Archive for the ‘Media’ Category
Thought For Today
February 18th, 2010
Each time the Olympics rolls around I ask myself the same question.
Why is it that many of these “news” folks and years gone by commentators relish pointing out the “failures” or missteps of these hard working, gifted athletes?
Win or lose it is befitting to congratulate all the athletes who compete in a venue which includes the best the world has to offer in their particular sport.
Just sayin…
Please, Do Not Disturb
August 31st, 2009
Position Available: President of The United States of America
Job Description: Will work four and one half days a week, when not traveling to foreign nations to explain away all of America’s sins. Czar hiring encouraged, as United States citizens don’t seem to have the intelligence to elect proper overseers of things governmental. Must have the ability to pass the buck and never accept responsibility for actions taken while POTUS.
Perks: Uninterrupted vacations are guaranteed. Absolute right to complete privacy when requested will be enforced. You will be protected from the free press at all cost. No negative reporting will be tolerated.
Does all of the above sound ridiculous?
So does this:
US President Barack Obama headed back to Washington Sunday after a week-long vacation on the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard, interrupted by a crush of outside events.
Despite a few rounds of golf and the odd spot of tourism with wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha, Obama did not get the relaxation he sought.
As your employer we should have understood that your job description calls for complete solitude while vacationing at the location of your choice:
Burton had said last week that the president had been looking for a news-free week on his first family holiday since taking office seven months ago.
But it did not turn out that way.
Obama called Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke to the island to nominate him for a second term on Tuesday. The announcement seemed partly timed to deflect attention from staggering new figures on the budget deficit.
Hours later, Obama was awoken in the early hours to learn that Kennedy had lost his battle with brain cancer.
There goes that job description.
We’re so sorry, therefore, please take another vacation immediately at our expense.
On Wednesday, the president will head off to his official Camp David retreat in Maryland for a four-day break — seeking the quiet that evaded him in the millionaires playground on the US east coast.
“He is looking to get a break from his vacation,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.
“I don’t think you can replicate such a terrific place as Martha’s Vineyard, but I do think that he’s looking to get some more rest and relaxation when he goes up there,” Burton said.
[all emphasis mine-admin]
As your employer, we promise there will be no pressing matters which will encroach on your rest and relaxation. [sarcasm-off]
Yes, every President is entitled to their time away from Washington. The job is a veritable pressure cooker as evidenced by the rapid aging of each man who has held the position.
The difference is that if any former president (D or R) would have had his people cry about time lost while vacationing due to pressing issues, the press would have had a field day with the information.
24-7, 365 days a year. That’s the actual job description of the President of the United States. If it’s not what one bargains for, then they should not apply.
While Others Falter, Fox News Network Keeps Rolling Along
August 25th, 2009
With numbers like these is it any wonder the White House attempts to discredit Fox News?
Last week’s cable rankings are in and it’s 33 weeks now that Fox News has been in the top five in primetime of all cable channels (#4 this time). They also finished in the top five for total day.
CNN and MSNBC’s rankings are noted at the link.
Guess that not so fair and balanced thing isn’t working out so well for them.
No Sir-ee, Us Common Folk Ain’t Able To Think For Ourselves No More
July 31st, 2009
That settles it.
Only Congress, the White House, and Andrea Mitchell “know what’s best for us.”
Ugh. I am thoroughly fed up with this administration, Congress and the press telling me how to think and what to feel. If I’m alone, so be it, but I doubt it.
Do you suppose these folks will be invited for a beer at the White House along with Senator Feinstein so they may better understand why we should all just bow down to those who are elected to serve us and their minions in the press?
Posted in Congress, Health Care, Media, Peace Protesters, Senator Feinstein, Senior Citizens | 
1 Comment »
Assign Blame, Take Heat, Call Sergeant, Regret Words. Wouldn’t It Have Been Easier To Simply Say, I’m Sorry? (Updated)
July 24th, 2009
If this were not so sad, it would be funny.
Is this the same press who have fawned over the man’s every word for what seems like an eternity? Or perhaps its the media which has lobbed him softball questions at all his prime time pressers?
It’s no surprise how quickly Obama threw them under the bus on this issue, as that is how he has conducted himself each and every time a subject got a bit to hot to handle.
