Dean scream (& Kucinch)... the Corporate Media Manipulation

[Desertrose]

Excerpt below from an article by David Podvin at makethemaccountable.com

if you want a clue about how your candidate is chosen - or UNCHOSEN....please read this article......
DR

"The unexamined factor is how electability became “the issue”. It had never before been the dominant consideration in Democratic primaries, because voters had focused on policy rather than crystal ball gazing. Electability was this campaign’s version of “Al Gore claimed to have invented the Internet”: it was a media contrivance that was used to manipulate voters.

http://www.makethemaccountable.com/podvin/media/040201_TheScream.htm


The Scream
2/1/04
By David Podvin



<snip>
The scream that had the greatest impact on the Democratic presidential campaign was not Dean’s gonzo yell in Iowa, but the deafening roar of deceit that emanated from Corporate America’s media subsidiaries. The downfall of the Democratic frontrunner was not self-induced; it was self-defense. Dean had threatened to mess with General Electric, Viacom, Disney, the New York Times Company, the Washington Post Company, et al., so they messed with him first.

Such corporate vigilance is inconsistent with the principles of American democracy, but welcome to the real world. In a dictatorship, the tiny minority of well-armed people maintains absolute power by intimidating the vast majority of unarmed people. In a democracy that is populated by citizens who get their information from a few greedy companies, the tiny minority of well-informed people maintains absolute power by manipulating the vast majority of misinformed people. When you control what people think, there is no need to point a gun at them.



<snip>

In recent years, corporations have dramatically increased their power at the expense of the average citizen (and with the apathetic complicity of the average citizen). Big Business has evolved from merely being a vital part of society into being master of both the political system and the means of communication. As a result, the boundaries of the national debate are now defined by the interests of the Fortune 500, and the malefactors of great wealth have become increasingly brazen. Americans used to laugh at banana republics, where the ruling elites are so shamelessly debauched that judges go on duck hunting trips with the politicians whose cases they are scheduled to review, but it doesn’t seem quite so funny anymore.

After the last presidential election, the corporate functionaries on the Supreme Court overrode the will of the people by empowering the man who had lost. It was an awkward procedure, so the process has been refined. In 2004, the mainstream media is rapidly disqualifying all the candidates who fail to honor the business agenda, thus eliminating the need for another controversial judicial intervention.

<snip>

edited title

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[Desertrose]

2. media manipulation is utter garbage??

and believe me I am NO Dean crybaby.....

You really feel the media is not complicent in choosing our candidates?? That they do spin bush to look good but don't do the reverse to the dems?? and I suppose you think the media is still liberal?


In recent years, corporations have dramatically increased their power at the expense of the average citizen (and with the apathetic complicity of the average


wakeup.


DR

edited for quote

[CWebster]

3. This post should be alerted.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. If you'd been paying attention

you'd know that Desertrose is one of the staunchest of Kucinich supporters.

[Mairead]

7. How about some citations, pal?

Because your post is long on assertion, but short on substance.

[mzmolly]

28. Hey *halfman* ...

get your "crybabies" straight ey?

This is an objective party who supports another candidate.

[madfloridian]

32. Are you saying that Dean supporters are crybabies?

Just wanted to clarify.

[Mairead]

4. Beautiful, DR! Great that you found that

Just what we all were saying from the start: Dean started out looking like a 'safe' insurgent--someone who'd give lip service to change, but whose record was one of taking care of the wealthy owners of corporations. And then he said the wrong thing once too often.

I can practically see it now, can't you? He says 'I'll break up the media' and the corporatocrats start looking at one another and muttering 'Shit! What if he means it this time?!' And they decide they can't take the risk.

[Zomby Woof]

6. I am still steaming

I made the mistake of reading Morton Kondracke's crap op-ed piece in the Daily Sun today. Kondracke is the editor of a Capitol Hill rag called "Roll Call", so he oozes with insider privilege and insularity. He says the Dems are "by tons" throwing more slime and attacks at the Repubs than the Repubs are at them. :wtf: :wtf: :nuke: :nuke: and one more :wtf:

He says the Bush admin needs to start running ads "re-educating" Americans about economics and job growth. Did I slip down the rabbit hole in my sleep?? Since when did the fuck the Bushwa know a goddamned skin of a rat's ass about job growth?? THEY ARE THE BIGGEST JOB-LOSING ADMIN IN U.S. HISTORY.

Any "smear" he criticizes the Dems for throwing at Bush is just his way of denying reality: ALL criticism, no matter how negative of Bush, is VALID, because he is has EARNED every harsh word of it.

Every day I see bias towards Bush in newspapers that are even moderate in editorial content. This long-time reader of Chomsky and Herrmann knows there is nothing new under the sun... daily.

