Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Denver And Palin Fuel Biggest Campaign Week Yet (Project for Excellence in Journalism)
For much of last week, the Democrats’ effort to make peace and reintroduce Obama to voters were the focal points of campaign coverage. How much success did John McCain have in suddenly stealing the media narrative?

Bag News Notes

Palin touts small-town roots, rips Obama
ST. PAUL, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Sarah Palin touted her small-town roots and lashed out at Democrat Barack Obama during a fiery speech to the Republican convention on Wednesday, ridiculing her critics as out-of-touch elitists who do not understand everyday life in America. In her public debut in the spotlight, John McCain’s choice for vice president electrified supporters with a brutal assault on Obama and members of the news media who have questioned her qualifications. “If you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone,” the Alaska governor told the crowd, which chanted “Sarah, Sarah” and held signs reading “Palin Power” and “Hockey Moms 4 Palin.”
Yep, that’s the line of attack.  I used to think Republicans were just making up this elitism stuff about Democrats.  Since then, I’ve met the Arugula Left myself, up close and personal.  This will “resignate”, my friends.

Palin thoughts. (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Quick thoughts on Palin’s speech.
1. A star was born tonight.
2. She comes by the nickname “Sarah Barracuda” honestly.
3. She hit Obama in a way Clinton supporters wanted Hillary to for 8 months. She called a fraud a fraud.
4. She and her family are authentic. This authenticity throws the hologram that is Obama into sharp relief. Obama’s entire life is a P. R. creation. Palin’s is real.

Formidable (by Arthur Silber at The Power of Narrative)
A note to Democrats and many of the liberal-progressive political operatives bloggers: Don’t fuck with her, boys. Disagree with her on policy all you want, and attack her for her political positions (all of which I disagree with, and many of which I loathe) — but do not fuck with her. For all the misogynist pigs out there (and Christ, there are a hell of a lot of you, aren’t there? Do y’all hate on gays when you need to kill some time? Betcha do. Oh, yeah, many of you have that one going, too.), the emphasis is on boyz. You’ll get your heads handed to you. She did a lot of that [Wednesday night], and something tells me she’s just warming up. God, this is going to be fun. Now I can hardly wait.

Par for the course: Politics as miniature golf, the back nine (by Lance Mannion)
The stories of Barack Obama and Joe Biden—and Hillary and Bill Clinton—are stories of … exceptional kids, smarter, more disciplined, more talented than other kids, who made good through luck, pluck, decency, and brains, skill, talent, and a heroic capacity for hard work… Sarah Palin’s story [is more ordinary].  Nothing spectacular.  Nothing amazing.  Just one average job averagely well done after another.  And that’s her appeal.  That’s her purpose on the ticket.  She’s there to be average in order to appeal to “average” Americans… “I’m average just like you.”… The story of an average kid who worked hard and made good through luck, pluck, and (so far) apparent decency.

Sarah Palin’s speech (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
Josh Marshall called her a train wreck. After listening to her, I say that she’s a guided missile — headed directly at Obama. And at professional jackasses like Josh Marshall. I don’t agree with her on one major issue — we need higher taxes to pay back the money we owe. But she did well. And it was cute to see Chris’n'Keith at a loss for words.

ERA, Finally (by Lynne in Lakeland at Liberal Rapture)
I like strong women. Maybe because I am one. I’m not threatened by other women’s success. I applaud it because it raises the possibilities for all of us. We shouldn’t be disqualified because we’re menstruating, gestating or lactating. Judge us on our merits. John McCain has surrounded himself with strong women. He pays them the same as he pays his male staffers… Governor Palin is the point of equal rights. You can’t say she got where she is because of her husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather or any other man. She got where she is by herself. She doesn’t want to pull the ladder up after her and she acknowledges the women who came before her. That is a great message for all women.

Dan Froomkin: Unqualified for Duty
Palin would be spectacularly unqualified for the job of vice president even if McCain were immortal. But the prospect of her suddenly being thrust into the leadership of the free world has got to leave everyone but the most loyal, talking-point-equipped partisans deeply chilled.
Every mention of Palin as being unqualified highlights the fact that Barack Obama is EVEN LESS qualified, though most corporate media folks won’t say so out loud. But the message gets across, nevertheless.  And besides, Obama had great things to say about the pipeline she has pushed.  See below.

