Sean Hannity meets his match live on the radio

2009-03-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is the transcript of an on-air conversation I had with Hannity in January of 2002. Be sure to scroll down to the end: there's a long list of Hannity links as well as some good Rush Limbaugh links. Two links I wanted to point out here: 1) Another hilarious conversation I had with Hannity about Republican sexual hypocrisy; 2) Hannity had me kicked off of an aircaft carrier for wanting to ask him a question.
Enjoy.

Transcript of an on-air conversation with Sean Hannity in which I Told Hannity off about the Sectarian Right's Bigotry and Venality
Before I began blogging in February 2002, I called Sean Hannity’s radio show in January 2002. I recorded it but lost the tape until about a week ago.

This conversation really illustrates a couple things:
1) Not that it’s news, but it illustrates that Hannity is a completely unprincipled liar; far from Hannity’s claim that members of the right have “to be perfect every time” they make a public statement, this call illustrates how Hannity can make false accusations and not pay a price. Good news, since I had the conversation with Hannity, blogs like mine have popped up and web sites like Media Matters for America have given Hannity’s TV and radio statements a paper trail. Hannity still lies but now he knows that people are out there recording and reporting on what he says.
2) Right-wing talk radio shows are a great conduit for information for talk radio listeners. Not everyone who listens to talk radio is a right winger; there are a lot of people on the fence. Calls like mine will cause them to do Google searches and discover that Hannity was the one who was “making things up.”

I called in as Jim from Los Angeles. Enjoy.

HANNITY: Jim, Los Angeles. Sean Hannity Show. What’s up, Jimbo?

SCOOBIE: Hey. What’s up, Sean?

HANNITY: Happy New Year.

SCOOBIE: I just heard you talking about how Democrats were supposedly attacking Christians for criticizing people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and I don’t see how you can make that kind of assumption.

HANNITY: Well, what I can tell is that I’m reading from Greg Pierson’s piece in the Washington Times yesterday and he was quoting Newsweek and Howard Fineman—their correspondent—how the Democrats are planning to demonize conservative Christians as being like the Taliban. According to Fineman, the Democrats are planning a daring assault on the most critical turf in politics, the cultural mainstream and the theory goes: our enemy in Afghanistan is religious extremism and intolerance. It is therefore more important than ever to honor the ideals of tolerance--religious, sexual, racial, reproduction—at home. The GOP quote is out of the mainstream and Democrats will argue that it’s too dependent on quote the intolerant religious right. In other words, they’re comparing Christians to the Taliban.

SCOOBIE: Yes, absolutely. First of all [laughing] don’t trust the Washington Times. It’s owned by Moon.

HANNITY: He’s quoting Howard Fineman. Howard Fineman is not a conservative.

SCOOBIE: Yeah, and the thing is that much of the sectarian right—I call it the sectarian right—is very Talibanesque. One thing I agree with President—

HANNITY: Whoa. Who is— Make your comparison. The Taliban, let us remind people, used to beat woman that would leave their homes without men. The Taliban wouldn’t let women go to school or go to work. The Taliban used to beat men if their beards weren’t a certain length. The most rigid interpretation of Islam that is out there. Explain. Compare and contrast for me where Christian conservatives are similar in any way.

SCOOBIE: Yeah, one thing I agree with President-select Bush’s September 18th speech before Congress--

HANNITY: Answer that question though. Where is that comparison? Compare and contrast.

SCOOBIE: George W. Bush criticized the Taliban for their mistreatment of Hindus but you have someone like Pat Robertson who said that Hinduism is demonic and that we shouldn’t allow that to come into the country.

HANNITY: First of all, I didn’t hear Pat Robertson say that. Now I know Jerry Falwell came under fire for comments he made after September 11th, but you gotta remember he apologized for those comments and he put them in context. He was speaking in a broader philosophical vein and if you don't accept his apology on that, that's fine. But you can't compare mainstream Christian conservatives with the Taliban. You can't make that comparison. It doesn't fit.

SCOOBIE: The thing is that these are not mainstream Christian conservatives. My mother is a mainstream Christian conservative. Pat Robertson is a nutcase and Jerry Falwell is a thief. These people are--

HANNITY: You know what I'm going to do: I gotta put you on hold her. This is important. We've got to work through this because there's a level of hatred toward Christian conservatives that I think is at the root of this.

[Bumper music and Hannity goes to the bottom-of-the-hour break]

[Bumper music and Hannity returns from the bottom-of-the-hour break]

HANNITY: I’m going to get to politics tomorrow—otherwise I would rush through it and I don’t want to do that. Back to Jim in Los Angeles. Jim, you still there?

SCOOBIE: Hi Sean.

HANNITY: Jim, here’s the question—that you have yet to answer this question. I gave you a list of how abusive the Taliban has been--in terms of their treatment of women, women who can’t go to school, women who can’t go to work, women who can’t leave their home without men, about men who must have beards a certain length, their extreme and fanatical interpretation of the Koran that believes that God has instructed them to kill who don’t believe, those that don’t agree with them—and I asked you to compare that to Christian conservatives and you make the comparison here where there’s some type of moral equivalency. You can’t do it.

SCOOBIE: Yes, I did. I pointed out that at least the Taliban allowed Hindus to come into their country. Pat Robertson said that Hinduism is demonic and we shouldn’t allow these people to come into our country. That’s religious bigotry-

HANNITY: Jim, you’re wrong because, for example, Christians are charged if they’re caught proselytizing. Remember these two girls we interviewed. Don’t dismiss that. Here in America, you can practice—and this is what freedom of religion is about—you can practice any religion you want—even an extreme religion, even what by definition is considered a cult.

SCOOBIE: Not if Pat Robertson had his way because he believes that anyone who’s not a Christian or a Jew is a second-class citizen and should not be allowed to hold office. We should oppose this kind of religious bigotry. That’s wrong.

HANNITY: You know, here’s the problem, ladies and gentleman around the country, in debating someone like Jim--

SCOOBIE: [loud annoyed sigh]

HANNITY: Jim, wait a minute, you’re obviously ignorant of your facts.

