Community | February 19, 2013 | 43 comments

MSNBC boldly moves to plug its one remaining hole

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/19/msnbc-axelrod-gibbs-obama

Image
Ricky84

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/19/msnbc-axelrod-gib...

Last month, MSNBC's Al Sharpton conducted a spirited debate about whether Obama belongs on Mount Rushmore or instead deserves a separate monument to his greatness (just weeks before replacing frequent Obama critic Cenk Uygur as MSNBC host, Sharpton publicly vowed never to criticize Barack Obama under any circumstances: a vow he has faithfully maintained). Earlier that day on the same network, a solemn discussion was held, in response to complaints from MSNBC viewers, about whether it is permissible to ever allow Barack Obama's name to pass through one's lips without prefacing it with an honorific such as "President" or "the Honorable" or perhaps "His Excellency" (that really did happen).

Yesterday, Chris Matthews - who infamously confessed that listening to Obama (sorry: President Obama) gives him a "thrill going up his leg" - hosted another discussion, this one involving former Obama campaign aide and MSNBC contributor Joy Reid, about whether the Honorable President should be mounted on Mount Rushmore (Matthews restrained himself by explaining that "I'm not talking about Mt. Rushmore but perhaps the level right below it", but then shared this fantasy: "If [Obama] were hearing us talking about him maybe mounting Mount Rushmore, getting up there with the great presidents...what would he be thinking? 'That's exactly what I'm doing?'"). A Pew poll found that in the week leading up to the 2012 election, MSNBC did not air a single story critical of the President or a single positive story about Romney - not a single one - even as Fox aired a few negative ones about Romney and a few positive ones about Obama. Meanwhile, Obama campaign aides who appeared on MSNBC were typically treated with greater deference than that shown to the British Queen when one of her most adoring subjects is in her presence for the first time.

More at link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/19/msnbc-axelrod-gibbs-obama
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Politics,   US Politics,   2 more
  2. tags:
    Fox News,  Propaganda,  President Obama,  MSNBC,  4 more
  3.     
    |

43 comments // MSNBC boldly moves to plug its one remaining hole

  • noxidereus
    • +1
      noxidereus  

    • Excellent article. It's easy for liberals/progressives to criticize Fox News and the drooling morons that actually buy their propaganda wholesale, but it's much harder to look in the mirror and see the bullshit propaganda from MSNBC. There is nothing liberal/progressive about MSNBC or the Democratic party. Obama isn't just not a "true progressive", he is a Bush clone conservative. The propaganda from both Fox and MSNBC present us with the lies that allow the gullible to believe otherwise.

      If any regular person sincerely both hates Bush and thinks Obama is so awesome that he should be on Mount Rushmore, then that person is a damn fool, a victim of propaganda incapable of critical thought. We know that they have been thoroughly conned.

    • 3 months ago
  • MolliBlum
  • noxidereus
  • wolfess
    • -3
      wolfess  
    • noxidereus:

      It's easy for liberals/progressives to criticize Fox News and the drooling morons that actually buy their propaganda wholesale

      Yes, the Fox-watching crowd drools, while the equally inane crowd that watches msnb-fox gets a "thrill going up their leg" ... Much like the 2 political flavors we have running this country now -- repdemocons :-)!

    • 3 months ago
  • Culdee
  • truth_accessor
  • WalmartRamen
    • -3
      WalmartRamen  

    • He should be on there! History does not know any petty issues.
      And if we get a first women pres she should be somewhere there too!

      My teachers in 1984 talked about the day we would get a colored pres.
      That alone is historic!

      Bush was an idiot. He was a nut that came to office with a DUI in his past.
      That said a lot! There was a undermining of our foundation. ALEC was running full speed. Wages kept low as cost got up.

      Banks almost crashed. They had to be baled out. Broke banks makes broke CEO's that cant give you a paycheck, all of their money was in that bank!
      And so is your paycheck!

      Then the stupid line "Where are the jobs?" = My line,
      "What was the last time you bought something to make the need for jobs? Oh your broke, who gives you a paycheck, it's not Obama!"

      Obama did good for the USA crashing! We won't know everything until later.
      There are things not said, they don't want a panic. We will all read about it in history books, of how close we where!

      Obama is doing good for the ground he was standing on!

    • 3 months ago
  • Culdee
    • 0
      Culdee  

    • Thank you for posting Ricky! It's in-the-face evidence to these proGROSSives that MSNBC is spinning their viewers into leftism lunacy.

    • 3 months ago
  • jackhole
  • Culdee
  • jackhole
    • -2
      jackhole  
    • Culdee:

      Ok I see you have nothing substantial to add---it was Faux who started the trend towards tabloid yellow journalism and what villainous RIGHT-WINGERS SOP UP.

    • 3 months ago
  • cpad
  • cpad
  • truth_accessor
    • +1
      truth_accessor  
    • cpad:

      The ratings aren't even close. MSNBC's top show draws about 1M viewers a night. Fox's draws 3 times that. But, reruns of 2 and 1/2 men dwarf Fox's ratings. So nobody is really watching cable "news."

