Can Sesame Street go to Congress?

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Bump:

NPR's being completely and utterly vilified because some sleazebag undercover Neo-con reporter caught an exec bad mouthing the Pitty party. Now he's starting to circulate a petition to COMPLETELY end funding for PBS.

I could give a crap about NPR, but PBS?

Well we may never know the whole story, but they probably did the right thing removing those people. The guy wasn't just critcizing the Tea Party, he said a lot of very offensive things about a lot of groups. As a liberal, I would have asked him to leave too.

But yeah, why should PBS suffer for that? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[Drtooth]

Well we may never know the whole story, but they probably did the right thing removing those people. The guy wasn't just critcizing the Tea Party, he said a lot of other out of line things. But yeah, why should PBS suffer? That doesn't make any sense.

They want to think that the big bad left is always conspiring against them to bend the poorest of the poor to their will. I mentioned this in another thread.

Now, here's what bugs me.. if someone on the left says something outrageous with 2% of truth to it, they get fired and vilified. if someone on the right does the exact same thing, they get picked up from local radio to TV talking head. There is no civil debate on either side, and that polarizes the country, and lets the loudest jerk win. And often times, loudest jerk is funded by some corporation of some sort.

Fox News begrudging "liberal media" funded by 2 cents of taxpayer money or not is pot calling the kettle black. I've said this about both sides now, but both sides think that only THEY are the only ones with free speech... the difference is that the right has the means, support, money, and organization to make things happen. The left is standing their passive aggressively saying "Oh, yeah? Well, SAME to YOU, Buddy." (picture Jon Arbuckle shaking his fist at a giant big muscular guy when I mention that, like I do).

Basically, while I don't know the full story either (who can you trust anyway) this was a clear and OBVIOUS ploy to tell the "common man" that a news network they refuse to listen to anyway with NO influence on anyone that matters is "out of touch" so they can take money away from NPR and PBS and give it straight to our real enemies and puppet governments we'll wind up fighting future wars with.

Sure, the guy should have been fired (for basically saying what their listeners are saying?)... but it shouldn't be used as another Neo-Con tool. Totally childish, petty, unprofessional, bitter behavior. If someone tried to take down one of THEIR biased sources, they'd deny everything, no one would get fired, and they'd have a best selling book all filled with lies.

Seriously... it's the Dan Rather thing all over again.

 

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Now, here's what bugs me.. if someone on the left says something outrageous with 2% of truth to it, they get fired and vilified. if someone on the right does the exact same thing, they get picked up from local radio to TV talking head.

I think both sides have perfected the double standard quite well. And then are both good at implying they're the innocent ones. They're opposite, but definitely equal. There is no hero here.

Sure, the guy should have been fired (for basically saying what their listeners are saying?)

Um well I hope that's not what all their listeners are saying. Some of the things he said I'd rather not repeat here.

 

[dwmckim]

Oh absolutely, both sides have double standards and make mistakes. However the point Drtooth is making is that because the overwhelming vast majority of news media is corporate owned and in the hands of right-wing interests (who still actually try to perpetuate the myth of a "liberal media"), when someone on the left so much as wears white after Labor Day, they have a huge echo chamber in place to get it all over the place and make it Top Story of the Day and does all they can to further weaken their opponents and elimenate them. If someone on the right did the exact same type of thing, not only does the left have few resources to get that same kind of story out, but in the meantime the wrongdoer's boss not only doesn't fire them but pats them on the back saying "good job" (if not all out giving them a raise or promotion)

And this all goes back to why the abolition of PBS/NPR is so high up the extreme right's hitlist. Not that they're "leftist" but because they aren't controlled by the right (and so they'll do everything they can to paint them with the "liberal media, anti-right, biased" label) - until they can successfully have them removed, they'll settle for weakened, ridiculed, and invalidated.

 

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I'm just very skeptical about PBS actually losing its funding. Again, the Senate and the President wouldn't support it. It's posturing from the right-wing. I'm not saying it could never happen, that would be naive I admit, lol. Just saying I'm skeptical based on past experience.

And as a liberal, I was offended by the things that guy from NPR was saying. He wasn't just insulting the tea party, but several different groups and it was pretty disgusting.

