Third commentator paid to promote Bush* policies 'USA Today' Who's next?

[spanone]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-27-hhs_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged Thursday that it paid a syndicated columnist at least $4,000 for work on behalf of Bush administration efforts to promote marriage.
The disclosure came a day after President Bush called for an end to paying commentators to promote his policies. Wade Horn, assistant secretary for Children and Families at the department, responded Thursday by issuing new rules banning the practice. FOLKS: THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG!!!!!!!!!!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS

And you KNOW this is just the beginning. Who do you want to see busted the most?

[spanone]

2. Bill O'reilly would be nice or Cal Thomas or, or , or , or.....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. Bowtie Boy Tucker...Novak....or ...or....?

[progressiveBadger]

4. Novak, definitely n/t

[jdj]

13. Yes, I'd love to know how much he got paid to out Plame. n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

5. Not just individuals, we need to look at whole organizations.

Find the indirect payments as well as the direct. How many of these people have relatives that were given cushy jobs? How many news organizations are contracting or subcontracting for the government? And last but not least, Have any of these people been paying taxes on the money they've been getting?

[KharmaTrain]

6. They'll Never Catch A Big Fish

My bets are this regime has checks littered all over the place...if not the regime, the RNC or some other shelter group. There's Political Action Committees and "Education Funds" and think tanks and other shell operations that can easily funnel right wing cash to their media mouthpieces.

Armstrong was stupid for accepting the Education money so openly...he was asking to be outted and he was. I still suspect it was an inside GOOP job to use his as a diversion...a typical GOOP trick when they're caught in immoral or illegal activities. Gallagher claims her money was to "consult" not to write...then called herself an "opinion journalist"...the best oxymoron I've heard used in a long, long time.

The big names care more about their names and reputations...but that doesn't mean they don't have their price...just they accept their payments in the back alleys. Look at the game Gingrich played with Murdoch back in '96 and you'll get a better picture how this system works. It keeps goons like Roger Stone and others busy. I'm almost convinced this network deliberately set up the Rathergate scandal since they were too prepared to "counter" once the report came out.

The big game in the beltway is to be the most visible pundit. This mean getting your mug on the tube...or, even better, hosting your own cable show. To get this coveted prize, we're seeing "journalists" selling themselves right and left for their own vanity and power.

If there was ever a time for a modern-day deep throat to step up, this would be the case. Unless you find someone inside the GOOP who will spill the real truth (which is not likely at this time) we'll just have to play guessing games as to who is on the take and who isn't...and watch the drip, drip as this regime throws their friends over the side in hopes to divert this story.

[spanone]

8. I'll bet that 'local pundits' are on the take across the country.

We here in Nashville, have a local pundit who writes two columns weekly that are nearly verbatim the right-wing message. These type of journalists may actually have more influence since they are local and people relate to them more. But hey, it's only money and Americans' freedoms that are at stake.

[Ganja Ninja]

12. Clear Channel = Government Subcontractor

They have to be getting paid or at least the corporate bosses at Clear Channel are.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Unfortunately That's Business As Usual

In the 80's I worked in a town that was 99.9% Repugnican...and one that was almost like a social society. If you wanted to "hang with the big boys"...the Rotary, Jaycees, the good seats at the local church...you had to be a party member, period. These people ran the local newspaper and radio station as well as tightly controlled who would be slated for political and patronage jobs. It was almost Stalinist on how this thing operated.

When I hosted talk radio shows, I always was careful not to crease the power structure too much...never taking sides on local disputes and limiting my own comments to state and national issues.

We have a Repugnican hack here in Chicago...Tom Roeser, who also is like your man in Nashville. He writes a weekly column in the Sun-Times and hosts shows on WLS. He claims to be a journalist, but also brags he is the President of the local Repugnicans club. No one cares as he's a gnat in an area that is so overwhelmingly Democratic...but I can see how your guy can be a real danger.

[Walt Starr]

10. Teh media won't because they are complicit in the scandal, the blogosphere

COULD catch the big fish involved with FOIA requests for all consulting contracts, advertising contracts, etc. for all departments.

The Big Fish were hired by the pentagon in the leadup to war. Count on it. It's all there in teh consulting agreements, it just needs to be requested via FOIA and combed through.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Bingo!!

One day we'll maybe learn about the propaganda run-up to this war and how many in the media were bought. It wasn't always for cash...some gladly took access or other administration perks (exclusive interviews) in exchange. It's all part of the same parcel. Plus the intertwined interests of coprations like General Electric (who has and is still making billions off this invasion), Time/Warner (who wants more broadcast deregulation) and Faux who has cleaned up with ratings and advertising. All ships rose, and my bets are if you dug, you'd find our tax money involved in this cesspool.

I've asked where is a David Brock or others in doing what the GOOP hacks would have done if this were a Democrat scandal...walk into a court and slap a civil suit on either a suspected journalist or news organization. Once you get the suit, then not only can you use FOIA, but also compell witnesses. If the DC district court isn't going to pick up on this, one of our should.

I'll be glad to donate to any legal fund that has the stones to take on this task.

[jdj]

7. How does one "promote marriage"? Polygamy?

Does anyone know what percentage of people can write a decent column? 50%? 30%? So assuming there are millions of people out there with a reasonable grasp grammar and syntax, that means they just pick one and pay them to pose as a "writer" get them a job on a paper through their op mock connections, and throw money at them.

Damn, at least Jayson Blair had an excuse (crack).

He's a hell of alot more honorable than those people.

I guess that will be the motto of why people are goint to the internet for the best writing and reporting: "Jayson Blair was on crack. What's your excuse, Mr. Psuedo-Journalist?"

[MadHound]

9. While I hope that this all goes in a direction that will actually do good

I tend to doubt it. A few small fish will be outed, but the full breadth and scope of how our mass media is infiltrated with paid propagandists will not surface, and with a few months the issue will die away, and the sheeple will go back to sleep.

I know this will happen because thirty years ago, when the CIA admitted in House testimony of their extensive use of paid propagandists throughout the MSM, not a damn thing was done to clean them out or get to the bottom of this travesty.

If I were betting on this, I would say that every major media outlet, and a great number of minor ones also, have at least one paid operative, and in many cases, multiple operatives. Our fourth estate has been a joke for a long while, it is just that it is becoming ever more obvious now.

[nashville_brook]

11. paid by Bush to spread anti-gay hate speech

promote marriage my ass

[dandrhesse]

14. even better question, who is being paid to report nothing?