Some of the things we heard Wednesday night!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

Sharks and Jets, Montagues / Capulets: We almost never watch the Hannity show on Fox. 

We don't recall (exactly) why, but this past Wednesday night, we briefly flipped over to Hannity. We did so shortly after the start of the 9 P.M. show. 

When we flipped over, Hannity was beating up on President Biden for being too soft on Putin. Here's part of what we heard:

HANNITY (12/8/21): Today the pathetic, weak Joe Biden accidentally actually revealed his strategy to deal with the hostile actor Vladimir Putin and his hostile regime and his hostile activity. And the way is to accommodate them, pretty much kiss their ass in any way possible.

"Joe, you're the president," Hannity said. "You're not a concierge at a 5-star hotel. You don't need to accommodate Vladimir Putin."

Hannity felt that Biden was being too soft on the hostile Putin and his hostile regime. He went on to warn American citizens to get any relatives out of Ukraine—reason being, the pathetic Biden will never protect them against Putin's hostile behavior.

This was early in the 9 P.M. hour. When Hannity began beating up on Biden in earnest, we flipped back to the Maddow Show:

Within minutes, we were being told, by Rachel Maddow, that the prime-time hosts on the Fox News Channel simply adore this very same Vladimir Putin.

We still can't show you exactly what Maddow said. As of this morning, her slacker channel was four days behind in the provision of transcripts.

That said, her sweeping statement about those Fox hosts wasn't even the stupidest thing she said during the segment in question. Her stupidest, least excusable statement concerned a new cover report in Newsmax magazine.

At this point, we still can't show you exactly what she said about that report. Her slacker channel hasn't presented its transcript yet, and we've changed our mind about doing the scut-work ourselves.

At any rate, Maddow was telling her viewers that Newsmax magazine simply adores the vile tyrant Putin. She "proved" her point by showing viewers the cover of the magazine's new edition, without quoting a single word the cover report inside the magazine actually said.

What does the Newsmax report actually say? We haven't read the report. But according to Newsweek, here's what the actual report apparently actually says:

PALMER (12/8/21): In a statement to promote its December issue, Newsmax said: "He's evil, he's cunning, and he's the most powerful man in the world." The magazine also promised to present the Russian president as "you've never seen him before—and it will change the way you look at one of the world's most feared superpowers."

The cover story, written by investigative reporter Kenneth R. Timmerman, would describe Putin's goal of "exploiting every opportunity to weaken the United States and its allies," as well as discussing his private life and alleged love children, according to the statement.

Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Newsmax, which operates the monthly magazine as well as a cable news channel and website, said: "Newsmax Magazine's December feature story is entitled 'Putin's War on the West: the Russian leader exploits every opportunity to weaken the U.S. and it's allies.' This investigative report paints a disturbing portrait of a dangerous leader and regime.

"Newsmax's cover portrays 'Vlad the Great' as a modern Russian Czar, who, after Trump, finds no world leaders to hold him in check."

Based on the eye-catching "Vlad the Great" cover hook—and based on nothing else at all—Rachel was telling the world that Newsmax magazine, like Fox News, was pimping its love for the great Russkie leader.

There was no sign that she'd looked at the Newsmax report itself. She was working off that eye-catching, excitingly ambiguous "Vlad the Great" cover hook.

If Maddow's owners ever post their transcript, we'll show you the exact words she said. That said, we haven't even told you about the stupidest thing she said during the segment in question.

That involved her claim that Fox News is constantly running fawning photos of the shirtless Putin. To establish this ridiculous claim, she flashed three or four photos of the shirtless Russkie strongman. 

As seemed clear from the standard chyron they all bore, they all track back to a single, 24-second report in the summer of 2017, when MSNBC and Fox News were each running such photos as filler. 

(Based on this analysis from 538.com, CNN ran such shirtless photos much less often during the general period in question.)

Maddow has been phoning it in for a very long time now. That said, it would be hard to behave in a more contemptuous, deceptive manner than she did on this occasion.

Who knows? Maybe she was just reading copy one of her staffers had written. Maybe she actually thought that what she was saying was accurate.

Given Maddow's frequent strange conduct, such possibilities are endless! But it's time to get this strange person off the air. It's time for this person to go.

Seriously, it actually happened! Two minutes after we watched Hannity savaging the hostile actions of the hostile Putin, we flipped over and saw this nutcase disinforming millions of viewers.

This is the way the Jets and the Sharks played the time-honored game. This was the Montagues, and this was also the Capulets.

This was standard tribal disinformation, wrapped up in a crowd-pleasing bow. Increasingly, we live to hate the other tribe, and to do nothing else. The basic thinking is perfectly clear:

It's no stupidity left behind! All stupidity goes!

Maddow's been like this for a long time. When will her irresponsible, profit-based owners get her off the air?

This just in from experts: Your lizard is saying that this has to be wrong. It's time for your lizard to go!