I am not entirely shocked by Olbermann's departure from MSNBC this week. The timing is perplexing, but not so much the thought that Olbermann would be leaving. The writing, so to speak, was on the wall.
Another reason that it was not a shock is because it backs up my belief that establishing Progressive voices and a Progressive media infrastructure in this Country seems almost impossible. This has been the case for the past few decades. It is difficult for Progressive media to really take root.
I suspect that part of the reason for Olbermann's difficulty...and the problem with MSNBC as a whole has to do with the fact that it is hard to embark on a truth-telling enterprise using a purely corporate for-profit model. There are too many divergent and conflicting viewpoints & interests among stakeholders, which guarantees the butting of heads.
The Olbermann fiasco also exposes what most who have been paying attention already knew.... but exposes it for more to see - that there is a clear double standard in news/political media in this Country. Progressives and even Centrists (like most at CNN) are held to one standard, while Fox News, and Conservative talk radio (collectively the Republican media) is held to a completely different standard. In an organization like MSNBC/NBC (and now Comcast)... There is no loyalty to truth... all loyalty is reserved for shareholders. At NBC, there are so many different people to answer to. The ideology of board members, the company President, VP's, Department managers, executive producers etc, may not match up with the world view of the host. In fact, I would venture to guess that many of those higher ups are Republicans. So it is hard to create the conditions for good synergy. The experiment was doomed from the start. This is the fundamental cause of the double standard. This is why everything that a Keith Olbermann, a Rick Sanchez , a Rachel Maddow or Ed Schultz...or any other Progressive host says is examined down to the atom level. Company execs are overly sensitive about everything and are in a constant state of paranoia, because they don't want to get in trouble with shareholders or with the bullies of the media - the Right wing Republican media- which dominates the airwaves.
Progressives like Keith Olbermann are sent packing (often fired immediately) for minor - even trivial - issues, while Fox and Conservative talk radio hosts are allowed to make the most outlandish, ugly, racist & offensive comments as a matter of routine...and are allowed to stick around. Why? Because at Fox and with AM radio, the synergy is impressive. Everyone from Rupert Murdoch to Roger Ailes, and the executive producers down to the hosts are, more often than not, generally on the same page ideologically. Everyone has bought into the belief system of the organization. All of the stakeholders support the mission.
This double standard puts Progressive media at a distinct disadvantage. This is why there should be an effort to build Progressive media from the ground up. Progressives need their own media infrastructure that does not leave those like Keith Olbermann (and his supporters) beholden to the interests of a corporation.
Countdown was one of the few political news programs that I really enjoyed watching on a regular basis. Although I would prefer to see something more along the lines of a 60 minutes... (call me old school). We need more serious, trusted, investigative reporting. But I enjoyed Keith Olbermann's contribution.
I have a funny feeling that he won't be the only host leaving. When you get rid of the Captain of the ship.... the man who had the top political program in the line-up... well that to me is an indication that the execs at NBC may be looking at other changes. Part of it may be a reaction to the results of the November elections. MSNBC is one of those networks that reshapes itself based on the changing winds. Again... it goes back to the corporate business model... there is nothing that drives any ideological belief system..no mission based on values like honor, truth, etc... the only belief system driving these cable networks is the belief system of making money.
Here are his final remarks on Countdown. According to whispers on the twittersphere.... he may be interested in going back into sports broadcasting..... wow. Interesting. But I can't say I would blame him if he did decide to go back into sports. The American voting public is a source of disappointment & hopelessness for me... not to mention the politicians who are supposed to serve in the public interests. I can definitely see why people would want to get out of politics.
Showing posts with label Keith Olbermann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keith Olbermann. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Keith Olbermann's Commentary on Shirley Sherrod
Keith Olbermann nailed it with this commentary. Definitely one of the best he has ever done.
As I mentioned in my earlier comments, this is not just an issue of race. Race, in my view, should not necessarily be the focus of discussion. We don't need another race dabate. To be honest, they just don't do much. We have had that debate half a dozen times (or more) since Obama announced his run for the Presidency. What the nation should really be focused on is the obscene level of power held by Republican right wing media. This is something that I have blogged/written about probably dozens of times and it is the focus of my sidebar commentary, written a couple of years ago. I tried to warn people about just how big of a threat right wing media is.
The right wing media is simply the communications department for the Republican political machine. They have a very specific political agenda. Telling the truth and presenting actual news is not part of their program. It is a behemoth that is so powerful that when they tell Democrats - especially the Obama Administration - to jump, the Obama Administration asks how high? In my warning about Conservative media, I explain what their aims are... and that the playbook is an open secret.
The national mainstream media seems to ignore this information imbalance. No one wants to look into why Republican right wing media is allowed to control so much of the national debate. No one wants to look deeper into how Faux news (Radio Rwanda) is allowed to set the tone... by creating a certain narrative, and why mainstream media accepts their narrative as a legitimate starting point for their own reporting. Basically they take the Fox News narrative and they run with it...often without verifying information. Keep in mind, Fox News is, for all practical purposes, a propaganda operation. Fox News is so far removed from legitimate journalism that it's like night and day. In other words, legitimate news organizations have little reason to trust Fox News the way that they have been. Fox hasn't done the kind of reporting that deserves such a high level of trust. So the way that other networks parrot Fox (and other right wing outlets) is just incomprehensible to me. Furthermore, it's equally troubling how other networks fall over themselves to provide a platform for Republican right wing propaganda pundits, many of whom have little to no credibility. To make matters worse, these pundits are often unchallenged when they appear on the more legitimate networks. So what we have today is a situation where mainstream media is complicit in the misinforming and dumbing down of Americans. They have been co-opted by Republicans and used for propaganda purposes. This leaves a social/political environment where it is very difficult for a robust countervailing view to grow and challenge Conservative opinion.
