Tipping the scales: Cable news channels dedicate more coverage to RNC's scheduled programming during peak hours than to DNC's
SUMMARY: On September 2 and September 3, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News each dedicated more on-air time -- significantly more in most cases -- to official Republican convention programming during the most-watched portions of their coverage than each channel dedicated to official convention programming during the same times on comparable nights of the Democratic National Convention.
During their September 2 and September 3 coverage of the Republican National Convention, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News each dedicated more on-air time -- significantly more in most cases -- to speeches and other official Republican convention programming during the most-watched portions of their coverage than each channel dedicated to official convention programming during the same times on comparable nights of the Democratic National Convention one week earlier.
According to the TV Newser blog, Nielsen Media Research found that the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours were the most-watched hours of MSNBC's and CNN's coverage of the August 25, August 26, and August 27 convention nights, and among the top three most-watched hours on Fox News all three nights, along with the 8 p.m. ET edition of The O'Reilly Factor, which has shown virtually no official convention programming during either convention. Final ratings numbers are not yet available for the September 2 or September 3 coverage of the Republican National Convention. Moreover, the most prominent speeches have been scheduled to begin between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.
Media Matters for America analyzed the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of convention coverage for the first three days of the Democratic National Convention and the second and third days of the Republican National Convention. Since most convention business was canceled on the first night of the Republican National Convention on September 1, Media Matters did not analyze coverage that night. Media Matters counted each period of time during which any portion of a scheduled speech was broadcast without commentary, when party-sponsored videos were broadcast, or when other convention business was broadcast without commentary. Media Matters included as part of the 10 p.m. hour all coverage of speeches that occurred or began between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET -- even if they did not conclude until after 11 p.m. For example, Media Matters counted coverage of Sen. Hillary Clinton's and Gov. Sarah Palin's speeches that continued past 11 p.m. as part of the 10 p.m. hour.
Findings for Tuesday, September 2, coverage of the Republican National Convention and Monday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 26, coverage of the Democratic National Convention are as follows:
- MSNBC dedicated 1 hour, 19 minutes, 52 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 2 Republican National Convention coverage; by contrast, MSNBC dedicated 56 minutes, 13 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 25 coverage of the Democratic National Convention, and 59 minutes, 28 seconds during its August 26 coverage.
- CNN dedicated 1 hour, 23 minutes, 36 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 2 Republican National Convention coverage; by contrast, CNN dedicated 1 hour, 3 minutes, 58 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 25 coverage of the Democratic National Convention, and 1 hour, 10 minutes, 45 seconds during its August 26 coverage.
- Fox News dedicated 1 hour, 16 minutes, 30 seconds to scheduled convention programming, including convention speeches, during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 2 Republican National Convention coverage; by contrast, Fox News dedicated 56 minutes, 25 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 25 coverage of the Democratic National Convention, and 38 minutes, 51 seconds during its August 26 coverage.
Findings for the Wednesday, September 3, coverage of the Republican National Convention, including Palin's speech, and the Wednesday, August 27, coverage of the Democratic National Convention, including Sen. Joe Biden's speech, are as follows:
- MSNBC dedicated 1 hour, 26 minutes, 48 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 3 Republican National Convention coverage; by contrast, MSNBC dedicated 1 hour, 20 minutes, 9 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 27 coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
- CNN dedicated 1 hour, 36 minutes, 40 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 3 Republican National Convention coverage; by contrast, CNN dedicated 1 hour, 25 minutes, 46 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 27 coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
- Fox News dedicated 1 hour, 9 minutes, 33 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET hours of its September 3 Republican National Convention coverage; Fox News dedicated 1 hour, 8 minutes, 17 seconds to scheduled convention programming during the same hours during its August 27 coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
All of the cable networks broadcast more official convention programming during their Tuesday, September 2, coverage of the Republican National Convention than they did during their Monday, August 25, or Tuesday, August 26, coverage of the Democratic National Convention. While MSNBC and CNN broadcast more official Democratic convention programming on Wednesday, August 27, than Republican convention programming on Wednesday, September 3, the difference is more than accounted for by CNN's coverage of the Democratic convention's roll call vote and nearly accounted for by MSNBC's coverage of that vote. Indeed, during its Wednesday broadcasts, CNN showed 1 hour, 2 minutes, 48 seconds of the Democratic roll call and 7 minutes, 54 seconds of the Republican roll call; MSNBC showed 51 minutes, 40 seconds of the Democratic roll call and 2 minutes, 44 seconds of the Republican roll call.
It seemed to me that there were fewer Democrats commenting this week than there were Republicans last week, but then I was watching without stopwatch in-hand.
I do wish I could have heard more of the speeches (both conventions), and less of the talking heads.
And speaking of talking heads, it's about time for Larry King -- he is on at 4pm over here -- 5am ET over there.
Doug Reese
Hi Doug,
I hope all is well with you. Especially considering whre you are, do you have any thoughts regarding McCain? Last night, the RNC and many speakers, including McCain, drew from his days of captivity. Did any of that get through?
Yes, I did see speaker after speaker mention McCain's time as a POW over here. And I know, for the most part, they didn't have a clue as to what it was like -- nada. For them, to a large degree, it was a talking point. It was politics.
When McCain spoke about it, well, that was a different story. I thought he put across -- he gave people a feeling -- as to what he went through. I especially liked it when he spoke of the two guys who kept him alive when he was in bad shape (in the early years, POWs were usually one person to a cell, except in the instances where guys were in a condition where they couldn't take care of themselves), and I expect it was one guy for a period time, and then another. What a great tribute to those two on a national stage.
Doug Reese
" It seemed to me that there were fewer Democrats commenting this week than there were Republicans last week,"
Noticed the same.
Last week it seemed that evry time you truned around a whole bank of Republicans was analyzing every move of the dems. But this week, it was mostly Republicans and journalists talking about Republicans.
And where was Rachel Maddow this week on MSNBC? Not too much of her, either. A little, but not like last week.
We shouldn't be.
Despite what all these rightwing hyperventilators on the teevee, and nitwits posting here at MMFA, want to tell us, our media is a subsidiary of the Corporatist, er, uh, Republican Party.
If the corporate media isn't owned and operated by a handful of right-wing authoritarian pricks, they sure as hell are cowed by them. Just look at the current blame the media strategy the McCain-Pagan, I mean Palin, Rethugs are playing. Media have either been intimidated into giving more coverage to the R's, or the R's have presented their greatest strength (control of our media) as their greatest weakness.
Really, though, why wouldn't our media be intimidated by these lunatics? Take a look at the St. Paul police state...wait, you can't. The corporate media isn't covering it. The Rethugs have ordered pre-emptive house raids on anyone (aka new media journalists) suspected of even hinking about video documenting anything except the sanctioned script.
And you people thought these kind of anti-Constitutional raids were only for illegal immigrants in meat packing plants. Ha! Congratulations all you anti-immigration a-holes, you have paved the way for this fascistic behavior. By focusing your resentment on economic refugees and rejoicing in the stripping of their human rights, right here in America, YOU have made this possible.
