19
So I was musing today that someone better keep count of all of Sarah Palin’s lies. And just as I was musing thusly, I learned that ThinkProgress is already keeping track, at least of the lie that even Howie Kurtz calls a whopper, the Bridge to Nowhere lie.
Good thing they jumped on this count: the McCain campaign is already up to 19 different re-tellings of the Bridge to Nowhere lie. These numbers are going to pile up.
Here’s where they’re keeping track–so if you spy the lie, make sure they’ve caught it. It also lists the 9 different times (as of Monday at 6 PM) a neutral source has debunked the lie.
Update: link to TP’s tracking document fixed.
Do watch Chris Matthews in the first half of his program as it repeats at the top of the hour. He asks what is it that the GOP is trying to get at in the way they’re pairing mcSame and palin. He zeros in on the GOP spokesman (whose name I didn’t get) and narrows the GOP message to, “We don’t want black people sleeping in the White House”. The GOP guy was left with a ’shitty’ grin on his face. As it sinks in, Chris shouts, “You’re smiling.”
Matthews pissed off for being bounced from the political anchoring down a rung to commentator status, perhaps? I’m guessing that’ll all blow over for Tweeter, & soon.
I really enjoyed Chris Matthews grilling of that Republican spokesperson, whose name I also can’t remember. He asked him if he agreed with Sarah Palin on forbidding abortion in all cases; they guy wouldn’t answer. Then he went down a list of other Republican platform items, and the guy wouldn’t say if he agreed with them or not. It was obvious that he didn’t agree with them, and Chris Matthews pointed that out. What is with the Republican shills? They don’t even believe a word they say on TV; they’re just mouthing talking points. So cynical. Are they on the RNC payroll?
The ‘guy’ is Todd Harris….
Thanks ew.
digg
Why does “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” come to mind?
Do we need something in iambic pentameter for this occasion?
Bob in HI
Jiminy crickets EW!
That’ll mean I’ll have to listen to McSame and MsBull…winkle in order to keep count.
Now I gotta take my socks off now and leave them off, and it’s getting cold up here.
Harry S. Truman:
Wikiquotes.
Bob in HI
Arianna’s found the magic nickname: Trojan Moose.
I would suggest a slight modification: Trojan (Moose)
I still think the biggest lie is that they say they are going to change stuff and then everything they say is the same thing the Repugs have saying for the past eight years. You know this stuff backwards: “They want to raise taxes, we want to cut them” “They voted to make us less safe, I want to fight more war.” etc, etc, blah blah…
Someone called her “Sarah Mooselini”
That was on Mock, Paper, Scissors.
My contribution is Palinocchio. Visual here.
Excellent visual there! Can you put an Obama face on Jiminy Cricket? Always let your conscience be your guide.
i bet i could!
K.O. is highlighting(low-lighting?) the Bridge to Nowhere lie…!
Hmmmmm and Tithonia –
Sounds like it’s time for a contest for “best parlin name”. *g*
I kinda like “Failin’” and “Flailin’”
Also: Caribou Barbie
McCain’s Mistress of Pork
McCain’s Porkette Princess
Alaska’s Madam Pork
McCain and McPork
Deadeye Sarah Palin
McPalin
Hiya EW!
Ishh, Caribou Barbie just put my ass on the floor.
Anyone got a mooseburger recipe?
Not mine, don’t know who came up with it. Sexist, though. Fortunately, there’s so much wrong with Failin that can be attacked on a gender-neutral basis.
Yea, I love that one too. I saw it somewhere else earlier.
begin of weird rant :::
Hey, mooseburgers all around! Goes good by the lake on a moonlit night with a nice bonfire.
Oh, did I say I was going to pay for those mooseburgers. Noooo. I never said that. I just want one for myself.
Oh wait, did I say I want one? Nooooo. I’m just on my way to church to pray for Armageddon and the destruction of the world and thought I’d have a burger on the way.
Oh wait…
::: end of weird rant
Reminds me of a Jon Lovitz screed.
Rachel’s new show up in minutes…
Obama seemed to reveal that it is his intention to lose. He admits the Republicans know how to run a campaign, but is not attempting to emulate it.
Keith is begging him to call lying “Lying,” yet Obama refuses and picks the most gentile way to phrase it.
This makes Obama seem weak.
I take it back, Caribou Barbie really is the best. (Now where’s darkblack for the visuals when we need him?)
