I'd love to hear more from Matt about what he said.
Semblance |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:31 pm | #
Froth.
Has anyone seen this? The lead prosecutor in the Abramoff case, Noel Hillman, has been reassigned.
jurassicpork |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:31 pm | #
Matt just said it was really funny what a weird, rarified world they live in -- it's like this giant bubble. Sounded like a bunch of white suburban Bobos terrified that the darkies are moving in (my description, not Matt's.)
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:34 pm | #
Oh and emptywheel is already over at Kos raving about the diary, you really need to go over and check it out. It's amazing.
And work that recommend button, it needs to be seen.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:35 pm | #
Please, let's not let up on the Phone calls to all Dems to vote no on cloture (or even just vote present)
Leaving those willing to take a stand alobe would be extremely selfish and possibly damaging.
Let Salazar, Landrieu, Byrd etc know how important this is to stand together.
Vote no on cloture.
Urban Pirate |
01.27.06 - 7:38 pm | #
Finally a few facts about the behind-the-scenes actors in the Democratic Party White Flag Contingent... I hope this will help to effectively apply some pressure on the Senators who really need it (e.g. Mikulski), as this sounds like a pretty good recap of the "inside game" of the Democratic Caucus this week. It's an AP story from Forbes.com, via Raw Story. Here's an excerpt:
"...Democrats have been arguing for several days whether to attempt a filibuster designed to keep Alito off the bench, according to officials familiar with the deliberations.
These officials said both Reid and Schumer of New York, who heads the party's effort to gain Senate seats in 2006, have stressed the drawbacks. Among them were the certainty of defeat, the impression of political weakness that would convey and the potential impact on candidates on the ballot in 2006 in Republican-leaning states. Both men oppose Alito's confirmation.
Israel Klein, Schumer's spokesman, said late in the day Friday that the New York senator "has privately expressed some concerns about how to move forward procedurally, but he strongly opposes Judge Alito's nomination and would support any attempts to keep him off the Supreme Court."
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, sided with Kennedy, Kerry and others, contending Alito's record was troubling enough to warrant a filibuster, and that in political terms, core Democratic voters would be energized by a last-ditch stand.
Among the rank and file, there was opposition to a filibuster from several lawmakers, including liberal Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and North Dakota's Kent Conrad, a moderate who is on the ballot this fall in a Republican state.
Democratic officials said Mikulski had said during this week's closed-door caucus that the 2006 and 2008 elections were more important than a symbolic last stand that would fail to prevent Alito's confirmation. Her spokesman declined comment.
The officials who described the comments did so on condition of anonymity, citing the private nature of the discussions.
In an interview, Conrad said that in remarks to fellow Democrats at the caucus, he outlined several factors. These included Alito's strong backing from the American Bar Association, his uncontested confirmation 15 years ago to the appeals court, public opinion polls and the fact that Republicans had voted overwhelmingly to confirm Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer when President Clinton nominated them.
"So I put that all together and I find it makes it hard to justify a filibuster," Conrad said..."
I have to say it's a damn shame Dick Durbin isn't leading this party right now. The incomprehensible hesitation on Reid's part reveals the same poor thinking that led him to oppose Howard Dean's run for DNC Chair. And the arguments Conrad and others make are SO weak [besides parroting ONE-SIDED Republican talking points], in the face of the obvious THREAT posed by Alito, that it's hard to know where to begin. [Why would you RISK it (ALL), Conrad, if you can't be SURE of the man's integrity? The "certainty of defeat"?!! Where do they get that, if they haven't even BEGUN to fight, and they are nevertheless only a handful of votes away from WINNING A MAJOR, MAJOR BATTLE on behalf of our CONSTITUTION??!! Schumer thinks that's an unpopular cause these days?! REALLY poor thinking exhibited here by these "top" Senators. Do they have any original thoughts at all on this...? Etc.]
But at least we know a little more about what the thinking is, and who the key players are. [Mikulski? PLEASE. And for the record, Reid and Schumer, et al: Dick Durbin IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT ABOUT THIS. Why don't you try listening to him for a change?]
Mrs. K8 | 01.27.06 - 6:31 pm - note left at end of last thread
dubhaltach |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:45 pm | #
The Post is irrelevant now. They did it to themselves. Poor bastards.
california_reality_check |
01.27.06 - 7:46 pm | #
"The Post is irrelevant now." Except for Froomkin.
Marysz |
01.27.06 - 7:49 pm | #
Yes we love Froomkin. He should be running the joint. The only one with half a clue over there.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:50 pm | #
everhopeful | 01.27.06 - 7:41 pm |
Well done.
I think everyone knows what to do here. Give it your best shot.
Chances are...Mr. McCormick takes this part of his job seriously.
T- |
01.27.06 - 7:51 pm | #
Sorry I just realized I didn't put up the Hotline Blogometer link. It's up now. The whole story is pretty funny.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:54 pm | #
That is a great diary.
For some time I have been distressed by the extreme partisanship of the media. No, that's not entirely accurate. What has distressed me is not the partisanship so much as the inaccuracy to the point of deliebrately misleading the public for the sake of that partisanship. I mean, I am partisan, but I do not falsify information and, when "my team" commits a foul, I will say it without hesitation. Furthermore, I have never been afraid to admit I was wrong. Increasingly, on the other hand, I find traditional media, or Big Media, lying, cheating, misleading, failing to disclose their financial or personal interests or activities where it affects stories on which they report (Chris Matthews helped raise money for a Jack Abramoff front group that pretended to be a charity--Matthews did not say anything about this on his program). The Post blogging flap is more of the same.
So, as I am often asked, what do I propose to do to solve the problem. Well, I do not propose to pretend that any media organization in the country cares about integrity or accuracy as much as it does about proft. On the other hand, I do care about integrity and accuracy more than I care about proft, and I think most progressive bloggers are the same way. So I propose that we continue to do what we have been doing. Blogging has risen to challenge traditional media in a variety of ways, both directly at forums such as Jane has attended as well as in reporting original material and stepping into traditional media roles. We are fortunate in that, ten years ago even, no technology existed for so many people to become their own media organizations so cheaply and easily. The advent of free blogging allows us to be citizen journalists as well as pundits. The invention of things like the iRiver that I just got, a teensy device that can record over an hour of voice, enables people like myself to walk around ith a recording studio in our pockets. That is significant because it means I can now do interviews and produce podcasts and reach an audience with original information. The only piece missing is access.
Tomorrow afternoon I will be interviewing Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ-12) at his home in New Jersey, recording a half-hour of voice on this little bitty iRiver gizmo. That will be turned into a podcast available from Bluejersey.net. I have become atrue citizen journalist, benefitted by the congressman's fondness for technology and the fact that, when it comes to this new media, this particular representative "gets it" (to quote Matt Stoler about the congressman). If you want that access, as it turns out, all you really need to do is ask and you might just get it yourself. Here I am with no background in journalism beyond a high school class and my blogging experiences and suddenly I am going to do a live interview.
