Juan Cole: Monsters on TV

[n2doc]

Thursday, November 06, 2008
Monsters on Television
Paul Krugman, among my favorite political commentators, has spoken forthrightly of how during the past few years we have had "monsters" in office, naming Tom Delay, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. He complains that until recently, if an observer simply called them what they are, he or she was termed "shrill." (h/t Daily Kos).

I could not agree more. But I'd like to take this discussion out of the realm of commentary and into that of action.

It is unacceptable that television news brings Tom Delay and Karl Rove on as bona fide political commentators, when both are criminals. The same thing goes for Oliver North. Delay has been indicted on corruption charges and had to step down from his seat in Congress. Rove led a campaign to have the press out a covert CIA operative who was attempting to stop Iranian nuclear proliferation, essentially blowing her cover and that of her contacts to Tehran (i.e. he is a traitor).

There was a time when individuals so tainted with crime made themselves unacceptable in polite society, including on television.

Instead, these monsters are being given air time. CNN brought Delay on to accuse Barack Obama of being a "Marxist." To have that shameless embezzler given a platform to smear an honorable man just made my blood boil.

Folks, we need an organization that can blanket the corporate media with emails of complaint every time they bring on a criminal and parade him as a legitimate commentator. If they blow us off, it would be time to get up some advertiser boycotts.

This rehabilitation-by-media of criminals is one way the country keeps being shifted to the right every time the people find their voice. The Right gives a comfy perch on television to looney embezzlers and burglars and then wages campaigns with big money behind them to discredit even centrist leaders not in their back pockets.

more:

http://www.juancole.com/

[Hissyspit]

1. Krugman and Cole. Two of the most intelligent

Americans currently living.

[Karenina]

2. . .

[jimlup]

3. I think the last two paragraphs were worth posting too - thanks!

...

Liberals have let themselves be walked all over by the Right, which is mostly much better funded and organized than the American Left, for too long. In part, it is because we are tolerant of a wide range of speech in a way that the Right is not. But I am not arguing for restricting the range of speech. People with Delay's or Rove's views deserve a hearing in the public sphere. It is just that we have no obligation to give a soapbox to monsters and criminals.

So the next time you see CNN or ABC, e.g., interview Tom Delay with a straight face, send a protest email and scream bloody murder and notice which corporation paid for Delay to be on the public airwaves. But better yet, can't we form a facebook page for this with alerts, and get organized about it?

[lunatica]

4. This sort of pushback seems to be a natural outgrowth of the Republican shilling

It doesn't surprise me one bit that intelligent people are calling for action and boycotting of liars, thieves, and criminals who have enjoyed unprecedented privileges which should only be afforded to upstanding citizens.

Let the Reality based ideas and activities begin.