Congressman Jack Kingston is a Liar

[MadBadger]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-j-davis/congressman-jack-kingston_b_88155.html


Ryan J. Davis
Congressman Jack Kingston Is A Liar


Last night I attended the taping of Real Time With Bill Maher in Los Angeles and was absolutely horrified at the many lies and distortions coming unchallenged from Republican Congressman Jack Kingston. The rest of the panel, David Frum and Amy Walter, are no prizes but at least have some credibility left after Friday's episode.


Let's take a close look at Kingston's nonsense.

-- Rambling on about Michelle Obama's patriotism, Kingston either lied or is completely misinformed about her "pride" remark, "She could have jumped up and said 'You know what, that's not what I meant to say and I'm sorry if people are twisting it - this is politics,' but she hasn't said anything!" That's totally untrue; both Sen.Obama and Michelle have responded to the comments. "I know I wouldn't be here. Standing here. Barack and I, our stories wouldn't be possible if it weren't for a fundamental belief in pride in this country and what it stands for," she said on Feb 20th while campaigning in Rhode Island.

-- Kingston tells us that Obama refuses to say the Pledge Of Allegiance, citing the "famous picture" of Obama not saluting the flag. This rumor originated in an anonymous e-mail and has since been debunked repeatedly by the mainstream media. The truth is that the photo is actually of Obama singing the Star Spangled Banner. It's sad to see any elected official still parroting the lies in that now-notorious chain e-mail.

-- The Congressman says Obama wants to "Bomb Pakistan" - which is a broad oversimplification of the truth. "Barack Obama has never said he would "attack Pakistan." According to Obama's website, he has said that he would attack "high-level terrorist targets" even within Pakistan, a policy which has been endorsed in the Washington Post by the Co-Chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton.

-- Attacking Obama's legislative record, Kingston tells quite a few lies. "There is nothing out there that he's done," is an old lazy favorite. "Obama hasn't reached across party lines" is a canard Republican Senators like Bond, Coburn, Hagel, and Lugar would disagree with since each of them have worked closely on bills with Senator Obama. Kingston says Obama didn't oppose the Military Commissions Act, but he did oppose it. (Kingston talks lots about experience for a guy who spent his non-political life as an insurance salesman.)

I have no idea why Bill Maher would provide someone like Jack Kingston a national platform. This is a guy who opposes embryonic stem cell research, has sponsored resolutions calling for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in Congressional Chambers, and was a cosponsor of the original Clinton impeachment inquiry. The National Journal has called him "the most conservative member of the house." In one of his rare truthful moments, Kingston referred to Obama using his full name, just to show how utterly classless he is. An eight-term Congressman, Kingston is the strongest argument I've seen for congressional term limits. (Hell, he couldn't even pronounce Gitmo.)

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. I almost damaged my tv, i was so mad....

Why wasn't Matt Taibbi out there when Kingston was allowed to ramble on, leveling smear after smear at the Obamas? Bill usually has at least one "informed" panel member, but there was no one there to refute his lies. Bill needs to make up for this with next week's panel, and they need to revisit Kingston's lies, and set the record straight.

I was very disappointed in that panel. The female reporter (when she was allowed to speak) didn't really add anything to the debate that I could tell. This week's episode sucked.

[MadBadger]

2. I was really shocked with the panel and how uninformed Bill was

I thought Matt Taibbi would go out their and correct Kingston immediately, but he didnt.

[lisa58]

6. So was I...

...Bill Maher should have done his homework - we all knew what Kingston was saying was trash and Bill was caught way off guard. What does he do all week? He obviously believes Obama is going to win the nomination and he knew none of the right-wing talking point (lies) about him.

Kingston went on and on that Michele Obama should have clarified her "proud" remarks and that would have cleared it all up, and Bill didn't know that she had done so the following day?

I'm still really annoyed.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. i hope the Obama campaign is aware of what took place on the show

and that they've got someone who can appear to counter all that crap. I know it's just a show on cable, but there should be qualified surrogates to counter the lies & distortions wherever they pop up.