Believable, genuine people, understand when they have made a mistake. They seek to make good by those they may have hurt through their words or actions. Not so in the case of this POTUS. Assigning blame and kicking the can down the road are his modus operandi.
Breaking: Via Reuters:
President Barack Obama said on Friday he should have chosen his words more carefully when he said police “acted stupidly” in arresting a prominent black Harvard scholar, touching off a debate over race.
Obama made his comments after talking on the telephone to Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police officer who made the arrest, and discussing inviting Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates to the White House for a beer.
“Because this has been ratcheting up and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, I wanted to make clear in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically,” Obama said. “And I could have calibrated those words differently.”
Still , no apology though, just , hey, I’m a nice guy..come on over for a beer, and perhaps a nice, neatly arranged photo op to prove all is well with the world.
Here’s the sixty four dollar question..would he have called Sergeant Crowley at all if the press (who for once held his feet to the fire, at least in some cases), had not made an issue out of his ludicrous statement? What say you?
Update: Video of Obama’s remarks and the following excerpt from Fox News Commentary available at Gateway Pundit:
President Obama stopped short of an apology to Sgt. James Crowley on Friday for saying he “acted stupidly” for arresting black Harvard scholar Henry Lewis Gates Jr., but said he should have chosen his words more carefully.
Read the rest at the link above.
If You Repeat The Lie Often Enough…Well You All Know The Drill
May 12th, 2009
It’s shameful that those in the entertainment business find it so easy to assign labels to those who are exercising their rights in protesting the spending binge on which the country is currently embarked.
Of course, no apologies needed as the real press (by their lack of condemnation of those like Ms. Garofalo,) will race to protect their right to speak their mind.
The powers of this woman must be phenomenal.
She obviously recognizes the racial undertones exuded by each and every individual who attended a tea party.
Wow. To be so all knowing must be a terrible curse.
A Bit Too Much Information?
May 3rd, 2009
The press had better be careful.
Soon they will be swimming in their own drool.
Read the story at the link and then consider this:
the next time the press pool is covering one of these “date nights” perhaps they could play a recording of this song as the stroll begins on the White House grounds:
This adoration thing is really becoming tiresome.
Hats Off To Lloyd Marcus
March 26th, 2009
Before you view the video below, please allow me to ask a simple question.
If these tea parties were taking place across America in protest of policies set forth by a Republican President exactly what do you think the news coverage would be like?
Here’s what I think: wall to wall television coverage, including interviews with anyone they could find who would talk down the administration. Front page newspaper coverage, complete with as many pictures as space would allow.
Talking heads informing Americans how dire the situation is in our country and how we must move to reform Washington before its too late..after all there is that image thing, you know.
What we hear now are crickets chirping..a smattering here or there which generally includes not much more than numbers in attendance pulled out of thin air. Local news stations might make mention of those who are peacefully executing their right to dissent, but only if they need a filler.
Thank goodness for the internet. It provides those of us who are not into thisworship phenomenon an outlet to not only read but express our views.
What these folks are organizing is what has made this country great.
Debate and dissent (peaceful) only creates more viable solutions for all of our citizens. I’d think these tea party folks deserve at least as much attention as Code Pink or say, Cindy Sheehan, don’t you?
It is guaranteed if Lloyd Marcus had performed the following, and the administration in Washington was controlled by one with an (R) after his/her name, it would have been the closing for every evening newscast for as long as they could milk it:
The lopsidedness of our media is turning many away from politics altogether. How is it that so much that was so bad for eight years is now the best thing since rye bread?
Can they justify never vetting the man who now sits in the Oval Office?
Sure they can, after all, they are the media and they believe they do no more than regurgitate the true feelings of our citizens.
Funny, I know a lot of people who were never asked.