Give yourselves a big pat on the back and langor in the new Republican police state.
Yeah, no surprise here. You see; Obama’s message is a message about how flawed America is, how we should be more like the Europeans, scale back our expectations for day to day life in America.
Obama’s message is of subjugation and mediocrity.
Yes, I think that’s the thought I associate most with Obama’s view of America "seek mediocrity"
Obama does not believe we are the greatest nation in the world, nor does he believe we should strive to attain/maintain the position.
Personally, I want to eat the finest foods, send my kids to the best schools, drive a big damn hummer if I want, and all without guilt. Obama believes you should scale back your expectations, and desire less; he believe you should feel guilt for wanting the best the world has to offer. I say rubbish!
McCain/Palin on the other hand know that this is the greatest nation in the world and wish to move it even further in that direction. This is the message the nation wants to hear, and this is why McCain/Palin are getting all the press.
Obama/Biden are the doom and gloom ticket, McCain/Palin are the hope (for a better America) ticket.
I don’t like Obama’s lofty rhetoric that says nothing. McCain/Palin deliver speeches absolutely packed with content. Content that puts America first.
Those that love this country want to hear how we will solve our problems while at the same time maintain our position as the greatest nation in the world.
Only kooky Prius driving, tree sitting liberals need the love and acceptance of Europe and the rest of the world before making any decision. Not me. I believe we will acquire these things naturally by doing the right things, fighting the good fight, and being there to help others when the chips are down.
McCain/Palin > Obama/Biden
There is absolutely nothing in Obama's words or policies that justifies your empty interpretation. Nothing.
You used a lot of space for a few vacuous talking points.
I mean do you hate your child and lead them toward mediocrity when you correct their errors? No.
Yap away. Yap all day, it's what you seem to do best.
McCain is tempermental old war monger and Palin is a religious zealot. It's that simple.
McCain/Palin > Obama/Biden
Raw Sewage > Max Dharma
america is not a shinning city on a hill with lawrence welk music playing in the background. it's a work in progress because of who makes it up. a bunch of dirty, uneducated, hard working immigrants...just like the people who were responsible for YOU being here. and there is fighting and bickering and different views...that's why it's flawed. That 'flaw' doesn't mean it's bad, it just means it's not perfect. You, we, all of us have to keep fighting and keep driving and steering to make it the best it can be. It's not, and will never be done.
Look at that convention last night, with their strange, staged chants, A sea of white folk who "have theirs". That's wonderful but that's not what or who America is. It's just a part. When you let one faction take over, you get what we have had for the last 8 years. Nothing good.
MAX: "Personally, I want to eat the finest foods, send my kids to the best schools, drive a big damn hummer if I want, and all without guilt. Obama believes you should scale back your expectations, and desire less; he believe you should feel guilt for wanting the best the world has to offer. I say rubbish!"
Why Max.....that makes you sound like AN ELITIST doesn't it!
Maybe if 3-4 of you worked together you could put together some sort of response that actually addressed the points I’m making? (Not that I expect it to happen.)
The problem with you liberal democrats is you have no ideas of your own; you hate Bush, but that is all you really know. You love Obama because he’s all about "change", but you have no idea what that change is.
I know it’s hard, but try to respond to disagreement with intelligent dialog and not the usual personal attacks you use to fend off an assault on the Messiah.
"You love Obama because he’s all about "change", but you have no idea what that change is."....MAX
Gee Max, didn't the GOP convention shove CHANGE down our throats last night? They are getting so disparate they have to plagiarize Obama/Biden campaign phrases.Talk about a party of no ideas.
It's not our fault you won't see that we have addressed your ignorant points with honesty and grit. It's not our fault that you're a talking point stooge.
The Republicans are a bunch of whiners.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/have_you_hugged_a_republican_t.html
Maybe if 3-4 of you worked together you could put together some sort of response that actually addressed the points I’m making? (MaxJusty)
Hi Max. There's a reason nobody's addressing your points. You didn't make any. This is a problem a lot of wingnuts have when they come to this site from the safety and comfort of their bedroom cocoon with the am radio and Fox news.
There was nothing in your post. Talking points and platitudes, vague dreams about the big car you'll have some day, but no ideas or positions. Other conservative posters make the same mistakes you do, posting these fluffy empty babblings or linking to right wing opinion pieces that are just as unsubstantial, then demanding that others refute these vaporous farts.
I'll help you get started , if you're serious and not just some kid goofing around; what would you say is an example of the "content" in McCain's speech you referred to (very generically, BTW)
Good luck!
Those that love this country want to hear how we will solve our problems while at the same time maintain our position as the greatest nation in the world.
...and jest exactly what did any ONE of those repbub speeches address what "you" want to hear. Which problem did they address with a solution.
Yes, I think that’s the thought I associate most with Obama’s view of America "seek mediocrity"
As opposed to Gramps' view of America: "Seek Incompetence" (or Ignorance, whichever suits you best).
"I believe we will acquire these things naturally by doing the right things, fighting the good fight, and being there to help others when the chips are down."
***********************************************************
YGBSM - is this idiot actually serious?
Hey Maxine - according to today's Baltimore Sun, due to "rising violence and increasing numbers of foreign insurgents pouring into Afghanistan, the U.S. will launch a 'very aggressive' winter campaign in eastern Afghanistan." Hmmm...no more getting shot at for me, thanks; I'm trying to cut down.
However, in your case chasing pissed-off mujaheddin through frozen, landmine-strewn mountain passes sounds like a really good fight to me. Plus, the 101st would love to have some help from a real American patriot like you riding shotgun when they deploy. Talk about a force multiplier!
If you're worried that you wouldn't finish Basic Training in time to get in on the fun, don't you worry - BCT is only 9 weeks with AIT for the 11B Combat Infantryman MOS lasting another 13. Not even six months and you're an Eleven Bang-Bang ready to kick some muj ass. Totally freaking awesome, dude.
Think about it - you could be in the 'Stan before the spring thaw if you signed up tomorrow. After all, the only way you wouldn't take this opportunity to "fight the good fight" would be if you were...gee I don't know...a bloviating, lily-livered, pseudo-patriotic chickenhawk or something.
So remember - stay focused on that front sight, let your breath halfway out and then squeeze - you'll do fine. Don't forget to write!
Nicely said. These people are scary. They must be STOPPED or the America that we grew up with and REAL AMERICAN VALUES as WE know them - namely Freedom & Liberty - will be gone forever.
Sarah Palin terrifies me. She is a greater threat to the American way of life than Osama Bin Laden. He can only blow up a building, or take a life. McSame/Failin seek to destroy America's values. The are fighting to destroy everything that makes America worth fighting for. If they are elected, the terrorists will have won.
Just seen this on talking points memo:
Mystery Solved!
