Election

Election Flawed: Rupert Murdoch Plays Politics For Profit

Posted by on November 23, 2010 at 12:30 pm. 2 Comments :

The present state of the American political process is in dire distress. In order to even contemplate running for any federal or statewide office, a potential candidate must have access to sums of money in amounts that either prevent participation or invite corruption. And if there’s one thing that Washington doesn’t need it’s invitations to be corrupt.

In a new wrinkle, unprecedented quantities of funds are being raised by independent advocacy groups whose donors are allowed to be kept secret, thus depriving voters of information critical to assessing the character and independence of the candidate. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United made the situation even worse by permitting corporations to contribute unlimited amounts of money directly to candidates and causes with no transparency or oversight.

I’m not sure, however, that anyone anticipated the prospect of a media corporation turning their ability to make political contributions into a profit center and earning money on the funds they donated to candidates. It’s bad enough when media is simply acting out of greed and failing to serve the public interest. But leave it to News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch to discover a whole new vein to mine that yields results for both his greed and his megalomania.

The Nation just published an enlightening commentary co-written by media reform heroes John Nichols and Robert McChesney titled The Money & Media Election Complex. Their premise is that the confluence of media and wealthy partisans in politics is as dangerous as the military/industrial complex Pres. Eisenhower warned us about. And exacerbating the risk is the fact that, to the extent that independent reporting might once have uncovered suspicious relationships and activities, the press has been gutted in many respects and is incapable of playing their traditional role as watchdogs.

While there has long been a problem with massive infusions of cash polluting the electoral environment, the problems today are unique in the way that the media participates and benefits from the process. This past election cycle is estimated to bring in billions to the television networks airing campaign ads and hosting candidates. Thus they have a vested interest in provoking controversy and manufacturing volatility in order to stimulate more ad buying. Nichols and McChesney wrote that…

The most important yet least-recognized piece of the money-and-media election complex is the commercial broadcasting industry, which just had its best money-making election season ever. […and that…] We have to stop thinking about the crisis of our politics merely in terms of reforming the campaign finance system (though of course it’s important to fight for reforms). It’s a media ownership and responsibility issue as well.

After it was disclosed that Murdoch had contributed a million dollars each to the Republican Governor’s Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it was obvious that these ultra-partisan organizations would be using that money largely to advance the electoral prospects of conservatives and Republicans by producing and distributing television ads. And those ads would likely be placed on networks and stations specifically selected to reach a friendly audience – like maybe Fox.

Rupert Murdoch DonationsAn analysis of data obtained from Media Matters reveals that one of Murdoch’s beneficiaries, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, purchased over $20,000,000 in ads on local broadcast stations across the country. In five of those markets (three in the top ten) there are one or more stations owned by Fox Television. On those stations the Chamber bought $1,223,770 in ads. That means that News Corp earned $223,770 in profits on their million dollar donation to the Chamber.

Looking at this another way, News Corp gave the Chamber a million dollars to buy ads with. Then the Chamber gave the money right back to News Corp with 22% “interest.” So News Corp makes a healthy profit and the Chamber gets their ads broadcast for a 78% discount. And both get to further their shared political agenda. Remember also that the revenue on the analysis above is just from Fox-owned broadcast stations. It does not include ad buys on the cable Fox News Channel. Nor does it include revenue from any other recipient of Murdoch’s largesse, like the Republican Governor’s Association. So there may be millions more in earnings from these allegedly benevolent contributions flowing from the Murdoch media empire.

The fact that this is apparently legal is disturbing, to say the least. It is a thinly disguised kickback scheme. If any other company were to seek to inflate their balance sheet by covertly providing funds to a vendor so that the vendor could purchase that company’s products, somebody would be going to jail. How is this any different? In this scenario News Corp gets to book the revenue, the Chamber gets to air their ads, and the public is subjected to propaganda designed to sway the election. And because of the weakness of the press and the perversion of the current campaign finance legal landscape, the public is also precluded from learning about any of it.