SCOOBIE: No, I’m not. You call Jerry Falwell the real deal. This man is a thief who steals from his flock.

HANNITY: Hang on for a second. Put him down for a second. Put him on hold. Don’t hang up, Jim, because this is important. [Hannity’s radio engineer temporarily pots down Scoobie’s audio] Number one, you’re ignorant because you don’t know Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have been two of the staunchest supporters of Israel that are out there and outspoken in American society today. That’s fact number one. Number two, your criticism of Jerry Falwell as a thief is just—it’s clearly rooted in your own bigotry and hatred of him because of his religious point of view and his religious perspective. Jerry Falwell—you may not like his Christian perspective—but it doesn’t mean he’s a thief nor has he been caught stealing nor has he been accused of such and all you’re doing here is dropping these bombs in the hopes that somehow you can demonize their name and reputation. The person who is intolerant here is you.

SCOOBIE: Mr. Hannity, Jerry Falwell sold a video on his TV show to his flock that claimed that President Clinton was involved in drug smuggling and murdering people and he had this phony infomercial in which he claimed that an investigative reporter was fearful of his life. This was not an investigative reporter—this turned out to be the producer of the video itself. [scroll down to addendum for more details] So he sold this phony, outrageous, libelous video at a high price—at a big markup—to his flock and he used deception and I call that stealing and that’s wrong.

HANNITY: Was President Clinton a criminal? Was President Clinton legally impeached? Was President Clinton found to have lied under oath?

SCOOBIE: Oh wow, the guy had sex and he doesn’t want to tell the whole world. Gee, is that the same thing as murdering people and drug dealing and the kind of thing that this scurrilous video says? That’s wrong.

HANNITY: President Clinton can’t practice law right now and when you talk about the Taliban women—the Taliban support al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda has been fighting against the Indian government in Kashmir. This is, they’re fighting against Hinduism, isn’t it?

SCOOBIE: Absolutely. And Pat Robertson and Falwell, they’re the biggest bigots for any religion other than Christianity.

HANNITY: Hey, listen, Jim. Everybody who has a particular religious faith believes that they have the right faith. I have never heard Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson say that they don’t believe in the principles of freedom of religion.

SCOOBIE: No, that’s wrong. Absolutely. Pat Robertson said that only Christians and Jews should hold office in the United States and that’s against the Constitution. [Note: Article VI, Clause 3]

HANNITY: Jim, you’re making this up.

SCOOBIE: [Angry] No, I’m not!

HANNITY: Jim, You’re making it up.

SCOOBIE: I can document--

HANNITY: Ladies and Gentlemen, Jim doesn’t like Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell. Okay. Fine, Jim. Don’t listen to them. Don’t listen to them. [Angry] But don’t make up phony lies about them. Give us either one quote from either Robertson or Falwell. Give us the source.

SCOOBIE: Hinduism Today is the source behind the Pat Robertson quote about Hinduism--

HANNITY: No, no, give me the source. What did he say and when did he say it and where was it quoted?

SCOOBIE: Well, I don’t have these things in front of me but I’d be glad to e-mail you all of this information.

HANNITY: [Sarcastically] Sean, I’ll e-mail you tomorrow some time.

SCOOBIE: I’m sorry. I’m hanging out on my couch. I don’t happen to have the exact quotes with me. That doesn’t mean that my quotes aren’t valid. They are and I can back it up. I’ll tell you what: if you want to call me up, I’ll have all of this information for you tomorrow.

[HANNITY DISCONNECTS SCOOBIE]

HANNITY: [Sarcastically] Alright. We’re going to make a point of it. We’ll call Jim tomorrow. Thank you, Jim for your sourcing of your ridiculous quotes.

Look, I know Jerry Falwell, like Jerry Falwell, and what he said at the time that the attack took place, he admits was wrong and he apologized for it. Just as Bill Maher apologized for his comments. As we had both of them on this program since then, one of the things that’s wrong in our society today is if somebody says one wrong thing on the radio, on TV, if you have a political disagreement with them, nobody wants to give you time for clarification, a chance to edify your comments, a chance to apologize for your comments. We’ve got to be perfect when we’re out there in the media. What really is going on here , there is an intolerance towards Christianity and an intolerance towards conservatism. When I make an accusation on this program, I back it up with facts. Let’s go to Steve in Jacksonville. . .

ADDENDUM: Jerry Falwell and the Venal and Ghoulish Campaign to Profit Politically and Financially From Vince Foster's Tragic Death
In 1993, Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster, who was appointed early in Bill Clinton's first term, committed suicide in Fort Marcy Park in Virginia. Foster had been struggling with clinical depression.

The reaction from the American right's media apparatus was swift and unrelenting. Prominent conservatives began floating conspiracy theories that Foster's death was not a suicide but that the Clintons murdered him because he knew too much. On his syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh suggested that the reason that Foster's widow was silent about the matter was that she was afraid that the Clintons would do to her. Limbaugh and his then-producer for the Limbaugh TV series, Roger Ailes used the TV to spread innuendo about Foster's death (Ailes also repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about Foster's death and the Clintons' possible involvement in murder). Richard Mellon Scaife called Foster's "the Rosetta Stone of the Clinton administration" and funded operatives to publicize conspiracy theories about the matter.

The Reverend Jerry Falwell used Foster's death to profit financially. Falwell used his Old Time Gospel Hour television program to sensational VHS tapes (at $40 a tape) to his gullible flock (two of the titles he sold were Bill and Hillary Clinton's Circle of Power and The Clinton Chronicles). The tapes made wild accusations against the Clintons such as drug smuggling and murder and interviewees included unreconstructed racist Judge Jim Johnson (Falwell himself opposed the work of Martin Luther King based on the view that black were stricken with the biblical "Curse of Ham" and thus were predestined to be subservient to whites). Not content with selling these expensive tapes, Falwell squeezed every last penny from his uneducated congregation by urging viewers of the tapes to call a premium 900 number to have their names placed on a petition to Congress to investigate the Clinton administration.