That's what we who care about the truth, about integrity, and mostly about America need to do, as citizens and patriots. We have to take back the media by becoming the media so that we are the ones who inform the country and not journalists who eat, drink, and make merry so often with those they are supposed to observe and analyze.
There was a book about baseball years ago, I can't remember which one it was. I think it was The Boys of Summer. Might have been that book about the 1949 season and the Yankees and Red Sox. Anyway, and here I am going to remember the quote badly but the meaning perfectly, the author quoted Joe DiMaggio as saying, "Look at them," referring to reporters standing nearby, "I can buy any one of them for a $5 steak and a bottle of wine." That is something that hasn't changed, but we are the ones who have the capability of changing it by capturing the media for ourselves. Web logging, podcasts, these things have become significant in a very short time and are only going to become bigger. The media isn't scared yet because it does live in a bubble, as Stoller also wrote recently, and because they are arrogant beyond measure. What they need to remember is to ask not for whom the bell tolls.
DBK |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:55 pm | #
Froomkin is vital for the Dot Com side of the Post. Brady admitted on some interview that he is the most read 'original material' of wapo.com ...
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 7:57 pm | #
DBK -- nice
Wilson46201 -- if they didn't need Froomkin more than he needs them there's no way he'd be able to say what he's saying.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:03 pm | #
Jane, Did you see "pool boy" is trying to get his little mind around what happened?
The only part I forgot to mention (it was plenty long enough) is that as soon as blogging and so on become profitable enough for a lucky few, those few are guaranteed to be coopted and corrupted like the rest of those bastards for whom we now express contempt. Well, they deserve the contempt and, eventually, so will the lucky few. That's the wheel of life and death for ya. Eternal vigilence is the price of liberty.
DBK |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:09 pm | #
Jane,
From your last article ombudsman there's another word very like it embedsman it means an official, civil servant, public officer. It has a connotation of somebody who just does what they're told in ordinary conversation. So I would say "fandme embedsman" like you would "Godamned bureaucrat"
Maybe you might be able to work that in the next time some ombudsman pisses you off *G*
(It means the same in all the Nordic languages Dansk, Svensk, and Norsk btw.)
pow wow - thanks for the update on the white flag contingent... time to get after Reid in particular.
OldCoastie |
01.27.06 - 8:14 pm | #
jane: And work that recommend button, it needs to be seen.
Where in the hell is the recommend button?
Riesz Fischer |
01.27.06 - 8:18 pm | #
DBK,
"The only part I forgot to mention (it was plenty long enough) is that as soon as blogging and so on become profitable enough for a lucky few, those few are guaranteed to be coopted and corrupted like the rest of those bastards for whom we now express contempt."
Yes, but in the blog format, credibility rules. Too many choices are just a click away. Wonkett is a prime example that it looks like (done). Then there's the issue of interactivity. Those that have it, get it. Those that don't, don't and won't.
Cozumel |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:20 pm | #
annburns - thanks for the link!
Jane - every once in a while I stop and shake my head - after about 10 years of political discussions about our inability to get heard or to get even minimal media coverage of a variety of resistance efforts, you have made it happen. I know that it's a collaborative effort with folks like Digby with their blogs and our great gang of folks commenting here - but I really think that it's your spirited stands and willingness to provide a feisty woman's voice that has changed the energy. Amazingly good work!
siun |
01.27.06 - 8:22 pm | #
Jukeboxgrad is a tech guy?
But he can spell, use grammatical sentences, and write properly.
annxburns -- that's hilarious! Pool boy did pretty good. Except a) nobody was into that Murtha thing, it got like 49 comments over at DU, and b) once again they manage to do an article about something without ever actually interviewing anyone who was involved. Except Arianna, but she was just more after-the-fact bemoaning the idea of the Dems choosing Kaine.
But hey, sounds like he's stopping by anyway.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:25 pm | #
siun -- I'm just a bit dumber than the rest. Sometimes it pays not to have too much common sense.
jane hamsher |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:28 pm | #
always here to completely throw water on the fun with a nit to pick, but i think the german battleship was spelled with an 's', not a 'z' (and google tells me, there's a 'c' in there somewhere, too)!
skippy |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 8:31 pm | #
All of the major Dem candidates during the primaries had blogs, obviously starting with Dean - and clearly they changed the way successful campaigns are conducted. I'm glad to see that Kerry learned a lot from the experience of maintaining a blog throughout the Presidential campaign and understands the importance of responding to grassroots efforts.
_______________
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
(snip)
"John Kerry is beginning to bring the traditional Democratic leadership in Washington together with the untraditional netroots activists of the country," James Boyce wrote on the Huffington Post. "A man often accused of being the ultimate Washington insider looked outside of the beltway and saw the concern, in fact, the distress among literally millions of online Democrats."
Other Democrats, Boyce wrote, "triangulated, fabricated, postulated and capitulated."
dab |
01.27.06 - 8:32 pm | #
Bill Nelson (FL) SAYS HE IS NOT HEARING FROM ENOUGH CONSTITUENTS! DC Phone: 202-224-5274 . He is hearing from tons of right-wingers who are saying that he should not filibuster!
dab |
01.27.06 - 8:41 pm | #
Re "recommend button', Jane was referring to the recommend button on DKos site for the diary re the Post's deleted comments.
The Rec button on that site is on the right side, under the site directory a bit. I believe one has to be registered to recommend.
GrandmaJ |
01.27.06 - 8:45 pm | #
what the fuck is there to really lose from a filibuster???? demz with no ballz are just as bad as the re-pugz. c'mon.
notimetowaste |
01.27.06 - 8:50 pm | #
DBK-
Inspired words/actions, thanks.
The revolution starts...NOW - Steve Earle
T- |
01.27.06 - 8:51 pm | #
Don't you ever stop and wonder if they are just deliberately trying to fish for reads? Baiting?
While I can't afford to indulge in what I did last weekend (in lieu of WP, NYT et al I opted for Assassins Gate - interesting book & State of War) I just am losing interest.
Who was "against" Kaine because he talks about religion? Not me - I'm a died in the wool Methodist. Just because I believe mission is my work, not something I get to co-opt to the gov and then "get credit for" on down the line, doesn't mean I don't like some some religion.
Here's something from my church and I am more than happy to incorporate it into my religious outlook:
We would do well to remember the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims—laws that make misery for the poor, that rob my destitute people of dignity, exploiting defenseless widows, taking advantage of homeless children.”
The thing is - I don't need Tim Kaine to preach to me though. I need someone who will dig in and address the issues that face the nation and a newbie Gov from VA doesn't seem to me to be the best choice to address the national issues.
