Ruinous Right

Republicans Down on Their Own Party

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:00:00 +0000

In our last post entitled "R.I.P. Ruinous Right?!" we discussed the declining G.O.P. image and a possible hope for moderate Republican leadership. We stated the belief that the influence of the "Ruinous Right" was growing weaker and pointed to several articles supporting that belief. We also referred back to an older post entitled "Ignorance and Name Calling Prominent In Right-Wing Blogs" that highlighted divisive right-wing blogs and their demise.

Unfortunately, political zealots who have no room for compromise or mutual understanding are part of our cultural fabric and are here to stay. Even as many members of the Republican party criticize it's ultra-conservative stance, misguided leaders and divisive pundits, some members continue on with their far-right rhetoric. It's doubtful we'll ever be able to celebrate the death of all far-right (or far-left) individuals who thrive on divisive rhetoric and misinformation. Our only hope is that their self-serving agendas and influence over others will diminish.

In April 2009, several polls conducted attracted attention for their notably low levels of self-reported Republican voters. In particular, ABC/WaPo reported the number of Republicans as 21 percent, CBS/NYT at 20 percent, NBC/WSJ also at 20 percent (not counting "leaners"), and Pew at 22 percent.

So, how have things progressed since this past April? A recent Gallup poll offers up the following:

"Almost 4 out of 10 (38%) Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have an unfavorable opinion of their own party..."

"Fifty-three percent of Americans today have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, compared to just 34% who have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party."

"... a substantial minority of Americans who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party also have negative views of the party. Almost 4 out of 10 Republicans say their opinions of the party are unfavorable, and a number of Republicans volunteer that the first thing that comes to mind when they think about the GOP is "unfavorable" or "lost its direction."

Only time will tell if sensibility and a cooperative spirit will prevail over selfishness and divisiveness within the Republican party. Hopefully, the ideas from Republicans like Colin Powell and Tom Ridge will prevail over those being offered by Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and some far-right bloggers.

Republicans Down on Their Own Party
GOP needs to listen to Colin Powell
Colin Powell fires back at Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney

R.I.P. Ruinous Right?!

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:16:00 +0000

The Ruinous Right blog launched over a year ago to help combat the policies and propaganda coming from the real "ruinous right" - far right conservatives, far right media outlets, far right blogs and far right pundits. Today marks President Barack Obama's 100th day in office and it may also mark the beginning of the end of the divisive and narrow-minded politics of many members of the Republican party.

The influence of hate mongers and bigots, such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage is diminishing. These authors and pundits seem to appeal to a dwindling audience of mostly white folk who still cling to guns and/or gated straight white communities. Fox News is recognized more and more as simply a propaganda tool of the right and not 'Fair and Balanced' as they like to claim.

Far right members of the Republican party are also losing their charm. Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich and the likes may still wield strong influence within the G.O.P., but many sensible moderate Republicans are beginning to realize their detriment to the party. The nomination of John McCain seemed to be a step in the right direction initially, but he caved to the far right and voting Americans made their feelings known by handing Barack Obama a decisive win along with shifting the balance of power away from Republicans in Congress.

Many of the far right blogs that posted headlines of hatred or distortions regarding socialism are now offline or rarely updated. I'm very happy to report that many mentioned in my article "Ignorance and Name Calling Prominent In Right-Wing Blogs" are now defunct.

Today, only 20% of Americans identify with the Republican party. The barbarous rhetoric and divisive politics is finally taking it's toll.

Now, as Barack Obama and the country reflect on the past 100 days since the historic election of the first African American President, G.O.P defections and a possible change in party strategy share the headlines:

Republican Party on brink of irrelevance?
Specter defection a wake-up call to GOP
GOP in search of change of its own
GOP set to launch rebranding effort
Pelosi to Republican voters: 'Take back your party'
Longtime GOP Sen. Arlen Specter becomes Democrat
Specter explains why he switched
Steele: Specter 'flipped the bird' at GOP
Analysis: GOP learning to be opposition party
GOP Debates Its Future: Broaden or Contract?