Posted in Accountability, Bailout, Barack Obama, Debate, Dissent, Media, Media Bias, Protests, Tea Parties |
7 Comments »
Sleight Of Hand
March 9th, 2009
The magicians Penn and Teller have been known to, as part of their act, explain sleight of hand while demonstrating it with a performance by Teller, appearing to merely dispose of an old cigarette and light a new cigarette. Teller is, in fact, simply hiding and replacing the same cigarette without ever putting it out. While Teller performs, Penn describes what he is doing, and explains the seven principles of Sleight of Hand.[7]
1. Palm – To hold an object in an apparently empty hand.
2. Ditch – To secretly dispose of an unneeded object.
3. Steal – To secretly obtain a needed object.
4. Load – To secretly move an object to where it is needed.
5. Simulation – To give the impression that something that has not happened, has.
6. Misdirection – To lead attention away from a secret move.
7. Switch – To secretly exchange one object for another.
The technique above is used only for entertainment right?
Wrong. It appears the Obama administration has mastered the art:
So – if you take a Brigade scheduled to go to Iraq and schedule it to go to Afghanistan instead, then make headlines for drawing down Iraq and building up Afghanistan, could you pull off substituting another Brigade into the Iraq rotation for the one you diverted without anyone in the media pointing out that your drawdown is a scam, a hoax on the American public?
Follow the link Greyhawk provides in the above linked post.
You’ll find that numbers two through six in the principles of Sleight of Hand are very applicable.
Losers: Government and the Media – Winners: Small Business, Family and Friends
February 25th, 2009
Good Question.
We Media/Zogby Poll: Who will lead us to a better future?
Now for some not so surprising answers:
MIAMI – Most Americans are putting their faith in small business owners, entrepreneurs and science and technology leaders to lead the U.S. to a better future – and they are significantly less hopeful the news media, government or large corporations will do the same, a new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll shows.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) said small business and entrepreneurs will lead the U.S. to a better future, while 52% said the same of science and technology leaders. Americans are far less optimistic about the leadership of government (31%), large corporations and business leaders (21%), or traditional news media such as newspapers, television, radio, and magazines (13%).
Americans think leadership toward a better future is more likely to come from family and friends (38%), non-profit groups (32%), or even themselves (36%).
About all those news organizations who are having a tough time holding it together lately? How about these numbers:
Nearly half of Americans (46%) said they first turn to Internet news sites for information on breaking news about national and government issues and nearly as many (40%) said online news sites are where they get most of their news and information. These online sites far outpace traditional news sources, such as television (25%), radio (14%), and newspapers (12%), as a source of daily news and information. It comes as no surprise that younger Americans are most likely to favor online news sources, but only those age 65 and older are more likely to turn to television (36%) over the Internet (29%) to get their news.
all emphasis-mine
Maybe, just maybe if the majority of the media in this country were not so biased, those willing to view or purchase their product would increase.
It would be encouraging to believe that the results garnered by Zogby in this survey are from a cross-section of the country.
If that is the case then maybe, just maybe, we can turn the corner quickly and stop putting our faith and hope in changing our country as those in the press and Washington wish us to do.
Let’s put our faith and hope back in the hands of Americans who believe that with hard work and determination we will remain the strong, vital nation which we have always been.
HT:Instapundit
If you have a few minutes you might also want to check out this post:
I missed the speech last night. I could not stomach listening to someone promise everything in the world as if he had a magic wand. It is not so much the wild, fantasy promises – but the fact Americans are buying them that really turns me off.
Anyway, I am not sure how well this is all going over. I don’t believe in the tooth fairy and I know that all those TV shows and movies where they pull a hat out of a rabbit is not real life. And I think (though I cannot know for sure) most people are realistic enough to know when they are being snowed.
Well said!
Tuesday Tid-Bits
February 24th, 2009
The Anchoress misses former President Bush. Me too.
The man was always true to his word. No double talk, no constant campaigning – just words from the heart. Whether one agreed or disagreed with his policies,you knew where he stood.
We should all expect at least that much from the leader of the free world.
Below is an excerpt from an interview Alan Colmes conducted with Bill Ayers:
On setting bombs as part of the Weather Underground:
“I don’t regret anything I did it to oppose the war. It was — I did it to oppose the war. I don’t regret it.”
“I don’t look back on those things and regret them, but I’m willing to rethink them. And there are many things which I’m going to rethink.”
Ah, the company the current administration in Washington has chosen to keep.
Taking of life or property in acts of domestic terrorism is nothing to regret..not even a cause for remorse. It must be nice to live in that world.
The more I read about this man the more I believe he should have a strong leadership role for the GOP in the Senate:
Jim DeMint’s gentlemanly air and refined tone belie a power and an urgency in his words.
