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The Media is currently "Testing" Obama's Bully pulpit and American Support

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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:05 PM
Original message
The Media is currently "Testing" Obama's Bully pulpit and American Support
Edited on Thu Feb-05-09 06:22 PM by FrenchieCat
They want to see if President Obama has any real power to go around the media, or if the media is still powerful enough to reshape the President's message before it gets out.

They are "testing" now, to see just how much power the media really still has,
after the fact that they did not succeed during the primaries or the general election
of maintaining the kind of "control" they once had due to voters bipassing media influence to a large degree.

The media corporate heads do not want "Change" in how politics is done. They like the bickering, the grandstanding, the petty arguments, and the scandals. Staying "as is" is much more beneficial to them, then any kind of harmony to take this country to a better place.

The Test is being administered via the Stimulus Debate.
They have stacked the cards again President Obama to see
if he has greater power than they.

Since Bush and Corporate media interest were the same, no such "Test" was administered
during the Bush years.


The test being administered by the media is apparent if you have observed the following:

1. The Media has allowed more GOP members than Dems to monopolize the airwaves with their talking points.

2. Television and Newspaper Commentators are echoing the attack lines of the GOP, i.e., this pork and that pork, and allowing GOP members to confuse viewers with talk of the Stimulus package with the upcoming Bail out TARP proposals, without follow ups. No questioning of why GOP members, as part of the party that brought us this mess, is now supposed to be giving sound advice.

3. Commentators have not discussed positive details of the Stimulus package, only the 1% so called pork....and have redefined that only working on roads and bridges is to equal jobs, and thereby be judged as Stimulative.

4. The media has lied about President Obama's approval ratings in order to give a perception of falling support for not just the President, but what the President is attempting to do.

5. Portraying President Obama's efforts to address the Bully Pulpit as failed, before it gets started. Analyzing that the message "got away" from the President, neglecting to acknowledge that it is they who have stacked the decks.

6. Using tax issue against various nominees as though it was a blundgeon, never once asking themselves where is this information coming from, and why is it coming all at once?

7. No longer talking of a honeymoon, because there never was one. No more talk of patience, because they don't want there to be any.

8. Having discussions with paid talking heads of what is happening in the economy done in a vaccum, never linked to the timing of the stimulus package....except for when they have no choice but to air the President making those statements.

9. Using old arguments of Tax Cuts vs. Spending.

10. Not pointing out the difference between Middle Class and the working poor tax cuts vs. GOP Tax cuts demanded for the affluent.

The problem with voters who voted for Obama and not McCain, who might normally be marshaled to show support for this President are too busy struggling to survive, or are too busy gripping about other issues, or are buying into the Media line, and therefore are not making an effort to register their support of the government package that could, if passed, help get us out of this mess.

In otherwords, the media is doing its upmost best to undermind President Obama's greatest strength; the voices of the American People.

If they are successful, it is us who will pay....because one thing is true, Obama's success depends on the success of this package....and so does ours.

If we fail, then they will go hogwild working to sink many other measures that President Obama has promised us. If we fail, they win, and they will let us know it. If they win, there will be no change whatsoever, and it will be us that have let ourselves down....because President Obama is but one man.

I leave you with the last thing that the Media has not done adequately, considering the scale of the monies that will be spent in this package if it passes; they have failed to explain to the American people what is in the stimulus package and how it may affect the jobless, the homeless, workers, students, etc....





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villager Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:08 PM
Response to Original message
1. Pretty good analysis, FrenchieCat. So, do we take to the phones, or the streets?
n/t
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:15 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. We need to take to the phones, stop bickering with one another,
and get active in writing to our local newspapers and contacting media outlets.

The problem is that while many of us have been busy fighting each other and criticizing what is in and not in the package, the media has already pushed the tide of public sentiments to a 50/50 proposition.

