Elizabeth Hasselbeck bails on Fox News. Cites wanting time with her family.

Courtesy of AOL:

Elisabeth Hasselbeck is saying goodbye to 'Fox & Friends.' 

Hasselbeck announced Monday that she will step down from her role as co-host of the morning show on Fox News Channel and will leave the network by the end of the year. The 38-year-old talk show host joined the show in 2013 after her tumultuous exit from "The View" and has told the network that she plans to put her TV career on hold as she raises her three children, Taylor, Grace and Isaiah. 

In a statement, Hasselbeck said, "Oftentimes, the most difficult decisions are between two great things. Throughout my 14 years working in television, I have never experienced a more positive and thoughtful atmosphere than FOX News Channel, thanks to the strong leadership of (FOX News Chairman & CEO) Roger Ailes, who has created the best working environment a woman and mother could ask for. His understanding, compassion, and kindness was exemplified when I shared with him that I am entering into a season where I want to start my day with my children first, and he offered his blessing to do so. With a heart full of gratitude and the peace that God has given me, I am confident that this personal decision is the right one for our family, and we will be joining all of you watching Fox & Friends each morning as we get ready for school together."

You know when a politician quits claiming they want to spend more time with their families we all know there is a scandal brewing somewhere.

Now Hasselbeck is no politician, but it is still suspicious that she would walk away from a gig like this with no plans for the future unless there was a compelling reason.

So what do we think?

Was the gig too partisan even for her, or was she actually too dimwitted even for Fox News?

Sarah Palin on Fox and Friends: "I'm this close to feeling sorry for our President."

"I'm this close to feeling sorry for our President. "

Of course after that Palin launches into her usual uneducated, unprovoked attack on the President.

I swear watching Palin on Fox and Friends is the equivalent of watching toddlers talking about where snow comes from. They have no real idea, but they are certainly not lacking in opinions.

And boy doesn't Palin have a girly hard on for Vladimir Putin? I swear it's like she can see his hairless chest from her porch or something.

Palin also showed up on ABC this morning. Once again hinting at the return to politics that we all know will never happen. 

First it was teachers reducing homework to hide their socialist agenda, and now it is meatless Mondays in the school cafeteria to brainwashing children into the liberal vegan lifestyle. The horrors!

Courtesy of Salon:  

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples recently published an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman in which he condemned school districts that instituted a “Meatless Monday” program, which involves cafeterias serving vegetarian fare one day per week. On Monday, Fox News hosts Steve Doocy and Elisabeth Hasselbeck invited Staples to back up his views on the air: 

“Our schools are doing a really fantastic job of meeting the nutritional needs and educational needs of our kids,” said Staples. “But what we have here is a ‘Meatless Mondays’ campaign that’s really an agenda-driven campaign. And the people who are behind this, they don’t want you to not just eat meat one day a week, but seven days a week. Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles are caused because of inactivity and because of not having a balanced diet. It’s just sending the wrong message to our kids. This is not about meat– it’s about hunger, and we need to educate our kids the right way and not have agenda-driven campaigns.” 

“So you say that Meatless Mondays are brainwashing?” Doocy asks. 

“Clearly it is because we know that a balanced diet is what children need. And the people that are pushing this are saying that having Meatless Monday options is somehow a healthier option menu and that it’s better for the environment. This all stems from anti-animal agriculturalists who are trying to blame animals for some of our environmental problems… They shouldn’t castigate one type of food category and give the false impression to our kids that this is healthier for the environment and healthier for them as individuals.”

Yes leave it to a Texas Agriculture Commissioner to freak out about the idea of less meat being served in schools. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that Texas is the leader in livestock production in this country?

As you may remember Fox News also recently warned us that teachers were sending students home with less homework to limit parental involvement in their school work.

Gee where would we be without Fox News hysterically warning us about imaginary dangers in our public schools?

What's next, are they going to warn us that too much PE time is wearing out children's bodies prematurely?

Did Sarah Palin launch her website in the hopes of using it as leverage in order to get a gig on The View?

