Where are Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain when you need them?

BANNED – at least Mark Twain is banned in the schools for … archaic language.

I don’t know about the ratings thing. Randi Rhodes made some good points today saying that many of the “sponsors” on these shows don’t sell anything we can buy, sponsors like ADM and oil rig companies. They sponsor the shows so that they can control the content. It isn’t about ratings it is about controlling the public discourse—to make sure that there isn’t any.

While I don’t discount Ms. Rhodes’ comment totally, I’ve been on the other side of this situation (many years doing communications for a company that had a LOT of defense contracts AND owned some TV stations) and to tell you the truth, there wasn’t really much energy put into trying to persuade The Public about anything.

These companies target people they refer to as “decision-makers” and, believe me, the great unwashed masses who spend hours in front of the tube (even if the tube is cable news) ain’t them. These companies buy their influence from the DMs DIRECTLY, not indirectly. They host private and expensive weekends at resorts and spas (54 holes at The Greenbriar, anyone? followed by single malt and cigars, ‘natch) where the captains of industry are invited to rub shoulders with the Capitol’s and the Pentagon’s finest while their little women are whisked off for massages and shopping with Congressman’s so-and-so’s little woman. If it’s a really important weekend, some Japanese or Euro bigwigs might even be included (especially if the party’s at The Masters or the US Open). Decisions are made and contracts are prepared and signed weeks later.

Of course candidates are considered and accepted or rejected, too, and checks are made out and delivered according to The Word from whichever K Street firm is on the payroll. (My company employed John Sununu, father of the current senator, for megabucks. I don’t know how much good he did, as the company was dissolved in spite of its billions in defense contracts.)

Timmeh may be proud as punch to be hosting a show aimed at decision-makers, but the people who are funneling money his way are just doing it to show the flag in a small way. MTP doesn’t even cost much with the kind of money they’re used to doling out and the likes of Russ, Tweety, and Company flatter themselves if they think they’re directing the discourse that runs the country.

You want to get a Congressman to do something for ya? Get him in a foursome with the top two people from your company and one of those dudes from the Senior PGA tour (who make more money whoring for Corporate America than they do winning Senior tournaments). By the time the group gets to the 19th hole, the Congressman’ll be posing for pictures with his good ole pal Fuzzy Zoeller (or whomever) and his vote’ll be in your pocket.

Sound familiar?

This is the same dynamic at work in politics and campaign contributions, but in the case of the media, with fat cat advertisers pulling the puppet strings of the programs on television…and even radio…literally blackmailing those airing stuff over our publicly-owned airwaves.

And Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision the other day okayed that this blackmailing should continue.

This is why I think the Fairness Doctrine, even if reenacted, will not do much to change what the “culture of corruption” conservatives have done to monopolize our publicly-owned airwaves, unless provisions are included addressing this “advertising dollar” blackmail scheme.

Just as the greediest citizens among us will continue to corrupt our electoral system as long as campaign finance reform remains unresolved.

1. A smear campaign the likes of which you’ve never seen (the real reason Matthews put Coulter up: his corporate masters said so – plenty of progressive writers outsell Coulter and you don’t see them with repeat engagements on the MSM).

2. Lots of fundie ass-kissing.

Look at the bright side – we’re in a target-rich environment!

Well good luck with that NBC. I haven’t watched NBC since the early 90s, and haven’t watched ANY corporate cable news since the late 90s. Except that little spot in there about 9-11-01 and that didn’t last long.

I sometimes suspect that the Bushco thugs are like that old Sci-Fi story where the aliens ate the human and then took over the husk.
Of course with Timmeh the alien and human both could inhabit the same body quite comfortably. Heh!

The only Christian novel I would read at this point in time would have to be a scathing satire of Christianity as practiced by America’s political class. Where are Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain when you need them?

Well, not about America’s political class, but about religion as politics: Raising the Stones by Sheri Tepper. Not easy to get ahold of, but a terrific shredding of the, um, lesser aspects of Judeo/Christian/Islamic beliefs (and the general topic of ridiculous beliefs).

Digby pointed out another NBC-related propaganda issue on 6/25 (my emphasis added)

when I’m the young troop in uniform on screen, and the viewer sees “Our hearts are with you,” do you think the reporter’s going to ask me a critical question? Of course not. But I’m out there giving political answers. I’m out there saying, “We’re going to invade Iraq” — and this was the real catch: they would ask me before I would go on air live, “Are there any messages you want to get across today?” Well, yeah. My boss comes straight from the White House, and they have the messages of the day, and so they would give it to us. So I’d say, “Sure. WMD, regime change, ties with terrorism.” And they go, “OK. Well, I’ll ask you these questions, so we can get those answers out.” And they set it all up.

AMY GOODMAN: Who, in particular, would say this?

JOSH RUSHING: You know, I pick on FOX a lot. FOX reporters would do it. But NBC did it, as well. Those two were probably the worst about it, because those two were the most competitive about wanting access.

Access to Dick Cheney and his military contracting business?