Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Government Shutdown: Truth or Consequences


Carl Bernstein Slams Media Coverage of the Shutdown:
Longtime journalist Carl Bernstein on Tuesday called on the press to abandon the false equivalence that's colored much of the coverage of the government shutdown. 
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the man who helped break the Watergate scandal said that the current budget impasse is not a two-sided matter.
"This is about the Republican Party and what it's going to be," Bernstein said. "Is it going to conduct a fact-based, philosophical argument in our political system or is it going to be a nihilistic, hateful, asymmetrical in terms of facts and the truth part of the party, as in Joe McCarthy?"
And with that in mind, Bernstein said that the press should cover the story accordingly. 
"This is about media as well. These poll numbers are about a totally different media culture than we've had in the past...we need to start covering this story not 50/50 — this much on this side, that on the other — we need to cover it factually," Bernstein said. "Because there are facts here that will show what this event is about. And where, in fact, is this anger, hatred of Obama coming from? What is the root of this?"
(…)
"It's about demagoguery and it needs to be viewed that way," Bernstein said.

17 comments:

  1. As much as I try to ignore it, it keeps me up at night. The image of Bachmann oozing all over elderly WWII vets and blaming it on Obama - the Daily Show medley of shrieking and Fox News snarling about how Obama's intransigence is behind this all. I have to ask myself if I want any part of this country any more. I'm not sure I want to live somewhere where there is no uprising against this insurgency, and that's just what it is: corporate secession, a corporate junta, an overthrow of constitutional process, corporate Bolshevism, corporate syndicalism.

    Rage is contagious and people have ceased paying attention to the truth, knocking back rage shots like cheap booze. It seems less than just giving an equal voice to lies, it seems like they've been given the floor and are fillibustering us all in the news. No report fails to have some Republican Anarchist and at best there will be some whimpering Democrat being shouted down, drowning in lies and acid rage.

    the role of the media as fact finders went away decades ago and I don't know how to bring it back now that reportage is so massively expensive and needs to make a huge profit. It's more profitable to foment rage than it is to find the truth and report it and there's so much corporate money around that buys all the lies you hear.

    And then there's the fact that critical thinking not only isn't taught, our whole economy depends on bamboozling the public so it isn't ever going to be taught and that sets the stage for just what we have now - a theater of lies.

    Just how the public hasn't noticed that Congress would be able to change the law - is the only branch entitled to do so - but that they don't have the votes and they don't have the votes because they don't have the public support. Presidents don't write laws, Congress does and Congress passed ACA because they had public support and SCOTUS confirmed that it is legal and so the only reason to change it is that the Tea Party hates it and isn't interested in doing it through the democratic process. The NOWNOWNOW is only because they know it will succeed and can't allow that to happen.

    This whole thing is indeed nothing more than the agonizing death of Democracy in America with an audience of idiots babbling like some demented chorus in a Greek tragedy.

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  2. Tea Party (with apologies to Edna St. Vincent Millay)

    For what purpose, Tea Party, do you exist?
    Legislation is not enough.
    You can no longer amuse me with the redness
    Of your rage spreading stickily.
    I know what I know.
    The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
    The spite of your leaders.
    The stench of your lies is rancid.
    It is apparent that there is no reason.
    But what does that signify?
    Not only under ground are the brains of men
    Eaten by maggots.
    Your existence in itself
    Is nothing,
    An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
    It is not enough that since 2010, down this Capitol hill,
    you and your insane followers
    Come like idiots, babbling and shrieking anarchy .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Knowing "fallacious facts" requires faith and a desire to look for instances that support your world view, hoping readers have the same desire to support their world view using your "fallacious facts."

      One's pay and position in the far right's new fangled think tanks merely depends on knowing the body of 'fallacious facts' and spreading them around, thus reinforcing the boss' worldview.

      Hostage taking, secession by legislative insurrection, sabotage of our democratic institutions and traditions ... I no longer see this impasse ending peacefully in the long term.

      Delete
  3. Fallacious often depends on who the "boss" happens to be.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry, you're confusing yourself again, hoping to confuse us. I think we can set aside Einstein for the nonce and assume we all live in the same frame of reference and things that are true or false in it are in fact true or false independent of one's level of mendacity.

    The things the TeaTwittery are saying are either true or false as are the things being said here. So lacking the honesty to address those facts -- which are easily seen as true or false, you play this infantile game.

    You don't like the law that congress passed and so failing to have the votes to remove it, failing to get the SCOTUS to invalidate it, you insist that the president just make it go away and you hide it behind a smokescreen so that maybe someone will be stupid enough to realize that you're shitting all over Democracy.

    Come back when you have the votes and the popular support or get the hell out of my country you anarchist and take the rest of the idiot insurgents with you.

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  5. Assumption does what?

    What can be said about GWB? Or any other Politicians/ Bureaucrat past or present?

