Left-wing operatives, like those who run Politico, are intentionally attempting to create their own reality. In the same way the left turned “30 Rock,” a show that ranked 106 in the ratings last season, into some sort of cultural phenom, the idea here is to push the political and social values of something no one watches into our country’s cultural and media narrative as though it’s something it’s not — popular.

Politico loves Stephen Colbert because Stephen Colbert loves Barack Obama and is waging war against the Right and free speech. America, however, is, to be kind, indifferent to Colbert. 1.44 million viewers and only half that among the 18-49 group, does not make you King of anything.

But Colbert knows how to play the game and understands that if he wants these kinds of hollow accolades and the opportunity to push his left-wing agenda and to have history revised in his favor, he must appeal to the right people, and the right people are not THE people; the right people are the left-wing elites who infest our corrupt media.

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Buried near the bottom of a mostly glowing feature piece written by George Soros’ disciple Ken Vogel at the left-wing Politico:

Brad Smith, a past FEC chairman who now heads the Center for Competitive Politics, which advocates for less campaign finance regulation, also counts himself a fan of Colbert’s campaign finance jokes in the past, but thinks that this year, he’s off base.

“I think his super PAC stuff has largely been misleading the public,” he said. “He’s giving very misleading impressions about how disclosure obligations work, and he’s given a misleading understanding about why there are rules about coordination in politics.”

The rule banning coordination is “intended to prevent campaign contributions from being essentially a substitute for bribery,” he said, and is not really as ridiculous as Colbert and Stewart try to make it seem.

More broadly, he takes issue with those who look at Citizens United as some kind of cataclysmic event.

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***UPDATE: One of the folks involved in the event was kind enough to forward the video. It’s a must-watch. The great Frank Luntz gets bigger laughs than Colbert (who gets none) and not because these South Carolina moms “don’t get” the joke. These are smart women who know Colbert’s joke really isn’t. Watch how many of them describe Colbert as a left-winger and, quite hilariously, as a “Charleston dandy.”

Man, I love the American people.

—–

Because those left-wing journOlists at Politico share Colbert’s agenda to define GOP candidates as out-of-touch, because Politico shares Colbert’s goal to deny free speech to millionaires not named Stephen Colbert and corporations not named Politico, it makes sense that after gushing all over Colbert in somewhere around 258,223 stories, Politico would bury the lede in the 258,224th:

Via POLITICO’s Mackenzie Weinger in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Stephen Colbert made his appearance at the Café Moms town hall via a recorded video message:

Stephen Colbert made a cameo appearance at the Café Moms town hall meeting in Myrtle Beach on Monday with a recorded message asking the audience if they agree with Mitt Romney’s line that “corporations are people.” …

“My next question for the Café Moms South Carolina town hall is: What do you think about South Carolina’s favorite son forming an exploratory committee to run for president? While you discuss that I’m going to call my mom.”

And snark, snark, snark, and blah, blah, blah.

The real story, however, is found (as it usually is at Politico) near and at the bottom:

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Who’s the lying’ ass bitch now?

When the Fallon/Bachmann controversy first exploded, Questlove issued a statement claiming that his decision to introduce the Congresswoman to the show with the Fishbone song “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” was “tongue-in-cheek” and a “spur-of-moment decision.”

And yet…

In a Nov. 21  interview with “Rolling Stone,” Questlove told the interviewer of his plans to do exactly what he did:

“I’m gunning for Bachmann,” Questlove, a vocal Obama fan, told Rolling Stone. To put a time stamp on the comment, the magazine wrote that during the interview, he was “looking up walk-on songs for next week’s shows.”

Continued Questlove, “I want to try and do Fishbone’s ‘Lyin’ Ass Bitch.’ I just don’t know if I’m gonna tell Jimmy.”

Is this acceptable to NBC and to Jimmy Fallon?

