Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll Saturday, August 09, 2008
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that the race for the White House is tied—Barack Obama and John McCain each attract 44% of the vote. [Emphasis added.] When “leaners” are included, it’s McCain 47% and Obama 46%. With leaners, the candidates have been within one point of each other for nine straight days.

PUMA Gallery (by Pat Racimora at No Quarter)

Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, and Donna Brazile are only a few of the Democratic leaders who need glasses or a wake-up pill or an old fashioned slap upside the head to see what is going on with a good portion of 18 million voters who supported Hillary Clinton. If these people could see the picture, they would be busy trying to heal as many of the abuses the DNC (and sometimes the Obama campaign itself) has permitted, perpetrated, or tacitly encouraged through benign neglect over the last months.

Good for Cindy (by Steve Soto at The Left Coaster)
On the final day to qualify for the ballot, Cindy Sheehan submitted what appears to be enough signatures to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this fall in her San Francisco district. Good. You can reach her website and donate here. I initially was against Sheehan’s efforts to publicly ridicule Pelosi and hold the Speaker to unrealistic expectations about what she could accomplish with 30-40 Blue Dog Democrats acting as DINOs. But since Pelosi took impeachment off the table and has kept it off the table while the criminality continues to pile up, I support Sheehan’s effort to make Pelosi account for her enabling of this regime.

Thomas Frank to Colbert: The argument of my book is that conservatives suck (by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
Thomas Frank appeared on “The Colbert Report” last night to promote his new book, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule, and succinctly explained the thesis of his latest work thusly: Conservatives may be good at winning elections, but they suck when it comes to governing. “Once you start treating it as a business, you know once you start turning over government operations to the market you’re not talking about democracy any more. What you’re talking about is plutocracy. Rule by the wealthy. Rule by the market.”
Yes, but Democrats suck too.  See below.  Click through to watch the video of Frank and Colbert.

Big Business Is Making Sure It Wins the Presidency (by Matt Taibbi, RollingStone, posted at AlterNet)
Both would-be presidents have already sold us out. They’ve taken the money and run — completing the cyclical transformation of the American political narrative from one of monopolistic Republican iniquity to an even more depressing tale about the overweening power of corporate money and the essentially fictitious nature of our two-party system. In layman’s terms, we’ve gone from being screwed to being fucked. Who knows — maybe Barack Obama will surprise us if he wins the election. But if you look at the money, it doesn’t look good.
If we had a Democratic Party that believed in the principles handed down to us from FDR, they’d be using the obvious wrongdoing by Republicans for the last 14 years to put forward some real changes.  Like those discussed below below.

Time to take control of markets  (by James Galbraith)
For many years, liberals have lived in fear and thrall of the market mantra. It’s time to get over it, for if true conservatives realize that our problem is a predator state, shouldn’t liberals be out there doing something about it? Suddenly planning, standards, regulation and progressive taxes don’t seem so bad.

Turn left for growth (by Joseph Stiglitz)
Defenders of markets sometimes admit that they do fail, even disastrously, but they claim that markets are “self-correcting.”… [But] Markets are not self-correcting in the relevant time frame. No government can sit idly by as a country goes into recession or depression, even when caused by the excessive greed of bankers or misjudgment of risks by security markets and rating agencies… The right’s deregulation mantra was simply wrong, and … the price tag – in terms of lost output – will be high, perhaps more than $1.5trn in the US alone. The right often traces its intellectual parentage to Adam Smith, but … Smith recognised the … need for strong anti-trust laws… Today, in contrast to the right, the left has a coherent agenda, one that offers not only higher growth, but also social justice. For voters, the choice should be easy.
Would that the left DID have a coherent agenda, Professor Stiglitz, and that it included sane regulation and reduction of inequalities.  I’m just not seeing it in the candidate representing the Democratic Party.  The Democrats don’t have the courage to develop a way to help Americans understand what’s really at risk here, and Obama is part of the capitulation crowd.

Oh, and please note that I made the same point about Adam Smith as Nobel Prize winner Stiglitz, in the book I would finish if I had a publisher, Off Balance.

Matt Davies

Rocky Mountain News says Obama: holds both American and Kenyan (since 1963) citizenship. (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Rocky Mountain News says Obama holds both American and Kenyan (since 1963) citizenship. Hmmm. I still wonder if a dual citizen can become POTUS. No, I don’t know. Yes, I have read arguments on both sides that make some sense. And yes this is another case of the media simply ignoring what one would think is a topic worth discussing. Of course, that presumes that the MSM has even a remote interest in telling hard truths about THE ONE – like say the slums in Obama’s district, and his nonexistent resume. Regardless of the legality – this is potential political dynamite. Do the “bitter” folks in Ohio and West Virgina want a dual citizen as POTUS?