CNN Poll: Obama not making U.S. less safe

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:49:00 +0000

A new poll indicates Americans don't agree with former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent assertion that President Barack Obama's actions have increased the chances of a terrorist attack against the United States.

Seventy-two percent of those questioned in the poll released Monday disagree with Cheney's view that some of Obama's actions have put the country at greater risk, with 26 percent agreeing with the former vice president.

In a March 15 interview on CNN's "State of the Union with John King," Cheney said the Bush administration's anti-terror strategies "were absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed of being able to collect the intelligence that led us to defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11."

» Read more

The Rush Limbaugh Challenge

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:43:00 +0000

A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times by Andrew Klavan is titled “Take the Limbaugh Challenge.” Klavan writes that recent attacks on conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh are on the rise and are likely coming from those who have never even listened to the controversial talk radio pundit. American Chronicle contributor Steve Shines accepts:

“I´ve been taking the Limbaugh Challenge for fifteen years. I started listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio in 1992, when I was twelve years old. By eighth grade I had read both his books, The Way Things Ought to Be and See, I Told You So. When his television show was on the air, I rarely missed an episode. During the summer when I wasn´t in school, and over vacations and sick-days, I routinely listened to all three hours of his radio show. I was familiar with Rush Limbaugh and the "real policy material" beneath his "jokes and teasing bluster" before there even was such a thing as Media Matters or ThinkProgress to spoon-feed me distorting excerpts.”

“It took a few years. I had some growing up to do. The more I opened myself up to a wider range of views — and not merely a narrow variation of my own views perfectly describing the phony broad-mindedness of which many conservatives are guilty, it seems to me — the less what I was hearing from Limbaugh made sense. Once I had read Voltaire, Carl Sagan, Thomas Paine, the wisdom of Rush Limbaugh looked trivial at best. Once I had read and heard from Mark Twain, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, the humor of Rush Limbaugh hardly seemed to exist at all. I have no intellectual keepers. No one has shaped my opinion on Rush Limbaugh other than Rush Limbaugh. The more I heard him as an adult rather than an adolescent, the more I came to see him not as insightful, funny and wise, but as tiresome, clownish, self-serving, and oh, just the tiniest bit hypocritical.”

AMEN

» Read more

Obamas to use own cash to redecorate White House

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:19:00 +0000

The President and First Lady have turned down $100,000 in federal funds that is traditionally allotted to new presidents for renovation projects. The first couple is also turning down money from the White House Historical Association, the organization that financed a $74,000 set of china for the Bushes. The decision to forgo federal funds is the president's latest belt-tightening move amid the sagging economy and widespread outrage over corporate excesses.

» Read more

Why Rush Is Wrong

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:50:00 +0000

Conservative Michael Frum explains why Rush Limbaugh is wrong and why he's not a smart choice for GOP representation. This article comes at the end of a couple weeks of Limbaugh controversy leaving some wondering who really is the leader of the Republican party.

“The party of Buckley and Reagan is now bereft and dominated by the politics of Limbaugh. A conservative's lament.”

“Rush is a walking stereotype of self-indulgence.”

“Rush Limbaugh is a seriously unpopular figure among the voters that conservatives and Republicans need to reach.”

“The Republican Party needs to evolve.”

Obama Day 50: Stocks see biggest gains of 2009

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:02:00 +0000

Today, the Dow gained 379 points, Nasdaq surged 7% and the S&P 500 rallied 6.4%. Credit mainly goes to Citigroup and the possible limit on short selling. Citigroup cooled some worries about its wellbeing and regulators said they may reinstate a trading rule. That said, it's good news on the 50th day of the Obama presidency after the market had been dropping on fears of a worsening recession.