The stately senator from South Carolina sees America’s unique centuries-old system of freedom dying out.
And he thinks we may have to take to the streets to save it.
“I would think it’s time to start thinking about peaceful demonstrations,” he told us last week.
Seriously?
“Seriously.
“The power of the people is there. Freedom is in the people’s hands right now, and it’s about to slip through.”
Of course, the recent “stimulus” debate is what’s fresh on DeMint’s mind. Despite DeMint’s putting 15 aides on it overnight, no one in Washington was able to read the bill, which was the most expensive in American history — as well as being perhaps the most irresponsible.
emphasis-mine
About those demonstrations..the ball is rolling.
How long the momentum lasts or the numbers involved is anyone’s guess, but if things continue in the vein of the past month, one might think it would be a long time and many Americans.
Are the tears of joy turning to a bit of anger? Gee, that didn’t take long.
While reading and posting tonight hubby was watching a special on Fats Domino.
Thought I’d close this post with one of his best.
Military “News”
February 11th, 2009
I’ve been AWOL recently in posting about or linking to material regarding the United States Military.
Think it’s time to get back in the water by offering the following links for you to peruse:
Embedded in this post at Blackfive is a video well worth watching. [Language caution, although not throughout.]
I’ll share the final paragraph of the post as it might provide you a bit of insight into the subject matter:
Our military is not a tool to be used to further your political goals. I assume that is starting to sink in, and you still have to make the tough decisions. So man up sir, make the call and then prepare to stand by it. We’ll see if the sign over your desk comes down.
Two very stirring pieces are available at Mudville Gazete. The first is a touching thank you to our troops:
CAMP LIBERTY — A new symbol of freedom and appreciation now greets Soldiers and visitors to the headquarters of Multi-National Division – Baghdad, after an unveiling ceremony in front of division headquarters here, Feb. 5.
Dr. Muayad Muslin Hamid al-Jaburri, an influential Iraqi cardiologist and humanitarian, donated the gold eagle-head statue to all the Soldiers of MND-B in admiration for their sacrifices while working to make Baghdad a safer place to live.
“The Eagle represents a little bit of mixed culture, knowing how important the eagle means to Americans and knowing that in the Arabic culture we have been putting eagles on top of the castles for thousands of years to show power and protection,” said Jaburri.
A photo of the statue is available at the link.
The other must be read in its entirety to be appreciated, therefore I will offer no excerpts.
This post will touch your heart as it is a guest piece from a Gold Star Father.
One thing is for certain. I respect and admire Mr. Stokley’s position on media hounds being present when the remains of a fallen member of the US military arrives home.
These families deserve private moments with their loved ones as any civilian does. Exploiting a death for media or political gain is nothing short of despicable.
“We gather strength from sadness and from pain Each time we die we learn to live again.” – Source Unknown
Please take a few minutes to read the links offered above and maybe take a few minutes to remember those who are still engaged in the difficult work of maintaining our National Security in places far from home. Thanks.
Posted in Afghanistan, America, Barack Obama, Iraq, Journalists, Loved Ones, Media, Our Military |
Comments Closed
A Pertinent Question With No Easy Answer
February 9th, 2009
It’s hard to disagree with Ms. Phillips:
Tax cheats, pork-barrel politics, ancillary child abuse, incompetence, chaos, treachery and infantilism. America – what have you done?!
Cutting Off The Hand That Feeds You
February 6th, 2009
Imagine if you will, any other administration having a Press Secretary who informs a reporter that their question is virtually insignificant, (in a very arrogant fashion I might add):
You could hear the murmur of support for Jake Tapper.
Now maybe to continue to cover their own rears for pushing this man into the Presidency those in the briefing room will continue to allow this condescending attitude.
The question is, for how long?
Oh, and by the way, the question was pertinent don’t you think?
The New “Stimulus” Package and Other Thoughts
January 27th, 2009
The House Democrats and some weak-kneed Republicans will go along, have written a new stimulus package that doesn’t seem to stimulate the economy all that much unless you think free contraceptives creates jobs.