A lot of people were asking tonight: what the hell was that mansion up behind John McCain tonight during the first part of the speech? As I noted below, the TV close-ups only showed McCain's head against the grass in the picture, which made it look like he was reprising his famed green screen performance. And when they panned out, it looked like McCain was showing off one of his mansions.
Well, several readers have written in to tell me that the building is actually the main building on the campus of the Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California. And sure enough, this page on the school's website makes it pretty clear that they're correct.
You can compare below ...
So it's not a mansion, but a middle school. But that still doesn't answer the question of why they picked this picture to have him standing in front of -- when I would imagine that 99.9% of the US population would have no idea what they were looking at.
(ed.note: Thanks to TPM Readers JR and EK for cluing us in.)
Late Update: I'm surprised this hadn't occurred to me. But several readers have suggested that perhaps one of the tech geeks charged with setting up the audio/visual bells and whistles for the evening was tasked with getting pictures of Walter Reed Army Medical Center but goofed and got this instead. At first I thought, No, that's ridiculous. This is a major political party with big time professionals putting this together. Nothing is left to chance. I mean, is this the RNC or a scene out Spinal Tap or Waiting for Guffman? I still have a bit of a hard time believing they're quite that incompetent. But when you figure in what appears to be the utter lack of any logic for this school being behind McCain and the fact that it has 'Walter Reed' in its name, I'm really not sure you can discount this possibility.
(ed.note: Special bonus snark: That's not stock photo keyword searching we can believe in.)
In the words of Kent Brockman "What a bunch of morons!!"
Good catch by Josh. Or at least the TPM readers.
I wasn't paying any attention to the building myself and just figured by default it was the Whitehouse (speaking of morons). I was too busy trying to figure out how they could be so ignorant to use a background that would surround McSame with a field of green on some camera shots.
I'm curious what the rightie commenters at MMfA think about this level of competence exhibited by McSame. Does it fill you with confidence in his ability to preside over the operations of this whole country? Because, I'm thinking that I wouldn't even trust him to be elected principle of Walter Reed middle school right now...
One less comma, one more word... The whole thing boils down to a matter of one's pincipals.
"Speaking of wordsmithing, I can't figure out if 'hate' or 'despise' is a more apt term to describe the Sarah Alaska-First! Palin regarding her (and her husband's) affinity for the American flag and federal government."
Well, the first thing I would do would be to replace "affinity" with "regard", then restructure that part of the sentence to read:
...Caribou Barbie* and Taawd "Snowcession!" Palin's regard for the American flag and government.
"Caribou Barbie" - I LOVE it!!!!
So now the ticket is Gramps McCain and Caribou Barbie......
Off POINTOFVIEW....Couldn't wait to quote Obama..just like the little sissy in school who had to tattle on everyone. Back to third grade my cousin poster POV, but please, quote every word and don't just paraphrase to suit your needs..."our" wildest dreams. His would be personally, ours could mean the country's. And guess what, you forgot these rest of what he said. Poor excuse for a valid poster. Shame shame you like McCain. Now go get extra points and clean the chalkboard.
By the way, I was in third grade myself just last year so please explain how Palin works with her eyes and nose.
You need serious help.
For the benefit of those who are new to MMFA, you'll have to forgive POV here. It's not easy for him, going through life as the world's first living brain donor.....
:-)
"By the way, I was in third grade myself just last year so please explain how Palin works with her eyes and nose."
There are several possible options here:
I doubt the lazy conservative MSM will do any investigation of this, even though I happen to consider it information crucial to making a voting decision.
MR. O'REILLY: I think you were desperately wrong on the surge. And I think you should admit it to the nation that now we have defeated the terrorists in Iraq. And the al Qaeda came there after we invaded, as you know. Okay, we've defeated them. If we didn't, they would have used it as a staging ground.
We've also inhibited Iran from controlling the southern part of Iraq by the surge which you did not support. So why won't you say, I was right in the beginning, I was wrong about that?
SEN. OBAMA: You know, if you've listened to what I've said, and I'll repeat it right here on this show, I think that there's no doubt that the violence in down. I believe that that is a testimony to the troops that were sent and General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated, by the way, including President Bush and the other supporters.
It has gone very well, partly because of the Anbar situation and the Sunni --
....[ chatter]....
SEN. OBAMA: No. Hold on a second, Bill. If you look at the debate that was taking place, we had gone through five years of mismanagement of this war that I thought was disastrous. And the president wanted to double-down and continue on open-ended policy that did not create the kinds of pressure in the Iraqis to take responsibility and reconcile --
MR. O'REILLY: It worked. Come on.
SEN. OBAMA: Bill, what I've said is -- I've already said it succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.
MR. O'REILLY: Right! So why can't you just say, I was right in the beginning, and I was wrong about the surge?
SEN. OBAMA: Because there is an underlying problem with what we've done. We have reduced the violence --
MR. O'REILLY: Yeah?
SEN. OBAMA: -- but the Iraqis still haven't taken a responsibility. And we still don't have the kind of political reconciliation. We are still spending, Bill, 10 (billion dollars) to $12 billion a month.
I wonder if any of the Republicans remember Bush's goals from his speech and the timelines he gave in January 2007.
Bush himself probably doesn't remember what he said in that speech. He was either drunk or nursing a hangover......
One of the best parts of last night was hearing Obama tell Bill O. that the surge has succeded beyond his wildest dreams.
I thought Obama performed fairly well in the No Spin Zone. Of course he was outmatched by O'reilly in terms of his knowledge on policy, but all and all he did pretty good showing on his part.
Frankly, I feel he's going a little too over the top to be believable.
But I've always preferred a bit more subtlety. He does have NoLeftTurns, ProudCon, and Wesley all tempering his exaggerated depiction, so maybe it works after all. It IS always amusing.
It IS always amusing.
It will be even more amusing to read their posts following the Democratic landslide in two months....
:-)
It will take every ounce of their creativity to produce material on par with what we've seen lately.
Can you imagine how droll they would be if they were attempting to satirize liberals? ZZZZZzzzzzzz.......
Oh, I know! That same obsession prevented the media from training its cameras inside an empty convention hall on Day 1. At least Bill O fought the good fight and shared with his viewers the RNC's sights and sounds of nothing on Monday night.
And Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday...but then the balloons came. Now that overshadowed everything. Balloons are full of hot-air so it is fitting to have them close any convention. Please, I am not and have never practiced balloonism.
After the past two weeks, what do the swarm of reporters, analyists, new media, radio talkers, MSM and guys like Carly Rove do. Aren't vacations in order? And no one should even think about asking Princess Sarah any questions about how she'll help run the country because this poor victim has already been asked enough questions, hasn't given any answers, but why should she..she was a Mayor.
Did you see what the 'confetti' was? Someone better skilled than I might be able to find a picture of it online, but they showed it on one of the news broadcasts last night as they were cleaning the convention hall last night.
It was a mixture of color pictures of John McCain and he and his wife Cindy.
Priceless...it takes 8 mmfa staffers to come up with the fact that these 3 networks broadcast 9 1/2 hours of the democrat convention...and 8 hours of the republican convention.