If Obama is not willing to name and number the lies, and call them lies by name, repeatedly, he will lose.
Period.
This my be long, but several of you may find it interesting. We can speak out.
We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farceon the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidatethat has a real possibility of becoming fact.
Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.
We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin’s political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we’ve so demonstrably benefited from.
First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.
Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.
Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence. We will post your responses on a blog called “Women Against Sarah Palin,” which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest conveniencethe greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.
Thank you for your time and action.
Americans reward “ass kickers.”
If Obama does not grow a pair, let Biden off the leash, and kick their asses for lying, he will lose.
Americans eyes glaze over when you rattle-off a litany of issues. They’ve already heard the list…they don’t have the capacity to sit and listen to it repeated from now until election day.
Get mad and kick some serious ass, or you will lose.
Thanks, EW. Here is a sobering article in Alternet of the 9 Most Disturbing Beliefs SP asserts.
http://www.alternet.org/story/…..g_beliefs/
Marcy,
In Sarah’s little town it is $’s before women.
I guess in Wasilla they’re considered Liberals because they don’t behead the woman who cries “rape” … the way Muslims have been known to do under Sharia Law.
Damn Liberals. They and the mainstream media Liberals are ruining America for all the red-blooded patriotic genocide-lovin’ barbarians.
Where’s personal responsibility for the woman who shames a rapist by calling him out?
I wonder if Sarah has ever had a hardship and needed government help. She might be like Justice Clarence Thomas or Rush Limbaugh or somebody who denies having ever had help.
A Note of encouragement. Cowboy up Pats fans, it could be worse; you could have the Vikings quarterback situation. Now we know why they wanted Favre so bad, and why Green Bay refused to even discuss it; with Favre and Adrian Peterson, the Vikes would have rolled over people. Now, not so much.
yo BMAZ, you really shouldn’t tease the Partiots fans like that
these poor schlubs have a shitload of trouble coming down the pike
after his humiliating defeat, and the destruction of his perfect season, bill bilichik showed what a true shitheal he is by refusing to shake Tom Coughlin’s hand
and the primordial ooze has a very fitting way to deal with shitheals like bilichik
karma is a bitch, and she knows where the Patriots live …
shoulda shook Coughlin’s hand, bill
The primordial ooze remembers …
/football
19 lies? In ten days? (since her announcement).
Hell, that’s not even 2 per day. Surely, as she gets her sea-legs under her a little more, she’ll do a much thorough and wide ranging assortment of lies, and thus gain the respect of true Republicans, who can whip out 4 or 5 good lies before breakfast is over.
She must be *such* a disappointment to the R’s about now. But she does have ‘fall training’ coming up here soon – maybe she can get her numbers up to a more respectable Republican pace….
That’s JUST the bridge to nowhere lie.
It doesn’t include:
Her lie about being opposed to earmarks
Her claim Track was shipping out on 9/11
Her claim to have cut taxes
Her claim to have taken on Republicans
There are more–but I’m tired.
Here is an even MORE sobering article from Alternet. By Bruce Wilson. WEIRD THEOLOGY IN WASILLA: A Look Inside Sara Palin’s Pentecostal Church.
Has she been to Jesus Camp I wonder?
http://www.alternet.org/electi…..al_church/
That is some weird shit. Cell phone anointing. Third floor portal to God.
Stepford Sarah… the ALPHA woman… baby on one hip, rifle on the other?
Earlier today, I mused that keeping track of every euphemism used by the trad media used to avoid calling her lies by name might be a worthy endeavor as well. Perhaps you could set up a thread here devoted to the task?
I don’t want Palin anywhere near the federal government: she’s clueless about confidentiality. See: her cc’ing her husband on official Alaskan government e-mails. (She might have been doing that when she was mayor, too; it wouldn’t surprise me.) We have enough problems already with people who pass on information that’s classified.
I heard Palin repeat the lie in a stump speech live today!
OT – But with Ring supposedly cooperating
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/n…..hill_1.php
I’m wondering how much DOJ is “cooperating” too. IOW, I don’t care that much about Dolittle – I’d like to know more about basketball games with Ashcroft that get national security reports deep sixed from Congress to make Abramoff’s clients happy, and the AG’s COS revealing classified info on the reports to Abramoff as related in released emails for years now.
As long as no one is charging Ashcroft with anything, it’s pretty much of a farce for DOJ it be orchestrating the rest.
is there anything she hasn’t lied about yet?
