Taking Advantage of the Fiscal Crisis
Its happeing, but NOT as advertised.
Watching the parade of Republican spokesman on the Sunday shows and the pundit echo chamber "peat and repeat" the mantra that Obama is "taking advantage" of the fiscal crisis to enact his long term "liberal" agenda, one thing is becoming absolutely clear. Establishment forces are rallying a vast effort to "take advantage" of the fiscal crisis to operationally invalidate the results of the 2008 Presidential election. And, talking head blabbering aside, there is no indication (in poll after poll) that this call comes from anywhere outside of the Washington echo chamber.
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Right On, DCBen!!
It was quite frightful to me back in the 2002-03 time frame witnessing the ramp up of the War PR Machine by the MSM and absolutely steam rolling over any truth around, such as those pointed out by my great Senator Robert C. Byrd. Look what they have done to him.
What with my having read "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" 3 times about the run up to power and war by Hitler, it all looked pretty blatant to me.
Now, I am seeing the same treatment by the MSM with Pres. Obama and the economic mess left for him by the Repubs and Wall Street. His learned and steady leadership is painted otherwise. Sad truth is that no one knows exactly what to do, and the MSM knows that too.
This time around, the damage by the MSM's actions could turn out even more harmful and widespread and longer lasting.
March 8, 2009 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, what biker said. But I agree with you in that this crap is not playing 'out there' or 'over here' for that matter. hahahaha. 72% of Americans have a good view of our President.
And they--the media--are being pretty careful of having the cheerleaders I like defending my President.
March 8, 2009 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like diaries where I honestly have nothing to add except for a recommend and a "what he said", even if it does leave me feeling a bit like a cheerleader. lol
March 8, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lovely little thesis that is self-evident once you read it!
Thanks for the little light bulb!
March 8, 2009 6:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
When it comes to politics, television is designed to pick up the noise, not the vision.
Shut it off and you'll get a better picture.
March 8, 2009 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am one of the 72% w/ a good view of the President. But at the same time I think he's biting off more than he can chew. In this incredibly dire economy, now is that the time to be spending money on renewable energy or even healthcare frankly. And it's not the time to enact a cap-and-trade program either. This economy is in really really bad shape and we don't have the money to pay for these programs that I mentioned above.
March 8, 2009 10:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
MiddleClass,
Your's is prcisely the mantra I am referring too. Neglect of our energy future and a healthcare system that burdens our businesses and workforce and denies basic human dignity to so many is exactly what fueled the democrats to their electoral victory in 2008.
To "slow down" and accept the policies that built our unstable economy and created the widest gap been rich and poor since the guilded age would, in my view, be an admission that the campaign "change" theme was nothing but a slogan.
And where is the evidence that continuing to neglect energy, healthcare, and rapacious income inequality will produce a future any better that the one we will get if we bite the bullet and address the big issues that face us all?
Ben
March 9, 2009 6:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Have to agree with your take on the current state of affairs and the mostly sober and analytical way you present the counter evidence. At least this way we can still have intelligent debates on the subject without descending into partisan bickering and circular logic.
I don't agree with Bill that this is a bad time to change the nature of our national spending strategy. We have dumped trillions of dollars into the Military/Prison Industrial Complex, Financial (credit) Sector, Health Insurance and Oil industries over the last decade with little or no actual return on those investments. The price tag for Iraq war alone as reached nearly a trillion dollars.
Health care and energy and income inequality (which is simply a symptom of our failing schools) are all underlying fissures in our country's foundation. If we don't fix those problems, nothing else we do will make a bit of difference. I would love it if moderate conservatives could come up with a better game plan than "If we just keep cutting taxes on the top 1% and continue deregulating pivotal industries will work out..."
Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results isn't just the definition of insanity. For America right now, it is the surest form of suicide as well.
March 9, 2009 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Co-sign and agree 1000%.
The right-wing media is playing up this taking advantage garbage, because they are the gate-keepers of maintaining the status quo. They don't want any changes in the system at all and keep wanting to prop up the agenda of the right-wing. I listen to some of these pundits and want to puke. There is no basis in reality at all with alot of what they are saying.
March 9, 2009 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am just happy to see at least some common sense voices that aren't too obnoxiously liberal out there with a counter narrative.
I would be less likely to characterize the media as left or right wing as much as it is the corporate wing, mostly in control of both parties for decades. Whenever possible, I try not to fall into that mode of framing the issues, though I understand it can be hard to modify the lexicon overnight.
Other than semantics, I totally agree. False equivalency is the corporate media's weapon of choice.
March 9, 2009 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
That "biting off more than he can chew" meme is straight out of the rightwing media playbook. The Repub's have been screaming "Don't just DO something, STAND there!!" at Obama since he was elected. No doubt so they can take better aim...
And this is absolutely the time when we should be tackling the big issues that the R's ignored for so long. The only time real change and progress is made in this country is when the forces for the status quo aren't so fat and happy.
March 9, 2009 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you all for your comments. I see this diary is no longer up on the recommended posts list on TPMDC. Do they have a 24 hour rule and start the counter over each day? In any case, although I have a few more thoughts, I'll save them for another post in a day or so.
Ben
March 9, 2009 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Running up the national debt and deficit to levels we haven't seen since before WW2 is why I am saying biting off more than he can chew. I don't understand why it's the "media playbook". But right now with the economy flat on its back, I don't think it's the right time (for example) to be borrowing gobs of money to pay for renewable energies. I think Obama should spend 100% of his time fixing the banking problem, fixing the housing crisis and getting unemployment to stop skyrocketing. The other stuff should wait.
DCben - I'm not sure which "policies" you're suggesting that I want you to accept. I am simply saying that the economy is in free-fall and it's not the right time to be tackling healthcare and energy.
March 9, 2009 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink