Who Are the Republicans Talking To?

Hello Papamoka Readers! As any regular visitor to my blog knows, every now and then I feel compelled to write about the Republican/conservative talking machine. Did you guys watch some of the political talk shows yesterday? I don't know about you, but the ones I looked at were filled with Republican hyperbole and obfuscation.

The "repetitive monkeys" as I like to call them - because they're "intellectually challenged" - are at full volume these days. They are constantly beating on us at the moment about spending, and none of the talk show hosts challenge them on the facts. Not one host asked for alternatives. Not one challenged the GOP's spending habits. Their lies and deceit went completely unchallenged yesterday. It was disgusting!

The fact that they spent tens of billions to successfully spend us out of a serious recession after 9/11 is never questioned. The fact they are responsible for 90% of ALL FEDERAL DEBT, much of it caused by their tax cuts, thus leaving future generations with few options, is never discussed. They get away with painting themselves as fiscal conservatives, which is maddening when you know the facts.

Most of the Republicans this weekend danced around the serious issues and never offered specifics. They were throwing around absurd, unsupportable accusations. The media did little to help with fairness, since they were too busy enjoying the foaming and the frothing. Right-wingers kept saying how they were "intellectually honest with the American people." What a joke! I only hope the American people know better, because the facts certainly don't support it.

Since we're on the subject, allow me to say the worst, of course, is FOX "News" and that triumvirate of media MORONS Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Listen to any one of them and you walk away with more crap than a public toilet. They are a boil on America's bottom. They would have been great working at Pravda during the worst years of the USSR. They are selfish, disgusting propagandists using issues like morality and patriotism to line their own greedy pockets. They are the truly UGLY side of America's modern media.

I hear their crap often during dinner party debates. Defending against them is like trying to get out of a brier patch. No matter what you do, you're going to get scratched up. They train their sheep to always change the subject when seriously challenged. In my opinion, after debating many of their flock, I've decided there must be some kind of brainwashing involved. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out if the hosts are brainwashing, or if their flock is just more susceptible to being brainwashed. That is the question.

Btw, there is good news. It's true they attract millions every night, but what they never tell you about their ratings is how they rarely attract over 25% of the American audience. In other words, almost every conservative watches FOX "Noise," while the rest of us watch a multitude of other news sources. It's clear Republicans love to hear themselves talk. The rest of us, our ratings, are spread out across multiple media. If it cheers you up, the FOX "Nitwits" primarily talk to the same people every night. They are the special interest media, which goes a long way to limiting their power.

The other good news is beginning to unfold behind the scenes in back rooms, where serious Republicans are beginning to wonder whether they can continue being "helped" by FOX/Limbaugh-style echo-chambers. They are beginning to question whether stifling serious debate helps their party grow. They're starting to question their self-made Republican bubble.

What can they do though? The Republican sheep love their media. The conservative media love their sheep. Both love the biased reporting. They all seem to love the echo chamber. It's very sad. I've written about it before on this blog, we need to reinvigorate the great American political debate. We need to end the shouting matches. We need to shut down the propagandists. We need one set of facts. We need to care about this issue more.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

MBA Clears Up AP Issue

I owe the Associated Press a huge apology. With all the hype over AP allegedly going after the Drudge Retort with a law suit, the whole matter was a very large misunderstanding. In an email from a fellow blogger I received a link to Media Bloggers Association that has all of the facts behind the AP issue with Drudge Retort. You can read it here. MBA is a group of volunteers that mediate on behalf of bloggers. They are a bloggers best friend when it comes to freedom of speech on the internet.

After reading all of the facts I have to say that I agree with the AP. Drudge Retort was posting entire articles including the headlines from the Associated Press and that is copyright infringement.

Wrapping this story up with a huge apology to the Associated Press.

Papamoka

****My friend over at the Gun Toting Liberal has linked to this post with his own thoughts on this issue...

Syndicated TO:

Bring It On!