There is the making of a crime syndicate in all of this. Murdoch is not the only media mogul who can employ this scheme. Throw in Richard Mellon Scaife and Philip Anshutz and a variety of other TV, radio, and newspaper barons, and there is potential for significant manipulation and deception through collusion between wealthy media corporations and powerful political operators.

The lesson here is that the media is in need of serious reform, along with campaign finance regulations. If these matters are not addressed adequately, we can expect to see more severe and more frequent corruption of our democratic processes. This is an issue that requires our nation’s immediate attention. And it’s an issue that should be pursued by a true nonpartisan alliance of Americans devoted to fair elections and a free press. The media and political bosses exploiting these loopholes think that the people are too lazy and/or stupid to notice and to challenge them. Are they right?

Voters Send Message To Washington: We’re Idiots

Posted by on November 3, 2010 at 11:05 am. 26 Comments :

The party’s over, America. And, unfortunately, it isn’t the Tea Party. Prepare to follow in the footsteps of the Romans, the Greeks, the Brits, the Grand Fenwicks. The empire has fallen into the grip of a powerful cadre of overseers who suffer delusions and celebrate ignorance.

This morning we will be plagued by ceaseless and insufferable speeches about what message the American people are sending. But the all too obvious summation boils down to a populace that has resolutely turned toward Washington and shouted: We’re idiots!

That’s right. We are a nation that can be easily manipulated by disingenuous flattery, horror stories of marauding, alien, socialists, and offers of extravagant and unpaid for gifts of tax cuts and magically disappearing deficits. We are a gullible lot and are anxious for anyone with a sword and a smile to rescue us from the certain doom that was manufactured by our reputed saviors. We are desperately grasping for the rays of light that emanate from our electronic herald of Armageddon, Fox News, as we pray for salvation and mercy. [Note: Two Fox News contributors were elected. John Kasich, governor of Ohio, and Pam Biondi, Attorney General of Florida]

It’s hard to put a positive spin on last night’s disappointing election results if you aren’t fully steeped in Tea Baggery. Turning the House over to an angry Republican mob is about as disturbing a development as can be imagined. The specter of a sobbing John Boehner pretending to grab the reins of power is ironic imagery, to say the least. And the inevitable gloating of repugnant characters like Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Jim DeMint, and Glenn Beck is chilling indeed. But there are reasons to maintain hope.

First of all, Sarah Palin’s vaunted Mama Grizzlies were more like harmless Teddy Bears. Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Linda McMahon, and Carly Fiorina all lost. Each of those races were hijacked by Tea Partiers who arguably performed worse than the establishment Republicans they beat in the primaries. So Palin likely helped Democrats preserve their majority in the Senate. Thanks Sarah.

California was a particularly bright spot for Democrats. They won every statewide race and maintained a majority congressional caucus. And it looks like Colorado Democrats muscled through victories for both governor and senate over world-class wackos Tom Tancredo and Ken Buck respectively. Also, West Virginia’s John Raese and Alaska’s Joe Miller, both Papa Grizzlies, were rejected by voters. In Miller’s case the loss was a personal rebuke of Palin in her home state as her nemesis Lisa Murkowski trounced Palin’s Tea Party palooka with an unprecedented write in campaign. These, and other races that bucked the red tide, offer some solace and hope for future renewal.

So where does this leave America? As disheartening as it is that so many people would vote for so much stupidity, it probably doesn’t have as much of an impact on lawmaking as one might think. The Democratic House was repeatedly thwarted for the past two years by a Senate whose rules allowed a minority of right-wingers to impose gridlock. Now the Republican House will get to see what it’s like to pass bills that go to the Senate to languish and die.

Furthermore, Republicans have exceedingly over-promised their constituents. They campaigned on a platform of cutting taxes and reducing the deficit. But they offered no plans to achieve any of it. They are going to find that it is much easier to complain about spending than it is to actually cut programs that people support and depend upon.

