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The Death of the Associated Press
Well, we have another analysis and another story. The analysis basically seems to say Obama is cocky and he should watch his step. They say he revels in the contrasts between him and McCain, um, I think that is the point of a contest. Link herehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_el_pr/obama_contrast;_ylt=Aue2VUOLvAT2aFUylC2DXVayFz4D
The second story is about the bumpy roads McCain endured this week, BUT, they managed to get a good dig at Obama.Link here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_week_in_review;_ylt=Atb5ZzbjI15wCZzanc6eNp5h24cA
Let's hope we get as much mileage out of this as they did Jeremiah Wright- which I think is less damaging to. Case in point 1) McCain knew Gramm longer 25 yrs to 20 for Obama and 2) Gramm shaped policy based on his views and Wright preached at Obama's church-which one affects you more
Is it also fair that MSM rode Clarkegate till its death, yet Whinegate goes for one day and dies, but I will gladly bring it up at every chance. And how hypocritical is it of McCain to say Obama should fire Wesley, yet GRAMM is STILL in McCain camp. Why is the MSM so complicit, the guy makes an Iran joke, the next day Iran launches Missles, Gramm says outrageous things, McCain makes a joke-it's off the table. Can we say follow-up.
I think from now on I will be reading the LA Times.NO ONE, not even left leaning MSNBC, mentioned the affair story of McCain and Cindy, while Johnny Boy was still married to his first wife. Let, that have been Obama-all hell would have broken lose. Oh, lets not foget the A.P analysis saying they miss Hillary-link here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_campaignplus/20080711/ap_ca/missing_hillary) yet it was a not so sincere analysis, basically beating a dead horse.
Who can we write to or can we start a website titled HEY AP! Could you get of McCain's nuts and come up for air?
Comments (14)
Maybe it's high time Obama gave them a reason to.
Gramm's appalling diagnosis of a mental recession should have had the entire media universe up in arms, they were ready to, and what did Obama given them?
Laughing and joking, cute wisecrack about one Dr Phil enough? I was so damned depressed - couldn't believe it. He thought this was funny? It was so clear for all to see: he was enjoying the opportunity to score off a GOP gaffe - and that's all it was to him.
And now he's taken the entire weekend off when he could have been out there working his butt off on the economy and its impact.
I had concluded I was the only person in the entire universe who saw it this way, but am relieved to note that at least Bob Herbert got it.
"Barack Obama got a lot of play with his clever response to the Phil Gramm madness. “You know, America already has one Dr. Phil,” said Mr. Obama. “When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another.”
Cute. But woefully inadequate. The Democrats, timid as always, should be pounding the populist pavement from one coast to another, explaining how the reckless and deliberately inequitable policies of the past several years have gotten the U.S. into this terrible fix.
We should be getting chapter and verse about how badly the war in Iraq is hurting us here at home. We should be seeing charts and graphs explaining how ordinary Americans, now the hardest-working people on the planet, have been cheated out of their share of the extraordinary productivity improvements they’ve racked up over the years.
There should be a sense of urgency coming from the Democrats in this campaign, a clarion call compelling enough to rally the legions who have been treated unfairly and badly hurt in the nation’s other undeclared war: the class war."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/opinion/12herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
You go, Bob. Maybe, just maybe, you can wake up the Obama campaign on your way.
July 12, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fran: I am always glad when I hear that Obama is taking a day or a few days off, as I think it's hard for him -- or any of us -- to see the forest for the trees without a break for perspective. I really don't know how any thinking person, which he so obviously is, can juggle a marathon campaign schedule while, simultaneously, formulating and committing to memory a series of well-thought out responses to an endless list of issues.
The key point I'm trying to make here, though, is that Obama's responses -- even those we disagree with -- are"well thought out;" whereas McCain just trots out banal, superficial nonsense -- either because that is all he is capable of retaining, or he just doesn't give a damn.
One reason the MSM may give McCain a pass, though, is that he's no challenge. The good news for the MSM, re McCain, is that his positions are so predictable there's no work involved in covering him. All they have to ask themselves is, what is the standard Neocon response to this issue? The bad news for Obama is that his responses are nuanced and therefore he is a challenge, which may make the press resentful, because Obama is more work. So if he's going to make them work, they're going to make him sweat.
It saddens me to see Obama currently so beleaguered -- attacked, of course, by the GOP; pounced on by the MSM; and harshly criticized, now, even by his own base.
I have to assume that he knew what he was getting into, but even a man who says "We know what's coming" may not be able to anticipate the cummulative exhaustion of defending himself to absolutely everyone.
