My 999th post - One stupid ass, dismissive RW talking point I've been seeing a lot on DU lately.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

My 999th post - One stupid ass, dismissive RW talking point I've been seeing a lot on DU lately.

"That's old news" - meaning "forget it, quit talking about the John/Cindy McCain drug scandal".

"We talked about that years ago" - meaning "the Keating 5 - Don't even talk about that any more, you're boring us."

"That was already discussed" - meaning "John McCain's very cozy relationship with lobbyists - we don't want to hear it."

"If you can't add anything new, why are you bringing it up" - meaning "McSame votes with Bush 90% of the time - yawn."


I hear these same dismissive phrases on RW radio. They're used to end conversation, and as a put down: "what's wrong with you, nobody is talking about that anymore, that's been dealt with." And it works for some people, they will drop the subject.

For more of these "old" issues that the RW would like us to think has "already been dealt with" please see the excellent thread by Old and In the Way". I would post a link if I knew how. I think this might work http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7042829&mesg_id=7042829

Also I would like to thank lonestarnot for his/her valuable contribution to shining a bright light on the John/Cindy McCain drug scandal" - THANK YOU!

[annabanana]

1. If the slimy rovians have taught us NOTHING else it's that there's

no. such. thing. as "old news"

[Curtland1015]

2. Well I just have one question for you...

In what respect, Charlie?

[GreenEyedLefty]

3. That, and if you react with just a touch of irritation to a RW talking point

You're "angry," "out of control" and "full of rage."

These people are unfuckingbelievable.

[Lars39]

4. Not just to end the conversation,

but to end pursuit of the truth, to end the continuing education of those interested in learning, to end a sense of community.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

14. That is how Palin tried to dismiss her "Bridge to Nowhere" flip flop

She told Charlie Gibson "You call an audible, and you deal in reality, and you move on. And, Charlie, we killed the bridge to nowhere and that's the bottom line." And she followed that with a cold, steely, intimating stare.

She was trying to extinguish all conversation about her full, strong support of the Bridge to Nowhere.

[lamp_shade]

21. CONGRATULATIONS!! and Hugs from me on your 1000th post.

I reached mine yesterday and feel as though I have a new lease on life.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

23. Congrats & hugs back atcha - We're now "old timers" - we're seasoned. nt

[AnotherMother4Peace]

28. I meant "intimidating stare" - too late to edit nt

[glowing]

5. If they bring up an association of Obama's like Ayers.. who did his protests and time

back when Obama was 8, then Keating 5 and the Drug scandal are apporpriate.. They actually go to the heart of McCain and how he would deal with issues.. He'd bury them with money and power and then inact his POW shield so nothing could stick.

[Peacetrain]

6. Almost there AM4Peace :)

1,000 posts, and you are right.. there is a lot of things we seem to quick to dismiss before taking a good look at them.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

17. I did it - 1,000 - I was hoping to save it for Nov - but it kind of sneaks up on you. nt

[Peacetrain]

27. Same thing happened to me, I thought I was going to post

1000 on election day..woo hoo and all that, but too much to comment on.. so here we both are , 1000 under the belt..

[FreakinDJ]

7. And the New John McSame won't Tax your Healthcare Benefits?

Source : The New England Journal of Medicine

McCain and Obama Plans for U.S. Health Care Reform

Its centerpiece is a change in the tax treatment of health insurance. Currently, workers do not pay taxes on health insurance premiums paid by their employers.

Nobody knows how effective repealing the tax exclusion would be in controlling costs, but if it turns out not to be a magic bullet, the plan lacks other mechanisms for reliably slowing spending. Prevention, better care for chronic conditions, and enhanced competition represent aspirations rather than concrete policies for controlling costs.

It would deregulate the insurance market (Geez - deregulation has worked out so well in the S&L, Banking and Mortgage markets)

The McCain plan could consequently trigger a move from comprehensive insurance toward thinner coverage policies that shift costs onto sicker patients. Moreover, some employers, particularly smaller businesses, might stop offering insurance if the tax benefits of employer-sponsored insurance were eliminated. As a result, some currently insured workers could lose coverage.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/8/781

"Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes. And my opponent can't make that pledge, and here's why. For the first time in American history, John McCain wants to tax your health-care benefits. Apparently, Senator McCain doesn't think it's enough that health care premiums have doubled, he thinks that you should have to pay taxes on them, too. That's a $3.6 trillion tax increase potentially on middle-class families. And that would eventually leave tens of millions of you paying higher taxes or losing your benefits. That's his idea of change." - Barack Obama, Sept 12, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aa4ipe4fhU&eurl=http://dailykos.com

This is my answer to every thing today because RightWingers just don't have an answer to this shit

[AnotherMother4Peace]

10. Shh - Why are you talking about this? - Stop!!! It's already been discussed! What's wrong with you?

Do I need to add this? :sarcasm:

OKAY - that was my 1,000th!

