The Media Blackout 0f Progressive Issues & Candidates

[WitchWay]

Here we are on a progressive board, as we are witnessing the Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus in the House being shut out by the media.

This is just a sample of one article about the debate from the mainstream media, which effectively makes Kucinich's views marginalized. (There are others - just do a google search and see how Kucinich is barely reported.)

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/29/elec04.prez.main/

[EstimatedProphet]

1. Kucinich IS being underreported

I told my mother yesterday that I was planning on voting for him Tuesday, and she said she'd never heard of him. She's been following this election closely too. She lives in San Antonio.

[boobooday]

2. It is very deliberate

The media is highly invested in seeing the election of a "status quo" candidate.

Any real progressive would smash them into a million pieces, which is the only thing that will save us from their fascism.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[revcarol]

3. Go to the msn. home page.

Disgusting.Picture of the two "electables",cosy as a bug in a rug, and you'd never know that anyone besides them talked at the debates from the article.

How do you change home pages?

[dweller]

4. which browser?

i suppose they are fairly similar, but in Netscape, go under edit, Preferences, and it's there to enter any site you wish, or as i do, leave blank. Save and exit.

good luck
dp

[zulchzulu]

5. So Kerry is not "progressive"?

Do you know the issues enough to say with some authority that Kerry is not progressive on the environment, healthcare, civil rights, education, etc.?

Kucinich may be underreported in the mainstream media due to the fact that he has barely been able to get more than 5% of the vote in most of the primaries.

He certainly gets plenty of press in alternative media and CSPAN.

[Kanary]

6. 30% is Not reportable???

It's the difference between DLC and Progressive.

Quite a difference.

Kanary

[DrFunkenstein]

7. According To Public Citizen, Sierra Club, LCV...

He sure looks it.

[Scott Lee]

12. You have got to be joking.

Yeah sure...a PNAC, AIAC candidate who enabled Bush more times than he opposed him, who voted for the Iraq war, for NCLB, for the Patriot Acts, now supports drilling all over the USA (including ANWR) and who missed a vote recently that would have extended unemployment benefits is a....

..progressive.

Yup, uh hum.

[zulchzulu]

13. Thanks for reminding me about using this

[ThirdWheelLegend]

16. Pesky facts

TWL

[corporatewhore]

18. you forgot he furthered the neoliberal agenda everychance he got

nafta gatt wto imf trade w/china....

[dusty64]

29. Where is the proof that

he now supports allowing oil companies to rape wilderness?

[WitchWay]

22. Kerry progressive?

Actually, it's pretty hard to know where he stands on the issues (he's wording is pretty non-comittal, vague and fluffy, see his website)...but I do think that I can garner a good guess that Kerry is not progressive.

Oh, look into Plan Columbia for some progressive values.

In the debate, he himself even had trouble accepting even being "labeled" a liberal. So, I guess he would rather choose to move to the right, huh?

He's for IWR, the patriot act, nafta, wto, drug war...

His civil rights do not support equal rights for gays to marry. I have a problem with his lack of a stance on this.

He is an avid hunter. (Wow! Check it out - this "Hunter, Dreamer, Realist" sure earns my vegan, anti-war vote...)
"From The Washington Post: "John Kerry eats dove. Even better, he shoots them. From behind the stalks of a Southern cornfield, he'll watch them flutter and dart, and fire."
http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/sportsmen/

His great-grandfather was involved in the opium trade, his wife is heir to a the Heinz Fortune (agribusiness is sure great for workers and the environment, isn't it?)...and he lives a lavish life. Yes, I do have a problem with a multimillionaire from such a priveleged and elite background expecting my "ABB" vote. Does he really understand poverty and lack of privelege, for instance?

Kucinich gets Plenty of Alternative media and CSPAN? Gees, thanks.
This sort of statement indeed exemplifies the sort of marginalization that I've pointed out. Maybe Kucinich got "low votes" because Kerry was "frontrunned" and had a glob of money that he got from mortgaging his luxurious townhouse and other money that he can find in his circles? Plus, I'm sure he has friends who are "better connected" than a lowly congressman from Cleveland.

