Sen. Franken awakens AG Holder to Comcast/NBCU issue

By GottaLaff

A little reminder, via Wiki:

On December 3, 2009, GE and US cable TV operator Comcast announced a buyout agreement for NBC Universal. If the transaction completes, and pending regulatory approval, Comcast would own 51% of NBC Universal while GE would own 49%.

Al Franken has a thing or two to say about that, and A.G. Holder's ears perked up.

US Attorney General Eric Holder thought he was in a Senate Judiciary hearing about Guantanamo Bay – but Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) took the opportunity to grill the AG about the DOJ review of the proposed merger of Comcast and NBCU. Holder was circumspect, but did confess to being interested as a private citizen thanks to his status as Comcast subscriber.

Franken expressed concerns about the merger, according to a Washington Post Report, including the possibility of setting off a wave of similar mergers between other media giants that could leave the nation with essentially five sources of information.

As it stands now, we could do with a few more sources of information. America is already woefully ill-informed. And an misinformed, uninformed, dumbed-down electorate is the downfall of democracy.

If I sound like a broken record, it's because it is vital that this message get repeated over and over again until enough people hear it, believe it, and do something about it.

Electing Al Franken was a great first step.

H/t: Al Franken on Twitter

MythInformation: "Deem and Pass" Is NOT "Without A Vote"

By GottaLaff

Bill Scher clarifies something about the health care reform process that the corporate media won't. It's all that pesky"self-executing rule" or "deem and pass," that we've been hearing about.

Yes, the Big Ol' Right Wing Talking Point media outlets claim that it will be passing the Senate health care vote "without a vote."

Wrong:

MSNBC's First Read succinctly explains the process, in case any other professional journalists care to do their jobs.

...the health-care bill would be voted on INDIRECTLY, tucked into what's known as "the rule." The rule essentially outlines the rules for an upcoming vote -- in this case, it would be the vote on the package of reconciliation fixes.

By passing "the rule," the House also would "deem" the Senate bill passed (with a "hereby" statement. "We hereby deem..."). The House would then vote on the package of reconciliation fixes. But the Senate health-care bill would be considered passed even if they never vote on the reconciliation fixes [and] the bill must be signed by the president before the Senate takes up the reconciliation.

So there is a vote by the full House on whether it chooses to pass the Senate health care bill.

If any members of the House do not want to deem the Senate bill passed, they can vote no on the rule which would deem it passed.

Any members of the House who vote "Yes," would do so by recorded vote, so their constituents will be able to judge their actions.

Kinda sounds like democracy.

All that is accomplished here is the consolidation of a step.

Bill has much more, but that's the gist.

We're being fed misinformation and lies by the media again. And again.

This has to stop. How can democracy survive when an unsuspecting and/or low information electorate is not being given facts and context? Instead, we're shown car chases and Tiger Woods surrogates (coughAriFleischercough) after having faulty headlines jammed down our throats.

That's not educating viewers. That's not news. That's infotainment, a few sound bites, and an outhouse full of punditiocracy.

Christian leaders to Congress: Ignore misinformation on abortion, pass health reform

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

The other day on the Rachel Maddow Show, Nancy Pelosi made a point of telling Rachel that health care reform was not just about abortion, it was about saving lives, money, and providing care to millions.

She repeated the positives of the plan and steered Rachel away from concentrating too hard on something that shouldn't be an issue (mainly because Bart Stupak is spreading misinformation; abortion will not be being funded by the government).

Pelosi is one of the few that has insisted on clarifying and laying out the benefits of the bill. Anthony Weiner is another. Their consistent message of what health care reform offers, rather than getting sidetracked by GOP talking points, is something that's been sorely missing over the past year.

Meanwhile, a group of "pro-life" Christian leaders has come out in support of the plan. They're darn pretty clear, too.

Think Progress takes it from there:

Underscoring this point, this week, a group of 25 “pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders” sent a letter to Congress urging them to look past the misinformation on abortion and pass health care reform. From their letter:

As Christians committed to a consistent ethic of life, and deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all people, we want to see health care reform enacted. [...]

We are writing because of our concern about the lack of clear and accurate information regarding abortion provisions in the health care reform bill passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009.

Reforming our health care system is necessarily complex, and the provisions related to abortion, or any other issue, require careful examination of the facts as they exist in the legislative language. We believe that the provisions below provide extensive evidence that longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion have been maintained. Furthermore, this bill provides new and important supports for vulnerable pregnant women.

The Catholic Health Association also sent a letter (see image above) to Congress urging passage of the Senate bill. They pointed out that millions of Americans would benefit.

Imagine that.

VIDEO- Joe Biden: Cheney is "not entitled to rewrite history"

By GottaLaff

Joe Biden hands Dickless McHeartStent his ass:

"Let me choose my words carefully [...]