The new Republican House majority is sitting on a precarious precipice. They have already announced that their top priority will be to insure that Barack Obama is a one-term president. The best way to do that is to prevent any progress on legislation that will benefit the country on economy and jobs. But if they do that they will be held accountable as well and will likely get shoved back into minority status. This congress has a heavy burden to produce tangible results. That is, unless the Tea Party is a pretentious facade of partisan Republicans that never had the courage of their convictions in the first place. Uh oh.

Washington is going to start making noises about working together for the good of the nation. They do this after every election, but it is even more important now. Their natural impulse will be to espouse the bipartisan rhetoric of compromise while ignoring the reality of it entirely. But due to the severity of the nation’s problems, Democrats and Republicans have something in common that may cause them to behave out of character. They both need to have trophies to display in 2012 in order to get reelected. They need to make progress on improving the economy and creating jobs, but that progress conflicts with what the GOP claims is their first priority, beating Obama.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the Republican House fails to move legislation that gets results. Will the Tea Party stay true to their professed ideals and throw the bums out? If not, then the dishonesty of their movement will be revealed. They will be exposed as nothing more than noisy Republicans. And the rest of the country will be justified in asking them politely to shut the fuck up.

Good luck, America. We’re going to need it.

Top Ten Reasons A Democratic Victory Is Worth Fighting For

Posted by on November 1, 2010 at 11:26 am. 2 Comments :

Tomorrow is election day, and if you think there isn’t a lot at stake your Lunesta dosage is too high.

The media is falling all over itself predicting a Republican landslide, but this campaign is far from over. Polling for midterm elections is difficult under the best of circumstances, but with the wild fluctuations caused by Tea Partiers, minorities, and young voters who pollsters ignore, anything is possible. The most important thing is to stay strong, vote, and make sure you get everyone you know to vote as well. As much as he might like to believe it, Rupert Murdoch does not decide who wins elections in America. That is, unless Americans allow it. Therefore, if you need a little extra motivation, I give you…..

The Top 10 Reasons A Democratic Victory Is Worth Fighting For:

  1. George Soros will send you a crisp, new $100.00 bill.
  2. Michael Steele will take that call center job in Guam.
  3. Seven year old girls will get their Tea Party back.
  4. The Learning Channel will relaunch Sarah Palin’s Alaska as Sarah Palin’s Jersey Shore.
  5. Christine O’Donnell will turn Karl Rove into a Newt Gingrich.
  6. Fox News advertising will consist entirely of gold coins, Egg Genies, and penis enlargers.
  7. Linda McMahon’s WWE will air a death match between Sharon “Man-up” Angle and Rand “Aqua Buddha” Paul.
  8. Hundreds of media pundits and pollsters will be fired (don’t count on this one).
  9. The war between the GOP and the Tea Party will go nuclear.

And the #1 Reason A Democratic Victory Is Worth Fighting For…

  1. This will happen to Glenn Beck:

And an honorary mention: The country may actually have an opportunity to move forward and avoid the agenda of the GOP Dark Ageists for a couple more years.

GET OUT THE F’ING VOTE!

Fox News Hosts Election Night Tea Party Zone

Posted by on October 29, 2010 at 3:06 pm. 18 Comments :

Tea Party ZoneFair and Balanced Fox News:

Don’t forget to visit us on Election Day. We’ll have all the election coverage from Democrats to Republicans and also host a special Tea Party Zone that night. We’ll see you there!

So Fox is hosting a special Tea Party Zone on election night? That’s nice of them. But why isn’t there a special Labor Zone? Or a Progressive Zone? Or any other zone for segments of the electorate that aren’t represented by wackos, Wall Streeters, and white-wingers?

