US Media giving Bill Clinton the "Howard Dean Scream" treatment

[Julius Civitatus]

I have lost all faith and the last little bit of respect left for the American media. After Katrina I really thought maybe, just maybe they may still have it. Man, was I wrong!

Some things are certain about the MSM, particularly the news channels and broadcast news, that will never change until they are forced to change by actual legislation (like the Fairness Doctrine):

• The job of the MSM seems to be to work as a GOP echo chamber, were constant ridicule of Democrats is the order of the day. They are a propaganda instrument of the Republican PR machine. His Master's Voice.
  
  
• When confronted to choose between informing the American public and defending Bush and the GOP interests, the MSM will always protect Bush and the GOP. It's their investment. For reference, compare the covers of this week's Newsweek.
  
  
• When a Republican does something stupid, the MSM will quickly "get over it" and move on.
  
  
• When a Democrat does something silly, the MSM will turn it into an object of daily derision for years to come (See Howard Dean's scream, Al Gore's stiffness, Clinton's Lewinsky, etc).

Within a week, you had Bush going awkwardly bananas to Matt Lauer, then going apeshit in a press conference, where he angrily defended the use of torture. On Sunday, an peeved Clinton defended vigorously his record on a tricked interview at Fox News.

Can you guess what the media chose as their headlines?

Clinton goes mad

Clinton loses it

Is there political cost in Clinton's Fox fire?

Bubba out of control

Bill Clinton Gets Fiery With Fox

Bill Clinton's Fox News Meltdown

Bill Clinton's furious rant

Clinton gets combative on TV

Hirsh: Why Clinton Lost It on Fox

Clinton gets combative on TV

Clinton Hysterical in TV interview

They have turned Clinton's lively defense of his record into the new Dean Scream.

Today, they are hailing the revolting lies of Condi "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the US" Rice about Clinton's record without question. Republicans say it, the media print it, and that's what goes.

Wake up, people. The MSM will not change unless we get in power and force them to change with a legislation like the Fairness Doctrine. Until them we can only let them know how strongly we disapprove of their lack of professionalism and ethics. Don't keep quiet. Let them know they suck.

[AX10]

1. Once we get back into power, we must crush the media conglomerates!

[Julius Civitatus]

2. Abso-friggin-lutely! That should be priority #1

The first things the Democrats should do when they get to power are the following:

- Bring back a strong and comprehensive Fairness Doctrine.

- Shake the FCC and clean it of the infestation of prudes, puritans and censors that have taken it over.

- REVERSE the media ownership rules and limit again the number of channels, newspapers, stations that one single company can own in a market.

These media monsters need to be scaled down to size, no matter how much this pisses them off. This media conglomeration, pioneered by Rupert Murdoch, is hurting America more than people think.

[Old and In the Way]

3. We'll also need to have a truth commission.

We have 6 years of administration lies to expose.

[WinkyDink]

4. Hell, no! In power, why make it FAIR for the REPUBLICANS??

Control the media THEN.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Amen!!

[hogwyld]

12. Actually, we need to nationalize the broadcast media

and keep liars like limpballs, olielly, and scammity off the air. We also need to nationalize all energy production to get the fat cats out of our lives.

[SoCalDem]

15. What will actually happen..

IF dems are actually allowed to occupy seats they won, "most" will be so happy to be back in the driver's seat, that they will busily get to work, and decide that "things are ok".. Any real legislation regarding media will be shitcanned..

The lobbies are too well entrenched, and too well funded, and it costs a TON o money to run for re-election down the road..

Unfortunately, once an egg is scrambled, there is NO hope of ever getting a chick..

The only hope we have is for PBS to be restored (do-able) and for independent media to be funded and nurtured.. As cable gets stronger, perhaps the "msm" will begin to revert to more substantive reporting..

In order for media to regain its sanity, lobbying and election legislation has to happen FIRST..

Eliminate the need for "extreme money" (public financing), and then make lobbying illegal (corporate lobbying)..
Once those two items are taken care of, media consolidation might be able to be tacked, but only after..

Politicians are shrewd characters. they are NOT going to attack their funders.

[KoKo]

22. Good Points...sad as it is to read them.

Waiting for all that to happen will take too long though. I'm hoping somehow Media Reform will be pushed to the top of their "to do" list.

I've wondered if any of them really even understand how bad the media looks to those out here. Just this morning Kerry on Imus is saying he read the NYT's and WaPo's articles on the released NIE report and hoped to have a chance to look it over today.

When legislators rely on Weekly Standard, WaPo and NYT's to give them their info and opinion then they've lost touch with the rest of us out here who have the blabbing Faux, CNN/MSNBC and the Fundie Religious Stations plus the Limbaugh types telling us what "they" think we should know.

Beltway mentality just keeps going.

Your points are what needs to happen...but I just don't see how we can go on in a Democracy with whore media like we have today. From the Media follows everything else. :-(

[bdamomma]

20. they should be the second ones to go, government propaganda

lap dogs they are truly disgusting.

[conscious evolution]

29. Crushing them isn't enough

As far as I'm concerned,the owners,editors and 'reporters' of media outlets that are aiding and abbetting the BFEE should be held liable in war crimes tribunal.After all there is plenty of precedent for such action.Just ask that deejay from Rwahnda.

[newyawker99]

30. Hi conscious evolution!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[devilgrrl]

5. Typical Liberal Media.

What else is new? :sarcasm:

[madfloridian]

6. Then he needs to keep fighting back...even harder.

.

