Media Bias: Flashback 2004

How many of you remember this?

“There’s one other base here: the media. Let’s talk a little media bias here. The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think they’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards — I’m talking about the establishment media, not Fox, but — they’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and optimistic and all, there’s going to be this glow about them that some, is going to be worth, collectively, the two of them, that’s going to be worth maybe 15 points.”

Amazingly enough, that was Evan Thomas, Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek, speaking on the news program, Inside Washington on July 10, 2004, blandly admitting to blatant bias on the part of the mainstream media.

With all that hype going on, with the media completely in the bag for one party, the portrayal of the candidate as young, dynamic, with a “glow”, that extra 15-point boost from the media — given all that, Kerry still couldn’t eke out a win against that evil Wile E. Coyote of a supergenius idiot, George W. Bush.

Substitute the names of Kerry and Edwards with Obama, include an even more complicit (and curiously incurious) media, and you would think that the Obam team would have this election locked up solid. Instead, what we see is a candidate who is only leading by a few points at best. Remove that 15-point media bias lift, and we could possibly see the McCain/Palin ticket leading by as much as 10-12 points.

Even with the media carrying water, why can’t Obama close this race? Is it possible that there are enough sensible voters left who simply won’t consign the future of their country to an empty shirt? Are there still enough sane people who simply will not vote for this man who would be our king, a tabula rasa with no strong legislative record, no executive experience, an ongoing flow of problematic associates (about whom we’re slowly learning more, despite the dogged refusal of the press to investigate), an ever-expanding pool of questionable donors, and a determination to take your money and give it to someone else?

Could it be true? I certainly hope so. Too bad the media won’t cover that.

Stoutcat

Underdogs Gain, Draw Inspiration From Red Sox?

 

I’m a native of the Boston Massachusetts area. I’ve been a long-time fan of and believer in the Boston Red Sox. Even during the years when they somehow managed to always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, I’ve never given up on them. So it’s been tough this past week as they play against the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League Championship and the right to represent the American League in the World Series.

Ok, so what the hell does this have to do with the McCain and Obama campaigns? Let me try to explain the connection. The Red Sox are down three games to one in the best-of-seven series. If they lose tonight, they are done for the season and Tampa Bay will go on to the World Series.

With less than three weeks to go to the election, Senator John McCain finds himself in somewhat of a similar position. He’s been getting ridiculed on a nightly basis since he blew off an appearance on Late Night With David Whinerman Letterman.

But one of the great things about America is that every so often there comes along a person or a team that just won’t accept defeat. And while it’s true that one victory doesn’t win a war, sometimes it provides the shift in momentum that carries the spirit of others necessary to push on to victory in the end.

We saw this several years ago when the Yankees had the Red Sox down three Games to NONE and the Red Sox came back to win four straight (and then won the world series in four straight as well).

Of course it takes a certain amount of luck. But it also takes the right kind of character to know what to do with the luck or how to handle the situation being faced.

So to say it’s over for McCain or the Red Sox is a bit prematu… wait a second…

Uh-oh… first inning at Fenway Park and the Rays have jumped all over the Red Sox pitcher for back to back home runs.

OK now where was I? If you only knew how long it takes between some sentences in these rants, you’d have a deeper appreciation for those of us who… hang on again… something else happening.

Damn! The Tampa Bay Rays have struck again in the third inning. It’s now Tampa Bay 5 Boston 0.

Anyway, Obama’s pretty much had things his way throughout the campaign. First, he has raised more money than any candidate in history, including funds from a questionable source outside the country. The media gave him a pass on that.

Criticize Obama and you’re automatically labeled a racist. Just “Unthink” and keep moving, folks.

The media isn’t interested in investigating Obama’s relationships with Reverand Wright, William Ayers or ACORN, but they’ll send hundreds of reporters to Sarah Palin’s town in Alaska to see if they can dig up something (literally) in her past. That’s OK? So much for a fair and balanced media.

But still McCain/Palin push on like the little engine that could; they know they have the right plan. But more importantly, they know Obama’s plan will lead us to economic ruin and, quite possibly, install socialism once he’s brought America to its knees politically and financially. And the (media) band plays on.

Uh-oh # 3: Top of the 7th inning in Boston and the Rays have struck again. It’s now 7-0. And I’ll bet Obama thinks he’s in the driver’s seat. Sometimes, being ahead at this point in the game is a bad thing. Why? America loves an underdog. And the true test of American Spirit is how we act when we are facing such a deficit. This is NOT the time to count the Red Sox out… or McCain/Palin… or America.