Parts of the new stimulus bill include new sod for the Washington Mall. Yeah, I guess it got torn up pretty good during the inauguration and is incapable of rejuvenating itself with some new seed and fertilizer. So they have earmarked a million or so dollars to put in new sod to be trod upon by visitors in the spring and summer.
And let’s not forget extra money for the arts. Goodness knows we couldn’t live without seeing the Virgin Mary dipped in urine or spread with feces. Or how about the “artist” who can make feces from scratch using a machine. Yep, we need to keep funding that sort of thing. It will bring a lot of jobs. Sarcasm off.
There is plenty of pork to go around because they had a big barbecue and have a lot of leftovers.
The thing that bothers me a lot is they want to cut payroll taxes so those who pay no income taxes will get a tax cut.
What about the rest of us who are retired and no longer subject to payroll taxes, but are subject to the same income taxes everyone else is?
The biggest problem with cutting payroll taxes is the tremendous amount of people who are now or soon to be unemployed and won’t have payroll taxes anyway.
Why do Democrats always have an aversion to cutting income taxes? Yes, we are in uncharted waters, but tax cuts should be a large part of a stimulus package so people can hold onto what little money they have. It will put money into the economy immediately, and Congress can take the time necessary to put forth a considered bill without the pork. We can’t afford spam now, let alone pork. Republicans and Democrats, alike, need to get this through their thick skulls.
Now we get word that our new president has granted his first interview since taking office and the lucky news organization to get the “get” is Al-Arabia.
I think Israel might be getting the jitters, and I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on if he can’t grant an interview with an American news source, even the fawning press who love him would work, instead of his first interview with an Arab audience.
When asked a simple question by Politico last week about why he was hiring a lobbyist for the Defense Department the president got irritated and said something to the effect of “See, this is what happens. I come down here to visit with you and you ask questions.” Umm, they are the press and it is their job to ask questions, though some as fluffier ones than Politico did.
Oy vey!
Posted in Barack Obama, Economic Stimulus for the Common People, Media, Media Bias |
Comments Closed
Tuesday Tid-Bits
January 27th, 2009
These artistic renditions at Mother, May I Sleep With Treacher? are very clever. Keep scrolling here for more.
Perhaps I simply missed the coverage of this (I say tongue in cheek):
On Thursday, I went to visit [my sister] at her new house in West Virginia. I changed trains in DC and had about 1/1/2 hours to kill. I walked outside Union Station and found myself in the middle of a massive right-to-life demonstration. The area around the Capitol was jammed with about a half million people. I saw crowds of Catholic clergy and lay people. But, not a TV camera or journalist with a notepad in sight.
Erick Erickson reports on the state of the race for RNC Chairman:
We can be pretty sure right now that at the end of the week we won’t see Blackwell or Saltsman in the Chairman’s office. As the week goes on and more shifts in voting occur, I’ll try to update with where things stand. Today though, pay attention to Duncan and Steele.
The most we can hope for at this point is that when the new chairman is selected he understands that Democrats are in constant campaign mode. Not only do the Republicans need to play catch up, they need to begin recruiting candidates who are willing to stand up to those in opposition and have the desire to win.
Karl Rove is still making people cry.
A fable turned reality?
Now the media are utterly dependent on President Obama’s good will because they sacrificed so much — their independence, their objectivity — to get him elected. The only way for the media to reassert their independence would be by subjecting Obama to the same level of scrutiny that used to characterize the status quo relationship between the press and the government. I’m not sure they can muster the credibility for such a bold move: too many people’s eyes have been opened to the gross malpractice the press has committed during the campaign — the mainstream media’s love-fest around candidate Obama.
Read the rest. It’s a very appropriate comparison.
Posted in Abortion, Art, Barack Obama, Double Standards, Karl Rove, Media, Media Bias, Politics, RNC |
1 Comment »
Andrea Mitchell Makes A Funny
January 9th, 2009
After all the Bush bashing, all the venom spewed at the Right in recent years , Ms. Mitchell has decided we should just all get along:
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell appeared on the PBS show Charlie Rose on Wednesday night, and discussed what aroused her political zones. Rose clumsily asked which story “turns you on,” and naturally, Mitchell said “this young president” with a globe-traveling upbringing and his team of “meritocracy,” an “extraordinary group of very large figures,” stars who will resolve today’s crises.