July 13, 2008 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree Fran, however, I say let Gramm stay on- We shouldn't beat a dead horse the way they did Jeremiah Wright. Let them (the RNC) trot out Jeremiah Wright, we will trot out Phil Gramm. I think that even the Dems did roll over Gramm it wouldn't mean squat- because the complicit MSM will just ignnore it- It's like if a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound- It better damn sure make a noise if they freaking 1,000 cameras in its face. I mean McCain made the Iran joke and the next day, no one in MSM is saying anything. I think Obama should do a little bit more hammering away, but let's remember he was the one saying he's tired of distractions, iF he rides the Iran joke, or Gramm, or the lack of internets knowledge of McCain, it will totally contradict what he said in the primaris and you know Lou Dobbs and NYT editorial board is waiting for him to do that. I think the MSM should do their job, if they can bask in Wrightgate, Bittergate, Snipergate, and ShameOnYouBarackObamaGate, they should treat McCain with the same (lack of) respect. Can someone explain it to me, why are they so fond of Mccain, sure he might be somewaht funny- but I am not electing last comic standing. Where does ethical journalism come in? Giving the man donuts, and you are supposed to be a non-partisan group? Outrageous. I mean everychance they had at scooping obama or clinton during the primaries they did so. I mean what happened with the NYT story of the Vicki Iseman, Charlie black and terror gate- I feel like screaming.
July 12, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes to all this. It's not Gramm I think Obama should be hammering home on so much as the actual economic realities as Herbert described.
It pains me to say it but I guess what I want is for Obama to start campaigning on the economy in the exact same way as Clinton did. I want to see some populist passion. I want to see a concerted campaign from all the principal Democrats out there raging and hammering the same themes.
Maybe then the media would wake up.
There's an incredibly powerful post, btw, at Daily Kos about the economy. You might like to check it out:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/12/101021/800/691/550517
There's so MUCH here for the Democrats to be pounding. They all seem to be comatose.
July 12, 2008 10:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fran, you are falling for the MSM viewpoint, you can bet your hind end that Obama had more to say than his Dr. Phil comment. Television and pundits fall for the sound bite, they do not do any reporting anymore (agreeing with Graduate Student). If you want to know what Barack really said, google the local newspapers and local t.v. where he is speaking; there you will see what was really spoken about.
July 12, 2008 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ohia, I promise you I am not reacting to an MSM viewpoint. I am reacting to watching Obama himself talking to his rally audience. That was the first view I had of it and nothing I've seen since has mitigated it. This is not me reacting to anchors and talking heads. This is me reacting to watching Obama - the things he said and his body language as he said it. He was laughing and enjoying himself, making a joke of the whole thing and enjoying the joke to the hilt.
This is me empathising with all the people on low to average low earnings who are probably beside themselves by now trying to eke out their budgets coping with fuel and food inflation, and instantly as I watched him thinking `you *really* think this is *funny*'? That was my emotional and intellectual reaction to him.
And of course I very quickly processed that what he was enjoying was the chance to score off Gramm etc. I don't think he thinks people's plight is funny. But on reflection my reaction didn't change one bit - these economic conditions are terribly frightening for anyone who isn't in secure, high paid employment and I don't like seeing the Democratic nominee involved in this as an intellectual & competitive exercise rather than really deeply feeling people's pain and being motivated by that above everything else.
I was surprised that all the people there laughed with him and seemed to enjoy the joking. I concluded that they must all have secure jobs and be coping ok. Or maybe they were just caught up in the moment.
Whatever. It's just my take, I realise that - but clearly Herbert sees it in the same way that I do and I do very much hope that Obama, the campaign, and other principal Democrats read, marked and inwardly digested Herbert's article and will act on it.
I'll get off my hobby horse now and go back to being depressed with everyone else about the free ride the MSM's giving McCain.
Maybe SNL will do a skit on it and humiliate the rest of the media into starting to do their job?
July 12, 2008 10:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fran: I so often agree with you that I'm surprised we had differing takes on Obama's response to Gramm.
My own initial reaction was a moment of relief -- Good, I thought, if "Obama's cool intellectualism" puts people off, then, isn't it great that today he's working that crowd as JFK might have done, by appearing to be completely relaxed and self-confident. That's smart, I thought, as the worse things get in terms of the economy and the war, etc. the more Americans, historically, demand a president who seems so sure of himself that we're sure he can be counted on to take care of us.(Big babies we are, but that's a different issue). And, not only do we want our president to take care of us, but we also demand that he be likeable while he's doing it; we want someone who smiles and jokes because that helps us deny how bad things really are. (One would think, after W., that we might want to re-evaluate that demand for grinning affability, but the polls indicate we are slow learners.