[Bitwit1234]

7. MSM

I don't think nothing is going to change. They are still obedient to their masters. Since the republicans own every single phrase of the media, cable, network and newspapers we will not get anything but republican rhetoric. It is a shame that dems and liberals and independents don't just stop buying mags and newspapers and turning off cable and network news. Then we should bombard sponsors with this. Look at what they did to Whoopi Goldberg because she made fun of bush at a PRIVATE PARTY.....So what they are telling us is we must bow to bush no matter what.

If we didn't buy the papers they would go broke.

[KittyWampus]

8. Dean was out of bounds even WITHOUT the 'Scream'. When the fuck

will DU'ers and Dean supporters ever admit his concession speech that night was totally outside the norm of accepted political behavior?

Dean did a Rally type speech to his crew in the room rather than a more serious, thoughtful Concession speech to the American people- many of whom were seeing him for the first time that night.

Dean's behavior in the context it actually happened in would have condemned him even if he had NOT SCREAMED- amplified mikes or no amplified mikes.

Just like you don't tell dirty jokes while making a wedding toast or tell all about the dearly departed at a funeral.

Clinton's assertive and forceful interview was appropriate within the context it occured. It's that simple to rebute the bogus Media spin on Clinton. And their advertising that interview by trying to spin it is HELPING DEMOCRATS.

[Jacobin]

14. BullStuff

It wasn't a concession speech. He didn't quit campaign that night. He was rallying the troops for the next state's races.

It was no where near 'over the top'.

The microphone was near the speaker. He was speaking loudly to overcome the noise in the room

It was a RW media hit piece that got played hundreds of times.

The propaganda machine will not let any non-neo-con loving candidate survive. They hate Clinton because he survived their wrath and their constant attacks, and the worst part is he did a very good job as president. That pisses them off no end.

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. Thank you!

[KittyWampus]

28. Every politician who loses a state primary gives a CONCESSION SPEECH

the night they lose that particular state's primary. They get on tv and make a speech aimed at the tv audience in the hopes they can make an impression for the NEXT primary state race.

Edwards gave a CONCESSION speech that night because he lost that state's primary and conceeded THAT state's primary. And he did it in a dignified manner befitting political norms.

Any politician who has ever run in a primary and loses one round gives a CONCESSION SPEECH and moves on to the next primary race in the next state.

Dean LOST the first state and his aides should have had a Concession Speech prepared for him. He was obviously exhausted. I blame his staff, btw.

[mhatrw]

32. And that makes the media's assassination of Dean as crazy OK?

Now tell us about Wellstone's funeral.

[Rosemary2205]

26. For the record - my family tells ALL at funerals.

We've been known to have the mistress show up too. :)

[Jim Sagle]

34. Unmitigated claptrap!

[myrna minx]

9. This difference is now people have been watching the interview for

themselves online. They are able to see what Clinton said and how he said it for themselves, sans media pundit "interpretation". No matter *how* the media whores spin it, people have moved to other sources to find out the truth in *spite* of the media whores.

The right wing spent tens of millions of tax payer dollars trying to take Clinton down. Rupert Murdoch built a media empire to try to take Clinton down. The bu$h administration had spent the last 5 years blaming Clinton for everything from the salting of Carthage to 9-11. It didn't work. No matter how the whores spin it, will you believe them or their lying eyes?

Fox really screwed up by trying to pull something on Clinton. Clinton tackled a rabid mob of reporters all throughout his impeachment and Monica-gate or every other "gate" they tried to staple onto him. He knew exactly what he was doing. As if some simpering Fox "interviewer" could knock him down. There is a reason that after all the barbs the RW threw at him, he still remains one of the most popular American Presidents.

[texasleo]

11. Clinton's remarks had substance, Dean's were a pep rally

believe me, if they keep repeating footage of Clinton saying what he did do, it will seep in.

[spanone]

13. That's alright. Clinton POLLS much higher than bush* . Let them rage on.

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. Having read countless times on DU that Clinton is responsible for the

undoing of the fairness doctrine, I googled and found that the reagan FCC repealed the fairness doctrine in 1987 and was upheld by a DC court of appeals. Attempts to reinstate it was threatened by bush sr. in 1991. So my question is what role did President Clinton play in this? I asked this in all sincerity, because I don't have any knowledge of Clinton's role with regard to the fairness doctrine. Thanks in advance for an explanation.

[Julius Civitatus]

23. Reagan did it, but Clinton/Gore allowed media deregulation in 1996

Initially it was a bone that Clinton/Gore threw to big business, but the telecom deregulation law of 1996, when mixed with the lack of a Fairness Doctrine, quickly became a monstrosity that bit them back, big time. That law allowed Murdoch to create Fox News, for instance.

I think they were very naive thinking the industry would really "regulate itself." Yeah, right. That happened... :sarcasm:

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. Okay, thanks. I really had no idea.

[Julius Civitatus]

25. No problem

:)

[malaise]

18. It won't work

Before weekend all the old documents will be public and they'll be playing catch up as usual

[kerry-is-my-prez]

19. NOW is the time to be talking about how the media ISN'T liberal..

We've had some really great examples lately that we can point out to people The Path to 9/11, the lack of respect for PRESIDENT Clinton. Would they treat Bush with this lack of respect?

[AngryAmish]

21. The "I Have a Scream" speech

real funny, assholes

[blogslut]

27. The Irony is

Presiddent Peddles loses his cool all the time. He did it today with Karzai. Do we get headlines for that?

[mhatrw]

33. He did it with Gregory and Lauer just last week. n/t

[libhill]

31. Fuck the MSM

they're losing business daily, and they deserve to - who pays the propagandistic pricks any real attention any more?