In 1994, after the independent counsel on Whitewater, Robert B. Fiske concluded conclusively that Foster's death was a suicide, Foster's bereaved family issued a public statement pleading with the right's media apparatus to stop their campaigns full of "outrageous innuendo and speculation for political ends" and to leave them in peace to complete the mourning process. The statement singled out Falwell: "Also despicable are the speculations about Vince's death being spread by those calling themselves Christian ministers." The Foster family's pleas were callously ignored by Falwell, Limbaugh, Ailes, and the others. Subsequent investigations by Kenneth Starr and others came up with the same conclusion (as recent as 2008, Limbaugh made innuendos about Foster being murdered; Hannity made similar innuendos in 2009; and Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano made them in 2010).

One of the most bizarre elements of the right's efforts to cash in on Foster's death were the cloak-and-dagger infomercials for The Clinton Chronicles that Falwell had on his Old Time Gospel Hour program. In the infomercial, Falwell interviewed a silhouetted individual claiming to be an investigative reporter who stated that the reason for his anonymity was that he feared for his life; the alleged reporter told of various people who died mysteriously--probably because of the Clintons. However, reporter Murray Waas discovered that the silhouetted man was not a reporter but Patrick Matrisicana, the producer of The Clinton Chronicles. Matrisicana confessed to Waas: "Obviously, I'm not an investigative reporter and I doubt our lives were actually ever in any real danger. That was Jerry's idea to do that...He thought that would be dramatic." Finally in 2005, Falwell confessed that "to this day I do not know the accuracy of the claims made in The Clinton Chronicles."

