We agree with Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama, we support the progressive values they support, and we share their dedication to making this nation better... That's why we're Democrats! :-)
Showing posts with label corporate media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate media. Show all posts
This is so fun it can become addicting! Look at the apology to El Rushbo that I just "uncovered"!
Dear Rush,
I’m so sorry that I called you an opportunistic brick thrower. My comments were inarticulate. What I meant to say is that you are thought provoking. Yeah, sometimes I say words that I’m not thinking. Everyone knows we Republicans like to say one thing and do another, right?
You and I both know that in reality, you simply want President Obama to fail in this time of economic collapse. How can I disagree with that? Please accept my sincere apologies, oh great leader of the Republican Party. Can’t wait to be on your show soon! XOXO
Sincerely,
Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey
P.S. Please forgive me so I can be your BFF forever again! You know you're my first love, Dear Leader. Oh, and this is a manly kind of love... I'd never suggest you were homosexual. How dare the info- babes not want to date you!
OK, so that's not exactly what happened... But it's not too far off.
I’m sure some of you have heard or seen the absolute RANT by one of CNBC’s on air personalities, Rick Santellil. Rick, probably the biggest corporate and wealth whore next to Larry Kudlow and the "money honeys" went on about a five minute rant right in the middle of the Chicago trading floor about Pres Obama’s housing proposal and how Obama’s just giving hard earned tax money away to people who are essentially welfare kings and queens, you know, anyone make less than Santelli and all his rich buddies. He then turned to a group of traders and asked basically if they wanted their hard earned tax dollars to go to their neighbor who has one more bathroom than they do in their house and won’t pay their mortgage. If you asked that question to 100 people, 99 would probably respond just like the guys actually did respond...boos and yelling. He then turned to the camera like Tony Montana, held up his hands and then yelled to the camera "President Obama are you listening". Obviously the way he phrased the question he knew the response that he was going to get.
Basically, this has confirmed a suspicion I've had for quite a long time. CNBC has become nothing more than "Faux News Lite" with occasional "business news". I used to appreciate their financial reporting, but now I hardly ever watch that network. Why? All they ever do these days is parrot GOP talking points!
At least "The Real Housewives" don't pretend to be anything more than socialites and socialite-wannabes. CNBC, on the other hand, pretends to be a legitimate "news network". So why has Rick Santelli been going all over the teevee channels today to trash President Obama's mortgage plan?
Now don't get me wrong, I certainly have no problem with questioning authority. Honestly I myself may agree with this New York Times editorial that President Obama's mortgage plan may not be enough, as it helps the homeowners fast approaching foreclosure but not the homeowners with "upside-down mortgages" who aren't that much farther. Nonetheless, I can't stomach any more of the lies from the CNBC talking heads! Obama's plan is not "welfare for lazy people", and it doesn't "redistribute wealth to people who can't afford it". Again, we need to be doing MORE to prevent further collapse of the housing market, not less!
So if you're as sick and tired of the right-wing hijack of CNBC as I am, please let them know.
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I couldn't have possibly said it better than Jane Hamsher at HuffPo & FDL:
The stimulus package is consistently being attacked because not enough Republicans support it. The fact that the bill received no Republican votes in the House, and "only" three Republicans support the Senate version, is sufficient to conclude that it fails Obama's objective of being "bipartisan."
We'll overlook for the moment that two years ago, any bill Joe Lieberman voted for was considered "bipartisan." When Obama sketched out the goals for the stimulus package in early January, he started negotiating with himself by offering "huge tax cuts" as "a way to defuse conservative criticism and enlist Republican support."
But the biggest ground he gave up to the Republicans was control of the primary objective he set for the bill, that it have "bipartisan" support.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The purpose of the stimulus should NOT be to "show bipartisanship in action". No, the purpose should be putting people back to work and helping working-class people afford the necessities of life. By following the advice of the idiots in the Beltway Insiders' Chattering Class Club and bending over backwards to "be bipartisan" and give the GOP a sharp knife to stab him, President Obama may be undermining his own mandate.
Here's more of what Jane had to say:
If this becomes the template for all future sausage making between the White House and the Hill, progressive interests will continue to be offered up in sacrifice every time the Republicans decide they don't like something so the administration can appear to "rise above it all." And rather than being forced to defend their propositions, dithering "centrists" will continue to be patted on the head for pitching public temper tantrums, holding the Senate hostage and parading before the cameras like a bunch of peacocks until their egos are suitably stroked.
There is no inherent value in bipartisanship, it's the means to an end. If the administration doesn't define what that "end" is and gives the Republicans the power to determine success or failure by a simple refusal to participate, they will continue to do so.
How very true. So again, why do we care how "bipartisan" the process is and how many Republicans get to insert more stupid Bushian sh*t into this bill? Shouldn't we care more about getting a good bill passed ASAP that actually helps people? So go ahead, get as many Republicans as possible to support the best bill possible. But please, let's not forsake our own scruples for the sake of "bipartisanship".