We have very little time left.
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Top Cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 10:33 PM
Response to Reply #3
12. agreed
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WinkyDink Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:15 PM
Response to Original message
2. Excellent post! Then there's Newsweek's black cover: "Obama's VietNam."
Never mind we had soldiers dying throughout Bush's rule.
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:18 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. I saw that and vinced. I realized then that the Media as dangerous as any
Rogue State dictator or any terrorist.
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Rosa Luxemburg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 11:53 PM
Response to Reply #5
18. We will blame Newsweek if we are attacked by terrorists
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ShortnFiery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:30 AM
Response to Reply #18
24. F*ck Newsweek! I stopped my subscription to their propaganda before 2000. eom
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ErinBerin84 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:15 PM
Response to Original message
4. earlier today
Pat Buchanan gleefully said "The honeymoon is over and there's gonna be a lot of wife beating tonight!", then giggled.
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:19 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. The media as a whole is very pompous.....
and really could care less about this country.
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bdamomma Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 09:03 AM
Response to Reply #6
29. and us to them we are irrelevant, but we can change that!!
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CitizenPatriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 01:48 PM
Response to Reply #4
33. He did? that is disgusting.
what is it with these people? they can say they want to model themselves after the Taliban, tell a woman on national tv to stop prattling, send out barack the magic negro, and reference wife beating with glee

and no one calls them out on it?

where's our outrage?
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EraOfResponsibility Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:29 PM
Response to Original message
7. Excellent Frenchie mind if I pass this around?
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 10:26 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. Go right ahead!
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Peace Patriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:31 PM
Response to Original message
8. Thanks for a great analysis of the media! And the charts!
Edited on Thu Feb-05-09 06:32 PM by Peace Patriot
Besides hitting the phones and telling the corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies that, next, we're going to dismantle their media empires, and telling Senators and House critters that their time in power will soon be over, we need to...

1. Demand vote counting that everyone can see and understand, and remove these private, fascist corporations and their 'TRADE SECRET' code from our election system;

2. As we begin electing real representatives of the people...

a. Ban all private money in political campaigns (enough! fini! game over!)
b. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine (which means busting all media monopolies, and requiring equal time for issues of public concern and public service broadcasting, as conditions for obtaining a license to use our public airwaves.

:patriot:
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Uzybone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:31 PM
Response to Original message
9. Amazing post with facts...thanks for this
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Life Long Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 06:49 PM
Response to Original message
10. I feel Obama is doing a great job.
Where's he getting any tips from?
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Clio the Leo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
13. Did you hear him talking about "the cable news shows"
or whatever he said tonight about the MSM .... anyway, thought of you when he said that. ;)
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ShortnFiery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:31 AM
Response to Reply #13
25. Yes, Obama called it "Cable Chatter." Perfect term. eom
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rufus dog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 10:43 PM
Response to Original message
14. Frenchie, you have had some good posts, I think this is your best.
Outstanding work.
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 11:30 PM
Response to Reply #14
16. You think?
:shrug:

Thanks! :blush:
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firedupdem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 10:47 PM
Response to Original message
15. Thank You for this! Great Post! Recommended! n/t
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-05-09 11:33 PM
Response to Original message
17. Wow, Frenchie...Bookmarking.
of course, the corporatemedia is doing the same ol tired shit that they do on Democrats.

Obama won in spite of the "media" and he'll get his job done in spite of them, too.
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democracy1st Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 01:13 AM
Response to Original message
19. K & R Frenchie
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depakid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 01:45 AM
Response to Original message
20. "the media is doing its upmost best to undermind President Obama's greatest strength;
the voices of the American People."

What's astonishing to me is that yet again, the Democrats were again caught flat footed- even though ANYONE with even the slightest grasp of recent history should have seen this coming miles and miles away.
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akbacchus_BC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 02:30 AM
Response to Original message
21. Frenchie, excellent graph. I could not believe my eyes today how the media and their talking
heads attacked President Obama. The media is really against him. I sincerely hope he will prevail. And I so want him to be successful with the stimulus package. The GOP is really undermining him and the media is not helping.
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Solomon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:25 AM
Response to Original message
22. When he's done crushing the republican party, he's going to take
the media down with them.
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ShortnFiery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:29 AM
Response to Original message
23. The M$M will LOSE ... FOX has already lost billions. Their RUSE did not anticipate "The Internets"
:evilgrin:
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PassingFair Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:34 AM
Response to Original message
26. Obama needs to arrange a network, video, "fireside chat"
EVERY WEEK during this economic crisis.

