Social Security & Media Intimidation

[unlawflcombatnt]

The RNC has threatened FCC action against TV stations exposing Bush's deceptive Social Security plans. The letter was intended as an indirect threat that their FCC licenses were in jeopardy. South Bend television stations received the letter from RNC attorney Michael Bayes, stating "As an FCC licensee...this letter places you on notice..." The following is a copy of the story by James Wensits from the South Bend Tribune from February 5, 2005:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/02/05/local.20050205-sbt-MWKA-A1-RNC_asks_stations_to.sto

"RNC asks stations to kill 'false TV ad'
MoveOn.org defends accuracy of Social Security spot.

By JAMES WENSITS
Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- At least part of the Social Security debate focused on the 2nd Congressional District again Friday, as the Republican National Committee sent letters to local television stations asking them not to air what it calls a "false TV ad" promoted by MoveOn.org.

Washington, D.C.-based MoveOn.org immediately issued a statement defending the accuracy of its ad, which began airing on local stations Tuesday and which is critical of the president's plan to revamp Social Security.

The RNC letter drew a mixture of responses. One local station executive said he viewed the tone of the letter as "threatening." Another said he planned to investigate a statement in the ad and might decide to pull the spot if he found it to be misleading.

The national ad, titled "Working Retirement," debuted on local stations Tuesday.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

http://www.unlawflcombatnt.blogspot.com/
_______________________________________

[NationalEnquirer]

1. We are living in a thugocracy.. n/t

[Moderator]

2. unlawflcombatnt

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[flyarm]

3. those...

no good $#@%$#@!..wow and people don't believe our media is being intimidated and silenced??

i hate these a$$holes!!

fly:puke: :mad: :evilfrown: :evilgrin: :wtf: :grr: :grr: :nuke:

[BigBearJohn]

4. I think this post should scare the crap out of everybody here!

This is very serious IMHO.

[Pooka Fey]

5. Kick. WTF????????!!!!!!

[dzika]

6. This was reported on DemocracyNow! today.

Video in Windows Media Format:
http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/moveon_social_sec_ad_dn_050208-01.wmv

[dzika]

7. This pro-Bush Social Security Ad ran on CNN today

This pro-Bush Social Security Ad ran on CNN today!



Video in Windows Media Format:
http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/bush_social_security_commercial_cnn-01..wmv

[dzika]

8. Taxpayers pay for Bush propaganda yet aren't admitted to speeches

This really burns me... Bush goes around the country to pump up his Social Security "plan" at the taxpayer expense yet the speeches are screened so that only people that agree are admitted.

On top of that, the cable news stations carried all 45 minutes of his propaganda speech today without giving time to any opposing viewpoints!

---

Should Tax Dollars Fund Bush's Bubble?

By Dan Froomkin

A controversial president barnstorms through the country attending carefully controlled events where tickets are distributed by his own party, where no one disagrees with a word he says and no one puts him on the spot.

When this happened in the heat of the political season, the events and at least part of the president's travel costs were being paid for by his campaign. But now it's a post-election president spending tax dollars and ostensibly acting in the public interest.

Some of my readers think it's not appropriate.

"The president's dialogue with America on Social Security should be just that -- a dialogue, not a series of campaign events controlled by the local GOP bosses," writes John Deem of Huntersville, N.C.
...
Bush stays in the bubble because his aides figure that, just like during the campaign, events like these are an effective way of getting his message out without any downside risk. They work, they make nice sound bites and headlines, and nobody complains, at least not much.
...
Consider this exchange at Friday's Tampa event, where a woman (whose question was somehow not transcribed by the White House) asked how the private accounts would fix "the red problem." She was referring to Bush's snazzy charts illustrating what he said was Social Security's "red ink."


more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7880-2005Feb8.html