I have been sounding the alarm on this for a few years now. The dangers of Conservative media are real. We just had another domestic terrorist attack thwarted this week, this time in California... although it didn't make it as a top story on most networks (perhaps because this has become so common). But the suspect was another Terrorist & Tea Party nut angry about left-leaning politics. Read more here, here and here. He opened fire on police on a California freeway after realizing he was caught. Luckily this terrorist was stopped after a long shootout before he could carry out any mass killings. But can you guess what fueled him? (Check the links above).
What we are in the midst of right now is an ideological war for the hearts and minds of Americans. It's a fight for the soul of the Country. Within that war is an information/PR battle. While President Obama shut down his campaign and his communications/PR war room... the Republicans never did. Republicans never ended their campaign after 2008, they simply changed its focus. Instead of running on a platform (as if they ever had one) or asking for votes, they shifted the focus to discrediting Obama, delegitimizing his Presidency, framing him as un-American, as an outsider, as dangerous, weak on security, etc. Republican/right wing media is in an all out war against President Obama, on two fronts. One is an information/image war... the other focuses on Policy (political obstruction, so that he is seen as a failure).
The kind of misinformation campaigns being waged right now... are, in many respects, similar to the kind of nonsense the CIA was doing 30 years ago in Countries around the world to confuse/mislead local populations, by putting out media stories favorable to the U.S., etc. The corporate PR companies today use some of those same strategies. The only difference now is that the tactics are being used against American citizens.
Progressives are at a disadvantage, because they have no media infrastructure that can match what is coming out of Conservative media. The right is just too powerful when it comes to media dominance. It's just not a fair fight. And this is occurring at a time when we have a President who has become synonymous with the term 'PR disaster'. If the White House had a strong war room, had strong PR people, a President who was more engaged and in tune with what is happening on Main Street, someone controlling his image...who has his back, a team of brilliant advisors providing the best guidance & information, then the Democrats and this President would be in a better position to combat the right wing media. But none of these things exist in this White House in my opinion. There is no PR/media war room. If there is one.. they are incompetent...and those running it should be fired immediately. There are no strong PR people. If he has them, they should be fired tomorrow. If the President is engaged...and in tune with the Country, then I don't see it. I have been a serious observer of politics for 20 years...this is one of the worst Administrations in recent memory when it comes to basic situational awareness. How in the Hell do you go to Maine for vacation while the folks in the Gulf are still suffering and are struggling to keep their hotels and restaurants open, struggling to make their rent, struggling to save their livelihoods -and AFTER you encouraged Americans to go and spend money? Yeah.... we all need a vacation every now and then, but sometimes the Captain of the ship has to lead... especially on a ship that is taking on water. If you can't vacation in the Gulf, at least put off your vacation until things settle down....just out of respect for those who are suffering. If you must have a vacation... send the First Lady and the kids.... while you stay in Washington. This is about leadership folks. A walking PR disaster indeed.
If he has someone in charge of image... they should be fired forthwith. If President Obama has brilliant advisors... they have been giving the him terrible advice, at least on the image/PR front. We have had 747's flying over Manhattan for photo ops scaring the daylights out of New Yorkers (beyond comprehension in a post 9/11 World), the White House not responding to attacks from the right (even ridiculous lies), Van Jones & others being forced out, the President commenting on issues that he should not have commented on..at least without knowing all the facts, the lack of a clear plan...and the huge absence of at least the image of the President attempting to create jobs & alleviate the problem of unemployment....instead he is out playing Golf, the bungling of the PR response to the Gulf oil spill, the bungling of Gitmo, using horrible strategy in the Healthcare debate, allowing the right to dictate his foreign policy, reaching out to Republicans...even working to water down legislation for them just to be fooled in the end with the knowledge that they were never going to sign on to his policies, and generally looking weak as a man and as a President. Now enter Shirley Sherrod. This is perhaps the most breathtaking of all of the PR debacles thus far. This is one for the history books. It will take me quite a while to wrap my brain around this. But it basically encapsulates, in one event, all of these PR weaknesses...and all the examples of incompetence.
This whole situation is a perfect example of why Progressives need to establish their own PR/media infrastructure. If they don't, they will continue to struggle with Conservative media for years. The right will continue to poison the airwaves and threaten livelihoods, and they will continue to win elections when they shouldn't.
But Progressives have been slow to respond. This week, for the first time, I heard at least two major Progressive commentators acknowledge what I stated years ago... that we are in the midst of an ideological war for the hearts and minds of Americans. There has finally been an acknowledgment that there is an ongoing, well orchestrated PR war against President Obama and Progressive politics. Maybe this incident was the wake-up call that Progressives needed. It took years just to get to a point where this could be acknowledged. Unfortunately I didn't hear many calls for the establishment of a robust Progressive media infrastructure to rival the Republican machine (not by telling lies...but simply by telling the truth...doing real journalism). And yes, I support bringing back the Fairness Doctrine.
The most effective antidote for the madness that we are seeing today in the U.S., is a well informed electorate. There are other things that I believe must be done as well as part of reaching that goal.... such as requiring a certain amount of civics education, global education, geography, World history, political science, constitutional studies, etc... in all schools, public and private. It should be Federal Law. But the end goal should be a well informed electorate. This is what new media could help to accomplish.
