Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleLetter to the editor:
Media should refrain from cheerleading
Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.
The media campaigned hard for Al Gore in 2000 — he lost by a slim margin. Then the media campaigned harder for John Kerry in 2004 — he lost by a larger margin. Now the media are campaigning hardest for Barack Obama.
The American voters do not want a “cheerleading” media promoting a particular candidate for the presidency.
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- Photos: Scott Disick celebrates his 29th birthday at 1 OAK in the Mirage
- HOA scandal cuts wide swath across Las Vegas Valley
- Man suffers bullet wound when stopping burglary attempt
- Photos: Surrender’s 2nd anniversary with Skrillex, ‘Le Reve,’ Paris and Floyd
- Nearly 40,000 have voted early in Clark County
Everything Under the Sun
Blogs
The Kats Report
With Shenandoah project stalled, Wayne Newton hits back legally (7 Comments)
Las Vegas Philharmonic says search for new music director to begin 'immediately' (1 Comment)
Where does a Playmate play when she turns 21? Vegas! (3 Comments)
Ice Ice Billy
The road to six-toed cats and Mayor Bubba
The Kats Report
David Itkin tells L.V. Philharmonic officials he's on his way out (14 Comments)
Diamond Dave sells it well as Van Halen pours out the power at MGM Grand (2 Comments)
Entering debut at Tryst, Nick Hissom is a model for a rapid rise to prominence (3 Comments)
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
"The media campaigned hard for Al Gore in 2000 ..."
Really? Was it when they screeched about "earthtones"? Was it when they reported EVERY SINGLE BLASTFAX sent to them by the then-RNC chairman as "fact" ... repeatedly? Was it the Love Canal story? The Love Story story? The "I invented the Internet" story? Was it when they INSISTED that the silver-spoon-up-his-nose dry drunk fake cowboy actually WON any of the three debates DESPITE being coaxed with an earpiece??
Or was it all the passes the media gave to the aforementioned fake cowboy on actual issues? Was it when they decided Dubya was just "a regular guy you want to have a beer with"? Or was it when they decided it was OK NOT to question him on a missing year and a half of military service? Or the fact that he had no driving record prior to the age of 40?
Seriously, Arthur; when exactly did they campaign "hard for Al Gore"??
And John Kerry .... was it the CONSTANT parrotting of the "swift boat" lies with nary a correction to be found? Is that what you consider to be "cheerleading" for the Democratic candidate?
What "media" do you peruse, Arthur? The last time I saw anything even remotely resembling an actual fair and balanced media was Watergate.
And oh how I long for the days when there really WAS a watchdog media because undergod knows it's all about the almighty dollar and not about the fourth estate's OBLIGATION to keep the public informed.
"And John Kerry .... was it the CONSTANT parrotting of the "swift boat" lies with nary a correction to be found? Is that what you consider to be "cheerleading" for the Democratic candidate?"
"Swiftboating": The unraveling of the layers of lies LIBERAL politicians MUST wrap themselves in to make themselves palatable to the electorate - in combination with a vicious ongoing assault by the LIBERAL media (false papers: See Dan Rather) to smear TRUTH and lie for the LIBERAL.
John Kerry represented a political cyanide pill for which there wasn't enough "candy coating"(mq) to make him digestible.
Barry Obama has >600 million in non-public financing to buy a coating, possibly to infect America with his special brand of cyanide.
Way too late for the media to stop. They have bet their futures on the win by Obama. Why?
The left-wing media is imbued with a radical agenda for American society as exemplified by the proffered plans of THEIR candidate Barack Obama.
Sarah gets slammed by the LLMM.
Biden's warnings of a "major international crisis" and NO confidence Barry is up to it are laughed off as "Biden being Biden".
Check!