It's like having Ernie Fletcher give the SOTU for Bush as a fill in.
Silly, not "oh my stars, he won't be lefty enough for me."
I have to be well to the right of many of you on a lot of issues, but where I am to the left - it is mostly because of my religion and "centering" it into some false pro-war mold will make me smoke from the ears way more than if a secular humanist tried to sell the same snake oil without scripture.
I think maybe Van de Hei may not really be a New Testament Christian bc if he were he would understand this much - the Republican Christian's are the Pharisees and the Democratic Christians (of which there are more than a few) are the ones following that radical anti-war anti-poverty extremist who turned the Zealots down on their offer of war in his name.
OK -maybe too much religion from me, but I get very upset when someone like JVDH wants to tell *me* how much *I* don't want religion in my life.
Call Bush and Cheney and ask them just WHERE THEIR CHURCH stands on the issue of Iraq, Jim.
They both claimed to be Methodist once upon a time too.
Mary |
01.27.06 - 8:52 pm | #
In order to recommend at Daily Kos you have to be a member.
If you are already a member (which reminds me of that old National Lampoon ad of a hotdog holding a piece of mail that said "You may already be a weiner") you'll find the recommend button on the right hand column, if you are logged in.
Bionic |
01.27.06 - 8:52 pm | #
One point on Jukeboxgrad's post.
Brady was on the News Hour(think C&Ls has it), and claimed that the obscenity
filter was NOT working at the time he shut down the blog. Therefore any obscenity that got posted was there for anyone to see. Assuming he wasn't lying about that
topu |
01.27.06 - 8:53 pm | #
dab:
Senator Bill Nelson's voicemail box is full and it just hangs up on you.
Went to his website to try to get another number or do the e-mail thing and the contact link doesn't work.
No wonder he's not hearing from us! Any other ideas?
everhopeful |
01.27.06 - 8:57 pm | #
I have never read anything like that. Unbelievable. Great diary airtight. Too bad Howell does not give a shit about her readers or the truth. Sure makes WaPo look bad...very bad. Thanks for pointing to it.
squeaky |
01.27.06 - 8:57 pm | #
I was on the phone with my business partner (and long time friend) today, he's in New York and I'm in Texas. I've known him for over 10 years and we talk every day. He's a liberal and politically savvy, but....he said this today..."Have you heard what Dean said about Abramoff not giving money to Democrats?" I was floored of course and hit him with this...
"Between 2001 and 2004, Abramoff gave more than $127,000 to Republican candidates and committees and nothing to Democrats, federal records show."
"A distinction without a difference, they're all corrupt", he said.
He doesn't get it and I failed to convince him otherwise. If he hears it on the Today Show, it must be true. We've got a lot of work to do gang.
Cozumel |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:05 pm | #
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
If your name is accompanied by the words "Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign," then you deserve a warm glass of shut-the-hell-up.
It's like quoting Axl Rose for tips on keeping the band together.
james |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:13 pm | #
Some suggestions on how one might approach Senator Milkulski:
Dear Senator:
I'm not from your state, but I have great respect for your integrity and diligence in working for progressive causes.
I write to urge you to reconsider what has been reported as your reservations about pursuing a filibuster against Judge Alito. According to press reports, you believe his nomination is a certainty, and that it is pointless to filibuster if that is true. And we should be focused on the 2006 and 2008 elections.
These points are worth considering; but I believe they and other points lead to the conclusion that a filibuster should be attempted, even if it is likely to fail. A united effort in opposition to Bush's nominatin will unite this party and lay the groundwork for a successful 2006 campaign.
I have been reading hundreds -- no, thousands -- of blogs and comments from around the country from committed Democrats who are virtually unanimous is pleading for a filibuster. All of them believe that a filibuster should be attempted even if it is likely to fail. And many believe that a concerted effort could succeed. There is no way to know if this is true, but it is certain we will fail if we don't even try.
Equally important, these people are the Party. They are the faithful, lifelong supporters and activists. Many are your constituents and they are united on this issue as never before.
There are two ways the filibuster could "fail," but in both cases, it would still help the party. It's possible that Frist could gather 60 votes for cloture, but with your help, an almost solid Democratic front could beat him, providing another major setback for his already weak leadership. This will force him to consider changing the rules. He may attempt to change the rules -- the so-called "nuclear option." In my opinion, doing this would create a huge risk for Republicans and create a potent issue for the Democrats. You should not assume he would attempt this. But if he did change the rules over solid Democratic opposiion, Democrats will have the best possible argument to use against the arbitrary abuse of power by the Republican leadership. Remember, part of the abuse of power by Republicans is their willingness to evade the rules or change them arbitrarily without regard to fairness or long-established custom. That issue will dovetail perfectly with the image of the Republican leadership as arbitrary, abusive, corrupt, out of control and trampling on principle of American government. Democrats can run against one-party rule at the same time they run against Republican corruption. That is a potent combination.
So losing on cloture or the rule change can become a win for you in 2006. And who knows, you just might beat Alito! (And protecting the Constitution and our Bill of Rights is not a bad day's work.)
A filibuster will keep faith with the party's most committed supporters and will galvanize them like no other issue. If you lead on this, they will work their butts off for you in 2006. They're waiting for you to stand up. If you let them down . . .
Senator, this is the issue. This is the moment. I urge you to seize it.
As a concerned American, I worry that the confirmation of Samuel Alito will be the final nail in the coffin of American democracy. If the Bush imperial presidency theory is allowed to go unchallenged, then it may well be too late to save the Republic.
Even if the attempt to prevent the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is a losing one, any Senator who does not fight it to the end is in effect acquiescing to it.
I urge you to change your mind and support the efforts to filibuster this appointment. There is no more important issue.
The Republicans will attack you whether you join the filibuster or not. Wouldn't you rather be perceived as a strong leader who stands up for what she believes in than as a weakling who tries to appease the enemy?
If the Republican leaders try to use the nuclear option, they will be exposed as the hypocrites that they are.
Over half the population of the US now believes that President Bush is not a fit president. The Majority Leader of the Senate is under serious legal scrutiny for his financial activities. Senators Burns and Cornyn may well be caught up in the Abramoff investigations. Are these the men you wish to be associated with?
Stand up for America. Stand up for our democracy. Do not oppose a filibuster. Do not vote to invoke cloture. The Republic itself is at stake.
Floridians, go to work (if you can get through). His home page is: Bill Nelson
Ask him not to support the cutoff of debate.
notjonathon |
01.27.06 - 9:15 pm | #
I'm a died in the wool Methodist.
Mary, you should know that Richard Scaife is trying to subvert your church.
