CNN Mischaracterized As A ‘Liberal Media Outlet’ On Booker Rising

The anatomy of a misguided statement from the Booker Rising blog:

Asks liberal media outlet CNN, about alleged racial insensitivity. Included in its article are two black conservative Republicans, who are no strangers to regular Booker Rising readers. “Lenny McCallister is African-American, a Tea Party member and a conservative Republican. He says Republicans ‘have to speak out against this stuff because it does not fit our principles, morals or values. At the same time we cannot alienate the most active aspects of the conservative base at this time.’ He’s calling on conservatives to help the Republican Party walk that tightrope in a way they did not in 2009.”

CNN is far from a liberal media outlet. In fact, CNN at times bends over backward to accommodate guests with a variety of opinions and bends over backward to balance its discussion panels.

To refer to CNN as a “liberal media outlet” as the blog Booker Rising did is ridiculous. It seems almost a spiteful reply to the obvious fact that Fox News is a right-wing outlet (to be fair: MSNBC’s prime-time commentators are to the left).

The Politics Of Personal Destruction Again Target President Obama

It’s an old saying these days, but once again the “politics of personal destruction” are back and the target this time is President Obama. Blogger Sandra Rose has an entry that discusses someone purported to be a college acquaintance (John C. Drew) of President Obama. Drew spots off the same old stuff we’ve heard people use to attack President Obama: Marxist, America as the enemy, yadda, yadda, yadda. There are also YouTube video clips from “Breitbart.tv” to further illustrate the FAR-right agenda at play here.

Here is an excerpt from Rose’s blog:

According to Drew, in 1980 Obama saw America as “the enemy” and he predicted a future where the people would “rise up” and “overthrow the government.”

A CNN poll out today shows that the majority of voters don’t think Obama will be reelected to a 2nd term.

An argument could be made that Obama was a young, impressionable, idealistic college student in 1980. But the facts prove that Obama still embodies the same communist/Marxist ideals that he was so passionate about in his college days.

Couple that with the fact that Obama refuses to release his college transcripts from Occidental which, some say, proves his participation in Marxist groups on campus.

Same old stuff: Marxist, socialist, communist …

What are the “facts” that will show us he “still embodies the same communist/Marxist ideals that he was so passionate about in his college days” for the people to see?

Just because people advance a smear over and over again (with either minimal evidence or no evidence to support it) does not make it true.

Misguided Republican Wrong About President Obama’s Polling Woes

Republicans believe some of President Obama’s political woes are essentially because he is this radical, socialist and far left politician unwilling to work with the GOP.

Consider this blog entry (I am not necessarily saying this writer is asserting the above):

Ouch! The Hill is reporting that a CNN poll shows that 52% of Americans say Obama does NOT deserve a second term. Only 44% say they would vote for him again. This is true for both all Americans and registered voters.

Fifty two percent is almost the number that voted for all that Hopey Changey nonsense in the first place. Obama’s does have some “hope”. He can either move to the center on his own improving his reelection chances or he can be saddled with a Republican controlled Congress that will make the move for him. Other than that, Obama is looking very much like Jimmy Carter 2.0.

The “Hopey Changey” thing is cute, but overall this is misguided thinking.

I know our Republican friends want to reach back for Jimmy Carter comparisons, but they would be quite foolish to do so for a couple of reasons: Frankly, many of today’s voters probably know painfully little about President Carter other than perhaps understanding he is a former president . They would be grossly underestimating President Obama.

It also is misguided because President Obama’s struggles actually are due to the fact that he has moved too far to the right in an effort to reach out to Republicans who have become and will remain (as long as Obama is in the White House) the party of “NO.”

Progressives that believed we would pull out of the deadly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, restore the worldwide respect of the U.S., rebuild coalitions with our allies around the world, lead the effort to rebuild the economy and push through domestic expected policies have become uneasy.

When President Obama reaches out to the people who elected him his numbers will go back up. They’re waiting.

Howard Kurtz Continues To Puzzle As Host Of CNN’s Reliable Sources

First and foremost, I don’t think I will ever be able to understand how someone who is supposed to be analyzing bias in the media brings on biased partisans to discuss bias.