ACORN may have fraudulently turned in hundreds of thousands of bogus voter registrations in hopes of helping Obama (who has funneled over $800,000 to them to support their “fine work”). And Obama may have raised $200,000,000 from all sources including some that are very questionable. But Here’s the thing: It’s now the bottom of the 7th and the Red Sox have just scored 4 runs. And that’s gotten the Rays fans attention.

Obama thinks he’s so far ahead, he’s allegedly already picking out drapes for the white house. He’s probably also contemplating as to whether or not to replace the American Flag in the oval office with his ridiculous logo. Maybe he’s secure in the belief that nothing can stop the Obama express from adding the final piece to the perfect storm (an Obama Presidency coupled with a Democratic Congress). Well, if so, he might have just missed that the Red Sox have now tied the game in the 8th inning. The Tampa Bay Rays are suddenly stunned. The game was theirs. Now, it might as well be the top of the first again with the bases empty and no score! How could this have happened?

Indeed. The point is, never give up hope. Don’t give up on McCain/Palin. Obama is supposedly ahead in the polls. I can’t help but wonder if some of those non-existent voters were included in the polling?

We might see voter fraud (RICO) charges brought against someone in the Obama camp. But we shouldn’t count on fairness where non has appeared previously.

Besides: One should never depend on luck for anything. If you believe in a goal, fight for it. Work hard for it. And sometimes, you may discover you can do the impossible.

This Just In: The Boston Red Sox have just completed the greatest Post-season comeback in 79 years, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the 9th inning by a score of 8-7. Like I said, sometimes you may discover you can do the impossible. McCain and Palin believe it. The Boston Red Sox believe it. And now so do the Tampa Bay Rays.

How about you?

Gerry Ashley

Obama as President, All Problems Solved

 

Full disclosure: I didn’t watch the debate. I knew it was going to be too painful. McCain needed a home run here, and from what I’ve read, that didn’t happen. (Hell, does it really matters what did happen? It’s all in the spin that the media puts on the sound bytes anyway.)

Mixed metaphors behind me (right), what does it matter? McCain didn’t heal the sick, and Obama didn’t drop kick a baby. Add to that that the evil Dubya’s (read that GOP’s) market is down 733, and well, it looks like the fat lady is putting on her brass bra. So be it.

But the horrible part to all this is that it reflects the citizenry’s terrible selfishness, petulance, ignorance, and lust to worship all things easy, shiny, and new. Finally, wrap all that in white America’s desperate desire to swim the warm waters of redemption for her original sin of slavery, and there you go.

• Oh… Obama is going to save us all a bunch of money. He’s got new, fresh ideas… Easy.
• Obama is polished, handsome, articulate… Shiny.
• And best of all, Obama means the end of GWB… New.
• Lastly, just vote for Barrack and your conscience is clear.

Who cares that Barack is little more than an “Upscale-Mall Candidate” – Someone new and hip who will make all our problems go away in a flash… Who cares that he has zip for experience, and a past that would make Richard Nixon blush? It really doesn’t matter.

No, America needs to go through this and get completely and utterly screwed. Just picture an America of Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Boxer, and Frank… That will fix all problems in a fresh New-Age sort of way, and absolve America of her past in the process.

Ummm…

Alan Speakman

Final Debate Establishes Clear Winner: Joe The Plumber

 

Well, the final debate has come and gone. The pundits are trying to beat each other to the punch in declaring  which candidate was the victor.

I took notes during the entire debate, hoping to come up with something pithy, remarkably insightful and different than all the rest.  Turns out it’s harder to do than you might think since:

1. Nothing really new took place.
2. Both sides still fell back on their talking points.
3. Neither side made any serious gaffs (Note: Joe Biden would have been welcome relief)
4. There was no “gotcha!” moment in the event.

McCain needed a strong showing. He came out swinging, but here’s where the problem started for me:

There was so much pre-debate discussion around the water cooler at work, on the radio talk shows, political pundits on TV and, of course, the network/nitwit commentators on the various networks before the debate began. We knew what McCain would have to bring up. We knew what Obama had to be prepared for. Both candidates adequately prepared for the debate in terms of being ready for what was most likely to confront them.

