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The Daily Show:  Too much democracy for the Democratic Party (video)

Against McCain, Clinton bests Obama in swing-state polls (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton is stronger than Barack Obama when pitted against John McCain, according to new polls of three major states that tend to swing between Democrats and Republicans in November elections.

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But even some of the few women we do have in the media trash Hillary Clinton:
Rand[i] Rhodes calls Ferraro and Clinton- Whores (video)
The video linked to above contains just the most offensive portions of Randi’s recent appearance in San Francisco.  The video of the entire “performance” was promoted on the website of radio station GREEN 960AM.  If you’re as offended as I am, you can send a message to the station at this link.  Here’s my message: “Your promotion of Randi Rhodes’ appearance in San Francisco where she called Hillary Clinton a “fucking whore” is inexplicable. Why do you promote such filth, and this kind of division in the Democratic Party?”  You can write to Randi’s home network, Air America Radio, at this link.

The Hillary Waltz (by Maureen Dowd)
One of the most valuable lessons the gritty Hillary Clinton can teach the languid Barack Obama — and the timid Democrats — is that the whole point of a presidential race is to win.
Why does every good word about Clinton have to have something to do with how she can help Obama?  Don’t these writers realize how galling it is to those of us who spent years being passed over for promotions, even being forced to train men for jobs we thought we should get?  And why is one of the few women in the national media helping to push this kind of preferential treatment for a male over a female?

Clinton’s Persistence Could Help Obama (by Katherine Q. Seelye, New York Times)
Mrs. Clinton has taken the calls for her to quit and recast them as efforts to disenfranchise the voters. In making it clear that Mrs. Clinton is not dropping out, Maggie Williams, her campaign manager, linked Mrs. Clinton’s struggle with a signal struggle for Democrats. As Ms. Williams wrote in a memorandum on Tuesday, “The last time that we were told we’d better cut the process short or the sky would fall was when the Supreme Court stopped the recount in 2000.” Linking Mrs. Clinton’s cause with a larger one has been successful before. Call it the New Hampshire effect.
Why does every headline have to be cast in terms of how it affects, or could affect, Obama?  And why is one of the few women in the national media helping to push this kind of preferential treatment for a male over a female?

At the Barricades in the Gender Wars (Wall Street Journal)
Just as Barack Obama’s campaign has been empowering for African-Americans, Sen. Clinton’s run has inspired women across the country, drawing millions to the polls and putting her in a neck-and-neck battle for the nomination. She has already gone farther than any woman before her — a source of great pride for her women supporters. But her campaign has also prompted slurs and inflammatory language that many women thought had been banished from public discourse. Some women worry that regardless of how the election turns out, the resistance to Sen. Clinton may embolden some men to resist women’s efforts to share power with them in business, politics and elsewhere.

Polls: What the pro Obama MSM is not reporting. (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Further proof the media is rotten to the core: Polls – Monday BHO had run up a 10 point lead in the Gallup tracking poll. The media went goo goo ga ga. Today that same poll has collapsed back, Obama leads by three. Rassmussen has Clinton ahead. The media is silent about this. The race has tightened in Pennsylvania. Sort of. Clinton still leads substantially in all but one odd poll. The headline is “Obama catching up”.

Lou Dobbs is Correct (by TexasDarlin at MyDD)
Here’s Lou Dobbs giving ‘em hell [Wednesday] night.  Thank the lord someone in prime time gets it:

“…What you said was she cannot win the nomination…well, neither can Senator Obama.”

“…Why in the world is there this compulsion, this insistence, that she can’t win the nomination….neither can Senator Obama!” (emphasis by Lou)

“…And I have never seen in my career greater favoritism applied in the national media…”

Lou is correct.  And I don’t care whether Lou’s views on public policy are conservative, moderate, or whatever.  He has in fact been one of the fairest commentators on any cable channel this election season, certainly on CNN. You can’t even tell who he prefers for President…imagine that!
Click through to watch the video.

