Lots of good stuff today
First some local politics. My stepdaughter (who is an official at Midstate College) has arranged for the Democratic challenger to Governor Rod Blagojevich, Edwin Eisendrath, to speak. The invitation is below. I'll be interested to hear what he has to say. My Daily Kos post is below.
Next, check out http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/9/103144/2679
and scroll down to the high impact diary list. Mine was third; this was my first recommended diary.
Next, Nick M. describes how politcs destroyed a 30 year old friendship, which is too bad. I have Republican friends (see http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/10/22/162411/00)
The key is mutual respect and to understand that, at times, being Republican or being a Democrat might hinge on having a slightly different view on a few key issues; for example, when it comes to economics, one person might see danger in a government overregulating a business thereby driving it out of business, where the other person sees danger in having people work for $0.50 a day in dangerous working conditions.
Then, of course, we have the issue of the King funeral. Of course, the more extreme right wing pundits are up in arms about that being such a "political affair", and there is some misinformation being put out there.
About this funeral being "political", let us remember Ronald Regan's:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/9/182425/5772
where George Bush said, in part:
Note however, I didn't use the word lie, as this was probably an honest mistake.
But it was a mistake, nevertheless.
To conclude, I'll post from a couple of Smirking Chimp articles. The first was about President Bush at the King funeral; believe it or not, the President comes out looking ok here.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=24786&mode=&order=0
John Nichols: 'Coretta Scott King's funeral: A healthy dose of reality for Mr. Bush'
Posted on Thursday, February 09 @ 10:08:45 EST
This article has been read 4071 times.
Just as they did following the memorial service for Senator Paul Wellstone in 2002, Republican operatives and their acolytes in the media are now claiming that there was something inappropriate about the manner in which those who knew Coretta Scott King best mourned her passing. So great is the determination of the spin doctors for a White House that seeks to protect George Bush from even the mildest expressions of dissent that commentators rushed Tuesday to television studios even before the service for Mrs. King was done to denounce former President Jimmy Carter, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin for expressing sentiments not usually heard by this protected president.
But don't think that anything untoward actually took place in the Atlanta suburb where thousands gathered to celebrate the life, the work and the politics of Mrs. King. The service provided the president with a healthy -- if all too rare -- dose of reality. Bush's policies are not popular, particularly with the African-American community, and the president needed a gentle reminder of the fact. Indeed, the president was far more graceful in the receipt of the dissenting messages that were uttered at the service for Mrs. King than were those who rushed to condemn his critics.
What got the Republican spin machine humming Wednesday?
The see no evil, hear no evil, acknowledge no evil crowd was furious that several speakers used their brief portions of the six-hour remembrance service for the widow of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to pointedly echo the anti-war, anti-poverty and anti-racist themes that were so central to Mrs. King's life and work. The event featured no direct attacks on President Bush, who seated himself prominently on the stage of the vast New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in an Atlanta suburb. Instead, there were the sort of knowing, sometimes serious, sometimes lighthearted, prods that often are heard at memorial services of this kind.
Atlanta Mayor Franklin, whose address followed that of the president, made reference to Mrs. King criticism of "the senselessness of war" and recalled, correctly, that the late civil rights activist's voice was heard "from the tin-top roofs of Soweto to the bomb shelters of Baghdad."
That did not sit well with those who believe the president's precious ears must be protected from the sound of any and all dissents with regard to the quagmire that is Iraq.
Even more unsettling to the critics were the words of the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who worked for decades with the Kings. Of Mrs. King, Lowery recalled, "She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we know, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here." As the crowd cheered, Lowery boomed: "Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."
Ultimately, however, it was not Lowery but Carter who took the hardest hits for daring to dissent. Noting the slow and inept response to Hurricane Katrina, Carter pointed out that, "We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who are most devastated by Katrina to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans."
For this comment, and for recalling the historical fact that the Kings were victims of "secret government wiretapping and surveillance" -- a sore point for a president who is under fire for ordering warrantless wiretaps -- Carter was denounced as "shameless" by the New York Post and ridiculed by Republican commentators.
To his credit, Bush seemed to take the criticism is stride, even shaking hands with and embracing Lowery, Carter and other speakers. And that may be the most important point that can be made about this rare moment in which the president heard actual dissent -- as opposed to the manufactured applause that usually accompanies his stage-managed public appearances. As someone who covered Bush long before he took office in 2001, I have always believed him to be a more gracious and thoughtful man than his presidency has made him out to be. Bush and his presidency suffer from having been placed in the bubble to which his neoconservative handlers have consigned him. Indeed, despite the ranting and raving of the spin doctors who would have us believe that it was wrong to honor Mrs. King by echoing the dissents she made during her lifetime, both President Bush and the American discourse surely benefitted from a real moment in these surreal times.
