The Gore Example:Does The Dem Establishment Get The Media Problem?

[KittyWampus]

The Gore Example: Does the Democratic Establishment Get the Traditional Media Problem? Peter Daou

Which of the following is more important:

a) The deceptive and intentionally vague testimony of a judge who could shape America's future
b) The tears of his wife

a) A missing girl in Aruba
b) The brazen outing of a covert CIA operative

a) A major speech by a former Vice-President of the United States accusing George W. Bush of breaking the law
b) An overturned tanker truck on a New York highway

Al Gore delivers a scathing indictment of Bush's power-grab. Flipping on the cable nets, CNN, MSNBC and FOX are covering 'breaking' news: an overturned tanker truck on a New York highway. This after a week of roadblock coverage of Bush's worn-out terror speeches.

THIS is the Democrats' problem. Notwithstanding a cacophony of rightwing voices assailing the "liberal" media, the Dem establishment needs to understand that if it doesn't go after the media institutionally, things simply will not change. But don't hold your breath waiting for them to get it... As I said last week, "the intricate interplay of Republican persuasion tactics, media story-telling, and 21st century information flow seems beyond the ken of most Democratic strategists and leaders. The hellish reality progressive bloggers have acknowledged and internalized is still alien to the party establishment. Dem strategy is still two parts hackneyed sloganeering and one part befuddlement over the stifling of their message."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/the-gore-example-does-th_b_13913.html

[Warren DeMontague]

1. The media is fucked. It's the number one problem we have with waking up

the US public. As long as an increasingly concentrated corporate oligarchy controls the TV "Newz", it's going to be EXTREMELY difficult to get our message out.

[blm]

2. DAMN STRAIGHT, PETE!!!! It's the GAWDDAM MEDIA, Dems. WAKE the fock UP!

/

[firefox]

3. Gore's last big speech was on the media

The last big speech I remember Gore for was on the media. In searching for that speech I came across this link with many links on Al Gore's recent speeches- http://www.failureisimpossible.com/needtoknow/whoreally...

The speech I was concerned with seems to be talked about in this Truthout report- http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/111803H.shtml I cannot find the text of the speech though.

The above link provides a link concerning a speech given by Gore at Constitutional Hall just days before that- http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/111103C.shtml

[drm604]

4. We know that's the problem,

but what's the solution? Do we need to overturn Al Gore on a New York highway? Does Cindy Sheehan have to be kidnapped in Aruba? Maybe Tipper should be crying big tears about how her husband is being ignored and how he was robbed of the presidency.

But all joking aside, what is the solution? :shrug:

[KittyWampus]

5. Elected Democrats Need To Start Calling Out The Complicit Corporate Media

Elected Democrats Need To Start Calling Out The Complicit Corporate Media

Democrats already HAVE a working policy platform.

But they can reframe the debate from now til doomsday, but if the Mediawhores ignore it, deride and continue to trumpet Rove talking points what good will it do?

Elected Dems and those representing Dems who go on tv must learn their #1 priority is calling the interviewers GOP bias to the public's attention.

Howard Dean only did HALF the job with Wolf Blitzer last week. It isn't enough to stand up to them and shove facts into their faces.

All Democrats must preface their comments with simple statements that draw viewers' attention to the fact Mediawhores are just asking/repeating/blindly accepting GOP talking points.

For instance, Dean could have started his correction about Abramoff by saying "Wolf, stop repeating Rove's talking points" or "Wolf, I know you have GOP talking points on this issue BUT", or "Wolf, as a supposed independant journalist you should alread KNOW THIS IS A GOP SCANDAL".

[radio4progressives]

16. Bingo!!! This is exactly I have been arguing ..

The Media IS the issue - so when we are fighting our good fights, and supporting our favorite candidates, and lobbying our elected leaders on one issue or another - ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS - make the issue of the MEDIA a central focus or point of concern vis a vis an agenda item, a campaign issue, an ISSUE unto itself - that we convey this message articulated in the post that i'm responding to made by crying shame..

This is it. period.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. There needs to be a breakup of the huge media conglomerates.

I don't know when or how this will be feasible, but we will never have democracy in this country again until it happens, even without election fraud. It's simply impossible for people to vote in an informed way when the information is so tightly controlled.

Damn right the Democrats need to go after the media institutionally.