Since mmfa admitted nothing went on the first night of the republican convention...there wasn't anything to cover. Only in the convoluted statistical wizardry of mmfa can they make such a silly claim...LOL.
Wesley, turning a knob and having water come out of a pipe into the sink is wizardry to you.
That's because Wesley's world doesn't include that new-fangled indoor plumbing.
Jeter,
I didn't have my stopwatch out, but my feeling is the reason that the cables spent more time on the Republicans speeches than the Democrats is simply the Republican speeches lasted longer.
Yeah, gotta love Republicans who don't want the government's intervention in city problems blasting community organizers. If community organizers and government intervention are not solutions, AA, what do you propose?
Its awesome to hear community service mocked by those who disfavor government intervention.
Fried,
The problem with "community organizer" label as I see it as evidenced by Obama, is that it is essentially a cover for an arm of the Democratic Party. The get-out-the-vote "organizing" is a euphemism for registering Democratic Party voters.
AA wrote:
>>The problem with "community organizer" label as I see it as evidenced by Obama, is that it is essentially a cover for an arm of the Democratic Party. The get-out-the-vote "organizing" is a euphemism for registering Democratic Party voters.
Let me repeat what you wrote earlier:
>>No I don't have any data. It is just my impression.
You don't know what the heck you are talking about. Most community organizers claim tax exemption, and are strictly prohibited from endorsing one party.
Funny,
Now that was even funnier! ;-)
AA wrote:
>>Now that was even funnier! ;-)
I see that the heck you are talking about and try to pass off your ignorance with emoticons.
Funny,
Even though they are non-profit, it doesn't pass the smell test that they are lining up people to vote Republican. Just because they are non-profit does not mean that they are not partisan.
I know of people in non-profits who work on behalf the poor, I would say they equally rival in tone and ideology any of the radical left wingers who regularly contribute here. Take a look at who's on the Board of Directors of these non-profits. Most are a who's who of the Democratic Party.
If you can, find me any "community organizer" who is even remotely associated with the Republican Party. I haven't found one.
Brab,
It is not that Democrats care more, it is simply a different philosophy about how to best help.
Does preventing school choice for the poor in failed inner city schools help the poor or hurt the poor?
Did creating a welfare state help the poor or hurt the poor?
Does affirmative action help the poor or hurt the poor?
Does raising the minimum wage help the poor or hurt the poor?
Does handing out condoms and needles programs help the poor or hurt the poor?
Liberals say yes, conservatives say no.
Did I say to not help people? No. I did not.
AA -
Come to Louisiana to see bipartisan community organizers. As a resident of the Gulf Coast and a witness to all that has been done by community organizers of both parties (or no party in lots of cases) in the wake of 2005's hurricanes, I was stunned to see the Republicans this week sneer at and deride the truly good and selfless efforts of so many fellow Americans, including fellow Republicans.
Louisiana is a very red state, but community organizers of all stripes and from all over have worked hard to rebuild the schools, the churches, the parks, and the museums here. Community organizers got together to form a group called Mowrons to volunteer to keep the grass cut in our beautiful but terribly damaged City Park during a period when public funds were just too tight for such luxuries, and we are grateful to them. Community organizers have raised money to replace computers in public and private schools, they have repainted schools and landscaped schoolyards so the kids have a decent places to learn and play. There are thousands of examples, but suffice it to say that community organizers have made a huge difference here, and continue to do so.
Just my opinion, but that knock on community organizers is going to cause a backlash, and it should.
Pyr,
It seems to me that you lump everyone who volunteers to help as "community organizers".
My hat is off to all who have pitched in to help. I know our church and school and many others around here in Ohio have sent volunteers to help rebuild in the wake of Katrina.
What about people who get paid to be community organizers? What do you call them?
How long was Obama a community organizer and why did he decide to stop being one?
AA -
- a paid community organizer;
- to go to Harvard.
So being a 'paid' community organizer was his job. I got a job out of college myself. Big whoop. How many years did he 'help' organize?
You didn't mention he went back to Harvard Law.
Looks to me like he was simply padding his resume while being paid.
No need for that, AA. He served his community, and, by all accounts did it well. You sound like those on the right who criticized Paul Hackett saying he went to Iraq for his resume. Your cynicism is over the line. Do you think I did Teach for America to pad my resume? If I was running for President on the Dem ticket I bet you would.
Fried,
You are right. I went a bit over the line. I apologize.
I am frustrated by Obama saying he was a community organizer and that he supposedly helped people, however I never can find anyone who can actually say what it is he accomplished. I know at one point he headed a group that signed up a bunch of minority people to vote in Chicago.
Knowing how minorities vote and knowing it was in Chicago, it is apparent that Obama was simply getting out the Democratic vote.
That's not true. Within the last couple of days I listed a number of things Obama worked on as a community. You asked me for my sources and I provided them.
Community organizing is basically grass roots problem solving. It's working with the people who live there, finding out what their problems are and helping people to work together to find ways to improve things. It very seldom has a partisan political dimension. The closest it comes to politics is when community groups work together to pressure the local governments to take action regardless of party.
Oh, yeah, that's really something that deserves to be made fun of.
"After four years in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago to work as a community organizer for three years from June 1985 to May 1988 as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side.[12][14] During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[15] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute."
What is wrong with this? Working with the Catholic church to set up job training, college preparation and tenants' rights? Where is the negative aspect here? I thought you were Catholic, on top of it all.
Look, we get it. You don't like Obama and you want to spin every single thing against him. Didn't the Republicans talk about "service" at the convention? So it's great for Republicans, but if you're a Democrat, then you must be a cynical opportunist. It can't possibly be about actually helping communities in that case.
Do you have any idea how desperate you come off with this crap?
Take a look at the following about the "community organizer" Obama.
Instead, he got Gerald Kellman, a Jewish organizer in a rumpled, tea-stained shirt. While Obama was in search of an authentic African American experience, Kellman was simply in search of an authentic African American. His organization worked in black neighborhoods decimated by the shuttering of economic behemoths like U.S. Steel, agitating the unemployed to demand jobs and safer streets. But, for all the anger and poverty in these places, Kellman and his comrades couldn't break through. Because he and his fellow organizers, Mike Kruglik and Gregory Galluzzo, were white (and two of the three were Jewish), the black pastors viewed them with suspicion and, in some cases, outright disdain. Kellman, who had paid what he considered a small fortune for the Times ad, desperately needed a young black man to give the group credibility.
The job with the DCP allowed Obama entree into the poor black neighborhoods with which he was so eager to connect. But serving as the black representative for a trio of white organizers wasn't exactly the community-organizing fantasy he had in mind. Rather, as Obama says today, "This was the closest I could find. " Kellman, Kruglik, and Galluzzo weren't schooled in civil rights-era organizing, but in the teachings of Alinsky, who distrusted movement politics and even Martin Luther King Jr. But, although Obama didn't quite find himself reliving the civil rights era, he soon found himself succumbing to the appeal of Alinsky's organizing methodology.
