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Subscribe to RSSRick Scott is certainly one who knows a provocative ad.
The wealthy Republican former hospital executive, running for governor in Florida, who was behind the group Conservatives for Patients Rights that ran anti-health-care legislation ads, is the first candidate since President Obama spoke Friday to go up with an anti-New York mosque ad.
There is one line in the ad (which we reported on in an earlier post) that jumped out: “The truth: the leader of the Ground Zero mosque refuses to admit that Muslim extremists use terror tactics.”
Is this true?
First Read contacted the Scott campaign to see what they were basing this on for its ad. Communications Director Jennifer Baker directed NBC News to a New York Post story as its “back up.” Baker highlighted this first line of the June 19, 2010 story: “The imam behind plans to build a controversial Ground Zero mosque yesterday refused to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization.”
That is quite different, however, than saying Faisal Abdul Rauf, imam at the Downtown Manhattan mosque Masjid al-Farah, “refuses to admit that Muslim extremists use terror tactics." Scott did not say in the ad that the imam believed Hamas wasn’t a terrorist group. That statement, by the way, would be a stretch, based on the full New York Post article.
Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, who holds a degree in physics from Columbia University and a master’s in Plasma Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, according to online biographies, is quoted as saying on a radio program: "Look, I'm not a politician. The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. … There was an attempt in the '90s to have the UN define what terrorism is and say who was a terrorist. There was no ability to get agreement on that. … I am a peace builder. I will not allow anybody to put me in a position where I am seen by any party in the world as an adversary or as an enemy.”
First Read reached out for a response from the Cordoba Initiative, the group behind the proposed mosque in New York. The imam is chairman and founder of Cordoba.
We will update when we hear back, but Scott’s claim is based on something unrelated -- or quite loosely associated at best.
*** UPDATE *** Here's a follow up from Baker in an e-mail:
"Hamas is a US Department of State-identified terrorist group. And Iman Abdul Rauf refused to condemn Hamas for terror tactics. Here is the State Department list of terror organizations that includes Hamas. And to close the circle, here is AP today on Hamas saying the mosque must be built. To make this as clear as possible, Hamas is the Muslim extremist group the ad references. They blow up women and children with suicide bombs."
First Read's response:
"But to follow the logic chain here: the imam would have had to have been asked if he believed Hamas or Muslim extremists 'use terror tactics.' He wasn't asked that, according to the NYP story you sent along. Not to mention the full context of what he said on Hamas was him saying: 'Look, I'm not a politician. The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. … There was an attempt in the '90s to have the UN define what terrorism is and say who was a terrorist. There was no ability to get agreement on that. … I am a peace builder. I will not allow anybody to put me in a position where I am seen by any party in the world as an adversary or as an enemy.'
"Nonetheless, the ad would have been more truthful had it said simply that the imam refused to say Hamas was a terrorist group. As it stands, it takes some leaps of logic."
Leave a Comment:
Let me be the first to note a comment from JoAnnaSmith, Larry, no joe, Juven and a few others.
Wwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Obama this or that. Obama said this or said that. Obama did this or that.
Wwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
No need to post a comment guys. I pretty well covered it for you.
Yeah you did!!!!
Anything to accomondate these folks Joi. I'm just saving them typing time. You would think they would take the hint and just type "wwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Save them the time of trying to twist anything and everything into something that validates their personal dislike for Obama.
Okay CA... I can't resist...
Quick! Someone call the trio of doom & gloom a WHHHAAAAMBULANCE! lol
Feisty:
If you have been following I have been posting this nonsense most of the day. It gets just as childish and sickening to type it as I know it does for the bloggers here to have to put up with seeing it. But it does reflect the repetitive childish and sickening nonsense that JoAnnaSmith, Juven, Larry and no joe repeat on here every single day. I was hoping they would realize just how much of what they post makes most want to just puke. And I'm not just speaking of those from the left. One last time for the sake of it ...........wwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!
Oh... I hear you CA!
Have you noticed that with this new format, the morning starts out reasonable and within an hour or so...
Becomes unrecognizable to any person with an IQ higher than a turnip?
Out march the "I HATE EVERYTHING OBAMA" minions and it's all downhill from there... :0(
CA, it makes you wonder what these people learned in bible study? Did Jesus preach this much HATE?
I flagged a guy's post earlier today who said the President should be hung for treason, I skip over their posts as they offer nothing with any value, again only HATE.
In my life the biggest mistakes were made when I was angry, and lost my temper. I'll be 62 this year so maybe some of these people are younger, and more volitile, hope there's time for them to learn there's a better way, on the other hand there is no fool like an old fool, and the repubs do not look like a youth movement to me.
