Right-Wingers Are Desperately Trying to Destroy Obama, and the Cowardly Corporate Media Are Helping

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Right-Wingers Are Desperately Trying to Destroy Obama, and the Cowardly Corporate Media Are Helping

By Robert Parry, Consortium News. Posted April 16, 2009.

The right-wing media still pull the reigns in DC, where they could sink the Obama presidency and even stymie a Democratic Congress.



Watching Glenn Beck of Fox News rant about "progressive fascism" -- and muse about armed insurrection -- or listening to mainstream pundits prattle on about Barack Obama as the "most polarizing President ever," it is hard to escape the conclusion that today’s U.S. news media represents a danger to the Republic.

By and large, the Washington press corps continues to function within a paradigm set in the 1980s, mostly bending to the American Right, especially to its perceived power to destroy mainstream journalistic careers and to grease the way toward lucrative jobs for those who play ball.

The parameters set by this intimidated (or bought-off) news media, in turn, influence how far Washington politicians feel they can go on issues, like health-care reform or environmental initiatives, or how risky they believe it might be to pull back from George W. Bush’s "war on terror" policies.

Democratic hesitancy on these matters then enflames the Left, which expresses its outrage through its own small media, reprising the old theme that there’s "not a dime’s worth of difference" between Democrats and Republicans -- a reaction that further weakens chances for any meaningful reform.

This vicious cycle has repeated itself again and again since the Reagan era, when the Right built up its intimidating media apparatus -- a vertically integrated machine which now reaches from newspapers, magazines and books to radio, TV and the Internet. The Right accompanied its media apparatus with attack groups to go after troublesome mainstream journalists. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/136834/right-wingers_are_desperately_trying_to_destroy_obama%2C_and_the_cowardly_corporate_media_are_helping_/

[NJmaverick]

1. I would add it's not just those on the right trying to take him down

there are sadly many on the left that are also working to do the same thing, either intentionally or unintentionally.

[JohnWxy]

2. booked, recommended.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x441084#441143

[Demeter]

3. If the GOP Wanted to Take Obama Down, They Would Use the Economy and Bailout

But the GOP created and uses both, so they aren't going to upset that apple cart...besides, they need some pretext to take over in 4 years.

And as for those of us on the left, trying to pound some sense into Obama's economic program, we are trying to forestall this exact scenario, not to mention the collateral damage to the citizens of this nation and perhaps even the world. Obama is helping his enemies, and killing his base. If it's intentional, so be it. If it's not, he's going to hear us, and if he's got any brain, listen.

And those of you who think Obama walks on water had better start paying attention, or you will drown with him when the sandbar runs out.

[santamargarita]

4. These Nazi bastards are destroying themselves!

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[certainot]

5. the coordinated uncontested repetition of radio monopoly does the groundwork

and needs to be the priority for liberals/dems/americans

but they keep turning the dial