The Real Race in November is Between ...?
By John Amato Wednesday Apr 23, 2008 12:20pmHere's a quick C&L quiz. One of Digby's emailers supplies the answer:
McCain employs the media to cement his “maverick/independent” image. The Tim Russert/Chris Matthews “We are his base,” as Matthews said, school of corporate punditry will extol his manifest virtues until November. He received a standing ovation for a speech he recently gave at the Newspaper Publishers Convention. The Democratic nominee will face a mainstream media that consistently interprets or ignores events to favor McCain. His gaffes or temper tantrums will be glossed over. The media doesn’t actively “dislike” Obama as much as it did Al Gore. It dislikes Hillary but hopes to keep the Democratic race going as long as possible. But there is little doubt the Democratic nominee will have to defeat both McCain and the media in the fall.
We're playing against a stacked deck in November. You haven't seen nothing yet.
"Every time I look at a poll. And I expect McCain to win everyone of these polls. The press loves McCain. We’re his base I think sometimes.".–Chris Matthews. The Chris Matthews Show 09/09/06
The only problem I have with his statement is the word "sometimes."
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We the people, are screwed.
The democrats will have to find a way to control the MSM the same way the republicans have.
As much as anything else, presidential campaigns are won and lost by the media narratives that rightly or wrongly come to define a candidate. In the case of Repubican nominee John McCain, the seemingly unshakable narrative of the political "maverick" could not be further off the mark. At almost every turn, McCain in his eternal quest for the White House has reversed long-held positions, compromised core principles and swallowed his pride in order to curry favor with both the leading lights of the conservative movement and right-wing Republican primary voters. The untold story of campaign 2008 is simply that of John McCain's transformation from maverick to prostitute.
For the details, see:
"From Maverick to Prostitute: The Untold Story of John McCain."
This is a big "Duh. We know this already."
If anyone votes for Mccain, they are idiots. Do they honestly beleive that McCain will help the middle class? Yeah right! He claims things are going great. What a moron! I guess he's drinking the Kool-aid along with the rest of the right-wing wackos.
We are his base.
I think sometimes.
See, grammar fixed.
This is why deregulation and concentration of control of the media
are so bad for the country.
"If anyone votes for Mccain, they are idiots."
Well, it was bad enough when they voted for Reagan (where the
above got started), and they're only gotten worse (much) since...
People are now actually voting against their own interests.
...as I told 3 McSame Idiots at lunch the other day spewing their hate of Dems & etc, "Now fellows, Diebold will make sure McCain wins, and then we'll all 'live happily ever after'.....none of them got it.
I think Matthews just meant he sometimes thinks. Can't do it for extended periods.
Free Ride by David Brock and Paul Waldman also describes how hard our work will be. The fawning, the misstatements, the use of maverick and independent--all again demonstrate that the press does no investigation. It just repeats what others say.
P.D. @ 5:
St. McCain sold his soul to the wealthy in spite of the middle class when he flip-flopped on the Bush tax cuts.
Gawd, how I despise Tweety.
And the rest of the fawning, sycophantic GOP media whores ...
The way to beat them is through advertisments in the public media that appeals to Dems to come out and vote. I'm not speaking of ads that tell what a great person our candidate is, but ads that demonize and vilify McCain. The Dems need to grow a set, and use the same methods the pugs do. The only way to stop a bully is to beat the crap out of him, and that's what we must do.
If we advertise an appeal for Dems to get out and vote, the pugs will follow suit. It has to be couched.
of course.. the media was anti-gore, anti-kerry, and will be anti-obama. They always are for the Republican, which makes the right wing claim of a "liberal media" the biggest joke around.
Corporations are Republican in their DNA. And there is no non-corporate MSM. None.
Oh that advert....man I'll bet Mc Cain is shakin' in his boots. Is this the best they can do. Christ, it's time left gets some balls and come out swinging. I mean ya' ever been in a bar fight? The left guys are playing that curling shit and those right wing bastards are coming out playing rugby.
The Real Race in November is Between …?
The Neocons versus Americans who just want to provide decent lives and comfortable futures for themselves and their families.
Lest We Forget: McCain also possesses a threshold of experience that has rendered him fit to assume the office of the presidency.
Obama does not.
And it wasn't a cheerleading media that made that pronouncement.
This is really starting to remind me of the NFL about 25 years ago when the NFC ran off like 13 super bowl wins in a row. It was a lock that the Cowboys, Giants, 49ers, etc. would win the big game no matter who they played.
The "real" super bowl for a lot of people was the AFC championship game - it was a real game because both teams were usually evenly matched (Broncos-Browns, anyone?). The problem was that the winner was usually the whipping boy for the NFC team two weeks later.
I hate (HATE) using sports as an analogy for politics (and vice versa) but this post here just made me think of it... are we witnessing a dogfight at the primary level with the winner becoming the sacrificial lamb at the "super bowl" level? If so, that doesn't seem very fair at all.