Yet, it seems every Sunday on CNN’s Reliable Sources, host Howard Kurtz routinely brings on biased analysts to discuss bias in the media.

But, that is just my regular beef with Kurtz.

Media Matters for America has another topic about Howard Kurtz that caught my attention.

Kurtz is either too afraid to strongly and consistently call out Fox News for its pro-conservative bias or he too is a closet conservative masquerading as nonpartisan.

Here is what Media Matters posted:

Howard Kurtz suggests Fox’s “news programming” is balanced and the Washington Post‘s editorial page is liberal:

Knoxville, Tenn.: Why do so many media outlets, when mentioning “Fox News”, say “which some say has conservative views”? This seems to be the equivalent of saying “The Washington Post, which some say is a newspaper…”

Why is the rest of the press corp afraid to call a spade a spade, particularly when (as in this case) it is so virulently blatant?

Howard Kurtz: Because some say a distinction must be made between Fox’s opinion shows (O’Reilly, Beck, Hannity) and its news programming. Just as you have to make a distinction between The Post’s news pages and its left-leaning editorial page.

Even if we buy what Kurtz is selling right there it still is ridiculous. He suggests we should distinguish between the news content and commentary content of Fox News (with respect to bias). But, even the commentary is all far-right commentary when you look at Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity (all far to the right of the political mainstream). Throw in Greta Van Susteren, Fox and Friends, Greg Gutfeld, etc. … and you see the pattern that becomes all too clear. Where is the balance there?

Also, as Media Matters points out, it is insulting of Kurtz to think that we’re too stupid to see the well-documented instances of Fox News bias from its news programming (cheerleading Tea Party protests, openly promoting Republican Scott Brown in his candidacy for U.S. Senate and more).

Check out the Media Matters for America article to see the full depth and breadth of how Kurtz seems to think we’re too stupid to see the bias of Fox News that runs almost 24/7 (nevermind the garbage on Fox Nation).

Media Matters for America:

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001250017

Mary Matlin Proves To Be A Dishonest Hypocrite On CNN

There are some things that are so ridiculous that they defy basic logic. Normally, this happens on Fox News, but CNN shows that it is not immune to stupidity and the unwillingness to strongly challenge borderline insane comments. Conservative commentator and strategist Mary Matalin was on CNN with John King (appearing along with her husband, Democratic strategist James Carville) and made the following inexplicable, head-scratching comment:

MATALIN: I was there, we inherited a recession from President Clinton and we inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history. And President Bush dealt with it and within a year of his presidency within a comparable time, unemployment was at 5 percent.

You can check the Think Progress story for the obvious responses that easily shred Matalin’s ridiculous comments.

Here is one thing that caught my attention (as you will see in the short video clip). On the one hand she is whining about President Obama bashing President George W. Bush, but then turns right around and blames President Clinton (for the recession and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001) to excuse President Bush.

It just shows how much of a hypocrite Mary Matalin is and how little credibility she has to speak on important issues. Yet, CNN brings her back time and time again and almost never challenges her with any kind of strength.

Think Progress:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/27/matalin-inherited-terror/

Lou Dobbs’ Negative History With Respect To Hispanics Comes Back To Haunt Him Again

Lou Dobbs made a dubious name for himself during his late days at CNN for endlessly whining about illegal immigration and for displaying hostility toward Hispanics. After Dobbs and CNN parted company, it was rumored that he was being considered for a job at CNBC. That possibility caused those who have been most negatively impacted by Dobbs’ bigotry to step forward and make sure their voices were heard by CNBC and will be heard by any other major media organization that considers hiring Dobbs to sit in an anchor chair and give him a platform to potentially spit out more divisive rhetoric.

This is from a Think Progress story:

This past Wednesday, CNBC dispelled rumors that were circulating throughout the week that former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs would be joining the business network. Meanwhile, Dobbs affirmatively told Fox Business News shock jock Don Imus that he didn’t even talk with CNBC and that he had “no idea where they even got that.” However, National Hispanic Media President Alex Nogales told ThinkProgress today that CNBC was in fact talking with Dobbs and that his hiring was, at least in part, thwarted by the same coalition of Latino, civil rights, and media-watchdog groups that successfully campaigned to get Dobbs off CNN airwaves.

