Sirota: The Real Elitists Work in Mainstream Media

[DogPoundPup]

A recent New York Times profile of Matthews describes a name-dropping dilettante floating between television studios and cocktail parties. The article documents the MSNBC host's $5 million salary, three Mercedes and house in lavish Chevy Chase, Md. Yet Matthews said, "Am I part of the winner's circle in American life? I don't think so."

That stupefying comment sums up a pervasive worldview in Washington that is hostile to any discussion of class divides. Call it Matthews-ism -- an ideology most recently seen in the brouhaha over Barack Obama's statement about economic dislocation.

The Illinois senator said that when folks feel economically shafted, they get "bitter." Matthews-ism spun the truism into a scandal.

The Washington Post labeled Obama's statements "Bittergate." Tim Russert invited affluent political consultants on Meet the Press to analyze the "controversy," with millionaire James Carville saying, "I'm hardly bitter about things." Hillary Clinton called Obama "elitist," ignoring her mansions in Washington and Chappaqua, $109 million income, career as a Wal-Mart board member, and legacy pushing job-killing policies like NAFTA.

This sickening episode was topped off by ABC's Charles Gibson, who only months ago humiliated himself by insinuating that typical middle-class families make $200,000 a year (95 percent make less). Last week, while moderating a debate, Gibson segued from the "bitter" comment into a tirade against rescinding capital gains tax breaks, implying the proposal would hurt most Americans. This, even though the tax cuts in question delivered the vast majority of their benefits to the richest 1 percent.

By downplaying inequality and couching royalism in middle-class arguments, the Beltway elite pretend there are not two Americas but only one: theirs.

Read more @ http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/83481/

[DJ13]

1. Big K & R

[mac2]

2. They make high salaries to lie and manipulate the truth...

add that to their book deals (appear on CSPAN like we don't see enough of them).

[wryter2000]

3. I'm consistently amused to hear myself described as an elitist

I drive a 1982 Subaru and barely make my housepayment every month.

[mac2]

4. Don't blame just Hillary for that elitist

comment. Both of them are elitist and members of the secret organizations. Obama has his book deals and has more funding. He was never so rich with his book deals.

Apparently Obmam hung around with that rich reverend in Chicago (retired to 10,000 sq.ft. house). That church is full of more than average income folks? Why is it so rich? A church is usually not rich unless they are using tax paper Faith Based Charity money for their own instead of for the poor. I suspect this church is running Obama for public office. They should lose their tax free status or at least be under investigation by the IRS. You only get tax free status if they are separate from government...and they aren't. They want both.

Most of our Congress has become wealthy while in public office. Cheney profits more than anyone with Halliburton, etc. It's not because we pay them that much either.

America it might not matter one bit who is President since they will only be a figure head in the World Order Fascist Government. Have you been listening to what Bush has planned for us? I don't hear it on Air America or the main stream media. How scary is that?

[But....]

5. 2nd K + R.

:grr:

[annabanana]

6. This is a big part of the problem.

They report on the world as it seems to them. Where $200k is middle class, and the capital-gains tax cut is the "third rail" that must not be touched.

[Why Syzygy]

7. No lie. They need to be removed from

places of MAKING public policy back to REPORTING public policy.

[eleny]

8. Excellent - K&R

Sirota can really hit a nail on its head. He's often a guest on Jay Marvin's KKZN radio program when he can often be on for an entire hour. I'd like to see Sirota have his own radio program. He's one of the nation's investigative good guys.

Yesterday, I watched Hardball where Matthews kept trying to push the notion that Rev. Wright was throwing Obama under the bus. I'll watch the interview and make up my own mind, thank you. I highly doubt that Matthews' opinion will hold water when I view Wright's statements in context. Matthews needs to create controversy to help his ratings and is not to be trusted.

[depakid]

9. The sooner the Dem candidates turn that around and hand a few smarmy punidits their asses

in their hands, the sooner this sort of abuse will stop.

Remaining timid and "polite" only invite more abuse from these types.

[Uncle Joe]

10. Excellent column, the only suggestion I would make is

to quit calling them mainstream media, there's nothing mainstream about people that brain wash the American People on a consistent basis while living in ivory towers. They don't give a flying fecal speck about the main stream of the American People.

I believe the best term is simply "the corporate media" as corporations and the mega rich are who, they truly represent. Corporations are their clients, the American People are just customers, or consumers, there is a significant difference in agency relationship between the two.

None the less, this is an excellent column, kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, DogPoundPup.