Friday Fox Follies - Trump Comedy Gold

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Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:48 pm

The greatest purveyor of Fake News in the past 20 years had a collective orgasm when Emperor Trump called its rival CNN Fake News. The day before that he had praise for himself, implicating his King-maker:

Rupert Murdoch is a great guy who likes me much better as a very successful candidate than he ever did as a very successful developer!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017
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Is that why Trump Just Shot Jim Acosta In The Middle Of Fifth Avenue And The Press Didn’t Blink? Or, is it more like how he promoted L.L. Bean? This kerfuffle comes as Trump Somehow Wins Yet Another Round Against the Dysfunctional News Media, because when Trump berated a CNN reporter, fellow journalists missed an opportunity:

Much has been made of Trump’s relationship with the press, and fears about his views on the First Amendment as well as traditional norms are justified by his actions. With just over a week until he assumes power, the press needs to be ready to work together to ensure that reporters are provided the access and information necessary to accurately and honestly cover the new administration.

Standing in the way of such a united effort to push back against Trump’s singling out certain organizations is the fractured media industry itself. In the past, there may have been some utility to reporters working as a group, but with unabashed boosters in the studios of certain Fox News hosts, the morning hours of MSNBC, and the pages of Breitbart, as direct access to 17 million followers through his own Twitter feed, Trump has a greater ability than any previous president to push his message unchallenged.

The usual suspects needed a cigarette after Emperor Trump’s presser: Fox’s Meghan McCain Calls Trump’s Attack On BuzzFeed And CNN ‘Karmic Retribution’, as the noted Trump fellator Sean Hannity Celebrates Trump’s ‘Greatest Beatdown’ Of The Press ‘In The History Of The Country’, and Greg Gutfeld plays false equivalency. I guess he’s never heard of Birthers.

However, no one went as far as Neil Cavuto: Now CNN Knows How Fox News Has Felt for Past 8 Years. Watch:

The Observer‘s Joe Lepointe notes:

No doubt access to Trump will remain fine for Fox, his sanctuary network, with an Amen chorus that backs him reflexively.

One of the smarmiest is Neil Cavuto, who spouted off Thursday with sarcasm and glee like that of the Bedford Falls banker Mr. Potter, in the film It’s a Wonderful Life when the rival credit union loses its money.

“How’s all that going down, CNN?” Cavuto asked. “How does it feel to be dismissed or, worse, ignored? How does it feel when your feelings are hurt, when your reporters are singled out, and you’re treated unfairly and unkindly, even rudely? . . . It’s insulting, isn’t it?“

Cavuto didn’t address the dishonesty of Trump’s charges. He had a different agenda.

Channeling the tired Fox trope of “we’re the real victims here,” Cavuto showed clips of President Obama sarcastically joking about Fox. He used the standard Fox device of false equivalence. Obama never insulted a reporter at a news conference; Trump did.

While President Obama correctly slapped Fox “News” around on occasion, he still took their questions and appeared in exclusive interviews on the network.

As usual, there was one voice of reason:

Fox’s Shepard Smith Condemns Trump’s
“Belittling And Delegitimizing” Of CNN Journalist

Friday Fox Follies looks forward to more like this over the next 4 years, or impeachment, whichever comes first.

THE FALAFEL KING STILL LOOKING FOR A FALAFEL QUEEN: In a week when Der Googalizer taught ‘Merkins about golden showers, another run-of-the-mill sexual harassment suit against serial sexual harasser Bill O’Reilly is just a HO HUM story. The NYT says in Fox News Settled Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Bill O’Reilly, Documents Show:

In exchange for her silence and agreement not to sue, she [Juliet Huddy] was paid a sum in the high six figures, according to people briefed on the agreement. The agreement was between Ms. Huddy, 47, and 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News. The company and Mr. O’Reilly’s lawyer said her allegations were false.

In the aftermath of Mr. Ailes’s departure, executives declared that such behavior would never again be tolerated. Mr. O’Reilly, 67, has continued to host his show on weekdays at 8 p.m., and has published two more books.

This stain won’t go away. It doesn’t help when Gretchen Carlson’s Fight Against Sexual Harassment Is Just Beginning. And, Carlson gives a reason why we almost never hear about this:

“We think that we’ve gotten so much better with sexual harassment because we don’t hear about it,” she told Francisco on Tuesday. “But the reality is…the cases are going to arbitration.”

Carlson said that many corporations have mandatory arbitration clauses in their employee contracts and that employees don’t always understand what they’re agreeing to when they sign them.