Links to informative sites about Sean Hannity:
1) Media Matters for America monitors Hannity: Click here for the latest on Hannity; here are additional Media Matters resources on Hannity.
2) Here is an article by Ben Fritz on Hannity's intellectual dishonesty in his book Let Freedom Ring.
3) The Center for American Progress has two informative articles about Hannity's dishonesty: click here and here.
4) Wikipedia has information about Hannity's mendacity--e.g., Hannity tried to portray an anti-troop protest by fundamentalist hatemonger Fred Phelps as being the work of the left (quick note: Fox News' Oliver North took the same tack).
5) I have several blog posts documenting Hannity's mendacity: (1) Hannity plays dumb when it suits his purposes; (2) Echoing the Moonie-owned Washington Times, Hannity intentionally truncated a John Kerry quote; (3) Hannity uses deceit to try to link Kerry with Jane Fonda--also here; (4) If you watch or listen to Hannity regularly, undoubtedly you've heard Hannity speak about how important it was for Americans to come together after 9/11. Don't believe him for a minute. Even as as the twin towers were still smoldering, Hannity was part of a Moonie Times smear campaign to distort a speech by former president Clinton to give people the false impression that Clinton was blaming America for the attacks. Read about it here and here; (5) Hannity is one of the usual suspects who used Sudanese propaganda to smear Bill Clinton; (6) Here's a blog post on the problems with the Hannity & Colmes show; (7) My article on Hannity's hypocrisy regarding Ann Coulter's denigrating comments about the 9/11 widows.
6) An article from The Nation about Hannity's relationship with violent white supremacist Hal Turner (Hannity was one of Trent Lott's biggest apologists after Lott defended Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat presidential run). Here's a post I wrote after finding out that the KKK-owned "Redneck Shop" decided to advertise on Hannity's radio show. UPDATE: I have more on Turner and Hannity here.
7) ThinkProgress article in response to General Motors' (GM) decision to hire Sean Hannity to be spokesperson for GMÂ?s "You're A Great American" Car Give-Away.
8) Article on Hannity's friend Hal Turner by Dave Neiwert. Here's another article about the Hannity/Turner connection by Max Blumenthal.
9) Every since I whipped Hannity's ass on this program and on another occasion, Hannity has made sure that competent opponents don't show him up. Here's some revealing empirical evidence that Hannity is a total wuss [NOTE: if this link does not work at first, refresh it or click here for a truncated version--also I reprint it in the addendum of this post--scroll down to the end]. Hannity has also chickened out of debates with Ed Schultz and Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson.
10) Hannity's vicious attacks on crime victim Abner Louima (also here).
11) Notice how Hannity criticizes people opposed to Bush's ineptitude in Iraq with the canard that they are undermining "the troops in harm's way and undermine their commander in chief while they're at war"? Here are some quotes by Hannity at a time in which we had a president who knew how to use the military.
12) Hannity, of course, defended Ann Coulter's Moussaoui-like attacks on women who lost their husbands on 9/11.
13) Al Franken has an entire chapter on Hannity and Alan Colmes in his book Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.
14) Campus Progress has an informative article about Hannity.
15) Watch this video of Howard Dean slamming Hannity and Fox News on live TV. Dean mentions Robert Greenwald's excellent documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism:
15) Media Matters on Hannity's conspiracy-mongering regarding the death of Vince Foster on his Sunday television show on Fox "Hannity's America":(here, here, and here). this isn't surprising considering that Hannity's boss Roger Ailes has engaged in Foster conspiracy-mongering. Also, more Media Matters on Hannity's intellectual dishonesty--here, here, and here.
16) Post on Hannity and George Stephanopoulos.
17) Hannity baselessly links Barack Obama to Louis Farrakhan, even though Obama has emphatically repudiated the Nation of Islam leader.
18) Hannity & Colmes Presents Ann Coulter As Authority On Tasteful Remarks.
19) Hannity Baselessly Suggests That If Obama Wins, "That Would Mean A Racist And An Anti-Semite Would Be President Of The United States"
20) Racial Insensitivity On Hannity & Colmes
21) Hannity’s White Supremacist Friend Hal Turner Threatens Obama
22) Hannity Won't Admit He Was Wrong About Terri Schiavo
23) Hannity Calls Iraq Geroge W. Bush's "Biggest Success Story."
24) Hannity And Guests Rally Around Dog "The Bounty Hunter" Chapman after he used the term "nigger."
25) Jack Kemp Fed Up With Hannity’s Ad Hominem Attacks On Obama.
26) Hannity Uses Randi Rhodes’ Accident To Smear Her, Air America, Media Matters.
27) Hannity's Website Speculates About Assassination Of Barack Obama.
28) Hannity Defends And Participates In Hate-Mongering Bill Cunningham’s Use of "Barack Hussein Obama."
29) Sean Hannity Misrepresents Nancy Pelosi's Plane Issue
30) Hannity Says Bin Laden Sounds Like Democrats - Twice
31) Hannity Flees Angry Ron Paul Supporters--YouTube video
32) Hannity Pummeled On His Hypocrisy Over Ted Nugent.
33) Hannity Can’t Explain Why He Condemns Swift Boating Of John McCain After Endorsing The Same Tactic Against John Kerry
34) Wesley Clark Tells off Hannity
35) Hannity Meltdown video
36) "Fair And Balanced" Hannity & Colmes Includes No Obama Supporters In Any Of Six Segments Devoted To His Speech On Race
37) After Repeatedly Smearing Obama, Hannity Pretends He And FOX News Have Not Engaged In Personal Attacks.
38) FOX News’ Michael Reagan And Sean Hannity Blame Democrats For Haditha Massacre
39) Hannity and Kellyanne Conway Fall Over Themselves Trying To Defend Giuliani’s Bad-Husband Behavior.
40) Hannity calls Iraq war "Hillary's War."
41) Hannity’s America Offers A Kinder, Gentler Brand Of McCarthyism
42) Hannity Uses Dubious Sourcing and False Reports to Attack Al Gore
43) Hannity & Colmes Uses Don Imus Scandal To Attack An African American.
44) Hannity And The GOP Try - But Fail -To Spin Plame Outing As No Big Deal
45) "Patriotic" Sean Hannity Observes Iraq War Anniversary By Snubbing The Troops, Blaming The War On Democrats And Making It All About Himself.
46) Sean Hannity’s Latest Target For Bigotry: A Seven-Year-Old Girl
47) Racist Mark Fuhrman and Hannity Advocate For Racial Profiling
48)Hannity Gets His Facts Wrong About ANWR
49) White Supremacist Sympathizer Hannity and “Macaca” Aide Obenshain Try To Paint The Clintons As Racists
50) Jerry Falwell Gives Hannity Honorary Doctorate from his diploma mill, Liberty University
51) Predictably, Sean Hannity And David Horowitz Portray Mel Gibson As A Victim after the Actor's Bigoted and anti-Semitic outburst.
52) Hannity's "Investigation" of MoveOn.org Falls Flat.
53) Sean Hannity and Newt Gingrich Claim To Be Uniters, Not Dividers
54) Hannity Hypes Fabricated Koran Controversy To Drum Up Hatred For Keith Ellison
55) Hannity Repeats The Big Lie About The “Found” WMD’s
55) What A Hypocrite! Last Spring, Hannity Fawned All Over Fake Nobel Prize Nominee In The Terri Schiavo Matter. But For Tookie Williams, The Nomination "Doesn't Mean Anything"
56) Hannity Gets His Proof from Greg Palast
57) Chickenhawk Sean Hannity Smears War Veteran John Murtha
58) No Retraction On Hannity & Colmes Of False Attacks On Bill Moyers
59) Hannity Charges Almost $50,000 for Travel Expenses
60) Hannity Calls Cuba’s Castro “A Democrat,” Then Gets A Lesson About George Bush’s Unpopularity
61) The Hannity connection to gay hooker and fake journalist Jeff Gannon
62) Hannity asked if Jimmy Carter's planned Hamas meeting was a sign of Obama's "foreign policy strategy" -- but Obama has denounced Hamas
63) Hannity repeatedly distorts passage in Michelle Obama's senior thesis to suggest alumni views on race are her own.
64) Hannity exaggerated Ronald Reagan's record on jobs, federal revenue.
65) Hannity falsely asserted that Murtha "has gone to the other side" with his recent troop surge comments
66) On Hannity's radio show, Kathleen Willey contradicted her book's account of whether Shearer was said to have "ironclad" alibi
67) Hannity named Countdown's "Worst Person" for not disclosing his reported appearance at Giuliani fundraiser
68) Hannity refused to disavow Ted Nugent's slurs against Obama and Clinton
69) After suggesting Vince Foster was murdered, Hannity praised caller who accused Clinton of multiple rapes
70) Hannity falsely suggested that Obama "attack[ed] our troops as murderers"
71) Hannity repeatedly mischaracterized Obama remarks, accused him of "political missteps"
72) Colbert Report YouTube video ridiculing Hannity's baseless suggestion of "foul play" in Vince Foster's death
73) Hannity got "Worst Person" "silver" for using cucumber, condom to misrepresent Obama's stance on sex ed
74) Discussing Vince Foster, Hannity asked: "Did a close friend of Hillary Clinton commit suicide, or was it a massive coverup?"
75) Hannity asserted that "Whitewater and the death of Vince Foster" are "chapters remaining open" for Sen. Clinton
76) Hannity continued to bash carbon offsets -- no mention of Rupert Murdoch's purported plans to use them
77) Hannity still defending deeply flawed Path to 9/11 miniseries -- "It did get it right"
78) Hannity misrepresented Clinton quotes to claim she has "socialist views and intentions"
79) Hannity cropped Clinton quote to accuse her of "hypocrisy" on Iraq
80) Hannity repeatedly attacked Reid as "a propaganda minister for our enemies"
81) Hannity denounced as "hate speech" Clinton statement that GOP phone-jamming convictions were evidence of "vast right-wing conspiracy"
82) On Hannity's America, Path to 9/11 filmmaker Cyrus Nowrasteh defended scene he previously admitted was fabricated
83) Hannity: Ted Kennedy won't be "happy until" we have "mass slaughter" in Iraq
84) Citing no evidence, Hannity maintains Iraqi WMDs "were moved"
85) Hannity falsely claimed Democratic plan includes "nothing about ... increasing security in this country"
86) Hannity praised Michael Steele's "spectacular" and "principled" campaign, ignoring misleading campaign tactics
87) Not fair, not balanced: Sean Hannity shows his true colors
88) Bill O'Reilly and Hannity cropped Ted Turner quote to falsely accuse Turner of having "a hard time choosing sides in the war on terror"
89) Hannity: "[M]aking sure Nancy Pelosi doesn't become the [House] speaker" is "worth ... dying for"
90) Hannity: Democratic victory in midterms could be "victory for the terrorists"
91) Hannity: Despite both believing in global warming threat, "Al Gore is unhinged," but Pat Robertson is "sane"
92) Hannity's 180s: He labeled North Korea a "crisis" two days after criticizing others for doing so; criticized Democrats for debating Iraq war, not tolerating debate
93) Hannity falsely suggested Coulter never "suggested that Bill Clinton should die"; Coulter claimed Supreme Court's Gitmo decision confirms someone put "rat poison in Justice Stevens's crème brûlée"
94) Hannity criticized media, Bush administration for not "paying attention to" Santorum and Hoekstra's discredited WMD claims
95) Hannity repeated false claim that Reagan oversaw "longest period of peacetime growth"
96) Limbaugh, Hannity continued to attack Murtha based on
inaccurate Sun-Sentinel report
97) Hannity drew baseless comparison between N.Y. state comptroller's remark and Trent Lott's praise of Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign
98) Hannity falsely claimed Obama and Harry Reid "attack[ed]" U.S. troops in Iraq.
99) Hannity compared a vote for Hillary Clinton to a vote for Hamas or Hezbollah
100) Hannity wrongly accused Sen. Clinton of "hypocrisy" on illegal immigration
101) Hannity falsely claimed Sen. Clinton "says immigration reform is un-Christian"
102) Hannity falsely claimed Feingold was a "flip-flopper" on Iraq invasion
103) Hannity accused "Kool-Aid" drinking "Clinton supporters" of having "defended the indefensible"; what about Hannity?
104) Hannity refused to say if he agreed with Coulter that Democrats "have affection for ... terrorists"
105) Hannity repeated William Bennett's Freakonomics falsehood
106) Hannity quoted Pelosi out of context, falsely suggesting she changed her position on the Iraq war
107) Hannity falsely claimed that Reagan's tax cuts "doubled revenue"
108) Hannity falsely claimed Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg advocated legalizing prostitution, lowering the consent age to 12
109) Hannity: "Some say" Robertson advocated Chavez's assassination; "some" includes the videotape and Robertson.
110) Hannity promoting "disgusting" book that even O'Reilly has criticized
111) Hannity falsely claimed "absence of evidence" that John Kerry "was in combat in Vietnam"
112) Hannity falsely claimed that everyone "got the same amount" from Bush's tax cuts
113. Misrepresenting Obama's audiobook, Hannity claimed Obama said, "'White folks' greed runs a world in need"
114. Hannity's memory lapse: "I don't remember Chelsea Clinton being attacked." Hannity forgets that both John McCain and Rush Limbaugh attacked Chelsea, then a teenager, with vicious humor. Also, Al Franken, in Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them pointed out that he confronted Hannity about Limbaugh's attack on Chelsea.