This woman is playing multiple roles for the Rethugs.
First, she is the ultimate bright shiny object. All the stuff about her coming out, all the rumors, and outright lies, etc., seem to have that Rovian feel that nailed Dan Rather. Rather was proven correct by the Private Investigator if I remeber correct, but it insultated Bush from being a deserter. She took Obama off the TV in the space of 12 hours. Pretty damn remarkable. Question is any of this stuff going to stick to her? And if so what happens. I still think she doesn’t last to the election and her forced withdrawl will fire up her base even more than it is now with the usual hatred of someone doing something to one of their own.
Second, She is the ticket now. McCain looks pathetic next to her. I think his medical prognosis is terrible and they are trying to hide it. He might not make it to November. In this situation she either stays as the next puppet in chief or still makes a rovian victim exit and is replace by someone crazy ( Gingrich, Cheney, Huckabee )
Third, they are using her to totally confuse the campaign and the electorate. And while doing that Von Spakovsky is out with his dirty tricks and they are blunting the Obama registration strategy all it takes is a couple of percentage points. Did you here the thing about Virgina Tech where the local (Rethug) goverment was trying to intimidate students about voter registration.
Last, she turns them out of their wholes like nothing else would. By adding her, even if she drops out, the Rovian 72 hour plan is suddenly in play again. The obama ground game is suddenly very challenged.
enough now, I am tired as well.
-bille
She LIED about that? I feel abused. I totally fell for it. Actually, It never occured to me that someone would lie about something so inconsequential, just for effect and yet something so easily proven wrong even by accident. “Hey, that guy looks like Track, I thought he was in Iraq.” “Yeah, me too.”
Do you think its possible that the suspension of disbelief that’s required to be a believer in her church has had a significantly powerful influence on her to the extent she’ll say things that are not true with every good intention?
Maybe, when is comes to god and god’s noble purposes, lying is not lying if its in the service of god; and fantastic things are possible wherever god is involved. God works his plan through “us”, those who have taken Jesus into their lives. It’s powerful shit that insulates you from doing things that are ungodly.
I mean how do you account for lying about inconsequential things that become significant only because you lie, and lying about consequential things, such as the policies you supported and the ones you did not.
They could not have known she was a habitual liar. They could not have known. They can’t keep her locked up for four years either.
Marcy –
You’ll love this (the article, not the facts it’s recounting):
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13739_3-10030134-46.html
– MarkusQ
Ouch.
Biden knows how to have some fun in a campaign:
Experts helping Palin brush up on…
Biden does. I could drum up a lot of votes for Biden among fifty-something women … in Ontario.
Is Gov. Palin going to turn out to be one of the “lying liars” Al Franken warned us about? Someone who lies so habitually & for whom lying is so ingrained, they believe most of their own lies? Also, I’m looking forward to the Gibson interview w/something like dread. It’s going to glamorize this narrow minded little know-nothing, humanize & make her look “normal,” which she decidedly is not.
Good article on Palin as theocrat by Juan Cole in Salon today:
What’s the difference between Palin and Muslim fundamentalists? Lipstick
A theocrat is a theocrat, whether Muslim or Christian.
Glad you linked to Juan’s piece. Read it earlier this AM. I thought it was perfect and is a great way to confront McCain.
Using McCain’s own words on religious extremism and showing how his VP choice was not consistent to his own words and policies is powerful and should become a repeated point.
Extremism = a threat to national security.
Extremism = a threatening example to young Democracies.
High praise, as usual, for Juan Cole.
Good morning, Marie. Should have known you’d be here for coffee.
Good morning, skdadl. Always up early, but today I have to go to LAX in a bit, so even earlier than usual.
Let’s review Sen. Whitehouse’s summary of President Bush’s “Super-Powers of the Unitary Executive for the Little People”:
1 – “Do as I say, not as I do.”
2 – “What I say goes.”
3 – “No back-talk.”
Bin Laden will have succeeded beyond his wildest dreams if, in a mere seven years, Democracy in America crumbles into a Throw-back Theocracy, under the Fundamentalist Extremism of Sarah Bush.
Legislative Oversight? Judicial Review?
The Constitution is just “a piece of goddamned paper” to Bush.
It’s even less to Palin. I would bet Journalism Major/Sportscaster Sarah is hardly conversant on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or even the Declaration of Independence.
