The Set The Terms Of The Debate Myth - Another Blame The Democrats Narrative. Its Pathetic

[TomCADem]

We say that there is a corporate media that only covers the news from a right wing perspective. We also say that we understand that some major media monopolies like Fox News are nothing more than propaganda outlets.

Yet, we blame Democrats for allowing Republicans to set the terms of the debate. Afterall, it sounds good. It allows us to blame someone, plus it is consistent with other corporate media narratives that blame Democrats.

But, have we ever thought how does one set the narrative? Perhaps by talking about jobs and infrastructure. Check the President's speeches. Everytime he speaks he talks about jobs and infrastructure spending.

Wait! You say. I never hear this in the stories I read! Well, go to the White House website, and see what he actually says, then compare it with what is quoted.

Wait! You say. Why didn't President Obama demand a clean bill! Well, he did. He pointed out that the debt limit has been increaed over 90 straight times since the 1960s. It is rountine. Heck, the debt limit was increased by a total of close to 200 percent under Reagan. Under President Obama? Only about 26 percent.

What did you hear from the media? Poll after poll showing people wanted to reduce the debt. Story after story talking about the Tea Party with little coverage of the corporate backing behind it.

The Democrats should set the narrative, i.e., the terms of the debate. Really? Even Silvio Berscolini, the Italiam Media Mogul and Prime Minister sometimes has trouble setting the terms of the debate, and he owns the freakin media, yet we expect Democrats to somehow control the terms of the debate without similar media ownership?

The terms of the debate talking point hides the truth that we say we know, but that we often ignore. Our corporate media is corrupt. It distorts. It mercilessly goes after Anthony Weiner over a crotch shot, but it gives Republicans a free pass on economic basics.

"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." --Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786.

"There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press": Mark Twain

Two very different quotes. But both true. In post-Citizen United world, we will not be successful until we start looking behind the curtain, and start holding the corporate media and the Republicans who serve them accountable.

[EFerrari]

1. When you look behind that curtain you better be prepared to find Obama

using Republican language and claiming that reining in the debt is somehow important for us right now.

Of course the Republicans set the terms of the debate and Obama was their loudest spokesman.

[TomCADem]

3. Again, With The Non-Factual Anti-Democratic Talking Points...

Perhaps we are going to here McConnell say, "Tax Kills Jobs." Claiming that President Obama is a Republican spokesman is just slander. It is false.

A simple review of his past speeches shows that he repeatedly talks about the need to invest in infrasture, focus on job creation, and invest in education. Yet, even on this website, I have seen his calls for investment with education met with attacks that this constitutes elitism.

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Republicans are about to engage in the worst act of self-inflicted economic terrorism in our Nation's History, and we are still going out of our way to give Republicans a free pass, and blame the Democrats.

It is Pavlovian. The corporate media has us in a vice grip. While members of the Tea Party are bussed to astroturf events with manufactured signs, liberals are flooded with sock puppet campaigns designed to focus the anger of liberals, not on the right wing, but on Democrats.

[FedUp_Queer]

6. Speeches Shmeeches.

His actions are so loud his words mean less than nothing.

[TomCADem]

8. I Understand You Are Angry, Yet No Anger Directed Toward Republicans...

...Whereas the corporate media gets Tea Partiers, who should have been disgusted with Bush, energized and mobilized to attack Democrats and liberals. It is amazing how that works.

Worse, the folks who try to govern, rather than signing irresponsible pledges, get creamed. It is amazing the world we live in that those who are willing to put our Nation's economy at risk are rewarded.

[Name removed]

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[TomCADem]

11. Blah, Blah, Well I Guess You Already Know What You Want To Believe and Just Are Venting...

...It seems like you want a protest movement, not a President. Stand up to the GOP over the Bush tax cuts? Again, Republicans held the middle class hostage, by blockng middle class tax cuts unless they were also extended for the rich. Yet, you give them a free pass. This is the myopia I am talking about. You note the public option. Yet, as you know, health care reform almost did not pass as it is.

Based on your description, Republicans are the ones exercising leadership and being brave, because of their willingness to hold the entire economy hostage to satisfy a narrow constituency. They hopelessly pander to anti-tax zealots, and are afraid to stray from some silly pledge they signed for fear of upsetting their astroturf suppporters. I disagree with you. The cowards here are the Republicans, and I would rather vote them out, rather than insist that our leaders act more like them.

[FedUp_Queer]

15. Man, you just don't get it.

I know, I know...facts get in the way of the "it's the Republicans fault" or "if only he had 65 seats in the Senate" narrative. Had you actually read what I wrote, you could not have answered that way. Of course, I blame the Republicans. They are doing what Republicans do. I don't expect a so-called Democratic President to do the things he's done (which I will not list again). And you can play the sleight of hand you're playing with the "look over there" tactic. However, that does not erase the facts that this President, time and again, has acted like a Republican.

[Name removed]

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[BlueCaliDem]

7. "United We Stand. Divided We Fall". The GOP and corporate media

know this better than Progressives and Democrats do. That's why it's essential they "divide" us, so they can conquer us.

