Pat Buchanan Out at MSNBC

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, who's been suspended from MSNBC for the past four months, won't be coming back.

The network said Thursday that it had decided to part ways with the former GOP presidential candidate after 10 years.

His book "Suicide of a Superpower" contained chapters titled "The End of White America" and "The Death of Christian America." Critics called the book racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic, charges Buchanan denied.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin said last month that he didn't think Buchanan's book "should be part of the national dialogue, much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC."

The network said on Thursday that "after 10 years, we have decided to part ways with Pat Buchanan. We wish him well."

Buchanan, in a column posted on Thursday, called the decision "an undeniable victory for the blacklisters."

The former GOP candidate had seemed increasingly out of place on MSNBC as it emphasized liberal commentary in recent years. But he kept a regular presence, even forging an unlikely chemistry with talk show host Rachel Maddow despite disagreeing on most issues.

Buchanan wrote that advocacy groups like Color of Change and the Anti-Defamation League brand people as racists or anti-Semites if they dare "to venture outside the narrow corral in which they seek to confine debate." They seek to silence and censor dissent while proclaiming devotion to the First Amendment, he said.

"I know these blacklisters," he wrote. "They operate behind closed doors, with phone calls, mailed threats and off-the-record meetings. They work in the dark because, as Al Smith said, nothing un-American can live in the sunlight."

The liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America said that MSNBC made the right decision in letting Buchanan go.

The book "was not his first, nor his worst offense," said Ari Rabin-Havt, executive vice president of Media Matters. "He's been making the same racially insensitive, anti-Semitic and homophobic statements for the past 50 years."

Source: Newsmax

We all know that if  Soros driven Media Matters and leftist Rachel Maddow chime in on the positive side of a decision that there was just a major victory for the progressive left and against freedom.  Another anti-freedom of speech victory, perhaps proving some of what Buchanan wrote to be true?!?

Painting of Obama Trampling Constitution Resurfaces, Artist‘s New Work Tells ’Enslaved‘ Americans to ’Wake Up!’

Some may already be familiar with the image featured above. For those who aren’t, it is painting titled “The Forgotten Man” which features President Obama trampling on the Constitution while an astonished James Madison pleads with him to stop. To the side, a man sits on a park bench in the throes of depression while 43 presidents look on. The painting, which uses discarded dollar bills and scraps of paper with individual constitutional amendments scrawled onto them.

The Blaze first reported on artist Jon McNaughton’s controversial rendition back in 2010 when the artwork was released. Now, however, McNauughton’s Forgotten Man has resurfaced and is making its rounds across the internet again after appearing on Rachel Maddow’s blog on Thursday.

In a video that accompanied The Forgotten Man’s release, the politically charged McNaughton revealed, “For a long time I didn’t know if I wanted to paint this picture, because I worried it might be too controversial.”

He explained that the man on the park bench “represents every man, woman, and child who is an American“ and who ”hopes to find the American dream of happiness and prosperity.” The artist added, “But now because of unconstitutional acts imposed on the American people by our government we stand on the precipice of disasters.”

The artists’ work can be found at McNaughton Fine Art (though the site appeared to be down, at least temporarily on Friday evening) and on his Facebook Page. A search of McNaughton’s postings on Facebook reveal a number of paintings with strong political and religious themes including another provocative work released in October 2011 titled “Wake Up America.” The image features Obama smiling on the stump while shackled Americans gather around him. From the artist’s YouTube page:

We are enslaved to our debt. Wake up, America! Before it is too late…

Every man, woman and child in America is enslaved to the national debt. As an artist, I have painted my vision of the dire circumstances that surround us. Now, more than ever, each American must make a choice: we must unlock the shackles that enslave us, or will we lose our freedom. It is my hope and prayer that America will “wake up” before it is too late.

The image is featured below:

With the Nevada Caucuses around the corner, CBS Las Vegas caught up with McNaughton to talk about his work. Since the painting’s release, “It sold thousands,” McNaughton told the network.

“I sold many different sizes and editions, and now that we are in an election year I expect to sell more.”

Below is a video of the artist explaining “Wake Up America”:

Video: Wake Up America - Jon McNaughton

Much of McNaughton’s work is political in nature. Previously, he released “One Nation Under God,” a painting depicting Jesus holding the Constitution and judging several archetypes including a liberal journalist, a smug college professor, and a man McNaughton calls “Mr. Hollywood.”

Originally from Arizona, McNaugton currently lives in Utah and received a full scholarship to Brigham Young University.

“I hope my work will create conversation and reach people on a deeper level,” he states on his website. “I like to use metaphor and multiple levels of meaning to reach my viewer. If it makes them think and feel, then it is successful.”

McNaughton also told CBSLV: “I’m not trying to create an art style. I want to communicate my ideas. Isn’t that the purpose of art?”