[FreakinDJ]

18. I am Honored - to be the recipient of your 1000 post

And slamming McSame on Health care and Tax policies is the icing on the cake

Luv ya Mom

[Lasher]

8. Before McSame only needed the votes of people from Arizona.

What's wrong with letting the rest of the nation have a look at him, now that all of us will have to make a decision this November?

[democracy1st]

9. to hell with Cindy with all her lil dirt she's always opening her mouth

[Orsino]

11. It's a spur to *new* investigation, or should be.

No, recycling old stories, or supplementing them with unconfirmed allegations, won't get us any traction.

And the poster you reference is not the one who broke the latest rehash. If anyone needs to be thanked, it's the folks who dug up Gosinski--who I would hope are trying to find independent sourcing for Gosinski's allegations.

[SmileyRose]

12. I disagree with you.

Pulling out old scandals isn't a "bombshell" or "groundbreaking" or "happy dance inducing" or anything. Old scandals aren't going to get the media to whip up a froth again McCain so big that the public turns on him. Hammering away at the public with all these scandals McCain is in is effective over time, but hardly "bombshells".

And come on, the happy dance because the WaPo is publishing a story on Cindy McCain's drug problem that is pretty much entirely sympathetic to her? This is the big secret that kept DU in knots for a week? The American public is NOT going to turn on John because his missus had a problem with drugs, no matter what Johnie did illegal to cover it up. Picking on Cindy will not go over well.

I agree that "that's old news" is dismissive in most contexts. But when someone hypes for a solid week about a bombshell about to bust the McCain campaign wide open and delivers old reheated hash, it's fair for people to say "wtf"?

And "that's old news" has not been all over DU. It's been directed at one subject in one context from what I've seen. -- though I will say IMHO it's time to let it die. She has taken a well deserved thrashing and it's time to let the poor girl rest. Nice her friends go to bat for her. We all need friends. :)

[AnotherMother4Peace]

16. More issues maybe we should let "rest" - the poor McSames

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7042829&mesg_id=7042829

Thank you Old and In The Way for your compilation of McSame "events" - I hope you don't mind me using this.

[SmileyRose]

19. Stop lying, I never said anything about letting the issues rest

I said it's time to let lonestarnot rest after that enormous boondoggle.

Though it's not surprising to see you deliberately twist what I said.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

22. Sticks & stones..... - Examine McSame/Palin's history if you're looking for "Boondoggles" nt

[cui bono]

30. The point of the story is McCain's abuse of power, not Cindy's drug use.

Maybe that's why people are being dismissive, they're not seeing the ammo that is in there.

[Overseas]

13. You probably didn't do that, but others write a thread as though its WOWEE ZOWEE BIG NEWS !!

The whole Lonestarnot disappointment was not the story as much as it was the hype. It was further information on a story already out there. But we were told it would be earth shattering news about prescription drugs. Well, sorry, we did already know what Cindy did and vaguely that her husband hushed things up for her. L could have said it was exciting news about an old story that indicates McCain may have broken some laws.

But instead there were about three threads L started about how darned earth shattering the news would be. Earth shattering. Game ending. About prescription drugs. I, for one, thought it would be evidence that McSame was on dementia stalling drugs of some kind. That would have been a game-ender. What building up our anticipation in multiple Wowee Zowee threads produces in the end is -- "aw maaaan, is that all?"

Some people might even wonder if the big build up was written intentionally to deflate the impact of the Gosinski story in the end. Get everyone excited, then when it does break it will be a let down and thus "no big deal."

So if people present stuff like the Keating 5 as though it is REALLY GOING TO CRACK THINGS WIDE OPEN or some other hyperbolic phrasing, we want to say "Sorry, Kiddo, old news." But if they present the same info as a new angle on an old story or a suggestion for reintroducing that old news, that would be respected more. It is also about knowing your audience. We all follow political news, so we're well versed.

More examples of more appropriate ways to introduce stories:

>> There's new information coming out about a story we already know that shows McSame breaking the law.

>> Why don't we play up this particular angle on the Keating 5 story to get it back into the campaign coverage?

>> During the Keating 5 hearings, McSame lied about XYZ. (I think there is a lot more material in the Keating 5 stuff that could be used to illustrate the less noble aspects of McSame's character.)

>> Here's an idea on how to reintroduce the fact that McSame votes with Bush most of the time...

>> We should play up the cover up angle of the Cindy prescription stealing story...

[elocs]

15. News is not news here at DU unless it gets posted morning, noon, and night

on the first day it actually is "news". Each time it is reposted as if it is brand new "news". Then it must be reposted again for at least the next 3 days, each time as if it is brand new "news" that is only being revealed here for the first time.

[treestar]

20. Absolutely. Anyone who thinks in the reverse that they wouldn't talk

about it is delusional.

[Whisp]

24. you bet, if Ghouliani and Palin can laugh about Obama's community service

when he was in his early 20's, then there is no statute of limitations on McCain or Palin.

that 'old news' crap really gets me too. I wonder what the expiration date is for felonies, according to some here. Does the law consider it too 'old' to pursue?