Copyright © 2006 The Nation
----------------------
The last one is longer so I'll only reproduce part. It is worth a read though.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=24774&mode=&order=0
Obviously, Governor Rod Blagojevich has a huge advantage going into the primary. But Edwin Eisendrath is giving him a challenge http://www.eisendrath2006.com/ and will be in Peoria, IL tomorrow.
- onanyes's diary :: ::
Join us for an Education Forum
Hosted by Midstate College
Featuring Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate
Edwin Eisendrath
Meet Edwin Eisendrath and hear him speak about the future of education in Illinois.
When:
Friday, February 10th
5:30 pm
Where:
Arlene H. Bunch Business Center, Room 300
411 W. Northmoor Road
Peoria, Illinois
To RSVP or for more information, email
MidstateRSVP@eisendrath2006.com
-------------------------Next, check out http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/9/103144/2679
and scroll down to the high impact diary list. Mine was third; this was my first recommended diary.
Next, Nick M. describes how politcs destroyed a 30 year old friendship, which is too bad. I have Republican friends (see http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/10/22/162411/00)
The key is mutual respect and to understand that, at times, being Republican or being a Democrat might hinge on having a slightly different view on a few key issues; for example, when it comes to economics, one person might see danger in a government overregulating a business thereby driving it out of business, where the other person sees danger in having people work for $0.50 a day in dangerous working conditions.
Then, of course, we have the issue of the King funeral. Of course, the more extreme right wing pundits are up in arms about that being such a "political affair", and there is some misinformation being put out there.
About this funeral being "political", let us remember Ronald Regan's:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/9/182425/5772
where George Bush said, in part:
President Reagan was optimistic about the great promise of economic reform, and he acted to restore the reward and spirit of enterprise. He was optimistic that a strong America could advance the peace, and he acted to build the strength that mission required. He was optimistic that liberty would thrive wherever it was planted, and he acted to defend liberty wherever it was threatened.
And Ronald Reagan believed in the power of truth in the conduct of world affairs. When he saw evil camped across the horizon, he called that evil by its name.Ok. That was rather political, wasn't it? But I don't remember liberals having a beef with that. One thing this liberal has a beef with is blatant misinformation being put out by the mainstream media (here, Faux News is the culprit):
http://mediamatters.org/items/200602090006
The February 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume featured an edited video clip of civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery's address at the February 7 funeral of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, during which Lowery mentioned the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. While Lowery's remarks were greeted with 23 seconds of applause and a standing ovation, the clip Fox News aired presented nine seconds of applause and little hint of the standing ovation -- and no indication that the clip had been doctored. The clip was aired during a segment in which guest host Chris Wallace asked his "Fox All-Star" panel to comment on Lowery's remarks. Fox's editing of the clip apparently had some effect on Wallace's own guest, Roll Call executive editor Morton M. Kondracke, who while apparently having formed one impression based on what he had heard about the crowd's response to the remarks, concluded from the curtailed video that "it wasn't exactly uproarious in its response."
Note however, I didn't use the word lie, as this was probably an honest mistake.
But it was a mistake, nevertheless.
To conclude, I'll post from a couple of Smirking Chimp articles. The first was about President Bush at the King funeral; believe it or not, the President comes out looking ok here.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=24786&mode=&order=0
John Nichols: 'Coretta Scott King's funeral: A healthy dose of reality for Mr. Bush'
Posted on Thursday, February 09 @ 10:08:45 EST
This article has been read 4071 times.
Just as they did following the memorial service for Senator Paul Wellstone in 2002, Republican operatives and their acolytes in the media are now claiming that there was something inappropriate about the manner in which those who knew Coretta Scott King best mourned her passing. So great is the determination of the spin doctors for a White House that seeks to protect George Bush from even the mildest expressions of dissent that commentators rushed Tuesday to television studios even before the service for Mrs. King was done to denounce former President Jimmy Carter, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin for expressing sentiments not usually heard by this protected president.
But don't think that anything untoward actually took place in the Atlanta suburb where thousands gathered to celebrate the life, the work and the politics of Mrs. King. The service provided the president with a healthy -- if all too rare -- dose of reality. Bush's policies are not popular, particularly with the African-American community, and the president needed a gentle reminder of the fact. Indeed, the president was far more graceful in the receipt of the dissenting messages that were uttered at the service for Mrs. King than were those who rushed to condemn his critics.
