Jordan .

Speaking of Paul Harvey, he died yesterday.  And that's the rest of the story.  What was his five days a week air time?  I would hear him just before the Noon radio news for what I think amounted to maybe three or four minutes when he'd tell some heartwarming story about the good-hearted ethics of some worthy American from the heartland. 

Wanna talk media?  The changes about to come next, as a result of the death of newspapers and news magazines (which do not include TELEVISION shows that call themselves "magazines") could plummet us into a new dark age where we look back with nostalgia on the late great end of the 20th-beginning of the 21st centuries' dissemination of knowledge.  

Yup there's an internet that is capable of presenting information around the globe instantaneously.  But who are the news gatherers?  Who pays their wages when the old model of the 'paper' bosses are gone?  A new model is necessary that is economically viable so that bonafide reporters can still afford to travel, research, interview and make a living.  Internet blogging isn't going to work without their broadcast/MSM  journalists as primary sources. There just aren't enough enterprising individuals who can set out for a war zone (f'rinstance), have entree to worthwhile sources or even have sufficient credibility to have their dispatches believed. 

I don't know where this all goes but with newspapers failing at a rapid rate, I fear a Neo Dark Age in the works where unchecked sources and propagandistic blah-blah-blah rule the day with the parroting class blah-blah-blahing the chants du jour.  

Although median life spans have increased over the centuries, the longest living humans still pretty much peter out around the 100 year mark.  No one makes it to 150 or 200 and I doubt they ever will.  And I've always felt this was more about the shock of trying to assimilate the change that takes place in that amount of time than the body's deterioration.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Jordan .

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

QUOTE: QUOTE: Rush is a freakin' radio talk show host!  Nothing more!  CNN tries to brainwash the sheeple to their way of thinking. Shameful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCl_--E3T2c

 I don't mind saying that clip scared the crap out of me.

  The white house and democratic leadership are exploiting the flare-up between Steele and Rush (well, to be honest, Rush and most of the GOP senators), and are actively keeping it in the news cycle longer than it would have normally been.  I think its pretty interesting actually- does rewarding Rush with all this attention really hurt the GOP?  Is it likely to bit the dems in the ass farther down the road if the GOP blinks first and become more obstructionist? 

When the White house responds, it gives more credence to Rush which I think is ultimately not good for Obama and the Dems, IMO. Might win some points now, but down the road, it ain't smart. I also think the White House should be above this. It doesn't really help Obama's pledge to change the tone of Washington (sorta like Bush 8 years ago).  

there could be two possible reasons:

1. Make a non-story a real story in hopes to deflect interest in more important things (usual political move by all politicians)

2. A reason to push for the fairness doctorine which I am stil lexpecting and is one reason why I ended up buying stocks in Sirius. I believe that if the govt introduces something like the fairness doctorine, Rush will leave the AM band (along with others) and move to satellite where there would be no regulations (hopefully) and would save satellite radio - much like Rush saved AM band by helping to make talk radio popular.

Jordan .

I'm not sure I totally agree with you- I think Obama is trying to keep the few moderate republicans in the senate in play for future fights, and maybe even peel off some folks in the house.  I think he's also hoping that by continuing the stir the pot the GOP might  shoot themselves in the foot, and make it even easier for him to get his agenda through congress.  It has nothing to do with Steele, and everything to do with Rush and the legislators.  Basically Rush called the GOP wussies for letting the stimulus go through without enough of a fight.  Obama is basically saying to the moderate GOP senators "are you going to let him talk to you like that? are you mouse or man (or woman)"  This basically paints them in a corner- if they return to the GOP fold and auto-block everything, they look like dittoheads, and the GOP does look like it is being pressured by the far right, which may continue to hurt them with moderates.

 I don't see anything unfair about having legislators clarify their positions on what exactly they want to "fail".  Lord knows anyone who is anti-war has to do this every time troops go overseas.  If the GOP is putting more of a premium on being correct than on the country actually getting better, you know, that says something.  I actually think the stimulus bill worked out about as well as they could have hoped given their thrashing in the general election.

 I also think its a little disingenious to say that Rush is "just a talk-show host" . Even if you consider his obvious influence over a large part of the GOP base, conservative PACS have elevated him to more than that by letting him keynote their meetings. 

Clarification for CNN, as if they care.

Steele is the head of the RNC - Republican National Committee -- whose job is to forge a consensus among the Republican party.  That means coming up with a national agenda based on the wishes of moderate mid-range Republicans and the right end of the scale who are most conservative.  

Rush Limbaugh is an influential CONSERVATIVE media voice whose goal is not to find the happy medium but to persuade others toward his end of the spectrum. 

Not sure why there's any confusion about the two individuals but it does seem that the entire brouhaha belongs in that old "Silly Season" thread.  Doesn't it seem a little too high school to be discussing who said what about whom while taking the entire discussion out of context in the first place?

No one person is in charge of the GOP any more than one person is in charge of the Democratic party.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

the dems become decent at playing politics for once, repugs freak the fuck out

is there some way i can freebase schadenfreude? 'cause i can't seem to get enough

Jordan .

"It's not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind." - D. Cooper

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." - P. Atreides

"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe" - L. tzu