Below is a painting titled “Peace Is Coming”:

The Blaze

Air America Progressive Talk Radio Signs Off For the Last Time Today…

Air America – The “Progressive talk radio” network (that nobody listens to but the Obama Administration has been trying to promote) closed its doors today. Air America foster such liberal progressive voices as Al Franken and Rachel Maddow.

From Air America’s Site:

It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.

The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a "perfect storm" in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection. From large to small, recent bankruptcies like Citadel Broadcasting and closures like that of the industry's long-time trade publication Radio and Records have signaled that these are very difficult and rapidly changing times.

Those companies that remain are facing audience fragmentation as a result of new media technologies, are often saddled with crushing debt, and have generally found it difficult to obtain operating or investment capital from traditional sources of funding. In this climate, our painstaking search for new investors has come close several times right up into this week, but ultimately fell short of success.

With radio industry ad revenues down for 10 consecutive quarters, and reportedly off 21% in 2009, signs of improvement have consisted of hoping things will be less bad. And though Internet/new media revenues are projected to grow, our expanding online efforts face the same monetization and profitability challenges in the short term confronting the Web operations of most media companies

When Air America Radio launched in April, 2004 with already-known personalities like Al Franken and then-unknown future stars like Rachel Maddow, it was the only full-time progressive voice in the mainstream broadcast media world. At a critical time in our nation's history — when dissent on issues such as the Iraq war were often denounced as "un-American" — Air America and its talented team helped millions of Americans remember the importance of compelling discussion about the most pivotal events and decisions of our generation.

Through some 100 radio outlets nationwide, Air America helped build a new sense of purpose and determination among American progressives. With this revival, the progressive movement made major gains in the 2006 mid-term elections and, more recently, in the election of President Barack Obama and a strongly Democratic Congress.

Laws have changed for the better thanks to this revival.....but all the same our company cannot escape the laws of economics. So we intend a rapid, orderly closure over the next few days. All current employees will be paid through today, January 21. A severance package will be offered tomorrow to full-time current employees with more than six months of tenure.

We will strive to assist affiliates and partners in achieving a smooth transition. Starting at 6 pm EST today, we will provide our affiliates, listeners and users a selection of encore programming until 9 pm EST on Monday, January 25, at which time Air America programming will end.

We are proud that Air America's mission lives on through the words and actions of so many former radio hosts who are active today in progressive causes and media nationwide. In the years ahead, as we look back, we should all be proud of our passionate determination to assure that our nation's progressive voice would be heard loud and clear. Through the hard work and dedication of current staff, and those who preceded you, a lasting legacy was forged which will now continue through other voices and venues.

Thank you.

This death of Progressive talk radio is just another blow to the present administration and the deadly trio… Obama, Pelosi and Reid and a rebuke of Progressive Politics in America…

Republican Scott Brown wins Teddy Kennedy’s empty seat in Massachusetts

McCain Feingold overturned

Queen Pelosi concedes that she does not have the votes to pass ObamaCare

Air America… the voice of the progressive movement signs off for the last time.

Be sure to watch or Tivo: Live Free or Die – The Revolutionary Holocaust: Don’t Miss This Special

Memo: How to beat the right-wing mob

If right-wing protesters are going to show up and yell at their elected officials during town hall meetings, left-wing activists need to start coordinating with those representatives to provide "cover" for them says a 4-page memo distributed by Health Care for America Now!, a group supporting President Obama's recommended plans.

Conservative groups who help mobilize like-minded people to oppose the legislation have outraged Democrats, left-leaning think tanks and blogs, in light their success in spurring contentious town hall meetings that have been filmed an uploaded to the Internet. Much to their chargrin, video clips of conservative activists in Pennsylvania and Texas chanting and booing their elected officials have become a symbol of public angst over President Obama's agenda.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has even accused conservative organizations of distributing "rent-a-mob instructions" on how to protest the President's health care reform plans. As evidence she pointed to a mailer from group called Right Principles.

To help push back HCAN, whose members include the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now! AFL-CIO, the SEIU, the NEA and National Council of La Raza, has some instructions of their own. The memo, emailed to HCAN's 120 field staffers in 44 different states on Aug. 4, encourages activists to contact elected officials before public events to plan ways to preempt the opposition.

"Ask the Member's staff what would be most helpful and talk through a strategy for making sure the right messages don't get drowned out by chaotic protesters," wrote Field Director Margarida Jorge. The memo's introduction says she has "years of union organizing experience" and has "laid out tactics for people attending town halls to follow to blunt the right."

Another one of Ms. Jorge's tips is to "Address the MOC directly with a positive message: Remember, these Members need cover and they are getting beaten up by right wing zealots in these meetings."

HCAN Communications Director Jacki Schechner said protecting elected officials who support their favored reforms was necessary given the contentious nature of some town hall meetings
"People are trying to bait them [elected officials] into having something so they can get yelled at and they don't want to feel unsafe and uncomfortable," Ms. Schechner said. "They don't want to put themselves out to be bait for pushing and shoving, that's not dignified discourse."

By Amanda Carpenter on Aug. 6, 2009 into The Back Story