Comments on: How The Media Convinced Themselves Obama Was A Liberal http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/ Firedoglake weblog Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:29:31 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: AitchD http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745942 AitchD Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:29:26 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745942 <p>Isn’t it great to know that we live in a world where anyone can grow up to be a blogger, i.e., a force to be reckoned with? Speaking of reckoning, very soon (after the data are all analyzed and synthesized) poli-sci exams will have the following question:</p> <p>Which one of the following media had the most or greatest influence* in determining the outcome of the 2008 presidential election AFTER the primary campaigns were concluded?</p> <p>*according to only the best polls by only the best people</p> <p>a. in-person speeches by the candidates<br /> b. telegrams<br /> c. newspapers<br /> d. radios<br /> e. TVs<br /> f. direct-mailings<br /> g. Internets</p> Isn’t it great to know that we live in a world where anyone can grow up to be a blogger, i.e., a force to be reckoned with? Speaking of reckoning, very soon (after the data are all analyzed and synthesized) poli-sci exams will have the following question:

Which one of the following media had the most or greatest influence* in determining the outcome of the 2008 presidential election AFTER the primary campaigns were concluded?

*according to only the best polls by only the best people

a. in-person speeches by the candidates
b. telegrams
c. newspapers
d. radios
e. TVs
f. direct-mailings
g. Internets

]]> By: redX http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745902 redX Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:37:44 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745902 <p>Actully it was a lie all along and they knew it. Most anyone that investigates should know it. I suppose the lie did get exposed to people that really do not know - I always thought that was two fold:<br /> - push the lie Obama was a liberal to try and cost him votes<br /> - if that fails at least it sets him up to be “moving to the left”</p> <p>The entire “center-right country” is real stupid but has truth in some ways:<br /> without reguard to the PEOPLE being center-left the power + money biz/pols RULE the country center-right and laugh behind everyones back to think that the people should have a real democracy.</p> Actully it was a lie all along and they knew it. Most anyone that investigates should know it. I suppose the lie did get exposed to people that really do not know – I always thought that was two fold:
- push the lie Obama was a liberal to try and cost him votes
- if that fails at least it sets him up to be “moving to the left”

The entire “center-right country” is real stupid but has truth in some ways:
without reguard to the PEOPLE being center-left the power + money biz/pols RULE the country center-right and laugh behind everyones back to think that the people should have a real democracy.

]]> By: Watson http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745876 Watson Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:43:46 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745876 <p>Whether Obama is the ‘most liberal member of Congress’, or liberal at all, the terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ in our political lexicon refer to liberal and conservative capitalists. And our reigning economic theory, courtesy of Reagan-Greenspan-Clinton-Rubin-Summers-Bush, holds that the best capitalism features maximum privatization and de-regulation. (Although in practice, capitalism has always provided a socialist safety net for the rich — witness the Paulson-Bernanke trillion-dollar no-questions-asked giveaways.) </p> <p>Obama’s impressive electoral mandate, which he earned by campaigning as an inclusive moderate capitalist, coincides with an authentic economic crisis. Our current economic situation obviously requires government solutions that substantially overlap with what’s been known as socialism.</p> <p>Obama has been at pains to stress that he is not a socialist, but he has not embraced the ‘creative destruction’ touted in the cult-of-the-entrepreneur textbooks. What will he do? Is he inclined to break out of the ideological straitjacket? More socialism for the rich? Or for everyone this time?</p> Whether Obama is the ‘most liberal member of Congress’, or liberal at all, the terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ in our political lexicon refer to liberal and conservative capitalists. And our reigning economic theory, courtesy of Reagan-Greenspan-Clinton-Rubin-Summers-Bush, holds that the best capitalism features maximum privatization and de-regulation. (Although in practice, capitalism has always provided a socialist safety net for the rich — witness the Paulson-Bernanke trillion-dollar no-questions-asked giveaways.)

Obama’s impressive electoral mandate, which he earned by campaigning as an inclusive moderate capitalist, coincides with an authentic economic crisis. Our current economic situation obviously requires government solutions that substantially overlap with what’s been known as socialism.

