I'm now more convinced than ever that someone is planting stories to piss us off.

[Writer]

Look, if some unnamed jagoff can fool an Indian reporter into publishing a phony story about Obama's Asia trip costing $200 million/day, and using 34 naval warships, then trust me, they can fool us into believing whatever they want us to believe.

And yes, we are just as capable of arriving at false conclusions. We are just as capable. Do you know how many Republican and conservative think tanks are dreaming up ways to convince us that our 'beloved' Obama is turning on us?

Rumor is rumor. Speculation is the commodified product of media analysts, and there will always be a market ready to 'buy' their conclusions. There is certainly a market ready to believe that Obama is screwing us over, and some political analysts love feeding it.

But the truth is the truth. Until someone from the White House, unfiltered and unanalyzed, actually says that the President intends to use a particular negotiating strategy when he finally arrives back to Washington, then that's when we'll know the truth.

So far, all we know is speculation. All we know are internet faux-analysis to make a deadline.

What we need to use is our common sense. How about we wait until the president returns from his diplomatic trip to Asia before we start screaming? As he speaks to the G20, do you think he's on the phone negotiating with John Boehner? I don't think so.

USE. YOUR. HEADS!

[ProSense]

1. Don't worry

some people will spend the next two years trying to destroy the President's credibility and others will spend it building up the opposition's:

GOP's first presidential debate scheduled for spring 2011

[a kennedy]

14. so what's new....they've been out to make sure he's a one term president.....

and they've only got two years left, I'd say mission accomplished. (and d*mn, I didn't want to write that mission accomplished thing. ugh)

[RandomThoughts]

2. They been doing that for at least months.

It is more about trying to break credibility.


Basically if they post something not true, then you react to it, they can say you have single source information, or don't know what is going on.

It also can be used to find what people are reading.



Could even create entire different information systems for different parts of the USA or other countries to keep the population divided.

Hence why long ago I stopped paying attention to much of the stuff that is said.



I know I am still due beer and travel money and experiences.
I know those things have not been corrected by someone sending me a box of cash.


Therefore, society is still unjust and still must be corrected
:shrug: The rest is for sanity and boredom.


However I know it is spiritual, since the correlations I see are far beyond anything in the normal.

[Life Long Dem]

15. The media has been doing this for the last 2 years.

They've been using anonymous sources since Obama took office.

[GoCubsGo]

28. Two years?

Try decades. This is classic Lee Atwater bullshit.

[D-Lee]

3. Very well stated! The RW propaganda machine didn't stop with the elections! nt

[lillypaddle]

4. Well said.

"White House gives in on Bush Tax Cuts." Yeah, I've said it before, Huffpost is beginning to suck big time,& I have been wondering for a while now exactly whose side they're on.

K&R.

[Parker CA]

5. Interesting that these things pop up when Obama is overseas too, giving extended lifespan to these

claims based on vague information.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I think fully half of DU believes that Obama was installed as President

to destroy the American people, under some sort of "deal" with unnamed Powers. Disagree with the guy, say he's not fighting very hard, say he broke promises--but calling him an evil trojan horse...we're in bizarro land. Teabaggers aren't only Republican, I'm finding.

[mkultra]

33. +1 amazing isnt it

I was previously under the belief that most progressives where intelligent.

[ampad]

7. I think it is too late

There are folks out there that have serious concerns about the direction of this country. Those people are also willing to point out the good but are eager for the country to move forward. I understand that to an extent. After the Bush presidency how could we not be eager? On the other hand, there are those that from the start decided they were not going to support this president. That is no big secret and those who start the rumors understood this. It was bound to happen, this is where we are.

[political_Dem]

8. Hate, anger and frustration is a powerful motivator.

Too bad the GOP experiences a small victory with each person convinced to bring division to the Democratic party.

[zipplewrath]

9. Not sure you understand how this works

The president has a rather large staff, they work out what his options are. When he gets back they'll let him know and he can decide. People external to the process can influence those options, their probability of success, and their political cost/benefits while this is all being worked out. That's what you're seeing going on now. It is an attempt to influence the process and his options. Just waiting around to see what happens is a great way to not get what you want.

[CakeGrrl]

10. Unfortunately, a lot of people WANT to believe the negative spin

In some cases, it's been pretty evident that the leftover anger from the primaries just needs an excuse to resurface.