Again, there's no heroes here. The so-called right and left, all they do is betray us time and again and then sit back and laugh at us. And I won't say one is worse than the other, because they're both equally slimely.

 

[Drtooth]

Oh absolutely, both sides have double standards and make mistakes. However the point Drtooth is making is that because the overwhelming vast majority of news media is corporate owned and in the hands of right-wing interests (who still actually try to perpetuate the myth of a "liberal media"), when someone on the left so much as wears white after Labor Day, they have a huge echo chamber in place to get it all over the place and make it Top Story of the Day and does all they can to further weaken their opponents and elimenate them. If someone on the right did the exact same type of thing, not only does the left have few resources to get that same kind of story out, but in the meantime the wrongdoer's boss not only doesn't fire them but pats them on the back saying "good job" (if not all out giving them a raise or promotion)

And this all goes back to why the abolition of PBS/NPR is so high up the extreme right's hitlist. Not that they're "leftist" but because they aren't controlled by the right (and so they'll do everything they can to paint them with the "liberal media, anti-right, biased" label) - until they can successfully have them removed, they'll settle for weakened, ridiculed, and invalidated.

I can't even edit that down to put up a single point. The NPR debacle came out of someone putting a vendetta sting, making a FAKE organization and sliming their way to enemy headquarters. And guess what, reports are surfacing that the same fake organization tried to sneak into PBS... but they were weary of them in that case.

And all I'm saying, where is some ultralefty sneaking, cheating and lying their way into Fox News, or one of a trillion rightwing talk radio stations?

I think the biggest example is Sarah Palin crying and whining about how evil and heartless Seth MacFarline was for one of his writers mocking her kids (albeit in a very inappropriate way... but they go out of their way to tick everyone off) while Glenn "Mentally Unstable" Beck mocked Obama's kids in an unfunny and truely revolting skit on his radio station. Who became the villain there? Why, Family Guy of course. Glenn "CooCoo for Neocons" Beck made a "I'm a bad widdle boy" cutesy face and pretended to be sorry for his remark.

These people want to win at ANY cost. This isn't the Republican's party anymore... it's the wealthiest one percent's, and no one wants to get to the common ground to find that out. They just slap a new label on the same crap.

I'd love to say they're both equally slimy, but one has bigger resources, sneakier techniques, and more gullible people on their side. Why is it that right wing radio, TV, and books make a fortune, and Air America went bankrupt halfway through Bush's second term when EVERYBODY hated him?

EDIT: That said, how come no one's reporting certain right wing politicians trying to take voting rights away from college kids, and the union busting in Wisconsin and Ohio.... OH! Fox owned TMZ leaked a bunch of footage of Charlie Sheen's mental breakdown and Lindsay Lohan's shoplifiting tape.

 

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The NPR debacle came out of someone putting a vendetta sting, making a FAKE organization and sliming their way to enemy headquarters.

I agree that it was definitely entrapment. No doubt about that. But nobody forced the NPR guy to say the things he said. He shot his mouth off, the things he said were beyond sick and offensive, he should have known better and he deserves what he got.

I'd love to say they're both equally slimy, but one has bigger resources, sneakier techniques, and more gullible people on their side.

Sadly, neither side has its shortage of gullible people. (Not referring to anyone here, just in general ).

I'm definitely not defending the Republicans, but if they have more resources, how did a Democrat like Clinton stay in office for two terms? And how did Obama win? The Democrats are far from destitute (can't say that for many of the people who voted for them, sadly).

Again I'm not saying the Republicans are better. I'm just saying there's no one here who can honestly say "Not Guilty" with a straight face.

EDIT: That said, how come no one's reporting certain right wing politicians trying to take voting rights away from college kids

You're totally right, they realize that college kids are more likely to vote Democrat and they would like to stop that. Frankly our votes are practically worthless at this point anyway. Same two wealthy losers everytime.

 

[Drtooth]

I agree that it was definitely entrapment. No doubt about that. But nobody forced the NPR guy to say the things he said. He shot his mouth off, the things he said were beyond sick and offensive, he should have known better and he deserves what he got.