“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition…”
Her Ambition is to have All the Power and exercise it according to her Beliefs for the good of All of US.
That’s what the McCain Campaign means when they say that this election is not about issues – like the applicability of the Constitution – instead, it’s about personalities who can lie and smile for “a cause greater than self” – enslaving you and I in their Belief System and its ‘higher’ Laws “for our own good.”
Wake Up, America!
The evangelicals did not like Mcsame. They didn’t believe he was a true believer (and he’s not). They didn’t believe he was truly pro-life. The biggest gift that Palin has delivered it the evangelicals. They are totally jazzed about her selection.
Finally, evangelicals don’t care if she lied. They don’t care if she is conservative. They don’t care if she was mean to women who have been raped. She is good to unborn babies. She believes in the same god they do. That’s all they care about. Let go and let god.
The dems need to understand that Mcsame did what Obama should have done. With her choice he delivered them a bunch of voters who were going to stay home.
Now the dems need to radically accept this fact. They need to find a way to fight back.
If they want to win they are going to have to paint her as a “bad” evangelical. They have to paint her as a “fake” like Baker, Haggart, and Bush.
This combination can beat the dem ticket. People were happy with Biden but not JAZZED. Biden did not bring voters to the ticket.
This is the reality we have to deal with. I think we can still win but Palin has to be completely discredited.
Mcsame needs to be considered as a hot head. This is our best shot. Take a shot at their “Emotional Stability”. I think this theme could be hit hard. I also think we need to keep showing how she violates evangelical beliefs…not “christian” beliefs. That’s a whole different issue.
I think they will find that she IS a fake. I think it needs to proven by her behavior. Does she drink alcohol? Does she get drunk? Has she slept around? These are the things they care about. Morality. Find her moral conflicts and we can make a difference.
With Mcsame we have to shake this idea that he is a “fine” man. We need to take his military service and turn it against him like they did to kerry.
His military service could contribute to his temper and his temper could be deadly to americans.
I agree with sentence one, and only partly with sentence two, as it’s sort of a change of subject for the general campaign; it will be up to Obama to paint him as a hothead in the debates. Now I kind of like inflating the figure of Palin, with McCain as Mr. Cindy, or Todd II.
You are right on all counts!
McCain’s biggest lie and the one he has most exploited is his military service. There is an old 60 minutes film on the web sponsored by the Vienman Veterans Against John McCain. This material is authoritative, not hype or BS. Watch it for yourself and draw your own conclusions:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=587_1205102670
or Google: video, KGB files of John McCain
that looks like a long video and I’m at work, could you give a synopsis please?
This old 60 Minutes film is undated but appears to have been aired after Gorbechov (forgive spelling) opened the iron curtain and allowed examination of some of the KGB files.
I have searched the many online videos posted by The Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain. These video interviews by ex-POWs tie in with the old 60 minutes film. After the POWs came home there were 5 high ranking POWs who were in Hanoi with McCain who wanted to have him court-martialed for treason for giving vital info to the enemy, but the Joint Chiefs had already made a big deal of their ALL being heros, so they nixed it. However, the other officers who had been imprisoned all were granted elevation to their next rank when time in grade was satisfied but John McCain came out of prison the same grade that he held when shot down.
I suggest that before you view the 60 minutes film that you Google: Songbird McCain. That was the codename that the North Vietnamese gave him.
You can also Google: Col. Earl Hopper for very specific information that McCain gave the NV while he was a POW.
I am not sufficiently talented to write a good synopsis on this. Please, will one of the many bloggers here respond to Perrs’ request?
This is the first story about mcsame that I have heard that could take him out of the race. This needs to be exploited.
That along with his temper could start to paint him along the theme of “emotional” and “impulsive” (both PTSD symptoms by the way). Add substance abuse, affairs, spending, you start to paint a picture of instability.
We need to go with that line. We can do O’s dirty work. He can say “we didn’t have anything to do with it…we just need to dig up the story and get it out there. Songbird mcsame…
wavpeac,
I read one blog that stated McCain was “swiftboated” in the 2000 (or 2004?) primaries by Bush on the basis of McCain’s military service.
May I suggest that you Google: 1992 Senate Select Committee POW/MIA
During this hearing McCain is ugly, loses his temper, uses the F word in talking to Dolores Almond, testifying for POWs/MIAs. McCain finally stomps out of the hearing. The Vets Against John McCain state that the reason he is so adamant about closing any investigation about the POWs and the records in Hanoi and Moscow is that he must hide his own records at all costs.