They use our strengths (independent, analytical, skeptical thinking) against those Liberals among us, and those who won't follow are immediately labeled as "Obamabots!" or some other pejorative.

"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on
a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of
it is to come back to his farm in one piece?

Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that
matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the
country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to
drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist
dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked,
and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same in any country." ~ Hermann Goering

It also works amongst ourselves.

Yep. Political psy-ops works well today as it did during those times. It worked pretty durn well in the 2000 election when Nader came out and said there's no difference between Al Gore and GWBush, and his minions parroted it over and over and over - and the result was, enough votes for Duh-bya for him and his thieves to steal the 2000 election, and the Republicans and Corporate America won power and installed their corporate shills on SCOTUS.

[sabrina 1]

25. What has any of that got to do with the this President

not taking the lead and using his power, and yes, presidents DO have power believe it or not, and setting the standard on budget talks right from the beginning.

Where is the candidate, eg, who promised he would NOT set up a Commission on the Deficit (Hillary's idea) because, he pointed out correctly at that time, 'commissions are nothing but an end-run around Congress' and he said that 'in my administration these issues will be discussed in Congress where they belong, not behind closed doors'.

In January 2000, he had the WH, Congress AND the Senate, yet he went back on that promise, set up a Commission and invited the people we THREW OUT OF OFFICE to give HIM advice on the budget. He invited the most anti-SS Repubs he could find.

No one else did that, HE did it. Was it a mistake? Or what? He was the one who said it would be a mistake. And I agreed with him as did so many others. What changed his mind when Dems had all that power? And why did he insist on restoring Republicans to power by inviting them on to his cabinet, his commissions etc.??

Making excuses doesn't change facts. Either he was inept, or it was calculated by an administration whose ideas about the Fed. Budget differ so greatly from those of traditional Democrats they are not recognizable as Democratic principles. And just about prominent Democrat has said so.

[EFerrari]

20. Bullshit. Does Obama call our social programs "entitlements"?

Yes, he does. Republican term.

Is he claiming we have to rein in our deficits, aka cut spending during a RECESSION, as an urgent priority? Yes, he is. Republican narrative.

I'm one of the last people around here you can hang slothful mass media consumption on but nice try.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Please explain your way out of $650 Bln Social Security cuts on the table with no revenue increases.

Thank you.

BTW, I did take the time to read your whole OP. I think you're hopelessly lost in a room full of smoke if you think you can chalk this up to media distortions. I'm sure there were media distortions. But, oh yes, that brings me back to the $600+ bln in cuts to Social Security.

PB

[emulatorloo]

4. Well, let's start with how you explain away the 2010 election results

And the current control of the House by right-wing extremists.

Seriously I am not trying to be snarky, but my question is step to answering your question.

Republican house is a huge part of this picture.

If these extremists were not in control of the House we would not even be having this discussion.

Pelosi's House would have passed a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling.

This Republican House? My impression they are ready to default and plunge the US into an economic depression.

[TomCADem]

10. Easy To Explain...Social Security Needs To Be Made Solvent...

...Republicans don't want to make it solvent. They want it to bleed red ink, so they can turn it into a 401(k). Ryan tried to do it with Medicare. Bush tried to do it with Social Security already. Republicans will try to do it again, but they need it to bleed red ink.

I would prefer to have more taxes, rather than raising the retirement age. But, if we do nothing, by social security will hit a steep cliff in the middle of my retirement:

<>

Finally, we all blow off the right wing balanced budget amendment, but a majority of people support this monstrocity. I think President Obama is trying to preserve social security as best he can for the long term.

Are you simply going to hope that Social Security fixes itself in the future? Perhaps hope that some liberal savior will sweep into the Presidency along with a progressive Congress and fix Social Security in the future?

Sadly, the more likely scenario is that once Republicans hold all three branches of Government, social security will be killed at some future date, and we will be placed on a 401(k), because Republicans will point to the growing pool of red ink. Look at public employee pensions, which are under attack by the public.

[FedUp_Queer]

19. Interesting.

First of all, what's the source? Second of all, that even this graph shows the program solvent at current levels for THIRTY NINE YEARS!!! Third, does this include the decrease in revenues Obama created with his token cut in the payroll tax? Of course, it's the republican narrative's fault that Obama cut payroll taxes thus taking money out of social security. Wait a sec...I get it. It's like the "healthy forests initiative.". We save it by destroying it. Oh..,you're right. He WAS playing chess, and, as Gary Larson showed, it turns out two wrongs DO equal one right.

[girl gone mad]

21. Social Security is already solvent..

and will always be solvent as long as we remain sovereign in our currency.

What an absurd premise you're pushing!

