CNN gives 'Tea Party Express' free publicity, free room to lie about their anti-Obama origins
By David Neiwert Saturday Aug 29, 2009 7:00am
Well, we wondered why the "Tea Party Express" was bothering to advertise so heavily on Fox, when the network was certain to give them all the free advertising in the form of "reportage" from the likes of Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. And sure enough, Neil Cavuto came through Friday with the first of what will certainly be many Fox News "reports" on the exciting cross-country tour.
But CNN did the real honors Friday, featuring a couple of segments on the tour. The first was a fluff piece about what a cool bus the people on the tour get to ride in. Awesome, dood.
Then Tony Harris did an interview with Mark Williams, the chief spokesman for Our Country Deserves Better PAC, the organization behind the "Tea Party Express." And while Harris did try to ask Williams some skeptical questions, it was a very congenial segment.
Most of all, Williams was able to flatly deceive the CNN audience about their purpose and intent. Harris asked him whether or not the entire thrust of the "tea parties" was to attack President Obama's policies -- a reasonable point, since these "partiers" were nowhere to be found when George W. Bush was busily busting budgets and running up massive deficits in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy.
Harris, though, pretended throughout the segment that they were purely a nonpartisan outfit only angry about overtaxation. Which is a large wagonload of hooey.
The "Our Country Deserves Better" PAC, in fact, was founded in August 2008 -- before the election -- specifically to oppose Barack Obama and his policies. (They called it "drawing contrasts between Senator Barack Obama and John McCain".) In October 2008, for instance, Williams was out on the stump campaigning against Obama as a "socialist" on a previous bus tour called the "Stop Obama Express". They've also runs ads comparing Obama to Hitler.
That's a nice bit of track-covering. Too bad none of these cable anchors are sharp enough to catch on to it.
I could tell because his lips were moving. Follow th momey. Is it grass roots or not?
Between Harris and Wolfie CNN is going the way Fox..The only good reporter is Sanchez!
I have not watched CNN very much since 2005. I don't miss CNN. If you like right wing trash talkers and centrist Democrats CNN appears fine for you.
I watch CSPAN.
Read our blog http://blog.democratz.org
That's great, let's get all the assholes to board a bus and then drive that bus to Gitmo* where they can spend the rest of their lives with no hope of release (remember it's what they support and I say we give them what they want)
*and yes I realize that you can't drive to Cuba from here.
a long pier etc.
There have been accounts where Cubans have retrofitted a Buick and a truck to drive to the USA. Got caught by the Coast Guard. Should have kept them,,, maybe the Big Three could have benefitted.
I would suggest -- after listening to the reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew 25:31–46 by one of Ted Kennedy's daughters -- that the ignorant easily led Republican flock -- and the media outlets that enable them, like CNN and that abomination of "infotainment" Fox "News" -- should no longer be called "sheeples"...that we start calling them the "goats" that have been separated out on the left hand of God, to be cast into the abyss.
The ceaseless vitriol and lack of compassion from these goats the past few days since Ted Kennedy's death has been a startling revelation into their souls -- there seems to be nothing there but a dark evil.
When I learned about The Good Shepherd (an Osirian term), I always wanted to be one of the wolves.
Because I always knew the sheep would end up on The Good Shepherd's dinner plate.
CNN = CORPORATE NEWS NETWORK
As everyone knows, the Republicans and their their Neocon masters are are no longer in power, at least for now. I wished President Obama would get that and stop treating them like they do. They still have lots of money at their disposal, and everyone has their price...even CNN.
"since these "partiers" were nowhere to be found when George W. Bush was busily busting budgets and running up massive deficits"
so, may I ask where the anti-war-crowd is, while obama is expanding wars and doing business with blackwater and friends?
right, they're too busy campaigning for obama on blogs like C&L
where are the videos of you out there protesting.
The funny thing is judging by news coverage the battles in Afghanistan are like the new forgotten war, like Korea.
So win or lose President Obama gets neither the blame or the credit for the results
And conservatives can claim he's soft on terrorism or whatever.
Its totally out of the hands of the civilian administration, and I doubt President Obama or any of his Cabinet can stop the Pentagon/MIC from its wars. I think the strategy is rope and petards from Obama, and let the DoD be seen to fail miserably, only then can they be reined in.
They're probably having the same problem that they had during the boosh years.
To cover demonstrations would mean infotainment would have to cut away from the breaking news of Michael Jackson's stomach contents.
Did he die or something. Just got done hearing the news.... did you see the "wardrobe malfunction" his sister had to endure??? Hope he doesn't have anything in common with Rod Stewart. Got to go,,,, see something shiny over there.