:puke:

[Road Scholar]

25. K&R

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[Mabus]

26. Very well put

I couldn't agree more.

Another somewhat absurd thing about this is that McCain pushes the image that he is a man of integrity and emphasizes his time as a POW. He doesn't want anyone to look at what's happened between then and now.

We can't talk about how he ran around on his wife (probably on both of them). However, the GOP's SOP is usually to try to catch Dems with sex and when that doesn't work they call them liars, elitists and say we're out of touch.

We can't talk about how McCain abused his power as a Senator or how little Miss Bud ended up with a diplomatic passport! But the GOP is free to bring and discuss such irrelevant and easily refutable items like whether or not Barack is a US citizen!

We can't ask what McCain does in his private life or how he has conducted it. We can't ask what Palin does in her private life or how she conducts it. But we can have the media discussing 1) if Obama is a Muslim and 2) going after his Christian minister! That shit just wanted to make my head explode. Why are they discussing his Christian minister AND whether or not he is a Muslim.

Relatives are off limits but the GOP talks about Obama's relatives in Africa. Hell, they don't just talk about them, they go look for them and then interview them.

This whole thing about what we are allowed to discuss and what we aren't is very Orwellian. It hurts us more than it helps us. And the abusrdity of it is, while these "don't talk about X" threads are going on there are just as many threads telling us we have to fight harder and speak out more. Well, we're either going to do what we can (as individuals and collectively) that we know works with those around us (the real people in our lives and neighborhoods, not the people we communicate with over the internet) and then get off our asses and do it.

For instance, the morning after Palin was picked a friend of mine from Kansas called. He thought it was game over. I started telling him the things I learned about Palin here on DU. I told him everything from the pregnant daughter to giving him links to Alaska blogs. We've kept in touch and I pass on information that I learn to him. Well, to make a long story short, he's gotten out the word. When the National Enquirer stories hit, he said people he had been talking to who were giving the GOP ticket a look had changed their minds. Seems, the sordid details I've been giving him just became real to a lot of people when they saw it in print, even though it was the National Enquirer.

I know what works with the people around me. I'm going to keep talking about John, Cindy, the Keating 5, AVMT, drug abuse, etc. because this isn't old news for some people. Plus, I think that there are legs to this story because there are some new details that question the integrity that McCain's whole persona is built upon. Take that away from him and it helps people see through him.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

35. If this drug scandal involved Michelle and Barack -OH MY GOD- the media would be having a field day

But no - it involves Cindy and John McSame - and there is silence in the msm.

[RagAss]

29. He aided drug trafficking !... that's the talking point !

[mrreowwr_kittty]

31. Absolutely! Especially when the RW has no qualms about bringing up ancient history

Some guy named William Ayers was a radical who did something with bombs back when Barack was 9 years old. Somehow, Barack needs to answer for this because he sat on a couple of boards with the guy 30 years later. This despite the fact that Ayers fulfilled the terms of his sentencing, was welcomed back into Chicago society, and teaches at U. of Chicago.

Yeah, I definitely think the drug story, old as it is, is infinitely more relevant to discuss. It speaks to McCain's priorities and moral character.

[tblue37]

32. The RW gets its memes into the public awareness by

harping on them, no matter how false or how old the story. They repeat endlessly, and in soundbite form, to make sure that RW memes are drilled into everyone's consciousness.

Since the media are carrying water for the Republicans, we have to do double duty where this sort of constant repetition is concerned. Even if we are bored with "old news" that we have heard before, we must realize that most American voters have never heard about many of these things at all, because they get their "news" from the MSM, and the MSM doesn't touch such scandals if they show the Republcians in a bad light.

[JustAnotherGen]

33. I don't know that I've read that on D.U.

But I'm one of those folks who never paid John McCain much attention. All of those things he's done/been involved in? Pretty much news to me in the past 8 or 9 months.


I think it's foolhardy to believe that this stuff is old news to everyone. A LOT of people don't know McCains's overall character and background - and the only way to get that message out there . . . is for the people who know these things to share these things.


And the thread linked in the original post? That pretty much sums up everything we need to know. :-)

[AnotherMother4Peace]

34. I listen to a lot of RW radio - ...friends close, enemies closer... - & I hear it a lot there -

Rush blustering "Why are they still talking about that." Reagan "Don't they know that has been dealt with?" Everyone "That is old news, can't they move on."

But lately these phrases have been popping up more and more on DU - It's just a way to dismiss and diminish some very important issues, and to intimidate people.

[JustAnotherGen]

36. Oooh - Now Right Wingers

When the whole Edwards thing came up - I threw McCain's cheating ass right back at one or two people. And they DID state, "That's old news."

Not to me it wasn't.

I only learned of it late Spring of this year. ;-)

And I refuse to move on from McCain's poor judgment, weak character, and sneaky ways . . . :pals: Just reserved a copy of a book on The Keating 5 from my local library that a fellow DU'er recommended. ;-)