Obama has been at pains to stress that he is not a socialist, but he has not embraced the ‘creative destruction’ touted in the cult-of-the-entrepreneur textbooks. What will he do? Is he inclined to break out of the ideological straitjacket? More socialism for the rich? Or for everyone this time?

]]> By: yellowsnapdragon http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745848 yellowsnapdragon Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:41:44 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745848 <blockquote><p>I’m hopeful that his inherent pragmatism will pretty much force him in a progressive direction, because the alternatives don’t work</p></blockquote> <p>‘Zactly</p>

I’m hopeful that his inherent pragmatism will pretty much force him in a progressive direction, because the alternatives don’t work

‘Zactly

]]> By: 4jkb4ia http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745827 4jkb4ia Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:41:49 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745827 <p>(((selise))))</p> <p>I hope you know I respect you. And EW respects you. That’s something.</p> (((selise))))

I hope you know I respect you. And EW respects you. That’s something.

]]> By: 4jkb4ia http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745826 4jkb4ia Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:37:28 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745826 <p>How the media convinced themselves Obama was a liberal:</p> <p>a) Obama represents the triumph of a great liberal cause: one chapter of the civil rights movement.<br /> b) Comparing any speech by Obama to any utterance by George Bush, Jr. is like night and day.<br /> c) The Republicans have deliberately made a lot of space for “liberal” to be anyone who has a few left-of-center positions. Glenn was writing about this years ago.</p> How the media convinced themselves Obama was a liberal:

a) Obama represents the triumph of a great liberal cause: one chapter of the civil rights movement.
b) Comparing any speech by Obama to any utterance by George Bush, Jr. is like night and day.
c) The Republicans have deliberately made a lot of space for “liberal” to be anyone who has a few left-of-center positions. Glenn was writing about this years ago.

]]> By: 4jkb4ia http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745825 4jkb4ia Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:30:39 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745825 <p>I am reminded to tell Jane that her earlier post on “anyone who thought Obama was the second coming of Saul Alinsky was wrong” was essentially what I would have written. Not wish I had written, had essentially drafted in my head. If, going back to the primaries, you had read blogs as far apart on the adversarial spectrum as Open Left and Ezra, you knew. Even if you read barackobama.com, you knew that many of the policies therein were very cautious. This does not take away from Nate’s post that the policies were a mixture of progressive and center-left.</p> I am reminded to tell Jane that her earlier post on “anyone who thought Obama was the second coming of Saul Alinsky was wrong” was essentially what I would have written. Not wish I had written, had essentially drafted in my head. If, going back to the primaries, you had read blogs as far apart on the adversarial spectrum as Open Left and Ezra, you knew. Even if you read barackobama.com, you knew that many of the policies therein were very cautious. This does not take away from Nate’s post that the policies were a mixture of progressive and center-left.

]]> By: Jane Hamsher http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745824 Jane Hamsher Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:29:41 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745824 <p>Yeah that’s finally what I started saying. “Great, America elected a liberal president. How do you feel about that?”</p> <p>Still, it isn’t true.</p> Yeah that’s finally what I started saying. “Great, America elected a liberal president. How do you feel about that?”

Still, it isn’t true.

]]> By: danein99 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745823 danein99 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:08:20 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745823 <p>Jane your video on bloggingheads.tv with Mr Pinkerton was a joy to watch….thanks.</p> Jane your video on bloggingheads.tv with Mr Pinkerton was a joy to watch….thanks.

]]> By: mui1 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745822 mui1 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:59:04 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/02/how-the-media-convinced-themselves-obama-was-a-liberal/#comment-1745822 <p>Anyway there are lot of people that think everything from PR pride day to gay pride day is “in your face.” What’s in our faces anyway? Kinda subjective. BTW I have no problem with any costumes/or non-costumes or floats seen in NYC for either pride day. But that’s me.</p> Anyway there are lot of people that think everything from PR pride day to gay pride day is “in your face.” What’s in our faces anyway? Kinda subjective. BTW I have no problem with any costumes/or non-costumes or floats seen in NYC for either pride day. But that’s me.

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