The sooner Americans wake up to what KO, I & others are saying on this... the better.
As I mentioned in my earlier comments, this is not just an issue of race. Race, in my view, should not necessarily be the focus of discussion. We don't need another race dabate. To be honest, they just don't do much. We have had that debate half a dozen times (or more) since Obama announced his run for the Presidency. What the nation should really be focused on is the obscene level of power held by Republican right wing media. This is something that I have blogged/written about probably dozens of times and it is the focus of my sidebar commentary, written a couple of years ago. I tried to warn people about just how big of a threat right wing media is.
The right wing media is simply the communications department for the Republican political machine. They have a very specific political agenda. Telling the truth and presenting actual news is not part of their program. It is a behemoth that is so powerful that when they tell Democrats - especially the Obama Administration - to jump, the Obama Administration asks how high? In my warning about Conservative media, I explain what their aims are... and that the playbook is an open secret.
The national mainstream media seems to ignore this information imbalance. No one wants to look into why Republican right wing media is allowed to control so much of the national debate. No one wants to look deeper into how Faux news (Radio Rwanda) is allowed to set the tone... by creating a certain narrative, and why mainstream media accepts their narrative as a legitimate starting point for their own reporting. Basically they take the Fox News narrative and they run with it...often without verifying information. Keep in mind, Fox News is, for all practical purposes, a propaganda operation. Fox News is so far removed from legitimate journalism that it's like night and day. In other words, legitimate news organizations have little reason to trust Fox News the way that they have been. Fox hasn't done the kind of reporting that deserves such a high level of trust. So the way that other networks parrot Fox (and other right wing outlets) is just incomprehensible to me. Furthermore, it's equally troubling how other networks fall over themselves to provide a platform for Republican right wing propaganda pundits, many of whom have little to no credibility. To make matters worse, these pundits are often unchallenged when they appear on the more legitimate networks. So what we have today is a situation where mainstream media is complicit in the misinforming and dumbing down of Americans. They have been co-opted by Republicans and used for propaganda purposes. This leaves a social/political environment where it is very difficult for a robust countervailing view to grow and challenge Conservative opinion.
I have been sounding the alarm on this for a few years now. The dangers of Conservative media are real. We just had another domestic terrorist attack thwarted this week, this time in California... although it didn't make it as a top story on most networks (perhaps because this has become so common). But the suspect was another Terrorist & Tea Party nut angry about left-leaning politics. Read more here, here and here. He opened fire on police on a California freeway after realizing he was caught. Luckily this terrorist was stopped after a long shootout before he could carry out any mass killings. But can you guess what fueled him? (Check the links above).
What we are in the midst of right now is an ideological war for the hearts and minds of Americans. It's a fight for the soul of the Country. Within that war is an information/PR battle. While President Obama shut down his campaign and his communications/PR war room... the Republicans never did. Republicans never ended their campaign after 2008, they simply changed its focus. Instead of running on a platform (as if they ever had one) or asking for votes, they shifted the focus to discrediting Obama, delegitimizing his Presidency, framing him as un-American, as an outsider, as dangerous, weak on security, etc. Republican/right wing media is in an all out war against President Obama, on two fronts. One is an information/image war... the other focuses on Policy (political obstruction, so that he is seen as a failure).
The kind of misinformation campaigns being waged right now... are, in many respects, similar to the kind of nonsense the CIA was doing 30 years ago in Countries around the world to confuse/mislead local populations, by putting out media stories favorable to the U.S., etc. The corporate PR companies today use some of those same strategies. The only difference now is that the tactics are being used against American citizens.
Progressives are at a disadvantage, because they have no media infrastructure that can match what is coming out of Conservative media. The right is just too powerful when it comes to media dominance. It's just not a fair fight. And this is occurring at a time when we have a President who has become synonymous with the term 'PR disaster'. If the White House had a strong war room, had strong PR people, a President who was more engaged and in tune with what is happening on Main Street, someone controlling his image...who has his back, a team of brilliant advisors providing the best guidance & information, then the Democrats and this President would be in a better position to combat the right wing media. But none of these things exist in this White House in my opinion. There is no PR/media war room. If there is one.. they are incompetent...and those running it should be fired immediately. There are no strong PR people. If he has them, they should be fired tomorrow. If the President is engaged...and in tune with the Country, then I don't see it. I have been a serious observer of politics for 20 years...this is one of the worst Administrations in recent memory when it comes to basic situational awareness. How in the Hell do you go to Maine for vacation while the folks in the Gulf are still suffering and are struggling to keep their hotels and restaurants open, struggling to make their rent, struggling to save their livelihoods -and AFTER you encouraged Americans to go and spend money? Yeah.... we all need a vacation every now and then, but sometimes the Captain of the ship has to lead... especially on a ship that is taking on water. If you can't vacation in the Gulf, at least put off your vacation until things settle down....just out of respect for those who are suffering. If you must have a vacation... send the First Lady and the kids.... while you stay in Washington. This is about leadership folks. A walking PR disaster indeed.