Obama And Governor Sarah Palin’s Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline!!! (by NancyA at No Quarter)
After the talking heads have been running their mouths for the last few days about Governor Sarah Palin’s inexperience, it turns out Obama added Governor Palin’s Alaskan Natural Gas pipeline to his own energy “policy”. The pipeline requires the Alaskan governor to work with the Canadian government to ensure the completion of the project. Obama is touting a part of Palin’s energy plan and admired the energy policy so much he decided to add the pipeline to his energy plan. It is important in that it shows that Obama acknowledges that Palin’s administration has taken a step toward improving the environment and creating jobs.

Sidelined (by Anglachel)
I followed the Republican convention [Wednesday night], becoming more angry by the minute. 2004 all over again, the DNC having boxed itself into a trap of its own making… I will not vote Republican, … [b]ut the DNC has shoved an illegitimate candidate in my face, and that, too, is not something I will support… I no longer have a dog in this fight. My candidate and my concerns have been asked to exit the stage. There is nothing I can do that I am also willing to do to affect the outcome in November, so I’ll be spending the next ten weeks or so on the sidelines, picking apart the cultural baggage and writing political theory.

Thursday: Sit it out or mess with the DNC’s head? (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
The progressive blogosphere 1.0 (PB 1.0) has lost all perspective.  Jeralyn Merrit at talkleft is spinning furiously to make Palin look bad.  Josh Marshall is Palin 24/7.  Kos is allowing the lunatics to run the asylum…  What makes PB 1.0 think we’re going to suddenly check our brains at the door and fall for this stuff now? I know!  How about treating us like sentient beings instead of brainless harpies with vaginas.  What a novel concept.  That way, PB 1.0 could stop writing ridiculous diatribes about Palin that only serve to discredit themselves in our eyes.  Instead, they could start writing the post-election circular firing squad diaries they’re all famous for whenever the Democrats lose.  No time like the present…

Don’t make up your mind yet.  There’s a lot of sucking up both parties have to do between now and November 4.  You’ve got a lot of power.  Put it to good use, give the Democrats fits.  Work for Ed O’Reilly and put Kerry out of our misery.  It’s a great short term goal that will have the DNC scared silly.  Bwahahahahahahahhhhhh!

No, We’re Not Voting Obama. Get Over It! (by madamab at The Confluence)
[H]ere is what the Obama/DNC Conglomerate’s actions tell us:
• Misogyny is perfectly okay, whether the woman is a Democrat or a Republican.
• Despite garnering the most primary votes of any candidate IN HISTORY, despite jumping every hurdle every other Democratic nominee has ever jumped in the past, Hillary Clinton was still undeserving of either the Presidential OR the Vice-Presidential nomination. Because, well, VAGINA!!!!…

How about the actions of the Republican Party?
• Leapt forward to defend sexism directed at their VP pick.
• Picked a woman as VP because of what she could bring to the Party: evangelical and conservative voters, and Republican, Independent and PUMA-tic women and men who may wish to put female empowerment above other issues…

So stop it already. There is nothing Obama can say to gain our votes… Some of us are leaving the top of the ticket blank, some are voting McKinney/ Clemente, some of us are voting Nader, and some of us are voting McCain. But just as we said long ago, we are NOT voting for the illegitimate, unqualified and unelectable Barack Obama. Turns out that women CAN make up their minds after all. Get. Over. It.

She is the right choice (by intranets at Corrente)
“Election Will Hinge on Abortion Issue”. Could it be that Palin was vetted better than people think? Is it possible that her Down-Syndrome baby (and all the babygate rumours) and having a pregnant 17-yr old daughter were known about and the inevitable national headlines. Is it a viable strategy to turn all campaign talk to pregnancy and keep it a front issue in all the tabloids, blogs and press until November? Or am i too cynical.
It’s impossible to be TOO cynical when thinking about the potential calculations of political operatives.  And speaking of the abortion issue, Republicans again show us how it’s done.  See below.