Here's an important message from our friends at GetToKnowUsFirst.org. Believe it or not, these and other ads were not shown during the Super Bowl yesterday. Why? "They were advocacy ads."
Uh huh... And the ads for "clean coal" and for "oil and natural gas" weren't? Give me a break! Get a hold of KNBC, the Southern California NBC affiliate, today and ask them why they refuse to show these ads of these loving families.
KNBC rejects our ad and claims the National Football League (NFL) excluded PSA as “advocacy,” yet other advocacy ads air.
GetToKnowUsFirst.org learned today during the Super Bowl broadcast that the NFL aired "advocacy" ads, despite rejecting our ad.
Late Friday afternoon, KNBC told our ad agency that the NFL Legal Department had viewed our ad and rejected it, explaining they planned to show no "advocacy" ads during their entire day of programming, from Road to the Superbowl at 9:00 am through the end of the game.
It became clear to us while watching the broadcast, that a number of such ads were playing in rotation.
Things you can do: 1. Read our media release. 2. Forward this to others who would be interested. 3. Post this story on related blogs, news websites, Facebook. 4. Contact KNBC to express your feelings: Craig Robinson, General Manager KNBC4 3000 W Alameda Ave # 2201 Burbank, CA 91523 (818) 840-4444 feedback@nbclosangeles.com
You can also view all five PSAs, as well as Behind the Scenes videos THE SHOOT and THE PRESS CONFERENCE: http://www.GetToKnowUsFirst.org
Thanks for your support!
-John Ireland Project Organizer
P.S.--Pass this along to friends and family who you think would be interested in following our campaign! That's how viral marketing works, so you will be amplifying our success with the click of a button. :-)
So please, please make that click, send that email, make that call, and help these families tell their stories. Thanks.
This is the new ad in support of President Obama's stimulus plan about to be broadcast nationwide. And really, it's about time that our side starts applying pressure and stops allowing The Bush Party (aka Rethuglicans) to keep framing the debate on economic recovery. After all, the American people just voted for Democrats to take this nation in a new direction of balanced, sensible, Keynesian, progressive economics. So really, Dem leaders in DC need to stop being afraid of what the big, bad corporate media villagers will say and tell them & their GOP buddies who's in charge now!
Really... Why the obsession? Are the corporate media that afraid of talking about what we the people really care about? What about our jobs, our investments, our health care, our climate, our security, our future?
And the media are still fixated upon "Joe the Plumber" and what his real name is and what his real occupation is and what his tax statements look like and why he's a "values voter"? Gimme a break. Let's get back to the values WE CARE ABOUT. Enough with Joe, talk about JOBS!
No, not the radical right... His real base! The corporate media is being lost.
Bloomberg has the surest sign the McCain campaign is on the rocks with it's pick of the GOP vice presidential nominee: They're attacking what McCain once called his 'base' -- the national news media.
McCain's campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, "lashed out at what he deemed 'offensive' and 'demeaning' coverage and questions from reporters after McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, confirmed her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant."
Whoops! He did it again. McBush really blew it. ;-)
In case you missed this story from our AP ticker, do pay attention. It looks to me like the corporate media is once again trying to decide for us what "news" we want to see. Since they think of the party conventions as just "infomercials" for their own respective parties, they'd rather not actually show us the convention. Instead, they want to give us infomercials for their own respective networks & their "talent"!
Notice how so many of the corporate media pundits talked about how Democrats "weren't attacking McCain & Bush enough"? But when primetime speakers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were doing just that, MSNBC was the only commercial "news" channel that covered her speech. All the other channels had... You guessed it, pundits bloviating during the speech!
So is this what we should expect from our "Fourth Estate"? They don't want to be seen as "spinning for the Democrats"... So they'd rather be ignoring the actual convention to SPIN AGAINST DEMOCRATS??!! Cheese louise, is it too much to ask for the media to report the story instead of twist it?
I've been told by a friend that the infamous Will Bower will be on MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight to discuss the "PUMA movement". While "PUMA" claims to be a group of "Hillary Clinton supporters fighting for democracy", we've pointed out repeatedly their real motives of aiding & abetting John McCain & the GOP agenda. Yet for some reason, the corporate media continues to allow "PUMA" a national podium to spread their lies.
We need to speak up. We need to let the corporate media know that neither Hillary Clinton nor we Hillary Clinton Democrats stand with "PUMA" in their scurrilous attempts to smear & trash Barack Obama. We need to tell the media that "PUMA" does NOT speak for us!
Please send an email to hardball@msnbc.com & urge them to tell the whole story about Hillary Clinton Democrats!
With every lie "PUMA" people tell about Hillary Clinton implicitly supporting John McCain or Barack Obama not being "a real American" or the media not being "fair" in only giving them 15 minutes of infamy instead of 45, they slander Hillary & trash her reputation. With every ugly, low-blow attack they toss at our Democratic Party, they attack all of us. They claim to be speaking in our names, and it's time we stop their lies & tell the truth!