There were these guys named Dick and George...who decided to to turn their backs on Afghanistan because they wanted to destroy Iraq. Boy, they did GREAT didn't they? They left a mess that is going to take decades to clean up.
You said" There were these guys named Dick and George" Should be,,," UnCurious George,,, and the Man with the Yellow Hat"
There,,, fixed it for ya.
anyone who doesn't think your way, who is anti-war is campaigning for Obama on C+L. There are more than two ways to be.
So what brings you here?
Can't be your shame fu, because that is weaker than water drinker's piss.
may I ask where the anti-war-crowd is, while obama is expanding wars
I actually will accept that as a valid criticism - while noting that it of course in no way whatsoever refutes or even addresses the criticism against the teabaggers. It simply attempts to change the subject. Rule #3.
While I read it, I was thinking of a few personal relationships where this occurs. Unless someone in the conversation IS about keeping it on track. And that is a chore for that person to do, which puts them at a disadvantage, keeping both parties on point.
My choice for dealing with them, after years of enabling it, is refusal to continue the discussion, if it is unpleasant and I'm doing all the work at keeping the thing on topic.
It happens here all the time. No. I didn't walk away from a discussion because I was losing. I walked away from a discussion I suddenly realised I was having with a loser.
indeed, it is changing the subject.
the subject was argueing about wars and budget deficits and I (tried to) change it to partison idiots argueing about anything depending on if their guy is president or not.
there is very little difference between you guys and the glenn beck crowd.
i'll see you in 4 yours when maybe this blog will cover some interesting topics again (given that obama loses his reelection)
the subject was argueing about wars and budget deficits
The quote you cited, including the part you left out, was this:
"[T]hese 'partiers' were nowhere to be found when George W. Bush was busily busting budgets and running up massive deficits in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy."
(Emphasis of course added.)
Not a word in there about wars, only about benefiting the haves. You really need to read closer if you want to be taken seriously.
However, it was nice of you to admit that you were just trying to change the subject. I think we can call agree that it was because you had no answer to the criticism that was made.
my spouse always tries rule 3. Gets pissed when I stay on topic.
I am so tired of these lying sack of craps,if McCain won none of this would be going down Comparing the President the President to hitler,guys with guns showing up to town hall rallies and thugs shouting down people at the same meetings.
And I am so tired of this "were taking back our country" BS, I swear Republicans are the biggest f'ing bunch of cry babies they only bitch about high government spending when they are not cutting the checks.
And if they think President Obama is hitler maybe He should treat them like hitler or President Bush would treat them they both didnt't tolerate protesters one bit.
Actually the republicans are already treating supporters like Hitler, who upon taking power got rid of his Sturm Abteilung by turning his new Schutzstaffel on them.
I mean really, how much did social conservatives get from the reichwing since the ray gunn years?
They know neither the past, understand the present, or fear the horrible future they lust for.
This just in...republicans replacing elephant image of party...
http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/...
It's amazing how the "liberal" media can make a small fringe group of nutjobs appear like the majority through sheer coverage.
Good news: Fox viewers don't watch CNN, and CNN viewers aren't quite the easy dupes Fox viewers are.
That said....the Dems just need to pass a Bill and declare victory.
I hear tell Bill made lots of passes.
For one, who cared if the POTUS was having some fun with adult women staffers, perk of the job and all that. Second as long as he did his job, big deal.
The teabaggers in my local area, Williamsport, PA. There is a surprisingly large amount of outrage locally, as the organizers planned this thing to coincide with our big local event, the Little League World Series.
I walked around amongst the wingnuts for about 45 minutes before I had enough and left.
Most surprising moment? I was smiling and waving at a cute little girl, maybe 3 years old. When the little girl wandered off, and old guy with a cane, smoking a cigarette walked over to me and said (and I quote), "If Obama gets in, he'll be paying for it."
I kid you not. I thought about asking the guy if he knew the date, but I decided not to bother.
He probably would've thought you wanted to date the three year old.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=G...
http://aftercheese.files.wordpress.com/2008/1...
Why should we ever expect that they would do otherwise? CNN is an organization of propagandists whose resources are purposefully deployed against the public, not journalists whose mission and avocation is to inform the public.
We all need to get over the wishful thinking that propgandists are ever going to conduct any operations that resemble legitimate journalism. It isn't going to happen; that's not why they exist. Expecting it to happen only serves their purposes by fostering a perpetually reactive frame of mind. They are in business to defraud and manipulate and no other reason. That's what they do, that's why they exist. It's an empty hope to expect them to do anything else. Holding that expectation only gives them the power to shock us off of our own game.
Other than keeping tabs on what they are up to, there is no reason or good that can come from watching and consumming the products they are peddling. It's all poison.
