Check The Diagonal

Brown is not really important.

My head is full from the pundits and experts and palm readers on the MSM and the blogosphere selling the American people conflict.  Our MSM is the greatest reality TV show.  People need to go back to thinking about Haiti because this story doesn’t really have legs. Brown does not have to be important and here’s why:

· It is easy for a candidate to pull a Sarah Palin by pretending to be something he is not, say he drives a truck and co-op Obama’s message of change to get elected by a wave of populist anger when the person he is campaigning against forgets to campaign and takes a Caribbean vacation with the fam. He basically ran uncontested. But now he has to show up for work and vote and his record says he is to the left of the other New England Republicans.

· The Democrats didn’t have a supermajority when Obama was elected and frankly it has been used as a curtain for Republicans to hide their obstructionism behind or obstructionist behinds or both. Message to Democrats: Call them on their bullshit. The average American doesn’t even know what a filibuster is and has never seen one. Make Republicans filibuster everything live on CNN; climate change, Wall Street reform, healthcare. Create more shit for them to stand up and filibuster. The key is not to run away but to run ahead faster. Force them to reconcile the misleading untruths of their populist messages with the truth of governing.

· For the record Obama’s agenda polls at a 60% approval rating in Massachusetts. This was a referendum on Coakley, and frankly she earned every bit of the ass-kicking she got last night. Chokeley should stick, it fits.

We all know the Republicans are unfit to lead America but now we are going to find out if Democrats have the balls to.

War

I’ve seen some real things in my life.   Death, murder, drug addiction, violence, crime.  Growing up when and where I’m from was like watching a never-ending clip of Miami Vice and New Jack City.  We used to affectionately call our hood “Vietnam.” I’m not naïve, pampered or sheltered but looking back now, we had no fucking idea what we were talking about because none of that ghetto nonsense prepared me for the picture I saw out of Iraq, forwarded by Juan Cole on Facebook, from Chris Hedges' TruthDig column, yesterday.  Don’t click on the link to Chris’ article-which is a must read if you can handle it, or the fold below unless you are mentally prepared for a very haunting image.

MSM Fail con't

We can do this all day, every day.  CNN: completely useless.  Watch them rewrite our history if we let them.

  

Think Progress has responded with the truth.  Will CNN issue a correction?  Don't hold your breath:

In reality, the terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center occurred on Sept. 11, 2001 — eight months into President Bush’s first term. Also, the 2001 recession technically began in March of 2001, well after Bush assumed office.

Let us not forget that Bush was warned well in advance of 9/11 about terrorist plans to use commercial airlines as weapons and did nothing.

MSM Fail con't

Part of the key to the utter failure of cable news this weekend is that half of our two party system of government is reading off of a cooked script aimed at destroying our President at any cost.  This is simply further proof that cable news is increasingly conservative and untrustworthy.  From Andrew:

“Conservatism's current priorities: using any terror attack to hurt the president? Check. Watching freedom-fighters risk their lives for regime change in the most critical country for US foreign policy in the Middle East? Zzzzz. Imagine what Reagan would have thought. And weep.”

A fact that becomes even more comical listening to Pete “My tweets are like an Iranian Revolutionary” Hoekstra (via Think Progress):

“It’s not surprising,” U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Holland Republican, said of the alleged terrorist attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit. … “People have got to start connecting the dots here and maybe this is the thing that will connect the dots for the Obama administration,” Hoekstra said. [...]

Hoekstra hadn’t yet been briefed on the incident but said he is already calling or the Obama administration to meet with Intelligence Committee members to fully inform them about the alleged terrorism attempt at the Detroit airport”

While Big Petey argues the semantics of an “attempted terrorist attack” and a terrorist attack in an effort to tarnish the Obama Administration he only acts to prove how completely misinformed or uninterested he is.   Make no mistake about it, the MSM and their cohorts on the Right are either lazy, sloppy and unqualified to inform and protect America or they are deliberately misleading the American people to further their own selfish political ambitions.

Video link from Democracy Now, 2 days before the Detroit attack that details President Obama's specific involvement, interest and attention in Yemen.

Facts are stubborn things Pete.

MSM Fail.

 
  
  

This picture and others from today can be found at Tehran 24.

I stopped watching cable news as a source of information months ago but if there was ever a day that marked the end of the useful life of the MSM today was it.  CNN, MSNBC and FOX all missed the protests in Iran today during the holy day of Ashura.  Instead it is the blogosphere that has become our main source of real news.  No wonder so many people believe in death panels and fake birth certificates and the ghosts of the -isms.

Enduring America, Revolutionary Road, and Andrew have live blogged today beautifully and anyone interested should click through these links to get up on today’s happenings.

The regime’s responses to these protests are becoming increasingly more violent and more desperate.  We should all pray for the people of Iran as they continue to resist the government sponsored brutality and callous disregard for human life and suffering that I have seen in the videos and pictures from today’s protests.  All of this is driving to a hard point that cannot be sustained much longer.  What I hope and pray is that we are watching the death throes of the Iranian dictatorship. 