If he has someone in charge of image... they should be fired forthwith. If President Obama has brilliant advisors... they have been giving the him terrible advice, at least on the image/PR front. We have had 747's flying over Manhattan for photo ops scaring the daylights out of New Yorkers (beyond comprehension in a post 9/11 World), the White House not responding to attacks from the right (even ridiculous lies), Van Jones & others being forced out, the President commenting on issues that he should not have commented on..at least without knowing all the facts, the lack of a clear plan...and the huge absence of at least the image of the President attempting to create jobs & alleviate the problem of unemployment....instead he is out playing Golf, the bungling of the PR response to the Gulf oil spill, the bungling of Gitmo, using horrible strategy in the Healthcare debate, allowing the right to dictate his foreign policy, reaching out to Republicans...even working to water down legislation for them just to be fooled in the end with the knowledge that they were never going to sign on to his policies, and generally looking weak as a man and as a President. Now enter Shirley Sherrod. This is perhaps the most breathtaking of all of the PR debacles thus far. This is one for the history books. It will take me quite a while to wrap my brain around this. But it basically encapsulates, in one event, all of these PR weaknesses...and all the examples of incompetence.
This whole situation is a perfect example of why Progressives need to establish their own PR/media infrastructure. If they don't, they will continue to struggle with Conservative media for years. The right will continue to poison the airwaves and threaten livelihoods, and they will continue to win elections when they shouldn't.
But Progressives have been slow to respond. This week, for the first time, I heard at least two major Progressive commentators acknowledge what I stated years ago... that we are in the midst of an ideological war for the hearts and minds of Americans. There has finally been an acknowledgment that there is an ongoing, well orchestrated PR war against President Obama and Progressive politics. Maybe this incident was the wake-up call that Progressives needed. It took years just to get to a point where this could be acknowledged. Unfortunately I didn't hear many calls for the establishment of a robust Progressive media infrastructure to rival the Republican machine (not by telling lies...but simply by telling the truth...doing real journalism). And yes, I support bringing back the Fairness Doctrine.
The most effective antidote for the madness that we are seeing today in the U.S., is a well informed electorate. There are other things that I believe must be done as well as part of reaching that goal.... such as requiring a certain amount of civics education, global education, geography, World history, political science, constitutional studies, etc... in all schools, public and private. It should be Federal Law. But the end goal should be a well informed electorate. This is what new media could help to accomplish.
The sooner Americans wake up to what KO, I & others are saying on this... the better.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Father
Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Struggle with Father and Healthcare.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Olbermann's Special Comment on Teabaggers and Race
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Keith Olbermann Slams Healthcare Reform Sham
This Healthcare Reform is turning out even worse than I expected. It has clearly turned into a debacle.
Here, Olbermann tells it like it is.... tells it like it has been for the past 6 months. KO talks as if he is giving a concession speech....like a man finally coming to terms with the failure of something (Healthcare Reform) that he probably knew wasn't going to be successful a long time ago... or at least I would like to think KO was sharp enough to read between the lines back then. Perhaps he wanted his viewers to have some sort of hope to hold onto...so he kept coming out every night pushing it. I commend that.
This is an epic failure of sorts...
I have stated many times that this was a combination of bad timing and poor strategy on the part of Democrats, for a whole list of reasons that I won't rehash.
But clearly, Obama misread the national mood.... (I have mentioned that many times). He's an intelligent man for sure... no question about that whatsoever. However, I don't think he fully understands the Country... particularly in terms of voters, voter behavior, the national media, the racial dynamics, etc etc. Obama seems to miss the point (and even Keith Olbermann missed this point too) regarding how & why he is coming out on the losing end of this fight - and i'm not sure if we can even call it a fight since Dems didn't really participate. Obama seems to be clueless regarding the fact that this was a PR war for the most part and that the other side completely destroyed Progressives in that PR war. He seems clueless to the fact that this will continue to happen as long as there is no Progressive media infrastructure that can match and someday exceed the power and influence of Conservative media. Obama seems to be under the delusion that there is a level playing field and that the Democratic plan really had a fair chance.
This situation only reinforces some of the things that I feel about the Country....mainly that the nation is headed for an inevitable decline and we're in fact in the midst of that decline. This is partly due to the fact that the U.S. political system has become dysfunctional and that dysfunction will mean that the nation won't be able to keep up with future challenges and won't be able to make the Progressive changes that will be necessary to mitigate future threats and improve the lives of Americans. The changes to the world in the next few decades are going to be lightning fast...and there is little chance that this political system will be able to keep up in any meaningful way. Only those Countries that can keep up will be able to compete. Life will get tougher for people who live in Countries with archaic political systems... because these Countries will be left behind. For example... watch what happens with Climate Change legislation. I can tell you now that it is dead on arrival in the Senate. As is Immigration Reform. In fact, most of Obama's major initiatives (those requiring Congressional approval) are already dead.
With this kind of gridlock in place for the foreseeable future - not to mention corporate whores like Joe Lieberman contaminating the halls of Congress - and with K-Street literally controlling legislation, the U.S. is going to wither on the vine. With a government so inherently corrupt at its core, and with ideas like government of the people for the people having died a long time ago.... the citizens are left with a political system that doesn't work.
Solutions?
Besides moving to Canada or out of the Continent completely... I am running out of remedies.
Here, Olbermann tells it like it is.... tells it like it has been for the past 6 months. KO talks as if he is giving a concession speech....like a man finally coming to terms with the failure of something (Healthcare Reform) that he probably knew wasn't going to be successful a long time ago... or at least I would like to think KO was sharp enough to read between the lines back then. Perhaps he wanted his viewers to have some sort of hope to hold onto...so he kept coming out every night pushing it. I commend that.
This is an epic failure of sorts...
I have stated many times that this was a combination of bad timing and poor strategy on the part of Democrats, for a whole list of reasons that I won't rehash.