CA:
Wanted to compliment you on being at the absolute zenith of your abilities today. I've never seen you in better form.
Feisty Turnip: Nice to see you still here groveling in the dregs and making a slightly less than proportionate contribution.
What on earth was President Obama thinking? Did his advisors actually tell him to go “Pro Ground Zero mosque” with 90 days until the midterms when Democrats are about to get sliced up like a Hibachi Steak at Benihana?
Did someone on his team point to Iran and said, “Don’t worry Mr. President, we can win with 32% of the vote, Ahmadinejad did it, so let’s go pro Ground Zero mosque today?”
Read this article which satirizes the whole mess.
VERY FUNNY stuff.
http://www.dailygoat.com/?p=2653
DaveTug,
You know what, I think the President should just be the president and do what the people elected him to do... i.e. be fair and speak his mind when he feels the need to...
I can bet you that if the president had not make the remark on the Mosque, the right wingnuts will be going nuts over the president's silence and some on the left would also be jumping on the president taking his time. What I've noticed is that this president is damned if he does or doesn't.. its been that way the last 18months and I doubt that will change.
Really, Florida should clean their own house and stay the heck out of New York's business. Really!
You mean, they should run ads that say "keep the dad gum gubmint outta evverybodies lives" in BOTH New York AND Florida, right?
Isn't the Florida candidate's position pretty much in line with the New York governor? And this reminds me, I need to e-mail my governor and ask her what her position would be for any comparable situation that might arise here in my fair state.
Nice...in support of the ad the campaign cites the New York Post...Rupert Murdoch's New York Post.
Ah the fake grassroots man, Rick and his rotten tomatoes are doing lots of damage. Charlie will caucus with the dems from all indications. He made a public state about the so called mosque supporting the President. You can always expect republican'ts to distort and inflame; are you ready to spew your ignorance and hate JoAnnaSmith, Larry, no joe, Juven and a few others?
I am sure you will.
That this whole thing is finally bearing fruit after months of Conservative drum beating proves two things. Their determination is boundless and you can't cure stupid. That's a dangerous combination.
Aw c'mon, John-
Aren't you going to give Chuck, Mark, Dom, MSNBC, and all the other MSM outlets any credit at all for flogging this story to a point where the public is obsessed with it...?
No shout out at all to President Obama for his (not insignificant) role...?
So, John, you think the story should have been completely suppressed, huh? And no one should have an opinion on it, huh?
Why Isn’t MSNBC Educating Americans On The $1.9 Billion Dollar Medicare Fraud Settlement That Rick Scott’s HCA Paid When He Was CEO Then Ousted As A Result?
Aren’t There some Ethics For Cable News Reporting?
Rick Scott Opens Up On Obama, Manhattan Mosque
Here’s Everything you need to know about Rick Scott
Disgraced former CEO of Columbia/HCA Rick Scott claims he will run Florida like a business.
What he is not telling you is that under his “leadership,” as CEO Rick Scott
oversaw the most Massive Medicare fraud in American history, racking up an historic $1.7 billion in settlement fines.
The truth is that Florida can’t afford to take a chance on his fraudulent business practices in Tallahassee.
Rick Scott claims he will look out for taxpayers: He didn’t care about taxpayers when his company bilked seniors and taxpayers in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in history.
Rick Scott claims he is an outsider: He is a disgraced business executive who was paid $10 million with $300 million in stock options when he was ousted by his own board during the height of his Medicare fraud scandal.
Rick Scott’s campaign amounts to a multi-million dollar public relations makeover in hopes Florida voters will forget billion-dollar taxpayer fraud scheme.
Rick Scott: “As CEO, I take responsibility”:
“The federal investigation of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., the nation’s largest health care company, ‘has uncovered a systemic corporate scheme . . . to Defraud Medicare’ and other government health insurance programs, the FBI alleged in an affidavit.” –
Washington Post, October 7, 1997
“Once lauded for building Columbia/HCA into the largest health care company in the world, Mr. Scott was ousted by his own board of directors in 1997 amid the nation’s biggest health care Fraud Scandal.
The company’s Guilty Plea and Payment of $1.7 billion to settle charges including the overbilling of state and federal health programs was taken as a repudiation of Mr. Scott’s relentless bottom-line approach.” – New York Times, April 1, 2009
“…Scott was obsessed with appearances over qualifications and demanded only trim and fit employees be hired.