Alice Marshall |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:21 pm | #
Washington Post Invokes Executive Privilege
In a stunning move, today, the embattled Washington Post has invoked Executive Privilege in its struggle to evade explaining the expurgation of posts from the Washington Post blog, the first time a newspaper has invoked this in American history.
Said Post webmaster Ed Brady: "Hey, if the President, can do it, so can we. Who are you to ask us to explain anything. We're not peons. We are the press."
Post attorneys have prepared voluminous briefs on the matter, elaborating on the concept of the Unitary Press. "The Washington Post ombudsman has the right to do or say anything he/she wants, because America is at war. In this post-911 era, criticism of the press plays into the hands of our enemies: Osama Bin Laden and the American people.
Washington Post customers, accustomed to the now old-fashioned idea of a press that informs, are adjusting to the new concept of a "Free Press," free of factual information, with some difficulty.
Said Ed Brady, "I'm not calling those customers traitors for buying our paper and then criticizing us. I'm just saying it's the kind of back-stabbing thing a traitor would do."
Ed Brady spoke out on the subject at a rally in Camp Pendleton, flanked by applauding soldiers in dress uniform preparing to be trasferred to Iraq. Demonstrators outside the gates were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Dumbo |
01.27.06 - 9:26 pm | #
DBK | Homepage | 01.27.06 - 7:55 pm
Nice job! Want you to think ahead a bit so you can catch the next wave when it comes, in regards to your comment about access. Look up a company called xG Technology; imagine the possibilities. It's going to rock their world; there are newer forms of access only a handful of years old that are going to be obsolete.
Cozumel | 9:05
Send your buddy the link to the FEC's page, tell him to type in Abramoff, Jack in the query fields, then look through all the results for the Dems.
It won't take him 30 seconds to see the truth for himself and he won't have to take any media outlet's word for it.
Rayne |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:28 pm | #
Jane - an evening tale of revolutionary ladies: do you know the tale of Maud Gonne, the lady lovemuse of Yeats, who was one of the leaders of the 1916 Irish Uprising? (and Mark, I know some/most of this is apocryphal but it's some of my personally fave mythology to live by) Maud was extremely beautiful but very shy. She had travelled to the west of Ireland and was very upset by the living conditions of the Irish tenant farmers and offered to sit on the stage at a political meeting to support efforts to raise awareness of their conditions - on one condition: that she not be asked to speak. Well, the day came, Maud is on the platform and the mc of the meeting turns out to be deaf and so did not get the "Maud doesn't speak, she just looks beautiful" message - and he introduced her as the next speaker. Maud stands, tries to begin to say something and is so petrified of speaking in public, she bursts into tears and sits down - which won her the reputation as a brilliant political orator because "she was clearly so moved by what she had to recount about the tenant's conditions, she couldn't go on."
Maud did go on to become a very accomplished - and not teary - speaker - as well as a great strategist. When the British banned public displays, signs, etc in support of the rebellion, Maud organized the women of Dublin to hand all their black mourning underwear on their laundry lines! (somehow that seems a very FDL thing to do!)
Her husband was executed by the British - and her son went on to become the founder of Amnesty International.
When I used to do political speaking, I always kept Maud's tears in mind - being brilliant was less important than caring intensely (or at least appearing to! ;->
Mary--
Many of us who are not really believers know that there is a real difference between "good faith" (and I mean that ironically) and "good works" Christians, i.e., those who take the message of brotherly love that is attributed to Jesus and try to apply it to their daily lives. On the other hand, those who wear their faith on their sleeves are often hypocrites of the worst kind.
And besides: in 19th century England, Methodists were known as "dissenters." That's a handle you can wear proudly today.
notjonathon |
01.27.06 - 9:33 pm | #
Wow! jukeboxgrad has produced an incredible analysis. A tour de force. I've never read anything like it. Bravo.
ceci |
01.27.06 - 9:35 pm | #
Senators Reed and Schumer it seems to me
are afraid they will loose control of the
Democratic message if they filibuster. Perhaps
Karl Rove's still strikes fear in these guys that
they will be "swift boated" by filibustering.
What it tells me is that the Democratic leadership does not have an effective media
operation to counter the Rovian Republicans.
What in hell is it going to take for the Dem's
to get it together. Perphaps they need to
bring Jane and Reddhead on board to run
the war room.
Sam |
01.27.06 - 9:35 pm | #
Its great to read Pool boy's latest, and hear about Lil Debbie's surprise appearance at the Natl Press Club.
I've been thinking for awhile that there must be some real interesting conversations going on between WaPo and WPNI. Donald Graham has stated they need the web to survive. Bloggers and their readers are voracious consumers of WaPo’s content but the old guard really doesn’t like to be challenged by the hoi polloi. Froomkin gets it, and we love him for it.
I've been noodling around with all of this and would love to hear some opinions from folks with more PR savvy than I. Were Brady's appearances on News Hour, Hewitt, etc. organized by the Post's PR team, or did the media seek him out because they heard about the controversy?
RBG |
01.27.06 - 9:37 pm | #
definitely go over to kos and recommend JKG's diary entry...
it deserves to be front paged, not just in the recommended list
(although it could use some editing --- but who am I to talk about editing! ;) )
paul lukasiak |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:37 pm | #
Rayne,
Thanks, I will, but this is what we're up against. They (even liberals) don't get the media Wurlitzer, it's a hard sell for some reason. Fix or change the Wurlitzer, it starts there.
Cozumel |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:39 pm | #
I've been noodling around with all of this and would love to hear some opinions from folks with more PR savvy than I. Were Brady's appearances on News Hour, Hewitt, etc. organized by the Post's PR team, or did the media seek him out because they heard about the controversy?
everything that affects WaPo is news in DC. This was a VERY big media story in DC....and Brady was more than willing to demonstrate his "transparency" (if not his honesty) anywhere he was asked to do so....
What I wanna know is, what the FUCK was that Boing-Boing person doing there too?
paul lukasiak |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:40 pm | #
oops- the ladies hung their laundry and Sean was "a" founder rather than "the" - he was also a nobel peace prize winner and the MacBride of the MacBride Principals.
long week, need an editor tonight
siun |
01.27.06 - 9:40 pm | #
There's no higher authority for deciding who is a "legitimate" believer; I believe that self-identification is the only workable criterion---possibly with church attendance as a secondary criterion.
I don't get worked up about who says he is Christian (or whatever) or not.
I'm a strict atheist, but I do have standard for evaluating religious beliefs: for me, the stronger one's faith in the tenets of one's belief system, the more leery I feel.
Sensible people take religious matters with an appropriate degree of moderation and scepticism. After all, there are no final answers to questions of faith, not in the here and now---a person who has great certainty about religious matters is displaying an unbalanced mind, IMO.
marky |
01.27.06 - 9:40 pm | #
The right must always avoid the real issue, throw up some smoke, a distraction, whatever. See Bush's quickly-shifting rationales on the NSA matter, among others. The under-handed approach is the Bush way.