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With the roaring success ”The Undefeated” has already had at changing the conversation about Sarah Palin from tanning beds and crosshair maps to, you know, her actual record as a public servant, the Left and their dishonest allies in the MSM are obviously as worried as they are desperate. As a result, this morning at ”The Atlantic” we’re greeted with a 950+ word article filled with precious NPR-esque prose and the delicate pose of a journalist just reporting the difficult truth, all under the following headline:

Sarah Palin Movie Debuts to Empty Theater in Orange County

We’re then told:

It isn’t strictly accurate to say that I sat through the whole movie alone. Just as the previews started, two young women walked in giggling together and took seats three rows behind me. Afraid that they’d ruined the only story I had at that point — What If Sarah Palin Starred in a Movie and No One Showed Up? — I hoped they’d at least oblige me with an interview, and so they did.

From there, the corrupt MSM has been gleefully off and running and amplifying the glorious news: 

The hard-left film site Movie Line:

Empty Theaters, 0% Positive Reviews Greet Sarah Palin Documentary

New York Magazine:

For the debut of the Sarah Palin documentary, Atlantic scribe Conor Frieserdorf was alone in an Orange County, California, theater, one of just ten nationwide showing The Undefeated.

Frum Forum:

Palin Movie Opens to No Crowds

Salon:

Palin movie debuts to an audience of empty seats

And naturally, Politico’s Ben Smith of the Tanning Bed Smiths:

The Unwatched

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Though notorious for my lousy memory, anyone who’s ever shared this experience will understand why I’ll never forget my first phone call with Andrew Breitbart. It’s hard to believe almost three years have passed so quickly, but I do remember the conversation like it was yesterday. At the time I was trying to squeak out a living at a website of my own that was pretty much devoted to my vision-less complaining about the terrible effect left-wing politics was having on my beloved motion picture industry. On a good day, I maybe got 5,000 hits but things were so financially dire that something had to give — and by “something had to give,” I mean, “I was a month away from going back to bill collecting.”

Then the email came: Please call me. *phone number* –Andrew Breitbart.

I knew of Andrew and had only met him very briefly once before but that day we talked for over two hours and if I were smarter, anything close to charismatic, and capable of being a visionary, it would’ve been like talking to myself. By that time I had already been trying to sound the alarm about what was happening in Hollywood for nearly three years. Certainly there were people who appreciated it, but 5,000 hits a day does not a movement make. But here was this guy on the other end of the phone speaking about it with more passion and insight than I had ever heard before: This is about America. This is about a blacklist. This is about a diversity of opinion at the pop culture table. This is about my kids. This is about truth, justice, and the American way. Out of anyone else’s mouth this would’ve sounded corny as hell, but from Andrew it sounded like The Ramones had entered the building.

So there was that, and then there was the vision. A media empire of BIG sites. Over ten of them: Big Government, Big Journalism, Big Peace, Big Education, Big Israel, and my personal favorite, Big Soros. But it would have to start with Big Hollywood, he said, because nothing was more important than the culture. If you couldn’t win a seat at the table of pop culture, the others won’t matter. Everything is downstream from Hollywood — and not just politics. Hollywood shapes our children, our country, and most importantly, it shapes how the world sees our country. Unless we gain a foothold on that beach, the rest of the invasion will fail.

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Few things reveal as much about a person as their priorities. With all the tragedy in the world today, all the righteous causes that could use a little burst of stardom, what does the following reveal about these celebs?

The left-wing Politico:

Some celebrities are speaking out in support of Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private accused of disclosing classified materials to the website WikiLeaks.

Among them: Viggo Mortensen and Michael Stipe, who joined with Amnesty International and the Center for Constitutional Rights and sent a letter Saturday to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates “asking for immediate action into the inhumane treatment of” Manning. ….

Others who signed the letter include Daniel Ellsberg, Rosanne Cash, Shepard Fairey, Danny Glover and Tom Morello. 

During a rally Sunday outside the Marine Corps Base Quantico, where Manning is being held, dozens were arrested, including Ellsberg.

