamsher has always had something against Barack Obama.. mostly that he won and Hillary didn't.

Sue said...

you are too sweet!! I have my 2 yr old grandaughter here Monday thru Thursday thats why I brought Charles on to help keep the blog active! I have an elderly Mom too, I understand how that is, you are a good daughter to help Mom with her Fall clean-up. I'm here reading you everyday also and no, I didn't think you forgot me LOL!!
Have a great week Annette!

TomCat said...

I guess she has a right to her opinion. I disagree, but Hillary is doing an excellent job at State. I hoped that he would put her on the ticket at VP, but Obama made the best choice in putting her where she's so well suited.