Fox Puts The "Some" In "Some Would Say"

From Media Matters:

On Fox & Friends, Gretchen Carlson claimed that "some would say unions have crippled the U.S. economy and led to the United States' debt." Use of the phrase "some would say" -- or similar language -- is a favorite tactic of Fox figures to launch baseless smears and attacks, and the "some" who "would say" are often just other Fox figures.

Fox Figures Use "Some Would Say" Language To Launch Baseless Attacks -- But The "Some" Are Often Others On Fox

Gretchen Carlson: "Some Would Say That It's The Unions That Have Crippled The U.S. Economy And Led To The United States' Debt." During the December 2 broadcast of Fox & Friends,co-host Gretchen Carlson said, "[S]ome would say that it's the unions that have crippled the U.S. economy and led to the United States' debt." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/2/11, via Media Matters]

• Peter Johnson Jr.: "We Understand The Value Of Unions," But They're "Begin[ning] To Destroy A Country." During a June 20 discussion on Hannity of Boeing's conflict with the National Labor Relations Board, Johnson said: "We understand the value of unions. They've done some great things over time. But when they begin to destroy a country ... We're staggered by the numbers. We can't afford what they're asking for." [Fox News, Hannity, 6/20/11, via Media Matters]
• Fox Regular Jonathan Hoenig: "Unions Have Destroyed Every Company In Which They've Been Intimately Involved." On the November 12 edition of Fox News' Cashin' In, Fox News regular Jonathan Hoenig claimed, "Unions have destroyed every company in which they've been involved." [Fox News, Cashin' In, 11/12/11, via Media Matters]

Eric Bolling: "Some Have Called" Park51 "A Victory Mosque." During the July 18 edition of Fox Business' Follow the Money, host Eric Bolling said: "[GOP nominee Herman] Cain was talking about a Tennessee mosque. We have a similar situation right here in New York City. It's known as the Ground Zero mosque. Some have called it a victory mosque." [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 7/18/11, viaMedia Matters]

• Bolling: "There Is No Question That The Ground Zero Mosque Is In Fact A Victory Mosque."Only days earlier, Bolling said: "There is no question that the Ground Zero mosque is in fact a victory mosque." [Fox News, The Five, 7/14/11, via Media Matters]

Lou Dobbs: "Some Would Argue" That Obama "Thinks He's Better Than Anyone." During the September 26 edition of Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight, Lou Dobbs said of President Obama, "Some would argue he thinks he's better than anyone." [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 9/26/11, via Media Matters]

• Charles Krauthammer: "Obama Reaches Levels Of Arrogance Unheard Of In American History." During the October 18, 2010, edition of Fox News' Special Report, Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said: "Obama reaches levels of arrogance unheard of in American history. If he gets any more arrogant, he'll be Napoleonic." [Fox News, Special Report, 10/18/10, via Media Matters]

• Karl Rove Accused Obama Of "Arrogance" That Is "Unbelievable." On the October 18, 2010, edition of Fox News' Hannity, Fox News contributor Karl Rove accused Obama of "arrogance" that is "unbelievable" for criticizing the political dialogue. [Fox News, Hannity, 10/18/10, via Media Matters]

Martha MacCallum: "People Are Saying" Obama "Did Not Show Leadership On" Deficit Deal.During the November 22 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-host Martha MacCallum said that "a lot of people are saying that the president really did not show leadership on this [deficit deal] issue." [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 11/22/11, via Media Matters]

• Bill O'Reilly: "Where Is President Obama On Leadership? He Should Have Laid Out His Vision." From the November 21 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: We, the people, well understand the chaos in Washington. The Democrats, generally speaking, want to spend. They often get elected by promising entitlement to minorities, to unions, to special interest groups. The Republicans want a much smaller government. They want to strangle what's in place now by denying it revenue. The GOP also wants President Obama out of there, so they are not likely to compromise much.