Courtesy of Radar Online:  

Tea Party darling Sarah Palin‘s recently launched video channel is not just a place where she can express her controversial conservative views: RadarOnline.com has learned that it’s an audition tape of sorts because the former Alaska governor is openly competing for a spot on The View! 

“Sarah has been in talks with The View to become a part of the cast as the voice of the far right,” an insider revealed. “During talks, it was brought to Sarah’s attention that mainstream Americans haven’t heard from her in a while, despite her appearances on Fox News. Being very media savvy, Governor Palin decided to launch a video channel as a way to engage with more Americans, and prove to network executives that she can create buzz.” 

“The one sticking point in the talks is how much time she will have to spend in New York City and away from her native Alaska,” the source continued. “She has proposed that she work three weeks a month in NYC, and then go back to Alaska. During sweeps, she would of course not take time off.”

I have already expressed my doubts that Palin would seriously consider taking an actual  job on network TV, and especially the View. And after it was revealed that Rosie O'Donnell was coming back I thought that pretty much drove a stake through any idea that Palin would be on the show.

Not to mention that Rachel Maddow's executive producer is taking over The View.

However if Radar Online's sources are to be believed, it would appear that Palin is actively pursuing the idea, and that ABC is seriously considering it.   

“Whoopi Goldberg has given her seal of approval for the hire, but Rosie O’Donnell isn’t sold on it,” the source continued. “She is concerned that Palin is just too controversial, and the show will become all about her.”

Yeah I can imagine that Whoopi would be all over the idea of having Palin to  verbally bitchslap every morning, but why Palin would put herself in that situation is somewhat harder to imagine.

Unless of course that her money situation is even worse off then we have previously reported.

Still after watching how Elizabeth Hasselbeck was ridiculed and shut down over and over on the show, it would be hard to imagine that Palin would put herself on that panel.

Especially since she has spent her time since 2008 isolating herself as much as possible from any possible embarrassing questions, and making sure that she is surrounded by like minded people who will not judge her on her stupidity.

I mean going so far as to charge sycophants for the right to see you respond to current events and answer questions from the safety of a vanity website is just about as far removed as one can get from seeking public scrutiny.

All I can say is that if ABC is serious they better put a clause in her contract saying that if she quits halfway through she will have to pay them a truckload of money for their troubles.

Benghazi hoax falls apart on Fox and Friends as Geraldo Rivera refuses to promote the conspiracy.

Courtesy of Media Matters:  

RIVERA: Admiral Mike Mullen, appointed by President Bush, says there was no military asset available. I have investigated this from the Air Force assets in Aviano to the special forces in Tripoli and in Italy and in other places. Whatever was available in our fleet resources, AFRICOM, there was no forces that could have intervened. There was no gunship available as the myth suggested. There was no 'stand down order' given by concentrating on the -- and the military is not the SWAT team. They're not the fire department. 

If the jets Aviano had scrambled, they would have had to jettison their tanks at night, going over to a situation that they could have easily been taken down by a handheld RPG. To what end? We didn't have a target. It could would have been mounted, that mission was a suicide mission, it could not have happened.

I am not typically a fan of Rivera's but I think it is admirable that he refuses to buy into this scandal when all of the evidence proves that there is no there there.

"Eat more meat." Sarah Palin's New Year's resolution is the same as the family dog's.

So Palin made a brief appearance on Fox's truly laughable New Year's eve show, and she brought word salad for the masses.

Bill Hemmer and Elizabeth Hasselbeck are the hosts of the gaffe ridden program and they had the not so enviable job of pretending to understand what in the hell Palin was saying.

Their first question was an easy one, does she have any New Year's resolutions.

Palin: "Heck yeah, I take them real seriously, and ..uh..I have three this year.  First one is eat more meat. Don't worry they get deeper as I go..the next resolutions. Um..I am going to try to help America (Please don't!), all of us as individuals, make our federal government as irrelevant in our lives as possible. And then the third resolution is to take former UCLA coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success and live it out, because it is imperative you guys that we as individuals do all we can to live with industriousness, and self discipline, and selflessness, so that together as a whole our nation can be restored to her exceptionalism."