Republicans continue to bash Obama and the Democrat's stimulus plan without offering up any sound ideas of their own. They're quick to criticize Obama regarding the floundering economy and dropping stock market even though he has only been in office less than 2 months and the stimulus bill only recently passed. Most Americans view Obama positively and know it will take time for the economy to react.

Only time will tell who was on the right side of the debate in solving our country's economic crisis, but today was a good day among several bad ones.

Limbaugh, Hannity, and the GOP: an iron triangle of stimulus misinformation

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:00:00 +0000

On any given day during the current congressional debate over the economic recovery plan, chances are good that Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity will say something false about the administration's or congressional Democrats' efforts to pass a bill.

» Continue reading

GOP Crossroads

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:37:00 +0000

The Republican Party is at a fork in the road and recent events have propelled two of it's leaders into prominent positions as it gets ready to choose a path forward.

On one side stands Michael Steele, the newly elected party chairman, who is charismatic, conservative, media savvy and a person of color. On the other side of the road stands Rush Limbaugh, a crude and mean-spirited individual who gets rich by playing to base fears and likes to joke about "negroes."

Following the recent exchange between Steele and Limbaugh, it's obvious the party is in disarray. Some Republicans are hardcore Rush supporters and want the GOP to adopt Limbaugh's extreme views and continue confrontation with the Democrats. Others, including Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich, think it's time for new ideas and fresh policies:

Michael Steele:
"We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us."
"..."apply [conservative principles] to urban-suburban hip-hop settings."

Newt Gingrich:
"It's not our job to be the opposition party. It's our job to be the 'better solutions party'"

Rush Limbaugh (and Limbaugh wannabes Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter & Glenn Beck) wants to continue the divisive politics that have been a mainstay of the Republican party for the past decade... perhaps longer.

Rush Limbaugh:
"I want Obama to fail."

"one thing that we can all do is stop assuming that the way to beat them is with better policy ideas right now."

Moderate conservatives like Ross Douthat and David Frum argue that the Republican party’s Limbaugh obsession “guarantees that the GOP will become a powerless rump party only for conservative true believers.”

What's good for Rush Limbaugh is bad for Republicans

In closing, moderate Dennis Sanders offers up three paths for Republicans - confrontation, accommodation or adaptation:

How to be a Republican in the age of Obama

Welcome to tomorrow

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:19:00 +0000

The American people have chosen Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. This is truly exciting on so many different levels.

For one, he's the first African American chosen to lead our great nation and it demonstrates just how far we've progressed since the days of slavery and the more recent civil unjustness of the 30's, 40's, 50's & 60's. We have matured as a nation and now we've demonstrated this to the world and ourselves.

Secondly, it's a blow to the 'divide and conquer' strategy of the Right. The dishonorable smears and negative campaigns couldn't stop the momentum of hope, change and positivity. Most right-wing bloggers spent more time posting hateful misinformation and retouched images of Obama than they did discussing real issues. Most knew that the policies and corruption of the Bush/Cheney administration meant Republicans were in for an uphill battle. They needed to distract attention away from the fact that John McCain was simply offering more of the same while Barack Obama and the Democrats were offering real change. Divisive politics have worked well for the Republicans since Bush Sr.. Thankfully, most Americans saw through the tactic this time around.

McCain & Bush

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:13:00 +0000

John McCain lashed out at President Bush's record on a host of issues Wednesday, perhaps the Arizona senator's harshest criticism to date of his party's standard-bearer for the last eight years.

"Spending, the conduct of the war in Iraq for years, growth in the size of government, larger than any time since the Great Society, laying a $10 trillion debt on future generations of America, owing $500 billion to China, obviously, failure to both enforce and modernize the [financial] regulatory agencies that were designed for the 1930s and certainly not for the 21st century, failure to address the issue of climate change seriously," McCain told the Washington Times when asked to name his criticisms of the current president.

"Those are just some of them," McCain said, laughing.

