[blind-democracy] Re: CNN, the Democratic Candidates and a Condensation of Farce

  • From: "R. E. Driscoll Sr" <llocsirdsr@xxxxxxx>
  • To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2015 22:23:19 -0500

Miriam:
I am in the process of becoming convinced that we have just had the Democratic Party announce the initiation of funeral services for its fatal diagnosis of an internal cancer. None of the participants seemed to be aware of what they were doing.
R. E. (Dick) Driscoll, Sr.

On 10/16/2015 8:15 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:

CNN, the Democratic Candidates and a Condensation of Farce
Friday, 16 October 2015 00:00 By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout | Op-Ed
From left: Democratic presidential hopefuls Jim Webb, Bernie Sanders,
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee during the
Democratic presidential debate hosted by CNN in Las Vegas, October 13, 2015.
(Josh Haner / The New York Times)
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause
and reflect."-Samuel Langhorne Clemens
The moment that defined the first Democratic presidential debate for me
arrived about halfway through the event. CNN's debate moderator, Anderson
Cooper, showed a short video of a young Black man who asked the
participants, "Do Black lives matter?" Cooper then posed this question to
the candidates - a question that effectively required them to take a stance
on a certain manifestation of racism (delivered in the guise of
universalism) that has been articulated by some detractors of the Black
Lives Matter movement:
COOPER: Do Black lives matter, or do all lives matter? Let's put that
question to Senator Sanders.
... followed by Sanders' reply, which included the line, "Black lives matter
... We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need
major, major reforms in a broken criminal justice system."
COOPER: Governor O'Malley, the question from Arthur was do Black lives
matter, or do all lives matter?
...followed by O'Malley's reply, which included the line, "Black lives
matter, and we have a lot of work to do to reform our criminal justice
system, and to address race relations in our country."
... and then:
COOPER: Secretary Clinton, what would you do for African Americans in this
country that President Obama couldn't?
... followed by Clinton's reply, which included the line, "We need to be
committed to making it possible for every child to live up to his or her
God-given potential."
Anderson Cooper made damn sure Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders answered
the question ... and then he got to Clinton, and gave her a pass. The
softball was pitched to her underhand at low speed. Cooper may as well have
asked her how she felt about kittens, or what her favorite color was, or
which way is up. It was another cheap evasion, an accent in the symphony of
cheap evasions that was the entire evening.
By the way, no, I am not going to tell you that CNN had that thing in the
bag for Clinton before the lights came on, because I have no solid evidence
to support such a contention. Sure, she got let off the hook a dozen times
by the moderator, and sure, the audience was clearly packed with her
supporters, and sure, CNN has been working overtime ever since to scourge
its website of anything suggesting Bernie Sanders got the better of the
exchange, and sure, the "news" coverage of her performance makes it sound
like she walked across water before making it into wine while healing lepers
and raising the dead, and sure, if she had barfed on the podium after eating
her shoe on live TV, the "pundits" would still be saying she earned a
"decisive victory," but like I said, I have no solid evidence to support
such a contention.
I will say this much: I have been watching presidential debates for more
than 30 years, and I have never seen anything so preposterous. I know it was
at a Vegas casino, but jeez, please apprehend a slim modicum of gravitas.
The lights, the colors, the raging graphics rolling up and down the wall,
the pop star singing the anthem. I've seen World Wrestling Federation
commercials with more style and grace. This wasn't a poker tournament or the
buggy races at the local dirt track. This was a national debate to help
determine who will be the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the
United States. CNN managed to turn it into some half-assed dance video.
As far as the substance of the affair went ... whatever, man. I actually
appreciate the GOP debates more now. Sure, they're crypto-fascist
misogynistic Jesus-shouting brigands, but they don't try to hide it. It's
actually refreshing to see them stand forth and be recognized, proudly. At
least they're not lying, or being slippery. I like an enemy I can see.