In Dreams, Obama spent some 150 pages on his four years in Chicago working as an organizer, but there's little discussion of the theory that undergirded his work and informed that of his teachers. Alinsky is the missing layer of his account.
Chicago pastors still remember Obama making the rounds of local churches and conducting interviews--in organizing lingo, "one-on-ones"--where he would probe for self-interest. The Reverend Alvin Love, the Baptist minister of a modest brick church amid the clapboard bungalows of the South Side, was one of Obama's first one-on-ones. During a recent visit to his church, Love told me, "I remember he said this to me: 'There ought to be some way for us to help you meet your self-interest while at the same time meeting the real interests and the needs of the community.'"
Obama so mastered the workshops on power that he later taught them himself. On his campaign website, one can find a photo of Obama ina classroom teaching students Alinskian methods. He stands in front of a blackboard on which he has written, "Power Analysis" and "Relationships Built on Self Interest," an idea illustrated by a diagram of the flow of money from corporations to the mayor.
There's more.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=a74fca23-f6ac-4736-9c78-f4163d4f25c7&p=6So because this author interprets some teachings of Alinsky here (except in all the ways it was different from the teachings of Alinsky, of course), then community organizers in general are leftists? Or is that supposed to convince me that Obama didn't actually help people?
Where did you get this, AnAm?
Thank you for the article link. It was very interesting, but I saw nothing that negatively reflects on Obama. If it was simply the invocation of Alinsky, I find it interesting that you chose to leave out the part in the same article where it says:
It looks to me as though Obama chose his own way, working for the best methods he could to help the people in the community solve their own problems. This is consistent with what I recall from his book. The 150 pages the article references in which Obama talks about his time as a community organizer was pretty much a factual recounting of his efforts, frustrations and accomplishments.
"In Dreams, Obama spent some 150 pages on his four years in Chicago working as an organizer, but there's little discussion of the theory that undergirded his work and informed that of his teachers. Alinsky is the missing layer of his account."--AA's mysteriously unattributed post
I don't even know who Alinsky is, but I would garner to say this quote is from a RW nutjob source. It doesn't even make any sense. It is more plausible that Obama did not write about the theory because he did not give a second thought to Alinsky. But we have right-wing mindreaders who know exactly that even when Obama doesn't address a subject, he is endorsing it.
AA,
When I taught in Teach for America a while back, I would say that at least 95% of the teachers sent to the poor areas of this country to teach students in low-income urban and rural school districts all over the country were liberals. Does that make Teach for America less viable as an organization?
Fried,
Would you describe your teaching stint as being a "community organizer"?
ps. I admire and commend you for your service. You are a great American!
AA,
Compliments aside, I posted that because the politics of members of an organization don't diminish it.
A bit bitter there, AA? Feeling a bit left out on the community organizer front?
McCain can't even face community organizers anymore...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/john-mccain-cancels-habit_n_123947.html
Neighborhood Watch, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Volunteer Taxpayer Assistance - AA, do you really live in America?
That would explain it, yes.
Pyr,
Why are naming those organizations?
Yes, I live in Ohio.
Pyr,
So community organizers do not encourage white people to vote? Why did you only include African Americans?
There are many social service organizations, many religious based, and many government based who do those things. Why didn't Obama simply work for Reverend Wright?
What makes the organization Obama worked for different? Could it be that Obama worked on the political side of the street?
Okay this has been fun but we're simply waltzing around the elephant in the room. Face it, Obama was just a leftist political hack who organized to get people to vote for more government programs and Democratic politicians.
Nice talking point. Please lift the veil since it so thin and provide real examples of this racism.
Ever heard of the "Southern Strategy"? It has been pointed out to you before. Even if you refuse to believe it ever existed, your party chairman publicly apologized for it a while back - which has also been pointed out to you before.
As long as you are in "see no evil, hear no evil" mode, you aren't going to be swayed by anything - even the painfully obvious.
There are many social service organizations, many religious based, and many government based who do those things. Why didn't Obama simply work for Reverend Wright? - AA
Wow, you didn't even read the article you linked to a few posts back. He did work in part with local churches and, specifically, with Wright's church. It was in his community organizing activities that he met Wright.
You really are arguing from a state of total ignorance. Try to learn a little something about a topic if you intend to discuss it.
Thank you for further demonstrating your complete ignorance of the many things that community organizers do.
Community organizing is grass-roots problem solving. The republicans should be ashamed of themselves for ridiculing that.
Bill,
I do plead ignorance. (Okay funny, I will cut that one out too.) However I have been trying to figure out what "Community Organizer" really means for the past few months and cannot get an actual handle on it. Obama seems to tout being a "community organizer" but very little about his accomplishments.
The most I get is that community organizers register voters and organize groups of angry people to show up at civic meetings. I hear some things about helping out of work people but that is vague.
Can you provide any concrete examples of what community organizers do?
Heck, even that link provided earlier about Community Organizers did not provide concrete examples.
Pyr,
Nice snark. What is your definition?
pyr,
This is the second time you avoided answering the question.
pyr,
I am not being stupid. I am simply asking you to back up your posts by defining something that should be very simple. Having a little snit only makes it clear you could not.
C'mon back anytime.
Pyrrhonist, there are very few posters here who still take AA seriously, or try to have a discussion with him. He's not as stupid as he seems, but I think a basic logic course somewhere along the way might have helped him.
He got the idea somewhere that insisting that others force him to understand simple things is "debating", and refusing to think hard enough to understand these things is "winning".
Scoff now, but I see your disgusting game.
But let me tell you something about community organizing, it's grass roots democracy. It's direct participatory democracy. It's about putting power in the hands of the people and taking it away from a centralized government, something you cons pretend to be about. Phony.
By the way, isn't the PTA a community organization? I think it is and I think Sarah Palin was head of the PTA. Hypocrites.
Round,
Are you saying Obama worked for years to get people involved in the P.T.A.?
I know better. I know you're more clever than this act you have going. In fact, I think you're a bit cunning.
I am?
(That's a new one!) :-)
Round,
It seems to me your attempt to equate Palin's experience on the P.T.A. with Obama as a community organizer does not compute. Perhaps you can clear it up.
I may have made a not so solid comparison but communities of people, parents and teachers, organized to create a solid foundation for learning, is community organizing. It's not so different than organizing to register voters.
AA This works both ways ...let's just change a few words.......
"The problem with "community organizer" label as I see it as evidenced by Obama, is that it is essentially a cover for an arm of the Democratic Party. The get-out-the-vote "organizing" is a euphemism for registering Democratic Party voters.
___________________________________
The problem with "family values" label as I see it as evidenced by McCain/Palin, is that it is essentially a cover for an arm of the Republican Party. The family values "organizing" is a euphemism for registering Republican Party voters.
Gray,
Please show me anyone who claims in their resume being a "family values".