115. Hannity is named by Media Matters for America the 2008 Misinformer of the Year
116. Hannity misquoted Obama to falsely accuse him of breaking promise.
117. Hannity misrepresents source of editorial to claim that "liberal media" outlet claimed Obama has "embarrassed America"
118. Like O'Reilly, Hannity misrepresented Obama remark to falsely claim he made a "campaign promise" to allow "no earmarks"
119. NCLR President demands correction from Hannity for libelous statement.
120. Hilarious video: Hannity named "Worst Person in the World" by Keith Olbermann for his phony claim about the false claim that the economic recovery bill contains money to protect the salt marsh harvest mouse and the LA to Las Vegas railway system.
121. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich called out leading right-wing media figures for falsely suggesting that he proposed excluding white males from the President's stimulus package
122. Hannity raises Caroline Kennedy "marital issues" rumor, but denounced NY Times John McCain article as "nothing but innuendo, rumor"
123. Hannity was not alone in smearing, misinforming on Fox News in 2008
124. Hannity complained of DOJ bias in rapid Ted Stevens prosecution, but Stevens reportedly requested speedy trial
125. Hannity ignored Norm Coleman ballot challenges to accuse Al Franken of "stealing an election"
126. WSJ, Fox News' Brit Hume and Hannity repeated baseless "car ballot" story to suggest vote tampering by MN officials
127. Hannity criticized Barack Obama over comments that Hannity misleadingly cropped
128. Hannity vs. Hannity: Is he, or is he not, a "journalist"?
129. Hannity Accuses Harry Reid Of Wanting American Troops To Die
130. Hannity Promoting Fraudster Fugitive Allen Stanford's Company Stanford Coins & Bullion
131. Hannity Distorts And Falsifies Border Agent Case To Suit His Agenda (Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos)
132. Hannity Denies Past Association With White Supremacist Hal Turner But Evidence Suggests Otherwise
133. Hannity Revives Suggestion Obama May Be Muslim
134. Hannity blames Sen. Charles Schumer For US Airways Crash
135. Hannity's Website Speculates About Assassination Of Obama
136. Hannity And Guests Accuse Barack Obama Of Wanting To Kill Infants
137. Sean Hannity Defends And Participates In Hate-Mongering Bill Cunningham’s Use of “Barack Hussein Obama”
138. Funny Jon Stewart video on the Hate Hannity Hotline.
139. Limbaugh, Hannity, and the GOP: an iron triangle of stimulus misinformation
140. Hannity says that Christianity allows torture.
141. John Aravosis asks why does Howard Kurtz think Sean Hannity is relevant?
142. The Young Turks on how Hannity truncated an Obama quote to make it appear that Obama was unilaterally bashing America.
143. Hannity distorts Politico article to hit media for crediting Obama in rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates. Watch a video of Fox News guest Bernard Goldberg, no fan of Obama, chide Hannity for his pettiness regarding Obama after the rescue of Captain Phillips.
144. Hannity hates the word "bitch" (unless it's applied to Hillary Clinton).
145. Hannity versus Hannity on Texas succession.
146. Jon Stewart slams Hannity's misrepresentation of Obama comment about those who "would... justify the events of 9-11." Hannity crops clip to claim Obama "decided to give 9-11 sympathizers [Truthers] a voice" in Cairo speech. Watch this priceless video of Stewart on Hannity.
147. Hannity defies "the phony science of global warming," declares "we breathe carbon dioxide... there's nothing wrong with the automobile"
148. The debunking of Hannity's false claim that during President Obama's 2009 trip to the Middle East, he called the United States "Muslim nation."
149. Hannity advances Obama birth certificate "birther" conspiracies.
150. A poem:
Aping urbanity,
Oozing with vanity,
Plump as a manatee,
Faking humanity,
Intellectual inanity,
Journalistic calamity,
Fox Noise insanity,
You’re a profanity,
Hannity.
151. At Hannity's Freedom Concert, I took a picture of Hannity's wife Jill Hannity, the only online photo of her.