The lost credibility of Meet the Press

Remember this?

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He’s the new Meet the Press financial expert.  Can anyone take this show seriously anymore?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jim Cramer is only interested in Jim Cramer's interest and the portfolio of trades he sells on The Street.com, and he just used Meet the Press to plug and hype the companies he is either holding or selling that are currently investing heavily in Russia, China and Brazil.

Finally someone says it...

FOX may be a lot of things but a news network isn't one of them.

"They're widely viewed as, you know, a part of the Republican Party -- take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that's fine. But let's not pretend they're a news network they way CNN is."

 

Dick Cheney's Richard Nixon moment

Dick Cheney was on Fox News this weekend working tirelessly to keep his sorry self out of a visit from the special prosecutor.  The man is clearly terrified of being called up under oath.  If there ever was a man who needed to be its Cheney.  Unfortunately, my bet is that it will never happen.

 Transcript here.

WALLACE: One specific question about Holder, the Obama administration -- you put out the statement saying that you were upset that President Obama allowed the attorney general to bring these cases. A top Obama official says, hey, maybe in the Bush White House they told the attorney general what to do, but Eric Holder makes independent decisions. 

CHENEY: Well, I think if you look at the Constitution, the president of the United States is the chief law enforcement officer in the land. The attorney general's a statutory officer. He's a member of the cabinet. 

Glenn Beck has gone all the way off the deep end.

This would be hilarious if people weren't actually listening to him and taking him seriously.

Good news is that as of August 27th 46 companies have pulled their ads from Beck's show.

Hypocrite watch...

From the annals of being not surprised:

GOP opposes plan then seeks money

Billions of dollars worth of Defense Department stimulus money is paying for repairs and construction at military installations in areas represented by lawmakers who said "no" to the legislation, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

The DCCC has a new Hypocrisy Hall of Fame that details 32 Republicans who voted no, but say yes to the money:

The House Republicans' Hypocrisy Hall of Fame is getting jam-packed as even more Republicans - 32 and counting - are celebrating the benefits of President Obama's economic recovery bill and the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill in their districts even though they voted against it in Washington. 

More MSM Fail.  Not one lede on any of these stories locally in Georgia or in the MSM. 

Not Surprised

It was only a matter time before the Corporate Right-Wing funded Tea-Bagger movement to thuggishly disrupt Democratic town-hall meetings turned violent.  I fear, this is only the beginning.

Details at TPM.

"As the building filled to capacity, angry protesters stuck outside began to scream, yell, and chant," reports local TV channel 10 in Tampa. "At one point, those trying to get inside began banging on windows as Tampa Police officers quickly spread out guarding all entrances."

This is what happens when you incite the lowest common denominator to riot; they do.  Someone is going to get hurt.  Is there no one on the Right side of the aisle with decency or even some modicum of common sense?  And, where is the MSM's legitimate coverage?  Enough is enough.

Corporate censorship of our news

NY Times has the story here.

Over time, G.E. and the News Corporation concluded that the fighting “wasn’t good for either parent,” said an NBC employee with direct knowledge of the situation. But the session hosted by Mr. Rose provided an opportunity for a reconciliation, sealed with a handshake between Mr. Immelt and Mr. Murdoch.

A backroom deal that is attempting to silence FOX News' most vehement critic Keith Olberman.  I don't always agree with Olbermann but he has been a bellwether against the misinformation, lies, and racist hate speak that is Fox News, most specifically Bill O'Reilly.  Media Matters has 18 pages worth of Bill O's greatest hits and misrepresentations here.

Via Glenn Greenwald:

And now we have an example of GE's forcibly silencing the top-rated commentator on MSNBC -- ordering him not to hold Fox News accountable any longer -- because, in return, News Corp. has agreed to silence its own commentators from criticizing GE.  The corporations that own our largest news organizations have extensive relationships with the federal government.  Anyone (like Charlie Rose) who denies that those relationships influence how these news organizations "report" on the government -- driven by the desire which corporate executives have to avoid alienating the government officials on whom their corporate interests depend, or avoid alienating potential customer bases for their products -- is completely delusional.  GE's forcing Keith Olbermann to cease his criticism of Fox News and Bill O'Reilly is a clear and vivid example of how that works.

Let's see if Olbermann is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

The height of American journalism

This whole clusterfuck is exactly what is wrong with American journalism today.  They all work so hard to be pleased with each other, all the while 16% of adult Americans without health care, we are in two wars, there is pro-West revolution in Iran and 48% of Republicans think Obama might not be American.

Dana Milbank is the same guy who went after Nico Pitney for asking Barack Obama the toughest question of the press conference a few weeks ago.  The same Nico Pitney who live blogs the revolution in Iran tirelessly here.  Get a clue, dick.