I knew that Michelle Malkin’s web site was doing a live blogging of the event, coupled with a drinking game linked to phrases we all knew were coming. “So,” I thought to myself, “This could make it interesting.” I decided to attempt to do the following:

• Watch the debate live on TV
• Take notes for my own review
• Keep a window open to Michelle’s web site to join in the drinking game.
• Keep an open bottle of scotch – just in case.

Now, it should be made clear up front: I normally don’t drink. But after this Presidential Campaign,  I decided the only hope for sanity might just be found in the bottom of a Jack Daniels bottle.  Also, keep in mind that my body has a level of resistance to alcohol that rivals that of your average gerbil. 

Obama and McCain seemed to have their own private bet going: See which one could make reference to “Joe The Plumber” the most.

Now let me clear about this (I learned that from Obama, by the way). As I have said consistantly  (Got that from Big O also), Joe the Plumber would play a major role in tonight’s debate. So I added his name to the list of words and expressions in Michelle’s Drinking Game coverage.

Bad  idea.

Looking back at my notes, I can see where

• McCain made points
• Obama danced around any in-depth questions
• My sobriety (or gradual loss of it) began to define the quality of my “notes” (I think it’s safe to say that it’s hard to take debating seriously when you’re giggling at the questions).

By the end of the debate, my dog was scared of me. It might have been when I tried to put lipstick on him, but I’m not really sure. All I know is he wanted to run and hide for the next four hours. It was then I realized the similarity of our situation. Given the debates and the likely outcome of the election, I just want to run and hide for the next four years.

I hear Alaska is nice.

 Gerry Ashley

Don’t Bother to Vote, Amazon Is Deciding the Election

 

I love Amazon.com. I love the wide variety of stuff you can get. I think their prices are pretty darn good. I love the ratings and reviews they provide. I love that I can grocery shop there. I absolutely love Amazon Prime. Amazon.com is a great resource and has a plethora of wonderful and entertaining features.

And now, Amazon is offering up its own “poll” about the 2008 election. They have started a “Put your party on your face” meter, which tracks certain purchases made at Amazon, and assigns them to either the McCain column or the Obama column. Currently, the Amazon race is running McCain 46%, Obama 54%. This might lead you to believe that Obama is winning handily. Interestingly enough, the items Amazon is tracking are actually Hallowe’en masks of McCain and Obama.

So while at a quick glance, one may think that Obama has a big lead, I’m inclined to think exactly the opposite. After all, most folks (and these are not children we’re talking about here, as the masks are advertised as for teens and adults) buy masks for entertainment purposes.

Satire is a huge key to American culture, and Hallowe’en is the prime time for adults to express this; on what other day of the year could any rational adult wear a rubber mask of someone else’s face and cause little or no comment? After all, there’s a reason Nixon masks are still selling briskly, and it ain’t because he was such a popular president.

Stoutcat

Hello Perfect Storm, Goodbye Common Sense

And hello, President Obama!

No question about it… The Alaska probe that just reported Palin “abused her power” is no less than a wall of water towering over the McCain/Palin boat. There’s absolutely no question about it. A perfect storm of the economy, “Dubya”, Wall Street, oil, Iraq, shifting social values, PC, entitlement, waddling politics, and a liberal media have piled up on the McCain/Palin “Andrea Gail” and she is very much doomed.

Don’t really know what to say anymore…

No… No… That’s not true. I do actually know what to say. I’m ticked at the liberals for being intellectual cowards and spoiled brats. Why is it that I, as a conservative, can roundly criticize my GOP because I recognize so much of their idiocy, yet I cannot find a liberal who can do the same on his side? I’m the first to admit that the Republican stand on stem-cell research is ignorant and stupid. I strongly support gay marriage because nature is saturated with homosexuality and besides, “separate but equal” never works. And the pathetic denial of evolution on the part of so many conservatives is simply embarrassing… Why is it that as a conservative, I can write this post and simply state the hard, objective obvious about the horrendous shortcomings of the Right, and I can’t find one liberal who will admit one fault of the Democratic Party?

• Clinton smoking weed… Never inhaled
• What is the definition of “is”?
• “Sandy Burgler”… Who?
• Ayers?
• ACORN?
• Wright?

Yeah, McCain and Palin are hitting a perfect storm and we will be saying “Hello” to president Obama. And the economy will work itself out eventually regardless… But selflessness, objectivity, and common sense in this country have been shot to Hell. Just “unthink” it baby!