Mitchell decried the idea that new media would trouble the President’s first days: “I guess my passion is for something to happen to fix these problems and for dialing down of all of the sharp criticism that we have on cable talk, on talk radio, from the, you know….the blogosphere. I just wish that we could find something in the center that would be bipartisan and would be productive and constructive.”
(emphasis-mine)
Funny, she never wanted to find anything in the middle or bipartisan over the past few years.
I am not implying that working together is a bad thing. It would be terrific if those in Washington could put their differences aside and promote legislation beneficial to the citizens of the United States. As a matter of fact, many of us plain old folk have been asking for just that for some time now.
How hypocritical of Ms. Mitchell. I guess she was asleep when President Bush attempted on more than one occasion to work with those across the aisle.
I wasn’t kidding..it’s so sad to see these folks make fools of themselves..so sad it’s almost funny.
Honesty Is Always The Best Policy (Updated)
January 5th, 2009
Ann Coulter has been banned for life by NBC.
Will this honesty cost them viewers? Who knows.
But one network insider claims it was the book’s theme — a brutal examination of liberal bias in the new era — that got executives to dis-invite the controversialist.
“We are just not interested in anyone so highly critical of President-elect Obama, right now,” a TODAY insider reveals. “It’s such a downer. It’s just not the time, and it’s not what our audience wants, either.” (emphasis-mine)
I’m no Ann Coulter fan but I do feel she has her right to express her opinion. She is a bit to the extreme but so is Keith Olberman (who chose to tell a sitting President to “shut the hell up” and NBC offered no apology or reprimand.)
Did any major network at any time object to those who called the current sitting President a liar or Hitler? Hmmm..don’t think so.
Like I said in a previous post..not the America I know.
*(Update) NBC is denying this story. I’ll let you be the judge based on their own words.
Time will tell which story is correct, but if I were a betting person, well I’d probably go with Drudge on this one.
More thoughts on this denial at Hot Air.
(Update 2) Honesty really is always the best policy but this story has now gained so many legs that it is tough to follow..
If Fox News Goes Soft..What’s Left?
November 7th, 2008
If this report is factual then it is a sad day for journalism but a much sadder day for our country:
Confirming the worst fears of millions of dedicated fans, the Fox News Channel really has gone soft on Obama. That’s at a time when viewers are counting on it to remain a key opposition voice during a disturbing political shift away from freedom and prosperity.
According to columnists Rush & Malloy of the New York Daily News, Fox has issued a chilling edict to its hosts that they must cease criticism of Obama for the near future:
“Fox News boss Roger Ailes doesn’t want to spoil Barack Obama’s political honeymoon, we hear. A source says Ailes has told prime-time hosts Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren to lay off the President-elect – at least for a while. “We’re not going to have any personal attacks on Obama,” a network insider says. “The public has spoken – we must treat him with respect.”
This confirms an almost-identical account your Radio Equalizer was given Wednesday evening from a key source. That person contends the order came from the top: Rupert Murdoch himself.
“Personal attacks”, by the way, can be construed to mean any criticism of Barack Obama whatsoever.
The reason? News Corporation is bracing for potentially-vindictive actions by Obama’s incoming thugocracy, especially regarding dual station / newspaper ownership rules and apparently seeks to placate the Dear Leader, hoping he will be merciful.
Did 2000 and 2004 allow for any honeymoon for President Bush? Not that I can recall. Should Fox choose to go this route then all I can say is shame on them.
Governor Schwarzenegger…He Lays Out The Real Deal..You Decide
October 31st, 2008
HT: Ace
Sensible Talk When It Comes To The Media
October 31st, 2008
Governor Palin on the effects the media has had on the Presidential election:
“If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.”
Sad, but true.
You Have To Pay To Play
October 21st, 2008
The Obama campaign should be paying the media on election night should he win…not the other way around:
WASHINGTON—The Obama campaign is putting a hefty price tag on the best camera and reporting positions for news organizations covering Barack Obama’s outdoor election night activities in downtown Chicago. If a reporter wants access to the file center–which will be the best place to find Obama officials and spokesmen–be prepared to write a check for $935. The cheapest place a reporter could stand on a riser with a view is $880.
