Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Franken's book bravely presents the truth (DOUBLE-MEGA-BARF ALERT!!)
St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 9/21/03 | Deborah Locke

Posted on 09/21/2003 10:00:19 AM PDT by Lucretia Borgia

Franken's book bravely presents the truth

by Deborah Locke, Editorial Writer, St. Paul Pioneer Press

At least two sections of Al Franken's book ought to grab the attention of people from Minnesota. In "Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them -- A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right," Franken recounts the Paul Wellstone memorial. The chapter is a good example of the way right-wing pundits aided by their media outlets will distort the facts to the American people. A more chilling theme throughout the book is the way mainstream media organizations buy into the lies and report them as fact. In short, while Democrats grieved in October, Republicans handled. You know the outcome.

The other section -- and I call them sections because the book is strangely organized -- contains Franken's shrewd analysis of the Clinton administration's anti-terror program and the Bush administration's indifference to it once Bush took office. Franken does what no journalist or political analyst that I'm aware of has done -- connected the pieces into a troubling whole.

So far I may have given the impression that the book is a ponderous policy analysis. But come on. Most of you out there know Al Franken -- Minnesota-raised and a former Saturday Night Live writer and performer. Consequently the ample data in the book is balanced with biting, laugh-out-loud humor.

The book got its start when Franken became disenchanted with what he viewed as gross distortions from right-wing pundits whose comments fed right-wing news outlets, like the Fox network and the Washington Times. He began to see patterns of sheer nonsense reported as fact, such as stories that Al Gore "invented" the Internet.

Meanwhile, an intimidated and terrified mainstream press bought and still buys into the lies. For example, newspapers and broadcasters throughout the country merrily swallowed press secretary Ari Fleischer's reports of "vandalism" by departing Clinton White House staffers. (Guess what. It never happened.)

The lies take on a life of their own to a point where a largely innocent and moving event, like the Sen. Wellstone memorial, become tinged with disrepute. The Wellstone chapter describes "a story of pure cynicism in the pursuit of power," Franken wrote. "It is the story of how the lying liars took the death of my friends and invented a myth that changed the 2002 elections."

Franken, who knew Wellstone well, attended the memorial organized by the family members of those who died. He repeats parts of the three hours of moving tributes, including those of Mark Wellstone and David McLaughlin. Franken described Rick Kahn's eulogy for Wellstone as "dead-on" at the start. However, Kahn's emotional plea to Republicans to support Walter Mondale was "bizarre," wrote Franken.

Republicans pounced. Former Republican Congressman Vin Weber told the Star Tribune that the "memorial" was instead a "political event," and an "absolute sham." Republican policy analyst Sarah Janacek told reporters that the audience was prompted by screen messages on when to laugh and clap. (The screens provided closed captioning for the hearing impaired.)

The next day 20 million listeners heard Rush Limbaugh describe the memorial as a "sham" and "disgusting," with a "planted audience." On CNN's Crossfire, Tucker Carlson called the memorial "nauseating" and "hijacked by partisan zealots," even though he didn't watch it. Christopher Caldwell with the Weekly Standard called the memorial "twisted, pagan, childish, inhumane and even totalitarian."

Pagan? Totalitarian?

Franken wrote, "Once the right wing had created its myth about what had happened, it became a lot easier to report the distortion than to report the truth." He concluded that the right, not the left, tried to cheapen Wellstone's life by dishonoring his death.

"The right-wing media ... seized on an opportunity to use tragedy for political gain. It was Rush, and the Republican Party, and the Weekly Standard, and the Wall Street Journal, and Fox -- then it was CNN and MSNBC and all the newspapers that wrote hundreds of articles -- that got it wrong."

Through a great deal of investigative reporting by Franken's research assistants, "Lying Liars" gets it right. Yes, the "Operation Chickenhawk" chapter read like a bad SNL skit and I skipped the "Supply Side Jesus" comic. However, the book is like the Wellstone memorial in one sense. A small portion is bizarre, but doesn't reflect the whole. Franken does what many in my profession haven't done -- present the truth and expose the lying liars.

Contact Locke at dlocke@pioneerpress.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: barf; barfalert; bizarroworld; bookreview; delusional; deniaaintariver; denydenydeny; dnctalkingpoints; doofus; franken; hurl; idiot; kneepadbrigade; koolaiddrinkers; liberal; lies; lyingliar; mediabias; moron; newspeak; partisanwonk; propaganda; puke; shill; spew; technicoloryawn; unfunnyman; usefulidiot; wellstone; wellstonefuneral; wellstonememorial
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last
I darn near lost my breakfast reading this one.
1 posted on 09/21/2003 10:00:19 AM PDT by Lucretia Borgia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
If Locke believes Franken as a news source, she's probably mentally ill.
2 posted on 09/21/2003 10:04:21 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
How could you even read this? I passed. For All: Here in Minnesota we have no balance in the media, This is what we deal with day in day out. If we did not control the Gov and House it would look like California.
3 posted on 09/21/2003 10:05:32 AM PDT by Brimack34 (Liberals are dummer then they look!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
I wonder if there is any reference to the dubbed cheers at the NYFD - NYPD(?) rally where Hillary was actually boooed and MTV presented it with only cheers.
4 posted on 09/21/2003 10:09:46 AM PDT by Bringbackthedraft (CLARK/HILLARY 04 = JUAN/EVITA 04)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brimack34
Opposition research. It's always good to know what the enemy is "thinking".
5 posted on 09/21/2003 10:09:56 AM PDT by Lucretia Borgia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Blatent lies by Franken. He ignores all of what actually happens. Then presents a minority of what happoened then uses the minority occurences to try and discredit reporting of the majority of the event. Not unlike what the left does when it shills for violent rallies and activism.
6 posted on 09/21/2003 10:09:58 AM PDT by Bogey78O (The Clinton's have pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured/killed -Peach)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief
If Locke believes Franken as a news source, she's probably mentally ill.