Please email hardball@msnbc.com & ask them to ask the tough questions about "PUMA" and consider inviting someone like our friend Christina from yestodemocracy.org to debunk the "PUMA" smears. There's no time to waste. We can't let "PUMA" stand unchallenged, so please email hardball@msnbc.com & ask them to tell the real story on the "PUMA" con-artists.
The past week has seen the mainstream corporate media continue their love affair with McBush. Ironically, this is the same media that Republicans have for years termed liberal.
Now, follow me on this one, as I'm moving quickly ...
The following block quotes are from an e-mail sent out by the Obama Campaign:
Just last week, McCain and his party attacked Barack Obama and ridiculed the idea that keeping your car tires inflated is an effective way to improve fuel efficiency and keep down the cost of gasoline. They even mailed out tire gauges as a joke.
I think the shortest response I can give is "Duh!"
Anyone who has limited mechanical experience with vehicles (or has a loved one who possesses such experience) has heard preaching ad nauseum regarding the need for properly inflated tires. This has been something known to millions for decades, but the MSM has gotten away with discounting this because McBush says it's simplistic. Sometimes the best ways for John and Jane Doe to assist with global issues, is something as simple as maintaining your vehicle properly. Not to mention it helps the pocketbook immensely.
The even more shocking thing to me, however, is that the MSM didn't call McCain or the RNC on this. All they did is laugh it off. McCain wasn't even made to eat his share of crow over such a stellar gaffe.
NEXT! . . .
Earlier this week, the McCain campaign put out an ad saying that Washington is broken.
Again, another obvious statement. The thing that the Rethuglicans don't mention is that Obama's been there 4 years ... their guy has been there 26 years. McBush has had a LOT more time to fix things, yet chooses to play the blame game. Look at McSame's voting record ... in the past 7.5 years, he's voted with Bush and the Republican Party 95% of the time. Maverick my @$$!
And again, the MSM is allowing him to make baseless claims without repercussions.
And Finally ...
Another ad uses scare tactics to claim Barack's tax policy will hurt middle class Americans.
The Media conveniently forgot that McSame's plan only helps the top echelon of wage earners. Over 100 million middle class families will take the tax burden of the upper class . . . the SAME upper class that has the ability to have people lobby for their tax loopholes, and who perpetuate the broken system that McSame talks about. Which party has spoken out against lobbyists and special interests? Certainly not the Rethuglicans!
Again and again it's painfully clear that McSame is truly the darling of the Mainstream Corporate Media ... the same media that the Right Wing-nuts loves to call Liberal!
And to hear the candidate speak to it himself:
So, how is McSame's campaign different than the normal Rethuglican faire? Where's the "Straight Talk Express"? And, lord knows if he can't campaign differently than the Republican standard of smear and fear, then how will he TRULY Govern?
Well, let me help you get past the garbage & get back to focusing on what matters...
So how do you really feel about McCain's negative campaign & the media's love affair with that kind of nonsense? I think this says it well for me. Take a look.
As I was saying earlier this week, I've had it with this trash. And frankly, I think there are many more Americans like me.
I've had it with the media continually giving McCain a free pass. I've had it with McCain's endless substance-free smear attacks on Barack Obama. I've had it with the media obsessing over rumors about Bill & Hillary Clinton and how they get along with the Obamas instead of... Well, instead of the media doing its job in informing the American people about what Obama & McCain stand for.
Apparently, that new poll has McBush up 4 among likely voters. This seems to fly in the face of every other reliable poll out there... Including Gallup's own Daily Tracker! So wazzup?
It looks like Gallup may have f***ed up just a little in doing this poll. So are unlikely voters really skewing 61%-7% towards Obama? And Gallup can simultaneously show Obama up 8 and down 4 among "likely voters"? I'm not buying it.
But of course, expect the corporate media to shout out this poll from every mountain top. Expect them to proclaim, "He's alive! Our beloved McBush is alive & kicking!" But hey, at least you know the bizarre facts behind this bizarre poll. ;-)
Did you all catch this in today's LA Times? If not, check it out. We actually find some real analysis of that old myth of the "liberal media" and the new rumors of a "media love affair with Barack Obama".
Here, take a look:
The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.
You read it right: tougher on the Democrat.
During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative.
Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center.
So I guess all the chatter about "liberal media bias" and "media love for Obama" is simply WRONG. Not only are they being hard on him, they're being harder on him than they are John McCain! Surprised? You shouldn't be.
I said this during the primaries when Hillary Clinton got the short end of the media stick, and I'll say it again now. The corporate media bosses aren't all that into "the liberal agenda". The only agenda they have is one to expand their profits.
And while the right-wing is in decline, they still exert plenty of control on the corpoate media. That's why we see them trying to "balance" any postitive news on Obama with negative news, even if there really isn't much negative news to report. And of course, we see how the media is still propping up the facade of "McCain the Moderate Maverick"... Even though McCain's agenda isn't all that different from George W. Bush's.
So what can we do about this real imbalance in media coverage of the election? Well, we can let folks know about the real facts on media bias like this analysis piece in today's LA Times. And of course, we can always refute the distortions with the real facts.
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