Hate Speech and the Leftist/Progressive Media

I keep having this ridiculous reoccurring conversation with my liberal/progressive friends about how the media is "right-wing biased" in their views and that it is these right wing news groups (Fox, of course, is always at the top of their list) are always spouting vile hate speech and inciting violence towards the left. 

Never mind the fact that most right-wing OPINION shows that I have heard almost unanimously and specifically say that they do not advocate violence nor want people to use intimidation tactics when engaging the militant left since that will only hurt our credibility and give them ammunition to use against the right. 

All of this being said, I find it interesting that from Mike Malloy to Bill Press to Chris Matthews etc. that the left is once again coming unhinged in their hate speech.  Of course their whipping boy is President George W. Bush on the occasion of the release of his new book, Decision Points. 

Now I have a lot of grievances with Bush regarding his handling of our domestic and economic policies.  There is indeed room for reasonable people to offer criticisms here.  I can even see reasonable people disagreeing on the necessity of the Iraq war, but the hate and vitriol spewing from many on the left regarding Bush on this is execrable. 

Funny how the progressive left gets all up in arms when someone calls Obama a socialist, or God forbid, a Marxist.  They erupt and call this nonsensical hate speech.  Then some of these very same defenders of Obama turn around and compare a President that did what he thought best to keep America and its allies safe with the Iraq war and compare him to Hitler, other mass murderers, and sociopaths such as Ted Bundy.  Amazing. 

See the attached video below for a sampling of this even-handedness in political discourse:

Chris Matthews: Chilean Miners Would Be Dead if They Followed Tea Party Philosophy

Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC's "Hardball", was so egregiously inaccurate with his mis-characterization of the Tea Party and its platform on his show the other day that one has to assume that he really is a Democrat shill.  Matthews, in his discussing with AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, made the asinine comment that if the trapped Chilean miners had followed the tea party’s “every man for himself” philosophy, there would have been no survivors. 

He then goes on to articulate a grossly distorted and inaccurate view of the Tea Party platform saying that they are for "No more taxes, no more government, no more everything.  No more safety net.  No more health care for everybody.  Everybody just get out there, make your buck, save it, screw the government, move on." 

Now I have to assume that Chris Matthews, being the intelligent guy that he is, knows that is NOT the platform of the Tea Party.  The Tea Party does not want to eliminate taxes or government, rather they want to eliminate un-Constitutional and wasteful spending that necessitates higher taxes.  They want a smaller, more limited government that governs via the consent of the governed by Constitutional restrictions upon the federal government's scope of power. 

Chris Matthews surely must know this, and yet he chose to characterize the Tea Party in a manner in which Robert Gibbs or David Axelrod would be proud.  It amazes me that anyone affiliated with MSNBC, and Chris Matthews in particular, can claim to be honest reporters of fact while still keeping a straight face.  As has been said before, you are entitled to your own opinions, Mr. Matthews, but not your own self-created "facts".  You owe an apology to the millions of Americans that support the Tea Party's platform, accordingly.  I won't be holding my breath, though.