Funny how the guy who grew up poor in Cleveland is ignored, while the rich inner circle Bonesman always gets all the airtime. Gees, you wouldn't think it had something to do with class, do you?

[edzontar]

30. I would say Kerry is not running as a progressive

He is running as an "electable"--as a commodity.

As I see it, issues in and of themselves have been of little importance to his campaign, except as things to explain his way out of.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Desertrose]

15. why don't you? and who are you to tell me that I am a * supporter?

Bush supporter? WTH are you talking about??
You are claiming because I don't fall in line wth DLC chosen candidate?

Nonsense!

get over yourself and go watch more CNN or Faux....

Peace
DR

[RichM]

9. Our society is completely unable to face the truth about itself -- DK's

treatment by the media is just one of many disgusting & thoroughly contemptible illustrations of this.

Today's "debate" was an exercise in limiting or wholly eliminating real discussion. It was the opposite of a real debate. It was a physical imitation of a debate, a pseudo-debate, without the substance & animating spirit.

The journalists were all Establishment whores. Most of the questions were moronic. ("Is God on America's side?") The media thought its opinions were more important than the candidates'. The journalists were rude to anyone challenging Establishment assumptions. Neither of the two Establishment Democrats raised a finger to defend the right of Kucinich & Sharpton to speak.

The post-debate coverage was exactly like the debate itself: only Kerry and Edwards "and two other weird guys" were there. No mention whatever of what they said.

The whole thing was a sorry spectacle - useful mainly as a case study of degraded pseudo-dialogue in a rotting corrupted society.

[Iverson]

10. yessiree

This is one of the major reasons that I think that building the Green Party is a good idea. Unlike progressive Dems, they don't have to stop talking when the centrist Dems tell them to for the good of the party.

Obviously, electoral politics is only one small part of the totality of public discourse, but those who want to fundamentally change the direction of Bush's America can't leave any proverbial stone unturned.

[paulk]

11. Kucinich has a total of nine delegates

Kerry and Edwards have 974 between them. When a candidate continues to run past the point of any chance of winning, he stands a real chance of marginalizing himself and his message.

BTW - Neither Kucinich or Sharpton own the rights to the "progressive" vote. There are plenty of progressives who voted for Kerry or Edwards in the primaries.

[Desertrose]

14. but that doesn't make Kerry or Edwards progressives

Kucinich is at least speaking up for my issues...neither of the Johns do that for me-dlelgates or no!

I'm thinkg that after Tues Kucinich may have mot ethan nine delegates...adn really...this is far from over....

Neither of the two "leaders" will be able to beat bush. I wish they could but it won't happen.... :shrug:
Peace
DR

[ThirdWheelLegend]

17. You address the symptom, not the cause.

This media blackout didn't just start last week, in case you hadn't noticed. One of the major reasons for the lack of support is the fact that Kucinich has been marginalized by the media from the BEGINNING. Early in the race, name recognition heavily influences polls. Thereby influencing votes. It only cascades. Better vote results, more mention in the media and so on. Until the point at which the media's intentional blackout of Kucinich seems justifiable, hence your reply.


Let's just take a look at the article that is addressed in the beginning of the thread. I looked at it and used a simple search...

Here are the results..

Kucinich is mentioned THREE times in that entire article. NOT ONCE IS ONE SINGLE POLICY POSITION OR STATEMENT BY KUCINICH MENTIONED.

1)"Kerry and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio also have been trying to tap the network of Dean supporters. (CNN.com's interactive Election Calendar)"

2)"Edwards, Kerry, Kucinich and the Rev. Al Sharpton sat at a table taking questions from CBS anchor Dan Rather, New York Times reporter Elizabeth Bumiller and WCBS-TV reporter Andrew Kirtzman."