Cindy McCain parts with Palin on abortion, sex ed
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain doesn’t agree with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest.
Showing us that there are different points of view, even at the highest levels of the party.  I have no idea whether this is what Cindy McCain actually believes, I only point this out to show how Republicans play this game.

Small Towns and Big Time Politics (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
When you grow up in a small or mid-sized town, over time you come to realize that people from bigger towns, in general, have a condescending attitude about how and where you grew up… People who live in these areas are not, however, fools. They think that the people who think this way – the city boys – lack even the basics of common sense, and certainly aren’t as rugged and tough as the country boys… This is the feeling Sarah Palin wants to tap into… That’s what the elitism charge is all about, to remind people in these areas that these people think they are better than they are, they look down upon their way of life.

The Palin Convention And The Culture War Option (by Jay Rosen at PressThink)
John McCain’s convention gambit is a culture war strategy. It depends for its execution on conflict with journalists, and with bloggers along with confusion between and among the press, the blogosphere, and the Democratic party.

Poking around at Palin-Palooza (by Dave Barry, McClatchy)
ST. PAUL — As the Republican convention nears its conclusion and John McCain prepares to make his acceptance speech, we in the news media, having finally grown weary of the endless speculation and gossip about Sarah Palin, are turning our attention, at long last, to additional speculation and gossip about Sarah Palin.

Politics don’t get dirtier than smearing pregnant girl (by John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
Have American presidential politics become so hateful that a pregnant 17-year-old girl has to have the intimate details of her life exposed to the nation by character assassins? Ask the left-wing Internet haters, the anonymous propagandists who call themselves bloggers on the Daily Kos. “Sarah Palin is NOT The Mother” cried one Daily Kos blogger who goes by a screen name ArcXIX. “Attention! Read The Follow-Up too! BabyGate: Explosive New Details”.

Welcome to the Machine (by dcmediagirl at No Quarter)
No doubt you’ve heard about the Republican Noise Machine. Welcome to the Nutroot Echo Chamber 2008. Here’s how it works: Some idiot posts a wild-eyed, ridiculous conspiracy theory on a blog. It’s picked up by other bloggers. Rumor becomes brushfire which starts to burn out of control across the Internets. MSM picks up on rumor. Rumor broadcast and printed. Panels are formed to discuss the “issues” addressed in the rumor. Media critics write about the feeding frenzy. A kind of quasi-remorse ensues. “Responsible” bloggers reevaluate. MSM reports on reevaluation. Everyone agrees the story was covered in a balanced way. MSM congratulates itself for not being irresponsible like those Cheetohs-munching kids in pajamas. No irony detected by anyone in the MSM as they deflect blame for covering a story that would never make it past a responsible, old school city editor. Kudos all around. Meahwhile, a false story has been spread and repeated dozens if not hundreds of times. The circus packs up and moves on, leaving scorched earth behind.

How did the Left go so wrong? (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Was Sally Quinn always this pathetic? My God – imagine this person who has spent the majority of her life having dinner parties attacking Sarah Palin who actively involved herself in her community and became a Governor. What is it about these cocktail party liberals that can’t abide Sarah Palin? Can you even imagine Sally Quinn questioning a man with children running for high office? Did she question Biden’s abilities to be a single father and a senator?… Bill Maher called [Palin] a “stewardess”. Think about that. Let it sink in. He insulted every single working mom in the world. He insulted stewardesses- whose job is taxing to say the least and much more difficult that being a show pony on HBO. And the Left – the “liberals” are delighted.

Where are the alleged feminists? How are those women who fought for ERA remaining silent as KOS and Huffington slime a self made woman? There is not even a political husband that gave a leg up to Palin. She became a mayor and a governor ON HER MERITS. I do not agree with Palin on a lot. But as a liberal – the person who is Palin – IS THE POINT of all the battles.

Looks like “it’s the vetting” is the new “it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up” (by lambert at Corrente)
It’s a crock. Come on. Everyone knows the real issue isn’t the vetting: The real issue is that Sarah Palin is trashy and her daughter is a slut. And, oh yeah, did you hear the guy’s a redneck?… She’s a 17-year-old slut! Let’s inspect her uterus!… What we’re seeing is the future of the Ds.