I cannot tell if there is a time delay after Palin finishes her remarks or if Hemmer and Hasselbeck are simply stunned by the mooseshit. However they recover relativity well and immediately suggest they start drinking in response.

Then Hasselbeck pretends to warm herself on the pretend fire in the pretend backdrop behind Palin.

Hasselbeck asks Palin if she and Todd have any New Year's traditions. (Todd? Todd who?)

Palin: "Yes absolutely, as soon as we wrap up this hit we're going to go jump on our Ski-Doos (There's some product placement for you.) head out to the base of Mt.McKinley (Real Alaskans call this Mt. Denali.), out to our cabin, and ring in the new year with buddies out there, and it'll be nice and chilly and uh..exactly the way that we want it, being out there in the great outdoors enjoying God's creation." (Yeah Palin is well known to hate the cold, and this was filmed around 6 PM last night. It is a three hour drive to Denali Park, so I imagine it is close to that on a snowmachine, which means that Palin is saying she is going to spend around three hours driving in the cold to arrive at their cabin about two, two and half hours before midnight? Sure, why not?)

Hemmer then pretends that Palin's book was a success and asks her if there was a moment in 2013 that she would take forward into 2014. (Benghazi!)

Palin: "Uh you know I think..uh..something that we all should be able to take forward is the thankfulness we should be feeling for..um..this notion that the eyes of the nation are really opening up, we're becoming more and more aware of how important it is that we do pull our own weight, and we respect work ethic, and we not rely on the Federal government to do anything for us cause they keep screwing things up. So we have a thankfulness that I think we should bring forward into 2014, we felt a lot of that in 2013 as people became more aware of the potential for us as powerful individuals to pull our own weight." 

This last part is SO stupid that even Palin looks stunned at what came out of her mouth. 

However Hasselbeck calls it a great message, because you know..Fox News, whose watching at this time of night anyhow.

That is essentially the end of interview though Hemmer mentions that Palin once gave up chocolate as her resolution once, and stayed off of it for an entire year. And if you believe THAT I have a cold snowmachine trip to Denali park I'd like to sell you.

By the way, for those who are interested, this is John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.

Loyalty, Honesty, Reliability, Self control, how much of that have you EVER seen Sarah Pal;in demonstrate? Just more moosepoop to start the new year.

I would bet money that instead of hanging out in that cabin in Denali that Palin is right now winging it back to Arizona so that she can get warm again. Now that her book tour is over, and the Alaskan facade is less necessary, I do not see her spending much of her time up here in the near future.

Which by the way is just the way we Alaskans like it.

Fox's Elizabeth Hasselbeck thanks creationist Ken Ham for "standing up" to Atheists. By doing what, misinforming people about evolution?

Courtesy of Raw Story:

The president of a Kentucky creationist museum told Fox News on Monday that Christmas was a “time to take on the atheists” who used their free speech rights to doubt the existence of God. 

“Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without someone complaining about Christ,” Fox & Friends host Elisabeth Hasselbeck told Creation Museum President Ken Ham, noting that atheists had put up a billboard in Time Square which suggested that Christ was not needed during Christmas. 

“You know, the atheist who are a very small minority in the population have been trying to impose their religion of atheism on the culture now for quite a while,” Ham explained. “You know, getting Bible, prayer out of schools. Christian symbols out of public places.” 

“Because they’re becoming so aggressive, I just feel that it’s really time Christians really stood up in this culture to take on the atheists and to proclaim their message of hope,” he continued. “I mean, what’s the atheists’ message? There is no God? When you die that’s the end of you? So everything’s just meaningless and hopelessness?” 

Ham said that his group, Answers in Genesis, had put up its own billboards in Time Square, including one that says, “To all our atheists friends: Thank God you’re wrong.” 

“Our message to the atheists is, hey, we’re not attacking you personally but we want you to know the truth, that there is a God who created you and you are sinners as all of us are, but that God sent his son to become a babe in a manger,” he insisted. 

When you call somebody a "sinner" based on your superstition, yes that IS considered attacking somebody personally and is insulting to the rational thinkers who refer to themselves as atheists or agnostics.   