But clearly, Obama misread the national mood.... (I have mentioned that many times). He's an intelligent man for sure... no question about that whatsoever. However, I don't think he fully understands the Country... particularly in terms of voters, voter behavior, the national media, the racial dynamics, etc etc. Obama seems to miss the point (and even Keith Olbermann missed this point too) regarding how & why he is coming out on the losing end of this fight - and i'm not sure if we can even call it a fight since Dems didn't really participate. Obama seems to be clueless regarding the fact that this was a PR war for the most part and that the other side completely destroyed Progressives in that PR war. He seems clueless to the fact that this will continue to happen as long as there is no Progressive media infrastructure that can match and someday exceed the power and influence of Conservative media. Obama seems to be under the delusion that there is a level playing field and that the Democratic plan really had a fair chance.
This situation only reinforces some of the things that I feel about the Country....mainly that the nation is headed for an inevitable decline and we're in fact in the midst of that decline. This is partly due to the fact that the U.S. political system has become dysfunctional and that dysfunction will mean that the nation won't be able to keep up with future challenges and won't be able to make the Progressive changes that will be necessary to mitigate future threats and improve the lives of Americans. The changes to the world in the next few decades are going to be lightning fast...and there is little chance that this political system will be able to keep up in any meaningful way. Only those Countries that can keep up will be able to compete. Life will get tougher for people who live in Countries with archaic political systems... because these Countries will be left behind. For example... watch what happens with Climate Change legislation. I can tell you now that it is dead on arrival in the Senate. As is Immigration Reform. In fact, most of Obama's major initiatives (those requiring Congressional approval) are already dead.
With this kind of gridlock in place for the foreseeable future - not to mention corporate whores like Joe Lieberman contaminating the halls of Congress - and with K-Street literally controlling legislation, the U.S. is going to wither on the vine. With a government so inherently corrupt at its core, and with ideas like government of the people for the people having died a long time ago.... the citizens are left with a political system that doesn't work.
Solutions?
Besides moving to Canada or out of the Continent completely... I am running out of remedies.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Karl Frisch Slices and Dices the Republican Right Wing Media
Karl Frisch, of Media Matters for America, discusses the Republican Right Wing Media with Webster University Journalism Professor Ed Bishop. Listen Here
The topic of discussion is the increase in radical propaganda & misinformation from popular Right Wing Talk Show hosts.
Keith Olbermann also discussed the problem of Right Wing propaganda a few days after 3 Pittsburgh Police officers were shot dead by an individual who was whipped into a frenzy by the nonsense from Limbaugh & Co., especially Glenn Beck.
The topic of discussion is the increase in radical propaganda & misinformation from popular Right Wing Talk Show hosts.
Keith Olbermann also discussed the problem of Right Wing propaganda a few days after 3 Pittsburgh Police officers were shot dead by an individual who was whipped into a frenzy by the nonsense from Limbaugh & Co., especially Glenn Beck.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Chris Matthews After the Obama Informercial
This family has done everything you've asked them to do.
What more do you want before you'll vote for a Black guy?
What more do you want?
Oh Tweety....sometimes, you speak the truth.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Holy Toledo Batman! Joe The Plumber Story a Fraud?
Say it ain't so Joe!!!
I heard part of McCain's new stump speech today...and he is claiming that "Joe The Plumber" will pay higher taxes as a business owner and high income earner under Obama's tax plan. McCain is claiming that Obama wants to take "Joe's" money and spread it around. McCain believes that "Joe" should keep his big bucks and shouldn't have to sacrifice anything. God knows he's suffered enough with the hard times on Wall Street... and shouldn't have to be burdened with anything Patriotic like paying taxes to help rebuild a nation in crisis....as was done after the Great Depression and after WWII with War Bonds, taxes for jobs programs, the New Deal, etc.
But there are a few really big problems with this entire story from McCain.
#1. Joe the Plumber is actually Sam the Plumber.
#2. Sam the Plumber is not actually a Plumber.
-- So now that leaves us with just a Fraud named Sam. Stay with me....
#3. Sam the Fraud is not a business owner... and he's not close to buying any business for which he will have to be concerned with paying taxes on.
#4. Sam the Fraud is not a high income earner. He admitted on 10/16/08, the day after the last debate, that he actually didn't make anything close to the amount of money ($250,000) that would be taxable under Obama's plan.
#5. Sam the Fraud is actually a tax dodger in the State of Ohio.
#6. It's not clear that a business earning $250,000-$280,000 per year would be taxed more... after payroll and operating expenses... he may not fall into the taxable category. But even if he did, the amount of tax on money earned above the $250,000 threshold would be nominal.
The truth is... the plumbing business that Sam was referring to does not even generate $250,000.00 per year in revenue anyway.
#7. Sam (the real Sam, not Joe the Republican creation) will actually pay less income Tax under Obama's plan than under McCain's plan.
To sum up-- what we have here is more BS from the Republican Party. The New York Times, and other News organizations (the few legitimate news services that we have left in this Country) have revealed Joe the Plumber to be a phony. At the least he was misrepresented as someone he's not. And now the McCain campaign is running with this lie as they have done with other lies throughout this entire election season. This is just the latest in a long string of lies. You would think that McCain would check the facts before he co-opts and hijacks a story for political gain... but once again, he has latched on to another fantasy (just like Palin).
As the New York Times has pointed out, Sam is not even a licensed Plumber...so if he's doing this kind of work without a license, he's working illegally. He's also not a member of the local Trade Union (Trade Union guys hate when phony people are stealing work).
So what we are left with, after all the BS, is a guy named Sam who is really a Republican Hack, who was sent to challenge Obama so that McCain could frame this issue and create this narrative for political gain (or someone who the Republicans saw as an opportunity)...either way, he's a hack.