Alan Speakman

Character Is More Than a Role in a Movie

 

As an adult, some of my most gut-wrenching experiences are when I hear a young child in real pain (i.e., physical injury, not merely the disappointment of not getting his/her way). I remember when my neighbor’s son was injured in a fall down the steps of his home. I happened to be working from home that day and his mother asked me to drive her and her son to the emergency room. When we got there, we discovered he suffered a concussion. He was treated, released, and within a couple of days, all was fine, thankfully.  But while we were waiting to be seen in the emergency room, he cried to his mother, “Make it stop hurting, Mommy!”

I admit I had to leave the room for a moment, because here was this young boy who didn’t understand what was happening. He knew it hurt, but didn’t know what to do to make it stop hurting and that’s when fear became the partner of pain. That combination almost always causes panic. 

His mother and I knew what happened, but not the extent of the damage or what the future held. Such was our dilemma: the fear of not knowing what the situation was or how it could be fixed. All we knew was that we’d have no answer until the doctor was able to see us. All of this is to say that it wasn’t just the injury to her son, but the fear of the unknown before us that caused us the most stress.

In a larger sense, it appears to me that our economy is like that little boy, teetering at the top of the steps. Will we fall over the edge? Time will tell, but the signs aren’t looking good at all. And there’s no “Mommy” at the bottom of the steps to “Make it stop hurting.” All there is at the bottom is a dark hole of uncertainty.

The Heartland Issues a Wake Up Call for McCain

Well, maybe it’s taken the American Heartland to accomplish it, but today, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, John McCain finally showed the kind of spine he showed us when he was in the military. Faced with an angry crowd of supporters who were not going to settle for the canned speech he’s been giving, the public stopped listening to John McCain and started talking to him.  When you think about it, isn’t that the way it should be?

One lady realtor, voice brimming with anger, told of how we are all aware of the impact and damage to our economy caused by the mortgage issue and that we were well aware of who was really responsible. She demanded a promise from McCain that if he becomes President he will prosecute those who violated our trust and put us on the brink of a depression. Further, she demanded that he quit beating around the bush and name names.

In a response which can only be described as the angriest I’ve heard John McCain (I’ll bet that, had there been a doctor there, he might have even detected an actual pulse), McCain responded that he will, and he proceeded to call out some of the biggest offenders of the fiasco: Sen. Dodd from Connecticut and Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts.

It’s clear to the vast majority of us – and maybe now it’s becoming clear to McCain – that the only chance the Republicans have of beating Obama next month is if McCain “grows a set” (or borrows some from Sarah Palin) and gets specific and tough, names names, and abandons the namby-pamby approach he’s relied on so far.

But the heartland isn’t the only group of people who are beyond angry, Senator. We’re furious. From Calais, Maine to San Ysidro, California, we’re mad as hell.  It’s my hope that McCain may finally “get it.”

In case there’s any doubt, Senator McCain, I’ll spell it out for you:

• We’re mad as hell that the radical left has taken their time grooming Obama to represent them… and they’ve done this right under our noses. Screw political correctness. Look at his associations and those he has aligned himself with: Ayers the terrorist, Wright the racist, Rezko the convicted felonm ACORN, the list goes on and on.
• We’re mad as hell that it now appears that the radical left have worked with groups like ACORN in an attempt to completely bastardize the electoral process through a carefully orchestrated plan to  implement massive voter fraud that is now (finally) coming to light and being investigated).
• We’re mad as hell that ACORN has a friend in Barack Obama who has paid them $800,000 for their services and hid this fact until pressed.
• We’re mad as hell that we no longer have a free press (for the most part) that we can depend on to investigate and expose Obama’s activities and associations or even to report in an unbiased manner… and no one is left to take them to task for it.

The list goes on, Senator. Now here is where you and Governor Palin come in:

It was you, Senator McCain, who sought to win the nomination. Well, you won it. Now what are you going to do with it?

When you accepted that nomination, Senator, you took on a sacred responsibility to represent the conservative views that we need to have in this country. But in order to do that, you first have to win the election. And, so far, Senator, you have failed miserably to instill confidence in many of us. Let me re-state that: You have failed us miserably. Governor Palin has shown 1000% more heart and determination. You had best step it up or get out of the way.

We’re down to the final three weeks before the election, Senator. Do you not understand what’s at stake? If Obama wins, we can say goodbye to the America we knew. He will have the media and Congress in his pocket to do with as he pleases. He must be defeated if our very Constitution and our Republic are to survive. For if our Republic dies, if America dies, Senator, what does the promise of Freedom mean for the rest of the world?