[Name removed]

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[FedUp_Queer]

5. Rubbish.

This narrative is nonsense. It's not as if Obama has done so much for jobs and infrastructure. From the very beginning, he has given the GOP what it wanted from their tax cuts in the stimulus to renewing all Bush tax cuts to now this (http://on.msnbc.com/plQCzu). Note in the latest he's giving them what they want...AGAIN!!! Screw the press conferences during the day, preempt primetime tv with an East Room press conference or a balls-to-the-wall Oval Office speech a la Ronnie Raygun. Is it no wonder that the excuses and whining of the president's apologists have no there there when he doesn't even try for the public option, gives big pharma what it wants in a back room deal, gives them all their tax cuts for two years while the unemployed get just one more year of benefits and the 99ers are left in the cold. Then, to top it off, he, a "Democratic" president, proposes $650 million in CUTS to social security, Medicare and Medicaid? Of course, they also said only Nixon could go to China. I'm sorry but this all begs the question: What does this man stand for? What are those "core principles" which are non-negotiable? I'd love to see an answer to that because I know couldn't name one.

[TomCADem]

12. The Stimulus Bill Is One Of The Largest Infrastructure Bills In History...

...The saving of the auto industry saved millions of jobs. Finally, remember when critics were saying that the Obama administration was not doing enough to stabalize the financial sector so that credit was available? Well, now the criticism is that the financial sector is doing too good. Also, on the subject of GLBT rights, he has been the most progressive President ever on these issues. I think he has done a great job in this environment despite a corporate right wing media that has grown far larger than it was under Clinton, and a radicalized Republican party.

Sadly, I think we have been disconnected ourselves. We fail to see that nearly 40 percent of Americans think that President Obama is too liberal. We fail to see how in some people's eyes, President Obama is a borderline socialist. Yet, you see him as a closet Republican.

I think he has been very consistent. The only ambiguity is in the narratives being applied to him and his actions by a corporate media that obfuscates, rather than explains.

Repulicans have no interest in governing, which is why they can sounds so clear. They can summarize their political philosophy in a one paragraph anti-tax pledge. If only governing were that simple.

If the left would only marshal that anger and do to Republicans what the astroturf types did to Democrats in 2008. But, the corporate narrative of blame Democrats and Give Republicans a free pass is ongoing. Watch the Sunday morning news. The only time you hear a progressive is if they are put on to bash on a Democrat.

[FedUp_Queer]

17. More drivel.

The stimulus bill was one of the largest infrastructure bills...blah blah blah again. The fact is, he gave into the GOP about tax cuts. As a result, the stimulus bill, while better than nothing, was completely insufficient. Our infrastructure needs investment to the tune of $2.2 trillion (http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/). That bill had less than 1/4 that in infrastructure spending. And as far as the GM bailouts (which were good on the whole), they essentially broke the unions and created a multi-tiered pay structure contravening the collective bargaining agreement. But keep whining.

[DonCoquixote]

13. OK, not trying to be an ahole

But can you answer this.

Suppose Obama held to his principle, and Congress did what they said they would do, tell him no way. Neither congress, even that vaunted majority, really wanted to go far left, whether it was public option, job spending or other things. Would you have hailed him for his principles, or joined the chorus that says "LBJ/HILLARY/ would known how to twist arms." I myself would have preferred the latter, but i also know that means that, since congesscritters can get endless support from their hometown and lobbyists, it means the presidency as we know it, is DEAD.

[FedUp_Queer]

16. You're not being an ahole at all.

Yes, let's at least supposed he did that. My point lies in your question..."suppose" he did. The fact is, he didn't. Beyond that, he didn't even try. That's my point, partly. I refuse to believe that the GOP can completely outmaneuver this man who outmaneuvered the Clinton machine in the 2007/2008. I've worked in DC...was a staff member on Capitol Hill. I know how it works. Where has he fought for anything...where has he shown ANY leadership? The one place I can see (and not saying it was a good thing) was in his overruling pentagon lawyers about the war powers act applicability in going to war with Libya. Other than that, complete milquetoast.

[spanone]

22. you greatly underestimate the republicans

[FedUp_Queer]

26. Why are you here?

I don't underestimate them at all. I do see a president who has not even tried. Why is it democrats seem so unwilling to throw off the gloves and fight? What is it about the GOP (whose leader is a drunk from Ohio) that scares you people?

[quaker bill]

14. A valiant effort

thanks

[Armstead]

18. I disagree with half of that

You are right about the corporate media.

But for at least 30 years the Democratic leadership has been complicit both by omission and commission.

The Democrats allowed the Republicans and Media (and their Corporate overlords) to make "Liberal" into a dirty word. Instead of vigorously and proudly standing up to defend liberalism, the Democratic "centrists" hopped on the bandwagon and helped to enshrine Conservationism as the only acceptable political position. And the Democrats never challenged the Corporate Propaganda and goals -- in fact they tacitly endorsed them.

I am not referring to all Democrats. there are some great liberal and progressive Dem politicians. BUT they have to fight their own party to get liberal/progressive messages and poiliucies out there.

They're still doing it. Unfortunately President Obama is in the forefront of it now, chastising progressives while basically giving the Republicans legitimacy in his language and actions.,

The fault Dear Brutus, is not in our stars but within ourselves.