“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.”
~Andre Gide
Perhaps the most teachable moment in network news coverage since the "Balloon Boy" fiasco of late last year unfolded this week. The real question is, in this time of 24 hours news cycles, will anyone learn anything? Before we forget and move on to the next celebrity-going-to-jail story here's a recap:
Right-wing media terrorists do a drive by smearing of a government employee. Obama administration tosses the employee under the bus immediately. Someone actually bothers to investigate the right wing smear machine and discovers it was all a disgustingly manipulative hoax (as well as defamation of character, which could be a sweet legal issue to smack down these fools this time). Right-wing media blame Obama.
The real beauty of this, besides a lawsuit against these bastards, is that they had pulled this shit dozens of times before and gotten away with it. Van Jones and ACORN were the most high profile victims of the lie machine's withering attack on Democratic timidity. But now no one will EVER take them seriously again. We hope.
Fox "News" looks more transparent than ever as the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. And as such, the narratives they adhere to, such as the divide and conquer strategy that is as old as ancient Rome and as young as Nixon's Southern Strategy, has become obvious to all who wish to see it. Rachel Maddow had an excellent breakdown of how they changed tack on the Sherrod smear once the lie had been exposed. She used the network's own video clips from one day to the next to expose their blatant shilling. They are beneath contempt!
President Obama is walking on eggshells because of the power-charged race issue that Republicans have and will exploit to the hilt. However, I don't believe Hilary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, would have had any more fortitude than Obama. Do you recall Lani Guinier? The Democrats have enabled the lies and smears by rewarding them instead of fighting them with the most powerful weapon there is: the truth. Ultimately, it falls back on the American public to put an end to the bullshit, but they seem to be more interested in Hollywood gossip than in politics. That is the real source of the problem.
6 comments:
Ernesto,
Dropping in here and checking you out. Your commentary is spot on with regard to Fox News. What they put out isn't news. It is propaganda calculated to divert our attention from the real issues of the day. When was the last time in this country that we've been able to discuss an issue with the histrionics and yelling that accompany everything they raise today? When was the last time we've been able to address the salient issues of the day rather than a bunch of BS?
Race is the topic, but not the issue. The issue is the oligarchs absconding with the nation's treasury and the people's money. They don't want you thinking or talking about none of that, hence they present the most divisive issue possible to get everyone at each others throats while they beat a hasty retreat. The other issue is the fact that they want to go after Iran and Obama doesn't want to come to that dance.
They're trying to set some fires in the "Reichstag" as a prelude to a government takeover. The silence of the grownups on the right confirm this for me. They're either cowering or acquiesing.
The issue is that the oligarchs are fresh out of bullets, at least as far as the financial alchemy games goes, and they desparately need something to shore up their coffers.
Ernesto, good entry.
I've been away for awhile. My computer grew a brain, and, with that, refused to cooperate with a superior one--mine.
I think we're drawing closer to "Judgment Day*," with the machines having decided that we're the enemy, and are now searching for a way to make us irrelevant, if not subservient to their will.
Despite our superior brains, and the machines' sporadic rebellion, Fox News is forcing a "Judgment Day" all their own.
I'm mostly concerned about those who make the propaganda outlet their daily fare.
One commenter took Greg L to task on his blog, defending Fox News, saying that Fox was first to give its mea culpas when it learned of Breitbart's deceit, and that the whole debacle was his fault.
It was an astoninshing defense, and pretty sad. Had MSNBC or CNN screwed up in the way that Fox News screwed up, you and I would have been first in line to criticized them.
But this commenter was incapable of making that leap, so entrenched was he in Fox News' rightness, and righteousess.
It would be poetic for Shirley Sherrod to exact some kind of monetary award for Breitbart's part in all of this.
At the least, perhaps it'll expose his duplicity, vindicating ACORN, and the motives of others like him.
Yes, it's "divide and conquer." But that's a volatile tactic, and could ignite a conflagration that could set race relations back decades.
What chances these fools are willing to take with the lives of others in order to make money, hold power, and push an idelogy!
And they call themselves patriots and freedom lovers. They're neither.
*From the movie, The Terminator.
Greg,
Thanks for stopping by. I have been trying to comment on your blog but keep getting an error message. Haven't been able to figure out what the problem is yet.
It seems a lot of people woke up after 8 years of Cheney etc. to what these diversions are about but a lot of folks still fall for them. I hope Obama doesn't want to attack Iran, and I hope they don't launch the old false flag to make it happen. I put NOTHING past these people of which you mention!
"What chances these fools are willing to take with the lives of others in order to make money, hold power, and push an idelogy!"
They ride pretty cold, don't they? I'm literally sick of their brazen BS.
I'm glad you were able to get the upper hand on your rebellious machine. Technology may yet rise up and throw off its shackles someday. Then we will all be at its mercy...if the planet doesn't kill us in protest first.
Thanks for stopping by. I have been trying to comment on your blog but keep getting an error message. Haven't been able to figure out what the problem is yet.
Ernesto, I just switched platforms and I now have a self hosted wordpress blog and I ran into this problem actually myself. Are you using IE8? If so, try to use Mozilla firefox to access and let me know if you've been able to do so. For some reason IE 8, doesn't like intense debate and causes my blog to load very slowly, all of which went away one I started using Mozilla firefox. Generally, I've found this browser far superior to IE as I've been running into problem with it generally.
I'm very curious (and concerned) about this, so if you're able to post a note either there or here letting me know, I'd appreciate it.
Also, is there a way to subscribe to comments on the blogger platform? I've never been able to figure that out.
Greg,
Yes, I was using IE8. I will check out firefox and see if that works once I get back from vacation. I will also look into how to subscribe to comments.
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