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Yesterday, in this piece about Stephen Colbert,I mentioned Jon Stewart’s attack on Fox News but couched it with as much skepticism as possible because, frankly, it didn’t pass the smell test, especially in the area of context.  To have those suspicions confirmed last night by Bill O’Reilly came as no surprise (see the video below). Furthermore, I respectfully disagree with O’Reilly that Stewart should be held to a lower factual standard because he’s a ”satirist.” Stewart isn’t a satirist, he’s a political partisan disguised as a satirist, a man as determined to defeat the right as Nancy Pelosi and Bill Maher. The difference between Pelosi and Maher, though, is that they step into the arena of political battle and fly their flag. At the very least you can respect them for that. They come to wage open war whereas Stewart and Colbert come to throw rocks while wearing the protective shield of a clown nose.

I love our side and there’s really no lower form of life than someone on our side who undermines their own, so I say this to be constructive, not destructive. There are a lot of people on the Right who love Jon Stewart, people I respect, some of whom I know and like. And I agree that Stewart’s very good at what he does (which is why I take him seriously). But a conservative admiring the brilliance of Jon Stewart’s talent is like a boxer admiring the power of Mike Tyson’s punch as he’s beating you senseless. You have to fight back and in that respect, last night O’Reilly did an excellent job of threading a very difficult needle. Stewart is not easy to lay a glove on, but this was a clean hit. (You’ll be glad to know that I am now out of boxing metaphors).

Another point O’Reilly made that should be highlighted, is how the so-called “objective” or “legitimate” media too often takes what Stewart and Colbert do as some kind of gospel. Because Stewart is a “comedian,” the liberal media uses that as an excuse to blow up what he does on their air or online without bothering to fact-check, even when the stakes involve reputations. We’ve seen this before. Nobody watches “Saturday Night Live” but everyone saw Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impression. With a smirk, and as though it didn’t matter, the left-wing media let Tina Fey do their dirty work on Palin with the endless looping of those SNL clips all in the name of “fun.” Well, it’s not fun, it’s an attempt to dehumanize someone into a national punchline and the media knew it. (more…)

So late last night, I stumbled onto Joe Scarborough’s column on Politico, calling for a “higher level of debate.”

There, he built a condo in Jon Stewart’s butt, saluting the comedian’s attempt to challenge “extremists of all stripes.” He swoons, “I’m just naive enough to believe that Stewart’s rally might make a difference,” overlooking the fact that the sanity rally was a preemptive gesture, meant to undermine a conservative comeback.

The rally would not have happened, after all, if the shellacking was on the other foot.

Whatever: Joe just earned himself another Daily Show invite.

Anyway, last night I tweeted that, in 14 hours, Obama will call for end to partisanship. And, on cue, he did: in defeat – calling for a renewed civility.

Which I’m for, I guess.

But Obama needs to see the difference between incivility and legitimate anxiety. The incivility really began when people questioned him. Remember, it wasn’t the tea party calling the media morons and idiots. It was the opposite, when those old folks started showing up at town halls, speaking truth to Obama. (more…)

Still, he said, it would be wise for young Hollywood conservatives to exercise caution when speaking their minds.

Politico:

Since Clint [Howard] isn’t an A-List Hollywood celebrity, he’s not too worried about how his conservative beliefs might affect his career.

“I’m in a good spot because, you know what? It doesn’t really matter,” he said. “The fact is, the studios aren’t banging down my door, the networks aren’t banging down my door. I work in a lot of little funky movies … so it’s not like I’m throwing everything away by stepping out of the closet.”

In fact, Howard said that he hopes his Heritage videos might actually help his acting career.

After playing so many goofy characters, he said, “selfishly for me, this was an opportunity for me to get a piece of tape of myself that is attorney-like, doctor-like, politician-like. … It was a nice opportunity as an actor to step up and show my skills.”

Still, he said, it would be wise for young Hollywood conservatives to exercise caution when speaking their minds.

“I’d tell young people trying to break into and succeed in the business: Be careful about this stuff,” he said. (more…)

Today in Politico:

Members of Congress have been fooled time after time after time by Stephen Colbert, and after last week’s mockery, they have a message for the satirist who makes a living lampooning them: Colbert, you’re dead to us.