Are you getting the seriousness, Senator McCain? When you stopped spouting your canned, rehearsed speech long enough to listen to your supporters in Wisconsin, did you hear their anger? Do you understand that this level of anger and frustration goes far beyond Wisconsin?  If you care to listen, you’re going to hear the same message in New Mexico, Virginia, Tennessee, Vermont, Oregon, South Dakota.

It’s time to show that your anger matches ours.. and that you have the guts to take confront those who deserve to be confronted. I call on you to do this now, Senator, or else step out of the arena and crawl home with your tail between your legs.  We know you’re better than that. But it’s time for a solid demonstration of this.  But time is running short. The last thing you need to hear when you lay down to go to bed each night and the first thing in the morning is, “We’re as mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it any more.”

Be our leader, Senator. Fight the good fight for us. Get angry and stay that way until you can tell us, “Mission Accomplished.”

Gerry Ashley

How Do You Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm…

 

Last week, the engaging Alphonzo (aka Machosauce) came out with another great video, this one on why he’s voting for the McCain/Palin ticket. As usual, he’s articulate, impassioned, and completely logical in his arguments, and I sincerely hope he reaches more than a few folks who are simply waiting for this type of wake-up call.

If you haven’t seen this one, it’s well worth watching. This young man has a way with words. There are a few very well-chosen phrases that he uses. One of those has been rolling around in my head since I saw the vid last week. Listen closely to what he says beginning at 4:30 into the tirade. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Did you hear that? “They’ve been farming your votes for decades. For you are ballot cattle for the Democrat Party.” Ballot cattle. What an amazingly apt yet absolutely chilling description. And the horrible thing is, these “cattle” are on the farm voluntarily. All they have to do is open their eyes and their minds, and a whole new world will become apparent.  

I don’t pretend to be an expert on race relations, but it seems clear that Alphonzo has hit the nail on the head with this one. Ballot cattle, indeed.

h/t The Anchoress

Stoutcat

The Debate and the Economy

 

Just was listening to a bit of the debate and heard how Obama was going to deal with fixing Social Security.

If the comment wasn’t so absurd and tragic, it would have simply been pathetic.

Let’s see if we can’t put the impending financial disaster in perspective…

The bubble chart above was created in MS PowerPoint (though any number of SW packages can do likewise). But what do the numbers mean? Well, they’re in billions of dollars and represent the following American and U.K. situations:

• The little dot on the bottom represents the $25 billion Bradford and Bingley nationalization
• The $85 billion is destined to AIG
• Two hundred billion (in blue) is for good old Fannie and Freddie
• $215 billion to prop up the flailing British mortgage lender Northern Rock
• Ah, the good stuff… $700,000,000,000.00 for the current U.S. rescue… That’s in red.
• The $2,470 is the entire U.K.’s GDP in billions
• $14,294 is the U.S. GDP in billions
• But what of that monster in the background? What of that $50,000 billion bubble that runs off the screen? That’s the $50 trillion social security disaster that’s waiting for Americans down the road.

The numbers are kind of mind numbing ain’t they? Well, amateur arm-chair astronomy being a hobby of mine, maybe some “planetary perspective” here will help. Speaking in terms of diameter, in the image above, the $200 billion blue orb (aka “Planet Freddie and Fannie”) would be something of the size of the pipsqueak planet Mars in our solar system. The “$700 Billion Bailout” planet in red would represent earth. And the massive $50 trillion outer giant is our sun. Ouch.

Look, I tried to be conservative with the numbers, and yes those numbers are going to change… But the magnitudes are probably correct. It is to scale, and you can easily reproduce it.

My gripe isn’t just with Obama. And it isn’t just with McCain. And it isn’t just with Bush II, or Clinton, or Bush I or… The problem (now a towering disaster) of Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid has been lurking for decades, and our politicians simply keep making empty promises that they’re going to fix it just so they can get elected. It is what it is. Is Glen Beck the only one who gets it?

I apologize for playing the same video or at least pointing to the same video or graphics as in previous posts. But this is important. Truth should be persistent.

Look, fiscally speaking, we’re in a land of hurt, and politicians and talking heads just want to play politics – future be damned. And if you think Obama or McCain is just going to flop down into 1600 and fix this horror, you’re a damned fool. The coming storm is something like America has never seen before.

Oh, the collapse probably won’t happen tomorrow, or even next year. But it will happen. Stars like Obama and McCain may lie, but the numbers never do.

Alan Speakman