The reason, of course, is that Fox News is an avowedly partisan cheerleader for Republicans and conservatives. They hate America’s working class. They hate blacks and Latinos and seniors and environmentalists and anyone who opposes the entrenched corporatists and selfish Randians who are the backbone of the Tea Party.

In addition to their Tea Party Zone, Fox News has also announced that their television coverage will feature Mike Tobin’s reports direct from the Tea Party. Tobin will be dedicated to Tea Party news on election night. And again, there will be no reporter dedicated to covering any other point of view.

That’s just how Fox rolls.

The Democratic Path To Victory In The House

Posted by on October 29, 2010 at 12:06 pm. 3 Comments :

MurdochMuch of the media is already predicting a GOP takeover of the House of Representatives. They blast sensationalist headlines that declare a coming Apocalypse for Democrats. This view is being presented as if it is a foregone conclusion.

But there are reasons to suspect their confidence. Polling is notoriously dicey for midterm elections. The Tea Party has certainly fired up a segment of the Republican base, but it is doing the same for Democrats. The youth vote is being significantly under-represented in polling (most pollsters don’t even call cellphones). And the most potent force on the left, “Getting Out The Vote,” may turn expectations on their head as unions, African-Americans, Latinos, seniors, and other progressive constituencies mobilize their members.

Robert Creamer has authored an inspiring story to motivate voters and increase participation in GOTV efforts. Below are some choice excerpts and links to ways you can help.

The Democratic Path to Victory in the House
[T]o beat the odds and win, Democrats must be successful at four key tasks over the next five days.

1). Democrats and their allies must be successful at turning out larger than expected numbers of Latino voters. Polls show Latino voters breaking 65% to 70% Democratic, but their turnout in most Mid-terms falls well below both non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black voters.

2). Democrats need to successfully assure that two key issues are on the minds of the voters at the close of the race: Social Security, and outsourcing jobs.

3). In many districts it is especially important that Democrats are successful in emphasizing the strong personal relationship of voters – especially older voters – with their Member of Congress. And they must also be successful at disqualifying the alternative.

4). First and foremost, for Democrats to beat the odds next Tuesday, our get out the vote operations must function flawlessly. Basically, these operations must defy the “likely voter” models that have dictated the gloomy scenario in most polls.

To volunteer, go to OFA.BO/GOTV
To call swing districts: Call.BarackObama.com. That will automatically give you a targeted list of voters in a swing district.
To volunteer with MoveON with a campaign near your home, go here: www.moveon.org/2010
If you want to call from home, go here: pol.moveon.org/2010
If you want to go to a MoveOn campaign event, go here: pol.moveon.org/event/lastchance

Wednesday morning, don’t say to yourself, “wow, we only lost the House by one seat – and only by a few votes – and I could have changed that.”

There is a pathway for Democratic victory, but it requires we hit on all four of these key cylinders. Too much is at stake to allow any stone to remain unturned. Pick up the phone as soon as you finish reading this. We have five days to change history.

Good advice. Creamer lays out details for each of the points above that are important to know and to relay to your friends and family. The value of your participation in GOTV is incalculable. And it increases exponentially for everyone you persuade to join you.

Don’t let the media decide this election. Don’t let Rupert Murdoch and Fox News get away with installing a far-right cadre of some of the most dangerously demented candidates in history. If we prevail the Tea Party will be over. They can call it a day. And that alone would make the effort worthwhile.

FOX News Plots Ultra-Partisan Election Night Coverage

Posted by on October 28, 2010 at 9:56 am. 6 Comments :

FOX/GOP Tea PartyThe FOX News Channel has announced their plans for coverage of the midterm election results next Tuesday. And it should surprise no one that they are plotting to skew their reporting by putting overtly partisan, activist personalities in the anchor chair and over-weighting their analysts with avowed conservatives and Republican operatives.

