It looks like the joyless, possibly crazy, partisan hacks at Media Matters are at it again, this time using Fox News as an excuse to attack Paul Ryan’s budget.  The post begins:

Fox News figures have hailed GOP Rep. Paul Ryan’s “courage” for “heroically and gutsily tak[ing] on these enormous entitlement programs” in his most recent budget proposal. But economic experts have said that Ryan’s plan is “grossly irresponsible” and “all smoke and mirrors.” Fox’s praise for Ryan’s budget echoes the network’s long history of touting him and his policy proposals.

The post then goes on to show clips of people (mostly guests or opinion contributors) on Fox News saying positive things about Paul Ryan’s budget.  This is pretty standard for Media Matters, but what is most striking is the economic experts that they cite as a way to attack Ryan’s budget.

The first expert they quote is someone from the Economic Policy Institute, who basically said that Paul Ryan is evil because he wants to kill old people, which are the same talking points we’ve heard since last year.

EPI’s website says this about them:

About EPI. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a non-profit, non-partisan think tank, was created in 1986 to broaden discussions about economic policy to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers. EPI believes every working person deserves a good job with fair pay, affordable health care, and retirement security.  To achieve this goal, EPI conducts research and analysis on the economic status of working America.  EPI proposes public policies that protect and improve the economic conditions of low- and middle-income workers and assesses policies with respect to how they affect those workers.

Oh so they support workers and poor people?  Well the 99% is very important, not like those evil, useless 1%-ers.

Then there’s this about their values:

EPI Values

• Helping Working People
  Economic policy should focus on improving conditions for working people.
• Truth and Accuracy Matter
  EPI research should be honest and rigorous.
• Dignified, Remunerative Work
  People must be provided with the capacity and opportunity for dignified, remunerative work for personal as well as societal benefit.
• Strong, Effective Labor Movement
  A strong, effective labor movement is essential for democracy and to ensure an equitable sharing of income and wealth.
• Government for the People
  Government should set standards and rules for markets, and should ensure the efficient provision of public goods and investments.

Looks like the EPI wants the government to have control over markets.  Oh well, I guess a little socialism is always good.  Look at Europe- I hear they’re doing great over there.

I also found this post on why progressive taxes are totally awesome and this post talking about how fabulous the stimulus was on EPI’s website.  So in other words, they’re lefty economists.

Media Matters’ next expert quote is from the Center on Budget and Political Priorities.  The CBPP is upset that Ryan’s budget would supposedly get rid of all government programs besides defense and:

. . . Medicaid, national parks, border patrols, protection of food safety and the water supply, law enforcement, and the like.  (In the same vein, CBO also notes that spending for everything other than Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and interest “has exceeded 8 percent of GDP in every year since World War II.”

Well at least those racist Republicans don’t want to poison the water or kill Grandma this time.

The CBPP’s mission statement is (in part):

The Center conducts research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that policymakers consider the needs of low-income families and individuals in these debates.  We also develop policy options to alleviate poverty . . .

Oh they like poor people too.  That’s good I guess.

The CBPP also calls Ryan’s budget “Robin Hood in reverse” and says that:

It would likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history and likely increase poverty and inequality more than any other budget in recent times (and possibly in the nation’s history).

Ryan’s budget will steal from the 99% and give it to the 1%?!  OCCUPY!

Media Matters’ third expert is none other than noted Left wing tool, Paul Krugman.

Krugman had this to say about Ryan’s budget:

His latest budget proposal has received some harsh critiques. It calls for huge tax cuts, supposedly offset by closing loopholes and ending tax expenditures — except that in a long report he fails to name a single tax expenditure that he would cut. It assumes drastic cuts in discretionary spending, basically eliminating everything except defense. And over the medium term, of course, it’s a plan to savage the poor while giving big tax breaks to the rich.

Krugman is essentially saying the same thing as everyone else: that Ryan’s budget will steal from the 99% to give to those evil 1%ers.  Wow, we really need to go Occupy this Ryan guy’s lawn and use his car as a toilet.  He sounds evil.

Media Matters’ final expert is none other than former Labor Secretary and capitalism hater, Robert Reich.  Reich basically said the same thing that all the other Media Matters’ “experts” have said:

So what’s the guiding principle here? Pure Social Darwinism. Reward the rich and cut off the help to anyone who needs it.

OMG PAUL RYAN WANTS POOR PEOPLE TO STARVE AND DIE!

This is what Media Matters says their goal is:

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.

What is “conservative misinformation,” you ask?

Conservative misinformation is news or commentary that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda. This misinformation distorts the public dialogue on important issues and obscures the truth.

Media Matters claims that the support for Ryan’s budget on Fox News is “conservative misinformation,” while they use only liberal progressive sources.  I wonder what Media Matters would think of what the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute said about Ryan’s budget.  They don’t just like it; they don’t think it goes far enough.  I bet this means that they are super misinformation spreaders or even (as an occupier called me once) conservative disinformation trolls.

Some Fox guests call Ryan’s plan courageous and instead of just pointing it out, Media Matters uses it as an excuse to go after Ryan’s plan, which as the left has told us, is the most evil thing, like, ever.  How is this fact checking the media?  Short answer: it isn’t.

As the Daily Caller pointed out, Media Matters has had weekly calls with the White House where they formulated strategy with the White House and the Center for American Progress.  Media Matters also attacks media personalities unfriendly to President Obama, as evidenced by their constant attacks on Fox News and talk radio hosts.  Knowing all this about Media Matters, it is not surprising that they would try to attack Paul Ryan’s budget, as he is the Left’s newest enemy.  What is surprising is how blatant they are, especially after it’s been noted multiple times that Media Matters is possibly in violation of their tax exempt 501(c)(3) status.

So there you have it- the taxpayer subsidized (tax breaks are taxpayer subsidies, more or less) Media Matters uses Fox News as an excuse to attack Paul Ryan’s budget.  Maybe they’d have a little more credibility if their precious Democrat-run Senate had passed a budget in the last 1,000 days.

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