JMO.
Put a fake grassroots or an anti Obama sign up with a corporate logo near the bottom on a docked ship headed for Devils Island and those fools would climb right aboard.
This is a resurgence of the Bund in the '30's
Boys in the Bund?
These teabagger morons remind me of the "pot junkies" in Reefer Madness.
I can just see my grandkids 50 years from now, laughing their asses off at the footage of these rightwing imbeciles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jB7RBGVGk
will buy CNN.
And they're on cable, for the most part, because they either aren't sharp enough to catch it, or they are not ONLY sharp enough to catch it, they are sharp enough to keep stum about it.
In our local paper today. Billed as a "tax protest rally." Speakers scheduled include state and U.S. Republican representatives. Asked by the reporter if any Dems had been invited, yes...only one...the governor...who declined. The organizer said he invited "elected" representatives since they are the ones "who vote or are up for re-election" yet one of the speakers is former U.S. Rep. David Davis (who, by the way, has shown he doesn't give a damn about the Democrats in his district. While in Washington he commissioned an opinion poll in his district but only contacted registered Republicans, and had the nerve to allow this fact be published in our newspaper). We also have a former state Democratic rep who lost re-election in '08 but apparently he wasn't invited.
Other quotes: The event is "above party affiliation." "This is not an Obama bash." "We want this event to be fun."
I can tell just by the name.
David Davis= Sirhan Sirhan. And lest we forget his son ,,, Sirhan W Sirhan
... at the core of this movement we've have the
god/Creator says I can do whatever I want unalienable rights libertarian minded folks. They indeed disliked a great deal of what Bush Co. was doing.It seemed he would often resemble a neoconservative(Neo-con) with many of his policy decisions(Nation building, spending etc). What prompted Bush's policy choices I am not absolutely sure, but the smaller government and spending thing, didn't go so well with him and his crew.
Along comes (R)on Paul, former Libertarian Presidential nominee in 1988. Facing the reality that the libertarian party is not going to work for his Presidential aspirations, in 2008 he throws his hat into the ring under the Republican banner. Ignored by the neoconservatives, traditional conservatives and their players, he is written off as a disgruntled Libertarian and for the most part the MSM follows suit.
Ron's grassroots did indeed reinstate the age old Boston Tea Party theme during this past election cycle and now after the Republicans failed bid in 2008, they're welcoming with open arms and wallets all the nuts and not so nuts of his followers.
We simply have those that believe we should be ruled by the word of god(s) and those that believe we should be ruled by Man/Women.(Never mind who created the god/s) ;)
Religion Once Ruled the World. It Was Known as the Dark Ages.
What fucking taxes are these idiots protesting? I seem to recall paying less since last April. None of these morons can be making over $250K. Can they all be Joe the (not a) Plumber clones? Obviously not; they're just anti-Obama, plain and simple.
"None of these morons can be making over $250K"
Actually they can. I ran into a friend of mine who is a Limbaugh junkie, and super right winger. Other than that he is not only a really nice guy, but a very smart one.
He owns a business that makes boilers and incinerators and does business with governments around the world. He has worked extensively in Africa, Eastern Europe, and just about anyplace else you could think of.
He makes in excess of a million dollars a year. So there was at least one guy, out of maybe 1500-2000 at the event who is makin' bank like that. And I wouldn't call him a moron, though he is definately misguided (by a mile) politically.
Wow, that's an impressive bus. An expensive, impressive bus. Two expensive, impressive buses with expensive equipment. Oh yeah, TOTALLY grassroots!
Tell me, teabaggers. Was the government not too big when they were putting us in 2 wars, handing us a recession and taking away our rights from 2001-2008? Hmmmmm...
By the way, Mark Williams go f*ck yourself.
Come October 15th, these people are going to get health care whether they like it or not, whether they believe Obama to be American or not, whether they're decent human beings or not.
And then the following Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will spank Detroit.
http://marmel.com/2009/08/dear-fringe-folk-yo...
Mostly I just want to be right on ONE prediction...
- Steve
Watch out. The Lions may get their first victory in two years on that day.
Then I guess you'll be stuck with health care reform. Which is worse?
Brett Favre re-joining the Packers.
CNN stopped being a legitimate news organization some time ago. They don't do news well. They don't do documentaries well, and their readers are dumber than a box of rocks; and I realize I'm insulting rocks by saying that.
Waste of cable bandwidth.
Give some credence to the box also.
I hope they have good accounting and it cannot be traced to dodgy sources.
Remember Joe the Dumber...hows about Kenneth Gladney?