When election results start to roll in, Fox will have Bret Baier co-hosting a special edition of America’s Election HQ with Megyn Kelly. Kelly is one of the most reliably biased and aggressive advocates of GOP doctrine on Fox News. She is arguably worse than Glenn Beck in many respects. Her trademark is sensationalizing otherwise obscure “controversies” to smear Democrats or progressive issues. Her coverage of the New Black Panther Party and the non-mosque that is not at ground zero are two examples of her hyperactive approach to trivialities in the news.

At the analyst’s table Fox will feature weak pseudo-Democrats like Juan Williams, Joe Trippi, Geraldine Ferraro, and Kirsten Powers. Those are names that are unlikely to make any Republican nervous. They will also have neo-neanderthal Pat Caddell, whom they continue to identify as a Democrat despite his open hostility to the party. He is the poster child for Fox News Democrats who fail to represent the party’s views and are more often critical than supportive.

On the other hand, Fox News is bringing out their big guns to represent the GOP: Karl Rove, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, and Charles Krauthammer. And if that’s not enough uber-conservative firepower, they can turn to their primetime attack-dogs Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren. The notoriety of FOX’s hard right flank on election night, as compared to their tepid roster of “lefties,” puts the lie to their ludicrous claim of being “fair and balanced.” It also contradicts their prior assertion that ideologues like O’Reilly would ever have a role in election night coverage:

Irena Briganti, FOX News VP of Media Relations: The notion that O’Reilly would anchor election coverage of any kind is beyond absurd and wildly inaccurate.

Beyond absurd is just the tip of the iceberg. The FOX press release for their election coverage plans notes that they will also include stories from Eric Shawn and Mike Tobin. Shawn’s beat will be “reporting on voter irregularities in New York.” For a preview of his reporting, refer to his previous coverage of the issue that was aimed exclusively at alleged Democratic irregularities. Tobin’s duties are described as “reporting on the Tea Party influence.” So FOX is dedicating a reporter to cover the phony Tea Baggers, but they have no similar assignment for anyone to report on the influence of progressive activists like labor (or civil rights, or seniors, or gays, or environmentalists, etc).

I don’t think any fair observer expected FOX to cover the election in a manner that was remotely impartial. After all, this is the network whose parent company actually donated a $1 million to the Republican Governor’s Association, and another million to the conservative/GOP affiliated U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But they have really outdone themselves with this lineup. If it tells us anything, it is that they have stopped sporting any pretense of neutrality.

So look for FOX’s coverage to be sharply skewed to the right (as usual). And look for them to gleefully cheer Republican victories and maliciously charge that any Democratic gains were the result of fraud.

Fox Nation’s Backup Plan: Election Fraud Lies

Posted by on October 27, 2010 at 12:48 pm. 5 Comments :

With less than a week to go before the midterm elections, Fox Nation is split between wanting to crow about the glory of their anticipated victories and needing to have ready excuses should that victory fail to materialize.


So here is how the Fox Nationalists decided to address this dilemma. They start with an unambiguous headline that boasts of the upcoming “Midterm Blowout: Dems Headed for Massive Losses.” Then they temper that prediction with the following headlines:

  • Voting Shenanigans Rampant
  • Angle Camp: ‘Reid Intends to Steal This Election’
  • SEIU in Charge of Voting Machines

That should cover it. First announce that Democrats will be on the receiving end of a blowout that will devastate their party. The purpose of this is to excite the Republican base and promote turnout. At the same time it portrays the Democrats as weak and bound for failure. This a theme the GOP wants to focus on because of the general reluctance of voters to get behind a loser. And Fox is all too happy to peddle the GOP’s theme.

But just in case there is an unexpected upset and Democrats retain control of congress, the Fox Nationalists are lining up excuses they can raise to account for their electoral disappointment. And all of those excuses center around trumped up charges of election fraud. Even without ACORN to kick around, the right-wing media is already fabricating a scenario wherein Democrats steal the election via manipulation and illegality.