[charlie]

9. What really chaps my hide

is the way networks dig up the likes of Kondracke when they cast about for a liberal to provide "balance." The viewpoints will of course range from hard right to center right, but old Mort will sit and grin as he's introduced as a voice "from the left."

Here's another of his recent columns predicting a Bush landslide -- because Bush is Reagan and our guys are McGovern, Mondale, and Dukakis:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-12_9_03_MK.html

"Moreover, people like Bush the way they did Reagan. History is repeating itself."

[Zomby Woof]

13. Morton is portrayed as a LIBERAL???

:crazy: Down is up, and black is white! You may seated now, the captain will start administering the sedatives...... :nuke:

[Desertrose]

21. Hi Zomby son....

thats why I don't look at the daily sun....:grr: (edit: I mean Daily Sun heh he-is it snowing there??)

DU gets the ol BP pumping enough :evilgrin:

:hug: :loveya:
DMom

[Zomby Woof]

25. Hi Mom!

It is generally good running anti-Bush cartoons (even today's was real good) and the occasional op-ed, so I guess they have to throw the cro-magnons of Flag some red meat so they don't cancel their subscriptions. Which is the REAL ideology of newspapers: profit.

I used to post on DU that if there was money in slamming Bush, the papers would be all over it, television too. If we can find a way to get the right carrot out in front of them... bam.

Read your piece on Aaron Brown yesterday. What a sad decline. He used to be quite good on Seattle local news in the late 80's and early 90's, but I feel working for CNN has rotted his soul and made him just another corporate stool. That is what is sad - most were already that way, but Aaron had promise once. He isn't the same anchor I remember, and I quit watching local news after he left, because it was just blowdried bimbos and bleached bozos after that, as it is everywhere...

Got 3 days off!! Woohoo! :hug: :loveya:
ZombySon

[Dhalgren]

8. Good find, Rose, thanks.

[havocmom]

10. "Dean got 'Carter-ized' by the press" heard from lips of old school GOPer

where I live. Many around here (highly GOP, not happy with shrub*) greatly admire Jimmy Carter and know he was taken down by media (at the behest of greedy power grabbing special interests) more than by anything he did or didn't do. He was taken down because he had a true grassroots following and was concerned with how most people actually had to live. Locals here respect Carter because they consider him more honest and living by Christian values instead of just talking them.

The consensus around here is that Dean was taken down by the media for the same reasons: Threat to status quo power elite. They are somewhat wary of Kerry(gun control issue) but many, many of the locals were really responding to the Dean alternative.

Many here might well be nodding to some of Kucinch points but it is unlikely they would ever hear much about him. Again, media decisions.

Thanks for the read, D.R.

[revcarol]

11. And for those in the Kerry camp,

who think that Kerry got there all by himself, you might want to cast a jaundiced eye on the media...

BECAUSE THEY EITHER IGNORED OR DUMPED ON THE CANDIDATES WHO WANT MEDIA REFORM, your guy got prime treatment after these facts were obvious.

This is an article for EVERYONE, including the Kerryites.Kerry is not as great as Bush on corporate welfare, so now they are going to GORE HIM.

So don't think this is just sour grapes...in about ONE WEEK this will be reality for Kerry, and it's wise to know what your enemy has a history of doing.

[zulchzulu]

15. Your wishful thinking on Kerry's possible defeat is noted

It is nothing more than sour grapes. I suggest you throw your tantrums elsewhere with another loser like Nader. I'm sure he'd be glad to take your money.

[Guaranteed]

39. It's a fair warning.

This is reality.

[zulchzulu]

18. Rule #4: When running in primaries, don't piss off the "media"

It's an old rule. If you do your homework and see what happens when you piss off the "media", you find that there are plenty who bit that hook and went down fast. Muskie, McCarthy, McGovern, Nixon, McCain...

Based on Kerry's many other policies, I'm certain he is for media reform. But he's not going to be an idiot and say that the media needs to be broken up, thrown out, reorganized etc. WHILE he needs the media to get out his message.

It's like putting holes in your tires before you start your car to go on a long trip. Not too smart...

[zulchzulu]

12. Can we work on Now and not Then? Shoulda Woulda Coulda is bogus

As for Dean's scream, it was he that did the scream. If he had been a more saavy professional, he would not have listened to Trippi that day. Or his instincts would have told him that he was in the spotlight and such behavior only cemented the perception that he wasn't ready for primetime. $30 million went into Iowa and he lost by 20% points. If you can figure that out and give me a decent explanation, I'd be glad to ponder it.

As for Kucinich, the people have voted on what they think about him. Period.

[revcarol]

14. I guess you missed post 11...

and NOW applies to Kerry too.

And why don't we quit crying in our teacups about election 2000, too?
Knowing how thugs operate is important.