[KittyWampus]

7. The Democratic Establishment Needs A Strategy NOW Though

not at some future date/

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Agree with that absolutely.

I don't know how we get it into their heads that there's even a problem. The majority of them still seem utterly clueless and appear to think that old style politics is still in play in this country. I honestly don't know how we manage to get through to them. Part of the reason that I keep toying with the idea of changing my party affiliation to Green. If enough people do that, at least some message is sent.

[seabeyond]

14. they are friggin talking to us through emails, and you suggest

they dont know that there is a problem. normal people that dont follow politics at all still say it si a liberal media. they believe it. would you have the democrats now start a campaign, while going after bush for nsa, iraq, abromoff crooks, and stolen election to go after media too and accuse them of not playing fair. who is going to report it? the media. and how will media represent the dems? oh i wonder.......

[radio4progressives]

17. if and when we elect progressive Democrats - we can get that done

but until such time, go to cryingshame's post for the most intelligent strategy that can be effected at this juncture.

[seabeyond]

9. i think the dems probably get it. they are the ones that have been

attack with the insignificant everytime they go on tv. they are the ones watching their face on tv being reported on with disdain over a silly sound bite taken out of text. further, one..... dean, was ejected out of our primaries on the pretext that there was no crowd noise, really the room was quiet. he was just a maniac screaming

once again this post is blaming the dems.......

i have been saying for a while, dems cant get on to be heard. i finally had a kerry speech on msm oct of 2004. it was such a good speech like many. laid out education, health care, small business and iraq in a mere 20 minutes. plans for all. pretty big job to do in twenty minutes. finally a speech that news media could hear, that constantly said kerry never talked about a plan,.....

what did media do, literally said, boring and no plan. wtf....... then they continued on the same bullshit dissin of kerry that they did thru out the campaign that had nothing to do with his speech. no one actually talked about the content of his speech

this problemis much bigger than just the dems fixing

and until people undertand THIS nothing is going to be done. and those on the board will continue to blame the dems...... and wont we feel all warm and fuzzy

[KittyWampus]

12. But we both agree there's a problem. After that, the Establishment Dems

need to DO something. What good is just saying "this sucks"?

My suggestion is for Dems to subtely call out the mediawhores when they DO get face time on the air.

Example, this is what Dean could have said to Wolf:

"Wolf, if you were a responsible journalist doing his job, you'd KNOW that the Abramoff scandal is purely Republican and that any attempt to say otherwise is just repeating Rove talking points."

[seabeyond]

13. i have watched dean, kerry and hillary

get into an interview to only have the same repug bullshit talking point being brought up again. these people flat out call the media. kerry at one point said something about just being a republican operative i believe. these people have been absolutely blunt with the media on their whoring.

since clinton have you heard a single positive comment about the dems. i have not

i stopped watching the news after oct 2004. that disgusted me so. i could not turn on news again. but even not watching the news i hear our dems lay it out flat to these commentators. and still......

it isnt going to be the dems that are going to be able to fix this. i dont know what it will take, besides bringing fair and balanced back, and stop the merging to such a small amount of competition. i dont know if we can turn back the time. but we certainly arent going to do it while repugs have the power, and repugs arent going ot help us

it is a reality

when faced with a reality, the problems shifts to a solution that will work. but media has too much fun bashing dems. man in a couple day period there was a top dude from cnn, and one from nbc that flat out said they were unjust to dems, in their own way. dont have the two quotes but says all that has to be said on what media is doing

[KittyWampus]

18. I pretty much stopped watching too. Just get snippets here & there.

But, IMO, all Dems need to do this every single time. And to do it with the attitude a grown takes with a child.

[Dunvegan]

10. Actually, Gore is not only aware of the MSM freeze-out of liberal voices

...but he's doing something about it.

Current TV, a new grass-roots news station will be cable broadcasting/podcasting as a network from here in San Francisco. Al Gore is acting as Chairman for the new network.

Al and Tipper bought a condo in the new St. Regis Condos so that he could be close to the network headquarters downtown.

Al knows.

And more than that, he's DOING something about it.

Postscript: Welcome to San Francisco, President-Elect Gore..."It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor...."

[Nomen Tuum]

11. Meanwhile in Los Angeles...

...All we are hearing about is the Golden Globe awards or Ford's illness. Not a peep about anything else.

[Hatalles]

15. kick and rec