When a Hispanic staffer was about to be hired…[Scott sent] an e-mail encouraging ‘mainstream’ hires.” - St. Petersburg Times, May 7, 2010
Rick Scott said he learned from his mistakes at Columbia/HCA, but six days before he announced his run for governor, he was deposed over charges of criminal activity at Solantic, a company he founded and has operated since 2001.
Here are the FACTS about Rick Scott’s involvement in the criminal activity at Solantic:
“Just six days before Rick Scott announced his bid for governor, he was deposed in a case that alleged his health care company, Solantic, broke Florida law by filing false medical licensing information with the state.” – Miami Herald, 8/5/2010
“But what Scott said April 7 might never become public. Within a month, Solantic settled the 2-year-old case and signed a confidentiality agreement with Dr. P. Mark Glencross, who claimed his medical license was misused by the Jacksonville-based chain of walk-in clinics.” – Miami Herald, 8/5/2010
“At the same time the case was quietly settled, the Republican front-runner was drawing attention to Solantic on the campaign trail by boasting of his business background…” – Miami Herald, 8/5/2010
“The Glencross lawsuit and nine other court actions filed against the company since 2001 in Duval County tell a different story. Taken together, they portray the company, and sometimes Scott by extension, as a ruthless employer that discriminated or cut corners in pursuit of profit.” – Miami Herald, 8/5/2010
Tampa Tribune Today
Rick Scott launches campaign to deflect HCA fraud attack ads
TALLAHASSEE - Gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott is not shrinking away from attacks on him for having headed a company that committed Medicare fraud.
His campaign has launched a new, 60-second ad that responds directly to a negative campaign against Scott, the former CEO of Hospital Corporation of America, which was fined $1.7 billion in the largest Medicaid fraud case on record.
Scott, a multi-millionaire from Naples, is pouring his own money into challenging state Attorney General Bill McCollum for the GOP nomination for governor.
Scott's latest TV spot, part of an $8-million ad campaign, began airing statewide last Friday.
Looking squarely into the camera, the candidate chides McCollum for focusing of Scott's track record over his own. "That's what career politicians do," he says. He then acknowledges that his company was fined by the government for Medicare fraud.
"Unfortunately, that's true," he says, noting quickly that he was never charged or questioned personally in the case.
Scott then says HCA hospitals have high quality ratings, that he takes responsibility for his company's mistakes and that he has learned from them.
He makes similar statements on a new website, www.truthaboutrickscott.com.
"I think it's interesting that Rick Scott has had to take the millions he is pouring into pricey TV ads to defend a record that is indefensible," McCollum spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said Tuesday. "This information about his past should be very disturbing to voters."
Jennifer Baker, spokeswoman for Scott, said the ads reflect the candidate's characteristic forthrightness. "He's said, obviously, mistakes were made … while he was focused on outcomes and making sure they had good hospitals at the most affordable process, he should have been more focused on auditors and oversight. He's learned that lesson and taken it to subsequent businesses."
The ad responds to attacks by the Alliance for America's Future, a secretive political committee. Its TV ads hammer home the connection between Scott and Medicare fraud, but do not expressly support McCollum or urge votes against Scott -- thereby allowing it to side-step disclosure rules for electioneering committees.
Scott's campaign continues to call publicly for McCollum to disclose the group's backers, though the Attorney General denies a direct connection to it. Campbell said the group has a right to air concerns about this and other issues related to Medicare fraud.
Scott is also drawing attention from Democrats. Tuesday, the state Democratic Party released a video entitled "Slick Rick" that pieces together media clips about Scott and HCA's fraud record.
June F1:
You guess is as good as mind. Do not know, but in watching some of the early moning shows on MSNBC it appears they are trying to be FOX wantabees.
I typically only watch Rachael, Keith and Larry when he comes on in September. Once in a while I will check out Chris or Raddigan but not often.
Or maybe MSNBC is starting to report what's going on, instead opinions like Rachael, Keith, and Larry. Funny you don't like what they report, so you go in denial................now that's funny.
Stay tune for tomorrow's stories and threads folks where we will once again be graced with the whining and crying of JoAnnaSmith, Larry, Juven, no joe and a few others. Obama did this or that, Obama said this or that......wwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
MSNBC First Read Explanation of Rick Scott?
The wealthy Republican former hospital executive
MSNBC Americans deserve to know the Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth About These Candidates if not what good is the news?
June, thank you for reading. My post wasn't a detailed look at Rick Scott's past. We have previously mentioned Scott's $1.7 billion in Medicare fines. Here for example: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2009/08/13/4439084-opponents-to-greet-obama-with-ads
I have also mentioned it on air with a Florida affiliate.
This post was to focus on the facts of his ad.
Hello, Domenico.