Arbitration clauses allow employee complaints to be tried by a private board chosen by the employer rather than by a public jury. This not only means that employees can’t discuss their trials publicly, but that employers get to pick the board that makes the final decision about the case, thus stacking the proverbial deck in an employer’s favor.

For that reason, Carlson will be testifying in front of Congress against the use of forced arbitration clauses with Democratic Senators Al Franken and Patrick Leahy this spring ― on top of starting her foundation, which, as she announced on Tuesday, is called The Gift of Courage.

Makes one wonder how many potential Falafel Queens have been to arbitration.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED AND WORTH READING: The Truth Behind Megyn Kelly’s NBC Deal

TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO LOOFAH LAD’S LASCIVIOUS LIFESTYLE:

Bill O’Reilly: “I Have Been Fair” To President
Obama, “I Have Not Attacked Him Personally”

Oh! Stop!! My!!! Sides!!!

TUCKER’S MEDIA: FFF noticed that Tucker — the other Carlson — was a good soldier this week and did loads of promo for his new show in his new time slot. Clueless stenographer Stephen Battaglio of the Los Angeles Times proves he hasn’t watched Tucker in at least a decade. Highlights of Bow tie-free Tucker Carlson steps into prime time on Fox News Channel include:

You don’t wear the bow tie anymore.

No. That went away more than 10 years ago when I worked at MSNBC. I was walking through Penn Station and yet another person screamed obscenities at me, and I thought, “You know, this is pointlessly provocative.” It was one of countless bow tie-inspired confrontations. I’m happy to defend my views. I don’t want to have to defend my neckwear every day. People really hate you when you wear a bow tie. I didn’t really know that because my wife liked it and my father wore one.

What’s behind the hatred?

I think it may have been in the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s, a lot of pediatricians wore bow ties. People’s memories of bow ties are being stared down on by some sadistic doctor who is jamming a needle into your butt. They could never disentangle that memory from me. That’s the best guess I’ve got.

That’s your best guess? No, Tuck. You are just worthy of contempt for interviews like this:

‘Isn’t It Irresponsible?’: Tucker Carlson, Fortune
Writer Clash Over BuzzFeed Dossier Report

Tucker Carlson Helps Trump Press Sec Pretend
CNN’s Acosta Was Unprofessional To Trump

You may recall that when President Obama was outright heckled in a “question” by Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro, in 2012, while Carlson was still the editor-in-chief, he stuck up for the reporter, saying, “This is what reporters are supposed to do,” and “They’re supposed to get their questions answered.”

The Washington Examiner, no liberal rag, explains why Acosta was no Munro: “Acosta asked for clarification about a story that’s been sweeping the country. The journalist didn’t interrupt or taunt. He didn’t even bring up the issue; the president-elect did. Acosta simply shouted out a question like the other hundreds of reporters.”

But instead of telling Spicer that reporters are “supposed to get their questions answered,” Carlson only made the argument that Trump didn’t need to ban a reporter. At the same time, Carlson suggested Acosta deserved the verbal attack and belittling he got from Trump during the presser.

SOME CELEBS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS: Fox News Tries To Discredit Meryl Streep By Pretending Trump Didn’t Mock Disabled Reporter, and Why Tucker Carlson Was Annoyed by Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes Speech, while Washed-Up Celebrity Chuck Woolery Trashes Anti-Trump Celebrities, Scoffs At Russian Hacking like he’s an expert at anything.

Today they love Nicole Kidman, the latest victim of anti-Trump hysteria.

MORE FAKE NEWS: Sometimes called lies. Here’s Sean Hannity trying to peddle some:

Sometimes, FFF can’t wait a week to respond:

Here’s a Foxy Friend trying to peddle some:

Steve Doocy Says Jeff Sessions Racist
Remarks Are Just a ’20-year-old’ Joke

Steve Doocy: White Men Are
Punching Bags For The Liberal Left –
‘Conservative Black Chick’ Agrees!

Lookie who got away with peddling some, until recently:

Trump national security pick Monica Crowley
plagiarized multiple sources in 2012 book

HarperCollins To Stop Selling Monica
Crowley’s Book After Plagiarism Revealed

FRIDAY FIREWORKS!!! Every Friday Geraldo Rivera visits the Curvy Couch as this column is being collated. Today’s visit needs to be seen. Watch as those Foxy Friends take offense that FBI Director James Comey did anything wrong. Stay for the beard talk.