AA,
Surely you aren't that uninformed about community organizing, are you? Here you go:
said Bishop Roy Dixon, prelate of the Southern California 4th ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, member of the San Diego Organizing Project and former board chair of PICO. PICO is comprised of 53 faith-based organizations and 1,000 faith communities from 50 denominations working in 150 cities and town and 17 states.
said Laura Barrett, National Policy Director of Gamaliel/Transportation Equity Network (TEN). Gamaliel is a multifaith community organizing network in 60 metro regions in the US, as well as Great Britian and South Africa. 2,000 faith congregations, student groups and unions are involved in Gamaliel.
said Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Worker Justice and the co-author of “Organizing for Social Change.”
Interfaith Worker Justice includes 60 affiliates and 20 workers centers and organizes people of faith to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers.
From: http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/2008/09/post_38.html
Does that help?
Fried,
Just look at the last example above. Show me where Obama did any of what that person said they did.
Just show me what Obama did as a community organizer.
The ridicule by Palin and others is not at people helping people, it is aimed squarely at Obama and his thin resume of claiming that whatever it is his community organizing supposedly did, prepared him for the executive duties of POTUS.
Just what did he do as a "community organizer" to justify getting PAID to organize?
Fried,
8 hour day? Integrated swimming pools? That second example you gave is of people in other countries.
Speaking of other countries, nNext you'll be showing me where Hamas has endorsed Obama. :-) I guess you could call them community organizers too.
AA,
I think the role of community organizer varies by community and the problems they face in each area. They work with families who aren't doing well, listen to their concerns and try to help. Whether its poverty, hunger, etc., community organizers work to give the poor a voice when they otherwise wouldn't have one.
http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/careers/105526.html
Here is what Obama did:
"They hired Obama to help those stunned people recover and get the services they needed--job training, help with housing and so forth--from the local government."
http://time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html
Basically, AA, if you are mocking this work, you are mocking all those devoted to community service. Community organizers should be a favorite of those who favor smaller government, not an enemy.
Fried,
I only mock Obama.
I've seen where it says he was hired to help unemployed steel workers get jobs. What is unwritten is why would some organization hire someone from Harvard to help these people when people right there could do the same thing? Why didn't the left wing group in Chicago help one of their own by hiring one of those unemployed steel workers? Did Obama major in "community organizing" while an undergrad? (Maybe he did?) What type of 'community organizer' operation does that?
I have never seen anything that tells me if Obama actually did anything to help those who were out of work except to gather a bunch to overrun a meeting. Do you know of any place that cites specific examples of what Obama did as this 'community organizer'.
"why would some organization hire someone from Harvard to help these people when people right there could do the same thing?"
Because he is extremely smart and talented, maybe?
Here is a story about how he started:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070416/moberg
Here is a chapter he wrote about his experiences in 1990:
http://www.edwoj.com/Alinsky/AlinskyObamaChapter1990.htm
Your cynicism is really shocking, AA. Do you think that others serve their country to bolster their resume?
...and they scheduled in ten times as many minutes for applause then they did for talking about the economy. (hi-ohhhh !)
You could be onto something there AA.
And another thing, I don't know about you but I never notice whether these cable shows have on 3 Cons vs 1 Lib, or vise versa. I listen, pick out the BS & spin [which most of it is] & toss it into the trash.
MMFA has made it part of their mission to calculate & spit out these stats for us. I'm not sure most folks [not posting here] are even aware of any lopsided coverage.
You're wrong.
Keith was trying to silence Matthews.
People with different views on a major network should not be silenced, especially by that networks 'anchor"
People with different views on a major network should not be silenced, especially by that networks 'anchor" - Bob
Yeah, isn't it terrible how often O'Reilly does that?
AA,
Any data to back that up? Bush only spoke 9 minutes, how long were the other speeches?
What is your take on why ABC and CBS didn't have any libs on during their coverage after prominently displaying conservatives during the DNC? Out here in Denver, the radio is even worse. Our "news" station changed their lineup to put a local hard-core conservative as host on their commute show during the DNC and returned to the fluff that the show usually is this week.
Fried,
It is simply why Bush had only nine minutes. McCain was trying to hide Bush.
I never watched either ABC or CBS in either convention so you may have a valid point. I flicked back and forth between FOX, MSNBC, and NBC. A couple of times I went to C-Span. I spent most of my time on MSNBC and NBC as they seemed to provide more of the speeches and could get NBC in high def.
Fried,
To answer your first question. No I don't have any data. It is just my impression.
AA wrote:
>>To answer your first question. No I don't have any data. It is just my impression.
Maybe you should just store this line on your computer somewhere so you can copy it every time you post something.
funny,
Hahaha.. Thanks for the advice.
AA wrote:
>>Hahaha.. Thanks for the advice.
Really, AA, I mean it. You never have any idea what you are talking about. You will post any crap from right-wing sites, and even after the info has been shown to be bogus, you never learn, but continue to post more right wing crap.
Funny,
Hahaha... Thanks for the advice.
Since you ask people to provide information on the topics they post, could you find the lengths of the speeches that you think were longer?
Why do you think the mainstream media gave time to conservatives at the DNC, but not Dems at the RNC?
Fried,
As I said earlier, it is only my observation after watching almost all of the prime time speeches from both conventions. I am not interested enough to go looking. I do not care if you agree or not.
Fried,
the stations I watched showed both Dems and Republicans at both conventions.
Maybe the Dems didn't have as much to say? What do you think?
You honestly don't think the Dems had much to say after the smears and lies spoken by Rudy, Fred, Palin etc?!?!?! I think its the corporate media at it again. Or, they are just so scared they would be called "liberal" they avoided any chance of it. This is a concrete example of something not adding up, I think you have to admit that much.
That idea that the Dems would have nothing to say is ridiculous, AA. Come on.
A lot of Anger toward NBC at the GOP Convention
Oops....talk about back lash from convention speaker slams on "community organizers".
Maybe in the end it was a good thing that the GOP convention got more air time. More people could witness their hypocrisy, and shameful behavior.
".....“I have ‘actual responsibilities,’” said Jacqueline del Valle, a community organizer in the Bronx. “If Mayor Giuliani and President Bush cared more about working people instead of just people who can hire high-powered lobbyists, maybe I wouldn’t have so much responsibility. Maybe working people would have an easier time in America today. But that’s not our reality, and they don’t have to mock us while we’re trying to clean up their mess.”
The community organizers launched a new web site, http://organizersfightback.wordpress.com, to defend themselves against Republican attacks. They emphasize that their work will be necessary as long as lobbyists have undue influence over American government and the economy continues to fail people who work hard and still struggle to provide for themselves and their families..........."
-Former Governor George Pataki said: “[Barack Obama] was a community organizer. What in God’s name is a community organizer? I don’t even know if that’s a job.”
-Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said: “On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? [Laughter]…I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.”
-Governor Sarah Palin said: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”
Gray,
I noticed that organizer you quoted never mentioned her 'actual' responsibilities. Got any idea what they are?