Who knows whether these groups had an impact on Dobbs’ not being hired by CNBC. One thing is for certain, however, the demons of Lou Dobbs’ past (in spite of the fact he has weakly attempted to soften his image among with Latinos since his departure from CNN) will continue to haunt him in the future.

He may find a position (even Don Imus did), but he will be watched and he will be challenged by those he has attacked throughout his career.

Are New Black Barbies Black Enough? Check It Out …

Barbie is back … in black?

Yes, there is a new Barbie to behold and she is a black version who has met with some mixed opinions thus far.

While some applaud Mattel for making the effort to sort of again diversify its doll offerings, not all people are excited about what the new black Barbie brings to the table of diversity.

“I love the black Barbie. It’s about time,” Jua Simpson said on CNN’s iReport, a user-generated news community. “But the hair is still a step backwards, since most of our hair is not straight and light brown.”

It’s not surprising that criticism would come out since it has long been an issue for a lot of black women who long have had to endure significant self esteem issues with the images on television and in magazines of what is considered to be attractive in women.

But, as you might expect, not everyone sees it that way. The creative mind behind this project is pleased with the early results.

“They mean so much to me because they did come from a positive place,” Stacy McBride-Irby, who created the dolls, said in the CNN report. “My daughter loves the dolls. I’ve had dads thank me for creating this line of dolls that represent their little girls. These dolls are for girls all over the world.”

People should learn to appreciate this Barbie (for her positives and her negatives alike). Sure, she may not be the perfect representation for black women, but she is a nice and positive step. McBride-Irby should be commended for her work with this project and, while everyone may not be 100 percent satisfied, there is plenty to smile about with the new Barbie.

Check out the original story on the CNN Web site:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/21/black.barbies.irpt/index.html

Fox News Attacks White House Communications Director Anita Dunn

Fox News now is on the attack against White House communications director Anita Dunn who made some strong comments about the right-wing leaning of the conservative network. Dunn was on the money in her comments about Fox News and the network now is using its platform to smear Dunn and try to portray her as a communist or socialist by linking her to Mao, the man behind the communist movement shaping China. This is evidence that Fox News is not a legitimate news organization. A true and legitimate organization does not use valuable real estate on its Web site to attack the communications director of the White House in retaliation for comments she made about the network when questioned.

This is from Fox News (using its position as a “news” organization to attack Dunn):

What Americans want is a robust competition of ideas, and they ought to be willing to go out there and mix it up with some strong conservatives on Fox, just as there are strong conservatives on CNN like Bill Bennett.”

Bennett expressed outrage that Dunn told an audience of high school students this year that Mao Tse-tung, the founder of communist China, was one of “my favorite political philosophers.”

“Having the spokesman do this, attack Fox, who says that Mao Zedong is one of the most influential figures in her life, was not…a small thing; it’s a big thing,” Bennett said on CNN. “When she stands up, in a speech to high school kids, says she’s deeply influenced by Mao Zedong, that — I mean, that is crazy.”

This article is retaliation (specifically the mention of Mao) and irresponsible journalism.

Notice how Fox tries to (like a low-life pimp) use some pundits from CNN (for its own nefarious purposes) to try and attack Dunn (and thus attack the administration and thus attack President Obama). Irresponsible Fox News is using CNN to try and legitimize its attacks on Anita Dunn>the administration>The White House>President Obama.

The White House should not stand by and take these attacks from Fox News.

This is not a risky strategy for the administration because Fox News has been all-hostile-all-the-time against the administration of President Barack Obama and because Fox News is widely viewed as the public relations firm of the Republican Party.

The Red Scare now is en vogue again.

Some of us will never learn from our history.