3)"Kerry has rolled up 754 delegates; Edwards, 220; Dean, 175; Sharpton, 16; and Kucinich, 9. To get the nomination, a candidate needs 2,162 delegates at this summer's Democratic National Convention. (CNN.com's interactive Delegate Scorecard)"

***************

This is exactly what has been going on since the start of this whole mockery of democracy. We Kucinich people have been fighting for more voice and to get the message out since the beginning and we are not stopping now. Unfortunately it seems that many on DU are more than happy to help the media do their job(calling for Kucinich and Sharpton to be excluded from debates, requesting they should drop, etc.) Fortunately, Kucinich supporters are not led by fear.

Fear ends, hope begins.

TWL

[WitchWay]

19. Very nice post

It is ironic that the media will use silence and marginalization to silence a candidate, smear tactics to discredit the candidate, and then when the damage is done -- ignore the candidate for being "low in the polls."

Face it, folks. There are powerful interests who really want to silence the message of Kucinich as a candidate. I bring up the fact that he is the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus (the largest democratic caucus in the house) to make the point that the democratic party is currently complicit in suppresing progressive, Democrat voices in its own party. What the heck is that about?

If you want to see something else, click on the link below. There is a "debate" graphic logo that you can see at the top of the page.

Ask yourself these questions:

Who do you think they are "pushing" to run?
Who do you think they would like to lose?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/29/opinion/meyer/main602909.shtml

Little signals like this that start to plant the idea of "electability" into peoples heads.

[paulk]

33. Kucinich has gotten his message out

and for whatever reason, Democratic primary voters went for someone else. It's not a mockery of democracy - your guy just lost, that's all. Kucinich was rejected - hopefully, his message will live on.

I think there is real danger that once a candidacy slips from a serious campaign into a vanity campaign, then not only the candidate, but the message, gets marginalized. And I do think Kucinich's message is a valid one.

This is why I think Dennis should consider dropping out after super Tuesday. To continue running when there is no chance at all for winning borders on fanaticism. It makes Kucinich more important than his message, and I think that's a mistake.

[OhioStateProgressive]

20. incorrect

People who call themselves "progressives" may vote for Kerry.

No matter what situation, there are always those who interlope and claim to be something they are not.

True progressives are voting for Kucinich.

[paulk]

34. ever hear of Leon Trotsky?

Should I make a run for Mexico?

[no name no slogan]

38. WTF does Leon Trotsky have to do with Kucinich? (nt)

[paulk]

39. think about it

in the context of the post I replied to....

[no name no slogan]

40. Still doesn't add up

Trotsky was purged from the CP by Stalin and fled to Mexico.

I don't see ANYBODY on this thread talking about purging anyone from the party, and forcing them to flee the country.

However, I can sympathize with progressives (like myself) who get pilloried when we vote third party instead of Democratic, yet also get lambasted and marginalized by the Democrats when we support candidates who are true progressives.

If the Dems continue to marginalize the progressives and liberals, they'll continue along the losing path they began in the 90s: declining voter turnout, "victories" with < 50% of the vote, and a continued loss in Congress and state legislatures.

I'd hate to see this party become the Whigs of the 21st century, but that's the way we're headed.

[paulk]

41. the original poster implies

That no progressive would vote for Kerry.

Then goes on to say that true progressives would vote for Kucinich.

I used to think I was pretty progressive, but I guess since I support Kerry I guess I can't be one anymore.

By inference, the poster WAS talking about a purge.

-------

What is a "true" progressive? Don't you see the trap you've walked into? Who gets to define these things? Kucinich is a "true" progressive, but Kerry is not? By some definitions, Kerry is MORE progressive than Kucinich. The ADA gives Kerry a higher lifetime liberal rating. And what's progressive about being anti abortion? Kucinich changed his position on that, true - but in the past he has VOTED on the anti abortion side. So... one man's progressive is another's anti abortionist?

Does being anti war make Kucinich a de facto progressive? Pat Buchanan and many other right wing libertarians have been pretty outspoken in their opposition to this war. Does that make them progressives?