McCain lashes out at Bush's record

Yet John McCain supported Bush and voted with him over 90% of the time.

McCain on George W. Bush
Thank John McCain
John McCain vs. John McCain
The Real John McCain 2
90% Ad

Precious.

Desperate McCain-Palin Ticket Ramps Up The Smears

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:29:00 +0000

Despite John McCain's claim that he wouldn't stoop to gutter politics, he and his running mate are stooping to gutter politics. The McCain-Palin ticket is falling further behind in the polls and key states are turning blue quickly. There is only one month to election day and desperate times call for desperate measures.

To mark their return to smear politics, Sarah Palin launched the first salvo Saturday at a fundraiser in Colorado accusing Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists". This low blow was in reference to Obama's loose ties to 60's radical William Ayers.

"Our opponent, though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect – imperfect enough that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," she said. "Americans need to know this. I think, okay we gotta get the word out. This is in fairness to the electorate we gotta start telling people what the other side represents."

Palin made similar comments later at a rally in Carson, California. Obama's Chicago, Illinois, home is in the same neighborhood as Bill Ayers, a founder of the radical Weather Underground, which was involved in several bombings in the early 1970s, including the Pentagon and the Capitol, and the two have met several times since Obama's 1995 campaign for a state Senate seat.

Palin cited an article in Saturday's New York Times about Obama's relationship with Ayers, now 63. But that article concluded that "the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' "

Several other publications, including the Washington Post, Time magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and The New Republic, have debunked the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship.

Expect more misinformation and smears in the coming weeks. It seems McCain will do anything to win and perhaps Republicans love their party more than they love this county.

Learn more:

CNN Fact Check
Barack Obama Barely Knows William Ayers
Fact Check on Obama and Ayers

Story resource: Palin hits Obama for 'terrorist' connection

UPDATE: Obama preempts the latest smear campaign from the McCain-Palin campaign. See the video that will begin airing Monday entitled "This Year".

McCain's Smear Tactics Backfiring

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:48:00 +0000

News outlets and independent truth squads seem to agree that the McCain camp's distortions on Barack Obama have gone too far.

After a crazy week of PigLipstickGate, the media is chastising McCain for stooping to new election lows. News organizations and admirable truth-squadding outfits reach a consensus to say "enough" to the McCain camp's efforts to demonize Barack Obama.

Los Angeles Times: New election low: distorting the fact-checking
FactCheck: McCain-Palin Distorts Our Finding
PolitiFact: If there's lipstick on a pig, it's this McCain ad
John McCain's ads are LIES. Here's the video proof.
Make McCain Disavow His Dishonest Obama Ad

It's sad that American elections are so full of misinformation and distractions these days. Voters are cheated by this reality since it takes the focus away from the real issues. Hopefully, many will see this for the charade it is and vote for the candidate they feel best represents their views and serves in the best interests of the country.

Let your voice be heard and tell McCain to disavow these dishonest tactics! Visit the following website for more information:

therealmccain.com/pac

RNC Convention: Fear Mongering & Lies

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:31:00 +0000

From large issues to small lies, it would be hard to detail all of them. Some of them were almost laughable, like Mitt Romney blaming the eight years of the Bush Administration on "liberals." And some were trivial, like Mike Huckabee saying that Sarah Palin got more votes in her first run for mayor of a town of 7,000 than the 84,000 votes Joe Biden got in his Presidential run.

Here were just a few of the major lies from last night:

They continued the lies about taxes, when Barack Obama's tax policies are better than John McCain's for everyone but the folks as wealthy as John McCain.

They lied about Barack Obama's energy plan, ignoring his comprehensive plan in favor of their 'drill baby, drill" chanting.

They even smeared community organizing repeatedly, as if helping people organize to fight for their own rights is something to be mocked and denigrated.