This is dangerous

Let's look past the obvious; that these attacks are grounded in the fact that Conservatives just can't imagine a White House without a Conservative in it and that some percentage of the Conservative base is racist.

This is dangerously irresponsible and exactly how it started with Dr. Tiller.  He was vilified by Rush and the other Right Wing media outlets to the point of justifying his murder as civic duty to God and country.  They incited hatred in the lowest common denominator of their base to the point that something tragic happened.  Dr. Tiller is dead.

Where is the so called journalist wing of our media?  This isn't just being broadcast on FOX, its being played out on CNN as well.

The Republicans saving healthcare

Key up the overwhelming fear graphic and scary Star Wars music.

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The House GOP Solutions Group offers the Republican proposal. 

Well it's not exactly a proposal or a plan but "a broad outline" of what the plan might look like if Republicans were allowed the time to formulate a plan. 

Hrm, actually, its a well designed attack on the Democrats with the express purpose of slowing down actual reform.  The Republican proposal is of course, untenable, and pushes the actual cost of health insurance back onto the American people.  Under the Republican plan Americans without insurance (16% of Adult Americans) will be free to buy their own health insurance and for Americans who already have employer based health insurance, the Republicans want to call that income, and tax it.  For either senario Republicans offer $5700 per year towards the cause, while admitting health care costs more than double that.  

The real question is, are Republicans negotiating on health care reform in good faith or is this politics as usual at the expense of the American people?

The Media FAIL on Michael Jackson and Sarah Palin

One of my favorite football movies is Remember The Titans with Denzel Washington. His character Herman Boone has a great line that describes my current feeling towards the MSM:

I don't scratch my head unless it itches and I don't dance unless I hear some music.

I refuse to follow the bouncing ball or have CNN and MSNBC or The NY Times herd me like sheep through their attention deficit laden soundbites. Unfortunately, the rest of the country is watching in rapture. Subjects like Health Care, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, 10% Unemployment have all happily been buried deep. Who wants to see that depressing shit anyway, right? "The sum of the suggestions is the child's mind."

Coleman handles it well?

Marc Ambinder and his team seem to be angling for a gig over at Politico or FOX these day. This is what passes for crap over at The Atlantic these days:

The fact that he challenged the result for seven months probably won't help his future. During that time, he drew fire from liberals across the country for drawing the battle out in court, calling him a spoiler as they chomped at the bit for Democrats to get their 60th seat, sort of like a kid on Christmas morning, forced to wait for a Nintendo Wii. Americans United for Change actually placed a billboard along I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul blasting Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) for not certifying Franken ahead of the court's decision. But today, Coleman didn't look like the sore loser. In terms of demeanor, he handled himself pretty well--

He selfishly and single handedly prevented the good people of the state of Minnesota from their elected representation in the name of Republican obstructionism for 7 months and you guys call that handling it pretty well? I'd love to see what they call fucking shit up for no good reason.

Wishes All Eyes Were Focused on Iran

While the MSM plays follow the bouncing ball with the general populace young people in Iran are still being killed and kidnapped in the name of oppression. These deaths matter.

Joke of the week.

I think Fareed Zakaria GPS is one of the most educational and insightful news show on TV today. Anyone interested in the goings on outside of the United States should read his book and TIVO the show. That out of the way, nothing is perfect. One of his guests this weekend was Columbia University J School Dean Sree Sreenivasan who graced us with this brilliant exchange.

ZAKARIA: Sree, what strikes you about this? I mean, what I'm struck by is how -- the fact that you don't have that much coming out of television has meant that news organizations like CNN have to rely on people on the street, iReports, Twitter. SREE SREENIVASAN, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM SCHOOL: Right. And it's causing a lot of consternation within newsrooms, because they're not used to putting things on the air that they cannot verify 100 percent, or as close to that as possible.

The uselessness of the Ivy never ceases to amaze. Only 100 percent verifiable on air. Right. Clown.

Are we really that different?

Six months ago I posted a video from Jordan's Queen Rania called Your Three Words. It was then that I first started to realize that people really are the same everywhere. The people of the Middle East are not very different from us Americans. They love and work and laugh and cry and have families who love them back. This is the exasperating problem with combating racism. Its akin to narcotic drug addiction, at its core is a completely irrational elitism that can only be changed by the individual themselves. Unfortunately, the current state of American media and politics only serves to further feed the addiction. For as long as I can remember Middle Eastern people, Muslims and most specifically Iranians have been demonized by our culture. This didn't begin on 9/11. I was 10 when the Iran Hostage Crisis began. That's my first memory of fearing the dark and mysterious people of Iran. In this way the Iranian people have been caricatures, like Keyser Söze, used to inspire fear and loathing in Americans by our politicians and the media. We are taught at a very young age to fear what is different, and in return, we are controlled by it. Something extraordinary is happening in Iran today and it has a voice and it sounds beautiful.