Some In The U.S. Ignore, Don’t Understand, Or Don’t Care About Olympic Spirit … Unless Their Party Has Presidency

None of these conservatives would have been cheering if the United States of America had lost a chance to host the 2016 Olympics … if John McCain had won the presidency. I suspect there might have been some politics from a few on the left, but I don’t see any way that people on the left would have been cheerleading as our nation, the United States of America, lost an opportunity to host the Olympic Games of 2016. The official U.S. bid, which would have hosted the game in Chicago, failed … much to the stunning joy of so many on the right wing of the political spectrum.

Roland Martin, a popular CNN contributor, wrote a column about the events surrounding the U.S. losing the chance to host the Olympic Games.

Wrote Martin:

I can recall crying along with millions of Americans when our hockey team beat the Russians and won the hockey gold in 1980. Where were those games? Lake Placid, New York. Euphoria spread all across the nation, not only because we beat the mighty Russians, but also because it took place on American soil.

When Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton dominated the 1984 Olympic Games, we all beamed with pride because they represented the United States on American soil in Los Angeles, California.

And when Michael Johnson stormed around the track to obliterate the world record in the 200-meter dash (since broken by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt), we relished the win as he took a victory lap around the stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Americans love home field advantage, and we always desire to show the rest of the world what we are made of.

Many of these hate-driven conservatives cheering the defeat of the U.S., have disgraced an Olympic spirit they could not possibly understand or know – unless one of their own is president.

It has been much easier for them to cheer against the country, bash our president and trash the great city of Chicago.

CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/03/martin.olympics.defeat/index.html

Tim Wise Asks When Are Republican Leaders Going To Stand Up To Extremists

Author and speaker Tim Wise, billed by CNN’s Don Lemon as an anti-racism activist, calls out mainstream Republicans for not standing up to the lunatics (like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh) who have hijacked the party and taken it to the heights of bigotry, intolerance and (in some cases or to some extent at least) racism. These protests that have come up since President Obama stepped into the White House have been intriguing to me and to a lot of other people who wonder where these “patriots” were when George W. Bush was in office and freedoms were taking a hit, wars were being started, deficits were mounting and lives were being lost. Wise, truly a dynamic and well-researched speaker, had an interesting conversation with Lemon about the topic of race as related to several current issues in this country.

Here is what Crooks and Liars had as a transcript from the show:

LEMON: OK. So we are going to continue our discussion now over the health care rallies and the tone of what’s going on in the country. Tim Wise joins us. He’s frequent here on the show. The author of “Between Barack and a Hard Place” and among the most prominent anti- racist activist in the country. Thank you, sir. Always good to see you.

TIM WISE, AUTHOR “BETWEEN Barack AND A HARD PLACE”: You, too.

LEMON: You heard the chairman from Florida say no, it is not race.

WISE: I did.

LEMON: It does a disservice. You heard David Sirota say it is the elephant in the room.

WISE: Right. Well like I said in the show before, it is the background noise of a lot of the opposition, not all of it but a lot of it. You know, when you have someone like Glenn Beck saying as he did about a month ago that the health care debate isn’t really about that. It is just reparations for black people, where you have Rush Limbaugh yesterday on the air saying first that community service is the first step towards fascism, which is bizarre even for him.

And then almost immediately after that saying one of the problems with America is too much multiculturalism. You wouldn’t say that unless you are trying to stoke white racial resentment. And so when you say those things, I want to know when are Republican leaders going to condemn that kind of rhetoric because that is where race is being interjected. It is interjected by us, it’s interested by the leading talk show hosts in this country.

LEMON: I mean, but is it knowingly or is it maybe unwittingly they’re doing it and maybe they don’t realize they are doing it.

WISE: Well, two things, it may be either or but it doesn’t matter. I mean, racism needs to be evaluated based on outcome. If you do something which has a predictable consequence, you have to be accountable for that consequence. So for example, when Glenn Beck lied and said that Van Jones was involved in the Los Angeles riots which was not true. That is a very clear, as David said, dog whistle politic moment.

You’re saying that because you know that the L.A. riots are viewed as this racialized rebellion and it scares white folks to death. So you say that about this man. It isn’t true. Glenn Beck had to know that wasn’t true. That is a way to scare white folks. Where race comes in, it is old fashion but it’s white racial resentment that they are trying to whip up.