Colbert’s act had steadily been losing cachet on Capitol Hill, but his spoof testimony merely accelerated a pending divorce.

Lawmakers and their aides are repeatedly turning down requests for “The Colbert Report,” political advisers are suggesting members avoid Colbert like the plague and the infamous “Better Know a District” segment that put Colbert on the map on Capitol Hill appears to be dying out.

“My experience with that show is like herpes. It never goes away, and it itches and sometimes flares up,” said a former aide to Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, after his boss appeared on the show in 2006. The conservative Georgia Republican, co-sponsor of a bill requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in Congress, was skewered by Colbert in a segment of “Better Know a District” for appearing to be able to name only three of the commandments. (more…)

Politico:

It’s not the Star Wars trilogy, but writer and director Stephen Bannon’s trying for something epic: his latest film, “Battle for America,” which chronicles the tea party movement, is the third in a trilogy that Bannon believes weaves a narrative about a burgeoning conservative movement. Bannon’s hoping that by paying attention to detail and aiming high, conservative documentaries might finally compete with more successful films on the liberal side of the spectrum. 

“You’ve always seen mass movements on the left,” Bannon told POLITICO. “What intrigued me was what caused this mass movement on the right.” Bannon admits that “Battle” is “a very partisan film,” but says that “it’s aimed at independents and Reagan Democrats who can actually step back and think about what the stakes are.” (The other two films in the trilogy are “Generation Zero,” which focuses on the financial crisis, and “Fire from the Heartland,” which looks at leading conservative women). 

Such conservative notables as Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Lou Dobbs, Fred Barnes, Sen. Kit Bond, Sen. Tom Coburn and Rep. Thaddeus McCotter make cameos in “Battle.” But Dick Morris, current Republican campaign surrogate, is the default star of the film.  (more…)

So, thanks to the Daily Caller, more emails are emerging from “Journolist,” that secret list of liberal media hacks – and guess what, they’re about Sarah Palin.

And surprise: they aren’t positive!

First, they focused on how the media could help Obama beat McCain, after Sarah was picked as a running mate.

Jonathan Stein from Mother Jones loved the idea that the pick should be labeled sexist.

He writes: “That’s excellent! If enough people – people on this list? – write that the pick is sexist, you’ll have the networks debating it for days. And that negates the SINGLE thing Palin brings to the ticket.” (more…)

JournoList scandal is back and prepare for it to be a driving force in the news for quite some time. The Daily Caller published an article tonight indicating they’ve obtained emails from the JournoList and the initial details are as damning as we expected when the list-serv, founded by the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein in 2007, surfaced with the Dave Weigel kerfuffle last month.

Snippets from the article below, but make sure to read the whole thing at the Daily Caller and return to Big Journalism early and often as we unpack the details that emerge and track the fallout from this seminal event in the history of left-wing media bias. It’s unclear exactly what the Daily Caller has, but there’s certainly no indication from this article they’ve already laid all their cards out on the table.

According to records obtained by The Daily Caller, at several points during the 2008 presidential campaign a group of liberal journalists took radical steps to protect their favored candidate. Employees of news organizations including Time, Politico, the Huffington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Guardian, Salon and the New Republic participated in outpourings of anger over how Obama had been treated in the media, and in some cases plotted to fix the damage.

In one instance, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent urged his colleagues to deflect attention from Obama’s relationship with Wright by changing the subject. Pick one of Obama’s conservative critics, Ackerman wrote, “Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares — and call them racists.” (more…)

So some gay groups are upset over a photo the Wall Street Journal ran of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan:

It was also a picture we ran on Monday. It’s of her playing softball. The beef? That the shot is meant to provoke questions about her sexuality.

Gay and lesbian advocates, like Cathy Renna, believe it “clearly is an allusion to her being gay,” even though the paper never mentioned her orientation.