Bud @ 19:
The Great Unified Football Field
How can Obama, Clinton not be tired? AP 1 hour, 35 minutes ago
More cutting edge journalism brought to you by the DDM.
(Dumbed Down Media)
I'm tired of the Bullshiters who act as if their telling news. Their bias is so obvious. Tony Snow on CNN. Karl on Faux, Tweety on MSNBC, it makes me to want to pull my hair out.
L.A. Confidential @ 20:
Maybe that's it :)
But now I'm sitting here thinking that it doesn't matter if the "game" is/was a blowout. Because... they're all football players and/or teams. You don't see anyone in the stands coming on to the field to lead the team to victory... shit...
Where's the DMT????
Can the left wing learn to sling mud? Can they learn to be ugly downright take no prisoners mean? Can the left learn to go beyond decency and tar McCain like there is no tomorrow? That is what it is going to take to win this election.
Where are the swift-boat ads coming from left leaning 527s?
DC @ 24:
They need to take some lessons from Vince Lambardi
You know; it is the democrats fault that they lose. Bush would of been easy to beat. All Al Gore needed to do was show pictures of him with the oil companies and the Saudi's. It took Michael Moore to bring that up. Even before 911, Americans did not trust the oil companies or the Saudis. Do you think for 5 seconds that the Republicans would not show a picture of Obama with the Saudis; if such a photo existed. Not once did Al Gore bring up Bush's father and the Iran-Contra Scandal. I would of loved to a have seen an add saying that Bush Sr. was a crooked ex-cia spook and now he is trying to become President through his son. The democrats always want to play the nicey-nice role. Guess what? Being friendly to your opponent doesn't work!
If the Democrats want to win in November they need to label McCain as a member of the Keating 5 and show the American people what a crooked SOB he really is. If they start running adds about flip flopping on issues the Democrats are going to lose. People want to see dirt and uglyness. They want scandal and dirty laundry. Here's reality; a blow job or a hooker is more interesting to the American public than education, the economy, healthcare, or national security.
L.A. Confidential @ 17:
Doesn't really sound like a fair match.
wow - y'all are some beat up motherfuckers - and although I understand the cynicism and anxiety - y'all haven't been paying attention
am God's own cynic so don't bother with the pollyanna label
but dear god, people are scared shitless out here. when was the last time y'all went to the grocery store or gas station and what do you think that's going to be like by October ?!?!
and what do you think Obama/Axelrod/DNC are going to do to with McClueless - hell with his 'base' the so called sheeple are more perceptive than y'all think and in fact it could be a twofer - the Republics and their Corporate Media Lemmings exposed for the lyin' shitheels they are (although I suspect media lemmings will fall in line nlt August)
he's had 7 weeks of unfettered glowing coverage and fluffing, yet his national numbers have not moved - gonna be kind of tough to pull an Ohio or Florida with those kinds of numbers (and if that is your concern, sign up as a monitor in your district)
again, am not some Obamaniac or someone who believes in the Dem establishment one wit, I just happen to spend most of my days mingling with working families and it is clear where they are headed
There ya go....MUCKUP dude has the idea. And the left doesn't even have to make shit up about these nauseating cretins. Christ sometimes it seems the Democrats are just here to shoulder the herculean task of making the Republican actually LOOK GOOD. They do a great job of it, do they not? What a bunch of puds.
DC-
this is the first, it ran in PA - there's 3 or 4 major groups running similar ads everywhere - and there are several holding their fire until the General - dfh's rule!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN10_6pyshQ
Everybody better get used to the idea of president McCain!!! There is no way that the war profiteering media will permit anything else. It is up to Americans to refuse to "serve" as their hired murders (a.k.a soldiers).
Izzatxeaux @ 28:
I hope you're right, but I fear you're naive about the extent the republicans will go to steal/rig the elections in individual states.
Our elections are owned by corporations now. With the proverbial flip of the switch, they can make anything happen. Nobody seems to be in any great hurry to remedy this known, glaring problem. Anybody who isn't frightened about this needs to take off his/her rose-colored glasses.
When Tweety said "We are his base". That was about the truest thing I ever heard him say.
Last evening on Verdict with Dan Abrams, Abrams and his panel of "experts" were discussing whether the media had anything to do with prolonging the fight between Obama and Clinton. Of course not! Then why is it that everytime Obama's comes up the media finds it necessary to play that snippet of Rev. Wright ranting about G.D. America? Every time. This morning on Scarborough they played it more than once. By now I am sure every one in the U.S. and probably everyone in the world knows about Rev. Wright. But the media finds the need to keep this in front of everyone every day by playing this little bit. You're damned right the media is to blame for the ongoing fight and they love every minute of it.
Abrams, I thought you were more fair than some but you are just like the rest. The msm will say anything, do anything, to keep this stirred up. While on the subject; what about McCain saying the R. party should not run the offensive ads but the N.C. repugs say they will run them anyway. Do you really believe McCain doesn't want these ads to show up? But it does make him sound like a real decent fellow. Not.
