Can we do anything to insure the pundits don't spin the debates ?

[Hamlette]

You know they will say Bush won, no matter what happens.

If we could get fair coverage of the debates it would seal this race. If they fawn all over B/C it is going to be harder...maybe impossible.

Do you think they read email? Can we call them? Any thoughts?
(edited for typo)

[punpirate]

1. In short, no.

They've given Bush a pass on everything, and the debates will be no different. What one can hope for is that the results are so lopsided that any attempts to spin them will be seen for what they are--spin--and will be ignored.

If Kerry knocks a few out of the park, in a way that most people can understand, the pundits won't be believed.

Cheers.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. I'm not so sure.

They salvaged an obviously incapacitated Reagan after his frightening PCH drone.

[punpirate]

20. The question was can "we" influence the media...

... pundits. Reagan was a Republican and an arch-conservative. The media had a sacred obligation to resuscitate Reagan's reputation, and to submerge the librul, even then. :)

"We" ain't even shit on a stick to those boys, and haven't been for a long, long, long time. And it won't change, even if Kerry wins.

It won't change as long as Congress doesn't have the balls or the conscience to not only eradicate fatcat money from the political process, but to also require corporations to start paying their share of the tax load. When those things happen, corporations will stop thinking they run things. Until that time, corporations will run the country and its politicians. And the media are corporations. They'll back whomever they think will do them the most good, because they're soulless, heartless, mindless and gutless. <rant mode off>

Too many people think the system is still fair. It's not.

Cheers.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. Let's see if I get this straight.

No fatcat dough.
Corps pay fair share.

:freak:

.
.
.


Nope. We're fucked.

Cheers. :D

[punpirate]

27. Well, not necessarily...

... but I think that does mean that Dems can't expect much help from the people who will gain by Bush staying in office. That's the sad reality of the time.

Kerry gonna have to work his ass off to get his message past the media shills and to the people. Debates are a good place to do it, but the pundits will be laying in wait for him afterwards.

Cheers.

[blm]

2. Be prepared to CALL CSPAN and every radio show taking calls.

We know Kerry will take the debate. It's up to us to shout it out afterwards on broadcast air and in LTTE.

[hlthe2b]

3. We could start a preemptive email/phone/letter-writing campaign

to state that we will not allow the bias that was so obvious in the Gore v Bush* debates to be repeated in 2004 with Kerry v Bush*--that given neither man has lost a debate, there can NOT be a presumption of lowered expectation and thus a "handicap" with Bush*. We can copy these correspondences to both the networks and cable "news" outlets and to a list of their primary sponsors--letting them know that we are putting them on notice. We expect fair coverage and honest (not simply "balanced") assessment by their pundits....

[Hamlette]

7. I like this suggestion...

write them all before the debates, remind them that Kerry will win without them, that we are urging Kerry to deny access to media whores who stumped for Bush and we will urge him to bring back the fairness doctrine. Or remind them that they are journalists and should be fair! We remember how awful they were to Gore. Then call all pundits who trash Dems AFTER the debate and tell them we want fair coverage for the other debates.

Worth a try.

We need to dispell the "liberal media" myth. It's killing us!

[dogtag]

4. It woud be nice if the pundits could shut up for an hour or two

after the debates. I'm sure the easily persuaded can form an opinion during the debate and then make a switcheroo when they're made to feel stupid by an artful right wing button pusher.

[Jade Fox]

5. We should do something ahead of time....

along the lines of demanding that they hold Bush to the standards they
would anyone else, and not lower the bar for him.

[tcfrogs]

6. No

The pundits will do what they are paid to do: give their spin, one way or another. Can't fight it. Listen to AAR or whoever your local host is to hear the truth.

[DemCam]

8. nope

All we can hope for is enough folks who form their own opinions.

[Mojambo]

9. ALWAYS stress that it's cable opinion. Not news.

The biggest tragedy is that Fox, MSNC and CNN are called news sources. They are NOT.

The sooner we redefine the entire medium the better.

[tcfrogs]

10. We're on our way!

The more people read on-line blogs, visit sites like DU, etc., the more people will stop believing the spin they hear on TV.

[dennis4868]

11. there is nothing....

you can do....Bush could literally say he is gay and has a crush on OBL and that he has been hiding him out in the east room of the WH the past 4 years and the media afterwards will say how wonderfull Bush's performance was and that Kerry was horrible....i learned from the 2000 debates that it is a lost cause...debates can only hurt Kerry.

[Arkana]

23. You're partially right

You're right about the part that the media will frantically fellate W's cause until it is "clear" that he "won" the debates. However, once Dumbya starts bumbling and stumbling, it will make their jobs that much harder.

These debates are a good way for Kerry to get his message out unfettered--especially when we can expect 60-70% viewership like now. The whores won't be able to talk over him during the debates--only after when they go into rapid spin mode to cover their Repig-funded asses.

[21winner]

12. Not watching the pundits might be a start.

n/t.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. My pundit story: re: Chris Matthews.

There was one debate where I felt that Gore had done well, and apparently, so did Chris Matthews, if for a fleeting moment. He seemed very gleeful, but then someone made a negative comment about Gore's performance and suddenly Matthews changed his tune. His eyes would dart to something or someone off camera as his demeanor changed. I could have sworn that he saw the same thing I saw in Gore, but then allowed the other pundit's opinions to change his mind, as if he was afraid not to walk in lock step.

[MasonJar]

14. Get in touch with the moderators, especially Jim Lehrer. He was

hideously partisan. He should not be doing another debate. A part of his handling of the debate was repeated on NOW tonight. It was just as pathetic as I remembered it.

[xray s]

15. Kerry's team has to carry the ball on this one

They have to cover every pundit panel and agressively attack any attempt to spin the debates to Bush.

This is REALLY important!

(I hope they do a better job than they did during the RNC)

[Bleacher Creature]

16. Why bother?

Bush is the greatest debater of his time. He's never lost a debate before, so why think he will do so now? If Kerry can just hold his own against the master, it will be a success.

[The Chronicler]

18. Skinner should set a phone bank up.

Have posters lined up to call into CSPAN and Larry King immediately following the debates.

[Seeking Serenity]

19. Why bother, indeed.

These things are all rigged, anyway.

Did anyone see the lead story on NOW with Bill Moyers? It was all about how the Democrats and Rethugs have colluded together via the Commission on Presidential Debates to make sure that they are completely uneventful events. No fireworks and actual debating allowed.

[Eric J in MN]

21. Email them.

(I also posted this in its own thread)

Please use the National Media email addresses at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x816939

to email the pundits with a message similar to this one (in your words)

--------------------------------------------------------
Jusdge the debates based on the HONESTY of the candidates' answers.

Don't say, Bush used a line which gets applause from his campaign audiences, therefore Bush won, even if the line is a distortion of the truth.

Don't say that Bush zinged an insult, so Bush won.

Don't say Bush seemed folksy, so Bush won.

Judge the debates by who tells the truth.
-----------------------------------

[kentuck]

22. We can have more coverage than they....

We can call them if they try and pull the same crap again. And we will call them day after day after day until they are discredited if they do not do a better job. We have the power. Just like Howard Dean said.

[John_H]

24. Sure. Our surrogates can start calling them on their bias on air.

At the very worst, they'll do what they're going to do anyway. At best a couple of them may be shamed into telling the truth.

[NashVegas]

25. Yes - Turn Them Off

and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

[oasis]

28. Dems should hosts debate parties across the USA. Invite co-workers who

are undecided and open minded. Discuss the debate after.

[Nordic]

29. of course not

unless you detained them somewhere and physically prevented them from going on the air.