“The atheists are only a small part of the population,” Hamm said. “And really, it’s that minority, less than 2 percent of the population, that seem to be having such say in our culture, in imposing their anti-God religion.” 

Actually there are a hell of a lot more people who think of themselves as Atheists who are simply not yet confident enough to come out of he closet, or who realize doing so will jeopardize their jobs, relationships, or their reputation in their communities.

That is really why the atheist community are "becoming more aggressive." It is to help make being an Atheist more acceptable and to help others hiding in the shadows that there is a community out there who will embrace them and allow them to be who they are without fear of persecution.  

“What they’re really doing, the atheists, they’re really wanting to impose their anti-God religion on us, on the culture. And so we need to stand up against that.”

Just a small correction, Atheism is NOT a religion. That is unless the consider bald a hair color. 

Boy it certainly looks like Elizabeth Hasselbeck has finally found a place to call home doesn't it?

She could never have got away with a softball interview like this on The View.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck blames Obamacare for keeping elderly pregnant women from being able to see the doctor of their choice. Wait, what?

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

In a segment titled “Who’s Ruining the Economy Now?” Fox Business host Stuart Varney announced that the president was not going to be able to keep the promise that people could keep their doctors because “United Healthcare has just dropped — we don’t know exactly how many — but thousands of doctors have been dropped from United Heathcare’s Medicare Advantage program.” 

Conservative media outlets like The Washington Times have blamed United Healthcare’s decision on the Affordable Care Act. 

“That leaves hundreds of thousands of patients without the doctor that they’ve had for many many years,” Varney added. “We don’t know how many thousands have been dropped, but thousands have been dropped. What about their patients? What about the people who used to have this doctor who now no longer have this doctor? Broken promise.” 

“And many of those people are women who are expecting babies and who may just have a real relationship with their physician and want to see the same doctor deliver possibly their second child,” Hasselbeck opined. “And they are now left in the dark in a time that they feeling quite vulnerable.” 

“Most of them are elderly,” Varney pointed out. 

Medicare Advantage is a type of Medicare offered by private companies to people over 65 years of age. Medicare Advantage covers traditional Medicare plus additional services, but customers must pay a premium.

"Most of them are elderly."

Hasselbeck is really onto something here. Just imagine all of those poor 65 or older pregnant women who cannot see the same doctor who once delivered their other now forty something children.

Oh the humanity.

Wow! Hasselbeck really raised the old IQ on that Fox and Friends couch didn't she?

P.S. By the way for a more balanced report on what United Healthcare is doing, and why, you can visit the Wall Street Journal.

What? Elizabeth Hasselbeck is moving to Fox News? Who saw THAT coming? Oh, everybody?

Courtesy of Fox News:

“The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be joining Fox News Channel in September to co-host the top-rated morning show “Fox & Friends.” 

Hasselbeck will be replacing current co-host Gretchen Carlson, who will begin anchoring her own daytime show on Fox News Channel in the fall. 

“Elisabeth’s warm and engaging personality made her a star on The View,” Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes said in a statement Tuesday. “She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise.”

Wow! A permanent slot on the Fox and Friends couch!

Gee Palin was only invited on one time, and then sent back to doing remotes.

Gotta sting!

As for Hasslebeck now she gets to spout her Right Wing nonsense without more intelligent people telling her why she is wrong.

Fox News, where being ignorant and misinformed is a job requirement.

It looks like the rumors about Elizabeth Hasselbeck are true.

Courtesy of the New York Post:  

Elisabeth Hasselbeck “is toast” on ABC’s “The View,” sources tell us, despite show doyenne Barbara Walters insisting the conservative blonde isn’t getting fired. 

Rumors swirling that Hasselbeck was on her way out forced Walters to say last Monday, “We have no plans for Elisabeth to leave this show.” But a source tells us, “ABC is desperate to freshen the show. Ratings are going soft, and research numbers on the stars’ likability are scaring network execs. 

