Buck Naked Politics

Math is Hard...and So is Reporting on Policy

Posted by Damozel | Ezra Klein, who can and does discuss policy, has identified the problem --- or rather two of the problems --- with the useless and degraded American media:  (1) ignorance; and (2) laziness.

They know how to imply that Barack Obama has had bad friends, and Hillary Clinton tells lies, and John McCain -- well, they know how to doodle his initials inside a sparkly heart. What they don't know how to do, however, is say that one candidate's health plan, or housing plan, or economic agenda, is better than another candidate's. Which is why folks basically have to vote on grounds of flag pins and flip-flops -- they're not given much else in the way of analytical guidance. But I sympathize. Policy is hard. (Ezra Klein)

Obama 'Outraged' by Wright's Comments

Posted by Damozel | So anyway, Obama's done what everyone said he must and 'denounced' the Rev. Wright.  Like John Cole, I'm sick of the expression 'throw him under the bus,' which isn't really accurate anyway.  Instead, he did what I guess in light of our looney media he ought to have done at the start:  disavowed any connection between Wright's opinions on racial issues and his own and moved on.   Though a Hillary supporter, I think the whole discussion is ridiculous and pointless and based on an essentially racist fear that Obama might secretly hate white people or America or intend to promote a black revolution or some other nonsense I can't be bothered to analyze further.  There are plenty of real reasons to prefer Hillary. 

Here's what Obama said in an interview (in my old hometown, Winston-Salem, North Carolina):

Pentagon to Investigate Military Analysts

by D. Cupples |   Last week, the New York Times ran a story based on newly released documents indicating that the Pentagon might have fed pro-war propaganda to so-called "military analysts" who had monetary interests in our nation's invasion of Iraq.

In response to the Times story, the Pentagon is reportedly taking some sort of action.  Stars and Stripes reports:

Olbermann's Hillary Derangement Syndrome Takes Him Over the Top and Right Across the Line (Updated)

Posted by Damozel | Before listening, please note that D Cupples has already seen off The New York Times' ludicrously unfair bashing of Hillary which Olbermann is discussing.  Read her rebuttal here.  Note also the caption --- 'Democrats keep taking negative turns' --- while Olbermann selectively bashes only Hillary, repeating the words 'mean and vacuous' with a little smack of satisfaction.

Then listen to his 'witty' proposal for putting an end to Hillary's successful campaign against his precious Obama. 

Yes, Why Is Obama Still 'the Front-runner'?

Posted by Damozel | Violet at Reclusive Leftist says:

Maureen Dowd...provide[s] a window into the babbling stream-of-consciousness irrationality of the Hillary Haters. As such, her recent Dr. Seuss column is noteworthy. Hillary has just won Pennsylvania by 10%, capping a streak that’s seen her take every single major state and swing state (except Illinois). And MoDo’s response is to beg Hillary to quit. Please drop out, O Winning Candidate, so we can nominate the guy who keeps coming in second.

You know, after 2000 I didn’t think American politics could get any weirder.  But I was wrong.   Weird?  Hell, we live here now.  Weird City.  Permanent residence.   

Respected Magazine Misleads Readers about Florida's Primary

by D. Cupples |   I hold The New Republic magazine in high regard, so you can imagine how shocked I was to see that writer Michelle Cottle at TNR's blog The Plank apparently had failed to check facts before ranting yesterday about Michigan's and Florida's Democratic primaries.  In part, Cottle states:

"As you know, left up to me, neither Michigan nor Florida's delegates would be seated. Those states knowingly and flagrantly broke the rules. They knew what the penalty would be, and they did it anyway. Fine. But don't come whining to us now about how, "Oh, we didn't know that it would really matter or we wouldn't have done it. Well, cry me a river."

Scalia---'Mister Justice'--- Defends Bush v. Gore ("Get Over it!" It was Al Gore Who Went "Looking for Trouble"!)

Posted by Damozel | In other words, leave the Court alone and it'll leave you alone!  What do you want from the Justice System...justice?