    • 3 months ago
  • MolliBlum
    • +1
      MolliBlum  
    • Culdee:

      With respect: I don't think they're "spinning their viewers into leftism lunacy" at all, Culdee.
      On the contrary, they are lulling them into placid acceptance of rightwing / neocon policies without so much as a whimper of resistance.

    • 3 months ago
  • noxidereus
  • MolliBlum
    • -2
      MolliBlum  
    • noxidereus:

      Indeed -- "manufacturing consent" is exactly what it's all about.

      (Hope you do get around to the videos. What I found particularly interesting was that he was so quick off the mark, while the rest of the world was still basking in a false sense of bliss)

    • 3 months ago
  • cmdinc
    • -1
      cmdinc  
    • cpad:

      be real. Fox viewership is 3 times that of MSNBC. Instead of plugging a left winged link why don't you go right to Nielson for the facts...oh they don't confirm the link. If you add 3 viewers to LSDNBC's 10 you get an up 30% viewership

    • 3 months ago
  • Culdee
    • -1
      Culdee  
    • cpad:

      "Hmmm....then why is Fox tanking while MSNBC is on the upswing?"

      I don't care what either station's ratings are. Facts are what matter, and Fox actually DOES do a good job calling out the deception from the liberal MSM. I don't care if their ratings are rock bottom. Even Copernicus's ratings were rock bottom but that didn't mean he was wrong. =)

    • 3 months ago
  • Culdee
  • MSII
    • -2
      MSII  

    • ...better him then that p.o.s holy-saint-reagan-the-mad like the right wingers so desperately want to put up there (so he can be all the more worshiped and adored, holy+holy+holy+).

    • 3 months ago
  • oppressed1
    • 0
      oppressed1  

    • Being an african american isnt an accomplishment. To deserve a place on the mount you need to be iconic, because of your policies or other grand things you did in office. Obama has some wishy washy things that dont amount to anything that have been over hyped by the media. As far as being a true progressive hes not, as being a man of peace hes not. He's just another puppet who played his cards right in 08.

    • 3 months ago
  • jackhole
  • MolliBlum
    • +3
      MolliBlum  
    • jackhole:

      “…only you bringing up his ethnicity…”

      Not at all. The very first commenter on this thread does so too.

      And why not?
      After all, in this context (i.e. Mt Rushmore), it is entirely relevant.

      Much has been made of the fact that Obama is the first black president, and much ink has been spilled describing the 2008 election as symbolising the end of an era in which the colour of his skin would have been an insurmountable barrier to such high political office.

      Some have suggested (as the very first comment on this thread does, btw) that this milestone in US history should be marked, in keeping with the express intent of the monument:

      "…to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States …”

      Whether or not you agree is another matter entirely – unfortunately you give no indication of your views .

      But it seems absurd, especially on this thread, to protest (as you have now done twice already) that the merest mention of his ethnicity is a slur.

      Obama himself has acknowledged / addressed the issue of race in connection with his presidency on many occasions. Are you calling him a bigot too?

    • 3 months ago
  • MolliBlum
    • 0
      MolliBlum  
    • oppressed1:

      “…you need to be iconic…”

      I get your point. And I agree that he is no “true progressive”.
      But I don’t think that’s really the issue here. I think the “iconic” aspect has more to do with the collective than the individual in this instance.

      Electing the first black president was, in itself, symbolic of a sea-change in social attitudes and so it does mark an "iconic" milestone in US history, irrespective of his actual achievements in office.

      Had Hillary Clinton won the primaries, we might be having the very same discussion right now, for much the same reasons, about whether the first female president should have a place on Mt Rushmore.

    • 3 months ago
  • jackhole
  • jackhole
  • Ricky84
    • +2
      Ricky84  
    • jackhole:

      This is a completely off topic post with no purpose other than to flamebait our right leaning community members. I don't agree with a lot of right wing posters but I'm certainly not going to pretend this post is anything less than a childish attempt to get back at those damn other people. If you have something to say about the actual article by all means post it but please don't use my threads of this site as a dumping ground for flamewar.

      From the community guidelines page,

      "Starting fires.

      Saying something unpopular is one thing. Deliberately stirring up trouble for troll bait is another. Bottom line: Don't be a jerk."

      This is a rule ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS should be held to, not just the right leaning ones.

    • 3 months ago
  • jackhole
    • -5
      jackhole  
    • Ricky84:

      Actually I'm posting my way, YOU may not like it and that's too bad. You don't get to censor anyone---every time you disagree with anyone you call it flame bait. My style is sarcastic, campy and irrelevant ( by device) . The reason it is so is because these sites are informal forums that attract bigots, misogynist, intolerant buffoons. Do you think I'm about to waste my time debating closed minds?

      Doubt me? on this very page there are TWO thinly veiled attempts to bring the POTUS skin color into the discussion and one photoshopped image that if I apply your logic is an attempt to "FLAMEBAIT" current's liberal members.

      So tell me why is it that you focus on me rather that to address those points I just made?