LEMON: But you know, it is very – it is smart if you want to get your message out. So listen, as we’ve been saying, it’s the elephant in the room. Let’s talk about this Congressman Wilson thing.

WISE: Yes.

LEMON: One person wrote me on Twitter and said I think (INAUDIBLE) if it is not racism then I don’t know what it is, self-indulgence, selfishness, egotism or all the traits pure lack of thought. And then one person says I’m with Ron Reagan and Bill Maher. If Obama’s skin color was closer to his mom’s, talking about Joe Wilson, he would not have shouted out. And I have to tell you -

WISE: I believe that.

LEMON: I have to tell you, for the first time – last night I was watching “Real Time” with Bill Maher and I was like finally someone is talking about this. Finally is talking about this.

WISE: Right.

LEMON: Do you think that Joe Wilson would have done that to a president who was of another color?

WISE: No, I don’t.

LEMON: He may have done the same thing if it was a woman president.

WISE: I don’t know but I know here is a guy who is an avowed neo confederate who says Strom Thurman and (INAUDIBLE) segregation was his hero. There is some racial stuff going on, I hate to say it, with this congress person and it makes me wonder with that kind of background. It makes me wonder.

LEMON: But isn’t it – what is behind – I think that the thing that we are not getting to is what allows him to be – to feel that is OK to say it.

WISE: Right.

LEMON: Isn’t that what it is?

WISE: I think it is what David was talking about.There is a large segment of the American population, particularly a sizable amount of white folks, frankly, and in the Republican Party who do not view him as legitimate, the Berger phenomenon. Let’s be honest. If this man’s name was Oshanasi or O’Malley and I made a birth certificate that said he was born in County Court Ireland in 1961, nobody would care or believe it. But if you say he is from Africa, he has an African daddy. He is from Kenya. People will believe that.

They want to point him as a foreign outsider out to destroy America. And that kind of over the top rhetoric isn’t just about political disagreement, it is about an attack on his identity and his American- ness. Because some people simply can’t accept that we are not the only folks in this country, we are not the standard anymore for what an American is. It is a multiculture nation.

LEMON: I hear African-Americans all the time are used to when talking about President Bush and they would say not my president. That is not right, either.

WISE: Oh, it is not right. It’s not right. You know, I was at rallies where occasionally people had signs that would compare President Bush to Hitler. But you know, what, it wasn’t the leading spokespeople on the left doing that. It wasn’t our talk show hosts, it wasn’t our authors and our columnists and our commentators, it was folks on the streets. It is not right. But it is not equivalent. That is coming from the very top of the conservative mouthpiece community.

LEMON: Hey, listen, I got to go. Do you think this is good for us so because now we can examine and talk about it? It is out there.

WISE: Oh, I think so. It is bringing some things out of the woodwork. If we address it honestly, we can move forward but if we continue to stay in denial I don’t think we will.

LEMON: Denial, it is not just a river, right? Thank you. Tim Wise, it’s always good to have you on. Appreciate it.

Wise has helped shed light on these tea-bagger protests. Looking at some of the vile and disgusting racism we’ve seen from the images of these events you see anger from the far right (beyond the normal political partisanship). As Wise points out, there were nuts saying negative things about President Bush, but such sentiments were not coming from people in such prominent right-wing positions (like Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, Pat Buchanan, Sean Hannity and others) of influence or organizations of influence (like Fox News). These are people with tremendous platforms and loud megaphones. These idiotic statements are, in essence, endorsed by high-profile conservatives and, in some cases, high-profile Republican politicians (who have, as an example, helped keep the birther issue alive by not denouncing it).

As a side note: Republicans who have stood up to Limbaugh have usually come back on their knees to beg for Rush’s forgiveness.

Perhaps normal Republicans are paralyzed by fear.