It's all about the illusion that hundreds and hundreds of comments were just too much for Deborah Howell's virgin eyes. Because they are the voice of authority, after all. And they intend to hang on to that.
They believe themselves entitled to put that slander out there, and maybe or maybe not they'll get around to correcting it.
ChimpCo is working on their latest calculation. Karl is betting that they can con just enough of the people on the photo scrubbing problem...
These are some shrewd assholes. They are all about testing how far they can push their mendacity.
Hugh Manitarian |
01.27.06 - 9:41 pm | #
I've sent emails to my friends in FL and now those in MD to rally out and harangue their Senators. If you have any friends in those parts of the country, send them Nelson's email address and tell them to write him. same goes for Mikulski.
RBG - I've done PR and media work for a very long time (though these days I do other stuff in comms) and the Brady media appearances looked like a well run crisis comms campaign to me. While word of the comment deletion probably got some notice, WaPo and Brady seemed to have seen this as a great opportunity to get helpful attention. I took it as one of those stories that's easy to pitch since it plays into old media's fear of bloggers and the mass stereotype of net folks as wacky and out of control (which of course is a weird holdover image since net use is so pervasive now). I just don't think Brady could have gotten that many appearances and interviews that fast without a pr lady somewhere working the phones. And Brady used it for all it was worth. It's also clear (or at least sure seemed clear as I followed the PressThink discussion) that Brady is liked by a number of media types and so they were working the story on his behalf.
siun |
01.27.06 - 9:49 pm | #
The Tech Guy and PMSing, in the same paragraph... I'm so glad to be a newby in this blog... we will prevail
njr |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:49 pm | #
About GE--
Excuse me, for some of this is stuff I've posted before, but GE has been actively criminal for a very long time. I remember reading in Business Week in the mid-sixties that GE had been charged with more antitrust violations than any other US corporation. Rather than change, they changed strategies, hiring a washed-up B actor (or as Jack Warner was supposed to have said on hearing, "Ronald Reagan for governor," "No, no, Dennis Morgan for governor. Ronald Reagan for best friend"), who had most recently been peddling 20-Mule Team Borax as a replacement for The Old Ranger, to host "GE Theater." The company then sent Reagan around as its "Goodwill Ambassador," giving him access to major Republican money around the country.
When Reagan took office, the tax reform bill of 1981 was largely written by GE lawyers. In the following few years, GE became the nation's most profitable corporation, while paying virtually no taxes, thanks to provisions in the tax bill that let GE Finance buy up the tax breaks for depreciation that money-losing companies could not use.
GE used the profits to buy NBC. On the first day the new president took office, he sent a letter out informing all employees that anyone who did not contribute to the company PAC would be considered "disloyal." There were protests, because this kind of requirement is illegal under FCC regulations. So the company president sent out a correction, saying , heh, heh, I was only kidding. Nevertheless, the protestors were identified, and the rank and file got the message that they had better get with the company program.
So writing to them will do little good, especially as they bought NBC for the express purpose of turning it into a right-wing propaganda machine.
notjonathon |
01.27.06 - 9:49 pm | #
Also, at WaPo, Froomkin's blog is featured today. It's box is twice the size of the others.
notjonathon |
01.27.06 - 9:55 pm | #
GE and Reagan and earlier... did Disneyland open in 1959? who was behind the new world vision (planned communities) portrayed in that futuristic display?
When did the "conservatives" unite with the "ends justifiy any means" fundamentalists?
Was that fusion before 1959? have the neocons spanned a generation I can't evaluate all by myself?
njr |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 9:58 pm | #
everhopeful at 8:57
I had no problem e-mailing Senator Bill Nelson when I saw your post.
I used the link you provided, then clicked on: ABOUT LEGISLATION OR ISSUES
Then click on the words 'web mail' in the papagraph giving directions on how to share your opinion. It gets straight to his 'web mail form'
I can't understand why he's wavering on this issue. God, he's running against Katherine (stop counting the chads) Harris and is way ahead of her in the polls too.
Anyway, thanks for the heads-up.
Ann Regina |
01.27.06 - 10:00 pm | #
Siun, thanks for your comments. Based on what you’ve said, it sounds like they got out ahead of the story because they saw an opportunity to marginalize us and position themselves as a bulwark against the rabid horde. That’s what I was afraid of and it means I need to go back to the drawing board.
RBG |
01.27.06 - 10:03 pm | #
njr--that's interesting speculation. Disney was both right-wing and anti-Semitic (maybe Eisner took it over for revenge), and so the alliance with GE might have been a natural. Of course, in the late '50's, GE was still heavily invested in domestic production, and the financial wing of the company was not yet in the ascendancy. By the '80's, however, according to a friend I had in the appliance business, GECC, which is a flooring company (lending to stores on their inventory at pretty high interest rates), struck fear in the hearts of virtually all retailers.
Another GE gem: when Hungary first opened to foreign investment, the first purchase of a Hungarian company was GE. European consumers, who had been using Hungarian light bulbs, were shocked to find that the bulbs, which had previously lasted for years, were suddenly blowing out in a matter of weeks.
Tell me Jack Welch didn't do a heckofa job. He took an ongoing criminal enterprise and lofted it and its methods to the highest levels in the land.
notjonathon |
01.27.06 - 10:11 pm | #
... i have to stay until the late night post comes up, even though I"m tired! I'm an addict.
marky |
01.27.06 - 10:11 pm | #
Salazar's mailboxes are all full. And, at 2:42 this afternoon one of his aides reported that he had taken over 1000 messages today. Another aide, Amy, was just as inundated.
If we can turn him (I think of him as Ben Nighhorse Campbell minus the Harley), it will be a miracle.
Here's his record thus far:
He introduced Alberto Gonzales for his confirmation hearings, then voted for him, voted for the bankruptcy bill (hurts his poorer constituents in significant ways), then he voted for Roberts.
Thus far, nothing has stopped him from betraying those of us who worked so hard to get him into office.
Yet, as of today, I think he may be getting the message that DINOS aren't real popular with the netroots.
susan |
01.27.06 - 10:19 pm | #
Chirac tricked by Canadian hoax
French President Jacques Chirac thought he had taken a call on Friday from the new Canadian prime minister - but found himself the victim of a radio hoax.
The pair of hoaxers, known as the Masked Avengers, rang the Elysee Palace from their base in Montreal.
Mr Chirac congratulated the caller he thought was Conservative leader Stephen Harper on winning Monday's election.
When impersonator Marc-Antoine Audette finally gave his true identity, the president burst out laughing.
Thick accent
Audette and his partner in crime Sebastien Trudel work for the CKOI station, Canada's most popular with more than one million listeners.