[ http://www.teapartyexpress.org/about/index.html ]
I say we all agree to watch only MSNBC. They're the only true believers in the "One", you know... the one that's kinda like a GOD! The "One" giving Chris Matthews a thrill running up his leg. Go MSNBC!
i wonder who is paying fot this tour bus tour? it would have been nice to hear that asked during the sakes pitch here.
this is nothing more than turning the anger and frustration brought on by Bush Co. towards the new administration solely for political gains.
and whya is this dorkwad quoting jerry garcia?
it was paid for by donations from those ugly grass roots Americans. You are right, of course, it did start with Bush and plenty of his party was up in arms. But this is no longer Bush's mess so it's time for Obama to stop saying in every speech that he inherited the mess. He did. Bush inherited a recession from Clinton. Reagan inherited a HUGE recession (mortgage interest rates at 18%, millions out of work, you know, a big mess) from Carter. I never liked Reagan but never once did I hear him whine and whine and whine about what he inherited. Guess it's the difference between a MAN and an immature kid!
...but not so old that we forget so easily that Carter inherited the Nixon/Ford economy: The stock market crashed of 1973/1974, the OPEC oil embargo of 1973.
BTW, Reagan inherited Fed chairman Paul Volcker from Carter, who halted the stagflation (staggered inflation) that had begun spiraling under Ford. No, his policies didn't become effective immediately. Inflation peaked in 1981 (who was the POTUS in '81?) at 13.5%, but was down to 3.2% by 1983 because of Volcker's actions. You can trace our current economic woes back to the long-term effects of Reagn's de-regulation and the policies of Volcker's successor as Fed chairman, Reagan appointee Alan Greenspan.
You might claim to be smart, but you seem very near-sighted. Economies can't be viewed in the short term. Carter planted apple seeds. The apple trees took some time to grow. Reagan took apples and made apple sauce- a very quick process, relatively speaking- then cut down half of the orchard.
I mean the 'smart' part.
Clinton left a Budget Surplus, and no recession. Surplus means that there was more than zero dollars in the pot (President Bush inherited a budget surplus of $128 billion when he took office in 2001 but has since posted a budget deficit every year). Bush left us with a deficit of billions, having only to do with illegal invasions and occupations and budget mismanagement, no bid contracts, the NOLA disaster not being handled correctly, the list is legion. At any rate far from being OVER zero dollars (The deficit hit $482 billion in the 2009 budget year that was be inherited by the American People) when Bush left, we were under zero dollars by $482,000,000,000.
The recession hit the US in 2002, a full year after your boy took office.
you'd better check your history rather than revising it to your liking. Your ignorance is showing.
I got that info from sources on the internet. I can see why a 'smart' old lady like you would be offended when proven wrong.
ecomomy in recession 2000
You'll notice, the sources note the recession in 2000 took place in Europe. The Recession in 2002 is directly related to 9/11, which could have been stopped if Bush had read his PDBs, like Clinton did.
budget deficit when bush left office
Pretty self explanatory. I did not try "budget surplus when bush left office," but be my guest.
And budget surplus when bush took office
So prove me wrong, because your so smart. That would mean your version of the opposite happening is the only true one, and the entire internet is revisionist along with me in some huge conspiracy.
I've got a feeling that our smart old lady only understands Newspeak.
about teh 'smart'
...she was fabricating all three parts.
like the rest of those cowards, she's just buggered off without a word!
the author of the article is CORRECT. Mark Williams is WRONG WRONG to call this Obamacare. Obama had nothing to do with this bill. He hasn't even read it. This bill WAS written by the Trial Lawyers with a bit of help from Apollo Alliance....the group that morphed out of the Weather Underground and wrote the "Stimulus Bill". Google it!!!! So get it straight, Williams!!!
jesus save us from teh evil trial lawyers...unless we need to sue the shit out of someone. Signed hypocrites on the right and Thug Party members.
Thank God people are standing up and saying enough of this administration. I have never seen anything like it in my 40 years! Check out the czars! Imagine if Bush had all these czars with communists ties. It is odd so many of you are outwaged people are standing up and expressing themselves - I can recall many of you doing so during the Bush years. Why are these people "wing nuts" and you were not? By the way, where are you now on the war?? Seem to be very quiet. This is America - not Cuba and if you listen to Van Jones or the diversity czar it is clear where this administration wants to take this country. I love my freedom and I will not stand by while Obama and his crazy czars tries to hijack this country. Right on to the Tea Party Express!! Keep up the good work!
"...Obama and his crazy czars..."
Could you be a bigger hyperbolic idiot? I guess you would have a show on FOX 'News' then, eh, Einstein?
Forcing a comparison between apples (Bush) and oranges (Obama) that is incorrect and claiming victory is lamer than I can say.