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A Celebratory Day In The Cable Media World: MSNBC 15th Anniversary And Fox News Channel-Rupert Murdoch Crisis!

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Today, 15 years ago, MSNBC went online as the competitor of CNN, which had begun June 1, 1980. Within a few months, on October 7, Fox News Channel came along as a third competitor in the 24 hour news channel industry!

MSNBC has gone through rough times over its 15 years, but now it is thriving by having emerged as the strong progressive news channel, compared to the moderate approach of CNN and the right wing conservative views of Fox News Channel.

MSNBC has become a station with outstanding talk show hosts, including Chris Matthews, Lawrence O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz, as well as outstanding coverage during the day by other anchor people.

It is a source of much what the author writes about, and it gives us a progressive view of events, which is sorely needed, so Happy 15th to MSNBC!

At the same time, Fox News Channel has misled, lied, deceived, propagandized, and become a Republican propaganda channel, including hiring many of the Republican Presidential field at some point of time.

Fox News Channel has NEVER been willing to cover the news fairly, and has made life miserable for Barack Obama, and has convinced an ignorant portion of the population to believe their myths, half truths, and distortions!

Its talk show hosts are disgraceful, having included Glenn Beck in the recent past, and still including Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, along with a whole group of unsavory characters who have questionable ethics, but end up on Fox News Channel!

Their employer, Rupert Murdoch, known world wide as one of the most despicable people in the news business, has now become involved in a hacking scandal that threatens to bring him and his news corporation to their knees, symbolically!

Nothing would be more contributing to the future of journalism than to have the downfall of Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Channel, but in reality, that is not likely! That channel is refusing to report the scandal in detail, part of their “managed” and distorted news coverage, figuring that their audience might remain unaware because they lean so much on the manipulated manner of news reporting on their channel!

Even if Fox News Channel survives, seeing Rupert Murdoch and the channel squirm is victory in itself!

Changes Coming In Cable And Television News!

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As we enter the second half of 2011, and the Presidential race becomes ever more center stage, Fox News Channel is making every effort to legitimize itself as “mainstream”, just as Jon Stewart went after Fox News Channel on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace last week, as not being accurate or responsible in its coverage of politics and news!

Having “rescued” liberal commentator Juan Williams, after he was summarily fired by National Public Radio, with a reported $2 million a year five year contract, Fox News then went to hire CNN morning anchor John Roberts to be a national correspondent, and former Democratic Senator Evan Bayh to be a political commentator.

Now they have hired CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry to be their White House correspondent, and of course, for the past few years, they have had former CNN morning anchor Bill Hemmer on their station.

Will it work, to make Fox News Channel seem “mainstream”? With the leaving of Glenn Beck from his every weekday show through joint agreement, it might have some effect, although Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, John Stossel, Greta Van Susteren, Brit Hume, Bill Kristol, Liz Cheney, et al, make one wonder if that is possible!

Meanwhile, Keith Olbermann, who had a “divorce” from MSNBC, has now revived his “Countdown” show, following a similar format, on former Vice President Al Gore’s independent station, Current TV. For those who enjoyed his incisive coverage of politics, it is a welcome return, but the question is whether he can “steal’ the audience of MSNBC and Lawrence O’Donnell at the same hour, along with Eliot Spitzer on CNN. As it turns out, Current TV replays Olbermann’s show EIGHT times over the 24 hour cycle, so in theory, one can watch Spitzer, see O’Donnell in rerun at 11 pm, and then watch Olbermann at any three hour cycle up through dinner time the next day!

Additionally, Norah O’Donnell of MSNBC and NBC, who had been a chief Washington correspondent, is now moving to CBS as their White House correspondent. Always pleasant and appealing in her manner of reporting and commenting, CBS has staged a major coup by gaining her employment!

So cable news and TV news in general has become ever more personality driven, and adds interest to the coverage of major political events!

The CNN New Hampshire Republican Presidential Debate: Michele Bachmann And Mitt Romney The Winners!

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This evening, CNN sponsored a New Hampshire Republican Presidential debate.

The seven candidates present all went out of their way to attack President Obama, and avoided attacking each other.

But some really gained from this debate, and others lost by their performance.

The major winners were Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney, with Bachmann coming across impressively, more than she has ever been seen before, and Romney doing a good job at keeping his stature as the frontrunner in the race.

The losers seemed to be Tim Pawlenty, who seemed weak and defensive in his answers; Newt Gingrich, who still seemed a bit gun shy after his earlier problems with his campaign; and Rick Santorum, who just came across as not a serious, legitimate candidate.