Tom Vilsack Doesn’t Get It. (Heh heh, I said Vilsack.) (by madamab at The Confluence)
Well, well, well. Isn’t this interesting.
Hello, Democratic Leaders? YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE TALKING TO YOU. Why aren’t you listening? What is wrong with you? Our problems with Obama are based on the issues… We don’t think Obama will be a good President because he is a liar, a total opportunist who will betray anyone and everyone in order to gain power and prestige. He has no beliefs. He has no principles. He loves himself more than should be humanly possible. And, he’s being financed by huge corporate interests who have no desire to rock their financial boats. In short, he reminds us of George W. Bush.

What The Media & Obama Campaign Will Never Understand About Clinton Supporters. (by J Brown at Politically Drunk on Power)
The media and more importantly the DNC and Obama campaign have failed and apparently will never understand that for most Hillary Supporters whom have not fallen in line, the issue is now beyond the nomination of Clinton; it is now an issue of Party Reform… The Democratic Party, led by individuals like Obama, Dean, Pelosi and Reid have been forced to show their true colors. In every action they take, they demonstrate that they are intent only upon increasing their own power. I applaud Clinton Supporters who have not fallen in line, I applaud them not because we agree on every issue, but because we agree upon the foundation of ‘equal representation’ and unique ‘Americanism’ upon which this country was founded.

Democrats derail bid by Clinton backers to ban caucuses (McClatchy)
PITTSBURGH — Devoted Hillary Clinton supporters urged the Democratic Party Saturday to end caucuses, the town hall meetings in states like Iowa where Clinton’s presidential campaign first stumbled and Barack Obama launched his march to the nomination.
Hey, you little old ladies, go suck eggs!  We don’t care if you can’t stand long enough to attend a caucus.  We don’t care if the people who win caucuses are the ones who will cheat and browbeat.  We are the Democrats!  No way do we care about democracy.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – Why Obama Can’t Give It and Why He Will Lose (by Ani at No Quarter)
Two months after Obama has claimed the nomination, far from abating, the clamor for Hillary to be nominated has gotten louder. PUMA has grown, for obvious reasons. One big problem: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. We can’t seem to get any. Never mind sastisfaction. We ain’t getting’ any of that either… If Obama really had respect for Hillary or Bill Clinton and was generous enough to put the interests of someone else besides himself first – you know, like the American people, he would show the respect to her and to her voters and ask for her name to be put into nomination. He would want the stronger candidate to drive us to victory – whoever that may be – and let the chips fall where they may. He would want everyone to be heard, knowing, as Hillary herself has stated, we would have a better chance then to be united as a party and win in November.

However, Senator Obama’s nature is to ride a wave of arrogance in order to cover up his fear, so true unity at the Convention, true respect for Hillary and her platform obviously will not happen. Not of Obama’s own volition, anyway… The very thing that keeps the Obama campaign insistent on continuing this pattern of exclusion and disrespect is the very thing that will destroy the Democratic Party… It is ironic that Senator Obama’s personal flaws prevent him from doing the one thing in August that might give him even an outside chance in November.

Dana Summers

Man whose campaign destroyed Bill Clinton’s reputation to allow him chance to repair it (by vastleft at Corrente)
(by publicly praising the candidate whose campaign rode dirty on him). msnbc.com headline: “Bill Clinton to speak at Democratic Convention — Speaking role offered by Obama campaign to end tensions, NBC reports.”

Saturday: John Edwards- How Conveeeenient. (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
So, it turns out that John Edwards really was the phony the media told us he was.  For once, the media was right… But that isn’t what all the kerfuffle is about today.  No, today, we are once again immersed in the details of a tawdry affair by a man with an ailing wife.  The infotainment business is going nuts feeding the public teasers.  Is he the father?  When did it start?  What was he doing “talking” to Hunter in her apartment at 2am?  Yes, it’s fascinating.  It’s juicy. It’s a huge distraction.  It has swamped news of the convention.  How conveeenient.

Will Obama’s Secret Deal with Edwards Be Revealed? (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
Let’s look back to the day after the West Virginia primary. Hillary had drubbed Obama, garnering 67 percent of the vote. So what did Obama promise John Edward to get his endorsement on that day? Attorney General? You can bet the house that Obama promised Edwards a cabinet post for his well timed endorsement. Whatever promises were made, Edwards is toast. I don’t care whether John Edwards is the father of an illegitimate child. That’s a private matter and something he must sort out with his wife and his paramour. But as far as dealing with Obama, that’s something we have a right to know. Will Edwards now come clean and tell us what Obama promised him. That’s dirtier than a sordid little affair in my book.