[tsuki]

3. Kingston, isn't he the Rep that objected to working more than 3 days

a week? "Democrats don't care about families" or somesuch bull.

[gerrilea]

4. Now you are seeing the light, it's a bit too late for whinning!

I told you so, this is "the powers that be" controlling who our next president is...it ain't going to be Obama...we still have a chance with Hillary...

This is just the beginning...of the MSM destroying him...your nearsightedness and shock that Bill Maher wouldn't correct any of the mistakes is naive...sorry to be so blunt...

I've tried go get everyone around here to see this coming, but have been shot down as nut, crazy, and wanting mccain for president...oh how absolutely rediculous...

[MadBadger]

5. You are fuckin off your rocker if you believe Bill Maher is apart of the MSM

And I'm sure that somebody has a Bill sex story waiting to break, and that will be the end of her.

[Vinca]

7. Duh . . . they're going after Obama because he's the front runner.

If Hillary pulls off a couple of wins they'll be opening the doors of the safe that contains all the Hillary dirt (it's big, by the way).

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. nice try, but this was just a matter of the panel and the host being....

uninformed. Calm down. And no we don't still have a chance with Hillary. The Obamas have shown that they won't be swiftboated, not by Hillary, and not by the M$M. And with good journalists like the one who penned this article, along with his supporters will keep on top of the media distortions.

Bet on it.

[gerrilea]

15. I did bet on it, twice!

Once with Al Gore and then silly me, a second time with John Kerry...

Senator Obama doesn't have enough money, better yet...no one has enough money to stop the MSM...Bill Maher lost my interests and faith as a "fair liberal" commentator... when he resoundingly said that there was no conspiracy about 911 and to stop sending him emails and letters about it...

Hillary is the only one capable of standing up to their constant attacks...

"You have been given the way, but choose not to walk it!"

Our collective loss...

[MadBadger]

16. So tell me, who do you think is a "fair" liberal.

[gerrilea]

20. I wouldn't give any of them the title of "fair", even my formerly beloved C-Span

C-Span is the only thing close to fair but there are many times the hosts cut off people who bring up subjects that the masses should hear...and their obvious bias shows throw...unfortunately...

[MadBadger]

22. People, what people would you call fair liberals.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. Dan Rather And Charlie Rose

They are arguably liberal but don't choose between which liberals they like and don't like...

[MadBadger]

27. I was really trying to get at the other person...here's why

The DUer Im fighting with doesnt think Bill Maher is a fair Liberal, which is no problem for me. But the reason they dont think he is, is because he dismissed 9/11 truthers as silly. My point was that any of these so-called fair liberals more than likely also dismiss 9/11 truth as a conspiracy BS.

Oh and s/he thinks that Bill Maher is apart of the MSM which makes me laugh.

[gerrilea]

32. If he walks like a duck

quacks like a duck, but for some "unknown" reason he wasn't up-to-speed with the current events...my butt...

I didn't know we were fighting...?!

[gerrilea]

35. You know, I can't think of one, they all have an agenda

And it ain't telling us the news...

[Tarheel_Dem]

23. what proof do you have that....

"Hillary is the only one capable of standing up to their constant attacks"...

Do you have any thing other than a hunch about the above? And what makes you think Obama won't stand up to their constant attacks? Oh, let me guess.........'she's been tested, right?' If she can't win the primary, I have absolutely no faith that she can win a general election against McCain. People may not be all that jazzed about McCain, but every poll I've seen shows her negatives to be higher than his. Not a winning formula.

[gerrilea]

29. This is why I believe what I do, experience

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4734529&mesg_id=4734529

Take some time off from hating and read

[Tarheel_Dem]

36. don't hate...no time for it.

i'm indifferent to HRC. I don't care who anyone supports, I just get tired of the Obama bashing. Every Obama victory/celebration thread gets pissed on by the Clintonistas. I never enter a Hillary victory thread, (of course there haven't been many), but all the same..I don't feel the need to interrupt a Hillary appreciation thread with my snarky comments.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[gerrilea]

17. Here we go again, they (MSM) destroyed Howard Dean like this

OH Dean is melting...remember?