    Define your reasoning behind your assumption please. If you will.

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  6. There's a thing called the Turing Test, which stems from a comment by computer genius Alan Turing that proposes one talk with a machine programmed to respond verbally like a human. If after 15 minutes the observer cannot tell the computer from a human, the computer has 'passed.'

    You fail. Nobody used the word "assumption," nobody made any assumptions. I stated obvious facts, not assumptions derived from them. You made no attempt to show error or to offer any other facts and only sent the conversation of to some subroutines. A child could have written you.

    You're a device not a person. A damned primitive device at that.

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  7. Thank you for that enlightening response.

    YOU indeed made assumptions about MY preferences.

    Anarchist? Please, on what basis , factual if you don't mind, did you arrive at the erroneous conclusion?

    Shutting all over democrats? Oops. Just as I shit all over republicans.When either or both deserve it so be it.

    I am not a person because I sit not in (any )the choir.

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  8. Forgive me if English is not your first language, but either support your assertions or go away. You're just stalling for time and I have none left.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Don't, please, consider anything outside your cherished box.

    By the way, I was born here, I was educated here, I have voted in every national and state election since 1970 (missed a few local) I have spent 43 years working full time here (6 part time before that), my ancestors set foot on the North American Continent for the first time in 1630, and so Captain this country is as much mine as it is yours.

    So, I assure your arrogant ass I AM GOING NO WHERE. If you don't like it YOU leave. Just remember Captain it was you who went down that road.

    Enjoy the foam Captain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon: I was born here … my ancestors set foot on the North American Continent for the first time in 1630 …

      Your ancestry confers no more special rights and privileges than my ancestry. Your ancestry grants you no special authority to decide who receives the blessings of citizenship or not, who is the better person based on religious affiliation or the lack thereof, what a person thinks, how we live our lives, who or how we vote.

      Please note the list of names (right panel) that comprises our community. If you are rude to any one of us, you are rude to all. And f you don’t like our opinions, the bouncer will escort you to the door.

      Delete
    2. Silly me for attributing the clumsy English to some bilingual origin! I was willing to switch to another language for your benefit.

      One last time, let's repeat my response to your denunciation. It is not partisanship to object to official misconduct. It is not partisanship to respond to lies with the truth and this endless attempt at false equivalence is indefensible and stupid. I have adequately proved my point. You lose and whether you arrived as a bilge rat in some stinking hulk or on the Queen Mary, you lose. You're exposed as a pretentious phony, a fraud, a liar and a damned poor master of English.

      I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt regarding the clumsy usage, I withdraw that. I do not have the patience to wait for you to concoct some story about how you didn't really lose the argument. You just lost. Man up.

      You do not offer even one weak defense for your assertion that the opposition to Republican misprison and Republican sedition is nothing but partisan politics. Not one, so you can go now.One click and your gone. We owe you nothing and this is not a public toilet.

      One click

      Delete
  10. I have never asked for "special" rights.

    I have never believed my ancestory bestowed "special" rights to decide who receives the rights of legitimate citizenship.

    I am not impressed by, nor dissuaded by the religous proclivities of any individual. In fact I am not religous and therefor allow for consideration of any and all religous mystical preferences. It simply matters not to me. Except I disapprove of religion determining secular matters of goverance.

    It is increasingly clear the community here wants additional affirmation of already held and cherished community beliefs from outsiders. Given this I need not a bouncer to leave the room. I will leave the room of my own motive force.

    Good day all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're just making shit up as you go along. This is not a room. You have no right to post here. It does not take motive force to leave a virtual forum. Nobody cares about your religion.

      the falsehood or irrelevance of everything you have posted has been demonstrated. You lose

      This is your last post.

      Delete
  11. I realize this will not be posted. But, it takes motive force to type on the keyboard.

    Further I do not "make shit up as I go along."

    I am just fine with your conclusions. Because at the end of the day it doesn't really matter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon (1:08 pm): It is increasingly clear the community here wants additional affirmation of already held and cherished community beliefs from outsiders …

      Actually your assertion is untrue as evidenced by our comment policy, which clearly states: “We welcome civil discourse from people of all persuasions …

      The difference in your case: I object to rudeness and sarcasm when a more civil and polite “I disagree and here is why” will do. Debating the message versus shooting the messenger, the difference is in tone and content. Instead of according us respect, you came here with a bad attitude - exhibiting stereotypic troll behavior: “You people are all the same,” notwithstanding the all too familiar attack lines imbedded inside rebuttal points (if you call them that), "enjoy the foam,“ and your cherished box.

      We don’t suffer debates with oppositional defiant children who refuse to act like adults.

      Delete

We welcome civil discourse from all people but express no obligation to allow contributors and readers to be trolled. Any comment that sinks to the level of bigotry, defamation, personal insults, off-topic rants, and profanity will be deleted without notice.