Fox News' Napolitano advanced Communist smear against MN Sec. of State Ritchie
SUMMARY: Fox News' Andrew Napolitano claimed that Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is a "former communist" and a "former member of the Communist Party" but provided no evidence to support either claim.
During the November 19 edition of Fox News' Studio B, Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge, baselessly claimed that Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) is a "former member of the Communist Party." Discussing the members appointed to the Minnesota State Canvassing Board, which oversees the recount in the Minnesota Senate race, Napolitano stated: "The fifth member of the committee by statute, is the secretary of state, who is a Democrat and a former communist -- former member of the Communist Party." Napolitano provided no evidence to support his claim that Ritchie is "a former communist" or a "former member of the Communist Party."
Napolitano was taking further a smear advanced by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which, as Media Matters for America noted, put out a "background document" suggesting a link between Ritchie and the Communist Party. In that document, the NRSC reprinted an assertion in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that "The Communist Party USA wrote encouragingly of [Ritchie's] candidacy."
The Star Tribune article making the original claim that the "Communist Party USA wrote encouragingly of his candidacy" did not provide any evidence for this claim. According to a search of the Communist Party USA's website, in a June 24, 2006, report, CPUSA political action committee chair Joelle Fishman wrote: "In Minnesota the DFL [Democratic-Farmer-Labor, the state's version of the Democratic Party] candidate for Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, of the League of Rural Voters could play a valuable national role."
Moreover, Napolitano falsely claimed that "the governor appoints a committee of four people" to serve on the canvassing board. In fact, Ritchie named the board members on November 12. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has stated that he approves of the composition of the canvassing board, but did not pick the board. Additionally, The Associated Press reported on November 13 that "Fritz Knaak, [Republican Sen. Norm] Coleman's lead lawyer, said he was comfortable with the board's makeup." The AP quoted Knaak as saying, "The people of this state should feel good about who's on the panel."
From the November 19 edition of Fox News' Studio B with Shepherd Smith:
SMITH: The Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman, holds the slightest of leads -- 215 votes over the Democratic challenger, Al Franken. And election workers are now beginning the laborious task of hand counting -- like that's more accurate than the machines -- all 2.9 million ballots cast. Hand counting -- you go, Minnesota.
But what's a recount without a lawsuit? Al Franken, who's on Capitol Hill today, filed one to determine what to do about some rejected absentee ballots. Our senior judicial analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano, is here. What's going on?
NAPOLITANO: Well, the governor appoints a committee of four people: two Republican judges, two Democratic judges. The fifth member of the committee, by statute, is the secretary of state, who is a Democrat and a former communist -- former member of the Communist Party.
Five people will rule on all contested issues. They don't physically do the counting. They hear arguments from one side or another about whether a ballot should be counted. There are many, many permutations here, because some counties use the old-fashioned mechanical vote, some use electronic, and some use paper ballots. I just finished reading the rules, and there's all kinds of ways.
For example, if a voter circles the name on a paper ballot instead of filling out the block, does that count? Yes. Every benefit is given for every conceivable way to find a vote to count.
These RIGHT WING IDIOTS are really decending to new lows even for them.
It's actually worse than that. In most states, still, falsely calling someone a "communist"-- even a public figure seeker of the limelight-- is actionably libelous.
I don't think andy neopolitan is worried. rightwing talking heads would use the law suit as a talking point. It would be how the left is trying to prevent free speach. Maybe they are fishing for this.
I'm digging a hole where the sun don't shine.
No communists, buddists, disenfrancistis, people who's name sounds muslimish, and anyone who's name starts with an O, allowed. :0P
If my ebil plan succedes I'll be a legume in my own blind!
this guy Andrew Napolitano looks like he might have seen natural grass for the first time when he was 19 and? he has no neck. he looks like a cartoon.
Isn't his hairline a unibrow? Neandertal I think.
I don't see his point. What does someone being a member of the communist party have to do with anything?
That's a good question, Shaggles. I think Napolitano, a current member of NAMBLA and LISP (The Little Italy Secessionist Party) , just likes to get all the pertinent info. out there.
Is he a voting member of the HLDTFCOA (hair line down too far club of America)?
Heaven forbid that we count every vote. Oh, the horrors!
Speaking of, Coleman's lead is shrinking with 23% of the recount finished. tee hee!