I don't know where Dick Cheney has been! [...]

What is he talking about? [...]

He's factually, substantively wrong [...]

He's either misinformed, or he's misinforming."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MoJoe.

When Fake News Goes Viral

By GottaLaff

If only fake news were the Jon Stewart kind:

The New York Observer notes that 13 different news organizations ran unsourced stories about the supposed blockbuster New York Times story about New York Gov. David Paterson -- even before the governor issued his now famous denial.

Walter Shapiro: "Sadly, this is what happens when the old-media arrogance of The New York Times -- a newspaper that will do things its own way on its own schedule -- collides with the sex sells, rumors-are-reality sleaziness of the new media. Isn't the 21st century great?"

This reminds me of Keith Olbermann's explanation of how a ClusterFox meme gets started. One of their punditiots opines, it's picked up as a "some say" by their "news" [sic] team, and that in turn gets reported as "news" by the rest of the media.

Then, the more often the story is repeated, the more credibility it is given, which makes about as much sense as ... well, a 2010 vote for Michele Bachmann.

Teen idles

By GottaLaff

As some of you know, I am what they call an "artist in residence" at a performing arts high school. I don't have a credential, so I teach classes along with a credentialed teacher. I've done this for well over a decade and in the past few years, I have been alarmed at the steady decline in student dedication, interest, ability to concentrate, process, communicate, and recognize emotion in oneself and others. I'm not alone, every teacher I've spoken to has noticed the same thing.

We can attribute some of this to the reliance on technology (computers, cell phones, iPods, etc.), and some of it to upbringing, and of course, other contributing factors. My students used to be motivated and very aware of the world around them, but now, as sweet and bright as they are, they've become more impatient, have minuscule attention spans, and know very little about current events, nor do they care.

In short, they are uninformed and unconcerned about it. Not that teenagers are known for their avid interest in the news, far from it. But in the mid- to late '90s, when I first got involved with directing and teaching kids (of all ages), there was a noticeable appetite for knowledge and pride in achievement. Much of that is lacking now. They are not as inquisitive nor do they like to expend much energy problem solving, reading, critical thinking, or having meaningful conversations.

Again, this is not out of context, I have a point of reference: Then and now.

I've tried to encourage my kiddles to at least take a peek at the headlines for a minute or two each day, or watch the top-of-the-hour news, or glance at a newspaper to learn about something other than pop culture. I've done this by allowing them to share one current event for extra credit during oral quizzes I give them (on, of all things, comedians). If they can't answer a question on, say, Bob Hope, but they can talk about a major news event (national or international, not local), then they get credit.

The results have been mixed. Yesterday's quiz produced 99% Tiger Woods/White House party crasher reports, an abundance of "I got nothin's", and a few other responses that I will share in a minute.

Today's class was a vast improvement, but they couldn't remember where the 30,000 troops were headed (many said "Iraq"), or that there were troops being deployed at all, and none thought to bring up health care issues, including flu shots. Most came up with headlines about shootings, including Ft. Hood, or science-related headlines (ice on the moon [not bad], "elevator to outer space").

Note: I remind them regularly to check out basic bare bones news items. I warned them that not all news is accurate, and warned them to question the (un)reliablity of "sources" and "breaking news".

I've explained that other than the fundamental importance of learning/knowledge, it is essential that they understand their world so that they will become informed voters who shape their democracy; that they are our future, and that educating themselves pays off in various ways, such as everyday conversation, and even provides them with a vast reservoir to draw from while performing improvisational comedy (which I also teach them) so they can evoke laughs (read: rewards).

Here are examples of what many students considered to be newsworthy:

As I mentioned, Tiger Woods (they knew every single detail) and the White House party crashers (the only tidbit they missed was what Michaele Salahi wore) were repeated to me over and over again. And again.

I gave them hints, such as "This topic affects every single one of you, your families, and has been on the news daily since before summer. During the summer there was a lot of craziness and fighting over it, and it continues to make big news today and will until at least the New Year." One hand went up: "Health care?" she asked timidly. Bingo.

I prodded one boy, "Give me a major news story about Obama." He said, "He's president?"

Several kids thought that the ads at the bottom of e-mails and MySpace were news items. This included an ad encouraging moms to go back to school. They interpreted that to be that "President Obama was forcing parents to get educated."

Some picked up fragments from CNN broadcasts as they walked from one room to another and passed the Tee Vee Machine on the way to the kitchen. I congratulated them on getting at least a whiff of news and asked if they could inhale more deeply next time.

Many translated bits and pieces of reporting they got from eavesdropping on their parents. Most of those were pretty abysmal, but one included a halfway decent interpretation of New York's recent rejection of same-sex marriage. Sigh of relief.