Consider this: IF Putin does have Songbird’s interrogation records, think what that could mean if McCain becomes president, particularly if the brainwashing involved resulted in a “Manchurian Candidate”.
John McCain WAS treated for PTSD after returning home.
I’ll see what more I can find on exactly how Bush swiftboated McCain in the 2000 and/or 2004 primaries.
Thank you, wavpeac, for taking up this issue. It is vitally important for the future of America and perhaps the entire world. We must not let JM become president.
wavpeac,
I’ve done further Google searches. I Googled Jerry Mooney (the Ntl Security Agency person interviewed on the 60 minutes film). There are, of course, sites that denigrate him.
Here is the best site IMO for reading a balanced, more factual report. It is The Congressional Record, a record submitted Tuesday, October 29, 1991 by Hon. Bill McCollum in the House of Representatives.
In this Cong. Record report a reference is made to “400 pages of fact, analysis and theory” compiled by Jerry Mooney. What became of it??
The House voted with no dissents to release all intelligence info on the POWs/MIAs. Sen. John McCain fought against holding the Senate hearing, insisting he would agree to it only if he was Chairman.
In 1992 a Senate Select Committee on the POW/MIA matter was formed. Sen. John Kerry was Chairman. Sen McCain was a member of the committee. Not surprisingly, the NSA file had been “lost”. (hmmmmm)
Here is the link to that Congressional Record:
http://fas.org/irp/congress/19…..30-pow.htm
I’ll try to find the full video of the Senate hearing, so far have only seen clips of McCain’s abusive exchanges with the witnesses.
Caution is recomended in this matter.
Caution is right. If the “Hon” Bill McCollum were handing out pages of toilet paper, I’d use my sleeve.
I’d describe her as poison (probably figuratively speaking) in a pretty wrapper. McCain should check his six with her, because she’ll be trying to work around him to get more power.
She’s a liar, vindictive, unaware of her own level of incompetence, and probably getting a lot of advice from her husband (given that in AK he seems to have been treated like an unofficial staff member).
Why did you not do this for the Clintons and the Bushes
It would have clogged the internet!
Because the blogosphere was much younger…Now it is a bit wiser…And it understands that the Fourth Estate has had a bit of trouble fulfilling it’s accountability role.
So, history has directed this move…
23 lies and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A true Republican of national import.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/…..bridge-23/
I think the think progress piece on the number of lies should highlight seperate lies and then subcatagorize how many times each lie is told
Just looked at the AP factcheck article EW linked. Last paragraph indicates Palin is not in sync with McC on the wasteful earmark spending issue. Yet this is not about Palin; it is about McC. He either doesn’ care about her record on this particular issue, or he doesn’t really care about the issue himself, except as a opportunity to strut and fulminate against an easy target. This is what discussion should be about, not her and her easy to mock ways.
Now the important issue for me is this. I am trying to learn how to use the link and the block quote features. Can someone instruct me as to how to get that last paragraph lifted from the AP article and presented in quotes into the comment box?
I said it next door and I’ll say it here: In terms of votes for/against McBush, the lies don’t matter a bit. The base sure isn’t going to opt out. The middle that will decide the election assumes that all politicians lie. The left wouldn’t like them, especially if they told the truth about their positions :-).
The liar issue is fun to play with, but as a vote decider I fear it’s a non-issue. Worse, it get’s McBush out of the sunlight and he’s the best vote getter Obama has.
Best use for it is to use it to question any moderate stance she might take. “Given your position on X changed when it was convienent, how do we know your position on Y isn’t more of the McSame?”
Boxturtle (Besides, we need to get Palin out of the news and Obama back in)
I don’t agree. Notwithstanding their bluffing about Palin’s “executive experience” as schoolmarm of Wasilla, experience is out the window and they’ve taken a new tack and are rolling out a new sitcom, “Mavericks”. The Obama campaign can make a punchline out of this by exposing them as pathological liars, Palin in particular, as she’s already overshadowed that decrepit cipher on the head of the ticket.
We’re actually agreeing. Or I think we are. I hold that the lies exposed so far make no difference in votes, but CAN be used to question their honesty on issues that will make a difference in votes. We’re fighting for the middle that assumes that politicians lie. Even perjury does not disqualify a sitting president from the office.