The only problem with their accusations is that there is no evidence of any of it. They are transparently attempting to plant these allegations in the public mind in case they need to assert them after November 2. If the Democrats hold their position, look for the the right and their media proxy, Fox News, to blast these fallacies day and night for as long as anyone will listen. If the Republicans assume congressional control, don’t expect to ever hear of these allegations again (or until the next election).

Fox is engaging in a sort of preemptive strike in order to hit the ground running should they be disappointed with the will of the voters next week. It’s a strategy for which they have lambasted Democrats when voting results went the other way. They called Democrats sore losers and ridiculed them for making similar charges (recall Sore/Loserman?).

Now Fox and the GOP are all too happy to embrace the strategy and, in an unprecedented display of preparation, they are implementing it in advance of any need. They may have just earned a new Boy Scout patch.

Eight False Things The Public “Knows” That Just Aint So

Posted by on October 26, 2010 at 12:54 am. 16 Comments :

OurFuture.org has put together a list that should be in every American’s mailbox before election day. It’s a perfect manifestation of Mark Twain’s admonition that, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” So here is a short list of some things the GOTea Party “knows” for sure:

1) President Obama tripled the deficit.
Reality: Bush’s last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama’s first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.

2) President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.
Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the “stimulus” was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.

3) President Obama bailed out the banks.
Reality: While many people conflate the “stimulus” with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be “non-reviewable by any court or any agency.”) The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

4) The stimulus didn’t work.
Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.

5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.
Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

6) Health care reform costs $1 trillion.
Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.

7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is “going broke,” people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.
Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.

8‌) Government spending takes money out of the economy.
Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on “welfare” and “foreign aid” when that is only a small part of the government’s budget.

The fact that there are so many people who believe things that are demonstrably untrue is a sad reflection on the media that ought to be informing the public. And worse, it’s evidence of how the corporations that control the press so blatantly misrepresent the truth. That’s why it’s so important for the rest of us to pass along the information above.

Fox News: Architects Of The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy

Posted by on October 20, 2010 at 1:54 pm. 3 Comments :

When Hillary Clinton coined the term “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy” twelve years ago, many members of the VRWC ridiculed her and denied their own existence. Now Think Progress is in receipt of a private memo from the billionaire Koch brothers inviting some of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful individuals and companies to a clandestine meeting last summer where they would strategize for the upcoming midterm elections. It’s a fascinating story that includes in-depth research on the participants in this cabal and their connections to political players and institutions.

The part I’m most interested in is the presence of the media in the group. Take a look through the list of participants and you can’t help but notice one name that keeps repeating: Fox News. Here is a list of the Fox News affiliated members of the Koch Klan:

  • Michael Barone
  • Glenn Beck
  • Charles Krauthammer
  • Steven Moore
  • Nancy Pfotenhauer

What’s striking about this is that these people are not attending the secret meetings as journalists. They are participating in the brazenly partisan campaign planning conducted by the biggest business special interests in the world. These media players are not bystanders. They are the architects of the conservative agenda. They join their boss, Rupert Murdoch, in this endeavor. Murdoch, it was recently revealed, has donated millions to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Governor’s Association.

All of the usual suspects were present at the secret meeting, from the Chamber of Commerce to Big Oil to the pharmaceutical giants to defense, real estate, Wall Street, and the top right-wing think tanks. The attendees even included a couple of Supreme Court Justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Talk about your activist judges. After attending these meetings (which reportedly occur biannually, with the next one set for Palm Springs in January), these media hucksters return to the airwaves to promote the agenda they helped to fashion. And, of course, there is no disclosure that they had a hand in the policies they are peddling.

Tea CrusadersThis is another example of a phenomenon that is increasingly confounding to me. How can the Tea Party, who describe themselves as average, middle-class, Americans who are seeking to restore Constitutional principles and make Washington accountable to “We the People,” continue to follow an elite assembly of wealthy corporatists whose interests are so far removed from those of the Tea Party? Why doesn’t the Tea Party, who fancy themselves as revolutionaries, revolt against these upper-crusty impostors who are so obviously trying to manipulate their movement to the benefit of their elite and wealthy friends? What sort of revolutionaries align themselves with the entrenched establishment?