PatriciaLV - I suppose you missed CBS's Dan Rather losing his job over his maliciously false story about George W. Bush and his National Guard service. Also, the producer of the "hit piece" was fired in the process. I suppose you missed Chris Matthews of notoriously-biased MSNBC claiming he "got a tingle up his leg" whenever he listened to Barack Obama. Or, most outrageously, the New York Times publishing a FRONT PAGE photo of Sarah Palin and a related "story" about her $150K wardrobe. Incidentally, during "Watergate", our nation did not have a "fair and balanced" media, but simply a media that presented facts that they savored in exposing the hated Richard M. Nixon. Of course during those days, there were only three TV networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) and no cable or internet.
Matthews and the mutt, Olbermann = were fired by the rad-lib cable channel PMSNBC for their biased, unfair and rabidly in-the-tank-for-liberals coverage of the Conventions.
And, for getting some of the lowest ratings PMSNBC has ever received for political coverage.
The media hated Nixon because was to be blamed for the Vietnam War - which the democrat STARTED, blew up out of fealty to the "military-Industrial Complex", sent 12X American kids (than Iraq in HALF the timeframes) to die for THE ORIGINAL political war, as the hippie (Ayers was one) undermined at home - the liberal Cronkite LIED about America was actually winning that war and the original pattern of the Democrat becoming the best-friend of America's enemies was established.
America won the battles - liberal Democrats lost the war.
Nixon HAD to be blamed to cover for the corrosive anti-American actions of Democrats, liberals and their foot-soldiers, smelly hippies.
I got a "shiver up my leg" while typing that, hmmmmm...
"They have bet their futures on the win by Obama. Why?"
Gee...hard to say....
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/...
Can you say "landslide"? I knew that you could.
This is where your hateful rhetoric is getting you. Nowhere fast! MOST people are sick and tired of it. Pick a new line, your losing big time.
Maybe you should have McCain's brother call 911 and ask "what the ---- is happening with the polls???"
NVMakz - Excellent point - The media despised Richard M. Nixon back to the period he served as Ike's VP. The left-wing media's mistreatment of VP Nixon can be compared to their present, insane and illogical disparagements of Sarah Palin (her wardrobe - REALLY?). But, the good news - Fox News devastated both CNN and MSNBC in ALL demographics and the New York Times stock has diminished by 54% in the last year.
Thanks, 1950. Good work on your end as well.
Correction (from my 8:31 post):
"shiver up my leg" lib-media caricature, Matthews and the polit-rabies-infected mutt, Olbermann - were simply "removed" by PMSNBC for their in-the-tank cheerleading for liberals.
Obviously, to keep the "in-the-tank" ratings of PMSNBC LOW (FOX Rocks, tell a friend), they were not fired, lol.
Of course, the next week, they were back on political commentary - doing the same type of thing they were removed for.
I heard, unverified for now, that the investment-ratings of the New York times (idk, is that Bonds or something else) were soon to be re-classified into "junk (bond?) status". I had heard that last night, but gotta go for now. Dammm, a fine morning.....
Oh, cry me a river.
So this is the latest excuse, huh? It's the media's fault! The evil liberal media!
Then you go on to talk about how great the ratings are a Fox News? You don't see the HUGE contradiction there?
LOL, nope! Anything to ignore the obvious! Anything to continue PLAYING THE VICTIM!!!!!!
The radical right want to point out times that left-leaning members of the media have gone out of bounds, but they conveniently leave out FOX News commentators talking about "terrorist fist jabs" or having people like Liz Trotta on their channel, who laugh about Obama's assassination.
Stop whining about being a victim of the media (or, at least of the media that no one watches, according to you!) and take responsibility for fielding a candidate who represents 4 more years of Bush, and who picked the least qualified Vice Presidential pick in modern history.
Republicans love to say how they are about personal responsibility? Please, it's been 24 hours of victimapalooza and crying since Obama's taken the lead in the polls.
"Oh, cry me a river.
So this is the latest excuse, huh? It's the media's fault! The evil liberal media!
Then you go on to talk about how great the ratings are a Fox News? You don't see the HUGE contradiction there?
xxx
Nope! The in-the-tank lying liberal major media is a FACT in today's society. Republicans are still within the margin of error - even with a 600+ MM Obama war-chest vs. a +/- 90 million for McCain = AND = the LLMM in-the-tank.