[Peacetrain]

11. I think so too! I really do

[pacalo]

12. Funny that you began your OP with the false, spoon-fed story about the cost

of Obama's trip. When that incident is factored in with the catfood commision's leak to the press, it convinces me further that their intention was to initiate a media blitz to create p.r. problems for Obama while he was on the trip the thugs resent enough to lie about.

As witnessed by all the anxiety caused here, mission accomplished.

[barbtries]

13. thank you.

thank you very much. as i mentioned in an earlier thread, my knee has lost its jerk. i just skip a lot of threads these days - it's better for my blood pressure.

[DemocraticPilgrim]

16. Let's believe it when we see it, try not let cynicism get the better of us.

[Scurrilous]

17. Thanks.

K & R :thumbsup:

[MadMaddie]

18. It's called Propaganda!

Now that no one is held accountable for the information they put out they are just throwing stories out to see what sticks.

It's our duty to seperate the propaganda from the truth.

[Scuba]

19. Yeah, I even heard the Republicans held their meetings at lesbian bondage clubs....

...can you imagine the Democratic strategist who thought people would believe that?

[Hydra]

20. If this is about the catfood commission, you fail

Because it's already been decided, they're just trying to decide how to break it to us. Not unlike the non-existent Public Option he supported but never did, or the 5,000 barrels of oil per day that wasn't 80,000+

"Deja Moo- the feeling you've heard this Bull before"

[paulk]

21. it's a pretty huge leap to go from fooling an Indian reporter

to fooling everyone into "believing whatever they want us to believe".

ps - Obama has had two years of action on which to base speculation...

[Imagevision]

22. Not so much to piss us off, more so to simply add confusion into the mess...

[Festivito]

23. Some people go mad in the heat but still won't leave the kitchen.

And they don't get any better at deciding or actually leaving the kitchen once they go mad.

Oh well.

[harun]

24. That someone is named REALITY.

[BeyondGeography]

25. David Axelrod?

[rasputin1952]

26. There was an op-ed piece on this in the NYT's the other day...

I posted in it as well, essentially saying, we have, somewhere over time, basically lost the ability to call "bullshit".

Everyone knows that a lot of what they are being told is bs, but very few, if any, call them on it. If I at a function where the negativity is based on some hyped up non-story w/o anything verifying it, I call BS...show me, back up what you are saying. They never do, not because they don't want to, but because they can't and they know they cant.

Take Cantor for example. When asked numerous times what he would suggest cutting to balance the budget, he hemmed and hawed, never answering the question. Now I know this is essentially unheard of, (and most likely while I will never be a TV interviewer), I would have looked him dead in the face and called him what he is, full of shit. I would have then turned to the camera and quietly explain to the audience that, "an elected member of the House of Representatives, sitting right here in the studio, ran on a platform of tax and budget cuts, but he cannot answer what he would cut from the budget. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not the only one, these people represent us, the American people, and if any of them refuse to answer your questions, they should be held accountable. The lies and obfuscations must cease, facts must be brought forward and no more hedging. Be up front with us, or resign."

Issa is another example, so is McConnell, even though I would not work for Ben Nelson's re-election again, and I disagree w/virtually everything he is standing for, I will give him credit for standing up stating what, when and where.

A few years back, I could have started a rumor that bush was caught having sex w/a sheep while on a "brush cutting expedition"...someone would believe that and spread it like fire in dry grass if they so desired. suddenly it goes "viral" and people start to wonder. It was a complete fabrication on my part, (at least I hope so), but if people wanted to believe it they would. The same thing happened w/the $00 million dollar a day trip to India...it was believed by some, because they wanted to believe it; pure fabrication, but off it went. The clown car that jut emptied and came up w/a proposal to "cut Social Security" is another example of disinformation. Yes, it is a proposal, but nothing more...(FWIW, it will go nowhere); but the point is, it is a proposal, not an edict.

Fact checking is essential in today's instant info word, but it is the most over looked of all aspects in this age where information is exceptionally easy to fact check, we just refuse to do it. using one's head is essential today, and then engaging in tearing down the lies becomes so much easier. Always...question authority.

[ampad]

27. Excellent

This really should be an OP.

[rasputin1952]

29. Thanks...Spellcheck and typo's should be avoided as well...

but it was early, and I was not caffeinated up yet, too late to edit now...:blush:

[emulatorloo]

30. Thanks for your post. n/t

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

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

[FrenchieCat]

32. Works like a charm too.

The only think the base knows how to do is to beat itself.