http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/government_and_elections This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Government and Elections en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America http://mediamatters.org/items/200811200004 Discussing the possible appointment of Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Andrea Tantaros said that if President-elect Barack Obama "select[s] Hillary Clinton and Bill ... it would be akin to a family adopting the Menendez brothers." Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 for shooting their parents to death. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811200004 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:58:04 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190019 Echoing Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign, Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that Coleman "was certified the winner" in the Minnesota Senate race against Al Franken, adding, "Coleman won by a mere 215 votes." In fact, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board did not certify a winner in the Senate race, having authorized an automatic recount of ballots for that race. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190019 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:53:47 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190016 On his radio show, Michael Savage said, "I am telling you that there's gonna be a wholesale firing of competent white men in the United States government up and down the line, in police departments, in fire departments. Everywhere in America, you're going to see an exchange that you've never seen in history, and it's not gonna be necessarily for the betterment of this country." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190016 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:17:53 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190015 MSNBC's David Gregory claimed that "everybody is talking about" Christopher Hitchens' recent comments on why, in Gregory's words, Hitchens "believes picking Hillary Clinton for secretary of state would be a, quote, 'ludicrous embarrassment' for President Obama." In fact, not "everybody" is talking about Hitchens, who has smeared Clinton before -- not CNN, not Fox News, at least not during prime time, not major newspapers, and not even NBC's <em>Nightly News</em>. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190015 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:18:58 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190007 The Drudge Report linked to a <em>Washington Examiner</em> article under the headline, "Obama Inaugural Could Bankrupt DC," but in the article, the <em>Examiner</em> did not report that the inauguration "could bankrupt" the city. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190007 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:14:02 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190006 Discussing the possibility of Democrats gaining a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, Joe Scarborough stated, "So, with [Sen. Ted] Stevens losing, Democrats have 58 [senators and Senator-elects]. They've got this run-off in Georgia, which could get them to 59. ... If Al Franken steals enough votes in Minnesota, they get to 60. I'm not saying he stole any votes, I'm just saying, as a Republican from Florida, I mean, it's a close race. Steal some votes, you get over the top." In fact, Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has repeatedly said there is no actual evidence of fraud in the vote count of the state's Senate race. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811190006 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:08:41 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180018 Amid reports that President-elect Barack Obama has decided to nominate Clinton Justice Department veteran Eric Holder to be attorney general, Chris Matthews criticized Obama on <em>Hardball</em>: "You could do this in any bureaucratic state, you could do it in the old Soviet Union. ... You don't need elections for this crap." But in 2001, Matthews said of George W. Bush's Cabinet picks, which included veterans of past administrations: "There's some real heavyweights in terms of experience." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180018 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:10:54 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180017 On <em>Hardball</em>, Chris Matthews used reports that President-elect Barack Obama might nominate Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state to "rehash" 1990s-era smears and scandals involving the Clintons. Matthews invoked Linda Tripp and hosted Rep. Dan Burton, whom Matthews asked to discuss the false accusation that Vince Foster was murdered, and Christopher Hitchens. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180017 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:12:38 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180007 In a <em>Newsweek</em> article headlined "Is Obama the Antichrist?" senior editor Lisa Miller treated as newsworthy purported debate among some "conservative Christians" over whether President-elect Barack Obama is "the Antichrist." In doing so, she gave credibility to the views of RaptureReady.com editor and founder Todd Strandberg, who has, among other things, smeared gays and lesbians, Islam, progressives, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811180007 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:24:13 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170019 <em>Time</em> repeated an "accus[ation]" by Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign that Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has " 'breach[ed] neutrality' by saying that the State Canvassing Board will probably consider taking up ... tossed absentee ballots" in advance of a recount in the Senate race between Coleman and Al Franken. But <em>Time</em> did not note that Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty approved of the composition of the board Ritchie named to certify the vote and oversee the recount or that a lawyer for Coleman's campaign reportedly said that the "state should feel good about who's on the panel." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170019 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:06:44 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170018 <em>Newsweek</em>'s Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe repeated the assertion previously made by <em>Newsweek</em> colleague Jon Meacham that the country "remains right of center." Thomas and Wolffe cited as evidence exit polling that showed more respondents identifying themselves as "conservative" than as "liberal." But political scientists dispute the reliability of voters' identification with political ideologies, and the former editor of <em>The Washington Times'</em> editorial page asserted "the only problem" with conservatives claiming America is a "center-right" country is that "[i]t isn't true. Or at least, not anymore." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170018 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:10:26 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170016 On <em>Hannity &amp; Colmes</em>, Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt rehashed the discredited claim that President-elect Barack Obama is to blame for recent declines in the stock market. In fact, analysts have cited economic data on dropping retail sales, increasing unemployment, and other significant factors to explain recent stock-market declines. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170016 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:35:51 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170006 On Fox News' <em>The Beltway Boys,</em> co-host Fred Barnes echoed the discredited rumor that ballots in the Minnesota Senate race were mishandled, stating: "We've seen, under some questionable circumstances, Franken gaining, you know, 32 ballots from the trunk of somebody's car that had been sitting there for a few days. I mean, I find that a bit suspicious." In fact, state officials have refuted rumors that the ballots were handled improperly, and a lawyer for Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign, who initially raised questions about those ballots, reportedly said afterward that he had been assured the ballots were not tampered with. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170006 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:33:09 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811140016 Chris Matthews echoed the discredited rumor that 32 ballots from Minneapolis were mishandled in the Minnesota Senate race. Matthews asked: "What about these absentee ballots that were found in somebody's back seat and they're now counting them as official -- what is that about? That sounds pretty squirrely or sneaky or what -- I don't know what it sounds like." In fact, a lawyer for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has reportedly said regarding those ballots that "[i]t does not appear that there was any ballot-tampering, and that was our concern." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811140016 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:37:10 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811140013 <em>The New York Times</em> reported that Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, "who is in charge of the recount" in the Minnesota Senate race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken, "lamented the campaigns' 'hand grenades at each other,' " adding: "But as a well-known Democrat, he has not eluded those grenades, with Republicans strongly questioning his objectivity." But the <em>Times</em> did not note that Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that the canvassing board Ritchie named to certify the vote overseeing the recount was "fair" and that a lawyer for Coleman's campaign also reportedly said that the "state should feel good about who's on the panel." <br /> http://mediamatters.org/items/200811140013 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:28:44 EST