In the meantime, little gets done. The debt grows larger, the economy weaker. And where is President Obama on leadership? He should have laid out his vision for spending cuts, but he didn't. In fact, he's MIA. Running around with the Indonesians, having fun in Bali. Meantime, Washington is collapsing. Mr. Obama should be showing leadership, demanding trillions in spending cuts. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/21/11, via Media Matters]

• Fox Contributor Bill Kristol: "Where Is President Obama? ... It's A Total Abdication Of Leadership On His Part." From the November 21 edition of Fox News' Special Report: 

BRET BAIER (host): Do you buy that the Democrats were that united in their own proposal, going forward in the supercommittee, that it was actually a real deal?

KRISTOL: Well, where was the Democratic proposal? The House Republicans passed a budget, the Paul Ryan budget, which would cut much more than 1.2 trillion. Senator Toomey put out a proposal, which we've seen a fair number about of the details of, which would have gotten to 1.2 trillion.

Maybe I'm unaware of it, but is there a Democratic proposal that we've seen? Where is President Obama? He's up there, "Oh, this is a disgrace. It's terrible, It's irresponsible." Where's his proposal? Where's his proposal? I didn't notice him coming back from Asia, or not even -- or even before he went to Asia and saying, "OK, here's how to do 1.2 trillion." It's a total abdication of leadership on his part. [Fox News, Special Report, 11/21/11, via Media Matters]

Sean Hannity: "Some Say" Obama "Virtually Spat In The Face Of The State Of Israel." During the May 20 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Hannity said: "And, less than 24 hours after some say that President Barack Obama virtually spat in the face of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of America's closest ally in the Middle East, arrived at the White House." [Fox News, Hannity,5/20/11, via Media Matters]

• Hannity: Obama Has Thrown Israel Under "A Bus Full Of Suicide Bombers." During the May 19 edition of his Fox News show, Hannity said that Obama threw Israel under "a bus full of suicide bombers." He added, "I wonder if the members of the Nobel committee over in Oslo are scratching their heads tonight wondering why one of their Peace Prize recipients is abandoning a key democratic ally." [Fox News, Sean Hannity, 5/19/11, via Media Matters]

• Dick Morris: Obama Is "Literally" Asking Israel "To Commit Suicide." On the May 19 edition of Fox News' On the Record, Fox News contributor Dick Morris claimed that "to ask Israel to return to the 1967 border is literally to ask it to commit suicide." He further stated of Obama, "This is the most dramatic departure of an American president from support of Israel since ... 1956." [Fox News,On the Record, 5/19/11, via Media Matters]

Carlson: "Some Would Say" That Obama Is "Apologizing To These Muslim Terrorists ... Instead Of Taking Them Head On." During the January 7 edition of Fox & Friends, Carlson said: "That would be the microcosm of what some would say is the macrocosm of this administration's viewpoints on the War on Terror. That some would argue that if it's not taken seriously, if you have a different ideology about apologizing to these Muslim terrorists, some would say, instead of actually taking them on head on, that this is the kind of action you get from your top people -- that they also don't think that it's that important to come back from vacation." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/7/11, via Media Matters]

• Fox's Payne: Our "Apologizing For America's Meanness" Might Be A "Recruiting Tool" For Terrorists. During the May 8, 2010, edition of Fox News' Cavuto on Business, Fox News contributor Charles Payne said: "A lot of people say that Gitmo is a good recruiting tool for terrorists, but how about apologizing for America's meanness towards the rest of the world? That might be a good recruiting tool, too." [Fox News, Cavuto on Business, 5/8/10, via Media Matters]

Fox's Clayton Morris On BP Oil Spill: "[S]ome Said This Could Be President Obama's Katrina."During the May 28, 2010, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, guest co-host Clayton Morris said, "While some said this could be President Obama's Katrina, others say it could be much worse." During the segment, on-screen text read: "President Obama's Katrina? Admin. Criticized Over Slow Response." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/28/10, via Media Matters]

• Hannity: "It's Been Called Obama's Katrina." On the May 7 edition of his Fox News show, Hannity said of the BP oil spill, "It's been called Obama's Katrina." On-screen text further read, "Obama's Katrina?" [Fox News, Hannity, 5/7/10, via Media Matters]