Anyone hear the VERY interesting spin on Imus (MSNBC) this morning?

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MOST encouraging. Along with the Leno jokes, and the bush-bashing on the McLaughlin Group, there was this:

A guy from Newsweek - Evan Thomas (I think?) was on the phone with Imus. Talking about the Reagan post mortems, especially at the National Cathedral last Friday. AMAZING observations!

I'm paraphrasing:

The proceedings didn't reflect well on bush. That while the handlers were hoping otherwise, it really didn't work out that well for junior, and didn't make him look so good. Said bush's dad looked better, in the eulogy department, anyway. Talked about how the elder bush wrote his own speech, delivered it in a rather human, warm, real way, got choked up, very sincere. He said the younger bush "looked small" by comparison. SMALL! Said obviously junior's speech was written for him, no sense of humanity or true feelings in it, and that while daddy's speech had emotion and a sense of genuineness in it, and he added - YES, people DID laugh (I suspect, to refute the freeper claims that Bill and Hillary Clinton were making light of the service and laughing in the midst of it - HEY! EVERYBODY WAS when old bush made a couple of jokes about Reagan), you got the impression that junior was too busy trying to make sure his diction and his elocution were right.

I loved it! SMALL! Made him look SMALL in comparison to his dad!!! I sat there stunned. Then I turned to my husband and noted how this was said BY a guy from Newsweek, ON the Don Imus radio show, that was being simulcast ON MSNBC. Boom-boom-boom - three different audiences this played to. And if this guy is saying it (and Imus said NOTHING to refute this guy or try to argue with him about it) then you can bet other people are thinking it, and some others will go so far as to say or write it openly.

YES!!!!!!!!!!

The tide IS turning. Believe it. In the media, also.

Yesterday, too, I was visiting a friend, and all they could talk about at my friend's house was the cover of the Sunday L.A. Times - where a big headline on Page ONE above the fold was "Retired Officials Say Bush Must Go." (Subtitle: "The 26 ex-diplomats and military leaders say his foreign policy has harmed national security. Several served under Republicans." )

Thought you'd like to know! CHEERS!

BUT KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Now is NOT the time to become complacent!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beware the Beast Man]

1. Imus has been ragging on * for some time now-

No doubt jumping on the bandwagon after his former co-worker, Stern, started in on Bushco.

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2. I usually find Imus annoying. But I woke up too early this morning and

couldn't get back to sleep, so we turned on the TV and there he was. As was this guest of his, on his phone line. Just SO pleased to see more of the media starting to pick up on The Truth. For a change. A REFRESHING change.

[Sandpiper]

3. I don't like Poppy Bush's politics, but he isn't dumb

I loved it! SMALL! Made him look SMALL in comparison to his dad!!!

I thought Bush 41 was a pretty lousy president, but never thought he was a moron like Dubya. Poppy has more brains in his little finger than Shrub.

[lovedems]

4. Another great story was one on NOW with Bill Moyers Friday night.

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/curley.html

Tom Curley wants a media adovcacy group becasue he is really concerned about the government secrecy. He is trying to get as many media outlets involved as he possibly can. He firmly believes if this secrecy holds up, we will see an end to democracy.

While many here on DU know this, hopefully mainstream America will begin to realize this as well.

Edit: More good news! Hopefully he can wake the sleeping giant called the media!

[Fenris]

5. I've liked Imus ever since he insulted Babs and W last year.

Around the time Dubya made his "you've got a face for radio" joke about a reporter, Imus called him an idiot (in not so polite terms) and said something along the lines of "You've got a face for radio...oh, yeah, well your mother didn't mind it when I was bonin' her last night!"

:D

[BootinUp]

6. Of course the defense for dubya

Is that average Murkins like him cause he is "average".

[BillZBubb]

10. "average" is a euphemism for dumb.

Shrub isn't even average if you grade on the curve.