I detected problems with this story early on. Something just didn't smell right. Notice the way that he initially approached Obama and mentioned a convenient figure of "$250,000.00" (he quickly realized his mistake and changed it to a higher number). This seemed too rehearsed. You mean to tell me that the business that he wants to purchase (that he's not really going to purchase because it was a BS story) just happens to cost $250,000.00.... the same amount as Obama's income tax cutoff? Far too coincidental. And wasn't it interesting how much attention McCain gave to it during the debate (and now on the Campaign Trail)? Seems to me that this was all thought out as a strategy before the debate.
Read an interesting article from the San Francisco Chronicle
Keith Olbermann Helps Debunk the "Joe The Plumber" Nonsense
I have a feeling that we'll be hearing more about Joe ...or Sam in the next few days. Of course McCain/Palin will be talking about him.... but that's not what i'm referring to. I'm hoping to hear more confirmation about how much of a phony story this was.
On my drive home tonight.... I was listening to BBC news...and they were in a frenzy over this story as if it was some sort of game changer for John McCain... I guess the Brits haven't received the news that it's a phony story.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
John McCain Gets KO'd On MSNBC
Keith Olbermann lays into John McCain for whipping up hate and xenophobia at his Campaign rallies, including the Sarah Palin events, and for his failure to take action to change the atmosphere and challenge the behavior of his followers.
A Short comment, but a good one.
A Short comment, but a good one.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Special Comment From Keith Olbermann - Palin's Dirty Politics
Special Comment from Monday, October 6th.
Great commentary. But I wish he would have mentioned Palin's Church - The Wasilla Bible Church - and its association with an anti-Judaism group, Jews for Jesus, led by evangelical preacher David Brickner. This group has been repudiated by just about every major Jewish religious organization. In fact, the group Jews for Jesus is facing fierce protest in Israel RIGHT NOW! (See previous link). But you won't find this information in the mainstream American media. Read more here.
David Brickner made the following comments, while preaching at Palin's church as a visiting minister (at the invite of her current Pastor, Larry Kroon):
In other words, Brickner believes that violence and murder is simply God's punishment for Jews who have not converted to the proper religion - Christianity. Sarah Palin was in the church on August 17th when these comments were made.
**************************
More on Pastor Larry Kroon
Great commentary. But I wish he would have mentioned Palin's Church - The Wasilla Bible Church - and its association with an anti-Judaism group, Jews for Jesus, led by evangelical preacher David Brickner. This group has been repudiated by just about every major Jewish religious organization. In fact, the group Jews for Jesus is facing fierce protest in Israel RIGHT NOW! (See previous link). But you won't find this information in the mainstream American media. Read more here.
David Brickner made the following comments, while preaching at Palin's church as a visiting minister (at the invite of her current Pastor, Larry Kroon):
Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it." Source Cnn.com
In other words, Brickner believes that violence and murder is simply God's punishment for Jews who have not converted to the proper religion - Christianity. Sarah Palin was in the church on August 17th when these comments were made.
**************************
More on Pastor Larry Kroon
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Keith Olbermann Tallies Palin's Lies
I have honestly lost track of all the lies from this woman. At first I thought i'd be able to keep up...but they have been coming so fast. There are apparently several lies from the McCain/Palin camp (esp. Palin) every day.
It is clear that the constant lying is part of a deliberate strategy by McCain's advisors.... hoping that they can fool voters.
What drives me crazy is... their plan just might work.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Conservatives Dictate News Coverage - Pressure Leads MSNBC To Remove Hosts
GE and NBC top brass cave to Republican pressure and remove two of its most popular election hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. This basically shows how Republicans are able to dictate news coverage. And it is probably designed to send a message, that if other news hosts, commentators and reporters don't play by the Republican Party's rules, then they can easily be removed from primetime or punished in some way.
Yet Fox News is allowed to have partisan (really ultra-partisan) coverage with no consequences whatsoever.
Who is still doubting that Republicans control the corporate news business?
There is no doubt that Republicans control what we see and hear.
What Progressives and Democrats have to do is establish their own communications network that isn't dependent on Republican/Conservative gate-keepers. Unfortunately Progressives have not figured this out yet.
This was probably mostly about Olbermann, as Matthews tends to be more sympathetic to Conservatives. I can imagine what the 4 political debates will be like....and what kind of negative spin, and bias we will see against Obama/Biden.
This is the media environment in which John Kerry won three straight debates against George W. Bush (winning two decisively) and still lost the election. Why? Because the Republicans were allowed to create their own reality, frame the debate how they wanted...and convinced voters that what they saw was no big deal and that George W. actually did quite well. We will see that same environment again... perhaps worse this time around. Brainwashing is very powerful, as Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Joseph Stalin, Kim IL Sung, and The Bush Administration have all demonstrated.
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."
- Joseph Stalin
"Those who manipulate the organized habits and opinions of the masses constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."
- Edward Bernays, assistant to William Paley, founder of CBS
"A handful of us determine what will be on the evening news broadcasts, or, for that matter, in the New York Times or Washington Post or Wall Street Journal.... Indeed it is a handful of us with this awesome power....And those [news stories] available to us already have been culled and re-culled by persons far outside our control."
- Walter Cronkite
"The media's the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
"All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level,
that even the most stupid of those toward whom it is directed will
understand it... Through clever and constant application of propaganda,
people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way
around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise."
- Adolf Hitler
"Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture".