“Dumping Joy Behar, who was there 16 years, and Hasselbeck would be the fastest way to do it, they decided. After giving Behar the bad news last week and letting her bow out gracefully, someone leaked the Hasselbeck thing. Some enemies she has on the show saw their chance to get back at her. Barbara was spitting mad that it got mishandled, and called off the firing over [last] weekend.” 

While we heard Hasselbeck would go when her contract is up next year, the source added, “It could be earlier, because the ABC brass believes the show needs to be younged-up fast. They easily could coax her to go early.”

I have no problem believing that  she has enemies on the show, the woman is so unbelievably arrogant and one sided most of the time, that it completely takes away from any attractiveness she might possess.

And even when she finally gets fed up, like she did with Sarah and Bristol Palin, she still cannot help but stand up for other conservatives icons that are equally as bad.

Personally I think they are dumping Joy Behar to provide cover for their firing of Hasselbeck. That way they still appear to be balanced.

Stay tuned for Hasselbeck's new job as pundit and commentator for Fox News. You know it's coming. Where else does she have to go?

Rumors swirl that Elizabeth Hasselbeck has been fired from The View. Ostensibly because she is "too extreme and right wing."

Courtesy of US Weekly:

The people have spoken. Elisabeth Hasselbeck, one of the five cohorts of ABC's daytime talk show The View, will not be returning to the couch next season, following hot on the footsteps of fellow cohost Joy Behar, a source tells Us Weekly. 

According to the source, the show's resident conservative voice is being ousted after market research revealed that she isn't popular with TV audiences. 

"The viewers they polled all said she was too extreme and right wing," the insider tells Us. "People did not watch the show because of Elisabeth. So they told her yesterday her contract would not be renewed." 

When reached for comment, a rep for the show told Us in a statement: "Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a valued member of The View and has a long term contract."

I put off posting this yesterday because I was not sure how legitimate it was. Especially in light of that statement from the rep.

However since this first story it has been picked by all kinds of blogs and news sites, all of who are treating it as a serious news story.

On TV Newser they even claim to have to independent sources who confirm Hasselbeck's removal from the show.

If true this would seem to be just the latest example of the dreaded Palin curse at work.

Or. perhaps, just another in a long string of bizarre coincidences. You decide.

Let's end the day on a high note. Michelle Obama wins the hearts of the ladies of the View.

I am sorry that today was so video-centric here at IM, but there just seemed to be a lot of important video to share.

As you know I am NOT a regular watcher of The View, but I did catch the entire episode this morning and really thought that Michelle Obama was the very epitome of charm and class. I don't like to make comparisons, but I kind of felt she did a better job than the President did during HIS visit two weeks ago.

BTW I joked earlier today that by the end of the show FLOTUS and Elizabeth Hasselbeck were hugging and joking with each other like two high school girlfriends. I would not put it past the First Lady to have made such an impact on the View's token conservative that Hasselbeck might be questioning her political point of view and wondering HOW she can justify being in opposition to this delightful couple.

"Take it down a notch b*itch!" Kathy Griffin renews her feud with Elizabeth Hasselbeck over the latter's attitude toward the President on the View.

I am not always a huge fan of Griffin's but I have to admit that nobody sticks it to certain Republican women as well as she does.

And do you know what? She was right.

With all the shit that the Right Wing has been throwing at Obama lately he certainly did not deserve to have some prissy little reality show leftover biotch giving him attitude.

And by the way, I think the President was just being nice. There are certainly not many, but there are definitely a FEW, Republicans that I would choose over Hasselbeck any day, and I imagine so would President Obama.

Just our President being awesome.

To see the image larger just click here.

Immediately after making these remarks Barbara Walters said that in her entire time on the View that this was the FIRST time that she could ever remember the ladies on the panel being respectful and not talking over a guest for such an extended period of time.

And they say this President can't perform miracles.

He got the ladies of the View to stop talking for almost three minutes, compared to that walking on water should be a snap!

President Obama visits The View to talk politics, gay marriage, Wall Street reform, and pop culture.

I am not a huge fan of The View, but I did watch this whole segment and thought the President looked very calm and cool, as usual.

He also seemed to really enjoy the banter and for the most part the ladies were all very polite, and perhaps a little starstruck. And the women in the audience LOVED him.