America IS a "center-right" nation at the heart of it. That's VERY indicative in the rabid, spinning and embarrassingly small arguments you and others of your same infection rattle-about with.
Being deep in-denial doesn't help your non-arguments. Loosen up your lead-helmet! GLUB, GLUB, GLUB; so post-eth "99"
The rest of the post is vapors; superfluous and impotent - as you screed on in flailing powerlessness to make an argument; ANY bandwidth waste will do for you.
Ksand99 - FYI, there is a distinct difference between commentators and newsmen. The legitimate criticisms of the liberal media are done by FNC's commentators (Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and several others). But, FNC's newsmen/newswomen (Shepard Smith, Martha MacCallum, Bill Hemmer. etc.) do not make personal evaluations of political candidates. However, NBC News has MERGED commentary (Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, et al) with hard news (Andrea Mitchell, Brian Williams, et al). The result has left the few remaining viewers of the network not knowing fact from NBC's fiction (e.g. Sarah Palin). Incidentally, the real "cry-babies" are the LIBERALS who can't accept the popularity of conservative talk-radio and want to censor their airwaves by reimposing the misnamed Fairness Doctrine. I suppose the fact LIBERALS dominate the media (NBC, MSNBC, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, ad infinitum) is not sufficient for the fascist, left-wing, ideologues.
Well done, 1950.
The LLMM has been in effect since the times of Edward R. Murrow, than REALLY ramped up during Cronkite // Huntley/Brinkley.
If one wants to "See B.S.", watch CBS!
I do not think, sitting here today, that the "Fairness Doctrine" can pass Constitutional muster today.
Too anti-free-speech, anti-free-market-of-ideas and illegally forces flogged entities like liberal talk-radio a place proven unsupported by "The People". Kind of like the Las Vegas Sun being selected out long before 1989 - but here because of some "Joint Operating Agreement".
Can the RJ END this "agreement"?? The Sun and "City-Life" could merge and become supported by massage parlors, hookers and freaky singles advertising (Liberal looking for Donkey"??).
One has only to read the latest responses to Jack Cafferty's posts on CNN.com to see just how much damage has been done to the public's perception of "news journalism". When people are writing that they are happy to have Jack back because Wolf was not a fair reporter it is plain to see that those people have completely lost the ability to distinguish fact from opinion.
Whine Count:
1. Dan Rather
2. left-wing media
3. LLMM
4. Dan Rather
5. Chris Matthews
6. notoriously-biased MSNBC
7. NYT
8. Watergate
9. Olbermann
10. NVMakz's lie that MSNBC fired Matthews/Olbermann
11. in-the-tank-for-liberals
12. media hated Nixon
13. liberal Cronkite
14. media despised Nixon
15. left-wing media's mistreatment of Nixon
16. their present, insane and illogical disparagements of Sarah Palin (her wardrobe - REALLY?)
17. NYT stock
18. NVMakz retracts lie made just 20 minutes before
19. in-the-tank MSNBC
20. NYT investment ratings
21. in-the-tank lying liberal major media
22. the LLMM in-the-tank.
23. legitimate criticisms of the liberal media
24. NBC's fiction
25. the fact LIBERALS dominate the media
26. LLMM
27. in effect since the times of Edward R. Murrow
28. than REALLY ramped up during Cronkite // Huntley/Brinkley
29. If one wants to "See B.S.", watch CBS!
30. anti-free-speech, anti-free-market-of-ideas
Playing the victim? Crybabies? My point demonstrated on this page by News1950 and NVMakz.
I can not believe how deep-in-your-head I am.
What's that stench? Smells like Obama's media travel-along arrangements, lol!
Thank you for 1st-person confirmation.
What a day!
Oops, gotta take a meeting to continue raping and pillaging society for my "daily bread", lol. Be back in a while!
Thought so! When faced with your own words, proof of the sniveling and red-eyed WWAAAAAAAAAHHHH of the radical right, you have no response.
"Deep-in-your-head?" LOL! Trivially amusing! If anything, you're like Dane Cook. Too bad you don't realize we're laughing AT you, not WITH you!
