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ABC News Teams Up With Obama White House to Present President's Health Care Plan

Badgered Mushroom said:
I'm not sure what propaganda campaign you're talking about,
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I'll give you a hint: health care.

Badgered Mushroom said:
but if it has to do with the "socialism", "marxism", "communism", or "Stalinism" tags that I've seen come from FOX I'd rather not hear about it.
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Well, badgers do spend most of their time with their heads buried underground.

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Badgered Mushroom said:
There isn't any reporting involved here. From what I gather, it's going to be free air time for Obama to talk about his healthcare reform plan, nothing more.
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Yes.

That's called propaganda in honest countries.

Badgered Mushroom said:
You may as well not even call it news, he's just using ABC's air time to speak to the public. What's the big deal?
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See my previous post.

See also the importance of an independent media as opposed to a fawning biased advocacy media.

Badgered Mushroom said:
Again, I think this should be required, especially during elections, so that the electorate can be better informed about candidates and policies. Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Democratic Socialists, etc, should all be allowed free air time in order for the public to better understand themselves and the options available to them.
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People that want air time should pay for it, like every good capitalist. Damn socialists think everything should be free, and aren't mature enough to understand that everything has a price.
 
talloulou said:
Things like hour long prime time infomercials specials featuring the current sitting President aimed at selling a policy are not common; as far as I know it's unprecedented. Now again, it may not play off as an hour long infomercial -but that's the fear.
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Yep. The far-right partisans think we're all a bunch of dolts who can't vet and discuss any information on our own. The OP, the RNC letter, it's a preemptive spin strike. Discredit the show before it's even aired.

Let it air -- then let's discuss. Its not unheard of for a president to go on TV in this fashion.

Just because Sean and Rush aren't going to be in the audience, doesn't mean it's not fair and balanced.:roll:
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
An informed electorate has all sides of the issue.

The Messiah isn't going to present the flip side of what he proposes, like, it'll be five times more expensive than he's going to say it is, it's going to be like going to the DMV, that it will reduce the quality of care from what most people currently recieve, and that it just won't work.

His not going to mention anything as minor as that.

And another question arises. ABC is going to give this boy an hour of prime-time propaganda space for a partisan political purpose. Is that a multi-million contribution to Obama's re-election campaign, or just to the DNC? What are the caps on donations to a political party or candidate from corporate sources? Since this is an exclusive informercial failing to meet journalistic standards for unbiased news reporting, it can't be counted as "public service".
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HOLY HELL! You mean a politician is only going to present his side of an issue? Good lord, that never happens in this country...
 
hazlnut said:
Yep. The far-right partisans think we're all a bunch of dolts who can't vet and discuss any information on our own. The OP, the RNC letter, it's a preemptive spin strike. Discredit the show before it's even aired.
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If you were capable of constructive thought, you wouldn't be on the Left.

hazlnut said:
Let it air -- then let's discuss. Its not unheard of for a president to go on TV in this fashion.
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List the times Bush was donated an exclusive hour of free prime time to promote a specific domestic policy program by any major media outlet.

Answer: Never.


hazlnut said:
Just because Sean and Rush aren't going to be in the audience, doesn't mean it's not fair and balanced.:roll:
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No, it's on ABC, which means no balance at all. Ol' Charlie has shown himself to be quite the biased reporter, too. He's gonna be the t-ball pitcher.

Oh, wait. T-ball doesn't have a pitcher, does it. Charlie's gonna be the post the balls are set on for the easy hits.
 
Badgered Mushroom said:
I'm not sure what propaganda campaign you're talking about, but if it has to do with the "socialism", "marxism", "communism", or "Stalinism" tags that I've seen come from FOX I'd rather not hear about it.

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There isn't any reporting involved here. From what I gather, it's going to be free air time for Obama to talk about his healthcare reform plan, nothing more. You may as well not even call it news, he's just using ABC's air time to speak to the public. What's the big deal?

Again, I think this should be required, especially during elections, so that the electorate can be better informed about candidates and policies. Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Democratic Socialists, etc, should all be allowed free air time in order for the public to better understand themselves and the options available to them.
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Well we will see how it goes. I heard he is going to also be on Good Morning America that morning and than also have the hour long special later. A speech is different from a special in that a speech is just the nuts and bolts with no fancy whistles. A special can come complete with bells and whistles. Given the rock star status Obama already receives I'm wary of him suddenly running infomercials. It was bad enough when he had his own channel during the campaign.

Obama is on tv so much it actually startles me. Did anyone see that press briefing where Obama just popped in to talk about the retiring Souter? I thought that was a little weird. And everyone ooohd and aaaahd about his surprise presence. Last night I swear I saw coverage of Obama killing a fly. I have no idea who was interviewing him or what he was talking about. But I know the guy rocks so hard and is so cool he can snatch a fly out of the air, crush it, and fling it to the floor. Oh and the report also mentioned that he's a good boy and cleans up after himself to. Apparently after the interview was over - who knows what was said in the interview (not key to the story?:shock:) Obama picked the fly up off the floor to throw it in the trash.

