It has nothing to do wiff hypocrisy... So, have fun with it...
Stating that you dislike when politicians sidetrack debates by bringing up irrelevant topics and then bringing up irrelevant topics in a political discussion = hypocrisy.
Actually, I have to completely disagree with you on this one. Long before he was elected, the candidate O'bama was foolishly suggesting the extension of Miranda and other Constitutional protections to our detainees in Gitmo and elsewhere. After the election, there were rumors of an unofficial order to begin Mirandizing these detainees. The whole stink regarding Brennan was exactly related to the Obummer. There were questions as to whether he Mirandized UFA not because it was standard practice by a civilian law enforcement agency during an arrest, but because he was following an order by Barry. Was it overblown? Sure...
I don't think you're getting my point.
Regardless of what Obama's opinion on the topic is or when they first started discussing the topic in relation to terrorists captured abroad, Republicans did not state that they wanted Brennan to step down because of Obama's opinion on Miranda rights and terrorists captured in foreign countries. They were directly concerned with Brennan's actions in this particular instance. It had nothing to do with Obama's stance on Mirandizing in foreign countries, as the Mirandizing did not occur in a foreign country. In fact, it didn't even involve Obama, as he was not the one who gave the order.
They explicitly claimed that the policy of Mirandizing terrorists who are arrested on U.S. soil should be changed, and that those who follow that policy should step down. They pointed to Brennan specifically, not Obama, and required that he step down because he ordered a terrorist arrested on U.S. soil to be Mirandized. Strangely enough, Republicans had no problem with Richard Reid being Mirandized while the Bush administration was present. They weren't attempting to punish Brennan for something he did that was in line with Obama's beliefs. In fact, they weren't even attempting to punish Brennan for doing something that the Republicans wouldn't or didn't do. They were attempting to force him into stepping down because he did the exact same thing that the Republicans did a year earlier.
Again, here's another example of a so-called study that's really just based on the opinions of others. That's evidence??? Do you really think that a typical person even understands the differences across Socialism, Fascism and Communism anymore?
Yes, of course. The fact that X number of people who watch Fox identify themselves as Republican is an opinion; it's not a fact that is verifiable in any way. I guess counting the number of apples on a table is also opinionated. Oh, and, let me guess, counting the number of stories on the Iraq war that treat the war in a positive manner as opposed to a negative manner is also opinionated? Man, I didn't know that counting and deriving percentages from numbers was so opinionated...
Even if such surveys and polls are opinionated, what would you like us to do? Nod our heads in agreement that your opinion is the correct one, regardless of what three separate surveys tell us? Accept your opinion as the truth simply because you muttered it, regardless of the fact that you don't actually point out any premises for your conclusion? Yes massa GarMan, we'll never stray from yo undeniably true opinions evah again. Everuhthin' you say be the truf boss. We won't be lissnin' to no polls that show an overwhelmin' majorituh of people think otherwise.
I have a distinct feeling that most would consider the founders of our country to be a bunch of right-wing lunatics if they were alive today. After all, a Modern American Conservative is really only a Jeffersonian Liberal.
Unless the people polled were 300 years old and were born in the 1700's, I'm pretty sure they were answering questions about media political bias based upon our present day conceptions of what is conservative and what is liberal. No one has claimed that Fox has a conservative bias based upon conservatism from 300 years ago; we're talking about today's political ideologies.
In fact, we're not even really talking about ideologies at all. The polls dealt with Republicans and Democrats. Regardless of the fact that Republicans may be acting more liberal than they have in the past, the polls are identifying that Fox has a strong Republican bias, and CBS has a strong Democratic bias. No where in the polls did they ask about conservatism or liberalism.
By the way, I suppose "scientific consensus" is evidence too... Once upon a time, that “scientific consensus” told us that the earth was flat. Later, it told us that the earth was the center of the universe. So, please permit me to be somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to opinions that somebody tabulates and publishes in a paper, and later calls a “study”.
Invalid analogy, unless you are proposing that the survey itself is flawed factually. When people thought the Earth was flat, their premises were flawed. They assumed a lot of things based on incorrect perceptions and a lack of technology to properly perceive celestial objects.
Taking a poll is pretty simple. It doesn't require the invention and application of the Pythagorean Theorem or the Hubble Telescope. You're not relying upon your perception of celestial objects millions of miles away to estimate their responses. They identify themselves as Republican, Democrat, or other, and they tell you what their views are about specific network stations. They also study the number of stories, the number of times journalists give their personal opinions, the number of times stories treat X issue in Y manner, etc., and then derive percentages from those numbers. We're not dealing with the mysteries of the universe here. We're calculating verifiable data.
Oh no! I be sorry massa! I done went and forgot that I wasn't suppose to be talkin' bout them polls. They be the devil! Askin' people what they thinks and then calcumulatin' percentages...those results don't be nothin' compared to you, boss! Everuhthin' you believe is how it actually is in the world.
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