But it is fun to watch you run to-and-fro, like a roach trying to escape my looming sneaker.
Looks like you're all cried out!
Thanks for confirming my point for me!
Hey NVMakz - The Fairness Doctrine does not have to pass Consitutional muster if Congress is controlled by the Democrats (Reid and Pelosi) and the presidency by Barack Obama. By the time the appeals case reaches the Supreme Court, Barack Obama will have packed that entity with extreme left-wing jurists (can you say, Ruth Bader Ginsburg?). Oh, and yeah, we're "complainers" - can you say Al Gore and his tearful 2000 fight to seize the presidency?
A legal challenge from someone who can afford (in time and money and support), say Rush Limbaugh and a syndication (maybe, not the right term?) of radio corporations and stations and their listeners and everyone who would chip in for it - I certainly would = would have to be heard.
It would be a hard fight.
Go court-shopping, like the liberals do? Go to the most conservative "circuit", again, maybe not the right word - and get in the Federal system.
The law could not take effect (in theory) until the challenges were adjudicated - which will overturn this anti-American fascistic attack on the free speech that liberals find NO financial or cultural support within - the day-to-day direct give and take of talk radio.
I'm not a lawyer - but if "Kelo" (localities seizing private property from one to give to another private entity without necessarily "just compensation") is being heard and approved = this fascist attack on the Constitution and free speech itself = would have a great chance.
IF your "packed court" theory comes to pass, rejecting this would THE greatest legal castrophe(sp) probably since "Jim Crow". On THEIR heads for all time.
The Supreme Court ideology at present - conservative (Rogers, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) and liberal (Suitor, Breyer, Stevens, Bader-Ginsburg) with Anthony Kennedy in the middle and usually, the "swing vote" - voted with the conservatives on the DC gun-ban issue, but with the liberals on Louisiana death penalty for rapists and rights for Guantanamo detainees. But, the impending retirement of liberal John Paul Stevens will leave at least one appointment for the next president.
I think you are right.
Hussein will not have that much effect on the Supreme Court unless one of the young ones get run over by a bus.
Hussein will wreck havoc on the lower courts which have about as much damage.
JFinance32 - True, but some of the older liberals on the Supreme Court, might resign/retire so that BHO could appoint another liberal to fill their vacancy instead of taking a chance on a Republican winning the 2012 election and then, appointing conservative jurists upon their retirement.
LOL @ the rabid little 'bots ... not one of whom actually refuted ANYTHING I wrote.
Several things do need to be corrected, however:
1. RatherGate (as you all fondly dubbed it) happened quite a bit AFTER the 2000 selection. Try to keep up. And Matthews about creamed himself when Dubya did his "masterful" (LMAO) Mission Accomplished landing. Matthews could NOT stop admiring the codpiece. Give me a break, 1950. I'm not surprised you'd see Nixon/Watergate that way. I'll bet you think Liddy & Co. are actual 'murican heroes, dontcha? LOL.
2. Fox "news" has "journalists"? LOL!
3. The Fairness Doctrine went bye-bye during the St. Ronnie of the Raygun administration under a Raygun-appointed (R) FCC chairperson. Do you want to know who the Court of Appeals justices were who stated that the FD didn't have to be applied by the FCC to "teletext" (which was the kind of sticking point claimed by the then-FCC chaircretin)? Why, none other than Fat Tony Scalia and Robert "I've Been" Bork(ed). And St. Ronnie vetoed the Democratic congress' attempt to retain the FD as it was.
4. The justice's name is SOUTER not Suitor.
PatriciaLV - Obviously, you've proven by your last post to be absolutely delusional. First, I did NOT call the Dan Rather "hit piece" on George W. Bush - "RatherGate." Secondly, I did NOT provide a date for the Dan Rather story as you state (2000).
If you consider HACKS like Katie Couric and Charles Gibson news anchors, but do not credit any NEWS anchors at FNC with credibility and fairness, then you are living on another planet. Or, can you not discern the distinct difference between NEWS and COMMENTARY as most liberals fail to do?