--Allen Ginsberg
Democracy... Freedom of the Press... It's all Bull----.
Yet Fox News is allowed to have partisan (really ultra-partisan) coverage with no consequences whatsoever.
Who is still doubting that Republicans control the corporate news business?
There is no doubt that Republicans control what we see and hear.
What Progressives and Democrats have to do is establish their own communications network that isn't dependent on Republican/Conservative gate-keepers. Unfortunately Progressives have not figured this out yet.
This was probably mostly about Olbermann, as Matthews tends to be more sympathetic to Conservatives. I can imagine what the 4 political debates will be like....and what kind of negative spin, and bias we will see against Obama/Biden.
This is the media environment in which John Kerry won three straight debates against George W. Bush (winning two decisively) and still lost the election. Why? Because the Republicans were allowed to create their own reality, frame the debate how they wanted...and convinced voters that what they saw was no big deal and that George W. actually did quite well. We will see that same environment again... perhaps worse this time around. Brainwashing is very powerful, as Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Joseph Stalin, Kim IL Sung, and The Bush Administration have all demonstrated.
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."
- Joseph Stalin
"Those who manipulate the organized habits and opinions of the masses constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."
- Edward Bernays, assistant to William Paley, founder of CBS
"A handful of us determine what will be on the evening news broadcasts, or, for that matter, in the New York Times or Washington Post or Wall Street Journal.... Indeed it is a handful of us with this awesome power....And those [news stories] available to us already have been culled and re-culled by persons far outside our control."
- Walter Cronkite
"The media's the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
"All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level,
that even the most stupid of those toward whom it is directed will
understand it... Through clever and constant application of propaganda,
people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way
around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise."
- Adolf Hitler
"Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture".
--Allen Ginsberg
Democracy... Freedom of the Press... It's all Bull----.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Media Alerts
1. SERENA WILLIAMS in the Women's Final of the U.S. Open, TONIGHT, 9 p.m.EST on CBS
2. Michelle Obama on the Ellen Degeneres show tomorrow. Check local listings.
3. Barack Obama on Countdown With Keith Olbermann tomorrow, 8 p.m. EST on MSNBC.
4. Rachel Maddow's new show on MSNBC debuts tomorrow, 9 p.m. EST on MSNBC.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Countdown - Special Comment, FISA and Barack Obama
Congratulations, Glenn Greenwald. Glenn Greenwald challenged both Barack Obama and Keith Olbermann over this FISA legislation. The bottom line, as Glenn pointed out, was that Barack Obama stood firmly against immunity for the telecom companies during the primaries. Now that he is one step away from the White House, he appears to be playing politics, and backing off from this pledge.
Keith Olbermann did his homework, or rather, he had John Dean do his homework for him. Over the weekend, John Dean not only read the FISA legislation also looked at related statutes. He concluded that the telecom companies would be immune from civil lawsuits but not from criminal prosecution. Therefore, Barack Obama can vote for the FISA legislation and still pledge to prosecute any criminal activity of the telephone companies. This would be something. But for me, I would like to see Barack Obama say no telecom immunity. No! Then, follow up with a pledge that if criminal wrongdoing is found he would instruct the attorney general to prosecute.
With John McCain cranking up the rhetoric on Barack Obama's campaign-finance "flip-flop," I think it is important that he (Obama) takes a stand on principle. The Republicans are going to do what they're going to do (lie and distort). Therefore, it is critical for Barack Obama to decide where he's going to stand in this election.
Congratulations to Glenn Greenwald (Glenn's Olbermann posts - here and here. Glenn's original post on FISA and Obama here.) It is rare for a blogger to have any influence of the world on which he blogs. Glenn's arguments are thoughtful and well researched. It is very hard to argue with Glenn... and win.
Keith Olbermann did his homework, or rather, he had John Dean do his homework for him. Over the weekend, John Dean not only read the FISA legislation also looked at related statutes. He concluded that the telecom companies would be immune from civil lawsuits but not from criminal prosecution. Therefore, Barack Obama can vote for the FISA legislation and still pledge to prosecute any criminal activity of the telephone companies. This would be something. But for me, I would like to see Barack Obama say no telecom immunity. No! Then, follow up with a pledge that if criminal wrongdoing is found he would instruct the attorney general to prosecute.
With John McCain cranking up the rhetoric on Barack Obama's campaign-finance "flip-flop," I think it is important that he (Obama) takes a stand on principle. The Republicans are going to do what they're going to do (lie and distort). Therefore, it is critical for Barack Obama to decide where he's going to stand in this election.
Congratulations to Glenn Greenwald (Glenn's Olbermann posts - here and here. Glenn's original post on FISA and Obama here.) It is rare for a blogger to have any influence of the world on which he blogs. Glenn's arguments are thoughtful and well researched. It is very hard to argue with Glenn... and win.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
John McCain Attempting To Fool Americans On His Oil Policy
Keith Olbermann shines light on McCain's conflicting interests and connections to the Oil Industry.
Why are your gas prices so high?
Why are your gas prices so high?
Friday, May 23, 2008
Keith Olbermann's Special Comment from Tonight
From Olbermann's Special Comment:
Full Content Here
Olbermann Special Comment Video
The entire Special Comment was on point, but this is where I began to say "Amen", louder and louder....
...We have forgiven you your insistence that there have been widespread calls for you to end your campaign, when such calls had been few.
We have forgiven you your misspeaking about Martin Luther King's relative importance to the Civil Rights movement.
We have forgiven you your misspeaking about your under-fire landing in Bosnia.
