Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- cosmos_originally on Open thread 11/22
- Chas on Open thread 11/22
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Boxlock20 on Open thread 11/22
- satatom on Open thread 11/22
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/22
Open thread 6/9
- By Phillip Brownlee
- Posted June 9, 2007 at 1:05 a.m.
- Filed under Open thread
- Permalink
- Comments RSS
- Both comments and trackbacks are closed
32 Comments
Lies, Sighs and PoliticsBy Paul KrugmanThe New York Times
Friday 08 June 2007
In Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney completely misrepresented how we ended up in Iraq. Later, Mike Huckabee mistakenly claimed that it was Ronald Reagan’s birthday.
Guess which remark The Washington Post identified as the “gaffe of the night”?
Folks, this is serious. If early campaign reporting is any guide, the bad media habits that helped install the worst president ever in the White House haven’t changed a bit.
You may not remember the presidential debate of Oct. 3, 2000, or how it was covered, but you should. It was one of the worst moments in an election marked by news media failure as serious, in its way, as the later failure to question Bush administration claims about Iraq.
Throughout that debate, George W. Bush made blatantly misleading statements, including some outright lies – for example, when he declared of his tax cut that “the vast majority of the help goes to the people at the bottom end of the economic ladder.” That should have told us, right then and there, that he was not a man to be trusted.
But few news reports pointed out the lie. Instead, many news analysts chose to critique the candidates’ acting skills. Al Gore was declared the loser because he sighed and rolled his eyes – failing to conceal his justified disgust at Mr. Bush’s dishonesty. And that’s how Mr. Bush got within chad-and-butterfly range of the presidency.
Now fast forward to last Tuesday. Asked whether we should have invaded Iraq, Mr. Romney said that war could only have been avoided if Saddam “had opened up his country to I.A.E.A. inspectors, and they’d come in and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction.” He dismissed this as an “unreasonable hypothetical.”
Except that Saddam did, in fact, allow inspectors in. Remember Hans Blix? When those inspectors failed to find nonexistent W.M.D., Mr. Bush ordered them out so that he could invade. Mr. Romney’s remark should have been the central story in news reports about Tuesday’s debate. But it wasn’t.
There wasn’t anything comparable to Mr. Romney’s rewritten history in the Democratic debate two days earlier, which was altogether on a higher plane. Still, someone should have called Hillary Clinton on her declaration that on health care, “we’re all talking pretty much about the same things.” While the other two leading candidates have come out with plans for universal (John Edwards) or near-universal (Barack Obama) health coverage, Mrs. Clinton has so far evaded the issue. But again, this went unmentioned in most reports.
By the way, one reason I want health care specifics from Mrs. Clinton is that she’s received large contributions from the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Will that deter her from taking those industries on?
Back to the debate coverage: as far as I can tell, no major news organization did any fact-checking of either debate. And post-debate analyses tended to be horse-race stuff mingled with theater criticism: assessments not of what the candidates said, but of how they “came across.”
Thus most analysts declared Mrs. Clinton the winner in her debate, because she did the best job of delivering sound bites – including her Bush-talking-point declaration that we’re safer now than we were on 9/11, a claim her advisers later tried to explain away as not meaning what it seemed to mean.
Similarly, many analysts gave the G.O.P. debate to Rudy Giuliani not because he made sense – he didn’t – but because he sounded tough saying things like, “It’s unthinkable that you would leave Saddam Hussein in charge of Iraq and be able to fight the war on terror.” (Why?)
Look, debates involving 10 people are, inevitably, short on extended discussion. But news organizations should fight the shallowness of the format by providing the facts – not embrace it by reporting on a presidential race as if it were a high-school popularity contest.
For if there’s one thing I hope we’ve learned from the calamity of the last six and a half years, it’s that it matters who becomes president – and that listening to what candidates say about substantive issues offers a much better way to judge potential presidents than superficial character judgments. Mr. Bush’s tax lies, not his surface amiability, were the true guide to how he would govern.
And I don’t know if this country can survive another four years of Bush-quality leadership.
——-
VOTE DEMOCRATIC
EVOLVE!
Being laid-up is the pits; it means you watch a lot of daytime TV, a wasteland. All day Friday it was Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton. What a circus! And in California, of all places. It just defies logic how anybody in or from California can look down their nose at Kansas.
Following the Paris Hilton saga is a mind-rotting exercise, but it’s been interesting to see the “little princess” have to take responsibility for her actions. Now they’re crying about the deterioration of her mental state. It must be rough spending a few days away from Rodeo Drive. Now they’re saying she may be a danger to herself. Really? I say give her a piece of rope and put her back in her cell.
Give her a video camera. That’ll keep her busy.
WTG Linda!! Ditto that!!