And that f'wit was a JUDGE?!?!?!?
Good to see that the cream keeps rising to the top at Faux.
think Judge is his first name. Same way Bill Cosby for the first seven or so years of his life thought his name was " Jesus Christ " on the account of his father's reaction everytime he brought over 15 of his friends
" "In Minnesota the DFL [Democratic-Farmer-Labor, the state's version of the Democratic Party] candidate for Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, of the League of Rural Voters could play a valuable national role.""
That's even more entertaining, since the communists themselves mistook Mark Ritchie for his brother Niel, who is the executive director of the League of Rural Voters. While Mark helped found the League with Niel, his brother has run it for a number of years.
So the communists got their names wrong; then the spin was from that brief mention the commies "endorsed" Ritchie
Then Faux Gnus spun the spin. Being paid to deliberately misinform the public incurs debilitating karma and giant heat rash from their journey to hades.
I don't give a rat's ass if someone is a communist, a socialist or a democratic socialist.
All I know is that the conservative and unrestricted capitalist philosophy has turned our home values, life savings and retirement investments to crap.
I believe those who characterise fellow americans with those attributes, probably don't understand/what those attributes actually mean. If you ask them what a communist does, you probably won't get the right answer. They mistake government for the better good for the citizens with government for the better good for the citizens with voter approval. Big difference and perhaps might be too subtle for them.
He's gotta make a retraction anyway. Falsely calling someone a "communist" is out-and-out defamation in most states. That's how serious a charge it used to be.
He's gonna have to retract. It will probably come tomorrow, in a mention on that same show, that the guy is not a communist and there is no evidence that he is. FOX will be coy about the "correction," but a correction it shall be.
He will say he was making a joke, and that Communists have no sense of humor.
Little history - In 1932 one town in the US elected a communist mayor. That was Crosby, Minnesota. That was where I graduated high school.
To be honest, the communist party was actually relatively strong in Minnesota pre-WWII.
Which doesn't mean that Napolitano isn't a filthy liar. He is.
Wasn't the communist party pretty active in the early 30s? Many folks felt that the kind of crony capitalism that caused the Depression had failed miserably and were looking for something better. That was before the totalitarian nature of communism in all countries that practiced it was realized.
Most idealogues ignore human nature. Democratic socialism with its balance of regulation and social safety nets sounds about right.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Joe McCarthy die fifty years ago?
It's called "possession"--Tailgunner joe has invaded Neapolitano's body...
good thing this guy is a former judge. lord only knows what damage he did during his tenure on the bench, if this display of unfettered stupidity is what passes for judicial intellectualism in new jersey.
After what I've seen recently of the catastrophic failure of American capitalism, isn't it time we stopped bashing communism? Or at least consider more socialism? I hear Russia is a hell hole now that they've dumped communisn and gone for gangland crony capitalism (like the Hensley family in Arizona, for example!) What's wrong with giving it a try? Of course that means the Ruling Class might have to let go of some of their ill gotten loot. Hell, we might even get a quality universal healthcare package implemented! God knows our current system has failed.
Funny the media don't report at all about the obscene disparity of wealth in America and the dramatic increase in poverty and hunger and homelessness.
You got that right, "catastrophic failure of American capitalism". Did you notice the body language of the world leaders towards Bush? Crikey, what is wrong with us that we would allow that bumbling fool to lead us? It will be many generations before this depression is just a memory, we are in for it now.
He's an ELECTED OFFICIAL. The Republicans seem to think that attacking this ELECTED OFFICIAL is an argument against Minnesota electing a similar ELECTED OFFICIAL.
If the people of Minnesota elected a Communist as Secretary of State, might it not be all the more plausible that they'd elect a Democrat as Senator?
But then, calling people Communist has been the sum total of Republican argument for eighty years at least.
Napolitano has plenty of proof of this charge He has a pompadour hairdo and he's on Fox News . What more proof could you possibly demand?
You're an astute one. That doo represents a weeks earnings for me I'll bet. If Ritchie is a commie then the Judge is just as likely to be a mafia hit man.
or a goto for bail
NAPOLITANO--this idiot cannot be related to the new Secretary of Homeland Security, can he? I still do not understand what the Reps get out of this propaganda. You cannot sway people who already voted and with Pawlenty sanctioning the process, the Reps are not getting into the good graces of Minnesotans.