Kos’ Gift to the Republicans (by campskunk at Alegre’s Corner)
When you have to listen to lectures about sexist treatment of women from Mike Huckabee…. and he’s got a valid point… you’re not helping your cause any. Just saying.

Where were all the Republican women when Hillary was smeared? (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Talk about hypocrites. The Republicans carefully orchestrated this media buzz about Palin and now are playing the hurt feminists who are just standing up for Sarah.
Where were YOU when Hillary was smeared, John?  You didn’t engage, but you didn’t condemn, either.

Biden says Palin family is off limits to critics
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Republican presidential nominee John McCain began his final drive for the White House on Thursday with a boost from running mate Sarah Palin while Democratic opponent Joe Biden declared her family “off limits” and suggested that some news media coverage of her had been sexist.
Does anyone remember Biden complaining about sexist coverage of Hillary?  I don’t.

Last Call (by dcmediagirl at No Quarter)
It saddens me immensely to have to post this entry. I’ve been let down by one of my role models, and I don’t like it… Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott has joined the frat boy club. God I hate this. Headline: “Soulmate…? ….or fuck buddy?” Oofah. It continues: “… it doesn’t take a Sherlock to deduce from [a] video … which shows McCain Freudian-fiddling with his wedding ring as he glances sidelong at his running (soul_mate, that his unconscious longs to sack the Republican Party’s earthmother savior in the end zone, if I may borrow a football metaphor in honor of the upcoming NFL season…” I want to cry.

Media Swoons Over Palin’s Fiery Speech (by Michael Calderone at Politico)
It wasn’t surprising that when Palin took the podium, she said she had a “little news flash for those reporters and commentators” — that she was not going to Washington to seek their opinion. Just then, an impromptu chant of “NBC! NBC!” broke out among the attendees, who likely prefer Bill O’Reilly to Keith Olbermann. But whether she wanted it or not, commentators had opinions.
Did Calderone express a similar opinion about media “swooning” over Obama’s speech?  I noticed swooning, but I didn’t see any criticism of it.

Pointless. (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
MSNBC’s post-Palin-speech coverage has consisted entirely of various reporters sitting around talking about how successful the speech was, speculating about how voters will react to it.  But viewers don’t need to be told how they’ll react to Palin’s presentation — they can react to it all by themselves, without being told how to react by a bunch of pundits. Meanwhile, not one MSNBC reporter has said a single word about whether what Palin said was accurate.
But Media Matters, they did the same thing for Obama, and I didn’t notice you complaining then.  That situation may be changing, however.  See below.

AP, Which Threw Cold Water on Obama Address, Calls Palin Speech ‘Star-Turning’  (Editor & Publisher)
NEW YORK An Associated Press analysis of Barack Obama’s widely praised (across the political spectrum) speech last Thursday drew much criticism from liberals and media critics last week for its dour tone. Would the AP offer the same kind of muted response to Sarah Palin’s big address on Wednesday night? Not exactly. The article by Tom Raum and Liz Sidoti opened: “Sarah Palin delivered. An embattled vice presidential candidate, a novice on the national stage, the head of a family suffering its ‘ups and downs,’ the first-term Alaska governor rocked the GOP convention with a star-turning performance.” The AP’s lead analysis had hit Obama for not providing enough specifics in his speech. The main AP account of the Palin speech mentioned no specifics–but did not fault her for that at all. Most other media outlets also depicted the speech as successful.

A Change in the Weather (by Anglachel)
Obama owes where he is right now to being the Media Darling of a fawning press. But the difficult part of being the media’s darling is you are one until you don’t look like a certain winner, and then you’re TSOL. There are two articles in the NYT tonight to take note of. “Old Friends in the Media See a New Side of McCain” – the elite kiss-up kidz of the media are suddenly worried that they don’t have immediate access to and cozy relationships with Mr. Maverick… “McCain Policies Differ Sharply From Party Plank” – strong resuscitation of the old lies about McCain being such a maverick. See, he isn’t as scary as we thought. Darn, he’s almost downright moderate! If they weren’t worried about him winning, they wouldn’t bother to burnish this image… The MSM only backs a winner, even if they have to make one up.