MSNBC.....are you listening?
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gademocrat7 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 08:34 AM
Response to Original message
27. K & R, Frenchie
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bdamomma Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 09:01 AM
Response to Original message
28. we need all hands on deck against the media and calling our Senators to pass this bill
ABC News
77 W. 66 St., New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-456-7777


General e-mail: netaudr@abc.com
Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com
20/20: 2020@abc.com





CBS News
524 W. 57 St., New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-975-4321
Fax: 212-975-1893

Email forms for all CBS news programs
CBS Evening News: evening@cbsnews.com
The Early Show: earlyshow@cbs.com
60 Minutes II: 60minutes@cbsnews.com
48 Hours: 48hours@cbsnews.com
Face The Nation: ftn@cbsnews.com

CNBC
900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Phone: (201) 735-2622
Fax: (201) 583-5453
Email: info@cnbc.com

CNN
One CNN Center, Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30303-5366
Phone: 404-827-1500
Fax: 404-827-1784
Email forms for all CNN news programs



Fox News Channel
1211 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 301-3000
Fax: (212) 301-4229
comments@foxnews.com
List of Email addresses for all Fox News Channel programs
Special Report with Brit Hume: Special@foxnews.com
FOX Report with Shepard Smith: Foxreport@foxnews.com
The O'Reilly Factor: Oreilly@foxnews.com
Hannity & Colmes: Hannity@foxnews.com, Colmes@foxnews.com
On the Record with Greta: Ontherecord@foxnews.com



MSNBC/NBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
Phone: (212) 664-4444
Fax: (212) 664-4426

List of Email addresses for all MSNBC/NBC news programs
Dateline NBC: dateline@nbc.com
Hardball with Chris Matthews: hardball@msnbc.com
MSNBC Reports with Joe Scarborough: joe@msnbc.com
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: nightly@nbc.com
NBC News Today: today@nbc.com


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bridgit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 09:15 AM
Response to Original message
30. As many have pointed out 'nice post/nice graph' but *I am not* prepared to give...
the republican RW; or any republican for that matter, so clear-cut a pass on their activities. The Media hasn't "allowed more GOP members than Dems to (fill in the blanks)", the GOP are the only ones standing there yaking their fucking heads off carrying on as though they_did_not_lose. They have nothing but ideas on this, that, and everything else cept why Eric Cantor is such a duplicitous little lap-dog and won't STFU! to save America. So he keeps talking too, but it's not 'the media' that is enabling him...


These fuckers are *tight*, they are as thick as thieves. There's a reason, such as it is; why thieves are as tight and thick as they are...they actually think there is honor among them. But make no mistake they are thieves first and foremost. And the media has less to do with that living as they do so effortlessly under the poofs of powder puffs and the buzz of worker bees applying rouge & eyelash sooner in search of their pollen and make no mistake here either their pollen is Ad dollars and that's it. They care less for the message or whether Obama fails or whom wins so long as they are able to perpetuate their existence by the column inch and by the tube of lip gloss: 'the media' are the ultimate Valley Girls like fer real fer sher so believe it!!


Before coming in I saw a thread that mentioned how disappointed Lyndsey Graham was about something...whoa, wait a minute: Whoa! Shit! Fuck! Lady-Lyndsey-Graham-is-disappointed!?!! Stop Thee Fucking Presses!!!!!!!


We simply can't have that now can we? But he's out there in the middle of "his" disappointment nonetheless; a disappointment that it would seem would have sent many others underneath their beds or sobbing into their Hello Kitty diaries but not Lyndsey. He's running round touting a bill he has sponsored with a True Blue Stimulus Provision; A Real One Dammit!! -- one worth 450mil$'s that brings "infrastructure" to the war zone in the form of bringing Hummer's back to the states just to clean the sand out of the bearings, paint, and replace all the shattered glass make no mistake here either *that* is their idea of job creation look here...

Dem leadership is not giving Obama the support he needs and no I am not talking Barney Frank who I sometimes wish would sit down and be still, motionless as a calm placid mountain lake if possible. Pelosi has come up front as she becomes prickly in ways befitting, Boxer, Sheldon Whitehouse standing beside yet another old republican white dude with creepy little doll teeth on Hardball cut him off when the creepy doll teeth dude started up with the "we had to spend *that* money keeping America safe by killing millions of innocent Iraqi" neocon meme and you know what? He stopped talking that gibberish. Whitehouse sunk his battleship but that's part of it, Dems need to stop dealing cards thus: "Here's one for you, and one for you, oh and one for you, and one for me" rinse/repeat-rinse/repeat shit! -- deal some from a random scheduler straight up into the wind cause it's howling; if success favors the prepared then it favors a moving target too: Claire McCaskill, there are others, don't want to leave anyone out but we got names we got faces and it is time for them to step up front and start lifting this busted machine up/out of the mud no...

