July 26, 2003
Missed Opportunities
I never cease to be amazed at the Republican PR machine. Get a load of this press release, distributed via USNewswire, which is used well by PR-savvy organizations. (The true evil in newsrooms today isn’t deceit or plagiarism - it’s laziness and staff reductions that result in too much space/air time, too few reporters.)
What disturbs me most about this is the absolute double standard - accuse Democrats who are negative about Bush with not having anything positive to say. But it's okay for the GOP-issued negatives, available in bite-size chunks to get airplay. I wonder how many news organizations - legit or otherwise - will pick up the hot-pink leisure suit remark.
Why in god's name should any Democrat stop being negative about Bush when we're smacked with this sort of political garbage every day? It reinforces why I wanted to write for Watchblog.com in the first place. I'm not interested in expounding on my own political beliefs (though that may happen from time to time.) I am deeply committed to drawing attention to the massive amount of bullshit that's being generated (and no party is immune) and hopefully offering some reality check or alternate point of view. And the rise in Republican rhetoric - from Ed Gillespie to Tom DeLay - is worth noting at the same time Congress prepares to head home with their respective issue kits (see item #3) for August recess.
Here's my suggestion: someone at the DNC, or at every state party organization for that matter, should be monitoring the PR distribution channels on an hourly basis - and for each release that goes out, blast a counter release to ensure editors are seeing both sides. Sort of my own political eye for an eye. If it's already being done, they're not doing a very good job. If it isn't, it's about time they got started.
Posted by 9thwave at July 26, 2003 02:55 PM9thwave, there is something horribly servile about simply repeating a press release, somtimes verbatim. The press does it with politics, business, whatever. I guess I am old-fashioned, but I imagine that the PR release speaks for itself, and the press should actually, oh, you know, report? Investigate a story, find facts? Who would have thought that could become a radical concept.
As for the DNC tactics you discuss, it is absoluetly necessary. Democrats are going to disappear if they don’t fight the Republican onslought, because the Repubs are out for blood.
Of course none of this is particularly good for the American democratic republic. Go figure.
Posted by: Timothy Klein at July 26, 2003 03:57 PMDoesn’t DeLay know that 1970s memes and fashions are making a comeback? I guess he missed that memo.
Posted by: Cam at July 26, 2003 04:30 PMHas Mr. Delay looked into the past of some Conservatives, like say Strom Thurmond? Sorry, but I’d rather have an ex-hippie running government than a professed bigot and racist. A lot of great things came from the 1970s (disco not necessarily being one of them) and I hate to think about what we would find if we dug into the pasts of some Republicans…
Posted by: huxley75 at July 26, 2003 04:53 PMjeez what papers or info are you getting
I’v tryed for 7 days to find a news paper telling the truth about the checks that are going to folks that PAY taxes. NO NO all about the ones that the Rebublican won’t send one too
But thats alright the internet & cable are fixing
your butttts good
There are some interesting press releases on PR News Wire from Democratic Party organs the same day as De-Lay’s, and they’re probably getting more play.
For example: PFAW denounces Bush judicial nominees, NARAL wants non-Californians to try and thwart the recall of crooked, inept Gov. Gray Davis, and animal lovers celebrate Greyhound Memorial Day.
But none of their rhetoric is as funny as that line about “hot pink leisure suits”, so maybe it doesn’t deserve as much play; but the Liberal Media will amp up NARAL and PFAW anyhow.
Posted by: Richard Bennett at July 27, 2003 06:37 AMRichard,
I love you and I hate to tell you this, but…
THERE IS NO LIBERAL MEDIA
Read Alterman’s book. Stop believing the lies of the right.
It will be fun to watch you and your cronies leaning on that crutch in 2004 when your boys are gone from DC.
Robbie D
Posted by: Robbie D at July 28, 2003 04:21 PMRobbie:
If there were no liberal media Rush Limbaugh would not exist and neither would FOX. FOX cropped up because there was a demand for an alternative to the mainstream media. Look at the major networks and who is on T.V.
Katie couric and Matt Lauer (both have been openly opinionated about the “right wing” and katie has bashed bush on a number of occasions)
Dan Rather RUNS CBS news! (shows up at Democratic fundraising events)
George Stephanopolous! (the ari fliescher of the radical left)
James Carville! (can you believe it?!)
Peter Jennings!
Tom Brokaw! HELLO is anyone paying attention?(Tom is being urged to run on the Democratic ticket)
CNN was founded by Ted Turner and the old guard is still in place there.
Perhaps you should read Bernard Goldberg’s book BIAS. Goldburg has always been a life long Democrat and thinking liberal. He wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about bias in the media and was fired from CBS news because it pissed off Dan Rather. Rather called him a traitor. I have a friend who works at the NY times. He is black and a conservative. He hates working there sometimes because he is in a TOTAL intellectual vaccuum and knows that he would be immediately sent to work in the mail room if he were to speak his mind openly. He became disilutioned with the racial “equality” program they have there. He was promoted above people that had been there for years and was both embarassed and insulted. He didn’t feel he needed any special “help” there. He found it disgusting, but it is either that or he loses his job. You see this prejudice lies just beneath the surface and is very pervasive. Either he is lying and making this all up or it is true. I tend to believe him because he has no reason to lie about it. He does have the perfect cover though. He is black. Noone would guess that he is a conservative. That is just how racist the left is.
I should qualify that by saying that “some” on the radical left are racists. They just dont know it. And by the way….
“Has Mr. Delay looked into the past of some Conservatives, like say Strom Thurmond? Sorry, but I’d rather have an ex-hippie running government than a professed bigot and racist. “
Uh yeah tell me where Strom thurmond is a racist and i will raise you a ROBERT BYRD!
Posted by: pete at July 29, 2003 02:29 PM
