Black Box Report

Clearly, the strain is getting to her.

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know I just, I don't understand it," Clinton told the paper.

Neither do I. And I'm not alone.

Now, do I think Hillary was suggesting, hoping, or preparing for the possibility of an Obama assassination? While the Clintons are rather big on message discipline (and despite the inaccuracy of her comparison to her husband's situation), even I don't think that was the intention here.

But.

There is no good way to bring up Bobby Kennedy in June of 1968. You just don't do it. And to do it in the midst of argiung why you're still lurking around the campaign trail is, intentionally or not, ghoulish. And you certainly don't then blame the guy who is actually getting assassination threats for blowing this out of proportion.

That said, Hillary's comment was light years more acceptable than what followed:

Wow.

I mean....wow. Wow wow wow whu-wa-wa-WOW.

I don't have a lot of (or even any) high expectations for the journalistic standards of FOX News, but...damn.

Apparently, "accidentally" saying Osama when you really mean Obama is, like, so 5 minutes ago. If you're gonna be on FOX News, you have to push the envelope, and Liz Trotta delivered:

Sure, she's not the first to call Obama "Osama" but I'm guessing she's the first on a national cable news network to openly state that it'd be great if both Osama and Obama could both be killed. And she found it hysterical. Unbelievable.

Actually, it's not so unbelievable. As the Ladner Report points out, the precedent had already been set:

Several incidents come to mind.

The first was back in March when Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Pundit said to a caller that he hoped he wouldn't have to organize a lynching party for Michelle Obama.

A week ago Mike Huckabee joked to the veterans he was addressing that the thump he heard was probably Barack Obama being hit.
......
When these so-called respectable people feel free to voice what we think are attitudes held only by backwater racists, our nation is in very, very serious trouble!

I think the president isn't the only one living inside a bubble. Given the cackle that accompanied Trotta's comment, I have to think that an insular bubble of stupid has engulfed the whole of Roger Ailes operation.

You simply do not joke about the assassination of a United States Senator and probable Democratic presidential nominee. You also do not deliberately identify him with a terrorist who killed thousands of innocent Americans. Liz Trotta must be fired immediately and held accountable for her despicable remarks.

Further proving a disconnect from reality, Trotta tried to brush this off as a joke gone wrong:

This morning, Trotta appeared on Fox News with Bill Hemmer and offered an apology, while also suggesting her remark was nothing particularly unusual this year.

She said, "Oh yes, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday and the lame attempt at humor. I fell all over myself, making it appear that I wished Barack Obama harm or any other candidate, for that matter, and I sincerely regret it and apologize to anybody I have offended. It is a very colorful political season, and many of us are making mistakes and saying things we wish we had not said."

Wait...that almost sounded contrite. Let's go to the videotape.

Uh-huh. That's better. Try not to smirk the next time you have to apologize for saying how cool it would be for the Democrat to get "knocked off," Liz. And drawing out the "SO sorry" and "SINCERELY regret it"?

Really sincere.

But delivery aside...On what planet would that be considered funny? Under what set of circumstances would that NOT be copnsidered offensive? Trotta would be lucky if getting fired were the worst of it. Harmless, mentally ill people off the street get prosecuted and jailed for similar comments. And if the FCC cared about more than wardrobe malfunctions, political obscenity is actionable against a network like FOX. Not that any of that has the proverbial snowball's chance of happening:

Trotta has since sort of apologized...This said after ranting on and on about Hillary's dark soul and how you just don't talk about assassination. Considering her bizarre 'joke,' Trotta should look in a mirror. She's unfit to offer any serious analysis on politics. In a sane world, Fox would be reprimanded by the FCC and Trotta would be out of a job. Not that it will happen. It's okay if it's not about a Republican.

Expecting a conservative to be accountable for something that would've gotten a Democratic supporter fired before the end of the broadcast is silly, I know, but if anyone is so inclined, feel free to contact the good people at FNC:

Teri Everett, Senior Vice President
Corporate Affairs & Communications
Phone: 212-852-7070
E-Mail: teverett@newscorp.com

Or file an obscenity complaint here:

http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/Compl.html
Electronic Mail at fccinfo@fcc.gov
Toll Free: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY
Fax: 1-866-418-0232

In the meantime, now that the genie is out of the bottle and sitting on the sofa with his feet up, we can look forward to more of this, and worse. FOX News jokes about assassinating the black candidate, and it's not even June?

Gonna be a long five months.

Everyday it seems every newspaper, radio and broadcast report mentions the ever climbing cost of food and gas. Add to mix the housing headaches and you have a trifecta that's both important but predictable.

I understand this because we do it too. The economy is the number one issue, and we all can relate to filling up the car, putting food on the table and paying for the roof over our head. But in giving the hard numbers on our daily realities, we're only telling half the story. Sure we've got catchphrases on the ready like "Pain at the Pump", "Mortgage Meltdown" and, of course, "Middle Class Squeeze," but we all know that the money worries facing America run a lot deeper than our cars, food and even our homes. Put simply, everything costs so damn much, and for many the money coming in can't keep pace with the bills coming due.

I've found myself doing double takes when the cashier tells me the total. Friends openly worry about the how they'll swing college tuition; others worrying about their own jobs and some are simply doing without. Then there are the stories that don't come up in conversation; families stretching the dollar until it screams, but keeping up appearances like nothing has changed; or others already deep in debt, borrowing even more just to stay afloat.

The price of gas is a huge storyline, just like the totals at the checkout line and the worsening housing market. We'll keep reporting it, but this recession runs a lot deeper and you know it. Is you're kid still going to rent a limo for his prom? Are you still planning the same vacation you would have a year ago? How about summer or sports camp for the kids? Are you still telling you're daughter to apply wherever she wants for school or even forking over 50 bucks an application as often as she wants?

In ways big and small, the reality of today and the fear of tomorrow’s unknown, I believe, is a lot tougher and more complicated than my friends in the media would lead you to believe. Just because you haven't lost your job or your home doesn't make you one of the lucky ones. If you're stressed, you're not alone.