Incidentally, we're even on misspellings as you stated "2000 selection" and should have read "2000 ELECTION."
Kindly do not respond further to my posts if you intend to misquote and misinterpret my comments as grievously as CNN's Drew Griffin did with National Review's Byron York when the former conducted his inquisition of Sarah Palin.
"LIBERALS who can't accept the popularity of conservative talk-radio and want to censor their airwaves"
We accept that it's popular. Hatred is an easy sell. What's amazing to most of us "liberals" is that the listeners can't tell the difference between truthful information and entertainment.
These are people who have defended their right to lie and make things up. We struggle to accept that you trust them. Not because we want to censor them. But because we simply can't accept that you are that stupid.
"If you consider HACKS like Katie Couric and Charles Gibson news anchors, but do not credit any NEWS anchors at FNC with credibility and fairness, then you are living on another planet."
Man, the Neocons are REALLY angry Palin feebly demonstrated her fragile grasp of U.S. policy!
I mean, Couric asked her what kind of newspapers she reads. It doesn't get much more softball than that.
Oh wait, yes it does. I keep forgetting about the Hannity interview, where he led her through her responses while tossing her a Reeses Pieces every time she got something right.
Look, guys, sorry your "maverick" chose an unprepared empty skirt at his running mate. Trust me, I was shocked as well... with delight and glee every time Palin demonstrated how her grasp of foreign policy was both tenuous and shallow.
As much as I've gushed over Tina Fey's masterful caricature (you know, that word Palin couldn't pronounce) of Palin, it pales in comparison to Palin's own words. They're some form of verbal abstract art, how she just talks and talks and makes no point.
Great job choosing someone who makes Biden seem absolutely brusque, Johnny Mac!
So, yeah, the right's anger toward Couric and Gibson, and anyone else who's asked Palin a question is misdirected. You need to direct that anger toward Mrs. Neiman Marcus-Palin herself, who apparently spent more time shopping than reading foreign policy briefs.
Maybe if she spent more time preparing to be Vice President, we wouldn't have had to suffer through all that disgustingly cloying winking during the debate.
Or, (as much as it pains me to say it) in Joe Lieberman's words:
"Thank God she's not going to have to be president from day one."
Johnevegas - The hatred doesn't come any more vile than the diatribes on Air America and MSNBC. Maybe, that's the reason Air America filed for bankruptcy and the only reason that the station continues to be on any air is due to the funding of ultra-leftist BILLIONAIRE George Soros and his MoveOn.org. Then, MSNBC, with professional haters like Keith Olbermann is consistently at the BOTTOM of the ratings among ALL cable news stations.I guess the listening public "prefers" the so-called hatred of conservative talk-radio, but ignores the vile hosts on Air America and MSNBC. WISE-UP!
Do you want to talk about asking questions? An American, "Joe the Plumber" asks Barack Obama a simple question that resulted in a self-destructive response from the Illinois senator. Then, the next thing that happens, "Joe the Plumber" is under intense scrutiny and ridiculed by the mainstream media that had satellite news vans parked outside his house. Where was the "elite" media when legitimate questions were raised about Barack Obama's long-time associations with terorists, anti-America racists and convicted felons? The news vans were parked in the garage and the media gave Barack Obama a complete pass.
News1950, I'm curious, what exactly did you hear on either one of those sources that you would define as hate speech. I really want to know, just so I can understand where you are coming from.
Please, just give me a direct quote and your response to it. Not something some right wing shill said was hate, but something you yourself thought was hateful and why.
I would really appreciate it.