One example: Lincoln Chafee, who was a Republican in 2002, was the only GOP
senator to vote against the Iraq War Resolution. He tagged Clinton on her
pro-war vote. Her answer, condensed: Well, Obama likes me, so there, and
also Osama bin Laden used to exist and he was very bad! Easiest out in US
politics, and she got away with it.
Every candidate had a parade of neat ideas, but offered nary a word on how
to pay for them ... and boy howdy, you better believe the bloated "defense"
budget didn't get mentioned once, not one time, as a source of funding for
all those bright ideas.
One moment that stood out: Anderson Cooper asked the CNN-est question
possible: What is the greatest threat to our country? Chafee said the Middle
East, O'Malley said Iran and ISIL, Clinton said loose nukes, Webb said China
... and Bernie Sanders said climate change, and nailed his answer to the
shed. Politicians have been getting elected by bugabooing about foreign
threats since Caesar sat his throne. Sanders knows the ocean is coming, and
said so in a nationally televised debate. It was good to hear.
There were several moments when the thing sounded for all the world like an
Occupy rally, and you can thank Occupy for that. 1% this and 1% that, and
never mind that most of that stage was "occupied" by candidates who took,
take and will continue to take massive contributions from the same Wall
Street steam shovels that plowed our economy into the ground and stole our
future, to their great profit. Talk is cheap, unless you're a mega-donor.
Then it's expensive, but if you back the right horse, the payback for that
investment is beyond your wildest dreams.
Anyway, here's the deal in brief: We're screwed. The sad murder of crows
that is the GOP field is one thing, but if that Democratic debate is the
future of politics in the United States, we may as well throw a rope around
the country and sling it into the sun. The end result will be exactly the
same.
Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
WILLIAM RIVERS PITT
William Rivers Pitt is Truthout's senior editor and lead columnist. He is
also a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of three books:
War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know, The Greatest Sedition
Is Silence and House of Ill Repute: Reflections on War, Lies, and America's
Ravaged Reputation. His fourth book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: Why It Is
Happening, and Who Is Responsible, co-written with Dahr Jamail, is available
now on Amazon. He lives and works in New Hampshire.
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CNN, the Democratic Candidates and a Condensation of Farce
Friday, 16 October 2015 00:00 By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout | Op-Ed
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reference not valid.
. From left: Democratic presidential hopefuls Jim Webb, Bernie
Sanders, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee during
the Democratic presidential debate hosted by CNN in Las Vegas, October 13,
2015. (Josh Haner / The New York Times)
. "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time
to pause and reflect."-Samuel Langhorne Clemens
The moment that defined the first Democratic presidential debate for me
arrived about halfway through the event. CNN's debate moderator, Anderson
Cooper, showed a short video of a young Black man who asked the
participants, "Do Black lives matter?" Cooper then posed this question to
the candidates - a question that effectively required them to take a stance
on a certain manifestation of racism (delivered in the guise of
universalism) that has been articulated by some detractors of the Black
Lives Matter movement:
COOPER: Do Black lives matter, or do all lives matter? Let's put that
question to Senator Sanders.
... followed by Sanders' reply, which included the line, "Black lives matter
... We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need
major, major reforms in a broken criminal justice system."
COOPER: Governor O'Malley, the question from Arthur was do Black lives
matter, or do all lives matter?
...followed by O'Malley's reply, which included the line, "Black lives
matter, and we have a lot of work to do to reform our criminal justice
system, and to address race relations in our country."
... and then:
COOPER: Secretary Clinton, what would you do for African Americans in this
country that President Obama couldn't?
... followed by Clinton's reply, which included the line, "We need to be
committed to making it possible for every child to live up to his or her
God-given potential."
Anderson Cooper made damn sure Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders answered
the question ... and then he got to Clinton, and gave her a pass. The
softball was pitched to her underhand at low speed. Cooper may as well have
asked her how she felt about kittens, or what her favorite color was, or
which way is up. It was another cheap evasion, an accent in the symphony of
cheap evasions that was the entire evening.