And that’s my point: The only time Kagan gets outed, is by gays. The bottom line: most of America doesn’t care who Kagan likes to cuddle with. In fact, most of America doesn’t even care about the Supreme Court period. The fact is, this so-called “whispering campaign” over Kagan’s sexuality wasn’t started by an average Joe or even an angry right wing preacher. It was launched by busy-body bloggers, mostly on the left, who have too much time on their hands and too much identity politics in their heads. My favorite line, for example, comes from a major liberal blog. In it, the writer says that Kagan’s friends say she is not gay. But adds: “And yet, the rumor persists.” (more…)

Politico reports that Rush appears to be having the time of his life as a judge for the Miss America pageant:

On Thursday night, in between rounds of competition, the judges competed for their own crown: “Judge of the Night.” 

While competing in the dance-off, Limbaugh stood up and boogied to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” alongside fellow judge Vivica A. Fox. 

“Rush Limbaugh has exceptionally impressive fist pumping skills,” tweeted Miss America Live. 

Limbaugh’s moves won him the “Judge of the Night” title. His prize: a “Mr. New Jersey” sash bestowed upon him by the host, Miss New Jersey 1995 Dena Blizzard.

Naturally, Variety’s Wilshire & Washington (which, months ago, should’ve been renamed The Interminably Uninteresting All-Things Gay Marriage Live-Blog)  puts on a bit of a scold with the headline… (more…)

So Politico.com has a sad story concerning the White House Holiday Party – an event that usually allows reporters to skulk around the White House and get their pics taken with the President.

But shockingly, things may be different this year. Some members of the press were left off the list, and it looks like those invited won’t be enjoying the typical “receiving-line photo.”

What? Did I just say what I think I said?

Can we rewind that please?

But shockingly, things may be different this year. Some members of the press were left off the list, and it looks like those invited won’t be enjoying the typical “receiving-line photo.”

I know, I know. How will the reporters cope? I mean, sure – we all have problems this year. Because of the recession, I’m cutting back on unicorn ornaments and Vicodin. But the real tragedy is the denial of those precious few moments standing next to the Commander-in-Cuteness. I can’t imagine anything more horrible – and believe me – I’m really good at imagining horrible. (more…)

Whenever reading Politico, everything should be washed through this filter. You must always keep in the front of your mind that this supposed “news” organization took the time to dig up and publicize dirt on a private citizen whose only sin was asking a perfectly reasonable question of a public figure. Politico’s warning to the everyday American was clear: get in the way of our guy and we will summon all our resources to publicly humiliate you. This all goes to prove that Politico is nothing more than a digital version of the Dinosaur Media — and just as clueless and dishonest as their unholy brethren, especially when it comes to explaining why their counterparts are drowning in the tar pits of obsolescence.

To hear Politico tell it, CNN’s stuck in humiliating fourth place behind FOX, MSNBC and their own Headline News because they’ve made the mistake of not appealing to the great unwashed who prefer partisan bickering and echo chambers:

With the proliferation of media across platforms these days, there’s less shared knowledge among people, who are increasingly heading to niche outlets for information. At the same time, there’s a large appetite for the new media world where the MSM gatekeepers no longer hold as much clout, and “he said, she said” journalism gives way to strong point of view. …

There’s no doubt that the over-the-top, and politically partisan, hosts are having more success attracting viewers on nights when there’s no major news event.

And what better place for Politico to get an opinion on such a matter than The Nation aka: “The flagship of the left“:

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Barack Obama’s White House is beginning to look a lot like a Joan Rivers special.  Celebrity after celebrity is showing up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., demonstrating, as Obama has told us time and time again, that the President is indeed outside the bubble, interested in the common man, and a representative of the little guy. 

Or not. 

Last Monday, according to Politico.com, Tiger Woods sat down with Obama.  Tuesday, Toby Keith stopped in.  Wednesday, Usher chatted with White House staff about malaria.  Friday, Forest Whittaker showed up.  And that’s leaving out Brad Pitt’s recent visit to Capitol Hill and George Clooney’s briefing on Sudan.  (more…)