As an editorialist for a liberal newspaper, isn't that part of the job description?

7 posted on 09/21/2003 10:13:29 AM PDT by Spiritus Gladius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
The problem, Ms. Locke, is that the Democrats made the mistake of televising the Wellstone memorial as a cynical propoganda device that backfired. The nation watched your beloved Democrats defile the casket with blatant anti-Bush campaigning.

We know what we saw, and the left cannot take back that day.

They cannot take back Elian's capture, Waco, Impeachment, the stained dress, complicity in treason and a hundred other embarrassments. Sorry.

Consequences. They're a bitch.
8 posted on 09/21/2003 10:15:11 AM PDT by moodyskeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
This is getting irritating.

I wonder if Jim R. can start a new category called "NEWSPEAK"?

We can visit it randomly when in need of comic relief.

9 posted on 09/21/2003 10:15:32 AM PDT by Publius6961 (californians are as dumb as a sack of rocks.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Only in the author's mind does this present the truth.
10 posted on 09/21/2003 10:17:54 AM PDT by freekitty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Hey Al, I didn't form my impression of the Welstone memorial based on what I saw on "right-wing media."

I happened to watch 10 minutes of the Wellstone memorial live, and was appalled. I saw a mob cheering a speaker screaming (approximately, I'm doing this from memory): "We're going to win! We're going to win!... we're going to take back the house, we're going to take back the senate... in 2004 we're going to take back the white house!" The crowd went wild.

It didn't take any right wing cabal in the press to spin this and distort it to create some powerful election-winning myth. The "memorial" was purely and simply a naked, partisan political rally masquerading as a memorial.

I wonder how Franken explains independent governor Ventura walking out in disgust.

11 posted on 09/21/2003 10:18:31 AM PDT by ChuxsterS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
In short, while Democrats grieved in October...,

Depends on your definition of "grieve".

12 posted on 09/21/2003 10:22:01 AM PDT by martin_fierro (Great Googlymoogly!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Democrats mourning Paul Wellstone:


13 posted on 09/21/2003 10:24:51 AM PDT by brbethke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: martin_fierro
Dang. You beat me to it.
14 posted on 09/21/2003 10:25:52 AM PDT by brbethke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Hmmm... someone needs to write a book called "Al is propagandist: A Fair and Balanced look at the lying liar and the lies he tells"
15 posted on 09/21/2003 10:35:21 AM PDT by Chad Fairbanks ("People never grow up, they just learn how to act in public." - Bryan White)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Locke is proof that Pravda has reporters and editors embedded with US newspapers.
16 posted on 09/21/2003 10:36:44 AM PDT by Drango (McClintock is my first choice, but given the numbers I'm voting for Arnold.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief
If she believes Franken is a NEWS source, maybe she was in the home-ec or nude basket weaving classrooms when the difference was being taught.
17 posted on 09/21/2003 10:40:15 AM PDT by Wondervixen (Ask for her by name--Accept no substitutes!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Dear Ms. Locke:
 
You wrote:
1. The next day 20 million listeners heard Rush Limbaugh describe the memorial as a "sham" and "disgusting," with a "planted audience."
 
Actually, Limbaugh played numerous lengthy (3 to 5 minute) clips from the "memorial" and it was easy for listeners to decide for the themselves that the whole thing was a sham. And, if it was all really a right-wing plot to discredit the "memorial," then why does this Associated Press article say that "Mr. Wellstone's campaign manager, Jeff Blodgett, apologized for the event the next morning?" Note that he apologized before Limbaugh's show or any other conservative radio or TV show.
 
Further, why does the article describe members of Wellstone's team realizing that it was a public relations disaster immediately after the event? Do you think that Limbaugh and Fox News called them and told them of their secret plans to undermine the lovely memorial?
 
And why did Governor Jesse Ventura walking out of the "memorial?" He isn't exactly a mind-numbed robot of the religious right, you know.
 
Looks like your research here was about as good as Mr. Franken's -- non-existent. Get a copy of the "memorial" and watch it.
 
Don't you just hate the internet -- informed citizens can give instant feedback with citations to lazy, biased reporters. Should we expect a retraction of your column?
 
Best regards,
 
-Michael McCullough
 Dallas, Texas

18 posted on 09/21/2003 10:44:16 AM PDT by DallasMike
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lucretia Borgia
Let's refute the lies in this book so that we can answer the left's claims.

Start with the vandalism to the Whitehouse. We all know it happened, but can we prove it?
19 posted on 09/21/2003 10:50:54 AM PDT by Eva
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DallasMike
Should we expect a retraction of your column?

Now we don't expect anything like integrity from these reporters, do we?


20 posted on 09/21/2003 10:54:58 AM PDT by rdb3 (Which is more powerful: The story or the warrior?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson