The Traditional Media: What is to be done?

The Indiana and North Carolina contests are almost upon us, and how can I express my excitement and anticipation, over the finding out of who will win. Will it be Sen. Clinton, and her 35 years of super-First Lady Experience? Or, could it possible turn out to be the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with all his over-and-over again played clips, calling out certain issues that might face America?

Beyond all the excitement however, there seemed to be something missing. Something, that no matter how hard I looked at these two über candidates, I could not put my finger on. Then it hit me, that thing that seemed to be so elusive to me, and which had also turned out to be so elusive to the Traditional, was that it wasn’t Rev. Wright that was running against the Clinton/McCain machine. And to make me feel even more out of touch with what was more important to America, it turned out that it was this other guy.

It was actually some guy named Sen. Barack Obama. I vaguely remember this guy from the news media. There seemed to be some question about whether he was a Muslim, or was it a Muslim who converted to Christianity, so that he then could take over America.

Or, maybe it wasn’t that, but that it was that I should question this guy Obama’s intentions because his middle name was Hussein. Hell, even his last name rhymes with that guy that brought us into the war on terror, that guy Saddam. No, that wasn’t it; it was this cave dwelling guy with bad kidneys, Osama. Yea, that was the guy. I even think they said on Faux News that they are distant cousins. Or, was that a guy named Cheney?

The media, with whom the Clinton administration had complained and whined about, until the Traditional did away with any semblance of parity and went full tilt toward Reverend Wright and his former parishioner, has no complaint these days. They are quite happy to march lock step with the McCain camp, in both actions and silence while never standing up in defense of her fellow Democratic Party members, when the Johnny Mac and GOP attacks come a flyin’.

Now, with the never disappearing Rev. Wright, and his recent self-centered and egotistical publicity rounds, the Traditional feels even more emboldened to keep the focus on the non-issue banter going. In all honesty, why shouldn’t they? It really is our own fault. How long have we allowed, hell trusted, the media to keep us informed on what is going on? What are the important things to focus on, and even what the important things that the general public should focus on? How long have we sold our souls for the convenience of the easy thought?

What does the Traditional tell us currently is important? Listen to them, to them all. They tell us that Sen. Obama was a member of this guy Wright’s Church. That he was Sen. Obama’s pastor. That he spent 20 years sitting in the pews. Of course, we have all seen the 15 seconds or so contained in the 3 most played video clips, but what the hey, we all get the idea. Obama cannot be allowed to be the POTUS of the future, due to Rev. Wright, and those 15 seconds.

When the Traditional, (ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, Faux News) decides to look upon an associate of a political candidate that is one thing. But, when the same media comes to the end of whatever it was that made it a newsworthy story in the first place, and then continues to keep the subject of such an inquiry alive in the media when the only new aspect of the story is whatever it is that the Traditional themselves has introduced, then there is within the media a problem.

Did he ever lie about the length of time that Rev. Wright was his pastor? Did Obama ever lie to the American public about Bosnia, in an attempt to bolster his perception of toughness and world experience, only to remake such a history into a misstatement? To admit that he knew that he intentionally told what he knew was not true. No, of course it was not Sen. Obama that said such things; it was Sen. Clinton. How long did that story stay in the media? Maybe that would have made journalism something that it isn’t these days.

How can they justify the continuation of such a news inquiry? Sen. Obama has addressed the issue of Rev. Wright, yet due to the media attention that the Reverend has sought, and been given, the story is still front and center. “He sat in the pew for 20 years”, I can hear them say over and over. The simple answer is that they cannot justify such behavior, and they cannot continue to call what they pretend to do journalism; for it is better known as yellow journalism.

Matthew McGovern

What are we to think? What are we to believe?

When a presidential candidate will do anything and whatever it takes to win the nomination for the highest job in the land, what does that really mean? When a presidential candidate will give the allusion to doubts of an opponent’s religion, and put the interests of their own Party aside, in the pursuit of a position that would change the lives of every American, where would it stop?