To you too, XXX… Hope you and Mrs. XXX are doing much better in recovery!! Take care!!
Anybody check out the “hype-o’s” on the Tiahrt thread?? LOL
Thanks Chas.Mrs XXX is doing fine and I should be able to return to work Tuesday or Wednesday. In the meantime, I’m ready to take an axe to the TV (if I could swing one).
Swing a small ax, right handed, and it should keep you occupied for a couple of hours:-)
XXX – switch to radio. NPR 90.10 has good classical music. ANYTHING BUT HILTON!
Although I did find it amusing to see the clips of her sobbing. Spoiled bitch.
There’s always CSPAN.
Baseball on FOX… College Baseball on ESPN…
Shockers on soon … but not sure what that will do to your blood pressure!
Thanks for the suggestions but I’m not much of a sports fan. I enjoy motocross and car racing (not NASCAR) and I developed a taste for “Curling” where they slide a “stone” across the ice and use a small broom to guide it. The science behind that is truly amazing. I used to enjoy boxing, but I could never pick the winner. I count on Mrs XXX for that now. She did real well betting on Mayweather. Showed up a lot of the guys at work on that one, lol!
“Although I did find it amusing to see the clips of her sobbing. Spoiled bitch.”Posted by: Ben | June 09, 2007 at 11:03 AM
I agree. This is probably the first time in her life she’s been told “NO”. Her only purpose in life is to be heiress to her daddy’s fortune. She’s a waste of good oxygen. What surprises me is, how many people are crawling out from under rocks to complain about the shoddy treatment she’s getting.
Welcome to reality!
Just remember: George WMD Bush’s tax program supports Paris Hilton’s lifestyle.
What do you expect from people that believe the following statement to be true?
The universe was created by God some 6,000 years ago and that dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth together.
Happy, you apparently have never seen the creationist documentary called “The Flintstone’s”. That’s how life was. Fred Flintstone helped build the pyramids.
I wonder if those creationists had Hannah/Barbera’s permission??
RIGHT ANGLE?
If you’re really a different post-er than Republican, sign in now.
(This should be interesting.)
Thanks for that Krugman article, Rage.
It’s hard to get the NYT columnists now that you have to pay for them on-line.
He’s exactly right–who is President is extremly important, GMC’s bogus claims to the contrary . . .
Bush can’t give away American jobs fast enough, either to the Mexicans, SK’s, or Chineses!AT&T Yahoo!Mail Yahoo! SearchSearch:Welcome, sdietrich@prodigy…[Sign Out, Member Center]News HomeHelpNews HelpAT&T HelpPrimary NavigationHomeU.S.BusinessWorldEntertainmentSportsTechPoliticsElectionsScienceHealthMost PopularSecondary NavigationElections White House Congress U.S. Government World Supreme Court Press Releases Judy Woodruff Search: All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Video/Audio Advanced
——————————————————————————–
Hillary Clinton slams proposed U.S.-Korea trade pact By Jim Wolf2 hours, 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the presidential race, said on Saturday she would oppose ratification of a free trade pact with South Korea because it would harm the U.S. auto industry, among other things.
ADVERTISEMENT”While I value the strong relationship the United States enjoys with South Korea, I believe that this agreement is inherently unfair,” Clinton said at an event hosted by the AFL-CIO labor confederation in Detroit, home of the U.S. car industry.
“It will hurt the U.S. auto industry, increase our trade deficit, cost us good middle-class jobs and make America less competitive.”
The deal with South Korea, due to be signed on June 30, would lower barriers in areas ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to financial services and telecommunications.
Lawmakers from states with auto interests have argued the pact would give South Korea unimpeded access to the U.S. auto market without going far enough to ensure Seoul dismantles barriers to its auto market.
Last year, South Korea exported 700,000 cars to the United States while U.S. carmakers sold 6,000 in South Korea, Clinton said, attributing more than 80 percent of a $13 billion U.S. trade deficit with South Korea to such lopsided figures.
The two countries released a nearly completed text of their draft pact in late May. The trade deal would be the biggest for the United States since the North American Free Trade Agreement signed in December 1992.
In posting the text on its Web site on May 25, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said the so-called KORUS pact would “level the playing field” in U.S.-Korean auto trade.
But Clinton said in a statement the deal did not go far enough to scrap “the multitude of informal barriers that severely restrict the sale of American vehicles.”
“Unless those barriers fall, American carmakers will face increased competition at home and won’t get greater access to South Korea’s market,” she said.
The U.S. International Trade Commission is due to hold a hearing this month on the economic impact of the agreement.
The earliest the Bush administration could submit the deal to Congress is late 2007, after the ITC delivers its report.
That could set the stage for a vote sometime next year, but congressional action could be delayed until after the November 2008 presidential election.