McCain Camp Threatens Legal Action Against National Enquirer)
John McCain’s campaign threatened legal action against the National Enquirer yesterday for running a story about McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, allegedly having an affair with her husband’s business partner. “The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Gov. Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie,” said McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt. Drudge Report: The Enquirer responds that “our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign’s vetting process.”

Retirees Propel McCain to the Fundraising Finish Line (Capital Eye)
ST. PAUL — Preparing for a general election in which he cannot collect private donations, John McCain vaulted in front of Barack Obama in fundraising from one of the biggest groups of donors in American politics: the senior set. A new analysis of the Republican nominee’s summer fundraising by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found McCain leading Obama among retired donors almost two to one in June and July, $8.1 million to $4.5 million.

McCain has young supporters, too (McClatchy)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Although the public opinion polls find Barack Obama leading John McCain by 2-1 among young voters, the 72-year-old Arizona Republican senator has youthful supporters who are looking to him for change.

Open Mic Night at MSNBC (by Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal)
Wednesday afternoon, in a live MSNBC television panel hosted by NBC’s political analyst Chuck Todd, and along with Republican strategist Mike Murphy, we discussed Sarah Palin’s speech this evening to the Republican National Convention… When the segment was over and MSNBC was in commercial, Todd, Murphy and I continued our conversation, talking about the Palin choice overall. We were speaking informally, with some passion — and into live mics. An audio tape of that conversation was sent, how or by whom I don’t know, onto the internet… In the truncated version of the conversation, on the Web, it appears I am saying the McCain campaign is over. I did not say it, and do not think it.
Crooks and Liars has the audio of the exchange.

At propaganda, we are still such amateurs (by lambert at Corrente)
Reuters: “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was feted by Russian media on Sunday for saving a television crew from an attack by a Siberian tiger in the wilds of the Far East.” I wonder which candidate will try something similar first? And what will they save?

McCain, Obama agree to 9/11 service forum (On Politics, USA Today)
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have agreed to appear at a forum on service and civic engagement at Columbia University on Sept. 11. The forum, their first joint appearance as nominees, will be moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS and Richard Stengel of TIme. The forum is sponsored by Service Nation, a 110-group coalition representing 100 million people. If you want to submit questions for the candidates, click here. They’ll be questioned in live back-to-back interviews at 8 p.m. ET.

Amy Goodman Grills St. Paul Police Chief About Her Arrest and Two Democracy Now! Producers
On Tuesday morning, St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington held a news conference where he spoke about the nearly 300 people arrested in a police crackdown on protesters a day earlier. Among them were several journalists covering the protests in the streets, including three of us at Democracy Now!—Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Amy Goodman questions Harrington about the arrests.

Plans for kidnapping, bombs at convention: documents
ST. PAUL (Reuters) – Self-described anarchists discussed kidnapping delegates and practiced throwing Molotov cocktails to disrupt the Republican National Convention, according to court documents released on Wednesday… The documents painted a chilling picture of the plans behind Monday’s unrest, when a few hundred black-clad protesters smashed store windows and threw rocks and bottles at police, marring an otherwise peaceful antiwar march in the Minnesota capital.

GOP scales back TV ad plans
WASHINGTON – Republicans’ Senate campaign arm called off television ads Tuesday that were to air in New Mexico in the run-up to Election Day, an indication that it’s leaving the GOP candidate there to fend for himself as the party braces for losses.

Study: Based Solely On Olympics Ads, McCain Prevails (by Steve McClellan, AdWeek)
If the outcome of the November election were based solely on the impact of the candidates’ Olympics ads, John McCain would defeat Barack Obama, according to research just out from Nielsen IAG.

GOP primary loser endorses Dem for Congress in Md.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – An attorney hoping to become the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Congress picked up an endorsement Tuesday from the incumbent who lost a GOP primary for the seat.

Why MSNBC Makes Brian Williams Squirm (by James Poniewozik, Time)
Cable news thrives on heat, and it’s not necessarily bad for the channel to generate its own. As long as people don’t start quitting en masse or getting fired, it only cements an image of MSNBC as a place whose hosts have passions and share them. Where it creates problems for the larger NBC News family is — well, right in Jon Stewart’s chair.