CNN’s Howard Kurtz Properly Points Out Dishonesty Of Glenn Beck, Hidden Agenda

Fox News far-right talk show host Glenn Beck has been trashing a man named Van Jones. Media Matters for America has a clip of CNN’s Howard Kurtz posted on its Web site. In the clip, Kurtz points out, however, that Beck is being irresponsible and abusing his platform by not admitting his own hidden agenda in his attack of Jones. Beck has been targeted for boycott by a group (ColorOfChange) that Jones once was affiliated with as co-founder. Beck has been angry about the success of the ColorOfChange boycott and has used his anger to attack Van Jonesand attack President Obama (by attacking Jones and trying to portray him as a black radical). Not to demean Jones, but he serves in a position few people would have much interest in if not for the efforts of Beck who is attempting to again use racial politics to (1) save himself, (2) attack President Obama and (3) portray himself as being attacked by black radicals to appeal to his mostly conservative audience. Beck’s efforts are probably meeting with success since he knows what appeals to his audience at Fox News and on the radio.

The Roller Coaster Of Polls

As a person who loves college sports, I have an understanding as to why people are so mesmerized by the concept of polls and rankings and other things of that nature.

But, then again, sometimes I simply don’t get it.

I’ve always been amused by people who track poll after poll after poll after poll looking for even the slightest change to write stories and commentaries about the shifting winds of change.

Yes, one minute you’re high and the other minute you’re low.

I bring this up after reading a story by CNN:

NEW YORK (CNN) — Over the course of this summer, President Obama’s approval ratings have plummeted among independent voters — the largest and fastest-growing segment of the American electorate.

In May, 66 percent of independents approved of Obama’s job performance, according to the Gallup Poll.

By August, Gallup showed the president was supported by 49 percent of independents, a collapse during the health care debate that reflects independents’ dislike of deficit spending, the growth of big government and one-party control of Washington.

It’s a particular problem for Obama because post-honeymoon perceptions are hardening in ways that are counter to his core campaign promise to bridge partisan divides.

People get so caught up in poll hype. President Obama has tried to push through an ambitious agenda early in his presidency while also trying to turn around an economy that was nosediving not all that long ago (something a good number of people seem to have forgotten).

President Obama has tried to do a lot very early in his presidency (maybe too much too soon). But going through the emotional roller coaster with these polls just seems plain silly some of the time (maybe most of the time).

Non-Whites Tend To Reject Fox News

Reading a story published by the Washington Independent confirms what will likely not be a big shock to a whole lot of people who follow much of what is going on with cable news these days. Fox News performs well as it draws nearly all Republicans/conservatives to its right-leaning broadcasts. Left-leaning MSNBC, as one might expect, runs strong with liberals. CNN tends to be more popular with those who consider themselves independent. I would imagine CNN also gets some conservatives and some liberals who want a bit of a break from the more partisan approach to news that is popular on Fox News and MSNBC.

But, the Washington Independent article opens up a different kind of argument as it discusses who are the viewers who gravitate toward Fox News. Those who appreciate Fox News most tend to be white, Southern and Republican.

The biggest swing region in the poll? The South. In Southern states, 46 percent of viewers say that Fox News is “extremely reliable” or “reliable.” Only 6 percent of them say that of MSNBC, compared to 26 percent who say it of CNN, a huge shift from the days when CNN was derided as the “Communist/Clinton News Network.” And non-white viewers really don’t like Fox. Only 5 percent of African-Americans, 11 percent of Hispanics, and 8 percent of other minorities consider the network reliable, while a majority of every one of those groups trusts CNN and sizable pluralities trust MSNBC.

Interestingly, this research sows that only five percent of blacks, 11 percent of Latinos and eight percent of other minorities consider Fox News “reliable” with respect to its coverage and commentary. Frankly, it surprises me that the number is even that high for Fox News.

Drew Sharp Was Anything But With Michael Vick Column In Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp is a smart man who understands how the media game is played. As a columnist, Sharp and numerous others across this country look for ways to distinguish themselves from a crowded group of competitors hungering for the same thing: a major national platform. Over the years, Sharp has found his angle: He is angry, he takes on the challenge of writing about controversial topics and he goes against the grain with columns that are almost always negative and bashing athletes, coaches, owners and even fans.