The majority of kids were surprised that entertainment news wasn't what I was looking for. I don't blame them, but I've been pretty explicit about my expectations over the past few months.

Conclusion:

Tabloid infotainment has replaced serious news, as I've mentioned in post after TPC post. As a result, the osmotic nature of how teens learn about their own world has been reduced to sound bites from the most inane, splashy, celebrity-driven stories.

Despite the fact that for most teens, the Washington Post isn't a priority (understandably), it would be reassuring to know that the few seconds of information that makes its way into their consciousness was, in fact, fact. And usable. And relevant to their lives and futures.

I'll continue to do my part to boost their awareness and pique their interest by injecting fun and humor into even the most serious (read: boring) and topical subject matter. The good news? I did notice a spark or two, and three students asked me for the web address of The Political Carnival as a way to stay abreast of what's happening. And that's a start.

Please note: There is so much more to this topic, and I'm well aware that I generalized somewhat. In the interest of not making this post even longer than it is, I limited my observations to what struck me the most, emotionally. Feel free to add your own experiences and conclusions in Comments.

White House going 'on offense' as Senate health care debate begins

By GottaLaff

That CNN headline that I used for the blog title, about going on the offense? Seems like a case of stating the obvious, because if not now, when? Here is the official word:

The White House is "geared up to go on offense" on health care messaging this week, a White House official tells CNN.

As the Senate debate over health care reform gets underway, the administration is planning to "push back on the distortions and misinformation... being circulated by interest groups and opponents." The new offensive includes a video featuring Vice President Joe Biden and the presidents of the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Family Physicians.

Biden video here.

Here's hoping for one of President Obama's strong finishes.

Video- Conservative Misinformation University Salutes The Class Of 2009

The perfect example of "If it wasn't so scary it'd be laughable". Thanks to Media Matters.

The winner: Miss Information; The loser: Us

By GottaLaff

All those newspapers closing down and/or cutting back is bad news (no pun) for everyone. The unfortunate result is that the crown is going to Miss Information. What exactly are we missing? What aren't we hearing? What don't we know? Too much:

Political consultants aren't exactly rubbing their hands together and snickering. But as the hired guns look over a landscape of closing newspapers and laid-off investigative reporters, they sense an opening that leaves them both excited and queasy.

One operative told me this week about planting attacks on opponents in partisan blogs, knowing the stories could bleed into mainstream news outlets, without leaving any incriminating fingerprints. Another described how he got green reporters to write stories (no campaign cash wasted!) on ads that the candidate had no intention of ever paying to put on TV.

"They don't know any better," the consultant chuckled. "So we can get away with that one again."

Gulp.

"Imagine driving along [Interstate] 5. There used to be a couple highway patrolmen to keep people in line. Now they're gone and everyone knows it," said Chris Lehane, a veteran Democratic consultant. "It can devolve into a Mad Max situation pretty quickly."

Dan Schnur, a one-time Republican consultant who directs USC's Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics:

"Technology and blogs and the like make it much easier to get information out," he said. "But what is missing is the credibility that comes with that message coming through the mainstream media."

The "mainstream media"aren't exactly reliable or unbiased, but let's move along...

Newspapers [havd] slashed their staffs, often losing the most experienced (and highest-paid) reporters, because of a ghastly recession and advertising lost to the Internet.

The severity of the problem is hard to assess. How do you get your arms around what hasn't been written? [...]

Wouldn't a more robust reporting corps have delved by now into gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman's stock trades when she headed EBay? [...] [I]n the old days, one operative said, someone would have checked by now. [...]

One political consultant told me he regularly encounters less-experienced (and more easily bamboozled) reporters when he works on state and congressional campaigns. He was the one who told me the newbies often didn't bother to check whether ads were really going to have any serious presence on television. The net effect: He got thousands of dollars worth of "free" media, exposing the public to ads the politician would never pay to put on the air. [...]

Yet I fear much of this is lost on the public. I don't know whether to be depressed or infuriated by the folks who occasionally e-mail me, gleeful that another newspaper will cut its staff. [...]

What political and news veterans feel in their guts, a couple of Princeton economists said they have confirmed.

The two researchers found that, after the Cincinnati Post closed at the end of 2007, fewer candidates participated in local elections, incumbents had a greater advantage and voter turnout declined [...] Politics in suburban northern Kentucky communities became less "vibrant" for the loss of that single paper, despite the fact that its 27,000 daily circulation was dwarfed by the city's dominant Cincinnati Enquirer.

Here's hoping the new websites and community blogs that we keep hearing about will pick up the slack some time soon. In the meantime, the political pros have more control. And we have less information. Some folks seem to have no idea what they're missing.

Miss Information wins. Not even runners-up: Accurate and thorough reporting. Coming in last: An informed public. That glued-on smile on Miss Congeniality's (aka Democracy) face? It's fading.