I don't see where DK has been lambasted and marginalized by the Democrats. DK represents a faction of the party - he put his ideas out there in a run for the presidency and people chose someone else. That's all. A significant portion of DK's political beliefs are also held by the eventual nominee - and by the majority of Democrats. Not all of his beliefs, perhaps, but that's how democracy works in America. You take what you can get or you get nothing at all.

[revcarol]

42. Oh? The DLC painting DK as Rummy's "twin,"

only left, is not reflective of part of our Party?

And a Dem Party official in Minnesota saying that DK would go Green, so no one should vote for him?

Anecdotal evidence, to be sure, but becoming so common that it is evident that the Dem Party wants DK out of sight, out of mind.

[WitchWay]

45. To cliarify some things...

BTW, so no one is confused by your post - Kucinich is PRO-CHOICE.

In the past he WAS anti-abortion (pro-life)) -- I used to be bothered by that, but he has made clear in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that now he supports a woman's right to choice. He is clear on that.

I never said that no progressives would vote for Kerry. Anyone has a right to vote strategically. I did say that Kerry is not progressive, as he doesn't even want to identify himself as such. By Kerry trying to rid himself of his "liberalness" he is cooperating in marginalizing Dennis Kucinich and others, and those they represent.

In my original post I meant to give an example of how the Democratic party is currently not allowing attention to the cochair of the Progressive Caucus in the House who is running for president at the moment. I think it is strange that the Democrats are letting one of their own be so marginalized.

Yeah - Pat Buchanan is better than Kerry when it comes to his firm stance against the war in Iraq. Maybe Pat Buchanan, like others who are ant-war, also believes that war is not progress.

[OhioStateProgressive]

43. well

I am one of those people who believe true progressives are socialists, if one does not believe fully in socialism, they aren't exactly progressives...they are liberals, which is watered down

[WitchWay]

24. Oh, so...

you are saying that if Kucinich just dropped out and shut up, he would no longer be marginalizing himself and his message.

Wow! You sure have got some progressive ideas.

[paulk]

35. instead of insulting me

why don't you make an argument for why I am wrong?

[Iverson]

36. right

The poster should have said something like this.

"When a candidate continues to run past the point of any chance of winning, he stands a real chance of marginalizing himself and his message."

Even if there is that danger, when a candidate stops running, he (or she) is far more likely to watch his (or her) message disappear altogether, since no other candidate is making it.

Further, the number of primaries one wins is a poor way to determine the permissibility of the message, especially in a party that declares itself to be a "big tent."

[jsw_81]

21. Shut out?

Congressman Kucinich has been included in literally dozens of television and radio debates (even after it was clear that his candidacy was finished), and if you do a search you will find that he has been mentioned hundreds of times in Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, the New York Times, the L.A. Times, USA Today and many other publications.

But he has still lost every single primary and caucus by a wide margin. I wonder why? Could it be that he's a poor candidate who only appeals to a tiny segment of the electorate? No, it must be that darn media conspiring against him. :eyes:

[Iverson]

23. frivolous

The fact that one has been "mentioned" is hardly proof of what you say. You may recall that very early in the primaries ABC pulled its reporters covering Kucinich, Sharpton, and Moseley-Braun. You may recall also that very early in the primaries there were televised debates in which the interlocutors treated the more left candidates to frivolous questions while reserving more serious ones for the perceived front-runners.

The unequal treatment started at the inception of the primaries. While I have no doubt that that is richly satisfying to some, that does not make the evidence disappear.

I am sorry to see on a progressive message board the argument that since a progressive candidate lost, it must have happened in a meritocracy.

[jsw_81]

25. Face it, Kucinich is a lousy candidate who has lost twenty in a row

That's why he isn't getting much attention these days. Why should an unelectable fringe candidate get much ink? Why should the media pay to cover such a candidate? Do you expect Kucinich to be on page A1 every morning? Dream on.

[Iverson]

27. Dreaming on.

"Do you expect Kucinich to be on page A1 every morning?"