If the Tea Party had any sense they would be repulsed by Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Fox News and the business-allied GOP. They would reject these phonies who are perverting the movement they claim belongs to the people. They would refuse the dirty money flowing from the Koch brothers, the AstroTurfers (i.e. FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, et al), and foreign financiers like the Chamber of Commerce and Rupert Murdoch.

But then again, if the Tea Party had any sense they wouldn’t be the Tea Party as we know it. They are a sad crowd of gullible malcontents, and the more I contemplate their role in contemporary society, the more I pity them. I just wish their pathetic endeavors and delusions didn’t also cause the rest of the country suffer.

Glenn Beck Pimps Chamber Of Commerce – Screws Tea Party

Posted by on October 14, 2010 at 3:47 pm. 9 Comments :

Fox News has lately been escalating their support for rightist, GOP candidates and causes. They have Sean Hannity and Dick Morris traveling around the country to stump for Republicans. They have Karl Rove raising tens of millions for GOP advertising. They even have prospective presidential candidates like Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee on their payroll.

And now they have Glenn Beck pitching for the uber-rightist U.S. Chamber of Commerce (CoC). The same CoC that received $1 million from Beck’s boss Rupert Murdoch. The same CoC that is spending over $75 million in support of Republicans running for Congress.

On his radio program today, Beck announced that he was donating $10,000 to the CoC and urged his listeners to donate as well. He declared that he “would like to have this the largest day of fundraising for the Chamber of Commerce ever.” In his pitch he misinformed his audience saying that the US CoC was made up of the struggling local businesses that are downtown. That’s false. The US CoC is not affiliated with municipal CoCs around the country.

Beck’s pitch was largely based on the opposition to the CoC expressed by the administration. And if the administration is against it, well by golly, he’s fer it. However, the administration’s position is not really anti-CoC. It is against the solicitation of unlimited funds, some of which come from foreign entities, without disclosure. But Beck apparently is in favor of secret foreign enterprises influencing our domestic elections. He fervently expressed his affinity by saying that “They are us.”

Unless “us” are giant multinational corporations, I don’t think we are really them. What’s interesting about this appeal is that the CoC was a vocal supporter of some of the initiatives that Beck believes are destroying the country. The CoC backed the passage of the TARP legislation:

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbied for the creation of the TARP program and continues to support efforts to improve the program to ensure its success.”

And in urging the Congress to pass the Stimulus Bill, the CoC said…

“The global economy is in uncharted and dangerous waters and inaction from Washington is not an option. No package of this size can be perfect but we need a bill that will unlock capital markets, free up credit, and create momentum in the economy.”

TARP and the Stimulus Bill have been castigated by Beck as socialism and Nazism and harbingers of a future of government domination and slavery. They have been the backbone of his delusional tirades against an administration that he is convinced is purposefully trying to bring the nation to ruin. They have been roundly rejected by the Tea Party crowd as evidence of government and business corruption. Yet Beck is now shelling out $10K (a pittance for him) to one of the biggest backers of these policies, and urging his congregants to cough up their hard-earned money as well. Why?

Because Beck is, and always has been, a shill for Republicans and the conservative agenda. He regularly uses his program to advance the campaigns of GOP candidates and never misses an opportunity to impugn a Democrat. His behavior is perfectly aligned with that of his employer, Fox News.

This solicitation on behalf of an organization of big business lobbyists is a slap in the face to his Tea Party followers. If they had the ability to conduct their own analysis they would be horrified at his dishonesty and manipulation. Good thing for him that most of them can’t think for themselves and will follow his advice like the blind and obedient disciples they are. Let’s just hope that the rest of the American populace is paying better attention and has more common sense.