We have seen a campaign run by a candidate that has changed with every whistle stop. Be that a change coming in the form of saying that their opponent’s qualifications being nothing more then a speech, to answering when all are listening to the same question, a definitive, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

What are we to think? What are we to believe?

When a candidate, who has taken more money from the special interest groups, PAC’s, and Lobbyist’s, that have plagued Washington for years, and helped allow the very few to govern the American many, what are we to think. Especially so, when the candidate has voiced publicly that they will continue to take these money-with-string donations.

What are we to think? What are we to believe?

When a candidate will say one thing today, and another tomorrow, all in pursuit of a vote that will only keep them in a race that will be decided by, yet again, a small and selective group, what are we to believe?

What are we to believe when a candidate, who had previously agreed to accept the sanctions made by their own party on Michigan and Florida, when they felt that they were a shoe in for the presidential nomination, only to change and decry the Party sanctions when the chips were down. And then, try and tell the American people that they in fact have the majority of the popular vote, even when in a state like Michigan her numbers would include votes for her, and nothing for her opponent.

Win by any means necessary? What does that really mean? Any reasonable American can see what is going on. Any reasonable American can easily understand the problems that would lead to such a person, with such character.

Judgment and wisdom seems to be something that people with feelings of self entitlement do not usually hold. And in this case it seems quite evident that this holds true. This can even be seen when a candidate would take such a serious vote to go to war, so lightly that they would not even read the main committee report on the legitimacy of such a war, before they cast such an important and life changing vote. Seriously, what are we to believe about such a candidate?

In this world, when you cannot and do not know what the future will hold, can you really take a chance on someone who you at least know to be untrustworthy and a person not of their word, but of their word for a vote? I would rather go with a person who will bring together a country torn apart by a president beholden to the same old day to day special interest’s, PAC’s, and Lobbyists, than a candidate that will tell me what I want to hear today, so they may do as the please tomorrow.


Matthew McGovern
The.mcgovern.minute@gmail.com

Hillary Clinton & the 4th Estate

So, the paper which prints all the news that’s fit to print, has finally seen the error of their ways, and printed some old news. The New York Times, the paper which has endorsed Sen. Clinton, now says that, “By staying on the attack and not engaging Mr. Obama on the substance of issues like terrorism, the economy and how to organize an orderly exit from Iraq, Mrs. Clinton does more than just turn off voters who don’t like negative campaigning. She undercuts the rationale for her candidacy that led this page and others to support her: that she is more qualified, right now, to be president than Mr. Obama.”

The candidate, who claims that what we need are solutions, and not just speeches, is the same candidate who is now emphatically declaring that she has more votes then Sen. Obama. That is, if you listen past the quick phrase, “of all those that have cast votes.”

The math she is using to get to this “more popular vote total” is that ultimately if all Michigan votes for Hillary are counted, and NONE are allotted to Sen. Obama, then she has more votes. And that includes votes from Florida as well. Can she get any more outlandish?

We know what she is implying with her slippery verbosity. Besides her attempt to play the old style political “change the game midway through” strategy, what she is truly showing us, is that she is the same person she has always been, a purveyor of misleading and questionable linguistics.

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." By now, we all have either seen the media or the Youtube video’s, of her rush for safety under sniper fire arrival, while greeting people and having a poem read to her by a little girl. All she seemed to be able to muster in defense of her outright lie, was, “I misspoke”.

She said she had a "different memory" about the landing. She also said, "So I made a mistake. That happens. It proves I'm human, which, you know, for some people, is a revelation."

However, when the Senator with already questionable trustworthiness, was asked about her Bosnia statements during the questionably “unbiased” Philadelphia presidential debate, she responded, “On a couple of occasions in the last weeks I just said some things that weren't in keeping with what I knew to be the case and what I had written about in my book. And, you know, I'm embarrassed by it.” Embarrassed for being caught in a lie? I don’t know about you, but I would have been ashamed.

To cap off her dismissal, of what was obviously known to be a lie, she states, “It just didn't jibe with what I had written about and knew to be the truth.”