--John Cleese, Ode to Sean Hannity

151. Hannity revives another smear: "We've got [Obama] on tape saying, 'White folks' greed runs a world in need' "
152. Hannity makes a habit of distorting quotes to smear progressives
153. Hannity says Obama "is Bill Ayers," he "is Reverend Wright"
154. Hannity Reiterates Fox's False Smear Against Ron Reagan
155. Secession-Sympathizing Hannity Attacks Obama's Patriotism, Suggests He Should Be Investigated By DHS
156. Hannity and Mark Fuhrman discuss "strange death of Vince Foster"
157. Hannity invited birther Jerome Corsi on his Great American Panel.
158. Hannity Helps Make Dr. Laura The Victim (for using the n-word.
159. Repeating smear from 2008, Hannity falsely attributes "white folks' greed" remark to Obama
160. Hannity and Fox News' long history of race-baiting.
161. Hannity continues to claim falsely there is no tea party racism
162. Not looking very hard: Hannity says he "can't find any" racist tea party signs
163. Hannity carefully avoids explaining why Trent Lott's remarks praising Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat presidential run were offensive
164. Hannity distorts Sotomayor's comments to claim she "seems to disagree" with Dr. King
165. Hannity and Fox News' rhetoric echoes Ailes' long history of race-baiting
166. Hannity Falsely Claims Planned Parenthood President Told An "Outright Lie" About Mammograms
167. Hannity and "birther" conspiracy theories.
168. Hannity to Mark Fuhrman: "I was surprised you brought up the strange death of Vince Foster"
169. Hannity gets "Worst Person" runner-up for saying that Whitewater, Vince Foster death are "chapters remaining open"
170. Hannity's Conservative Victory: More than 20 falsehoods, smears, and distortions
171. Hannity Plays The Birther Card
172. Hannity Adds "Muslim" To His Birther Dogwhistle To Extremists
173. Hannity Blames Obama For Republican Misconceptions That He’s A Muslim
174. Hannity Jumps Aboard "Donald Trump 2012" Presidential Campaign -- Birtherism And All
175. Hannity supports Trump's Birther Obsession.
176. Hannity's Racist Mentor Of 30+ Years Bob Grant
177. Max Blumenthal Probes Hannity's History With Talk Radio's 'Angry White Men' -- and Fanning the Flames of Racial Politics
178. Hannity gives a platform to virulent anti-Semite Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona (aka Andy Martin)
179. Robert Gibbs confronts Hannity about giving a platform to Andy Martin.
180. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart catches Hannity falsifying footage to make GOP/Tea Party rally appear much bigger than it really was.
181. In 2011, Hannity Claims Mark Foley Scandal “Shocked” Him, But In ’06, He Tried To Spin It Away.
182. Howard Kurtz Slams Hannity For An "Absolute Slam Dunk Case Of Misleading Editing" through use of deceptively cropped video of CNN's Anderson Cooper.
183. Hannity baselessly asks, "Did Harry Reid Steal This [2010] Election?"
184. Over two weeks after Murdoch's News International Phone Hacking Scandal broke, Hannity finally speaks about it, describing it as "a political witch hunt from my perspective."
185. MUST READ: Media Matters debunks Hannity's Laughable Whopper: "I Would Never Question [President Obama's] Patriotism"
186. During an exclusive interview, Hannity sits on his hands by while Governor Rick Perry Tries to Walk Back His Remarks on Secession
187. Watch a Marine Corps veteran and Occupy Wall Street protester tell Hannity to "fuck off."
188. Hannity Continues To Treat Michele Bachmann With Hannitization Effect
189. Hannity Passionately Defends Birtherism, Demands, "Don't Bring Up Race"
190. Morning Joe Mocks Herman Cain Interview With Hannity: "Those Questions Had To Be Brutal"
191. Hannitized: After Gingrich's Staff Resigns, Hannity Lobs Softballs At Him For 7 Minutes
192. Hannity and Right-Wing Media Defend Herman Cain With Race-Baiting
193. Hannity Promotes Herman Cain’s Unfounded Conspiracy Theory That Occupy Wall Street Protests Are A Democratic Plot

Daily Show video Clips of Hannity
1. Moment of Zen - Hannity Reveals the True Obama
2. Only The Lonely: Sean Hannity defends the lonely people in this world who call escorts just to have the company.
3. On the "Hannity Sucks Ass" sign
4. Sean Hannity tells Art Torres to be quiet.

Addendum: Talk Show Radio Accessibility--Follow-Up Survey Results
Research 2000 thought it would be an interesting endeavor to find out how six nationally syndicated talk radio programs handle incoming calls among individuals who wish to engage in the live talk show over the air. The our original April ‘06 ‘Talk Show Radio Accessibility Survey Results‘ were interesting enough to report in the hopes that “ALL” talk radio hosts and formats in the future will make it less restrictive and more accessible for potential call in guests regardless of whether or not they have a differing point of view.
Findings:

* Ed Shultz “as the easiest to get on the air with regardless of the caller’s “view point for the simple reason that the show is the only format of the six that does not ask the caller what they want to discuss.”
* Sean Hannity comes in last place with “none” of the callers “with a different view point” getting on the air.
* The “one caller of five dissenting view points” allowed on Limbaugh’s show “went through three screeners before getting on the air.“
* Ingraham, Miller and Rhodes showed “no significant differences” in terms of getting on the air “if one had a dissenting view point.
* In all cases, callers with dissenting views were able to get on the air with the host.