But we can use it. We just have to question the Trojan Moose like so “Given that your position on X changed, how do we know you’ll stick to this position on Y?”. Even if the middle hears something they like, they’ll take it with a very large pinch of salt. As they should.
Boxturtle (I’ll go with Trojan Moose, had all the Beauty & the Beast jokes I can take)
Pants-on-Fire Palin
Sarah, Speaker in Pork-Tongues.
OT:
Post article very drily titled
“Georgians Question Wisdom of War With Russia”.
I’d like to see an article titled, “Saakshvili Found Suspended by Ankles From Lamppost, Underwear on Head, a la Mussolini”, but I’m not Georgian so it’s not for me to decide.
Along with a Jackson Diehl op-ed yesterday putting the blame squarely on Saakashvili (and trying to let Bush/Cheney/Rove off the hook) it seems some parties are trying to back their way out of this thing.
I take one small bit of comfort from that war: At least we’re capable of fooling SOMEONE.
Boxturtle (Thinks Iran tricked us into doing their dirty work in Iraq)
OT: judge rejects a plea deal for Broadcom co-founder, saying:
The court cannot accept a plea agreement that gives the impression that justice is for sale,” Carney wrote. Accepting the agreement, he added, would “erode the public’s trust in the fundamental fairness of our justice system.
Judge Carney, I salute you!
Glenn Greenwald and some guys for the Atlantic are conducting a spat — even though I am completely on Greenwald’s side — has that kind of in-grown, kids playing Dungeons and Dragons blogwar feel to it that gives MSM grounds to ignore blogs.
That said, it is important reading on the point about Reps lying, and not being called out by the MSM.
My own view, not represented there, however, is that it is not the media’s job to call out the Reps for lying. It is the job of the cowardly craven chickenshit Democratic leadership that is too timid to call a campaign of deliberate deception a pack of lies.
The media SHOULD check facts and tell its readership that when statements are lies, but the Dems should make it easier for the MSM to do so, or even be so vocal that the failure of the MSM to call out the lies becomes its own indictment of the MSM so that the Dems can call them out for not covering the lying (the MSM hate that and will seek to avoid it by printing the Dems’ side).
AF,
That’s a great deal to ask. Work on policy and how best to enact a policy that will work for the people AND research and call the Repugs on their lies? Yes, the Dems need to be a part of the “checking” process but not the foundation of the process. The Fourth Estate was intended to be THAT foundation.
Sorry, I disagree thta the fourth estate is the foundation for the “checking” process.
I used to be a newspaper guy, and I was always the captive of my sources, to some extent.
The journalistic conventions then (and probably to some extent now) were that you did not inject your own view into a story–so the most you would do is say, “Sen. X stated that the earth is flat,” but scientists including Dr. Y believe that a round earth has been conclusively demonstrated.”
The old convention in politics was that a candidate did not outright lie constantly, but Bush/Rove found they could pretty well abandon that.
So why even have a press AF? To feed the frenzy? Come on.
You were never a journalistic “investigator” to statements presented as facts?
Editorializing is the common practice now. I do not care about the journalist’s opinion or his editors. It would be refreshing to read something sans editorializing.
Journalists should be skeptical, and not take statements at face value, from government officials in particular.
Journalists should check and confirm the accuracy of statements that are made to them.
MSM now is lazy (the fact that so and so made a statement is the fact they report, not the underlying accuracy) and cowed by the right, I agree, and does not fulfil a journalistic basic on a regular basis.
My point is that the Dems–in their own self-interest–should be challenging the Reps and challenging the reporting, so that the pressure on the MSM is not just one sided from the right.
And my other point is that the Dems are the Chicago Cubs of politics–they field a good team and then fuck up instead of finishing. Maybe 2008 is the year for both.
Hot-Head and Hot-Bed
Has anyone mentioned the lie that she repeated about Iran having nuclear weapons during her nomination speech?
Just read through Sarah’s nomination speech. I swear she mentioned Iran’s
alleged nuclear weapons program.
But
“To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies … or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia … or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries”
Anyone citing the Vietnam Vets Against John McCain should look into the background of Ted Sampley. This is the same guy who has bilked many families of POW/MIA soldiers from the Vietnam War. Sampley is looking out for Ted Sampley and no one else. He was also part of the Swift-boating of John Kerry in 2004. Google his name and check out his track record in truth telling.
Sarah, meet our Marci………