Stop CNN From Airing Deficit Propaganda

[babylonsister]

X-post from GD. It's 'that' important! :)

Stop CNN From Airing Deficit Propaganda

From digby:
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/theyre-baaack.html

If you have time to do just one political thing today, please click over to that page and help. This may be the single most dangerous right wing threat we face. And that's saying something.


This weekend, CNN is giving four hours of free airtime to the leading propagandist fanning the flames of deficit hysteria, Wall Street mogul Pete Peterson, along with his lackeys.

CNN plans to air Peterson's thoroughly debunked propaganda movie "I.O.U.S.A," – and then his acolytes will have free reign to spread their usual lies about Social Security, Medicare and government in general without any fiscal expert to challenge them and give a different point of view.

Is this how "the most trusted name in news" should cover the debates on retirement security, job creation and fighting poverty?

Use this page to tell CNN's Vice President of D.C.-Based Programming Sam Feist: give equal time to defenders of Social Security, Medicare and public investment.

And use the Facebook and Twitter links on the right to spread this campaign far and wide. We have less than a day to press CNN to do the right thing!

http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=84

Letter here-all you have to do is sign at link and send:

If CNN wants to continue to be seen as "the most trusted name in news," you will not give Pete Peterson and his acolytes free airtime this Saturday and Sunday to blast their "I.O.U.S.A." propaganda unchallenged.

Many prominent economists such as Paul Krugman, James Galbraith and Dean Baker have sharp disagreements with Pete Peterson about Social Security, Medicare and public investment.

CNN should be the place to have the debate, not the place where one opinion is deemed to be absolute truth.

I strongly urge you yank the IOUSA programs, produced by deficit hawk Peterson – or to give equal time to defenders of Social Security, Medicare and public investment. If you don’t you will destroy your reputation and lose this viewer. Thank you.

http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=84

[annabanana]

1. k&r. . . . n/t

[Common Sense Party]

2. Where has IOUSA been thoroughly debunked?

It's one thing to disagree with the makers' motives, or even their policy prescriptions. I thought it was a very well-made and eye-opening documentary which showed the insane deficit explosion under Bush. I find it very hard to argue with much of what David Walker has to say.

Anyone who claims that we DON'T need to address our massive debt problems has their head firmly in the sand.

BTW, NOWHERE in the movie does anyone call for abolishing Social Security or Medicare.

Here's the Reader's Digest version of I.O.U.S.A.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TjBNjc9Bo

[abelenkpe]

4. That money is never ever gonna be paid

It doesn't exist.

[babylonsister]

5. I didn't see it, but this is what

digby wrote about it last year, and her current link is in the OP. Now, she could be wrong, but I've been referencing her for awhile, and do tend to think she has my best interests at heart. But as I said, I haven't seen it, I'm just the messenger.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/fiscal-madness-by-digby-i-cant-believe.html

[totodeinhere]

3. I am not familiar with either Peterson or this movie.

Could you please summarize the argument against what he is saying? I do know that President Obama has expressed concern over the growing deficit and just offhand to me the deficit does seem to be too big, but I am no expert. Thanks.

[babylonsister]

6. Here's digby's argument when it was first shown on cnn:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/fiscal-madness-by-digby-i-cant-believe.html

[totodeinhere]

10. Thanks, I read the article.

It rightly blames the Republicans for getting us into this mess. But it doesn't seem to offer any solutions, only blame. Or are they saying that this huge amount of federal debt that we have taken on will not be harmful? And how do they propose to continue to finance this debt? Should we continue to sell bonds to the Chinese and hope that the Chinese don't cut us off?

I don't dispute that Bush and company got us into this mess. But regardless of how it happened, we are in it now and what I want to know is how do we get out of it.

[Cha]

7. Of course, they are..they're mediawhores.

The non-mediawhores who have a national audience can probably be named on one hand. I hope we'd need a second hand to list them.

Done and Done..Thanks, babylonsister..now I'm signed up for CAF notices for Action, too~

[babylonsister]

9. Welcome back, stranger!

:fistbump:

[Cha]

12. Thanks, babylonsister~ A whole week

and it feels like I've taken a month off. Kinda glad my computer got eaten..I needed that.:fistbump:

I just saw Louise Slaughter on my local news..she's moved on to the High Speed Rail issue and had Transportation Sec Ray LaHood giving a Pep talk in an Amtrak Station in Rochester, NY.

I've never seen her before..I read she was older and a bundle of intelligent energy.. and it turns out she's been passionate about bringing high speed rail to New York since the '80's.

So nice to see Democrats on the local news going about doing their important work for the people and our Country.:patriot::patriot: Oh Yeah!

[craigmatic]

8. cnn is failing in ratings looks like they'd rather take the faux route and make the news instead of

reporting it.

[Tippy]

11. Done...K&R

[applegrove]

13. Obama does have to pay his way. Remember it was the anti tax GOP message that has bankrupted

California.

[Thrill]

14. CNN is a sad place these days

Ted Turner probably can't even watch anymore.

[Enthusiast]

15. Done! nt

[a kennedy]

16. kickin' this......