I enjoy the format of First Read very much and find most discussions very interesting. I have a question, though.
For all the negative stories you run about the Republicans, I was wondering if you write stories about the stupid things Democrats do and say. I can't imagine there aren't any. They are all politicians after all. I realize MSNBC doesn't try to be fair and balanced, but I thought if you had at your fingertips any examples, I hoped you might share.
Respectfully,
I'm sorry, Candice. I have to flatly disagree with your premise. You can examine the body of work at First Read. Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and myself are non-partisan reporters. In First Thoughts, we give non-partisan analysis. Whatever else you may think of MSNBC's prime-time lineup, we, at NBC News' First Read, are separate. If you look back at First Read and First Thoughts, you'll find times we have been critical of the president or have reported on misleading ads of Democrats, including during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Thank you for clearing that up Domenico!
Thank you, Domenico, for digging into this story. That's the kind of reporting we expect from you...I'm looking forward to reading what you find out from The Cordoba Initiative.
The whole Mosque thing is goofy at best when you consider-
They build the damned thing. You think it's not going to be under the constant surveilence microscopes of the NYPD, FBI, CIA, TSA, NASCAR, PETA, MADD, etc etc etc once it's up and running??
As long as they build with local union labor, I don't have a problem. As for the microscopes, we can only hope, Drive By. No reason for them to be any different than any other religious institution.
In that case, let me ammend my list to include the IRS.....
Nadler Dismantles Right-Wing Arguments Against Mosque: ‘We Do Not Put The Bill Of Rights…Up To A Vote’
This morning on CNN’s State of the Union, New York congressmen Jerrold Nadler (D) effectively dismantled the arguments of his fellow Empire State colleague Peter King (R), who has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the new Islamic center project in lower Manhattan.
King argued that, while he respects Muslims’ “right” to build a new center, “they should listen to public opinion” and “should voluntarily move the mosque away from Ground Zero.”
Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, explained, “We do not put the Bill of Rights…to a vote.
The reason we have a Bill of Rights is that you have your religious rights…whether majorities like you or not, frankly.”
Nadler then addressed the biggest fallacy of the right-wing argument: namely, that in their opposition to the Islamic center, they are ascribing collective guilt on all Muslims for the terrorist acts of 9/11:
NADLER: [W]hat they are saying essentially is how can you put a mosque there when, after all, Muslims attacked us on 9/11, and this is ripping open a wound? Well, the fallacy is that Al Qaida attacked us. Islam did not attack us. Islam, like Christianity, like Judaism, like other religions, has many different people, some of whom regard other adherents of the religion as heretics of one sort or another. It is only insensitive if you regard Islam as the culprit, as opposed to Al Qaida as the culprit. We were not attacked by all Muslims. And there were Muslims who were killed there, there were Muslims who were killed there. There were Muslims who ran in as first responders to help. And we cannot take any position like that
King — who has said he thinks there are “too many mosques in this country” and is an advocate of racially profiling all Muslims — claimed that he has been a defender of Islam. But, he added, the 9/11 attack “was carried out in the name of Islam,” and therefore, the new Islamic center would simply be rubbing “salt in the wounds.”
“[O]bjecting to this mosque would be as objectionable if you wouldn’t object to a church or a synagogue in the same place because that’s blaming all Islam and you can’t blame an entire religion,” Nadler explained. He then ticked through three prominent examples of GOP hypocrisy on the “Ground Zero mosque”:
1) Nadler: “One, there is a mosque in the Pentagon, which is also hallowed ground. No one objects to that.” [Link]
2) Nadler: “Second, the people who want to build this facility, which is partially a mosque and partially a community center, have a mosque a few blocks away from there, which no one has objected to.” [Link]
3) Nadler: “I would take the sincerity of many of the Republican critics of this…if they were supporting, as Peter is, but
very few other Republicans are, the bill to give health care coverage to the 9/11 heroes and responders which all but 12 Republicans voted against in the House last week
So between this, and amending the constitution to prevent "anchor babies", it begs the obvious question:
Why do teabaggers hate the constitution so darn much?
Did anyone happen to catch 60 Minutes on the 8th? They toured a Orthodox Christian church that was the original Christian church on earth...in Turkey. It is a magnificent structure filled with treasures that date back centuries. Members have dwindled to less than 400, due to discrimination from the Turkish leaders and the fact they were no longer permitted to have worship services in this magnificent cathedral.
Last weekend, the Turkish leaders lifted that restriction and over 1500 people traveled to a small town in Turkey to worship together once again.
Could our 1st amendment rights allowing the Muslim center perhaps be circling the globe and opening a few minds? I'd sure like to think so... Be proud Americans - it's who we are...