[Desertrose]

17. you are missing the entire point here my friend....

what they did to Dean/Kucinich/Clark etc...they can just as easily to do Kerry...
unless they have reason not to....
This actually does pertain to NOW!

I have never -repeat NEVER -been a Dean supporter, but I can be objective enough to see what the media did...they set him up to knock him down...didn't help he played into it but still...it was the medias doing. If you seriously think they can't and won't do it to John Kerry if orders come down from the top, then I have soem great AZ swampland to sell ya!

What would make me more concerned is the fact they won't do it and that Kerry suddenly seems to be the chosen one....

food for thought?????


DR

[zulchzulu]

20. No, I'm afraid you're missing the point

Who made Dean scream?

The media?

Who made him become a gaffe machine that was even his own staff were trying to shut up?

The media?

If you think the media made Dean do what he did, then you give them powers beyond a Star Wars script.

[Mairead]

22. Sorry, the point is being missed alright, but by you

MediaInc either highlights or smothers all such gaffes. Do you really believe Bush has made so few? I hope you're not that naive!

During the he's-a-safe-insurgent period, all Dean's 'gaffes' were ignored, accepted as natural, or explained away by Media Inc. Had he not given them reason to doubt his continued support for them, they would have gone on doing it, and he would now be the one with 1/3 of the delegates in hand.

Don't be selectively naive. It ill-becomes an adult.

[zulchzulu]

24. I disagree...

Your logic makes no sense. Dean made his gaffes. He started in full speed about early December. The media picked up on it. I certainly recognized it. By early January, his own staff was telling him to shut up. And he didn't.

The voters figured him out. He's out. Done. His distorting others' records (including Kucinich) helped to finish him off.

Blaming the media for what happened is pure folly.

[redqueen]

26. You missed a part

It was pointed out that all politicians make gaffes -- but how it is 'spun', whether it's how they eat a sandwich or how they get a crowd riled up, is ALL UP TO THE MEDIA.

Do you think bush's gaffe's are less newsworthy than Kerry's? After all, he IS the president... why does the media not show his stupid face stuttering in response to tweety 24/7?

[DannyRed]

38. You are ignoring the reality of "the scream"

The reality of the scream was and remains that he gave a speech to a packed and extremely loud room, in which he was barely audible....

That speech was then filtered through the boom mic to edit out the crowd noise, clipped down to a 5 or 10 second soundbite, and then played 900 times in less than a week.

Compare and contrast, friend, compare and contrast.

To what?

how about to GWB's and Dick Cheney's open mic "major asshole" moment (back in 2000) when they were talking about Clymer...

How many times was that clip (which was recorded, btw) played in a week?

How many times was Kerry's "Dean, Dean, Dean" comment played over the course of a week.

No one with any sense is denying that Dean made mistakes, or claiming that he was perfect...in fact desertrose (with whom I personally have had several rather...terse?...run-ins) is making an extremely important point, and one that Kerry, Kerry supporters, and ALL of us need to pay attention to.

The media is not balanced, not fair, and is extremely biased.

Ask Howard Stern.

The media controls the content, quality, and "face time" of any and every message...and thereby determines to a large degree how people perceive and think about public figures, about policies, about laws, about legal battles, about movements, about almost everything.

Period.

Norman Solomon, Noam Chomsky, Paul Krugman, Ed Herman, Howard Zinn, FAIR, Takebackthemedia, Truthout, Thememoryhole, MWO, DU, MoveOn, CommonDreams, KickingAss, and numerous other individuals and organizations have done reams of research (word counts, contextual analysis, placement analysis, word analysis, tone analysis and much much more)...as well as put forth huge amounts of opinion, fact, data, and thoughtful words on this very subject.

Denial will not change it, and if you, and your candidate are not prepared for it, you are gonna be a-hurtin' come spring and summer.

[Desertrose]

23. I 've told you...I can't believe I am defending Dean here

the scream was NOT THE END OF DEAN- it was the EXCUSE NEEDED FOR THE MEDIA to END Dean.

Look at all the gaffes and downright lies and bullshit * has done...but the media covers his precious corporate ass. If they thought Howard Dean would have kept the staus quo going, they would have done the same for him....but they saw that he was actually gathering momentum that was a threat to them, so it was bye bye Howard.
AS I said before...if the media can make you it can break you just as easily. and you are living in a dream world if you think otherwise.

That is the best thing Kucinich has going for him...it is TRUE grassroots...not totally dependent on the internet, the media, but the people...and like Dean said...we are going to take back America...he just didn't quite have it exactly right ...DK does.....but I will say now that his (HD) whole campaign contributed more that I realized at the time.

Any powers the media has, we outright gave them long ago....and not in a galaxy far far away but right here in good ol US of A. and now we have to deal with that.