Please review these links search parameter 'list democratic (then) republican senators'

http://democrats.senate.gov

http://republican.senate.gov

Shades of baby blue 'Agenda' become slate & summit grey 'Leader Board', the gestalt, the hard sell to the reptilian brain is as though it is an ongoing Master's Tournament and who is on the leader board, who is winning that game; and who is or may not make that cut. It is suggested that surely whomever is on it = republicans, it being their site, they are realistic, they see the world in shades of black & white, and not shades of baby blue even as true as they are when tangled up within them...and with perception being *nearly* everything in a world filled with sexy green M&M's coo'ing with yummy sounds into the animator's camera, well...

That's not Campbell Brown, or Poppy Harlow, they aren't capable of shaping anything but their eyebrows


That's the republicans themselves snookering the table once again and so I am like so fully disinclined to give republicans a pass on their; and Obama called that part just right: "gamesmanship!"

This is not a fucking game, this is America bitches!!
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #30
32. Oh...you are correct that the Republicans are totally off base,
Edited on Fri Feb-06-09 01:38 PM by FrenchieCat
and this is not a fucking game.

But the media is the one responsible for getting their message out.

I remember in 2001, I was looking for Democrats on my Television to oppose the Republicans. I only could find them on C-Span. It wasn't that they weren't out there in front of microphones, mind you....it is that the spot that they were standing in front of the microphone wasn't being televised except for on the channel that few folks watch; C-Span.

This time it is different! And the media producers are who decides who gets airtime.
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bridgit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 10:31 PM
Response to Reply #32
38. Today on the way back from up north, Hartman was running some numbers...
And they 'run' about 2:1 media coverage republican representation as to their position vs. Dems representing ours, and while that feeds into your OP which I do not disagree with as a practical matter...I see in my mind's eye dweeby, snippy, finger pointing republican operatives absolutely jumping up & down haranguing media outlets, further impugning their patriotism the whole fucking nine for the same kinds of access they've basked in thus far.

I do think that republican tactics can easily make that slip into definitions that sound like 'extortion' to the ear. We already know all they do is talk smack, so let's push back and be ready for the smack-talk.

Where is our rapid response team!? Too many of our people seem to be just doddering along. The other side does not show up to merely play the game...they show up to WIN! Psy-ops, smack-talk, stuffing ballots, shaving points whatever the fuck it takes up to and including Newt and his brand new 2Ct's, "Obama will be the next Jimmy Carter"...that is as laughable as The White Rabbit actually thinking he has somewhere to go. But that shit-talk will stand undisputed unless & until Dems push these shit talking usurpers back on their ass, or into a mud puddle.

And they are willing to do & say ANYTHING to win...all this shit needs to be blocked in advance. I appreciate what Obama did, I try to be accommodating; but republicans are like one big careening ambulance coming at you with lights flashing and sirens blaring that's just the way it is.

It's time to get busier ~
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Phoebe Loosinhouse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 12:54 PM
Response to Original message
31. One of the best all around posts I've ever seen here.
Edited on Fri Feb-06-09 12:55 PM by Phoebe Loosinhouse
Your commentary is completely on target and the charts are fantastic. K&R

edit - oops! I already recc'd it, so I can only kick.
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 01:57 PM
Response to Original message
34. The Opinionated Asshole Media don't know Diddly.....
and as Obama put it, everyone thinks that they are an economist right at the moment!
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AspenRose Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 02:06 PM
Response to Original message
35. Bookmarked because this one is a keeper.
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eridani Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 05:09 PM
Response to Original message
36. Luckily, the MSM have to allow President Obama to speak, even if they wouldn't do that
--for candidate Obama. However, we still need to get the message out by doing an end run around the MSM. Town meetings, YouTube, Facebook, never letting up on our congresscritters regardless of party--we all must start in and never let up.
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FrenchieCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-06-09 05:20 PM
Response to Reply #36
37. Aye......
the President is listening, and acting on what he is hearing.

In otherwords, he's on it. :)
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