Posted on 08/25/2006 5:58:12 PM PDT by Phsstpok
Abbreviated analysis this week. I'm trying to be good (honest) and not use my eyes much in the lead up to seeing my surgeon next weekend. My bet is 80-20 that the corneal transplant surgery (this will make number 4 in 26 years) is before the end of October. We'll soon see (no pun intended... at least intentionally).
Bottom line for this week, everything in the universe that is not perfect is the fault of George W. Bush. As if we didn't know that already.
The big theme this week is "all Katrina, all the time." The DBM pulls out the usual suspects, Kathleen (my office needs a remodel) Blanco, Ray (school bus) Nagin, Mike (good job brownie) Brown and Mary (I'm second generation corrupt) Landrieu for the "persecution" phase of this weeks shows and Donald Powell, Haley Barbour, David Paulison as the obvious human sacrifices. So far I haven't quite figured out what Oliver Thomas and Steve Case are in for, but I have a feeling it isn't good for either of them. Perhaps the saddest spectacle this week is the "it wasn't my fault" tour of Mike Brown. He will prostitute himself for the DBM in order to "hit back" at those that called him out for having screwed up big time in his job. He should have the grace to simply go away (you petty (failed) bureaucrat!)
In the Middle East there's a growing consensus (among the DBM) that Bush must have been at fault for everything since the fall of Sargon. Certainly the "defeat" of Israel at the hands of Hizbullah (they did too defeat the evil Joooos Israelis!!!!) must be Bush's fault (with associated blame falling on Condi).
On the plus side, I think everyone (except Joe Biden) has agreed that the "Wal-Mart as anti-Christ" campaign is silly. the fact that he's on Fox this week to spread this loony tunes notion should tell all of the Kos kids volumes. The "powers that be in the DBM" consider this a loser. But will they listen? Not a chance!
Anyway, IMHO, this week is a place holder full of that old time DBM religion (Bush bashing), going back over their greatest hits, particularly their "big success" of the last 6 years, "Katrina was all Bush's fault." And the "serious journalists" want you to ignore the 90% of the time coverage that they've given to the Jon Benet Ramsey nutcase. Guilty or not, he is not worthy of national coverage until he's convicted. End of discussion.
And someday, someone with the power to put it all together will get a "clip show" of the DBM's coverage of Katrina (particularly Shep Smith and Anderson Cooper) and show how badly they got it wrong. And every member of the DBM should die in shame when their utter failure to provide the minimum level of reportage is exposed.
The cliche that "the MSM is the first draft of history" has now become a punchline.
Quick review of the web sites for the shows. CNN has updated their format and, though they were the last of the Sunday shows to post, I want to commend them for adding the video podcast of previous shows. Slowly but surely we're "leaping" into the 21st century. I would like more pre-show background links from them, but their post show stuff is now among the best. CBS pre-show is still ridiculously naked, but they did get the basic info (VERY basic) posted in a timely fashion, and they were one of the earliest to adopt podcasting. And the fact that they offer it as a separate MP3 download that doesn't require a podcasting utility is a big plus. ABC is continuing a great run with very interesting ongoing content, but NBC has the best for my purposes with their great background links, etc. To date they have the best pre-show of the "first string" Sunday shows. Fox News Sunday is still struggling with their minimalist pre-show, but they're testing the waters with pod-casting and their partial transcripts are pretty good (should be full transcripts though). The Saturday shows are still sucking hind.... well, let's suffice to say that they're the poor little brothers in this web world. Bare bones, no background and little follow through. Oh, and they're usually "late," relative to the Sunday shows. They should be a day ahead, not hours behind. The second string is acting very... second string.
