NY weekly shows Obamas as 'Sanford and Son' actors

Since they don't have a website I'm not 100% sure that this is the pic, but it looks like it. Classy freaking paper.

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A weekly newspaper photo depicting President Barack Obama and his wife as characters from the TV sitcom "Sanford and Son" was intended as political satire and not a racist commentary, the publisher said Wednesday.

Phillip Sciarello, publisher and part owner of the Smithtown Messenger on New York's Long Island, defended the decision to publish the photo, but added the newspaper would run a retraction in its next edition for anyone who might have been offended.

The photo spread features "before and after" shots of the last six presidents and their wives, starting with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and ending with the Obamas. The "after" photo of the Obamas is a shot from the 1970s show, with Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford and LaWanda Page as Sanford's sister-in-law, Aunt Esther. She is seen standing ready to box Sanford; the characters often verbally jousted as part of the show's story line.

The "after" photos of the other presidents feature their images as slightly older than when they took office.

Audio- Beck and crew conflate "nuclear option" and reconciliation to accuse Dems of hypocrisy

Textbook example of RW media manipulation, right out of David's book.

As we've documented extensively over the past year, conservatives have waged an ongoing campaign to re-brand the process of reconciliation as the "nuclear option." Feel free to read any of the hundred or so examples from our archives to get the full story, but to put it briefly: this is outrageously dishonest. The "nuclear option" was a term coined by Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) in reference to his proposed change to Senate rules that would have banned use of the filibuster for judicial nominations.

Reconciliation, on the other hand, requires no change to Senate rules since it has been used repeatedly over the years to pass major legislation - notably to pass major pieces of health care reform legislation. Republicans themselves weren't quite so uncomfortable with the supposedly "dirty" process when they used it to pass President Bush's tax cuts. Multiple times.

To a cynic, the reason for this re-branding might have appeared to be that conservatives were concerned that Democrats would use reconciliation to pass portions of health care reform. And lo and behold, with reports surfacing in the past few days that Democrats are again considering using reconciliation for health care reform (which, as NPR noted today, is consistent with the long history of the use of reconciliation in health care bills,) conservatives are redoubling their efforts.

Here's how the trick works:

Today, conservative media are furiously promoting a video posted at Breitbart TV, titled:"Obama & Dems in 2005: 51 Vote 'Nuclear Option' Is 'Arrogant' Power Grab Against the Founder's Intent." You can probably guess where this is going.

They're already pimping this on Fox.

Video- Howard Kurtz highlights media's failure to report estimated jobs created by stimulus

Fat load of good it does us now Howie.

The 12 worst media moments of Obama’s first 100 days

You can vote here. Dick Morris gets my pick.

Remember the anonymous ex ABC staffer?

Read this and tell me he wasn't telling the truth. Original post with anon comments here.

Obligatory Blagojevich scandal post

By GottaLaff

Just to keep you up to date:

The United States attorney prosecuting Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois on federal corruption charges asked Wednesday for a 90-day extension to bring an indictment against the governor, as more details emerged about how Mr. Blagojevich worked behind closed doors to find someone to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s former Senate seat.[...]

Federal prosecutors normally have 30 days to file an indictment against a defendant. That deadline would have been Jan. 7, and the extension would give prosecutors until April 7 instead. [...]

In the motion filed in federal court on Wednesday, United States Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald asked for more time because “multiple witnesses” have come forward in recent weeks and investigators have to review “thousands of intercepted phone calls.”

Here is an example of what this time extension will provide for ratings-hungry, gossip-worshiping news [sic] outlets:

But, if nothing else, the image of all three standing together in front of flashing cameras served as a reminder of the political environment in which Obama developed: Blagojevich is awaiting an indictment; Burris may be blocked from claiming the Senate seat by leaders in Illinois and Washington; and Rush pushed for a black senator to replace Obama, who prefers not to participate in "the politics of race." [...]

It is that "taint" of controversy with which Obama has become associated during the past month. [...]

Activist Al Sharpton said yesterday: "I think that Governor Blagojevich is trying to save himself and cynically trying to draw the president-elect into this. But President-elect Obama should stay out of this. The worst thing that he could do is be drawn back into Illinois politics."

90 more days of opportunity for Republicans/the news [sic] media (synonymous, for the most part) to stumble all over themselves to manufacture stories that chip away at Obama. They need no justification other than an attempted bump in poll numbers/ratings/self-aggrandizement.

Happy New Year.

CNN's Christmas Present To Me

CNN chyron: “Security Fear: Shirtless Obama Pic”. Via Oliver.