My God, WTF is happening to us? I hope we snap out of it.
 
talloulou said:
Obama is on tv so much it actually startles me. Did anyone see that press briefing where Obama just popped in to talk about the retiring Souter? I thought that was a little weird. And everyone ooohd and aaaahd about his surprise presence. Last night I swear I saw coverage of Obama killing a fly. I have no idea who was interviewing him or what he was talking about. But I know the guy rocks so hard and is so cool he can snatch a fly out of the air, crush it, and fling it to the floor. Oh and the report also mentioned that he's a good boy and cleans up after himself to. Apparently after the interview was over - who knows what was said in the interview (not key to the story?:shock:) Obama picked the fly up off the floor to throw it in the trash.

My God, WTF is happening to us? I hope we snap out of it.
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That is different from watching President Bush clear brush on his farm how?
 
Redress said:
That is different from watching President Bush clear brush on his farm how?
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First off, I watch tons of cable news. It's on all day while I'm doing stuff here in the house. I've never seen Bush clear brush on his farm. But if such footage did air I imagine if that's what he was doing at the time then it was a fluff piece. However Obama was presumably sitting down and being interviewed last night. Yet the coverage, on every channel, consisted of look how cool this dude is...he can snatch an f-ing fly out of the air. It's weird. Obama's on tv way too much and he has some weird effect on folks. It's nauseating.
 
talloulou said:
First off, I watch tons of cable news. It's on all day while I'm doing stuff here in the house. I've never seen Bush clear brush on his farm. But if such footage did air I imagine if that's what he was doing at the time then it was a fluff piece. However Obama was presumably sitting down and being interviewed last night. Yet the coverage, on every channel, consisted of look how cool this dude is...he can snatch an f-ing fly out of the air. It's weird. Obama's on tv way too much and he has some weird effect on folks. It's nauseating.
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I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but people are actually interested in these things. Remember the dog thing? That was all my stepmother could talk about for a week, solid(and she don't much like black folks). There is a real fascination with the Obama's among a large portion of the population.

I think it was there to an extent with Bush, but since I tuned out when Bush fluff pieces aired due to not likeing the guy, I missed them.
 
Here's the thing if anyone else killed a fly it would be edited out. But my God I have listened all morning to different folks on a variety of shows talk about Obama's skills, his precision, his coolness, he was called a ninja by one guy, etc. I mean how much marveling can we do over killing a fly? It's not that a big a deal. What makes it so cool when Obama does it? The adoration that surrounds him is just frankly bizarre and weird. There's something wrong with the media.
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
An informed electorate has all sides of the issue.
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That's right, they do! Again, I believe this needs to be made the norm in elections and during debates over important issues such as healthcare.

The Messiah isn't going to present the flip side of what he proposes, like, it'll be five times more expensive than he's going to say it is, it's going to be like going to the DMV, that it will reduce the quality of care from what most people currently recieve, and that it just won't work.

His not going to mention anything as minor as that.
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Firstly, it's really hard to take anyone seriously that refers to Obama as the "Messiah". It paints you in a very overly-partisan light and really detracts from your overall argument... in my humble opinion, anyway.

Secondly, do you have anything based in fact to back up your assertion that things will get worse and more expensive? Anything at all? Of course not, because he hasn't even laid out his plan. All you have to go with is rhetoric and fear-mongering espoused from talking heads and "news" sources.

What I can tell you is that John Conyer's plan would cost less than I pay for inadequate healthcare through my employer. A 3.2% payroll tax on my salary would be $110 a month, with no co-pay, deductible, or bridge unlike my $190 a month currently runs. Not to mention it would save my employer hundreds of dollars a month as well! Not only would it be cheaper for business and for me, but this kind of plan is extremely cost-effective and would be similar to what the rest of the civilized world enjoys according to the World Health Organization.

And another question arises. ABC is going to give this boy an hour of prime-time propaganda space for a partisan political purpose. Is that a multi-million contribution to Obama's re-election campaign, or just to the DNC? What are the caps on donations to a political party or candidate from corporate sources? Since this is an exclusive informercial failing to meet journalistic standards for unbiased news reporting, it can't be counted as "public service".
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Seems to me that it's not a contribution of any sort. They're allowing the POTUS to speak, which is typically fantastic for ratings, thus increasing their ad revenue for the hour. It's smart business if anything else.

Also, nobody is calling this journalism, and if you're going to start citing journalistic standards, most things on FOX and MSNBC could hardly be considered news by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Redress said:
I think it was there to an extent with Bush, but since I tuned out when Bush fluff pieces aired due to not likeing the guy, I missed them.
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No it absolutely was not like this with Bush. I think even with Clinton it was obvious the guy had charisma but I've never seen the media fawn over any politician to the extent that they fawn over Obama. It is nauseating and freaky.

It's like we're a bunch of airheads, the journalists are airheads, and we're all sitting around stoned saying dumb **** like, "Dude he killed a fly, he's an f-ing ninja. He's so cool."