Now they and you are trying this crap with Hillary...

[cali]

24. bzzzt wrong again. As a Vermonter

I was amazed the guv made it so far. He was well known for his foot in mouth tendencies here. Love Howard, but he was a much less experienced candidate than Obama, and he had no experience in handling the national press corps. Vermont is a tiny place with only 600,000 citizens. And Hillary has destroyed herself. Yes, the press is hostile. She's handled it poorly.

[gerrilea]

28. They kept on it for days...effectively destroying him, repeat, repeat, repeat

Keep repeating a lie and it becomes fact.

[cali]

31. yes, but anyone with a brain knew it was over for Howard BEFORE

the Iowa vote.

[gerrilea]

33. That's funny I voted for him in New York and didn't believe it was over

[barbtries]

8. this youtube video gives a great response:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDh5OvJXvNI

i only saw a small clip, but could not figure out why bill maher or one of the other panelists was not calling this asshole on his lies. what the fuck.

[MadBadger]

9. Well the panel was awful, with two conservatives and that woman who didnt sound too liberal.

[angie_love]

11. omg that was great, you should put this in its own thread.

[barbtries]

21. i tried

but i've never posted a video on DU. maybe you could do it. it does deserve plenty of air time!

[Tarheel_Dem]

18. Thank you barbtries for sharing that with us...

I'm so glad we live in the 21st century where lies can be debunked at a moment's notice (lol). I agree with the poster who said that this deserves its own thread.

Jack Kingston is "a lying sack of crap" (credit to Stephanie Miller & the Mooks).

[barbtries]

25. actually i got it off the video page

almost forgot that (blush)

[jackson_dem]

14. I always knew Kingston was scum

But I didn't think any self-respecting congressman would reduce himself to swiftboater status. :puke:

This is what the rethugs will do. Don't buy the hype about Obama love from Obamacons. If he is the nominee after the rethug machine is done with him rethugs will hate the newly "polarizing" Obama as much as they hated Kerry, Gore, Clinton, and Dukakis. Many rethugs appear to view him as the presumptive nominee and have cranked up the rethug machine against him. It is wrong but there is a degree of irony since part of Obama's argument against "polarizing" and "divisive" Hillary is based on the fact that rethugs attack her, as if that is somehow her fault and that both the Clintons and rethugs are equally to blame.

[BooScout]

19. Oh boohoo

Welcome to the real world and the crap that's been slung at Hillary Clinton for 16 years.......a lot of it lately by her own party.:eyes:

[Tactical Progressive]

30. Sounds like Obama is already winning Publicans over

Obama truly is the end of the 'old politics'.

Why, I believe that those Publicans are already starting to fall in love with Obama like his acolytes do, so sure that because they worship Obama, soon everybody must. It's only logical when you think about it.

He's just a natural uniter. A true leader. I even heard him say it in his speech!
He's like Martin Luther King - and that comes directly from Obama, not secondhand or thirdhand hearsay!

And though Mr 'Uniter' may be driving many of us true Democrats away from the party faster than any of us could have imagined, Obama shows us how easy it is to make up for the Democratic fallout against him and his dishonest smear tactics, by cultivating Publican respect and compromise. Jack Kingston is merely the first to become putty in the hands of the "uniter".

I'm sure the rest of the Publicans will shortly follow suit and ask Obama how they can help him do whatever he wants to do. They sound like they're already starting to swoon, and we haven't even really gotten started yet.

[durrrty libby]

34. Tough Shit Ain't it?

[shayes51]

37. Just the beginning if he is the nominee.

The Republicans will pull every trick in the book, and I'm afraid Obama has and will give them ammo.