The Republicans have nothing to run on, nothing to offer. If we take away their smears, they have nothing. Take that away by fighting for the truth:

TruthFightsBack.com

(story source: TruthFightsBack.com)

'Change' Has Been Clearly Outlined

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:59:00 +0000

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama laid out exactly what he means by CHANGE in his speech to over 80,000 in Denver last night. He outlined his energy policy, economic policy, social policy and more. He also blasted McCain saying he is out of touch with the lives of ordinary Americans. You can watch or read about the DNC address by visiting the following links:

CNN: We are better than these last eight years (speech transcript)
CNN: Obama blasts McCain, lays out his own agenda
NPR: Obama's Acceptance Pledge: Fix 'Broken Politics'
UPI: Obama outlines platform of change
MSNBC: Party got what it wanted from Obama speech

YouTube: Obama's acceptance speech at 2008 DNC

Obama-Ayers Smear Campaign

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:32:00 +0000

If you think you know John McCain, you should read on.

Earlier this year, John McCain was interviewed on television, and he promised that he would work against these shadowy outside groups that spread lies and pollute our country with their smears. He was asked specifically about the “swiftboat” people from 2004 in that question.

Then, when he’s behind in the polls, one of those new groups pops up, funded entirely by one billionaire who was part of those swiftboat people in 2004. And it’s again spreading lies.

You may have heard about it. They dragged up some obscure 60s radical who happens to live in the same neighborhood as Barack Obama, and they try to say that they have this big connection. Months ago, the Chicago papers called this a “phony charge.” They have no connection (Obama attended one reception at the guy’s house once, and has condemned what the guy did way back in the 60s, when Obama was 9 years old).

So these are obvious lies, just like John McCain said he’d condemn. But instead of condemning them, he actually suck even lower than George W. Bush did in 2004. He repeated the attacks in his own campaign statements!

This is a shockingly dishonorable thing to do. And I’m just tired of it. Broken promises, lies, shadowy groups funded by billionaires, we need to get rid of all of it.

The only way to do that is to pass this along, tell everyone you know what John McCain is doing. You won’t hear all this on the news, probably. So we need to tell everyone what’s going on.

We need to have politicians that talk about us and how they can fix things, not talk about the latest lies and smears some shadowy group dredges up.

Learn more:

Barack Obama Barely Knows William Ayers
Fact Check on Obama and Ayers

(story source: TruthFightsBack.com)

Arm Yourself

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:29:00 +0000

When in doubt, smear.

That's the strategy of today's GOP, right-wing pundits and many conservative blogs. The Right doesn't seem to be capable of debating the issues. They spend more time name-calling and digging up bogus facts than trying to support their own positions. It's quite pathetic, very predictable and now a common part of today's political atmosphere.

Arm yourself with knowledge and fight back!

Below you'll find links to various sources that track, debunk and counter the misinformation, smears and flat-out lies coming from the Right.

Truth Fights Back
Barack Obama: Fight the Smears
FactCheck.org
PolitiFact

The Republican Propaganda Channel, FOX News, often participates in smearing Democrats and Democratic candidates. Just take a look at these humorous videos that expose their distortions:

The Fox Is Wrong - Obama 1
The Fox Is Wrong - Obama 2

Ignorance and Name Calling Prominent In Right-Wing Blogs

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:15:00 +0000

It amazes me how pathetic, ridiculous and ignorant some right-wing bloggers are. Blog after blog, forum post after forum post, many on the right demonstrate just how hateful and dishonest they truly can be. Instead of arguing the issues and backing their party's position with facts, they simply resort to misinformation, name calling and lies. I guess they get their playbook from Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing nuts. Just take a look at some of these samples:

The Hill Chronicles

"We know she is smarter than Aunt Jeremiah, but she talks like Buckwheat." (reference to Michelle Obama)

"You do not believe Obama is another Hitler? You are insulted by the reference to him and Mein Kampf? I suggest you listen to Hail Obama." (with embedded video comparing Obama to Hitler)

"Let me see here. Osama oops, I mean Obama, you know that “Hussein” guy that wants us to call him Barack?"