You can't prevent newspapers from saying any old stuff
Jacques Chirac
Audette said: "It was the first time Sebastien and me had spoken to a head of state."
As Mr Harper and Mr Chirac had yet to speak, "We said, why not, we'll give it a go and we're delighted that it worked," Audette said.
Mr Chirac began by saying: "I would like to offer my congratulations for your election victory. We have excellent relations and I'm sure they'll carry on in the best spirit."
Audette, in a deliberately thick French-Canadian accent, then complained that French newspapers had portrayed him in a bad light.
Mr Chirac responded: "You can't prevent newspapers from saying any old stuff. That's true in France and it's true in Canada."
"Exactly Mr President, liberty, equality and fraternity. Amen," said Audette.
Mr Chirac, 73, then invited "Mr Harper" to visit France.
When the gag was revealed, the president laughed, saying: "Oh right, I understand. In any case, please know that my friendship for Canada and the new Conservative government is a real and unequivocal friendship."
The hoaxers have in the past targeted Tiger Woods, Bono, Donald Trump, Paul McCartney and Janet Jackson.
wow, RonK graciously acknowledges the Prospect story on Abramoff (based on research by an independent auditor)
He writes:
"HeavyJ -- Uh-oh. You'd better read that Prospect piece more carefully. Won't have time to address it for publication today (though have in background with other discussants), but: give it up."
marky |
01.27.06 - 10:20 pm | #
marky - what do you think RonK means? Is he insinuating that the Prospect piece is flawed?
If a late-night post is coming, my comment should insure that it will be here immediately. ;)
OhioBlue |
01.27.06 - 10:29 pm | #
Ohio,
Yes, that's what he meant.
"Heavy-j" had just linked to the Prospect piece and wrote "Looks like I was right" (and RonK) wrong.
I don't like RonK's response there, and not just because he's rude. The Prospect paid a professional firm which specializes in analyzing campaign finance issues, and is non-partisan, to analyze tribal donations and how Abramoff influenced them.
Undoubtedly this took many man hours and probably a decent sum of money. No problem---RonK can dismiss the article a few hours later, even though he is NOT an expert in the field.
The haste of his response tips me off that he is a guy who's letting his ego override his judgment.
I can predict what he is going to write tomorrow: He's going to prove that Abramoff really did "direct" donations to Dems, even though this term has no sensible meaning when the donations to Dems went down for Abramoff's Indian clients.
marky |
01.27.06 - 10:36 pm | #
oh man. such bullshit. howell was on a defensive edge WAY before the abramoff firestorm hit ... the spark was the delay - abramoff "are not really friends - even though delay said abramoff was one of his best friends" story about week earlier - who else has pissy responses from howell when that story came out?
spk |
Homepage |
01.27.06 - 10:37 pm | #
Early Thursday afternoon, we broke the news that Senator John Kerry would lead a filibuster against Judge Sam Alito if he could get 41 Senators to sustain the filibuster. Three hours later, CNN confirmed our story.
Naturally, the White House freaked out and told Senator Bill Frist to schedule a cloture vote as quickly as possible - Monday at 4:30 p.m. - to prevent Democrats from uniting behind Kerry.
Then the White House called its media whores at the NY Times (David Kirkpatrick), AP (Jesse Holland), Pentagon Post (Charles Babington), CNN (Miles O'Brien), and MSNBC (Chris Matthews) and told them to trash John Kerry for daring to challenge the will of Emperor Bush, and to repeat over and over that Democrats did not have enough votes to stop Alito.
But even as Karl Rove was doing his dirty work, progressive activists like you were calling your Senators urging them to support John Kerry's filibuster.
And one by one, Democratic Senators began to turn around.
At the start of the day, only Dick Durbin and Debbie Stabenow supported Kerry and Kennedy. Just before noon, Hillary Clinton's office called to say she supported us. Then Harry Reid came on board, along with Barbara Boxer, Russ Feingold, Ron Wyden, Chris Dodd, and (I think) Chuck Schumer.
Most importantly, we even picked up Dianne Feinstein, who just yesterday said she opposed a filibuster.
That's 12 votes for a filibuster - and exactly 12 more votes than we had two days ago!
I believe we really can stop Alito by Monday at 4:30 p.m. - but here's what we must do.
1. Ignore the media whores. Karl Rove is feeding them lies as he always does, and they are swallowing those lies as they always do. The only media that matters is the media we are creating right here by calling each Senator and getting a YES or NO statement from them.
2. Wake up the sleeping bloggers. Where are the biggest blogs, including DailyKos.com, TalkingPointsMemo.com, CrooksandLiars.com, and AmericaBlog.com? (Complaining about how Democrats played last week won't cut it -we're in the Super Bowl and we can win this damn game if we get Democrats to play their best game on Monday - and hopefully the rest of this coming week.) Thanks to Agonist, BobGeiger, The Democratic Daily, DemocraticUnderground, Eschaton, Firedoglake, MakeThemAccountable, Mark Crispin Miller, PoliticalWire, Vichy Democrats and everyone else who's plugging this.
3. Keep calling the Senators who are undecided or opposed to a filibuster. You can call their DC office all weekend and leave polite but firm voicemails urging the Senators to support Kerry's filibuster. When offices open on Monday 9 a.m. ET, make another round of calls. Let's shut down the Capitol switchboard on Monday!
4. Call the DNC (202-863-8000) and the DSCC (202-224-2447) and tell them your 2006 contributions will depend on the success of the Alito filibuster. Tell them they need to get every Democratic Senator on board.
5. Call talk shows like Air America, C-SPAN, etc. and talk about what we're doing on this blog and how we're killing ourselves to stop Alito - and how we can win if everyone who cares about the future of our Democracy joins us.
6. Keep hope alive - because American Democracy is worth it!!!
All it takes is a phone call. The fundies held a rally to push this guy, a phone call is all it takes.
susan |
01.27.06 - 10:45 pm | #
Well I just got done finishing up an email letter to Senator Jeff Sessions.
I don't believe he's gonna like it if his staffers show it to him.
Here is a copy. I believe everyone should send these Republican Senators an email letter to show them that we Democrats are not going to take it any more. I hope my letter shames him, but I doubt it will.
If you do send any emails to any Republicans please don't use any vulgarity. Be civil, but be strong in your feelings about what a confirmation of Alito will do to our country.
I hope my letter won't be considered over the top by all of you FDL regulars. It is from my heart and I feel very passionate about what I said. Any way here it is.
----------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Sessions,
You notice I didn't call you Senator, didn't you? Well to be called Senator one has to earn the respect from those he wishes to have them call him Senator.