To the Center

Republican Confusion on Right and Wrong

I could go down a list of why Americans are pissed off at Republicans but I would need four or five days worth of writing and band-aides for my finger tips as they caught fire. Has it not been blasted across the television and the papers of one Republican member after another in the Congress thinking that they were untouchable in the eyes of the law? I could literally list out just one blog after another pointing out one after another Republican that broke the law, walked the fine line of the law, and simply ignored the laws that they make for ALL Americans.

I’m not saying that Democrats are any better and have not broken the laws we are supposed to ALL live by. I’m just saying that they haven’t been caught at it in such large numbers as Republicans have. This is the avenue of politics that we are stuck with. Walking the fine gray line and crossing it here and there is not okay and that is why the voting people are pissed off at the Republican Party.

Add one more to the tote board hall of shame from the Republican Party with his bitch slap from the United States Senate…

Ethics Panel Says Craig Acted Improperly

Feb 13 07:32 PM US/Eastern
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Ethics Committee said Wednesday that Idaho Sen. Larry Craig acted improperly in connection with a men's room sex sting last year and had brought discredit on the Senate.

In a letter to the Republican senator, the ethics panel said Craig's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea after his arrest at a Minneapolis airport was an effort to evade legal consequences of his own actions.

The six members of the committee—three Democrats and three Republicans—told Craig they believed he "committed the offense to which you pled guilty" and that "you entered your plea knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently."

The panel also admonished Craig for showing the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a U.S. senator. Craig has been reported to have told the officer at the time, "What do you think about that?"

The committee wrote, "You knew or should have known that a reasonable person in the position of the arresting officer could view your action and statement as an improper attempt by you to use your position and status ... to receive special and favorable treatment." - Breitbart.com

Being a U.S. Senator does not make you free of sin. Being a Republican U.S. Senator does not make you immune from being gay and just not admitting it to yourself or your wife. Being caught in a gay police sting operation makes you… pretty much persona non grata over at the GOP.

Do as I say and not as I do seems to be the mantra of the GOP and that policy is why the people do not trust them to lead our nation any longer. Not just in Presidential politics but in congressional races across the land. Being an incumbent Republican is no longer the favorite slot to be in when it comes to any political race.

The flood of Republican’s leaving office on their own is the writing on the wall that the gravy train and free for all is over. Those that stay behind and win another term will either have true character or public service was the only gig they had left.

Sometimes the scales of justice are tipped just a bit too far and sometimes they are knocked off the scale completely. The GOP has only the recent past public servants to blame for the massive Democrat voting numbers. And they are voting in numbers to blow the doors off the status quo politics as usual comfort zone.

Papamoka

Drudge is Reporting Imus Back!!!

Picture courtesy of MSNBC

Over at the Drudge Report they have an exclusive on Don Imus returning to the airwaves on December 3rd.

THE RESURRECTION OF IMUS: RETURNS ON NATION'S TOP TALK STATION
Mon Oct 15 2007 07:52:30 ET

**Exclusive**

In a dramatic and dazzling career rebound, controversial radio host Don Imus has secured a deal returning him to the airwaves on December 3 -- this time on the nation's most listened to talk station, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned!

"Imus In The Morning" will make a high-impact resurrection on WABC in New York City, top sources reveal.

"We'll have him on a standard 40-second delay," a studio source explains. "Don is rested, humbled, and ready for war!" - Drudge Report

Welcome back to the radio I-Man! I'm hoping that Charles McCord will be returning as well.

Papamoka

*****Buzztracker has linked to this post...

Technorati Tags:
Imus, McCord, Charles McCord, WABC, WFAN, MSNBC, Talk Radio, Morning Radio, Radio Stars, Imus Ranch, Fred Imus, Bernie Mguirk, Bernard, Guest Joe Biden, Guest Joe Lieberman, Guest Bill Clinton, Guest Bill Richardson, Senators on Imus, Congressmen on Imus, Kids with Cancer, Shock Jock, Rutgers, Girls Basketball, New York Talk Radio, Top Talk Radio Hosts, Drudge Report, Exclusive, Guest Trump, Friends of Imus, Imus Supporters, Wyatt Imus, Deirdra Imus, Greening the Cleaning