Ron Paul was simply Ron Paul, and Herman Cain was defensive over his statements about Muslims, and neither can be seen as a serious candidate.

So, in conclusion, Michele Bachmann, seemingly, came across as more legitimate than ever before, and as a real leader among social conservatives, which might help her win in the Iowa caucuses, which come before the New Hampshire primary.

What stood out is that she did better than Sarah Palin has ever done in a public forum, and one starts to realize that, even if one does not agree with Bachmann, she comes across as intelligent, well spoken, an accomplished person even before she came to Congress, as a tax attorney and small businesswoman, far more outstanding as compared to Palin.

So Romney kept his stature as the front runner in the race, but Bachmann gained the most from tonight’s debate. The others all were weakened by their performance, or at least, did not gain by their performance in relation to the other candidates.

Of course, Jon Huntsman was not in the debate, nor Rick Perry!

Peter Bergen, Expert On Bin Laden And War On Terror, Says War Is Over With Death Of Bin Laden!

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Peter Bergen, an expert on Osama Bin Laden and the War On Terror, who also met Bin Laden years before September 11, has just declared on CNN that the War On Terror is over!

Bergen claims that no one else can lead with the charisma or following of Bin Laden, that others under Bin Laden are “pygmies”, so that the war against terrorism is over!

One wonders what to make of this, but if it is true, that would be a major boon to the American future, and allow us to spend more time on domestic issues that have so sorely been ignored as we went berserk in spending on the War on Terror!

It could also mean less domestic strife and fear of Muslims in America, and could also lead to the rapid decline of the hate mongers who keep on promoting negativism constantly, including the conservative radio talk show hosts who live on hate and prejudice and propaganda to divide America!

Before we accept what Peter Bergen says as factual, however, we must still have a period of waiting and confirm what Bergen believes to be true, which we can certainly hope is the case!

Two Events To Commemorate On May 1: Holocaust Remembrance (Yom HaShoah) And The Death Of Mass Murderer Osama Bin Laden!

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As we come to the end of the first day of May, we have two developments to commemorate–both Holocausts of different sizes!

Today is the day we commemorate the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, which killed 6 million Jews and 7 million other victims! It is called Yom HaShoah, and it is a day to remember the sacrifices of these millions of victims!

Ironic that on Yom HaShoah that we learn that Osama Bin Laden, the most sought man in the world, responsible for 3,000 deaths at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, has been killed by the United States through the CIA, with a statement due soon by President Obama as we near midnight!

Bin Laden also hated the Jews, so this is a double day of remembrance for those people who support Israel and Jewish survival through the thick and thin of world history!

This is a great moment, and it unites Americans like nothing since September 11!

It is thrilling to witness tourists outside the White House singing the National Anthem, and it is a time for all of us to rejoice that justice has been done!

It also makes President Obama look great, that this happened on his watch, and it strengthens him in his re-election contest in the fall of 2012! What can the Republican Party say in opposition to Obama, considering that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were unable to resolve this matter in seven years after September 11?

This will make Obama look strong on defense matters, and overcome the old myth that Democrats are weak on defense!

It will give some solace to the families of the 3,000 victims of September 11, and will make May 1 a special day in the history of the United States, to be commemorated every year as one of the major events of American history for all time!

It, however, also makes us need to be more cautious and on alert, as the odds are that Al Qaeda will want to strike back at the United States in retaliation for Bin Laden’s death!

As John King of CNN just stated, this is an HISTORIC day in capital letters, and we will applaud this as one of the major successes of Barack Obama’s great leadership in the War On Terror!

Sarah Palin And Polls: All Time High Unfavorability!

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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has reached an all time high unfavorable rating in the USA Today and CNN polls, after her disastrous reaction to the Tucson shootings and her use of the term “blood libel”, which has outraged the Jewish community and intelligent people everywhere.

The USA Today poll puts her negative ratings at 53 percent, and the CNN poll at 56 percent.

Sarah made clear on the Sean Hannity show on Fox News Channel that she would “not sit down and shut up”, and certainly there is no way to make that happen, and no one wants to take away her freedom of speech.

But, effectively, the American public is saying precisely that: Please sit down and shut up!

Since she will just do exactly the opposite, she is a gift that keeps on giving to the Democrats and President Obama, and is a burden on the GOP and the Presidential race!

Sarah Palin, Barbara Bush, And North Korea! How Can Anyone Take Sarah Seriously? :(

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Sarah Palin lashed out today at former First Lady Barbara Bush for suggesting that Sarah should stay in Alaska, during the interview conducted by Larry King on CNN with the first President Bush and his wife.

