A Tale Of Two former U.S. Presidents in the News (or Not).

[Atman]

92 year old former President Gerald Ford has pneumonia and was taken to the hospital. Gerald Ford served his country, and deserves our respect. But beyond his historic place as the only other non-elected president besides George Bush (rim-shot), what is really remarkable about a 92 year old man getting sick? It's about as common as...as...92 year old men. Ford's hospitalization is certainly newsworthy enough to warrant front-page status, if only in that little box on the left hand nav bar...er, sorry, the 2pt lines have been blurred so much in the battle for the last handful of old fashioned new consumers...anyway, you get the picture. Newsworthy, but...

In the same news cycle as the failing health of President Ford, (as far as my research can tell, the eventual outcome of which will likely be the exact same as that of every president before him, and even one since), a former Vice President, the candidate who received considerably more votes than the current occupier of the White House, did something no such statesmen has done since the Civil War; Al Gore spoke out against the president of the United States and accused him of criminal activity.

He stated his case eloquently, yet boldly, with a clarity and articulation Americans have not heard from their leaders in over five years now. Mr. Gore wasn't a nattering nay-bob of negativism (Google it if you're curious), he also came loaded for bear with a double barrel of truth! (of course you can use it, Steve Colbert!) He had a plan for action, and he called upon Americans to wake-up and DO SOMETHING to protect the laws which have so successfully guided this nation for 230 years.

This story didn't make it on page one of the Hartford Courant, and I figure it's safe to assume this was the case on the front pages of most Tribune Media Company papers. It was mentioned in the little box along the left side of page two, you know, that top corner that hangs over backward when you're trying to hold up the flimsy newsprint and maneuver a Pop-Tart at the same time, so you never read it? The "Caucus" Box, I think it's called, where they put wonky minutiae and political what-nots. That's where this historic speech was presented to Connecticut residents by the largest newspaper in the state, and by far the dominant voice here, along with its cadre of television stations and ownership of the chain of "Advocate" alt News & Entertainment weeklies published for every market up and down the I-95/I-91 corridor. I'd bet money the Advocate will have a story about it in the next week's edition. Hey, it's alternative news, not real news. Apparently not the kind the editorial board guys might have felt warranted some above-the-fold mention in the dailies, too.

Barely two paragraphs about Al Gore's calling out of the sitting war president, a so-common-it's-not-even-disturbing-anymore trend echoed with a deafening silence among the Cabal News Networks as well. CNN led it's prime 7:00 hour with a teaser about Gerald Ford and the teenage slime in Florida, but no mention of Al Gore's speech. Hmm. But then, to my surprise, it was unceremoniously wedged in about five minutes into the opening news segment, extracted from the Teleprompter ever so competently by Sosobad O'Brien.

Not so fast...the entire piece turned out to be about the RNC's and Bush administration's outrage at Gore's remarks. *sigh*

Video showed Gore delivering what now appears to be the only surviving recorded remark from the event, wherein he says Bush broke the law consistently and deliberately or something. That's it. But man, they had quotes and footage from Alberto Gonzalez and all sorts of republican jamokes! I was half waiting for a clip from Saturday Night Live and some old "he's a piece of wood" chestnuts.

You know, even for those who don't agree with Gore's message or his delivery of that message, dear god, isn't the speech itself so historic -- the first of it's kind since the Civil War, that other bit of history many feel we may be all but doomed to repeat -- that you might think editorial boards of major news organizations would figure it warrants as least as much coverage as Gerald Ford's pneumonia?

Are there still DUers or lurkers out there who doubt what we're up against, and why even A Gazillion Person March won't resonate with the heartland if the media is allowed to continue relegating such events to the cocktail party section and alt weeklies? Such mentions are almost better left unmentioned, as they just serve to marginalize the information as being somehow stricktly wacko left-wing stuff. And they have a point...if it's REAL NEWS, why isn't it on the front page of the REAL newspaper?

Good question. Good question, indeed.

Be the media.

[The White Tree]

1. Well stated and true

In my local paper there was a 2 paragraph AP blurb as well. One saying he gave a speach about the presidents abuse of power and the other a direct quote of a cheap shot response by the head of the RNC that seemed to be literally quoted word for word.

Truly sad. I hope at least the big papers covered it some.

I'm nominating for the Greatest page.

[JNelson6563]

2. Bravo!! Recommended!

:applause: Very enjoyable read. 100% correct too! :toast:

[Atman]

3. I think the only way to really get Al' speech out there is to e-mail

We're just going to have start attaching these stories to e-mails and sticking them under windshield wipers in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. The media isn't on our side. The haven't been for a long time.

Thanks for the atta-boys, btw!

[KoKo]

4. Kick and Recommend! We seem to need a new strategy...

but DU'ers have been doing the windshield and library thing for awhile. Maybe it needs to be stepped up?

It's hard to know which is the most effective since so much has been tried through the years.

[sojourner]

6. I woke up this morn wondering the same thing...how can we start educating

Americans about the reality that the media is spinning into a fantasy hypno-fest?

any body around here have knowledge about what DOES work? maybe we ought to take a lesson from activists from the past...organizations that had to literally bootstrap themselves into the public consciousness.

[KoKo]

9. DU used to be VERY Activist....and Clever!

I think it's still out there somewhere. But putting a "one page flyer of news" in Libraries was what many were into...and I was more into putting stuff on "telephone poles" in my Red State." :D

I don't really know WHAT was successful...but I figured...whatever I did might get one or two of the Fundie Repugs to take notice...and so it was worthwhile.

Converting one or two at a time..was a BIG DEAL on DU way back when. Many of us have "been there and done that." We were hoping for "Fresh Troops."

:shrug:

[sojourner]

7. that 's one strategy...we need more though...

how about distributing free CD/DVDs with most current links? an underground information highway so to speak?

[barbtries]

5. checked my local rag

after reading your post. in today's daily breeze - which serves a population of several hundred thousand people at least - gore's speech is not mentioned.

sigh.

[stevedeshazer]

8. Ford and Gore are not the only two; Poppy Bush is schmoozing in Pakistan

Bush senior hopes Pakistan still sees US as helper

link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL190065.htm

ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George Bush, in Pakistan as a U.N. earthquake relief envoy, said on Tuesday he hoped Pakistanis would continue to see Washington as a helper despite civilian deaths in an American airstrike.

Bush was asked in Islamabad if he thought the deaths in Friday's strike, which have dented some of the goodwill generated by the prominent U.S. earthquake relief role, showed shortcomings in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

"No I don't," the father of President George W. Bush, said, while adding it was for others involved in the war to comment. "I am here as a representative of the (U.N.) secretary general to try to help with the relief and reconstruction effort.

"I think the feeling generally is that the U.S. has been trying to help the people of Pakistan and I hope that's what prevails."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Does anyone *really* think that Poppy is there for 'earthquake relief?' I don't.