Methodology:

While the following survey results do not possess the standard 95 percent confidence level or 5% margin for error which is standard within the scientific polling community, Research 2000’s follow yielded almost identical results.

In August and September, we examined the same six nationally syndicated talk shows we did back in April which are heard in the Washington DC ADI five days weekly between August 21 through September 19, 2006. Three liberal: Stephanie Miller, Randi Rhodes and Ed Shultz. Three conservative: Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh. Back in April, each program was called ten times (5 with a point of view compatible with the host and most of the callers and 5 that were not). In the August-September follow up survey, we called each show 15 times with a point of view which was not compatible with the host and most of the callers. We decided not to do any calls with compatible view points because the April survey showed that those callers with compatible views with the host and most of the callers were able to get through and on the air between 15-30 minutes with each of the hosts.

The rank order below is based on how accessible it was for one to get through to the host with both a liberal and conservative point of view.

Once again, there was no significant differences between the Laura Ingraham, Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes shows in terms of getting on the air if one had a dissenting view point. In all cases, callers with dissenting views were able to get on the air with the host. The wait on hold was longest for the Laura Ingraham show and that averaged 40 minutes to one hour and fifteen minutes. For Miller it was 35 minutes to one hour and for Rhodes it was 30 minutes to 40 minutes.The difference between number 2 and 4 are slight and the rank order is based purely on the amount of time one was on hold. Both Ingraham’s and Miller’s wait on hold increased slightly from April, while Rhodes had a slight decrease.

Only two callers of fifteen dissenting view points was successful in getting on the Rush Limbaugh show. Both callers went through three screeners on the show before getting on the air with the host. However, the other thirteen callers with dissenting view points were told politely that the host would not be taking calls on either the subject matter or a dissenting point of view.

Bonus: Rush Limbaugh Links

1) Media Matters for America monitors Limbaugh and has an updated page on Limbaugh.2009 UPDATE: Media Matters now has a page devoted to Limbaugh: The Limbaugh Wire.
2. I have several informative posts on my main web site that give a lot of information about Limbaugh: 1) A compendium of hateful statements by Limbaugh; 2)I have posts on Limbaugh's virulent racism, here and here; 3) My article on Limbaugh's drug problem.
3. Limbaugh denigration of veteran's military service: 1) Around the same time that the 2000 Bush campaign was orchestrating the whisper campaign that John McCain's POW experience made him mentally unbalanced, Limbaugh (AKA Chief Waga-Waga El Rushbo of the El Conservo Tribe) has a parody of The Caine Mutiny casting John McCain was the paranoid Captain Queeg; 2) Limbaugh's denigration of Iraq veteran Paul Hackett, who was running for Congress as a Democrat: America's Anchorman called Hackett a "staff puke" who "to pad [his] resume." Here's Hackett's apt response to Limbaugh; 3) Limbaugh denigrated John Kerry's military service even before the Swiftboaters were formed. Of course, during the 2004 campaign, Limbaugh supported the smears of the Swift Boat liars; he even interviewed John O'Neill and said that he was doing "God's work"; 4) Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" smear against members of the US military.
4. Limbaugh's paranoid Clinton-bashing almost leads to a fatality.
5. Journalist David Neiwert's series on Limbaugh, "Rush, Newspeak and Fascism" Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, and Part VI.
6. I have the transcript of the infamous on-air conversation Limbaugh had with "Greg from Orlando" in which Greg knocks Limbaugh off his Prestigious Attila the Hun Chair about his reasons for not fighting in Vietnam (here is Snopes.com on the matter; also, Joe Conason has an article on the flap). Gregg from Orlando, like me, was able to best America's "A Weapon of Mass Instruction" before could hit the mute button and perform a "caller abortion."
7. In addition to the previously listed posts on Limbaugh's racism, there are other sites that have chronicled Mr. Talent on loan from God's hatred against minorities: 1) Limbaugh uses the term "Racist, Sexist, Bigot, Homophobe" to derisively describe how liberals describe conservatives. Not all conservatives are racist, sexist, bigoted, or homophobic but Rush is. For instance, Limbaugh coined the term "feminazi" and refers to the National Organization for Women (NOW) as NAG (National Association of Gals). Limbaugh boasted that a sign on his office door reads, "Sexual harassment at this work station will not be reported. However...it will be graded!!!" Limbaugh also said, "Some of these babes, I'm telling you, like the sexual harassment crowd. They're out there protesting what they actually wish would happen to them sometimes." Limbaugh said he learned about women from his cat, which "gets loved," "petted," and "fed" and "doesn't have to do anything for it." No wonder three wives have left Limbaugh. Limbaugh is worse regarding gays and lesbians. Limbaugh's "AIDS Update" would use the theme song "I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again." Limbaugh once told his listeners, "When a gay person turns his back on you, it is anything but an insult; it’s an invitation." Here's how Limbaugh announced the Rachel Maddow's new MSNBC show: "...our buddy Dan Abrams...he's been replaced by Rachel Maddow, or will be, in early September. He's losing his show to somebody with more testosterone than he has." Limbaugh was both racist and homophobic when he said that "We are being told that . . . we have to bend over, grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whichever, because [Obama's] father was black, because this is the first black president."
Media Matters on Limbaugh's racism against Barack Obama; 2) Jeff Cohen and Steve Rendall on Limbaugh's racism. Here's an informative article on limbaugh's "Barack the Magic Negro" flap. Ironically, despite Limbaugh's racist rantings, he has accused Democrats of being racist for criticizing Al Sharpton and then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Here's another Limbaugh false charge of racism. 1/2008 UPDATE: Limbaugh compared Bill Clinton to segregationist "Bull" Connor.
8. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) did an analysis of Limbaugh's claims on his radio show in the 1990's that infuriated him.
During the Clinton presidency, Limbaugh, along with Roger Ailes, was one of the top Vince Foster conspiracy theorists. Even though numerous investigations has shown that Foster committed suicide and not murdered, Limbaugh has not apologized and continues to suggest that anyone who crosses the Clintons will face a similar fate (click here and here). Remember this the next time Limbaugh refers to himslef as a "harmless loveable little fuzzball and all around good/nice guy."
9. Limbaugh caught truncating a quote by Bill Clinton to give it the exact opposite meaning--Keith Olbermann reports. This is hardly surprising.