It is bizarre.
 
talloulou said:
Yet the coverage, on every channel, consisted of look how cool this dude is...he can snatch an f-ing fly out of the air. It's weird. Obama's on tv way too much and he has some weird effect on folks. It's nauseating.
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That's not much different than airing a "fluff" piece of Bush clearing brush in Texas. Look at how manly and cowboyish he is!

See, I can do it too. It's all relative.
 
Redress said:
I did. Pay attention.
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I am paying attention.

You're not disturbed that The Messiah is being granted exclusive time to present a single side of a critical national issue by a media outlet that pretends to have journalistic ethics, and you see no threat to the republic in this fawning behavior.
 
Redress said:
Talloulou, did you read this thread: http://www.debatepolitics.com/bias-media/49962-love-lust-obama-fawning-press-need-get-room.html

The source Triad linked had an interesting stat:



People just like Obama more than Bush, so he gets more fluff.
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Well I don't mind if they like him more. I just want them not to be so awe struck wandering around like love sick puppies because there is a certain amount of blinders involved with those type of feelings and we can't afford a media wearing those type of blinders in regards to our President.
 
talloulou said:
Well I don't mind if they like him more. I just want them not to be so awe struck wandering around like love sick puppies because there is a certain amount of blinders involved with those type of feelings and we can't afford a media wearing those type of blinders in regards to our President.
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Get used to it for awhile. Us liberals went through it with Bush, whether you want to admit it or not. Maybe not to quite the same extent, but the media reacts to what draws ratings. Guess what is drawing them ratings right now.
 
WillRockwell said:
Are you freaking kidding me? We just spent 8 years with an administration that blatantly used Fox News as a tool to promote their propoganda and ruin those who opposed them. Genetic? If anything it's contagious, and we caught it from you.
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What are you talking about? Did Bush invite the Foxnews team to do a 24 hour News spread to help him push one of his plans? Invited them into the White house to run everything with no other outlets? I think not.


It's not that it really matters, ABC news is bottom feeder news rating wise anyhow.
 
talloulou said:
First off, I watch tons of cable news. It's on all day while I'm doing stuff here in the house. I've never seen Bush clear brush on his farm. But if such footage did air I imagine if that's what he was doing at the time then it was a fluff piece. However Obama was presumably sitting down and being interviewed last night. Yet the coverage, on every channel, consisted of look how cool this dude is...he can snatch an f-ing fly out of the air. It's weird. Obama's on tv way too much and he has some weird effect on folks. It's nauseating.
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I'm telling ya, he's the Anti-Christ!

;)
 
Redress said:
Get used to it for awhile. Us liberals went through it with Bush,
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Oh.

I see.

You're saying that every major news outlet except one refused to cover anything except positive puff-peice softball news stories about GW Bush, and you saw an immense threat the stability of the republic because the news coverage was totally favorable, completely unbalanced, and disgustingly enthusiastic about the empty promises of hope and change GW Bush offered the nation.

You see, if that's not what you're saying, you didn't go through with Bush what Americans are now facing with your Messiah.
 
Redress said:
Get used to it for awhile. Us liberals went through it with Bush, whether you want to admit it or not. Maybe not to quite the same extent, but the media reacts to what draws ratings. Guess what is drawing them ratings right now.
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Seriously? You went through it with Bush? The media did not fawn over Bush. Even Bush supporters did not fawn over Bush for the most part. Even Clinton who was loved by many did not get to be the media darling. He was never considered America's Sweetheart.
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
Oh.

I see.

You're saying that every major news outlet except one refused to cover anything except positive puff-peice softball news stories about GW Bush, and you saw an immense threat the stability of the republic because the news coverage was totally favorable, completely unbalanced, and disgustingly enthusiastic about the empty promises of hope and change GW Bush offered the nation.

You see, if that's not what you're saying, you didn't go through with Bush what Americans are now facing with your Messiah.
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Nooooooo...

That is nothing like what I said.
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
I'll give you a hint: health care.
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Oh, so you're against a politician going on television for a special and airing their opinion or their plan for a certain issue. Got it.

Well, badgers do spend most of their time with their heads buried underground.
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:yawn:

Yes.

That's called propaganda in honest countries.
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No, half-truths, lies, and spin are propaganda. Talking openly about your plan is not.

See also the importance of an independent media as opposed to a fawning biased advocacy media.
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How is giving someone air time to increase your revenue fawning? I think you may need a tin foil hat.

People that want air time should pay for it, like every good capitalist. Damn socialists think everything should be free, and aren't mature enough to understand that everything has a price.
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So I'm a socialist because I want to take money out of politics? I guess that means you are pro-corporate funding of campaigns? Again, using "ists" or "isms" against people you disagree with really discredits you.

You do know that politicians are in large part beholden to those who fund their campaigns, since air time is so ridiculously expensive, right? Guess who funds their campaigns? Corporations. I'd rather get the money out of politics so that representatives actually, you know, represent the people that elected them instead of the companies that funded them. It's a novel concept, I know.
 
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