I dreamed I was on a progressive website, and one of the more conservative participants didn't put words in my mouth.

Now I'm awake.

[MaggieSwanson]

32. Don't alienate Kucinich supporters

It's not a smart convention tactic. It won't help your candidate. It won't help the party.

Peace,

Maggie

[Desertrose]

37. remember how smug you feel now, jsw_81

when Kerry loses to * in Nov...

then tell us how wonderful Kerry is....how much good did all the ink do him without talking straight on the issues?

Dennis tells it like it is..."no strings attached" :)


DR

[Iverson]

26. media campaign article & link

An excerpt follows.

How the Media Picks Candidates.
Media Profits and Bias.

By Josh Robinson & Lorna Tychostup

...
Later in the debate, Koppel directed the following question to Braun, Sharpton, and Kucinich: “You don’t have any money, at least not much. Rev. Sharpton has almost none. You don’t have very much, Ambassador Braun. The question is, will there come a point when polls, money, and then ultimately the actual votes that will take place here—in places like New Hampshire, the caucuses in Iowa—will there come a point when we can expect one or more of the three of you to drop out? Or are you in this as sort of a vanity candidacy?”
...
Kucinich answered next. Apparently unable to stand the derision of his campaign any longer, he took Koppel to task on the very issue of media bias: “Ted, you know, we started at the beginning of this evening talking about an endorsement. Well, I want the American people to see where the media takes politics in this country. To start with endorsements, to start talking about endorsements. Now we’re talking about polls. And then we’re talking about money. Well, you know, when
you do that, you don’t have to talk about what’s important to the American people.

“Ted, I’m the only one up here that actually, on the stage, that actually voted against the PATRIOT Act. And voted against the war. The only one on this stage. I’m also one of the few candidates up here who’s talking about taking our healthcare system from this for-profit system to a not-for-profit, single-payer, universal health care for all. I’m also the only one who has talked about getting out of NAFTA and the WTO and going back to bilateral trade conditioned on workers rights, human rights, and the environment. Now, I may be inconvenient for some of those in the media, but I’m, you know, sorry about that.”

...
One day after the debate between the Democratic presidential contenders, ABC decided to pull their three journalists who were covering the campaigns of Kucinich, Braun, and Sharpton. Kucinich responded immediately by publicizing the ABC decision. FAIR jumped into the fray by sending out an Action Alert via the Internet, which stated, “ABC’s decision was attributed to the fact that these candidates are perceived to have a slim chance of winning the Democratic nomination....One has to wonder whether Kucinich’s rebuke of Koppel and his criticism of the priorities of the media had something to do with ABC's decision to limit coverage of these candidates. No matter what the rationale, this does raise a concern that ABC is making an early call on the election of 2004—weeks before any votes have been cast.

(end of excerpt)

http://www.zmag.org/ZMagSite/Feb2004/tychostup0204.html

[wal]

28. Kerry / Kucinich in '04

Dennis Kucinich is a good man. He's fought for the rights of ordinary Americans and won, and the Bush media puppy will ignore him as hard as they can, because the right wing in America doesn't want ordinary Americans to have a decent life - power is nothing unless it's exercised. That's why smirk is busy giving away the rights and priviledges and Social security of ordinary Americans.
Nevertheless, if everyone who writes to DU starts now, I reckon we can get Dennis on the ticket with the obvious Democratic candidate who will win the next election - John F. Kerry.
This can only happen, however, if Americans get off their butts and exercise their Constitutional right to vote!
And only an organised, committed organisation like DU can make that happen.

The time to get busy is NOW!

Kerry/Kucinich in '04

[diamondsoul]

31. Um. Hate to disappoint you,

and I appreciate your enthusiasm....but Kucinich won't be taking a VP slot this election.

He's well aware that barring his own nomination he'll be sorely needed in the House of Representatives to support a Democratic President should we launch a successful challenge to the incumbant.

[OutlawCorporatePolls]

44. the solution lies in...

...building the new media.

us.