10. Here's an post on why the attempts by Democrats and prominent progressives to make Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party is a winner and will succeed. Limbaugh hope that Barack Obama will "fail" shows how tone-deaf Maha Rushie is when he tries to speak outside of his core audience of "dittoheads."
11. Media Matters has a new page devoted to the Doctor of Democracy: The Limbaugh Wire.
12. Some thoughtful analysts have cited the various racist statements that America's Truth-Detector has made on his radio show. Fairness and Accuracy and Reporting and Media Matters have been on top of things. I reported a noxiously racist and unfunny parody on Limbaugh's show. In 2003, Limbaugh did a parody of Gone with the Wind to lampoon the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates. Here's what I wrote in 2003:

When the announcer in the parody said Carol Moseley-Braun's name, a sound-alike of Butterfly McQueen screams, "I don't know nothin' about runnin' for no president!"

Also, I was the only person to report Limbaugh's racist comments about Mike Espy. Joe Conason has more on Limbaugh's racists appeals to his listeners and the Michael Steele controversy. Limbaugh has also targeted the NAACP. Limbaugh derisively refers to the group as NAALCP (National Association for the Advancement of Liberal Colored People). On his radio show, Limbaugh, made the following "joke" about the NAACP, which has a century-long history of devotion to expanding civil rights through nonviolent methods: "The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."
13. In 2009, some prominent Democrats and progressives decided to make Limbaugh, the Commander in Chief of U.S. Operation Chaos, the face of the Republican Party. Many people thought this was a bad strategy. I disagree. Informing more regular Americans about the extremism and hate on talk radio is a public service. I have a post on the "Limbaugh Strategy" and why it is a good thing. The post also has information about two other hate radio jocks, Mark Levin and Michael Savage (Weiner).
14. Even though I was able to get past Limbaugh's screener twice and confront Limbaugh, there are some important considerations. First, when I spoke to the screener, I made sure to sound tentative and as not very bright. The Professor of the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies wants a stacked deck when it comes to debating progressives on his radio show. Certainly, it helps that the producer of Limbaugh's 1990's television show was Roger Ailes--now the chairman and CEO of Fox News (Limbaugh's television show was similar in structure to the carefully-orchestrated television programs that Ailes produced for Richard Nixon during the 1968 campaign, a model that Ailes uses on the Fox News channel). Another incident obviously has led to Limbaugh's need to have a controlled atmosphere: a disastrous performance when Limbaugh served as guest host on Pat Sajak's television show in 1990. When Limbaugh met with some spirited opponents, he folded like a cheap accordion. "[Limbaugh] came out full of bluster and left a very shaken man," a CBS executive later said. "I had never seen a man sweat as much in my life." Here's a YouTube video. Enjoy:

15. It wasn't only during the 2000 that Limbaugh lied about Al Gore. El Rushbo was behind the smear that Gore couldn't identify George Washington and Ben Franklin during a tour od Monticello. Here is a post that corrects the record.

16. Bill Mann has an in-depth article on the dirty little secret of Boss Limbaugh's success:
17. Audio of Limbaugh Slapping Himself On-Air To "Simulate Torture"
18. I was the first person to report on Limbaugh's comments that Democrats secretly applauded the terrorist bombings in Madrid. The same day Limbaugh, who got out of Vietnam because of a boil onhis butt, made this smear, he also denounced the "anti-Americanism" of war hero John Kerry. Here is the post.
18. I reported on Limbaugh's comments that the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui "had to be a liberal."
19. Media Matters has Limbaugh's quote that attacks the patriotism of liberals. Limbaugh: It's time for somebody to tell the people on the left, you're damn right we're questioning your patriotism."
20. Video: Limbaugh compares Democrats' "quest for power" to his own drug addiction
21. Video: Limbaugh "Liberals lie ... By definition, liberalism has to obscure what it really believes"; Obama, Clinton make lying "look easy," but Pelosi doesn't have their "talent"
22. Limbaugh: Obama's base "has anti-American opinion," "doesn't like this country"
23. Limbaugh on "fundamental elements" of the left: "[T]errorists are the good guys, we shouldn't be capturing them, we are the reason they are terrorists"
24. Limbaugh: "[F]ascists, statists" on the left are interested in "silencing people who disagree with them and the reason for that, folks, is fear. They are afraid of Dick Cheney. They are afraid of me"
25. Limbaugh rant on Carrie Prejean press conference: "We're supposed to tolerate" the "perversions" and "godlessness" of the left, but "when we stand up and just express our beliefs ... it's time to get the Gestapo"
26. Keith Olbermann on Limbaugh's racist statement that he would send Judge Sonia Sotomayor and the Belizean Grove "a bunch of vacuum cleaners to help them clean up after their meetings."
27. Limbaugh is unsuccessful in his bid to become part owner of St. Louis Rams NFL franchise; his history of racially insensitive statements are partly to blame. UPDATE: Limbaugh also praised Strom Thurmond.
28. Regarding the attempt by Limbaugh to become minority owner of the NFL St. Louis Rams, I wrote a post on Limbaugh's racist comments, including many things that Limbaugh siad that haven't been reported anywhere else.

Bonus: Photo of Jill Rhodes Hannity, Sean Hannity's Wife
Here's the story behind the picture:

Sean Hannity Confronted On the Air

Sean Hannity meets his match live on the radio