[checks-n-balances]

12. Sure, they'll say ANYTHING to spin a reason for liking him

no matter how stupid or lame or unreasonable. One thing they're good at is covering things with BS & then spreading it out with a vengeance! Of course, they depend on that part of the population to eat up whatever crap they dish out, too.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Infinity Vs. Clear Channel Vs. FCC = Imus Hates Bunnypants

The timing of Imus turning on RoveCo. corresponded to Stern's problems and the Janet Jackson fiasco. It all has the common thread of Infinity...whom they all work for. Also, Imus is very loyal to Mel Karmazin, the former Infinity CEO who strongly defended Stern and just recently was sacked from his position with Viacom...not a good thing.

There's a sub-battle going on for the dollars and ears of radio listeners with some lines being drawn. On one side is Infinity with Imus, Stern and a slew of talk/comedy and sports stations around the country that have begun spinning against the Bush regime against Clear Channel...their larger competitor, who are butt buddies with the BFEE (Tom Hicks & Lowery Mayes). A second Bunnypants term could mean Clear Channel getting the go-ahead to take control of XM satellite radio that would freeze Infinity out of that new, growing frontier...and all the power and money that goes with it.

As always there's a story within a story.

Newsweek, of all magazines, has been the most even-handed in its reporting and anaylsis of this regime. Thomas, in specific, has no love for the Rove machine that tried to slime him by bringing up his family's connections to Social Norman Thomas. It's more Kharma, folks...get used to it, I see a lot of payback on the way.

Cheers!

[TheFarseer]

8. I also hate Clear Channel

because every radio station they own plays the same boring sh*t. I almost have to listen to talk radio or I'll go crazy listening to Nickelback or some hip-hop garbage all raggle fraggin day.

[DaveSZ]

9. Clear Channel needs to be broken up

I have some hope.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. I posted this early about Fineman's praise of Ron Reagan later on Imus:

Howard Fineman appeared on Imus this morning, and when Imus asked about Ron Reagan's eulogy, Fineman said that he had worked closely with Ron for MSNBC and knew him well. He went on to describe a great guy -- nice, unpretentious, charming, and possessing some of his father's gifts (strong views and the ability to articulate them in a way that doesn't put off people who disagree). He said Ron is quite open about his negative view of Bush. He said he would not be surprised if Ron is approached to run for office in Washington state, where he lives, presumably as a Democrat.

And, re. DU discussions about whether the press would ever stop calling W a "popular President" (sic), Fineman said: "Bush is so unpopular these days"...or words to that effect. He said the Bushies' try to tie W to Reagan the first couple of days last week had failed. He said that Democrats' praise of Reagan had aided in highlighting the contrast between the personas of Bush and Reagan. He said that he doubted the Bushies would seek political help from Nancy -- they are after badly-needed Catholic votes, and for that reason are not going to change their stem-cell policy.

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13. They're after "badly-needed Catholic votes," are they?

HAH! Almost all the Catholics I know in our parish are voting for Kerry. Besides, if he's after the Catholic vote, he better turn time back and "un-go" to war in Iraq. The Pope himself condemned the war before it started, and that's what bush got his ass chewed for, when he visited the Pope in the Vatican a short while ago. Catholics are going to remember THAT far more than they'll remember bush's stand on pro/anti-choice issues. If you're against killing, you have to be against killing people AFTER they're no longer in the embryo stage. Like when they're in your armed forces and you're about to squander their lives on a war you had to lie to justify.

It's startling to see even Howard "suck-ass" Fineman actually uttering the phrase "bush is so unpopular these days." Fineman said that? AMAZING! Next thing you know, we'll be hearing that from Howard Kurtz. The tide REALLY HAS turned, folks. I'm glad to see more people picking up on the EXTREME differences between bush and Reagan. Thanks for posting this! Does get my hopes up!

[DeepModem Mom]

14. Fineman did say that -- and not a word about W's silver belt buckle...

about which I believe he has rhapsodized in the past.