We have forgiven you insisting Michigan's vote wouldn't count and then claiming those who would not count it were Un-Democratic.
We have forgiven you pledging to not campaign in Florida and thus disenfranchise voters there, and then claim those who stuck to those rules were as wrong as those who defended slavery or denied women the vote.
We have forgiven you the photos of Osama Bin Laden in an anti-Obama ad...
We have forgiven you fawning over the fairness of Fox News while they were still calling you a murderer.
We have forgiven you accepting Richard Mellon Scaife's endorsement and then laughing as you described his "deathbed conversion."
We have forgiven you quoting the electoral predictions of Boss Karl Rove.
We have forgiven you the 3 a.m. Phone Call commercial.
We have forgiven you President Clinton's disparaging comparison of the Obama candidacy to Jesse Jackson's.
We have forgiven you Geraldine Ferraro's national radio interview suggesting Obama would not still be in the race had he been a white man.
We have forgiven you the dozen changing metrics and the endless self-contradictions of your insistence that your nomination is mathematically probable rather than a statistical impossibility.
We have forgiven you your declaration of some primary states as counting and some as not.
We have forgiven you exploiting Jeremiah Wright in front of the editorial board of the lunatic-fringe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
We have forgiven you exploiting William Ayers in front of the debate on ABC.
We have forgiven you for boasting of your "support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans"...
We have even forgiven you repeatedly praising Senator McCain at Senator Obama's expense, and your own expense, and the Democratic ticket's expense.
But Senator, we cannot forgive you this.
"You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."
We cannot forgive you this -- not because it is crass and low and unfeeling and brutal.
**This** is **un**-forgivable, because this nation's deepest shame, its most enduring horror, its most terrifying legacy, is political assassination.
Lincoln.
Garfield.
McKinley.
Kennedy.
Malcolm X
Martin Luther King.
**Robert** Kennedy.
And, but for the grace of the universe or the luck of the draw, Reagan, Ford, Truman, Nixon, Andrew Jackson, both Roosevelts, even George Wallace.
The politics of this nation is steeped enough in blood, Senator Clinton, you cannot and must not invoke that imagery! Anywhere! At any time!
And to not appreciate, immediately -- to **still** not appreciate tonight -- just **what** you have done... is to reveal an incomprehension of the America you seek to lead.
This, Senator, is too much.
... Because a senator - a politician - a person - who can let hang in mid-air the prospect that she might just be sticking around in part, just in case the other guy gets shot - has no business being, and no capacity to be, the President of the United States.
I will remind folks.....SHE NEVER APOLOGIZED TO BARACK OBAMA.
Full Content Here
Olbermann Special Comment Video
The entire Special Comment was on point, but this is where I began to say "Amen", louder and louder....
...We have forgiven you your insistence that there have been widespread calls for you to end your campaign, when such calls had been few.
We have forgiven you your misspeaking about Martin Luther King's relative importance to the Civil Rights movement.
We have forgiven you your misspeaking about your under-fire landing in Bosnia.
We have forgiven you insisting Michigan's vote wouldn't count and then claiming those who would not count it were Un-Democratic.
We have forgiven you pledging to not campaign in Florida and thus disenfranchise voters there, and then claim those who stuck to those rules were as wrong as those who defended slavery or denied women the vote.
We have forgiven you the photos of Osama Bin Laden in an anti-Obama ad...
We have forgiven you fawning over the fairness of Fox News while they were still calling you a murderer.
We have forgiven you accepting Richard Mellon Scaife's endorsement and then laughing as you described his "deathbed conversion."
We have forgiven you quoting the electoral predictions of Boss Karl Rove.
We have forgiven you the 3 a.m. Phone Call commercial.
We have forgiven you President Clinton's disparaging comparison of the Obama candidacy to Jesse Jackson's.
We have forgiven you Geraldine Ferraro's national radio interview suggesting Obama would not still be in the race had he been a white man.
We have forgiven you the dozen changing metrics and the endless self-contradictions of your insistence that your nomination is mathematically probable rather than a statistical impossibility.
We have forgiven you your declaration of some primary states as counting and some as not.
We have forgiven you exploiting Jeremiah Wright in front of the editorial board of the lunatic-fringe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
We have forgiven you exploiting William Ayers in front of the debate on ABC.
We have forgiven you for boasting of your "support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans"...
We have even forgiven you repeatedly praising Senator McCain at Senator Obama's expense, and your own expense, and the Democratic ticket's expense.
But Senator, we cannot forgive you this.
"You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."
We cannot forgive you this -- not because it is crass and low and unfeeling and brutal.
**This** is **un**-forgivable, because this nation's deepest shame, its most enduring horror, its most terrifying legacy, is political assassination.
Lincoln.
Garfield.
McKinley.
Kennedy.
Malcolm X
Martin Luther King.
**Robert** Kennedy.
And, but for the grace of the universe or the luck of the draw, Reagan, Ford, Truman, Nixon, Andrew Jackson, both Roosevelts, even George Wallace.
The politics of this nation is steeped enough in blood, Senator Clinton, you cannot and must not invoke that imagery! Anywhere! At any time!
And to not appreciate, immediately -- to **still** not appreciate tonight -- just **what** you have done... is to reveal an incomprehension of the America you seek to lead.
This, Senator, is too much.
... Because a senator - a politician - a person - who can let hang in mid-air the prospect that she might just be sticking around in part, just in case the other guy gets shot - has no business being, and no capacity to be, the President of the United States.
I will remind folks.....SHE NEVER APOLOGIZED TO BARACK OBAMA.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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