Move Over Media Matters, Here Comes Fox News

Whenever I need a laugh, or a reason to throw something at the television/computer monitor (take your pick) I catch a video clip from Fox News. Their latest talking point goes after ABC for committing the unspeakable crime of giving President Obama a platform to talk to the nation about his health care plan. I know, I know, I'm just as outraged as you.

ABC Needs To Apologize...NOW!

What a complete and utter disgrace that we had to endure last night. Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos should be fired and scorned by the journalism community (whats left of it at least). At the very least, they should have to go on and make a PSA with them apologizing to America for the disservice they did to our country and our democracy last night.

While the audience "turned against Gibson" the rest of the nation was aghast at what they were watching on TV. The content of the "Gotcha" questions were suited for the pages of the National Enquirer or the Globe, not a network news channel that has access to the public airwaves thanks to the good graces of the FCC (inherently owned by the public, meaning all of us). ABC demonstrated they are one giant cog in the media machine that is destroying our democracy by making the discourse within it into petty politics and 'gaffes' that do not matter much to the lives of most Americans.

Americans care about health care, gas prices, what we want to accomplish in terms of workers' rights within our globalized economy, Iraq (the only real issue given more than 30 seconds by ABC), Afghanistan, China, the diminishing power of the dollar, the housing crisis, the rising income gap, torture, education, the greed of the financial sector and a whole host of issues that matter in the day to day life of the 300 million souls that reside in our 50 states.

Unfortunately we saw nothing of what mattered last night...except for what mattered to Charlie Gibson, poor guy is hoping that Obama doesnt cut his capital gains tax.

Again, it is time for an apology from these sorry shambles of what are supposed to be journalists. Until then, call ABC at (818) 460-7477 and let them know you are sick of being thought of as stupid and thoughtless by Gibson, Stephanopolous and network executives everywhere.

What A B C Disgrace

Last night's debate is still pissing me off. If you didn't see it last night, here's a succinct wrap up:

ABC Was The True Loser In This Debate

The ABC affiliate told me I was one of 60,000 that watched the debate online and that is a record. Despite that extraordinary number for new media, the actual debate was a disgrace. It took nearly an hour for Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos to get to any real issues that concern Americans that live outside of the D.C. cocktail circuit. The so-called "Gotcha" questions dominated the debate, while health care, torture, the environment, the mortgage crisis, veterans care and how will the Constitution be repaired were virtually ignored.

From The Huffington Post:

The Gotcha Debate: Sam Boyd at Tapped is angry about tonight's questions:

Seriously "does rev. wright love america as much as you?" Really? REALLY?!!!

Also, "what will you do when clips" of Wright "play over an over" on TV? [...]

A woman asks if Obama "believes in the American flag" because he doesn't wear a flag pin.

Charlie Gibson says that questions about the flag are "all over the internet" -- along with Pamela Anderson's sex tape, cats with bad grammar, and Rick Astley. Journalism at it's finest. [...]

And now, we're on to William Ayers. Gaaah. Obama says Ayer's is someone Obama knows... says he's also friendly with Tom Coburn who wants to give the death penalty to people who perform abortions. Attacks the whole idea of guilt by association, says "the American people are smarter than that." [...]

The debate is 46 minutes in, and nothing remotely meaningful has been discussed.

Exactly.

What a pitiful performance by ABC for putting the pathetic excuse for a set of question into the hands of Charlie and George. All three should be ashamed of making this debate about gossip and not issues that concern people who can't have lunch with elitists like themselves.

Are these "debates" finally over? Can we let the voters of PA, IN, NC, KY and every other state that hasn't voted yet decide who they want to be the nominee and not make it about the mindless drivel that comes from the traditional media day in and day out?

MoveOn Goes After Fox News Parrots

It is time for the major networks to stop trying to emulate Fox News and MoveOn supporters went out to give them the message:

Blogger Gets Fred's Free ABC Airtime Yanked

Cheers to Cliff Schecter on his successful push to stop Fred Thompson's deal to get free time on ABC. It had violated campaign fairness laws and with a little blogosphere push, ABC got rid of Fred. Like Cliff said, all it takes is a little shouting until you get stuff like this taken care of.

From Cliff Schecter:

I started a relatively lonely campaign about 2-3 weeks ago to get Fred Thompson--all but declared presidential candidate who admitted he was benefitting from free ABC airtime--off the radio there. And off their Intertube site.

I posted on it, and it was picked up by Kos, C&L, I cross-posted at Huff Post and then did some radio on it (The Young Turks, etc.). We ended up getting some print coverage and it blew up into a mini-brouhaha.

Well lo and behold, ABC is now talking about Fred in the past tense. I am not bragging here. Obviously what they were doing was so beyond the pale, that anyone who brought it up would have been able to put pressure on them. But I guess that is the point. Stand up and make yourself heard, and who knows what happens.

There is no reason for front-runner Fred to be getting free time from a network that does the same for all of the candidates. ABC should have known better. Then again, it is ABC.

Glenn Beck and Oreo Cookies

I know Glenn Beck is a Grade-A schmuck, we all know this, even he probably knows it. Yet each time he opens that garbage-hole that is his mouth, each saying is still as offensive as every other audacious comment that he spews onto television screens that have CNN Headline News on. So what's the big deal about mentioning Oreo cookies? It's not the cookies he's talking about my friends.

CNN Transcript:

What happened to the Duke lacrosse team was practically a lynching without the rope. And for the first time in my life, Mr. Oreo Cookie without the chocolate on the outside can understand why people celebrated when O.J. Simpson was acquitted.....

Here's what I don't know. Will the leaders who rallied the troops against the Duke lacrosse team now take a stand and say lynching is bad, no matter what the color?......

BECK: You know, I am -- maybe it's just me. I just see this as a lynching. I mean, it really was a lynching without the -- without the rope. How often does that stuff happen?

Memo to Glenn, making racially charged comments like that is not funny. Maybe he does too many shows at the local KKK meetings or David Duke parties. Also, lynchings are not the same as examining rape cases Glennie boy and referencing the racial slur 'Oreo cookie' is completely unacceptable. Beck is absolutely disgusting and the networks (CNN and ABC) that carry him should be ashamed of themselves. My Two Sense reminds us what a lynching actually is.