    • 3 months ago
  • Ricky84
    • +3
      Ricky84  
    • jackhole:

      I’m not stupid and I’m certainly didn’t come here to play games with you. The last time I bothered discussing an issue with you was weeks ago and in the end you had to remove most of your replies because they were flamebait / trolling. My record for spotting jackhole flamebait is pretty good. That being said I choose not to interact with you because as you’ve perfectly explained you’re not here to debate. That’s why you see no problem with posting completely irrelevant, poorly photoshopped pictures on the threads I start.

      I don't like seeing this sort of childish behavior from anyone to anyone and I'd appreciate it if you kept this sort of thing out of my threads. Your complaints and personal vendettas have zero relevance with Glenn Greenwald's article and only serve to undermine the purpose of this forum.

    • 3 months ago
  • jackhole
    • -3
      jackhole  
    • Ricky84:

      Well I'll tell you what, I when dealing with difficult personalities choose to roll over their comments, even on my own threads. Current is an open forum and I will post freely as I see fit ( this is the right we all have, not an attempt to set you off) if you want to dictate who can comment on your post I suggest that you create your own site. As for any comments removed it was by the site not me, someone under another name went to get satisfaction and whined and made false accusations---BTW when I go there I do using the same name I have here.

      I don't say this to flame bait you or be cruel, it is what it is. I don't think that even AFTER i MADE AN ATTEMP to honestly explain that even in an irrelevant way I'm actually giving my opinion you understand.

      My mocking picture basically is says what I mean---Greenwald is doing the usual it's Obama's fault. After four years of this by posters the media and every lowbrow mind I don't see any reason to go into a long debate when brevity will suffice.

      As far as this story goes there's nothing new---A left leaning news media group pads their line-up with left lean in contributors, BIG WHOOP! have you seen what FAUX news does?

    • 3 months ago
  • Ricky84
    • +2
      Ricky84  
    • Image
    • jackhole:

      This is a strawman argument. I never said Current is not or should not be an open forum. The point was Current has clear posting guidelines to maintain a healthy, mature dialog and everyone should respect them.

      “As for any comments removed it was by the site not me, someone under another name went to get satisfaction and whined and made false accusations”
      If your comments fell within the guidelines than why weren’t they restored? The simple answer is you did in fact break the rules and for whatever reason you won’t admit that fact.

      “I don't think that even AFTER i MADE AN ATTEMP to honestly explain that even in an irrelevant way I'm actually giving my opinion you understand. My mocking picture basically is says what I mean”

      If you don’t come here to debate the actual article and instead spend your time attacking the PEOPLE commenting or their assumed ideology then you are in fact trolling. In your own words you describe your posts as irrelevant, mocking and meant to roll over the comments of community members you don’t even want to debate. That’s a pretty good explanation of flamebaiting / trolling.

      “My mocking picture basically is says what I mean---Greenwald is doing the usual it's Obama's fault.”

      And this is completely unrelated to the opinion expressed in Greenwald’s article. He didn’t blame Obama for anything. At worst he REPORTED some journalists were upset because they were unable to photograph President Obama playing golf with Tiger Woods. This is an incredibly small point which by itself is not the subject of the article. In fact the article is about the seemingly corrupted MSM cozying up to those in power to gain special privilege.

      The article is also about the revolving door in Washington as it pertains to the MSM instead of say former Monsanto employees and the FDA or EPA. The idea this criticism is somehow comparable to Mitch McConnell or John McCain getting upset at the President is absolutely ridiculous. Greenwald has written extensively about John McCain, and none of it was favorable.

      Like here
      http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/10/john-mccain-unveils-his-grand-plan-fo...
      And here
      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-greenwald/great-american-hypocrites_b_95317....
      And here
      http://www.salon.com/2010/06/12/mccain_127/
      And here
      http://www.salon.com/2012/07/31/extremism_normalized/

    • 3 months ago
  • MolliBlum
    • 0
      MolliBlum  
    • Ricky84:

      If people actually bothered to read the article before commenting / attacking the perceived "other, there would be no need to spell it out... and there might even be some kind of constructive dialogue.

      Thanks for the links, btw.

    • 3 months ago
  • Ricky84
  • MolliBlum
  • H3ADLINE
    • +6
      H3ADLINE  

    • American TV is nearly devoid of journalism. What little exists is focused on trashing the opposing side instead of an honest analysis of the facts.

    • 3 months ago
  • Vic_Romano
  • TanzaniteDiamonds
  • MolliBlum
  • WagonMaster
  • OlBlue
    • +2
      OlBlue  
    • Image

    • It's already started. All they have left to do is carve the arms which will hold all the guns he's confiscated, thus fulfilling the Paranoia Prophecy. Pretty cool eh?

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +3
      coolplanet  

    • "Chris Matthews - who infamously confessed that listening to Obama (sorry: President Obama) gives him a "thrill going up his leg".....

      Or perhaps gramps forgot to change his depends.

    • 3 months ago
  • buddhawoman
more from Community:
from the community

top videos