Watch him say it ---- well, more or less say it --- here:

Hillary Wins Pennsylvania by Double Digits -- Despite Forces Working Against Her

by D. Cupples |   Yesterday, Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary.  Here's the breakdown (from C-SPAN/AP, with 99% reporting, at 2:30 am):

..........................Votes.............%

Clinton.........1,250,473..........55%

Obama..........1,035,488..........45%

Yes, Hillary is more than 210,000 votes ahead.  I know, even Obama publicly predicted that Hillary would win, so what's the big deal?  Well, consider the forces that have been working against Hillary: 

Massive Con Job: How Bush Administration Used "Analysts" to Manipulate Public Opinion re: the War

by D. Cupples |   Last year, Bill Moyers exposed media complicity in the Bush Administration's falsely selling the Iraq war to us Americans.  Fear of losing "patriotic" viewers (and ad revenues) seemed to be what compelled journalists and editors to parrot the Administration's highly questionable talking points. 

Today, the New York Times exposed evidence from newly released Pentagon documents indicating that even the so-called "independent" military analysts who helped shape public opinion on the war likely spoke in support of the Administration's agenda simply because doing so would promote the analysts' own financial interests. 

No doubt, the late Republican President Dwight Eisenhower is sadly shaking his head and saying "I warned you."  The Times reports:

"Breaking the Silence": Israeli Soldiers Speak Out

Posted by Damozel | The young man described below was speaking to reporters from The Independent with the encouragement of Yehuda Shaul, "a founder of Shovrim Shtika, or Breaking the Silence....which will publish tomorrow the disturbing testimonies of 39 Israelis....who served in the army in Hebron between 2005 and 2007. " (The Independent)    

The Media's Role in the Obama Phenomenon as a Sign of a Deeper Trend

Posted by Damozel | The media critics --- many of whom unabashedly favor Obama --- have been out in force this week, pointing fingers and getting red-faced over ABC's treatment of their favorite in the debate.  Yes, that shoe always pinches when it's on the other foot, I've noticed. At the Politico, John F. Harris and Jim Vandehei write: 

The shower of indignation on Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos over the last few days is the clearest evidence yet that the Clintonites are fundamentally correct in their complaint that she has been flying throughout this campaign into a headwind of media favoritism for Obama.....  (The Politico)

This Just In: Obama Launches 'Republican-Style attacks' on McCain!

Posted by Damozel | The zeitgeist my friend, is blowing in the wind.  Those in the know or 'know' think that Dems in general are becoming fed up with the Duelling Dems.  At Swampland, Joe Klein writes:

I woke up this morning with a gut feeling that the Philadelphia debate may have been the last straw for the Democratic Party, that the superdelegates are about to rush to Barack Obama in order to end this thing and liberate him to actually answer the Republican-style attacks that Hillary Clinton has been previewing....  [Swampland; emphasis added]

This new cant about Clinton's 'Republican-style attacks' is, of course, arrant nonsense. The Left Coaster did a bang-up job of showing why.  Any attack by either candidate going to the other's honesty, trustworthiness, or credibility is a 'Republican-style attack' and The Left Coaster has carefully chronicled similar attacks by Obama's crowd (who clearly started earlier and went after Clinton oftener).  But never mind accuracy:  it's all in how Obama and the media frame it.

Bush Confirms Torture Policy (Part 2) to the Sound of Crickets Chirping

Posted by Damozel | Why isn't this story all over the news?  Why are we talking about anything else? It's the very same weekend when Bush blandly confirmed that oh yeah, he knew all about it?  Why aren't he and Cheney and the whole crew about to be impeached?   Have the wheels of justice really rusted to a complete stop?  Are we really so cynical that we're past being shocked or thinking there's anything we can do about this? 

Not all of us.  Digby writes:

I thought I was long past the point of being shocked at anything the Bush administration did. They suspended the constitution after 9/11 and set forth a series of legal opinions that said the president can do anything he deems necessary to "protect the country." Once you truly absorb that fact, it's hard to be emotionally affected by anything else you learn.