When Matthews says stuff like this it worries me. The 4th Estate's function is to investigate and illuminate, not to be the cheering section for any politician. He's the only non-Faux commentator either stupid or ballsy enough to openly admit his bias, but not the only one who daily demonstrates it.
The Times hires Kristol, FUX hires Rove and now CNN hires Snow. Tell me this game ain't fixed and I'll show you some prime swampland in Florida...cheap
Despite MSMs infatuation with McCain, despite possible American xenophobia, I fail to see how Obama can possibly loose against McCain. Democrats only needs to get the message out McCain is a flip-flopper running for a third Bush term and it should be a done deal. Unless the election is rigged more than usual
galmud @ 36:
Dems will lose if all the bitter Rodham supporters decide to vote for McBush out of spite.
Where are the Democratic 527s to swift-boat John Mccain?
It's not so much a race between anyone as it is a deadline for the reich to convince everyone that the asshat they place into the shrub co. seat of power was elected by public vote.
Gee sounds exactly what Hillary Clinton has been up against since the beginning of the campaign, where they suck up to obama and flame HIllary..
goat hussein sage @ 36:
This is a hellova choice for soggy land.
galmud @ 37:
the election is rigged more than usual
It's been seven and a half years and I admit that I STILL mute the channel every single time Bush appears on TV, split seconds before I change the channel. I think the TV remote is one of the greatest inventions ever. Can you imagine not having one and being forced to watch the Clinton shrew on TV for years to come?
No matter how much the media and blogs "love" McTurd he's still a turd. Voters are not that stupid. After 8 long years under rethug rule the People are ready for a Democrat, no matter how much the fucking media polishes this turd running for Bush's 3rd term.
bill w @ 43:
Any proof? Got links?
Obama should take a harder stance against the press and ignore their stupid questions. If they don't like it then that's too bad. If America is too stupid to see whats going on then they deserve shitty health-care, crappy infrastructure and a never-ending war.
Ignore the Rev. Wright questions, its been answered too many times already. F#%k em if they don't like it. Americans would support Obama even more if he showed some balls and put the media in their place.
Do we all remember the New York Times story a few months ago claiming Mcshame might have been having an affair with a lobbyist as well as Mcshame still being in the back pocket of lobbyists? Well what did the MSM do? Well they tripped over themselves running to Mcshame's defense. It was a showing of true love. The MSM choose to ignore the facts and not investigate the claims or confirm the accusations. Then as any honest journalist would do they turned the story around and made The New York Times the culprit for actually performing real journalism. But the most blatant proof of this love affair with Mcshame is the MSM choose to ignore a possible sex scandal. When does the media ever ignore a sex scandal. This is why they go to journalism school.
bill w @ 43:
I've been around for some time (Vietnam vet) and anyone paying attention can see that the (so called liberal) MSM is a propaganda tool of corp America and ofcouse the Zoinist. They don't care so much if it's Dems or Repugs, they just don't want anything to change for corp America. They like the fact that corp money can buy votes, influence, favors and welfare for the US corp and Israel. That's why they can destroy candidates like Ross Perot (he said "you people" he must be racisit) and Haward Dead (play over and over his rant at a political rally, he must be crazy). The problem with those people were they got most of their campaign money from middle americans, not corp america. They weren't beholding and didn't owe anything to corp america or Zionist supporters and they verywell might change things (God forbid we might install a national health care system like they rest of the civilized world for example). Al Gore, he wore earth tones and was boring at parties? Never mind he was 3 times smarter than Bush, he servered in Nam tho he didn't want to go (I don't have to remind you he has been right about most everything). We could put to rest the Palistine Israel situation tomorrow if we imposed our will there. What, we can't do that? Well we just did it in Afganistan and Iraq and about to do it in Iran (ramping up the propaganda as we speak, now that they have the comander (the admiral that was standing in the way of our plans to attack Iran) out of the way. Just an example, we could simply hand over the west bank to Jordan. They have the army the resources (and more if we give them the money we are now giving Israel) and they are muslims. But no, that would spoil the Zionist dream of annexing the west bank if they can torment and drive out the muslims (or given enough time just take all the land little by little). Wake up America, this is slipping away as you are watching.
Think about it, this Bush war was not and is not supported by more than 70% or the people of the world (not counting the muslims), not supported my more than 60% of Americans. How could they pull this off without the help and support of the MSM (propaganda). They first thing to do in a democratic administration is to reverse the consolidation of our media under powerful corporations. Goodby Rupert Murdock.
I must agree that The deck is very much stacked against the Democrats this fall. John McCain is just too popular with the MSM & no stain of Adam's sin can ever touch him. He is untouchable & unreachable, just like George W. Bush. I would not be surprised if McCain is ahead by 10-15 percentage points at some point before or just after the conventions. That deficit may be too hard to overcome for the Democrats.
P.D. @ 5:
amen.
It is hard to make a decision in this presidental race. Obama seems to be the answer, but it seems he likes or has to follow the old path, in order to win.
Nevertheless, the winner will not be lucky for a long time as the problems mount up.
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