Comments on: Obama on Blagojevich Relationship–A Bogus Quote

By: David J., Long Island, NY

David J., Long Island, NY — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:22:51 +0000

I will address only your comment on the Great Depression(Reply to #6):
Sir: the Great Depression was PROLONGED, not turned around, by massive Federal spending. Unemployment was between 10 and 18% during the 30s, and was finally reduced by the draft, i.e. 13 million men taken into military service, mostly after Pearl Harbor.

By: Steve Cotler

Steve Cotler — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:37:32 +0000

1. I never accused Fox News of lying. I posited that Fox’s obvious bias against Obama would have made this statement, if true, a delicious focus for one or more of their pundits.
2. I wrote, directly in line with your question, “And none of the major news agencies mentions this quote in any story about Obama and Blagojevich.” How does this negative redound to Fox’s credit?

Your conclusions are illogical.

By: Pat G

Pat G — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:10:58 +0000

You seem like a very angry person. I will give you another ray of hope. I am a fiscally-conservative Republican. And the reason I ended up at this site is because when I received the aforementioned email, I found it hard to believe and have been seeking out the truth. Please put your paintbrush away and try to avoid painting all of us in one stroke. Would you like me to pick out the dregs and thugs at Occupy and compare them to you? Every movement has its lowlifes. You seem to be the narrow-minded one who cannot see that. Good day.

By: Pat G

Pat G — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:03:46 +0000

Steve, I find it interesting that
1. Fox News is constantly accused of lying. Yet, you imply in your piece that IF IT WERE TRUE, Fox News would be all over it. (The same was implied toward Glenn Beck in a comment) If these news sources lie, then why wouldn’t they be all over it anyway??? (Note: Neither ran with the birth certificate story either. In fact, Beck mocked it.)

2. And IF IT WERE TRUE, isn’t this a story that ALL media should report? So you are actually in agreement that Fox informs its viewers of news items that the others do not. Hence, their ever-increasing ratings and growing audience.

By: Cactus Bill

Cactus Bill — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:16:26 +0000

Thank you, Steve Cotler, for being a ray of light amongst so many low-life cretins. The internet has been a net positive for modern society, excepting the fact that it gives a global forum to knuckle-dragging trolls. Thugs compensated by Rovian clones to interupt and insult as many Liberal/Progressive websites as their narrow minds can locate. They are the enemy, and I deal with them as the rabid dogs that they are. Keep fighting the good fight. We WILL prevail!

By: Steve Cotler

Steve Cotler — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:52:49 +0000

@RimCountry–
Huh? Where have I implied Fox News was untruthful?
And whether Fox is/was untruthful is irrelevant to my point.
What is germane is my assertion that had Fox (or any other major news purveyor) been able to substantiate this quote, such a juicy cable news item would have been trumpeted over and over. That Fox chose not to go with an unsubstantiated item may say something about integrity, but it says just as much about the non-validity of the quote. And how does any of this belie my integrity?

By: RimCountry

RimCountry — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:32:45 +0000

If Fox News were as untruthful as you imply, then they would have run with this. That they didn’t speaks to their integrity and belies yours.

By: Steve Cotler

Steve Cotler — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:53:44 +0000

I do not believe my case is “undercut” at all by my inability to find the quote. That responsibility belongs to the ones who cite the quote. And, as I wrote, there is not a single citation of “where, when, or to whom Obama was speaking when he made this statement.” The strongest evidence that this is a bogus quote is, as I also wrote, Fox News’ silence on the matter. (C’mon! You know that if it were true, Fox would be all over it.)

Whether or not Obama has lied about other matters would be relevant to the man’s character, but it is irrelevant to the truth or falsity of the alleged Blago statements.

By: Moneyrunner

Moneyrunner — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:50:03 +0000

Steve,

I agree that comment by Obama is easily disproven, but you base your argument on the fact that you can’t find it. Ordinarily I would agree with you that saying something as easily disproven as “I only saw Rod Blagojevich one time…”etc. is something that few people would say. But the point others have made is that Obama has made a number of statements that have been easily proven false. Some of the others here have commented on, and illustrated, that fact. I am not sure either way, but to call the quote an urban legend – given Obama’s ability to lie – does undercut your case.

Regards.

By: Steve Cotler

Steve Cotler — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:06:27 +0000

Your comment is unrelated to the blog post. Whether Obama was ever employed by a for-profit organization is irrelevant to the Blago smear.
Normally I delete non-responsive comments, but you make several points that deserve response:
  1. Here’s your proof. Barack Obama worked for the for-profit Chicago law firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland (now Miner, Barnhill & Galland) for three years beginning in 1993 and was of counsel to that firm for the subsequent eight years. Early in his career he also worked for Business International Corporation (now owned by the Economist magazine). Compare this to Richard Nixon, who worked as a lawyer for three years at Wingert and Bewley in Whittier, CA. The rest of Nixon’s working life was in government. You can find all this on Wikipedia.
  2. For-profit enterprises are absolutely not “the basis for all monies generated.” Federal government spending (clearly a not-for-profit source) is an immense engine of the total economy. Almost all the jobs at companies like Lockheed-Martin, Rockwell Collins, Raytheon, ATK Launch Systems Group, Boeing, and thousands of other firms are funded by the Department of Defense. Most medical research in this country is funded by our government. The Great Depression was turned around by Federal government spending and finally ended by the immense not-for-profit military spending occasioned by World War II. Spending by states and municipalities (and non-profits like the Gates Foundation) add even more not-for-profit stimulus to the US economy.
  3. Being employed only by not-for-profit organizations does not disqualify one from understanding how the capitalist system and the government work. Dwight Eisenhower became president after spending his entire life in the military and academia.
  4. I agree that “taxes are [in large part] generated by the motivation of people to better themselves.” But they are also generated (to a lesser, but not negligible extent) by the motivation of people to better their surroundings (which I will grant does better themselves).