That $935 covers one reporter in a heated file tent, power, cable tv, internet and food. I am told by an Obama spokesman who did not want his name used that this just covers costs and they are not turning a profit on this. The planners could have built in more al a carte options for Grant Park coverage.
This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets.
I am not asking for a free ride–but this is pricey and does not take into account some reporters won’t need power, cable, internet or food but will crave the access more than the food. As I was talking to this unnamed spokesman about this enormously expensive set-up, he did say–that a news outlet could rotate people in and out of the tent on that one credential. Great.
A general media area will be created where a reporter could watch for free, but the set-up is separate, unequal and clearly second class when it comes to getting top access to campaign people.
Via:Drudge
Fact vs. Fiction
October 15th, 2008
The “best tested negative ad of the campaign” or the simple truth resonating with voters?
I choose to believe the electorate can reason things out for themselves if they are provided truthful information.
The problem in this campaign is gaining traction as it applies to honest commentary and debate.
Will we have the first President of the United States elected who is under scrutinized other than by those on the Right and taken at face value due to consistent favorable media coverage? Could be.
Children are Sacred..Period!
September 30th, 2008
There are two things I abhor in any election. Any exploitation of children and of our military is off limits in my book.
This video crosses a line which should concern all who will soon be electing our next President. Should Barack Obama be the majority choice it is one I know I will not soon forget.
I don’t care to hear the excuse that his campaign did not produce it, they have to power to have it pulled at any given moment.
I’ve read much of what has been written today on this topic but the one post which I would like to share is the following from Roger Simon:
Watching this video has disturbed me more than almost anything I have seen in recent years. It is the kind of exploitation of children that reminds me of Young Pioneer Camps I saw when visiting the Soviet Union in the Eighties. You could say, as some have, that this is much like what happens with children in churches and synagogues across America, but this is about a political figure – one of two current presidential candidates and the one leading in the polls. The Drudge headline references the “Dear Leader.†Quite apt. Here for you edification are the words of the people who saw fit to put this together (there’s more at the link):
Also writing on this topic:
The Anchoress
Ace
Confederate Yankee who tells us what should come as no surprise:
Here’s a partial list of those who helped produce this “grassroots” effort:
* Jeff Zucker — American television executive, and President & CEO of NBC Universal.
* Post-producer (former choreographer?) Holly Shiffer.
* Motion picture camera operator/steadicam specialist Peter Rosenfeld (appropriately enough, worked in “Yes Man,” a movie about ” a guy challenges himself to say ‘yes’ to everything for an entire year.”
* Darin Moran, another motion picture industry professional, who just finished filming — how appropriate — Land of the Lost.
* Andy Blumenthal, Hollywood film editor.
I’d like to think Senator Obama would call for these videos to be taken down but I won’t hold my breath. Using children in a manner such as this is reminiscent of far too many not so pleasant events in history. Anything to feel adored and whatever it takes to win. Pathetic.
When You Least Expect It…(Updated)
September 22nd, 2008
At a rally today in Scranton, Pa. a supporter tells John McCain of her pleasure in his selection of Governor Palin as his running mate.
Better yet, she takes on the press situated in the room:
Boy do I wish they would have had an answer to that one!
Update: Video of Senator McCain and Sarah Palin in Media, Pennsylvania today.
I had to forfeit my tickets to this event due to other obligations but after seeing this I really regret not being able to be there.
I have not seen the figures of those in attendance as of yet but I do know the original 15,000 tickets were gone yesterday by 4pm. It is my understanding that there were many who were issued another form of admittance.
I’m sure this is an event those living in Media will not soon forget.
In Their Own Words
September 18th, 2008
Natural disasters used as political footballs. Never!
Oh, but wait, yes they are says Ed Driscoll:
Just telling it like it is.
What If…..?
September 17th, 2008
CNN “critiques” President Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address.
Make sure to scroll down and read the views of the “special guests.”
Just think of how history might have been altered..and I fear not for the better.
The Palin/Gibson Transcript
September 16th, 2008
I have finally found a place that shows the full transcript of the Palin/Gibson interview. Go to the link and see how heavily and selectively this interview was edited. It will make your eyes pop open.
Thanks to Mark Levin for providing the transcript. I’m only sorry there is no place for us to track back to his work.