This is cross posted for discussion purposes at FreeRepublic. This post exists primarily as a heads up for who is on the weekend talks shows, what they've been invited on to push (based on their recent pronouncements) and the spin (meme) the DBM is likely trying to push based on that information. All of this is prep work for the weekly Sunday Morning Talk Show thread posted by Alas Babylon!. That thread provides a live commentary and analysis of the Sunday talking head shows, with rare insight and exceptional fact checking. we are the Jedi Council of FreeRepublic, at least in regards to these DBM gabfests. You wanna know what was said and what it meant, as well as where they messed up? Read that thread!
I will also post a link to Mark Kilmer's excellent preview over at RedState.COM when it is up. I'll post a link to this Sunday's live thread here when it is up.
There was a good column this week about the advocacy of the DBM, that has gone beyond bias into a 527 category. I forget who wrote it. I'll try to find it later, as it was very instructive.
Thanks, miaca. I hope you are able to find it. In the meantime, I found this bizarre statement in Steve Case's article in the Post-Intelligencer: "With all the missteps of the Bush administration, it shouldn't be hard for the Democrats to come up with a viable alternative for November's midterm election." Does Mr. Case think we are replacing the Bush Administration in the midterm elections? LOL. What a dumb statement.
Case might be a technology or marketing whiz, but he's not very good at observing reality.
Here is the article:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/08/taking_on_the_527_media.html
August 25, 2006
Taking on the '527 Media'
By Jed Babbin
Dear Mr. Mehlman:
---snip---
The second truth is that the media are more than just the Dems' think tank. In fact, some of the biggest media outlets are the source of thinly veiled attack ads aimed at your candidates just like the so-called "527 Groups," those huge soft-money peddlers supposedly independent of the candidates they support. Think of what George Soros could do if he had a global news network that could produce multi-million dollar attack ads every day, and then you'll know what some mainstream media outlets have become. Rightly or wrongly, given their history with CBS, ABC, NBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post and lately, AP, some conservatives classify them among the worst offenders.
The "527 Media" -- and that's what you should be calling them -- are essentially political activists. They are in the campaign business nearly as much as they are in the business of reporting the news these days. They will be tossing October surprises at Republicans all day every day from September 5, when Katie Couric takes over at CBS, until the election returns are certified.
Well, looks like I have no (zip, zero, nada, less than one, zed, none, etc.) TV watching to do tomorrow.
In that regard, this needs to be posted here.
COUNTERFEIT NEWS (David Frum):
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690333/posts
The CNN reunion angle also struck me and I was going to comment on it, but when I decided not to comment seperately about each show in my analysis post I just left that out.
I wonder if they'll comment on it? Probably not. It might make Eugene Robinson feel left out. I find it interesting that Novak, who is signed on with Fox now, is on the MTP roundtable. Fox isn't really utilizing him much.
Thank you! Great job!
Hope you can post that link again tomorrow Bahbah and thanks so much.
Posted at 12:48pm on Aug. 26, 2006
The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - Lineup
By Mark Kilmer
For Sunday, August 27, 2006
Meet the Press (NBC): Host Tim Russert is doing disasters this week. First, he revisits Katrina with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin then he talks to FEMA director David Paulison.
FOX News Sunday (FNS): Host Chris Wallace looks at "lessons from Katrina" with Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding coordinator Don Powell and New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas (D). Next, as logic dictates, he talks to Joe Biden. (Does Biden want to partition New Orleans?)
Face the Nation (CBS): Host Bob Schieffer talks Katrina with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (RNC) and Paulison.
This Week (ABC): Host George Stephanopoulos talks to Paulison's predecessor, Brownie; Mary "Oh the Humanity!" Landrieu; and Powell.
Late Edition (CNN): Host Wolf Blitzer chats Kartrina with Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco; Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; Dick Lugar and Carl Levin; and Powell.
-----Please Read More »
Read his analysis after the link. And he's included a link to this thread in that portion of his post. I do have to say that I'm especially taken with his comments about Aaron Brousard.
Here's a clue, Chris. Big government bureaucracies just DO NOT work, for anything at any level.
Bttt
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