A Reply by the Liberal Journal to a Note from the Pro-Hillary Blogs to the Pro-Obama Ones (by Damozel at Buck Naked Politics)
The Liberal Journal thinks it’s a shame that some pro-Hillary blogs are quoting Republicans.  So does Brad at Sadly, No!  “You know who you are,” says Nelson M. of the LJ. With all due respect to these fine publications, perhaps they had better consider what this means about the extent to which pro-Hillary bloggers have been alienated by the relentless scorn, sanctimony, and contempt with which some progressive blogs have treated Hillary Clinton and her supporters during the last few months… Perhaps it would be more productive to ask how a large number of Hillary’s supporters have reached the stage where they feel that their traditional enemies—even Scaife, even Karl Rove— are speaking more rationally, objectively and justly than our fellow Democrats.   Matter for reflection, guys.

The Tao of Rocky (by Susie at Suburban Guerilla, thanks to Corrente)
All over the blogosphere today, bloggers (none of them actually born and raised in Philadelphia, which is relevant here) were referring to this: “In a speech in Philadelphia today, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, compared herself to Philly icon Rocky Balboa… Um….Senator? Rocky lost.” Rocky lost. Oh, the laughter! Oh, the snark! Of course, they missed the point… To Philadelphians (and the thousands of “Rocky” fans who flock here every year), this movie isn’t about winning – it’s about class. It’s about invisible people, living in forgotten, decaying neighborhoods. It’s about the search for dignity. It’s about making people see your life.

Four Stumps in the Water for Obama (by Charles Lipson, Real Clear Politics)
As the high-water mark for Barack Obama recedes, his campaign must now confront several dangerous stumps that were once hidden below the surface. The problems began with Obama’s long attachment to Rev. Wright, Trinity United Church, and Black Liberation Theology, but they won’t end there. So, what issues are now lurking for Obama?

The first is the volatile mix of race and religion, begun with the Rev. Wright controversy. Videos have now surfaced of virulent race-baiting by yet another Chicago preacher with ties to Obama, the Rev. James Meeks. Obama was not a member of Meeks’s church and their connection may be only a tactical alliance between prominent local figures. That’s the question: how close are those ties?…

Obama’s second problem is his most important patron in Illinois politics: Emil Jones. Jones heads the Illinois State Senate and is one of the two most powerful legislators in Springfield. He played a vital role in Obama’s rise in state politics and, most significantly, he blessed Obama’s underdog candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Now that Obama is playing on a national stage, his ties to Jones raise uncomfortable questions about his years in Illinois politics. That’s because Jones is a old-fashioned, wheeler-dealer, the sort that Mike Royko used to write about when he was shredding Richard J. Daley and the Cook Count Democratic machine…

The Rezko trial highlights another problem for Obama, potentially a devastating one, though it is unlikely to arise for several months or more. Antoin “Tony” Rezko is on trial for taking large bribes in return for political favors… Rezko problems are bad news for Obama because the two have close, long-standing ties. Obama initially downplayed those ties and minimized the money Rezko had raised for him…

Obama’s final stump [is his friendliness] with the 1960s radicals, Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Ayers and Dohrn, now married, were members of the Weather Underground, a group that killed police and tried to bomb the US Capitol. Ayers and Dohrn spent a decade on the run before turning themselves in and spending time in jail. Both are now professors and prominent figures in Chicago’s leftist-progressive politics… Obama served with Ayers on the board of a small, leftist foundation, the Woods Fund… Serving with Obama and Ayers was the prominent Palestinian activist, Rashid Khalidi, then a historian at the University of Chicago and now the Edward Said Professor at Columbia.

Fact check: Obama and oil money
WASHINGTON – Democratic Sen. Barack Obama has seized on a key feature of voters’ economic concerns — rising fuel prices — and is casting himself as the candidate who could bring about energy independence because he is not beholden to energy companies… True enough, Obama does not take money from oil companies. No candidate does. It is illegal for corporations to give money to politicians. Corporations, however, do have political action committees that collect voluntary donations from employees and then donate them to candidates. Obama doesn’t take money from PACs. He also doesn’t take money from lobbyists. But he does accept money from executives and other employees of oil companies and two of his fundraisers are oil company executives.

Obama had greater role on liberal survey (Politico)
During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion — positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he has projected during his presidential campaign. The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.
So which is he, liberal as this questionnaire would imply?  Or conservative, as his choice of advisors would imply?  Or a chameleon who will be whoever his immediate audience wants him to be?