I'm wondering if he wasn't forced to say that... after all, they posed as Muslims... and we all know what people hate who. Again, I agree he should have got fired... though, if it was someone on the other side that said incendiary things, either they'd make the "I'm a bad widdle boy" face and force a fake apology (Ann Coulter once said some VERY anti-Semetic things and made a whimpering fake apology too), or their supporters say "I'm not arguing" and the guy gets a book deal and a raise.

I'm definitely not defending the Republicans, but if they have more resources, how did a Democrat like Clinton stay in office for two terms? And how did Obama win? The Democrats are far from destitute (can't say that for many of the people who voted for them, sadly).

Again I'm not saying the Republicans are better. I'm just saying there's no one here who can honestly say "Not Guilty" with a straight face.

Clinton I can't speak for, but the O man.. well, he was running against a Bush Yes-man and Female Quayle. I dunno about you, but I'd vote for any viable person that WASN'T them. People seem to forget how things were back then... Freedom Fries? I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd vote ANYTHING besides that. Even if a mutant alien who wanted to enslave Earth was running against that, I'd go with the alien. But it's not like the right DIDN'T have a plan. They clearly had a win/lose strategy. And we're experiencing their "every loss is a win" plan right now... blame the other guy for THEIR mistakes while continuing to push the same mistakes. I could go on and on about that one, just for the 2008 election, actually. But it's not that the right didn't try. Remember when they were flinging the word "Socialist" around like it was 1955, and questioning if he was a citizen? They kinda blew their own election. That's not to say they aren't using the same techniques years before the next one to embitter people against him.

Besides, everyone knows these things are won by undecideds...

Yeah, I want to agree they're both "bad," but one's just bigger and badder than the other. And ill behaved! Really, I loved during the 2004 election when they ran those "question John Kerry's record" commercials, McCain stood up and defended John's war service record.

But again, if the third party wants to stand a chance CONSOLIDATE! Strengthen! ORGANIZE! Put your feet down and combine to make less parties. Sure, I'd vote for them if there wasn't 50 of them. Which brings me to...

You're totally right, they realize that college kids are more likely to vote Democrat and they would like to stop that. Frankly our votes are practically worthless at this point anyway. Same two wealthy losers everytime.

Not only that, but ONE person from that side forced an independent to run. Look for the thread "Is the Country Owned by Wesayso" or something like that... some people will do anything to win... some people will do EVERYTHING to win.


Above all, you CAN'T balance budget nickel and diming public broadcasting. There's a vendetta. And either it be that they aren't owned by someone, or that the competitors want them out of business!

 

[dwmckim]

You're totally right, they realize that college kids are more likely to vote Democrat and they would like to stop that. Frankly our votes are practically worthless at this point anyway. Same two wealthy losers everytime.

And once enough people feel that way, then the corporatists (whatever side they may fall on) have indeed won. No matter what happens, never forget or pass on your power to vote. Our country still is a democracy underneath it all and as long as people remember that, then we haven't surrendered our power. Sure in many cases, it may seem like the choice of "lesser of two evils", but you can sure as heck bet i'm still going to make sure i'm going to always cast my vote against the stronger of said evils. At the end of the day, elections aren't decided by the will of the population or even by money - they're determined by who does and who doesn't show up to the ballot box. Never lose sight of that.

 

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I'm wondering if he wasn't forced to say that.

If that's what he felt "forced" to say, then why was he even meeting with people who thought that way? Not to mention indulging them? If someone baited me like that, I'd never respond the way he did.

And once enough people feel that way, then the corporatists (whatever side they may fall on) have indeed won. No matter what happens, never forget or pass on your power to vote. Our country still is a democracy underneath it all and as long as people remember that, then we haven't surrendered our power. Sure in many cases, it may seem like the choice of "lesser of two evils", but you can sure as heck bet i'm still going to make sure i'm going to always cast my vote against the stronger of said evils. At the end of the day, elections aren't decided by the will of the population or even by money - they're determined by who does and who doesn't show up to the ballot box. Never lose sight of that.

We will have to agree to disagree. I've had this discussion many times with people and know all the arguments. I do vote for propositions. But I can't in good conscience justify voting for these people. Our system is broken and there is no stronger of said evils. At the end of the day, elections are indeed decided by who had the most money, period. And we will just keep going downhill until we make a change. How many times will we just keep bouncing back and forth from the same two corrupt parties until we realize it's not working?