"Bring it on all you liberaltards!"

This blogger also professed to have 'proof' that Obama is a Muslim and determined to destroy America. The so-called 'proof' was an email from missionary friends in Africa, but this story and other distorted facts and lies were removed when visitors began questioning the authenticity of her so-called facts.

Visit The Hill Chronicles and see what I'm talking about for yourself, but don't try and post opposing comments - you'll be banned from the site in short order.

Autorotate's Flying Circus

This guy just makes stuff up. Here's an excerpt from a post titled "Obama's Convention Speech: Intercepted by the Circus":

"My fellow Americans: As your future President I want to thank my supporters, for your mindless support of me, despite my complete lack of any legislative achievement, my pastor's relations with Louis Farrakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quadafi, or my blatantly leftist voting record..."

Other informative titles and buried gems...

"Napalm in the Morning: Biden's an Abortion Machine"

"Okay so basically he's promoting taxing the oil companies to pay for more hand-outs to the poor. Awesome, Robin Hood."

"I told ya people, this is how sick the left is. Thankfully, the envelope was sent to the McCain office and not the Obama office, for fear that it might have been snorted and confused for another suspicious white powdery substance from Obama's formative years." (referring to recent threatening letters sent by Arapahoe County Jail inmate Marc Harold Ramsey to McCain campaign offices in Colorado and New Hampshire. Manipulated photo of Barack Obama sitting behind pile of white substance inferring he's a coke head or behind the attack.)

Don't bother visiting. The author seems about as sane as Colonel Kurtz from the film Apocalypse Now which he's obviously obsessed with. Reading this blog is like a trip up the Nung River.

UPDATE: Autorotate responds with smears and name calling. Thanks for proving my point.

Stop Obama-Vote McCain 2008!!

The author uses the names "Barack 'Hussein' Obama" and "Hollywood Hussein" in post after post. He's obviously trying to infer that Obama is possibly Muslim plus a threat to America and his popularity is all hype. There are so many posts tainted with lies and misinformation on this site it's too much to list here. See for yourself and comment where you find dishonest posts (most everywhere). This blogger also likes to plant misinformation in blog forums like BlogCatalog, but rarely defends his positions.

Not all conservative bloggers are full of hate and inclined to spread misinformation and lies like those above. I find the following blogs to be more balanced and factual although I don't always agree with their assessments:

Right Commentary

(Sorry, I only found one. Balanced, sane, right-wing bloggers are hard to find and I'm open to suggestions here.)

Whatever blog post or news article you may encounter - left or right - it's a good idea to fact check: http://www.factcheck.org/

Regarding Barack Obama: http://www.fightthesmears.com/

Barack Obama: Fight The Smears

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Presidential nominee, Barack Obama has decided to take a more aggressive approach to the rumors that have been popping up online about him and his family. The Obama campaign has built what might best be described as a Web-based rumor clearinghouse, located at FightTheSmears.com, in which it hopes all the shady stories about Obama's faith, his family and his rumored connections with controversial figures can go to die.

Media Reform & Real Journalism

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:36:00 +0000

The National Conference for Media Reform is for anybody who wants to be involved in efforts to reform our media. Activists, policymakers, journalists and other media workers, scholars, students, artists, and concerned citizens all find opportunities to learn, share, network, and engage at the conference.

This years conference was held June 6th - 8th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ironically FOX News sent a few team members to the event. Here you can view Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films addressing a crowd and two FNC crew members:

Robert Greenwald calls out FOX News crew

At another point during the conference Bill Moyers, former White House Press Secretary and journalist, was ambushed by one of Bill O'Reilly's minions:

FOX News ambushes Bill Moyers

Per usual, Bill-O put his distorted SPIN on things:

Bill O'Reilly's SPIN

It's true, all media has some level of bias, but FOX News has an orchestrated agenda that cannot be denied. It's not even journalism.