Obama camp suggests McCain has “a woman problem” (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
The Obama campaign just sent out an email with the compellng headline: “Does John McCain have a woman problem?” Coming the day after John Edwards admitted an extramarital affair, the headline might be seen as suggesting the same for McCain. Edwards himself said in his confessional interview on ABC Friday evening that McCain had had an affair at the end of his first marriage. But no, the Obama camp wasn’t saying that. Instead, the enticing headline drew readers into a New Republic article on McCain’s opposition to abortion rights. Thus, his “woman problem.”

Blame Edwards? Blame the Netroots. (by Pacific John at Alegre’s Corner)
The revelation that John Edwards cheated on his wife is sad on the personal level, but really carries only one political lesson: The netroots does a shitty job picking vetted candidates.  No more, no less. Throwing their support behind the two most flawed candidates, the netroots is batting .000… It will be the netroot’s fault when Obama’s inevitable scandals hit. Superdelegates are you paying attention?… (I wonder how they’ll blame this on Hillary?) ;)

Milbank, Olbermann, and Obama (by Sheldon Drobny, posting at Daily Kos)
The speech Obama presented to a group of Democrats [Thursday a week ago] included the following phrase: ” It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign-that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all.  It’s about America. I have just become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions …” Dana Milbank only quoted the last sentence of this segment of Obama’s speech which is the basis for the accusation by many including Olbermann that leaving out the preceding sentence created a more cynical and ego-centric perception to the reader. The allegation is that the previous sentence was necessary to put the comment “I have just become a symbol….” in better context…

The plain English language meaning of the sentence that everyone is disturbed about is exactly the meaning of the previous sentence in which Obama essentially says that he is only a symbol… Most of the electorate has a dim view of the press and those in the media who desire to protect Obama with these trivial reactions are going to hurt Obama because it fosters a perception of reverse racism to seep into the election process. I strongly suggest that those who were critical of Milbank including Olbermann start evaluating their own subjective reactions to good concise language skills.

Olbermann v. Milbank: The Back Story (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Aha! I knew someone would get to the bottom of this shocker (”Keith Olbermann Declares Off With Dana Milbank’s Head”)… Politico’s Michael Calderone has the scoop…: “Milbank’s dissatisfaction with the show started before any controversy over the Obama piece or questions from Olbermann about misquoting the Democratic candidate, according to sources.” Isn’t that what most sentient beings had already figured out? That for all of Olbermann’s heavy-breathed sternness and breathless tirade published at the distinguished Daily Kos, it turns out that it was Milbank who was sick and tired of Olbermann’s and his crew’s stunts?

liberal group offers $100,000 reward for convictions of GOP groups (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
Call it the doctrine of pre-emptive political war. A new liberal group called Accountable America is launching an effort to intimidate Republican donors and suppress any potential political attacks on Democrats. “Our aim is to stop the ‘swiftboat’ groups before they get off the ground,” said Tom Matzzie, the founder of the group and a veteran of such groups as Moveon.org Political Action. “These people have to be stopped.” Among the tools: a $100,000 reward for information leading to convictions of Republican organizations “that violate the law,” presumably meaning election laws. Also, a letter will be sent to 10,000 Republican donors warning “of the consequences of funding organizations that break or skirt the law.”

Republicans sources this summer told McClatchy that past rulings against independent political groups by the Federal Election Commission already was having a chilling effect on contributions. Despite warnings from Democrats including Barack Obama that they’re being harassed by a ‘Republican attack machine,” reports show that liberal independent political operations have raised more money than conservative ones.

Judge: Denver can restrict protests at convention
Protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Denver can be restricted to fenced-in areas, federal judge ruled on Wednesday, saying that security needs outweighed curbs on their rights.

Cheney to speak at GOP convention on opening night
WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney, a conservative favorite but a divisive national figure, will join President Bush in addressing delegates on the opening night of the Republican National Convention, the White House said Friday.
So much for the rumor that he wouldn’t speak.

Asked to give Bush administration a movie title, Americans say ‘Get Smart.’ (Think Progress)
A new U.S. News and World Report poll asked respondents, “President Bush is about to get the Oliver Stone treatment in the new movie W. Of recent movies, which title best sums up your view of the Bush administration?” The results: 35 percent chose “Get Smart,” 25 percent — “X Files: I Want to Believe,” 19 percent — “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” 14 percent — “Batman: The Dark Knight,” and 7 percent — “Enchanted.”