Gray,
What about ACORN? Isn't that a Community Organizing Group?
The following is cut from Michelle Malkin column in today's TownHall.com c
As I've reported previously, Obama's community organizing days involved training grievance-mongers from the far-left ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). The ACORN mob is infamous for its bully tactics (which they dub "direct actions"); Obama supporters have recounted his role in organizing an ambush on a government planning meeting about a landfill project opposed by Chicago's minority lobbies.
With benefactors like Obama in office, ACORN has milked nearly four decades of government subsidies to prop up chapters that promote the welfare state and undermine the free market, as well as some that have been implicated in perpetuating illegal immigration and voter fraud. Since I last detailed ACORN's illicit activities in this column in June (see "The ACORN Obama knows," June 19, 2008), the group continues to garner scrutiny from law enforcement:
Last week, Milwaukee's top election official announced plans to seek criminal investigations of 37 ACORN employees accused of offering gifts to sign up voters (including prepaid gas cards and restaurant cards) or falsifying driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers or other information on voter registration cards.
Last month, a New Mexico TV station reported on the child rapists, drug offenders and forgery convicts on ACORN's payroll. In July, Pennsylvania investigators asked the public for help in locating a fugitive named Luis R. Torres-Serrano, who is accused "of submitting more than 100 fraudulent voter registration forms he collected on behalf of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now to county election officials." Also in July, a massive, nearly $1 million embezzlement scheme by top ACORN officials was exposed.
ACORN's political arm endorsed Obama in February and has ramped up efforts to register voters across the country. In the meantime, completely ignored by the mainstream commentariat and clean-election crusaders, the Obama campaign admitted failing to report $800,000 in campaign payments to ACORN. They were disguised as payments to a front group called "Citizen Services, Inc." for "advance work."
Jim Terry, an official from the Consumer Rights League, a watchdog group that monitors ACORN, noted: "ACORN has a long and sordid history of employing convoluted Enron-style accounting to illegally use taxpayer funds for their own political gain. Now it looks like ACORN is using the same type of convoluted accounting scheme for Obama's political gain." With a wave of his magic wand, Obama amended his FEC forms to change the "advance work" to "get-out-the-vote" work.
--------
Obama can run, but he cannot hide.
More about ACORN
Last July, ACORN settled the largest case of voter fraud in the history of Washington State. Seven ACORN workers had submitted nearly 2,000 bogus voter registration forms. According to case records, they flipped through phone books for names to use on the forms, including "Leon Spinks," "Frekkie Magoal" and "Fruto Boy Crispila." Three ACORN election hoaxers pleaded guilty in October. A King County prosecutor called ACORN's criminal sabotage "an act of vandalism upon the voter rolls."The group's vandalism on electoral integrity is systemic. ACORN has been implicated in similar voter fraud schemes in Missouri, Ohio and at least 12 other states. The Wall Street Journal noted: "In Ohio in 2004, a worker for one affiliate was given crack cocaine in exchange for fraudulent registrations that included underage voters, dead voters and pillars of the community named Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy and Jive Turkey. During a congressional hearing in Ohio in the aftermath of the 2004 election, officials from several counties in the state explained ACORN's practice of dumping thousands of registration forms in their lap on the submission deadline, even though the forms had been collected months earlier."
In March, Philadelphia elections officials accused the nonprofit advocacy group of filing fraudulent voter registrations in advance of the April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. The charges have been forwarded to the city district attorney's office.
Under the guise of "consumer advocacy," ACORN has received money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD funds hundreds, if not thousands, of left-wing "anti-poverty" groups across the country led by ACORN. Last October, HUD announced more than $44 million in new housing counseling grants to over 400 state and local efforts. The White House has increased funding for housing counseling by 150 percent since taking office in 2001, despite the role most of these recipients play as activist satellites of the Democratic Party. The AARP scored nearly $400,000 for training; the National Council of La Raza ("The Race") scooped up more than $1.3 million; the National Urban League raked in nearly $1 million; and the ACORN Housing Corporation received more than $1.6 million.
As the Consumer Rights League points out in its new expose, the ACORN Housing Corporation has worked to obtain mortgages for illegal aliens in partnership with Citibank. It relies on undocumented income, "under the table" money, which may not be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Moreover, the group's "financial justice" operations attack lenders for "exotic" loans, while recommending 10-year interest-only loans (which deny equity to the buyer) and risky reverse mortgages. Whistleblower documents reveal internal discussions among the group that blur the lines between its tax-exempt housing work and its aggressive electioneering activities. The group appears to shake down corporate interests with relentless PR attacks, and then enters "no lobby" agreements with targeted corporations after receiving payment.
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2008/06/25/the_acorn_obama_knows
AA wrote:
>>More about ACORN
No thanks, AA. You posted the *whole* editorial from a notorious right wing hack who once accused Kerry of shooting himself to get medals. Malkin has been so wrong on so many issues, I wonder why anyone would still read her. (Oh, I know; it feels good to have your idealology affirmed with anger.)
In case you don't think I'm addressing the argument of the editorial, let's play Malkin's game. Who trained the Iraqi security forces? George Bush's government. The Iraqi security forces have committed wide-spread human rights abuses, as documented by human rights groups.
link
So since George Bush trained the Iraqi forces, he believes in torture. Oh, and the people who voted for him? They believe the same. And since you voted for him, AA (I assume), then you believe in torture.
Why do you believe in torture, AA?
If you want to make that association that is your prerogative.
However the Iraqi Security Forces are not running for President now are they.
Of course, Michelle Malkin won't point out that Obama actually exposed the voter fraud, and as usual she relies on sources like people from the credit card lobby, going by the name "Consumer Rights League" so her readers can get the impression that she uses neutral or even sympathetic sources.
Also, the "run but can't hide" line is old and hackneyed.
Jeff,
Got any links to the Obama expose you mentioned? I have not heard about it.
ps. Old and hackneyed? More like - if the shoe fits. :-)
AA wrote:
>>ps. Old and hackneyed? More like - if the shoe fits. :-)
What the f is that even supposed to mean? How is Obama running and hiding? Or is this just another one of your cliches that sounds good, so you repeat it?
Old and hackneyed? More like - if the shoe fits.
I have to admit, that is boneheaded-oblivious, even for AA. Answering a charge of being hackneyed with a cliche. A cliche that's as old as the hills.,
Funny,
Thank you for asking. Obama is "running" for office. His campaign cannot hide the fact that he has no real accomplishments.
AnotherAmerican:
"ACORN's political arm endorsed Obama in February and has ramped up efforts to register voters across the country. In the meantime, completely ignored by the mainstream commentariat and clean-election crusaders, the Obama campaign admitted failing to report $800,000 in campaign payments to ACORN. They were disguised as payments to a front group called "Citizen Services, Inc." for "advance work."