What we have here is a testament to the integrity and honesty of a candidate that has already demonstrated her desire to play old school and republican politics. A candidate who will tell the people, whose votes she needs to maintain her insurmountable deficit, that even though she has received more PAC and Lobbyist money than any other candidate, that she will not let them influence her more than the American people.

Now, you may ask yourself where the 4th Estate is. Where are those journalist and talking heads that have let this one individual incident go truly unquestioned? Why are there no questions in the Main Stream Media about her honesty? Why have they let this just slip into the past, like so many other Clinton misstatements and unfounded statements? Why are we still hearing about Rev. Wright over and over again, even after Sen. Obama has publicly spoken so many times about it, and not a peep about Bosnia? What about Bitter-gate, but not about her lying without even admitting it directly.

The answer to these questions could be many, but the one thing that would be hard to disprove, is that the longer this un-winnable contest for Hillary Clinton continues, the pendants will have more to talk about, and the networks will make more money.

These convenient omissions of parity on the part of the MSM are battles we must fight against. With that, I STRONGLY encourage you to take a stand in defending our candidate, and our movement toward a new, and more transparent, style of government.
We must show the MSM that we are watching, and that we are not happy with what they are doing. If you have any doubts about what they are up to, take a listen to Joe Scarborough, and the way he continuously calls Hillary his, “girlfriend”, or when he cannot say enough how much he, “just loves Hillary.” You think I am kidding? Just watch the show one morning.

And while you are doing that, make a note of the advertisements that you see. Those are also people you can write to express your displeasure at the commentary by the MSM pundits. Tell them, that until things change that you will be boycotting their products, as well as urging your friends and neighbors to do the same.

Write often, but always attempt to be as civil as possible. Overtly, and abusively angry letters, are not given as much credence as those that seem to be rational, serious, and steadfast. These are the times we need to secure honesty and parity from the Main Stream Media.


Matthew McGovern

Bosnia: Not Done Wright!

What else can Barack Obama do? What else can the man say? What can he do to separate himself from “the preacher” and his blathering? Nothing, I would suggest, and he shouldn’t have to do another thing to distance himself from the hate filled and divisive rhetoric. He has done all he can do, and it is sad enough that the Traditional Media will not focus on issues that really matter to the American people.

The one thing that really has gotten pushed by the Traditional Media the last couple of days is the questioning of whether or not Sen. Obama has waited too long to respond about Rev. Wright. Is it too late for Obama, they ask.

But wait; hold on for a sec, what was the Philadelphia speech all about? Did he not answer the Rev. Wright question then, and do so in a most presidential way, standing high above the fray and discussing topics that others would treat as a political 3rd rail. Yes he did, for 5 weeks he did this, but it seems that the Traditional Media was not listening.

But now, after coming out and denouncing and distancing himself, yet again, from the man he had already denounced and distanced himself from, it seems it might not be enough. All the while, I imagine Sen. Obama wishes he had lied, in such a bold faced way to America and the world, about running for cover under threat of sniper fire. That is, lied knowingly to the American people, in an attempt to bolster a theoretical claim to 35 years of presidential experience. If he had, the story would have lasted a week, and then it would have gone away.

What else can the man do, when it appears by all rational standards, that the Traditional Media will not let it go? They have ignored the chance for an honest inquest into the character of a person running for the highest office. A person who admitted knowingly lied to the American people was let off the hook without a peep. A person, that the majority of the American public, does not trust in the first place.

A person, who has sided with the McCain camp, allowed the opposition to attack one of their own while standing silently by, and has at every turn distorted truths to win a position that they obviously feel entitled to, gets a nod, and is allowed to pass on by.

And the Traditional media, which until this last outburst by Rev. Wright, as been the only contributing factor to the Obama-Wright story, now asks if Obama has waited too late to speak about his former pastor. Does anyone else see the insanity of this?

We have trusted the 4th Estate to keep the focus on the government, to bring about issues that truly matter to Americans, and to do so in a fair and impartial manner. They have failed, for the most part, in the keeping this trust secure. They have become complacent, lazy, fearful, and above all political. They have become the lowest form of journalism; Yellow.

Matthew McGovern