However even though Hasselbeck commented early in the show that she had talked with the President backstage and found him very charming, she still apparently felt the need to carry water for the GOP and tried to trip the President up a few times.

At one point Hasselbeck tried to make the case that essentially the President and Mitt Romney shared the same views as it pertains to gay marriage.

But the President was having NONE of that:

Hasselbeck wanted to know how he would approach the issue differently now. She argued that he and Mitt Romney "actually agreed personally on the definition of marriage" until last week. She wondered how Obama would "move things forward any more than Mitt Romney in terms of leaving it to the states. Because at this point, you both said leave it to the states to decide." 

"Elisabeth, that's actually not true," Obama responded. "OK," Hasselbeck replied. 

Obama said that Romney wanted a "constitutional amendment," which "federalizes" a ban on gay marriage.

Yeah saying that you support gay marriage, as opposed to being someone who supports the idea of a federal ban on gay marriage, is not exactly "agreeing personally."  But nice try Elizabeth!

Okay now I don't like her again.

(P.S. If you want to watch the entire episode just click here.)

Elizabeth Hasselbeck calls out Bristol Palin for attacking President Obama on her ghostwritten blog. Ya gotta love this!

Courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:

 “I have a major problem with her saying this. Number one, as you mature as a mother you will also find out that the conversations you have with your kids do influence how you place your opinions on the table. Secondly, for someone who was the victim of being brought into an election as the child of someone on the ticket, how dare you then bring in Sasha and Malia to this situation. You need to mature because you are not.”

You know I used to have a crush on Hasselbeck back when she was on "Survivor," and before she became a hateful mouthpiece for the Right Wing. After this I almost remember what I liked about her back then.

Damn, called out by Elizabeth Hasselbeck AND JWOW, apparently Bristol is an equal opportunity bitch!

I wonder how Nancy French and Sarah feel now?

The hosts of the View ridicule the idea for Bristol Palin's new reality show.

 I love the part where Joy says that Gino "makes Levi Johnston look like Stephen Hawking."

You know you are a huge fuck up when even  conservative hack Elizabeth Hasselback can't defend you.

By the way below is video of the Oprah interview that Sherri Shepherd alluded to while discussing that Bristol is opening herself up to a whole lot of judgmental scrutiny based on her assertion that she will NEVER have sex again until she was married. (I don't think the Palin family has a firm grasp of the definition for "never.")

Can you say "Stockholm Syndrome?"

By the way I think this video clip tells VOLUMES about the relationship between Bristol and her mother.

Everything about Bristol's body language screams "Help I'm a prisoner!" and it should come as no surprise that seven months later she tried to make a run for it with Levi.

I have to wonder if this newest reality show idea is yet another attempt to get out from under her mother's thumb, or if her mother is orchestrating it as well? It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell where Sarah ends, and Bristol begins.

(H/T to Mediate.)

Elizabeth Hasselbeck speaks out against Sarah Palin's use of crosshairs to target Democrats. Update!

I was at the gym today, on my favorite Cybex elliptical machine, working off some girl scout cookies, when I looked up at the bank of televisions on the wall in front of me and spotted the image below.

I immediately pulled my earphone plug out of my I-phone and jammed it into the receiver on my machine and listened in amazement as Elizabeth Hasselbeck on the "View" absolutely demolished Sarah Palin and the other conservative hate mongers for inciting violence.

No I am not kidding.  The very same Elizabeth Hasselbeck who accompanied Palin on a number of campaign stops in 2008 and even received an honorable mention in "Going Rogue", is flat fed up with Caribou Barbie.

I am not usually a fan of Hasselbeck but I have to admit she showed a hell of a lot more class then most of the GOP has shown in response to this hate speech.

I am still looking for video of the segment.  If any of you locate any please send me a link.

Update:  I found it on YouTube.  It starts right off on the subject of threats and hate speech.  Hasselbeck begins her response at 1:39.



Update 2: Celtic Diva reminds us that before this Sarah Palin honed her hate speech skills by going after Alaska bloggers. Gee where was OUR security?