Jim Terry, an official from the Consumer Rights League, a watchdog group that monitors ACORN, noted: "ACORN has a long and sordid history of employing convoluted Enron-style accounting to illegally use taxpayer funds for their own political gain. Now it looks like ACORN is using the same type of convoluted accounting scheme for Obama's political gain." With a wave of his magic wand, Obama amended his FEC forms to change the "advance work" to "get-out-the-vote" work. "
You forgot this part of the article:
Pittsburg Tribune Review:
".....In response to the RNC's position, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in an e-mail: "The RNC can concoct all of the outlandish conspiracy theories they want, but when we saw that our FEC report didn't accurately reflect the field work CSI was hired to perform we corrected it. It's pretty bold for the RNC to attack us for a clerical error after John McCain's campaign was just forced to return $50,000 raised by a foreign national through a number of contributors who weren't even supporting McCain."
Melanie Sloan, executive director of the liberal-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the campaign's error on FEC documents doesn't seem extraordinary, especially considering the huge amounts of money being spent.
"It's rare that people don't file any amended reports. If he has a pattern of lots and lots of amended reports, that would be more noteworthy than an occasional one," Sloan said...."
There are fresher scandals, but Keating 5 should not be forgotten....Abramoff was just sentenced to 4 years yesterday. Perhaps MMFA will fill up with MSM spin on Abramoff and McCain...or will the media ignore it all together.
New York Times July 16th 2008, Leslie Wayne. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/an-abramoff-connection/
Huffington Post, Sam Stein Feb. 25, 2008. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/25/mccain-withheld-controver_n_88304.html
Gray,
Having one who is in print, called left leaning, does not do much for your argument. It is like Biden sticking up for Obama.
Its like that or citing Michelle Malkin for facts. Obama's legislative accomplishments have been posted on other threads. What has McCain accomplished that he still supports?
PB,
It looks to me like Gore was scheduled to speak from 6-7 pm (local) on Thursday and Kerry spoke from 7-8 pm (local) on Wednesday.
Perhaps the DNC and Obama campaign for keeping these two defeated nominees off of prime time.
But I was disappointed not to see either myself. I think the media group-think made the storyline completely about the Clintons and Obamas and ignored the rest.
The Republican candidate has embraced all that he reviled eight years ago and picked an extremist with executive experience as his running mate.
We're supposed to laugh at the Democratic nominee because he offers hope and tries to inspire Americans to become true Americans again. People who put the greater good before personal gain and are both passionate and compassionate about the way they want their country to function.
When you're peddling fear, there is no hope.
It seems the choice is between just that, living in fear or living with hope.
Great post, Worrierking. I watched quite a bit of the Concon, and it was pretty disorienting. An old millionaire actor telling the crowd that the economy's great (Crowd:Yay!), and the rest of the speakers ranting about fixing all of the country's problems (of which we have none) by continuing the exact same policies with the exact same people who have been running things for 8 years.
I kept wondering, who are these unnamed villains that the Republicans are railing against? They were never mentioned by name, just phantoms like "evildoers" or "America-haters", but they seem to have caused a real need for Change We Can Trust.
And my apologies to everybody here for challenging Barney to do something more than ask everybody else to help him catch up. If I'd known that "doing his own work" translated to copying & pasting Michelle Malkin's buffoonery, I wouldn't have goaded him. Mea Culpa.
The Republicans ran their convention as if they hadn't been running the federal government at all during McCain's senate career. They had total control of the house, senate and executive branch for 6 years and have been obstructionists for two. But at the convention, they were all mavericks and "outsiders" from some mythical heartland.
Media Matters indeed captured what was done to convention coverage by the corporate media: talking over speeches by Democrats, using mostly right wing pundits to comment on both conventions, and over analyzing the dynamics of both as if they weren't totally staged events. Thank God for C-Span.
It was surreal. As if they'd never had any power to change anything due to libruls. Of course they can't challenge their corporate masters; the ones stealing taxpayer money while they let them write the legislation that is bankrupting the treasury.
Romney attacks libruls for accepting that human being, no matter how dismal, has human rights. Etc. And all the chest thumping about how great America is, how we're better than anyone else in the world, etc.
How about trying some of the Abe Lincoln humility, Republicans!
Furthermore, hi julia ;-) Wish I could stay but gotta go for now....
I agree. The crowd shots can be very revealing. A sea of middle aged & elderly white people. And the crazed looks. Now to be fair, people at conventions often look crazed, but this crowd would probably follow Palin's advice & head to Alaska if they think the rapture draws nigh....
Missed <closet door opening> Lindsey Graham. I'm sure he was adorable.
Ms. Palin is now heading back to Alaska. She will be taking no questions for maybe the next two months.
The coverage? I was just trying to find a weather guess for today on the local news. I ended up frustrated.
Going forward, the Troglodyte Queen will serve Grampy best by making herself scarce, lest middle America realize that she is a Theofascist throwback.
Watched last night the speeches and recalled what Pearlene said in another thread about the "sea of white faces" I counted....there were 7 black faces in that sea. (well thats what I counted when I started watching which was a quarter into the convention, till the end)
Wow, and I thought she was exaggerating when she said that.
I was not impressed with all the insults slung either. I watched some of the DNC and did not see the hateful crap I saw on the RNC.
"I do wish I could have heard more of the speeches (both conventions), and less of the talking heads."
This is why I opted for either CSPAN or PBS for coverage. I was able to hear ALL presenters rather than the talking heads.
Funny though, with less tv coverage than the dems had last night......
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/mccain-tops-obamas-record-breaking-ratings/
Are you kidding, Proudcon? Most Liberals have too good a sense of humor to miss a clown show like that.Most of the Cons I know let me know (angrily) that they were NOT going to watch that Obama guy!
He did pull down some pretty good ratings though.This is good news for any sitcom pilots Grampy may be pitching. Doesn't the new TV season start in the fall? Perfect, he should be free.
Golden Boys (co-starring Joe Lieberman) could be a hit
On Bloomberg Television, Giuliani was asked whether he believed he knew more about torture than McCain.
"I can't say that I do," Giuliani said. "But I do know a lot about intensive questioning and intensive questioning techniques. After all, I have had a different experience than John. John has never been — he has never run city, never run a state, never run a government. He has never been responsible as a mayor for the safety and security of millions of people, and he has never run a law enforcement agency, which I have done." These guys are amazing aren't they? And did you hear the tale about the jet sold on e-bay for a profit that wasn't sold on e-bay, but months later and for a lost to a contributor to her campaign. Did you see another Republican claiming on faux she has foreign policy chops because Alaska and Russia have fishing treaties? I can't stop laughing this is really bizarre?????
I watch CSPAN for the DNC and RNC conventions and form my own opinion about the candidates. No bias, no pundits, no sick jokes about the proceedings, no talking points, no snide remarks, no personalities talking over one another and no commercials. Most refreshing.
Okay true enough,
But McCain did not get as many celebrities from Hollywood as Obama, the Messiah got ! This is fundamentally unfair. The govt should look into this and open a "Hollywood Celebrity Steering Committee".