How dare you and the rest of the Republicans in the Senate believe that the Democratic Party and the millions of Americans who did not vote for your fascist leader Bush will never use a filibuster to keep a far right extremeist off the SCOTUS. I do not want a far right wing nut sitting on the court and affirming the Powers of a Unitary Executive to Bush. I do not want a Theocratic Fascist Dictator or King running the American Peoples Country.
Remember the words at the Start of the Constitution of The United States of America? WE THE PEOPLE. Don't you ever forget those words. Those who continue to support this Criminal Dictator and his policies may one day be tried in Nuremberg for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. You could be one of those being charged for following him as all of Hitler's Enablers were hunted down, captured and tried were.
All those who support a President who flagrantly tramples OUR CONSTITUTION and consistently abuses the power of the Office of the Presidency are not Americans. This current President George W. Bush is guilty of High Crimes and Misdemeanors and should be Impeached.
We are a NATION OF LAWS, any President no matter what their political affiliation, Democrat, Replubican, Libertian or Green Party and any other party for that matter is not ABOVE THE LAW. The current President has not only BROKEN the LAW but has stated he will continue to BREAK the LAW whenever he see's fit. This is not a President, but a DICTATOR.
Here are some of his crimes:
Authorised the kidnappings and rendition of kidnapped people to FORIEGN COUNTRIES for TORTURE.
Authorised and Condoned the TORTURE of PRISONERS captured on the field and in OUR CUSTODY.
Authorised the BACKDOOR DRAFT by not allowing those Soldiers who have fulfulled the original term of their SERVICE
CONTRACT and who no longer want to kill people the right to a HONOURABLE MILITARY DISCHARGE under threats
too STOP LOSS them. These Soldiers I believe, fear a COURT MARTIAL if they publicly speak out against this STOP
LOSS BACKDOOR DRAFT and so I believe keep silent. Even though many of them end up being killed or maimedcrippled
for life. Because of this Presidents Illegal War.
Held an AMERICAN CITIZEN {Even if he is a Terrorist and Enemy of OUR COUNTRY, picked up on AMERICAN SOIL} without his RIGHTS UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION that is guaranteed to all CITIZENS by OUR CONSTITUTION.
Spied on AMERICAN CITIZENS...Wire Tapping Phone Calls, Intercepting Emails and Correspondence of AMERICAN
CITIZENS in Total Disregard of the LAW and the FISA COURT. Then telling the AMERICAN CITIZENS that he would continue
to BREAK the LAW whenever he see's fit too.
I notice that there are some members of both the Congress and the Senate who wear an American Flag on their Lapels. Those who do and support this Criminal President needs to remove the American Flag they wear as they are not Americans and no longer support our Constitution, but instead a Unitary Executive KingDictator.
Below are a few of some well known Unitary Executives.
Kim Jong-il, North Korea: Estimated to be 250,000 thousand people confined in "reeducation camps." Also for the34th straight
year the worst possible score on political rights and civil liberties.
Hu Jintao, China: The government opens and censors mail and monitors phone call, faxes, e-mails and text messages. And
we give China Most Favoured Nation Status.
King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia: Phone calls are recorded and mobile phones with cameras are banned. Also routinely uses
Torture to extract confessions.
Seyed Ali Khamane'i, Iran: The current President is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad all though the country is run by the 12-man
Guardian Council, overseen by the Ayatollah Khamane'i which has the right to veto any laws that the elected government
passes.
Fidel Castro, Cuba: In power since 1959. Ask Mr. Martinez about Castro and I'm sure he will tell you all about Mr. Castro's Unitary Executive Power.
So in closing Mr. Sessions if you vote too confirm Judge Alito you will have let the American People know that you no longer believe in or support our Constitution, but support a Criminal President and you should therefore wear an Iron Cross on your lapel so all Americans will know where you truly stand.
Any Democrat or Republican who supports this Insane Madman running our Country in my humble opinion are Traitors to our Country and I look forward to the day I will see them all tried for their crimes. Remember you swore on a Bible before God and all the American People to Uphold and Defend our Constitution. I assume this must have slipped your mind or you lied before God.
Sincerely yours,
George Allen
The true AMERICAN CITIZENS will never kneel before a DICTATOR, especially Der Fuehrer Bush and his Gestapo.
GOD BLESS AMERICA and the true PATRIOTIC AMERICANS.
PS: I'm sure that I will be put on Bush's NSA enemies list if I am not on it already. The question is whether your choice to support this nomination is because you are already on his NSA list and he has been spying on your calls and emails or you just don't believe in what our forfathers fought for so hard with their blood and their lives
. --------------------------------
Well I'm out of here for the night. Will check in tomorrow, or should I say later in the day.
George A |
01.27.06 - 10:50 pm | #
jukeboxgrad has brady by the balls.
Brady is caught red handed lying about the coverup. Who would have thought it necessary to prove that an EDITOR OF THE WASHINGTON POST was lying about a coverup? I wish Nixon were still alive, to laugh his ass off during an interview on PBS.
When the editor and ombudsman are amateur partisans, what has the public discourse in America come to?
It time for the executives at the post to come clean with FULL DISCLOSURE. If Oprah has the character to do it the Post has no where to hide.
Howell and Brady must publically apologize and be re-assigned. The republican machine has been reduced to playing elementary school games. Pathetic really.
To the business savy. Obviously there is a HUGE market for truth in journalism. Why not, you know, do the easy thing and start covering the truth and watch your profits and mindshare rise? How much time, money, and reputation are you willing to waste to cover for the press incomptence who are covering for political incompetence, who are casually committing crimes for which ultimately the entire nation including its corporations must pay the price?
Where are the ethical journalists who defend their profession? It's a sad sad day in America, and the cost is much too high to continue to support the incompetent and the delusional, while shunning the intelligent and moral.
patience |
01.27.06 - 10:51 pm | #
Sorry about the italics. Must not have closed the tag.
patience |
01.27.06 - 10:52 pm | #
Semblence,
The Hotline blurb was pretty accurate. Howell was quite defensive (she called her column on Woodward 'hardhitting'), but it was Schafer who acted like a jerk. Actually, he was more like a troll, constantly trying to bait us into a fight, but he wasn't really interesting enough to engag.
I explained the blogger ethics conference joke, and how the institutional media is always trying to put on us their ethical failings. I suppose it was good that we were there, we certainly pricked their bubble a bit.
Matt Stoller |
01.27.06 - 11:02 pm | #
Oh, the victimology is killing me. I lost two friends on 9-11. I'll be damned if Flloyd and Churleen Dumbass in Dumbfuck USA are still using it as an excuse to call me a traitor.
.
AND as justification for not letting me or my future daughters buy contraception or decide whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
.
The Dumbasses do NOT get quiet time on that massive whackjob fainting couch. No way, no how.
.