Rosenthal of ‘NYT’: Report in ‘Vanity Fair’ is ‘Completely False’
“Arthur Sulzberger did not overrule the board. The sentiment of the Times board was overwhelmingly to endorse Hillary Clinton in the primary,” Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal told E&P. “Arthur did not overrule anything.”

Candidate, Improve Your Appearance! (by Dick Cavett)
Hillary Clinton is just beginning a live speech as I type. And I just failed in my purpose. I tried to reach the Clinton campaign to suggest that she could get a big, heartwarming laugh if she came onstage wearing a flak jacket. I’m not sure the sight gag would have guaranteed her the nomination, but a laugh never hurts and is worth a thousand straight lines… If I were running a campaign, I’d urge taking the mountain of money reportedly squandered on pizza, coffee and bagels and spending it more wisely — on a talented young comedy writer. Remember Twain’s “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand”? All candidates should post this on their shaving mirrors. Or make-up mirrors. (This clumsy gender thing has to stop.)

Karl Rove Claims The Economy Is Only ‘Apparently Struggling’ (Think Progress)
[Wednesday] night on Fox News’ On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, former top adviser to President Bush Karl Rove said that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “faces a tough general election in the midst of a war and a struggling economy.” But recognizing that he veered away from “Republican spin,” Rove quickly corrected himself, saying “or apparently struggling economy”.
Click through to watch the video.

Newsflash: HUD Scandal Broke Last Fall (by Clint Hendler, Columbia Journalism Review)
[Monday], Alphonso Jackson, Bush’s HUD secretary, resigned. “His tenure,” as the AP put it, was “tarnished by allegations of political favoritism and a criminal investigation.”… While the [recent] story may have been the attention-grabbing final nail in Jackson’s coffin, the basic carpentry was quietly done months before. In October, November, and December, Edward Pound, an investigative reporter at The National Journal, produced a three-part series revealing that HUD’s inspector general was investigating allegations that Jackson had secured a HUD job in New Orleans for a lightly-qualified, out-of-state friend, and that the FBI, the Justice Department, and a federal grand jury were involved. Pound even got the contractor to tell him that, sure, Jackson had helped him get the job.

Myth: Americans tuned out Iraq; Fact: The press tuned out Iraq (by Eric Boehlert at Media Matters)
Has the level of awareness among Americans dropped off somewhat during that five-year span? Of course it has… But here’s the bottom line: News consumers’ interest in Iraq remains relatively high, while news coverage has basically vanished. How’s that for a disconnect? The significance, as Eric Alterman and George Zornick wrote, is that “[w]ithout sufficient war coverage and a full spectrum of viewpoints on the conflict, the American people will have no way to make an informed decision about how to proceed and the democratic process will fail to function.”

Media Matters for America headlines

• MSNBC and CNN ignored “boldest question” from student at prep school but reported extensively on students’ question to Chelsea Clinton

• LA Times, AP ignored inconsistency in McCain’s statements about Korea-like troop presence in Iraq

• Wash. Post’s Gerson suggested Obama should “come out strongly for policies that would reduce the number of abortions” — even though he already has

• CNN’s Crowley repeated accusation that Obama “distort[ed]” McCain’s “100 years” remark, without reporting what McCain actually said

• Hill columnist asserted that McCain’s “view that negative ads don’t win campaigns” confirmed by Romney attacks, but McCain attacked too

• Kelly O’Donnell highlighted McCain’s overseas trip “to pump his international image,” ignored misstatements, fundraiser

• McClatchy reported “McCain listens” to “both sides” of supply-side debate — but he’s also spouted “both sides”

• Matthews wrongly suggested Obama exaggerated cost of a tank of gas

• Matthews: Does Obama “connect with regular people” or just African-Americans and college grads?