We wouldn't mind FOX so much if they would just come clean and replace 'Fair and Balanced' with 'The Republican Propaganda Channel'. No other cable or network news source even comes close to their level of bias and misinformation.

What can you do as a concerned U.S. citizen?!

You can also add a RR Channel to your website. Choose any channel from the sidebar on the right of our home page or any playlist from our YouTube channel. Email your choice(s) to info@ruinousright.com and we'll help with the set-up at no charge. We're more interested in spreading awareness than making a quick buck.

Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Barack Obama has won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. It was a long journey and an especially close race with Hillary Clinton. Now one phase is complete and the final race against John McCain for President begins. Choosing a running mate for vice president and uniting the party are the next tasks at hand. Several names have been highlighted for consideration including Hillary Clinton.

Now it's time to turn the page on the policies of the past and bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. America will soon decide between the stay the course policies of John McCain or change we can believe in from Barack Obama.

CNN: Obama urges unity, thanks all who made victory possible
CNN: Obama's potential running mates
Change vs. Stay The Course

In Memory of our Fallen Soldiers

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Mon, 26 May 2008 16:36:00 +0000

Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. This year that is today, May 26th. Many friends and families will head to the park or beach for a day of fun and relaxation. The smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and barbeque will fill the air along with sounds of sports, music and children playing. It's a wonderful opportunity for U.S. citizens, but the real reason for this holiday should not go unrecognized.

Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include casualties of any war or military action. Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. US Eastern time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers usually place an American flag upon each grave site located in a National Cemetery.

Learn more about the sacrifice our nation and many families have made for our freedoms:

Wikipedia: Memorial Day

Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Sat, 24 May 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Written by veteran media critic and Emmy winner Rory O'Connor, Shock Jocks features unsparing profiles of the ten worst conservative radio talkers in America, including Michael Savage, Bill O' Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus and the rest. Shock Jocks highlights the politicized and often factually challenged world of talk radio that dominates a sizable portion of America's airwaves, and shows how misogyny, racism, and utter contempt for other human beings is disguised as “free speech”. This scathing account also details the progressive alternatives fighting for airtime, and what you can do to help.

"Talk radio is one of America's most popular and influential media formats. In his book, Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio, Rory O'Connor reports on the shocking number of top radio talk show hosts who regularly spout hate speech over our public airwaves. This intriguing, eye-opening and hugely important work is a must read account of the dangers of blurring opinion, journalism and entertainment -- at the expense of our democratic discourse and ideals." - Walter Cronkite

Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio

Change vs. Stay the Course

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:32:00 +0000

A wise man learns from his mistakes.

If broken it is, fix it you should.

Many would agree these phrases make common sense. They are logical, reasonable and speak of experience. However, these ideas don't seem in tune with today's Republican party. They especially don't seem to jibe with the views of 2008 presidential candidate John McCain. While Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee, speaks of change, John McCain and many Republicans want to stay the course.

Iraq
McCain, Obama in heated exchange over Iraq
Obama, McCain argue over Iraq

Iran
McCain, Obama trade jabs over Iran policy
Hagel criticizes McCain over Iran comments

Cuba
McCain, Obama argue over Cuba policy

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The Real McCain
The John McCain Channel
The Bush-McCain Challenge

Flag Pin Lunacy

info@ruinousright.com (Ruinous Right) — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:12:00 +0000

We all know that wearing a flag pin on your lapel is much more important than any issue facing our nation today. The presence of a flag pin can cure the ills of a nation. It can stabilize a troubled economy, provide healthcare to those in need, resolve international conflicts and ultimately bring world peace.

Sound absurd? It is... but so is the scrutiny that Barrack Obama has received from some people regarding this useless, tiresome and distracting issue.

Roland Martin has posted an excellent commentary on CNN.com regarding the all-important flag pin issue.

Commentary: Make wearing the flag pin the 28th amendment