This all brings me to Sharp’s column about Michael Vick that was published on Saturday by the Detroit Free Press. I briefly pondered a rebuttal of sorts on Saturday, but something held me back (not exactly sure what it was). But, I changed my mind when I saw CNN’s Howard Kurtz provide Sharp with a platform on the Sunday morning CNN show “Reliable Sources.” Drew went on and, in essence, parroted most of the same lines he had written about in his column about Vick (that included a small taste of the controversial situation that now involves Louisville men’s college basketball coach Rick Pitino.

Here are a couple of excerpts followed by my thoughts:

Philly threw Michael Vick a Milk Bone. Here’s hoping he chokes on it.

This only reaffirms why I ceased being a sports fan a long time ago. It wasn’t worth the duplicity. There should always be a more honorable aim than winning at any cost. Vick’s getting a second NFL life is but another example of our society’s morality of convenience.

If that makes me a “hater,” so be it. At least I know I’m not a hypocrite.

I’m hoping that those who staunchly preached a second chance for Vick will exhibit the same compassion when the next 29-year-old black man leaves federal prison following an almost two-year sentence but can’t run a 40-yard dash in 4.4 time, chuck a football 70 yards or sell a $100 jersey.

Yes, Drew … you are a “hater” as you put it, but that is besides the point.

In general, our society is in favor of second chances for a good number of people who run afoul of the law. I would imagine every day people are released from prisons and get second chances. I highly doubt people like Drew Sharp know or care about many of these people and I doubt even more Drew Sharp would take an opportunity to write about the average person who comes out of prison and is given a second chance. If Michael Vick or some other person emerged from prison and went to work at a fast food restaurant or as a custodian, I doubt Drew Sharp would care, talk about the morality of convenience or winning at all costs. But, the fact that Vick is expected to again achieve fame and financial riches bothers people like Drew Sharp and many others who want to continue to gleefully pile on and further demonize Vick who has paid his price (his debt to society if you will) for his role in heinous crimes against animals.

CNN’s Lou Dobbs Has It Mixed Up

Media Matters for America quotes CNN right-wing commentator Lou Dobbs saying the following:

DOBBS: It’s just killing the left wing in this country that they can’t force CNN to fire me.

No, it’s killing CNN that it doesn’t have the guts to bring under control a right-wing, hysteria-fueling nutjob from spreading garbage on its airwaves.

Fox News Watch Has Turned Into Garbage … Reliable Sources Heading In That Direction

“Fox News Watch,” a poor imitation of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” (which has its problems too from time to time), has fallen off the deep end and into a pit of more right-wing propaganda. The show has degenerated into mostly a group of right-wing talking heads coming on and whining about the “liberal media” while turning a blind eye to bias and anything else negative that comes from the right. Listen to the clip as the far-right and oftentimes irrational Jim Pinkerton (who reportedly left the show to go work for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee before returning) brings race into the issue and then tries to marginalize President Obama by referring to his background as a community organizer (as if that is some kind of a negative label). He then sprinkles a little sugar on it to try and soften it.

I discovered this story at Think Progress:

JANE HALL: That’s true but you can scare people to the point — I mean, I think there’s a difference between…

RICH LOWRY: Who is scaring people about the drug companies and the insurance industry?

HALL: I mean, you have people shouting down U.S. congressmen.

LOWRY: There is scare tactics on both sides.

HALL: If someone hanged an effigy and — and a congressmen having to be escorted to his car, that is not civil discourse.

JIM PINKERTON: Here’s scare tactics.Scare tactics is Rachel Maddow taking the first ten minutes of every show this week to denounce them and call them names and talk about Astroturf. By contrast, Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat from Missouri, said in her Twitter account, listen, I think this is just real people. That’s the choice. The real terrorism going on is MSNBC and the liberal media.

HALL: Oh, that is so upside down.

PINKERTON: They’re playing liberal snob to white working-class Americans.

This is from a panelist on a show that is supposed to be analyzing the media?

Pinkerton is a far-right nut who struggles to see any good coming from the other side. he uses the line with “liberal snob” and “white working-class Americans” to scare people about this black president. You don’t expect Pinkerton to be challenged much for this on Fox News.