By the way, no, I am not going to tell you that CNN had that thing in the
bag for Clinton before the lights came on, because I have no solid evidence
to support such a contention. Sure, she got let off the hook a dozen times
by the moderator, and sure, the audience was clearly packed with her
supporters, and sure, CNN has been working overtime ever since to scourge
its website of anything suggesting Bernie Sanders got the better of the
exchange, and sure, the "news" coverage of her performance makes it sound
like she walked across water before making it into wine while healing lepers
and raising the dead, and sure, if she had barfed on the podium after eating
her shoe on live TV, the "pundits" would still be saying she earned a
"decisive victory," but like I said, I have no solid evidence to support
such a contention.
I will say this much: I have been watching presidential debates for more
than 30 years, and I have never seen anything so preposterous. I know it was
at a Vegas casino, but jeez, please apprehend a slim modicum of gravitas.
The lights, the colors, the raging graphics rolling up and down the wall,
the pop star singing the anthem. I've seen World Wrestling Federation
commercials with more style and grace. This wasn't a poker tournament or the
buggy races at the local dirt track. This was a national debate to help
determine who will be the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the
United States. CNN managed to turn it into some half-assed dance video.
As far as the substance of the affair went ... whatever, man. I actually
appreciate the GOP debates more now. Sure, they're crypto-fascist
misogynistic Jesus-shouting brigands, but they don't try to hide it. It's
actually refreshing to see them stand forth and be recognized, proudly. At
least they're not lying, or being slippery. I like an enemy I can see.
One example: Lincoln Chafee, who was a Republican in 2002, was the only GOP
senator to vote against the Iraq War Resolution. He tagged Clinton on her
pro-war vote. Her answer, condensed: Well, Obama likes me, so there, and
also Osama bin Laden used to exist and he was very bad! Easiest out in US
politics, and she got away with it.
Every candidate had a parade of neat ideas, but offered nary a word on how
to pay for them ... and boy howdy, you better believe the bloated "defense"
budget didn't get mentioned once, not one time, as a source of funding for
all those bright ideas.
One moment that stood out: Anderson Cooper asked the CNN-est question
possible: What is the greatest threat to our country? Chafee said the Middle
East, O'Malley said Iran and ISIL, Clinton said loose nukes, Webb said China
... and Bernie Sanders said climate change, and nailed his answer to the
shed. Politicians have been getting elected by bugabooing about foreign
threats since Caesar sat his throne. Sanders knows the ocean is coming, and
said so in a nationally televised debate. It was good to hear.
There were several moments when the thing sounded for all the world like an
Occupy rally, and you can thank Occupy for that. 1% this and 1% that, and
never mind that most of that stage was "occupied" by candidates who took,
take and will continue to take massive contributions from the same Wall
Street steam shovels that plowed our economy into the ground and stole our
future, to their great profit. Talk is cheap, unless you're a mega-donor.
Then it's expensive, but if you back the right horse, the payback for that
investment is beyond your wildest dreams.
Anyway, here's the deal in brief: We're screwed. The sad murder of crows
that is the GOP field is one thing, but if that Democratic debate is the
future of politics in the United States, we may as well throw a rope around
the country and sling it into the sun. The end result will be exactly the
same.
Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
William Rivers Pitt
William Rivers Pitt is Truthout's senior editor and lead columnist. He is
also a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of three books:
War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know, The Greatest Sedition
Is Silence and House of Ill Repute: Reflections on War, Lies, and America's
Ravaged Reputation. His fourth book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: Why It Is
Happening, and Who Is Responsible, co-written with Dahr Jamail, is available
now on Amazon. He lives and works in New Hampshire.
Related Stories
William Rivers Pitt | Blood on the Moon for the GOP
By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout | Op-EdBrick and Mortar: Ordinary People
Doing Extraordinary Work
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Exceptionalism"
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