Johnevegas - Your request is fair enough and I will attempt to provide some examples. Several years ago, at the inception of Air America, I watched a video feed on a broadcast network from their radio program hosted by Stuart Smalley, AKA Al Franken and actress/political activist Janeane Garafalo. I could only watch/listen for a few minutes as only vicious, vituperative comments about George Bush and the Republicans came out of both of their mouths. Now for MSNBC, I happen to watch Chris Matthews and his "Hardball" program on MSNBC. I like CM but almost every segment of his program he disparages Republicans without having a guest voicing an opposite opinion. But, amazingly, this afternoon CM had conservative California Congressman Duncan Hunter as a guest. Say what you want about Fox News, but the #1 cable news network has more LIBERAL contributors (Bob Beckel, Howard Wolfson, Lani Davis, Ed Rendell, et al) than MSNBC or CNN have conservative pundits.
Now, Johnevegas, please provide me with a REASONABLE explanation, not something derived from the near-bankrupt New York Times or low-rated MSNBC, as to why many LIBERAL men are INTIMIDATED by Sarah Palin, a smart, sincere and successful woman?
1950: I never said that I was responding completely to you. I believe it was NV who brought up Rather. Sorry; I wasn't aware I had to label everything. I'll be sure to do that.
1950: Please point me to where I said that ANY current news anchor is a journalist. I've got a few minutes.
1950: "Selection" was not a misspelling.
1950: Point me to where I misquoted anything you said.
A little aside to thebs: I'm not sure I can pronounce "caricature" to be honest. Oh I could look it up but I never do LOL. I don't think I've ever gotten that one right. Just me, but I wouldn't hold that against anyone. "Nuclear", however, is pretty clearly spelled out as to how it's pronounced. Yet the so-called "leader" of the free world (and entirely too many others) INSIST on mispronouncing that as NUKE-YU-LAR. Shudder.
Oops ... my bad .... it WAS you, 1950, who brought up Rather. I was just reminiscing on the "tag title" it was given at the time.
The reason I noted the date of the Rather incident was because it happened well AFTER the campaign ....
You ARE aware that "the campaign" is the subject of the letter to which we are ostensibly responding, aren't you?
News1950 - you did not site any examples of hate speech. What did they say that was hateful? I'm looking for the actual words. No quotes of satire either, okay? I'm not trying to be a jerk and make it hard, but we're not going for skits here.
"...why many LIBERAL men are INTIMIDATED by Sarah Palin"
I wouldn't call it intimidated. I would call it horrified, and the reason would be, that she is clearly a not qualified to be where she is, and the thought of her as president is unconscionable.
On a personal level, I actually like her. She's no different, really, than any other politician that puts on a show to get elected. We could hang at a party.
Johnevegas - Sorry, but I can not help you any further as I do NOT memorize talking-points from left-wing media sources such as NBC, MSNBC and Air America. But, just as you can NOT quote specific instances of "hate" emanating from Fox News, yet have a sense that the FNC is a right-wing media outlet. If you can NOT recognize the obvious bias of the media, then nothing I can quote you on this page will alter your views.
I can quote thousands upon thousands. Here's some recent winners for ya...
Bill O'Reilly: "[T]his isn't ... the inner city; you would think that these kids would have some kind of a values system"
Because inner city kids have no values whatsoever? How is this not hate speech? Racist.
Bill O'Reilly: "I don't want to go on a [lynching] party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels"
Gee, what a convenient word. Because "witch hunt" just wouldn't quite cut it. And he never thought before he said the word "lynch" in relationship to a "black person" that anybody might notice the "accidental" racial inference? Give me a break!
Bill O'Reilly: "[B]ecause people of color are being slaughtered and harmed in Darfur, the left is on the bandwagon"
Because otherwise liberals would not care at all that people are being slaughtered in Darfur? Baseless hateful garbage.
My friend, this is the daily diatribe from Fox news. If you cannot see the hatred in these words, or feel the utter lack of humanity here, then you are as lost as these "entertainers".
I see this and think to myself, no wonder so much of the word hates us. If this is our society here on the Bill O'Reilly show, then we have good reason to be hated.
News1950 .... are you actually comparing Air America (limited broadcast radio) with a cable channel that gets broadcast worldwide?
How far will you reach to try to make some kind of point?
Why not compare/contrast hate radio? There are plenty of examples as the right wing hate machine is still in full swing. Right wing hate sells, though not nearly to the degree it did a few years ago.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.