Ken Padgett

Our current economic problems were not caused by the Obama administration. The economic collapse, the resulting unemployment rate, and the huge deficit are the result of the Bush administration and his two wars. And now Republicans are telling us that our economic problems are the result of government regulations, especially those on banks and the stock market. Haven't they been paying attention? Weren't those policies what caused the economic collapse in the first place? Republican policies have caused a massive shift of wealth from the middle class to the rich, reducing demand for consumer goods and causing cutbacks in manufacturing, which leads to more unemployment. The austerity measures Republicans are now proposing will only make the situation worse. Republicans claim "Job Creators" base their hiring decisions on tax policy, but the truth is that hiring decisions are based on demand for products and services, and demand will not improve as lon...

Why is support for Republican ideas so strong among many of the people who are suffering the most because of those same ideas? It’s because of how skilled Republicans are at framing issues in ways that are beneficial to them and because their messaging is more effective due to the fact that it is much better organized and better financed than Democrats. Republicans would have you believe that Obama is solely responsible for the bad economy, as if everything was going fine till he took office.  However, the facts are otherwise: Obama didn't create the economic crisis. Obama didn't start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama has never had a free hand to do what he wanted to do. Republicans have openly bragged about doing everything they could to make Obama a one-term President. Republicans have sabotaged every legislative attempt to promote job growth so as to improve their chances in the next election. Of course Obama and the Democrats deserve plenty of blame for the ...

In December, a study from University of Maryland researchers found that Fox News viewers were vastly more misinformed than news consumers who depended largely on other outlets for their information.  Fox News immediately attempted to discredit the study, but leaks from Fox News staffers and consistency in messaging have shown a disturbing pattern of talking points that are repeated on Fox News throughout the day. A June 4, 2009 internal memo from top Fox News Channel editor Bill Sammon was leaked recently,that said, “FYI: My cursory check of Obama’s 6,000-word speech to the Muslim world did not turn up the words ‘terror,’ ‘terrorist’ or ‘terrorism’.” Immediately, numerous Fox personalities grabbed the ball and ran with it; Megyn Kelly, Brett Bauer, Shep Smith, and other personalities on supposedly unbiased ‘news’ shows, even Sammon himself, used the fact that the president’s speechwriters had chosen to avoid that particular word choice as unnecessarily inflammatory...

For the Hannity show on Fox News, GOP pollster Frank Luntz gathered some Republicans in Iowa together to watch Bill O'Reilly's interview with President Obama during the Superbowl Pregame Show. During Luntz’s questioning, one person claimed that President Obama's religious convictions guide his policies. Luntz asked her to clarify and the woman said, “I believe that he (Obama) is a Muslim.” Luntz then asked the rest of the group how many believed Obama is Muslim. Nearly half raised their hands. Many Republicans believe that Obama is a Muslim despite Obama's repeated and well publicized identification with the Christian faith. Sadly, the Iowa focus group did reflect the national Republican consensus. Last August, in a Time poll 46% of Republicans said they believe Obama is a Muslim. 46%!!!  Why are Republicans so ill-informed? It’s probable that some of them know better, but they repeat the lies about Obama because they think it helps their cause. As for those who a...