On “Reliable Sources,” Sunday (Aug. 9), host Howard Kurtz provided a platform to S.E. Cupp, a right-wing blogger who repeatedly talked about the “liberal media” as Kurtz hardly challenged his biased guest for spewing right-wing talking points.

I have a fundamental problem with media watchdog shows like ”Reliable Sources” and “Fox News Watch” bringing on biased talking heads. Isn’t it a contradiction to have a show supposedly analysing the media by discussing and debating media-related issues (including issues related to bias) with biased panelists?

Even if you “balance” your panel, you still provide a platform to political ideology (left wingers and right wingers) on shows that are supposed to be designed to hold the media accountable.

Frankly, hosts of these shows need to work harder to find objective panelists or cancel the shows.

How Much Of A Nose Dive Can Lou Dobbs’ Ratings At CNN Take?

CNN’s conservative host Lou Dobbs, who is severely damaging the credibility of CNN as a true and honest-to-goodness news organization, may be taking a hit in the ratings according to The New York Observer. This is no surprise. Dobbs has been so one-side and so pig-headed in pushing this birther non-story, that he is behaving more like a Fox News operative placed at CNN to destroy it from within. In many ways, Dobbs’ obsession with the birther story fits his conservative xenophobic pattern (his other obsession is barking endlessly about illegal immigration).

From The New York Observer:

To wit: According to The Observer’s analysis of Nielsen data, in recent weeks, as criticism of Mr. Dobbs has continued to go up, his ratings at CNN have continued to go down.

Mr. Dobbs’ first began reporting on Obama birth certificate conspiracy theories on the night of Wednesday, July 15. In the roughly two weeks since then, from July 15 through July 28, Mr. Dobbs’ 7 p.m. show on CNN has averaged 653,000 total viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo.

By contrast, during the first two weeks of the month (July 1 to July 14) Mr. Dobbs averaged 771,000 total viewers and 218,000 in the 25-54 demo. In other words, Mr. Dobbs’ audience has decreased 15 percent in total viewers and 27 percent in the demo since the start of the controversy.

Arguably, interest in cable news has slumped across the board since early July when attention over Michael Jackson’s death was still at a fever pitch.

But, that said, Mr. Dobbs’ ratings over the past two weeks, during the height of the “birthers” controversy, are also down significantly compared to his overall numbers during the second quarter of 2009 when he averaged 769,000 total viewers and 222,000 in the 25-54 demo.

In summary, if Mr. Dobbs’ affinity for “birthers” is a ratings ploy, it’s a pretty ineffective one.

But, how far can a man’s ratings truly nose dive if he already is at the bottom of the barrel?

It’s a relatively short fall for Lou Dobbs.

Officer Apologizes For Racial Slur Against Henry Louis Gates Jr.

It seems Boston Police Department Officer Justin Barrett has come out and issued an apology for a nasty e-mail in which he calls Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. a “banana-eating jungle monkey.” Yeah, apparently he did in fact write that message. You can see Barrett’s apology below. Now, who knows what the record of Barrett is with regard to such poor conduct (if, in fact, he does have a prior history). His record may be squeaky clean (outside of this substantial stain). I don’t know that Barrett should necessarily be fired, but if he is not relieved of his duties … his margin for error should be pretty small.

Here is an excerpt from a story published online by CNN:

A Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail referring to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” has apologized, saying he’s not a racist.

Officer Justin Barrett told a Boston television station on Wednesday night that he was sorry for the e-mail.

“I regret that I used such words,” Barrett told CNN affiliate WCVB-TV. “I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist.”

Barrett was placed on administrative leave after the e-mail surfaced, and he might lose his job as a result.

In a news conference held Thursday morning, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis denounced the e-mail.

“We have a relationship to maintain with the community,” he said. “Police officers certainly have First Amendment rights, but they can’t cross the line. I believe this crosses the line.”

Remember all of that talk about us being post-racial … I guess we’re not there yet and maybe not even close as we’ve seen with some of the far-right anger directed at our nation’s first black president.

CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/30/gates.police.apology/index.html