Opinion polls show Clinton, who was first lady when her husband Bill was president, in the lead among Democrats hoping to win their party’s nomination to run for the presidency.
Email Story IM Story Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORYRecommend It:
Average (36 votes)» Recommended StoriesPolitics NewsBush meets pope, promotes U.S. AIDS work AP McCain: Time short for immigration bill AP Clinton: U.S. must boost manufacturing AP Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort AP Ethics cloud over California Republicans AP Most Viewed – PoliticsDean: Democratic president would end war AP US: Passport rules will get tougher AP McCain: Time short for immigration bill AP Pace to lose post as Joint Chiefs head AP Ethics cloud over California Republicans APPolitics News VideoObama Raises Money In Chicago, Gives Rezko Money Back CBS 2 Chicago – Sat Jun 9, 12:18 AM ET June 8, 1994: Military Action in Haiti? ABC News – Sat Jun 9, 12:03 AM ET Senate fails to pass Immigration bill Reuters – Fri Jun 8, 11:17 PM ET Utah Supreme Court Makes Rare Decision On School Voucher Issue 2News Salt Lake City – Fri Jun 8, 8:41 PM ETSponsored Links( What’s this? )
Mortgage Rates Fall Again$430,000 Loan $1299/mo. Think you pay too much? No SSN required.www.LowerMyBills.com Orchard Bank Mastercard®Rebuild credit with our MasterCard. Apply online – instant decisions.www.OrchardBank.com Car Insurance Quotes OnlineCompare auto insurance quotes from top companies online.www.insurance.comReuters Photo: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at a ‘Club 44′ campaign event for Clinton in Washington…Add headlines to your personalized My Yahoo! page(About My Yahoo! and RSS)Business – Automotive» More News FeedsNEWS ALERTSGet an alert when there are new stories about:
Hillary Rodham ClintonSouth Korea» More Alerts
Elsewhere on the WebCNN.comDean to Dems: End war or risk losing CongressABC NewsImmigration Bill Stalls in Senate, Failure for Bush and SenatorsUSATODAY.comPace retires as Joint Chiefs chair; Mullen tapped
SEND US YOUR PHOTOS!Campaign trailFollowing the presidential campaign? Submit pictures of candidates, supporters, and events to You Witness News.
Featured IN YAHOO! NEWSElection coverage and analysis from Congressional Quarterly.» More from Congressional QuarterlyPeople of the WebBrokeback hill?A gay blogger makes waves, and enemies, on Capitol Hill.
——————————————————————————–
Yahoo! – My Yahoo! – MailSearch: All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Video/Audio Advanced
Primary NavigationHome U.S Business World Entertainment Sports Tech Politics Science Health Travel Most Popular Odd News OpinionCopyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Send Feedback | Help
I must see for Democratic and Independent people of Weblog.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/view/#morelink
Guess the 28%ers, will say ‘old news”, “ancient history”.
I wonder if those creationists had Hannah/Barbera’s permission??
Posted by: Chas. | June 09, 2007 at 02:32 PM–
Probably not. They believe that the rules don’t apply to them.
Let me first say that I am in NO way a Paris Hilton fan…but I think you all don’t give the girl enough credit.
Think about it, before that sex tape, nobody had even heard of her…she suddenly shoots into massive stardom, earning her OWN keep. I don’t think she just wanted to be a little socialite with daddy’s money, and I don’t think that sex tape was an accident. I think she did what it took to make herself out there.
She’s still a spoiled little brat, and deserves her jail time considering how she could have killed someone, then thumbed her nose at the courts by driving suspended twice.
Well, Capn, guess you got your answer, huh?? Most interesting..
Who/what is “Right Angle?” I’m lost.
delores,
Is there a link to the DarkSide video? As I remember, it’s very long, but well worth watching.
Nevermind. Here’s the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/
“RIGHT ANGLE?
If you’re really a different post-er than Republican, sign in now.
(This should be interesting.)”
Posted by: CapnAmerica | June 09, 2007 at 04:05 PM
ROFLMAO!
Capn, you are not only a fool, but one that has been proven to be a man that can stand by his word.
I recall you testing the Blogger Right Angle on some sort of issue involving IQ and you later apologized to the man for the statements about him.
Right Angle, appears to be older than I am and he also stipulated that he was on some of committee for gifted children as he had a son that met that criteria.
Guess what, I don’t have a son and I never been on any such committee.
You have proven once again Capn that you are a conspiracy driven buffoon that cannot be trusted to keep his word after you apologize to someone (Right Angle.)
“that can stand by his word.”
should read as
“that can’t stand by his word.”
36 hours of peace on the blog. :::sigh::: It was nice, but no way could it last.
zhiabl kqfvawhl gdzc sbxqjdpc chvmydu mkjn zcfkeva