• Limbaugh: “[A] lot of these feminists and women … think they’re owed” a Clinton win; “they’ve had two or three abortions”

Afghan women protest anti-Islam film
KABUL, Afghanistan – About 70 Afghan women burned the Dutch and Danish flags during a demonstration Wednesday in the capital against an anti-Islam film and the reprinting of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

Rap Music Glorifying Drug Use
Study finds sixfold increase in positive portrayal of substance abuse over last 20 years

Very Nice: Borat Wins Defamation Case (by Jonathan Turley)
Borat can now claim “Legal Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” A judge in New York has dismissed a defamation case against Sacha Baron Cohen and the producer, Twentieth Century Fox, of the movie “Borat. Jeffrey Lemerond is shown in an extremely poor light in the movie as he screams “Go Away” and appears to flee Borat when he tries to hug him. Federal Judge Loretta Preska treated the film as the equivalent to a news story in order to dismiss the complaint. Cohen has largely been successful in a variety of court challenges to the film.

Hewitt tells students: “Don’t do what I did. You’ll get fired.”
“60 Minutes” creator Don Hewitt told a lunch crowd in Seattle that he once told Dan Rather to sock Abraham Zapruder in the mouth, “grab his film” recording the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, make a copy, apologize to him and then give it back. Hewitt said he called Rather back to nix the plan.

The Myth of Youth Readership Initiatives (by Maegan Carberry, Editor & Publisher)
On the eve of this month’s ASNE convention, where the requisite panel on young readers will be held for the umpteenth time, perhaps it’s appropriate to re-evaluate whether the newspaper industry’s efforts to hip-ify itself for the kiddos has actually been productive. The answer is no because the premise is based on a fallacy.

Investigative Journalism Still Thriving in Albany
Investigative reporting — from state politics to steroids — still gets major play in New York at Albany’s ‘Times-Union.’ Says Editor Rex Smith: “The days of being able to arbitrarily say this is what a newspaper ought to be are over. You have to listen to readers. Looking at reader interests alongside the social responsibility.”

No Shift in Radio Suit
A federal judge refused a request by a group of banks to move a lawsuit filed by Clear Channel Communications and its buyers from state court to the federal system.

At NBC, Supersizing the Season
NBC’s promises include fewer reruns, 65 weeks of new shows, the return of favorites like “E.R.” and “Friday Night Lights,” and more product placements from sponsors.

News shops at CBS stations around the country trim staffs
There have been newsroom layoffs at CBS stations in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and several other cities. “It looks big and ugly, but it’s not something that was ordered from on high,” a CBS exec tells Bill Carter. The stations “had to deal with their budget numbers.” In Chicago, the city’s highest-paid anchor, Diann Burns, lost her job at WBBM.

Paramount to Open Virtual Movie Vault
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Paramount Pictures’ film vault is opening up in the virtual world. Thousands of video clips from Paramount’s movie library – ranging from “Footloose” to “Clueless” – will be available inside the virtual 3-D online worlds of There.com and vMTV, Paramount Digital Entertainment and Makena Technologies Inc. announced Wednesday.

YouTube for Smart People (by Ari Melber, The Nation, posted at AlterNet)
Big Think seeks to smarten up the Internet by getting up close and intellectual with the most creative thinkers alive.

Mother Approved: Cookie Launches Participation Program
Monthly Will Feature Products Chosen By Real Moms in Print, Online

March Madness Gets Huge Bounce From New Ratings Method
Cellphone Gadgetry Measures Elusive Out-of-Home Audience

Google Aims to Gain More Package-Goods Ads
At ARF: Study Compares Ads on TV, Web and YouTube

Google Cutting 300 Jobs at DoubleClick
In the first sizable layoffs in its history, Google is trimming the work force at the advertising technology company that it acquired recently.

Comcast rolls out super-fast Internet speeds
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Comcast Corp. the largest U.S. cable television operator, said on Wednesday it has started offering a super-fast Internet service that allows customers to download a high-definition movie in 10 minutes.

AirCell gets FAA Approval for In-Flight WiFi (Mashable)
We talked to AirCell’s Senior Vice President Tom Weigman not long ago on the Mashable Conversations podcast, just shortly after they announced the completion of their coast to coast connectivity network that allowed the theoretical usage of Internet connectivity while flying in commercial airlines. That project is one step closer to becoming reality, as today it was announced that the FAA has certified a couple of integral systems to the operations of the network… [T]hey’re due to start servicing with Internet service American Airlines and Virgin America flights across America.