That said, the flaw in my analogy to JFK is that, after warming up the crowd, JFK would have reeled off a list of specific issues and solutions. And that's where my question comes in: did Obama do that and the sound byte MSM just didn't report it? Or did he not amplify his remarks with specifics, in which case, Obama did actually error?
enough to be relaxed encouraging them to really working on being more relaxed, smiling, looking confident
July 13, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please ignore gibberish at end of remark -- speaking of slow learners, I need to proofread before I hit send.
July 13, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I totally freaking agree Fran. I haven't read the Kos diary, but I don't need to. As Herbert said there is so much to feast off of Bush. I mean can we say correlation economy spiraling down, we keep pumping money in Iraq. Schools are barely standing, roads are falling apart, bridges are coming apart, Iran is threatning nukes, Afghanistan has shot to hell, Maliki says get out, Pakistan says although we know Bin Laden is in them there hills- you (U.S) can't come and get him, I mean I could go on and on and on. I think the difference between our attack dogs (Biden, Rahm) and McCain's attack dogs (Romney, Guiliani) is that they have jobs. Romney isn't doing squat but adding infuse to his hair, Guliani has nothing else to do with his life. I think we NEED Hillary to start taking McCain's ass to task. It's unfortunate that she doesn't beat the hell out of McCain and he gets on praising her. I know they have been friends but that has nothing to do with who is most qualified for the presidency. What I don't get is how in the world can any news channel liberal or not let McCain get away with so many gaffes (and in one week). I mean did you guys even hear the story of Cindy not paying her taxes- yeah that tree fell but barely made a thump. I feel like starting my own news organization. I think the only good thing is that the press was a bit favorable to obama (sans wright and bittergate) so that has(hopefully) been inscribed in people's heads. But who can call social security a disgrace and still be in the running. Who can BLATANTLY lie about what he said during his time in POW. I know he was a war hero,but he can't make up his own facts. I mean he said during the time he told his captors the Offensive Line of the green bay packers but he goes to Pennsylvania and it becomes the defensive line of the Steelers- this is not even pandering- IT IS LYING. Obama said his great uncle help liberate Auschitz, it turned out it was another concentration camp. But at the end of the day, it was not Obama who liberated but his country-yet this was the big news. I mean I love old people, I really do, My grandma is old, but just because you are old doesn't mean you get a free pass.I love my 11 yr old neice but if she was running to be president I would pepper her ass with tough questions all day long. I just don't understand how this has become a concerted effort amongst all of the news organizations. THANK GOD FOR YOUTUBE AND BLOGGERS OR ELSE, I SWEAR, I WOULD HAVE OFFED MYSELF BY NOW.
July 12, 2008 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey might be useful, since the AP writers don't have email addresses- we should all write them. In the Subject headline we should write : Breaking:Associated Press endorsed McCain for President
And list all of our grievances, just maybe they might wise they hell up
July 12, 2008 11:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
THE AP GIVES A SHIT WHAT BLOGGERS THINK
July 13, 2008 4:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pat Buchanan's reaction to Obama's Dr Phil moment was that it was exactly the way Reagan would have responded. It's just silly to extrapolate that the American downtrodden would be in a snit about it.
Somewhere, someplace, AP writers do have email addresses. So do their editors altho shindig is correct that the AP doesn't care what bloggers think. Neither does the rest of the MSM for that matter unless it's Hugh Hewitt, townhall or Powerline and the like.
AP is definitely up to something of late....including their baseless threats to sue anybody quoting their stories w/out paying for the content. Murdoch's now on their board which went under some sort of reorganization in April.
The AP would be a good topic for The Muckracker to take on.
Reporters love McCain and his campaign vets those traveling with him. No kissyface? No access. The only way to short sheet this crap is by "encouraging" the news orgs to rotate their reporters covering campaigns before said journos "go native".
July 13, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Left leaning MSNBC"? You haven't been paying attention at all, have you?
July 13, 2008 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh Contrar, I have been paying attention. I cannot call them left/liberal with first class a-holes like Scarborough and Buchannan and sometimes Andrea Mitchell. The thing is that they were fine when it was Clinton V Obama but Obama V McCain- I don't know what it is, but ONLY Olbermann is reliabaly left. Tweety has issues
July 13, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
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