"Why Does Al Gore Hate the Press?"

 Posted by Damozel | The question is plangently posed, and apparently with a straight face, by The Silicon Valley Insider.

Al Gore is speaking at the RSA security conference in San Francisco this afternoon. But good luck finding out what he says: Reporters are banned from the event.

We don't know what's more disheartening: The fact that the former veep is trying to keep a trade show talk private -- or that this isn't the first time he's been oddly press-shy.

The Daily Show's Tribute to Fox News

Via The Huffington Post, a Daily Show smackdown of Fox News' Fighting to the Finish assembled by John Oliver.  Part I:

Bush Aware of National Security Team's Discussions of Torture

Posted by Damozel |   Did you know that George W. Bush is still president?  It's true.

And while the Dems were sniping at one another last week, we learned that  the top officials in the  Bush Administration not only approved but specifically authorized the use of torture in the interrogation of terror suspects.(BN-Politics)  Cheney, Powell, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Rice, Powell, and Tenet all were named as participants in these discussions. (BN-Politics)  ("Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly," Ashcroft worried. (ABC News))  But Bush's name was not listed among those present and in fact, they took care to "insulate" him. (AP)

In fact, of course, he did know all along.

Obama Critic Quits Radio Show Over Hatred?

by D. Cupples |   Apparently, African American radio commentator Tavis Smiley (a critic of Barack Obama) has gotten such negative responses from Obama-supporting listeners, that he is cutting his ties with the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show.  Today's Washington Post reports:

"Smiley has taken on Obama in a series of commentaries that began as the Democrat from Illinois emerged as the party's front-runner for the presidential nomination in early January. Days after Obama's win in the Iowa caucus, Smiley warned on Joyner's show:

'Don't fall so madly in love [with Obama] that you surrender your power to hold people accountable. . . . I'm not saying overlook Senator Obama, but you now better be ready to look him over.'

Those types of comments seemed to set listeners off and resulted in hate mail. 

Protest Against Media Bias a Success

by D. Cupples |  It was scheduled for 8 am on Friday, when most people had to work. The people at an online forum of Hillary Clinton supporters had very little time to organize it, and they didn't have a promotional budget -- no radio, TV, or newspaper ads.  They largely relied on blogs, emails, and word of mouth.

The result: a diverse crowd of about 150 people gathered near Rockefeller Plaza, armed with signs and petitions, to peacefully protest voter suppression and the pro-Obama (or anti-Hillary) media bias that seems to have become commonplace during this presidential primary season.  The protesters managed to get nearly 200 passersby to sign petitions.

Camille Paglia -- "Pumping and Pumping Her Narcissistic Bellows Like a Steam Engine" -- Holds Forth Some More About Hillary

Posted by Damozel | Back in the Eighties, I was an overwrought, culture-bitten little geek who not only read Camille Paglia's Sexual Personae cover to cover in one day, but carried it with me everywhere I went for months afterward.  I can't remember what eventually replaced it, but something else must have.  Something always does when you're that age.

Nowadays, Salon publishes Paglia's thoughts from time to time, including her thoughts on the Clintons, whom she despises.  At the end of one of her current diatribes, she says (with a blithe absence of self-awareness):

Who Will Fact Check the Fact Checkers?: Media's Clinton 'Storyline' Revealed

Posted by Damozel | So you think Hillary supporters are just whining when we complain about the way the media twist and distort the facts reality-show style to cast her at every turn as the villain?

Let's consider the latest media allegations against her:  that Hillary misrepresented the facts concerning the death of a young pregnant woman from Ohio whom Hillary alleged had died as a result of being unable to pay for necessary medical care. .In fact, Clinton was relaying the facts correctly; she just hadn't been told all the details. And in fact, the details didn't really matter to the point she was trying to make.  

There is some satisfaction, though not nearly eniugh, in seeing that the journalist who helped set the story in motion forced to set the record straight.