What got the Republican spin machine humming Wednesday?
The see no evil, hear no evil, acknowledge no evil crowd was furious that several speakers used their brief portions of the six-hour remembrance service for the widow of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to pointedly echo the anti-war, anti-poverty and anti-racist themes that were so central to Mrs. King's life and work. The event featured no direct attacks on President Bush, who seated himself prominently on the stage of the vast New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in an Atlanta suburb. Instead, there were the sort of knowing, sometimes serious, sometimes lighthearted, prods that often are heard at memorial services of this kind.
Atlanta Mayor Franklin, whose address followed that of the president, made reference to Mrs. King criticism of "the senselessness of war" and recalled, correctly, that the late civil rights activist's voice was heard "from the tin-top roofs of Soweto to the bomb shelters of Baghdad."
That did not sit well with those who believe the president's precious ears must be protected from the sound of any and all dissents with regard to the quagmire that is Iraq.
Even more unsettling to the critics were the words of the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who worked for decades with the Kings. Of Mrs. King, Lowery recalled, "She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we know, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here." As the crowd cheered, Lowery boomed: "Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."
Ultimately, however, it was not Lowery but Carter who took the hardest hits for daring to dissent. Noting the slow and inept response to Hurricane Katrina, Carter pointed out that, "We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who are most devastated by Katrina to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans."
For this comment, and for recalling the historical fact that the Kings were victims of "secret government wiretapping and surveillance" -- a sore point for a president who is under fire for ordering warrantless wiretaps -- Carter was denounced as "shameless" by the New York Post and ridiculed by Republican commentators.
To his credit, Bush seemed to take the criticism is stride, even shaking hands with and embracing Lowery, Carter and other speakers. And that may be the most important point that can be made about this rare moment in which the president heard actual dissent -- as opposed to the manufactured applause that usually accompanies his stage-managed public appearances. As someone who covered Bush long before he took office in 2001, I have always believed him to be a more gracious and thoughtful man than his presidency has made him out to be. Bush and his presidency suffer from having been placed in the bubble to which his neoconservative handlers have consigned him. Indeed, despite the ranting and raving of the spin doctors who would have us believe that it was wrong to honor Mrs. King by echoing the dissents she made during her lifetime, both President Bush and the American discourse surely benefitted from a real moment in these surreal times.
Copyright © 2006 The Nation
----------------------
The last one is longer so I'll only reproduce part. It is worth a read though.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=24774&mode=&order=0
 Robert Parry: 'The Democrats' tiny megaphone'Posted on Thursday, February 09 @ 09:55:42 EST Sen. John Kerry says a key reason that the Democratic political message seems so muddled to many Americans is that Democrats have a smaller "megaphone" than the one wielded by the Republicans and their conservative allies. "Our megaphone is just not as large as their megaphone, and we have a harder time getting that message out, even when people are on the same page," the Massachusetts Democrat explained to the New York Times for a story about the party's missed opportunities heading toward Election 2006. [NYT, Feb. 8, 2006] While Kerry's observation is undeniably correct - when one considers Fox News, right-wing talk radio, well-paid columnists and magazine racks weighted down by conservative publications - the overarching question remains why Democrats and progressives haven't invested more in getting a competitive megaphone. Wealthy progressives and liberal foundations can match up almost dollar for dollar with conservative funders. But the American Left has adopted largely a laissez-faire attitude toward media infrastructure, while the Right has applied almost socialistic values to sustain even unprofitable media ventures. Indeed, the Right's subsidizing of media may be the most under-reported money-in-politics story in modern American history. Many good-government organizations track the millions of dollars contributed to candidates, but much less attention is paid to the billions of unregulated dollars poured into media. This imbalanced attention continues even though the conservative media is arguably the most important weapon in the Republican arsenal. Political "propaganda themes" - often coordinated with GOP leaders - are distributed instantaneously across the country, reaching into both rural and urban America with a repetition that gives these messages a corroborative ring of truth. The messages echo from talk radio to cable news to conservative columnists who appear in the mostly pro-Republican local newspapers. The themes then are reinforced in magazine articles and in books that dominate the shelves of many American bookstores. Over the past two decades, Republicans have exploited this media capability with great deftness in consolidating power across large swaths of the country, especially where there is little media diversity (i.e. the Red States). |
posted by Harriet at
2/09/2006 07:55:00 PM
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