Calling them “blue bloods” who were “immature”, “inefficient”, and “unprofessional”, she said the American people did not want the Republican Party dictating who they should support! One has to wonder what she meant by the terms described above, as it is all very unclear, as she is on a regular basis! 🙁

But even worse than her reaction to Barbara Bush is Sarah Palin’s reaction to the threatened war between North and South Korea. Does not a President or a Presidential candidate need to know the basics of international relations, such as North Korea is the Communist nation that is the threat, and South Korea is our ally and a democratic nation? According to Sarah, we must back our ally, NORTH KOREA! 🙁

Is that an acceptable flub? Absolutely NO, and is further proof, along with her inane comments about “blue bloods” and Barbara Bush, that it is time for Sarah to bow out of the Presidential race before she becomes the laughing stock of the country, which actually, in many ways, she already is! 🙁

National Public Radio Wrong To Fire Juan Williams Over Fears Of Muslim Garb On Airplanes! :(

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Political commentator Juan Williams, who has long been involved in the civil rights community with his writings and work on African American history, has just been fired by National Public Radio for expressing his views about Islamic clothing.

Williams said on the Bill O’Reilly show on Fox News Channel that he is not prejudiced against the Islamic faith, but that it strikes fear in his heart when he sees people in full Islamic clothing on airplanes, as it brings back memories of September 11, 2001.

Such a statement is purely freedom of speech; it is not expressing anti Islamic hatred, as many others have done.

It is a common thought of many Americans because of the events of September 11, as it makes many Americans uncomfortable.

It is not stating that Muslims should not be free to wear such garb. It is just an opinion and expression of a fear which is quite common.

Juan Williams is a quality journalist, and firing him is unjustified! It does not make NPR look very good, as it is stifling freedom of speech!

This is not the same as Rick Sanchez being fired by CNN for his anti Semitic comments about Jews in the media, and perceived discrimination against Hispanics in the media, including himself!

If one is a journalist, and cannot express his thoughts in a non hateful way on a cable or television or radio channel without fear of losing his job, then we have really become a nation where civil liberties itself is under attack!

And since NPR has a reputation as a “liberal” or “progressive” channel, it is especially reprehensible to be seen as intolerant, and lacking an open mind to allow a diversity of opinion!

NPR has done the wrong thing, and it should reverse itself and rehire Juan Williams, and recognize what he is: a quality journalist who deserves respect for his non hateful opinions!

The CNN Top 100 House Races In Play!

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CNN has come up with a list of 100 House of Representatives seats that the network believes are in play in this fall’s election!

The list includes 90 Democratic held seats, with 15 of them being open seats, while 10 seats are held by Republicans, with 4 of them being open seats!

50 seats are thought to be most vulnerable, while 50 seats are races to watch! Four Republican seats are seen as most vulnerable, which if all went Democratic, would require the GOP to gain 43 Democratic seats instead of 39, in order to control the chamber. Of course, if all ten GOP seats were to switch, it would require 49 seats to be gained by the Republicans from the Democrats in order to gain control of the House.

More than normal interest in the House of Representatives exists because it could create a dramatic change in Congress if that chamber went Republican, while the Senate remained Democratic, which seems at this point more and more likely!

Never has the House of Representatives switched over without the Senate also switching, so this would be an historic election were it to happen!

Former Vice President Walter Mondale In Memoir: Proud To Call Himself A Liberal!

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Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was influential in shaping the growth of that office while serving under President Jimmy Carter from 1977-1981, has just published his memoir, THE GOOD FIGHT: A LIFE IN LIBERAL POLITICS, at a time when he is nearing 83 years of age in January, which also marks 30 years since he and Carter left the White House!

Carter and Mondale have already set a record for the longest joint retirement of a President and Vice President!

Mondale made the Vice Presidency a very significant office, with the cooperation of President Carter, who had him share in all decisions and did not see Mondale as a threat to his own ego!

Mondale went on to run for President against President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and told the truth when he said he would have to raise taxes, and so would Reagan. He was truthful, and Reagan misled, as taxes did indeed go up in 1986!

Mondale also chose the first woman candidate for Vice President, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York!

Although Mondale lost the race to Reagan in a landslide, winning only Minnesota, his home state, and Washington, DC, he went on to serve with distinction as Ambassador to Japan under President Bill Clinton!

Mondale, in an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, stated that he was proud to call himself a liberal in the 1960s and 1970s, when he served with distinction in the US Senate, and he still is proud to say that today!

In that, the author joins him, as it is liberal and progressive ideas that brought about all of the great political, social and economic reforms in the 20th century, and now, in the early part of the 21st century! 🙂