Lyn, I'd like to think that they were inspired by our overall history of accomodating 7 million Muslims right here in relative peace and freedom, a situation that I might add has continued virtually completely unaffected even with 9/11. As a country, we reacted admirably here with respect to our Muslim population, despite the circumstances.
So, no, I don't think this little scuffle has a single thing to do with the empty gesture of the Turkish government to a group that they have decimated and will continue to minimize.
Lyn, on the other side of that argument, do we really want to lower ourselves to those nations in the Middle East who do not tolerate Freedom of Religion?
I saw an argument on the mosque that said, "Well, would the Taliban allow a Catholic Church to be built in Afghanistan?"
Yeah, we need to be more like the Taliban...that's exactly what this country needs!
And that's my point, Da Noid & Richard... We are better than that... We don't need to go to the lowest common denominator. We're Americans - it's what this country was built on.
So we are fighting a war to protect Muslims. Why?
And yet some people do not support a Muslim Mosque anywhere. Why?
After this day on First Read, it sure is a good thing we have freedom of speech in this country. People on BOTH sides of the mosque argument have been over the top with their filthy remarks and hate-filled speech. Hard to believe for some they could outdo their average day of spewing swill. I couldn't believe the gamut of hate today; I was appalled when somebody wanted to hang the President for treason and another said that all Republicans were Christians and therefore were also racists.
Too bad that more don't remember that with a right you also have responsibility. If all you can do is call names, provoke hate and violence and have to spell your words with symbols because of their filthiness, frankly, you show your ignorance. What a sad state that people have died for your right to free speech and that is how you honor that right.
Domenico, I hope First Read will take a break from this topic tomorrow. If not, I hope the moderators will take charge and start blocking some of the vileness. (I don't mean people who disagree with me or somebody else but people who are just flat out ugly and mean.) Or, at least, turn on the option like on Newsvine so the community can "turn off" the worst offenders.
"Look, I'm not a politician. The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. … There was an attempt in the '90s to have the UN define what terrorism is and say who was a terrorist. There was no ability to get agreement on that. … I am a peace builder. I will not allow anybody to put me in a position where I am seen by any party in the world as an adversary or as an enemy.”
Not a politician?
Richard, one man's "TERRORIST" is another man's "FREEDOM FIGHTER".
We play this game, too...Osama bin Laden was a "Freedom Fighter" in Afghanistan in the 1980s when we gave him training and weapons and money but he does the same thing now in Afghanistan in 2010 and he is a "Terrorist".
Guilt by association.
How about the mosque inside the Pentagon used by the military personnel?
Republicans spend most of their time discussing very trivial issues for political reasons.
Aren't they aware that there is a mosque inside the Pentagon. The Pentagon was also hit by the terrorists but still they did not close down the mosque that is inside the Pentagon.
Sam, get a clue. There is no mosque inside the Pentagon; it's only a prayer room
Dirt: get a clue, the ground zero mosque is actually a community/prayer center, not an actual mosque, located two blocks from the CORNER of ground zero and four blocks from where the memorial will be. Also, there has been a community/prayer center within four blocks of what is now ground zero since long before 9/11. They ran out of space and purchased the building which contained retail space of Burlington Coat Factory. By the way, where is your objection the strip club a stone's throw away from ground zero or the shopping mall being built inside ground zero?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/ground-zero-mosque-oppone_b_685164.html
Demoncrats, You and some people are being fooled by the Ground Zero Mask. Rauf and his terror pals are having the last laugh at you Demoncrats.
And comes that haunting voice from Indonesia: Imam Rauf is planting the flag of Islam in the rubble of the WTC.
President Obama's statement was accurate when addressing 'rights' and it should be seen as such but it would have been politically more beneficial if he had just not said it. I guess he felt compelled, as the President of all Americans, to honestly and accurately state everyone's rights. Now Reid and most other politicians are taking the politically more acceptable and expedient way (and using that position to try to impact public opinion). Maybe Obama isn't the better politician but then maybe that really is a compliment.
OK wingnuts. Since the First Amendment of the Constitution allows for them to build the mosque, it is time to stop crying, put on your big boy pants and move on. Unless you want to overturn the Bill of Rights!
Since its the Hamas people are backing the Demoncrats and Rauf, I think its Gun Zero Masque, they live by the gun.
Rick Scott does not object to how the strippers at the PussyCat Lounge and New York Dolls stripclubs that are in the hallowed ground near Ground Zero "show appreciation for, and sensitivity to, the families and greater community" on the pole everyday.