DR

[zulchzulu]

33. It's become a chicken-egg thing

Did the media wait for Dean to make the scream?

Did the scream somehow get planted into Howard's head with complicit blame to be put on the media?

Were there black helicopters out there that planted the thought of Dean screaming that the media knew about?

Which came first? The media waiting for Dean to scream or Dean screaming?

Dean screamed. The media ran with it. Whatever.

[uhhuh]

37. Are you just pretending to not understand?

The scream means nothing without context.

If the media would have shown the Iowa rally, and the scream, and presented it as a demonstration of hope and optimism going into New Hampshire, and a testament to Dean's self-assuredness and faith in his supporters, do you think it would have been viewed as a negative?

The media ran with an interpretation of the scream, not with the scream itself.

Let's say that Kerry is observed going down a flight of stairs and stumbles, and the media repeats this over and over, speculating that he seems drunk, how do you think that would play for him?
This is just a simple example, but the talking heads can take any statement or event and shape it how they like. Kerry's explanation or response will get exactly the amount spin and airing as THEY decide it will. If they turn on him, he doesn't have a chance. They could make him seem worse than Saddam if they want to, and people, for the most part, will buy it because they don't want to take the time to find out the facts. They rely on big media conglomerates to package and serve the the facts for them.
Do you get it yet?

[Frederic Bastiat]

42. He/She is putting forth a well reasoned argument

We all knew of Dean's temperament, he was warned about it but chose not to heed, when you're running for President of the US the last thing you want to give the media is fodder.

PS: This is the same media that put Dean on the cover of Newsweek and Time on the SAME week back in October!

[Mairead]

46. "This is the same media that put Dean on the covers of Newsweek & Time"

Yes, it is, isn't it.

[Nederland]

16. If the media killed Dean, he handed them the sword.

Its that simple. If Dean hadn't handed them not just one, but a series of gaffs to make hay with with he'd still be in the race.

[Desertrose]

19. I'd say he made their work easy, but

if they wanted him out..no matter what...they would have gotten him out...I never said he didn't help "pave the way".....

The same can be said for any candidate who relies on the corporate media to win anything.....

IF THEY CAN MAKE YOU THEY CAN ALSO BREAK YOU!

DR

[sangh0]

29. Like the way they threw Clinton out?

Oh wait, they didn't succeed on that one.

Please stop promoting the idea that "they" can do whatever they want. It's not true and breeds helplessness.

[Desertrose]

34. *they* may not have thrown Clinton out...BUT

they sure as hell sidetracked everything else....derailed things and put the focus on Clintons privates..anything besides the running of the country...made it convenient for the conservative & corporate agenda.....

If thats not "out"...then what do YOU call it??

and BTW, being informed and aware of what is really happening does NOT breed helplessness..quite the contrary...takes control away from others and back to the individual.

DR
damn typos

[Lydia Leftcoast]

45. Clinton was saved by the fact

that he had already been president for six years when the Zippergate scandal broke. Everyone had already formed a pretty firm opinion of him, either positive or negative. The positive people stayed positive, and the negative people stayed negative.

In fact, some observers noted that the Republicans' harping on the scandal actually brought leftist Dems, who tended to be hostile to lukewarm to Clinton, into his camp, simply because they found the Republicans to be so infuriating.

However, a candidate is not the same as a president who has been in office for six years.

No candidate is ever going to be as well-known as a sitting president. No candidate is ever going to have a solidified reputation, either positive or negative, among the general public, the way a sitting president has.

Candidates need to be aware of what the media can do to them and to find clever tactics for warding off media assaults.

[WonderGrunion]

40. Media focus on Clinton's penis

Kept government from going after Osama bin Laden when we tried to get him in '98. Every effort to find or kill him was portrayed in the press as "Wag the Dog". 9/11 is the fault of the media nd those easily swayed by them. (Republicans)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

44. As my late grandmother's old country proverb says

"If you want to beat a dog, you can always find a stick."

That's what people aren't getting.

[Mairead]

27. bump

[Mairead]

35. yab

[Mairead]

41. yab for morning

[mzmolly]

30. Thanks for posting DR.

I've read it before, but I never bookmarked.

It's clear *to thinking people* that taking back the media is essential to our democracy!

Much appreciation.
MZM

[Snivi Yllom]

31. right on

If people think that Kerry will be immune to the same media forces that slammed Dean and hand picked Kerry, they have another thing coming.

The same ink that raised Kerry up will also beat him down. That's not a criticism of Kerry as it has nothing to do with Kerry, rather it has everything to do with power, ratings, and control of information.

[MurikanDemocrat]

36. This is 5 weeks old.

Geez. :eyes:

[bitchkitty]

43. Oh, well that's ancient.

Truth doesn't have an expiration date.