Peanut |
01.27.06 - 11:05 pm | #
looks like all te dc voicemail boxes are full - I'm going to start on the local offices tomorrow morning.
and Marky - I'm with you on the RonK response - all along he's struck me as someone who was playing high priest of arrogant civility - with lots of comments suggesting that us nasty bloggers were giving blogs a bad name as if this is his personal playground and he'd like to kick up out. not impressive
siun |
01.27.06 - 11:08 pm | #
Siun,
I left a message on RonK's most recent post asking him to spend a little more time on his next post, because he seemed to be in an unnecessary hurry. We'll see.
marky |
01.27.06 - 11:12 pm | #
Jukeboxgrad did an excellent job of de-Orwellianizing Howell's weird statements and the WaPo's weird actions and reactions.
Howell is not an ombudsman; she's a stenographer in ombudsman clothing.
Howell should get a job heading FEMA or NASA or something else in the Bush administration for which she is non-qualified and leave journalism to people who are into telling truth and facts.
san mateo |
01.27.06 - 11:24 pm | #
On tonight's installment of the "Spin Zone," O'Reilly bizarrely attempted to link Soros's philosophical positions to that of the lamentable Vermont Judge, Edward Cashman.
Rich |
01.28.06 - 12:06 am | #
I just want to say how grateful I am for all the kind words here, from Jane and everyone else. It means a lot to me.
jukeboxgrad |
01.28.06 - 12:20 am | #
thank you jukeboxgrad,
It was long, but I can see why you needed to make a very careful argument, given the targets' proven mendacity.
I cannot believe how ignorant some of these people are about how computers and the internet work. They must think it is magic. How could anyone with any sense not realize that such a public widespread internet dust-up lasting several days would be captured and archived several times?
Thanks again.
anon |
01.28.06 - 12:29 am | #
jukeboxgrad,
It was an excellent job. Better to have a few repetitions and cover all the bases.
I put up one of the comments in question. It was about 10 words, composed in as many seconds. Not really constructive, but with no bad words, just a crack about Debbie and Guckert/Gannon being in the same line of work. Then I watched as it was taken down, put back for a while, memoy holed, put back up under cover of darkness, whatever. For all I know it's now in the form of hard copy floating in a bottle in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I have better things to do with my beautiful mind than keep track of it.
I feel like a kid in South Park who farts in study hall and for punishment the Assistant Jr. High principal takes away all dessert for the rest of the year. But when people get upset he says it was actually because of um damage from the sulfur fumes. Sure, dude. It was all our fault.
I think that people are upset because posters like me didn't go from admiring the Post to writing nasty comments in 10 sec. For several years now people have been angry, but there was nothing you could put your finger on. It was all innuendo, facts that couldn't be checked, spin, front page stories winding up on page 19. Debbie Dearest just provided the target by stating the first clear-cut, checkable lie. I had read the NYT more, so I have much more negative feelings about them than the Post. For every one of us who posted, there are hundreds of people who feel the same way and just weren't around at the right time.
It's difficult to imagine how Howell and Brady could have mangled the followup PR any worse. Debbie Dearest: "This ain't my first time at the rodeo." Yeah, well, that's the problem, not the solution.
Roger Bigod |
01.28.06 - 3:08 am | #
Thanks Jukeboxgrad.
They may have the nerds, but our side have the geeks, and we got the better deal.
Republic of Palau |
Homepage |
01.28.06 - 3:40 am | #
The folks at WaPo will be just fine just as long as they realize that their job is to report the truth, not pull crap out of their butts at the behest of the powerful.
Well, actually their job IS to pull crap out of their butts at the behest of the powerful. Their cover story is to report the truth. It's just so upsetting to be caught in a lie of such epic dimensions.
Bob In Pacifica |
Homepage |
01.28.06 - 6:47 am | #
Many, many people respect Next Hurrah and have a very high regard for emptywheel. But I really wonder why they provide a soapbox for someone who clearly has his own personal agenda which, unfortunately, is not related to moving progressive positions forward or working constructively against BushCo.
Instead of understanding that this guy is a crank - the initial reaction is - "well, he's posting on the Next Hurrah blog, he must have credibility" I wish they'd reconsider.
dab |
01.28.06 - 6:49 am | #
Junkboxgrad
Thank you for such a carefully researched analysis, fantastic!
flynch |
01.28.06 - 7:56 am | #
Maybe Deborah Howell ought to be treated the way Joe Wilson was treated (and note that he was telling the truth) or perhaps she should be swiftboated like Kerry and Murtha
Bad reporting is bad reporting.
It can and should be criticised.
If she can't defend her writing as accurate, she is "fair game"
windje |
01.28.06 - 8:48 am | #
I just want to follow-up on a helpful comment by topu: "Brady was on the News Hour(think C&Ls has it), and claimed that the obscenity filter was NOT working at the time he shut down the blog."
My interpretation of what Brady said on PBS is just a vague, mealy-mouthed statement about how he was struggling with his software filter all week. He had made similar statements elsewhere.
"Therefore any obscenity that got posted was there for anyone to see."
Well, not exactly, because Brady is claiming his people were manually deleting stuff that managed to get past the software filter.
Anyway, I take anything Brady says with a big grain of salt.
jukeboxgrad |
01.28.06 - 10:08 am | #
"In other words, you appoved of these messages before you disapproved of them before you re-approved them before you re-disapproved them. Follow all that?" - Daily Kos.
That was an amazing account of the facts. His analysis is as hard as a rock and he exposes the sinister methods used by the WashPost to avoid publishing the truth when it is not in line with a certain political ideology.
I hope that more of this surfaces and the American media is forced to face some accountability for it's failure to defend the public's right to know.
California, Inc. is a very good (and probably out of print) book that details Mr. Reagan's rise from soap peddler to politician (oh, wait, is there a difference?). Reagan is the reason I had to leave my home state for long. Papa said " I will NOT live in a Fascist state!" and away we moved to DC until Reagan became Pres. and then moved back. Papa was Reagan's opponent's press secretary so not entirely unbiased in his opinion. When I was in college in No. Virginia, my first roommate was Lynn Nofziger's (RR's press secretary) daughter. He and my dad were bitter political enemies from the election and her parents made her get a new roommate. TeeHee. She hated Reagan even more than my dad did.
Menopausal Mommybrain |
01.28.06 - 12:31 pm | #
Jane,
I don't know if this will get read as it may be late to enter... but I've been thinking that perhaps someone should compile a batch of the troll posts that effectively represent "hate-speech" and other absurdities and publish them everywhere so to show how much worse the wingnuts are... you know the Rovian way... when accused, shift attention to the other side. My 2 cents anyway... Damned grateful you're here!
Gene in the "buckle on the biblebelt" state - MO
Gene Bryan |
01.28.06 - 1:22 pm | #
