The Stonecipher Report

A Few Days Later…

 

Been Thinking on the Election Results: Lots of – But Not ALL – Bad News For Progressives; Where We Go From Here (Plus, a Brief, Closer Look at What Happened Here in Illinois)

  

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Nov. 6, 2010

So…how was YOUR week? [LOL…]

Yes, it was a tough – if expectedly tough – Mid-Term Election for the Democrats and for President Obama. But…it is neither the end of the world NOR even the end of the potential effectiveness of the Obama Administration. Now, of course, what comes next and where we go from here depends on many things, especially on the committed direction of and action by BOTH sides of the American political spectrum.

To help sort through some of what has occurred and address things that may be on your mind, I’ve written this opinion- and fact-filled – if slightly tongue-in-cheek at times – question-and-answer format piece. And, away we go with that, as I look at some of the results of and the impact from the 2010 elections...

 

So, the United States is a Republican / Tea Bagger country now, huh?

Yeah, uh - not hardly. I wouldn't even call this - realistically and statistically - any sort of significant or lasting drift to the right by the US electorate. It was somewhat of a "perfect storm" of dissatisfaction, protest, money, attention, and propaganda. As we have pointed out - many times - the out-of-power party (in this case, the Republicans, holding merely 40% of the House and Senate and having lost the White House) was historically due to make significant gains in this election. And, demographically, the US is inexorably becoming younger and more diverse - racially, sexually, and socially. That will not change and will continue to move the country center-leftward socially. This was a focused occurrence, not any sort of trend.

How FOX News Changed the “Rules”

The "Fair and Balanced" Slogan Lets Them Redefine "Journalism" to Their Own Very Narrow, Right-Wing Constricts

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

May 27, 2010

Note: This is a bit of a continuation of my post from the other day, which took as its leaping-off point the disturbing (but not-all-that-surprising) news that the hard-right FOX News cable network was continuing to alter new footage to suit their completely-bias-driven "reporting" (particularly, in this case, apparently editing applause from cadets out of President Obama’s speech at West Point). If you haven’t read that piece yet, you can access it via this link.

I would also like to give a few credit-where-credit-is-due hat-tips to some friends who got me thinking and then writing (at first, in online comments and e-mails, and then for out here) about this topic. I first got exposed to the latest then-breaking facts behind all of this – and began exploring my disgusted pinion about it – via communications with my friends Laura McNaughton and Jonathan Perkins. And, after I posted yesterday’s piece, those communications continued and expanded…and were also spurred on further by friend Jeff Norman (whose well-thought-out and well-written blog, The Architectural Dance Society, is available here). My thanks to those three (as well as to others who connected to me and commented on or shared my original piece). Thus…here I arrive…

So, as I pointed out in the previous piece, not only do FOX News viewers make the untrue "Well, YOUR side does the SAME thing over at / on / in [fill in the lefty-media blank]" excuse for their "news" source’s fiction, propaganda, and discarding-of-anything-positive-for-Obama / Democrats…They also proudly point to the network’s widely exposed (as well as oft-mocked) slogan, "Fair and Balanced."

More FOX “Fictionalized” News…

The Right-Wing Cable "News" Channel Apparently Edits Applause From Troops Out of Coverage of President Obama’s Speech at West Point; Just the Latest Example of Their Lies When it Comes to Facts Beyond Their Narrow Purview…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

May 25, 2010

Why am I not surprised at this? Why am I NEVER surprised when FOX News does crap like this?

Here’s the info: As noticed by Michael Moore (and Tweeted to his followers), in FOX’s coverage of the speech that President Barack Obama gave at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, they apparently edited it (or, at best, used a version that did ended up NOT reflecting the actual response following his statements) so that, after the Commander-in-Chief told his newest troops that he hopes to end the armed conflict in Iraq soon, the enthusiastic applause that cadets gave was not heard. In their version, the President pauses and looks around awkwardly to silence after saying that. (Although, I suppose to FOX’s credit, they did not sarcastically add the sound of crickets chirping to replace the actual cheers…) [Video embedded at the end of this piece…]

Scott Brown Win in MA Bad News For the Dems Indeed – But…Also Maybe a Wake-Up Call For Them?

It’s Time For Obama and Democrats to Stay Strong, Take Stands, and Represent the Needs and Desires of the People

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Jan. 21, 2010

First of all, let me say that – as a longtime, wonkish political observer – I am fairly convinced that the tipping point that meant doom for Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts special election to fill Teddy Kennedy’s US Senate seat was…her IDIOTIC multiple anti-Red Sox (or, at best, obviously non-Red Sox-connected) comments. She accused former Sawk Curt Schilling (a rabid, active right-winger, yes…but also still bloody-sock, first-World-Series-championship-in-86-years beloved in MA) of being a Yankees fan ("a joke," she later claimed, although clearly one without a punchline or point) AND THEN she complained about having to hang out in front of the Temple of Sox Nation, Fenway Park, to meet potential voters in the cold…well – those two things showed how distant she was from retail politics in MA. That, plus her autocratic, cold-fishiness, kind of acting as an incumbent of sorts (although, with none of an elected officeholder’s built-up store of respect, admiration, and even love) allowed the good-looking, national-GOP-backed Scott Brown to pull a Mitt Romney / William Weld and be the reasonable MA Republican counterweight to the last 75-plus collective years of Dems Teddy-and-Kerry-and-Tsongas in the Senate.

“Red” vs. “Blue” – How Did the US Get to This Point (and Where Do We Go From Here)?

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Nov. 23, 2009

Tyler and I discussed this topic pretty deeply and long on today’s radio show…inspired (at least in part) by the "And, in the News…" e-mail issue I sent out to my subscribers earlier today. (The twice-weekly newsletter is completely FREE…AND your e-mail address is NEVER revealed or used for any other purpose; contact me at [email protected] to begin receiving these issues – hey, I’m already up to issue #199!)

…So – why is the "Blue" state vs. "Red" state divide so deep (and particularly thorny) in the US right now? And where will all of this schismatic separation likely lead us? I think it’s a very complicated, multiple-variable division…and it looks fairly hard to bind or solve anytime in the near future. After our on-air conversation on this subject today, I realize that Tyler has also thought about this subject…and that he has identified one of the contributing factors I chose as his believed primary cause of this current condition afflicting our country. I strongly hope that he expands upon this and explains his theory of the ever-widening "Blue" / "Red" philosophical gulf in a subsequent post out here – or perhaps even in a reply comment to this piece (which would be posted below)…

Republicans Embarrass Themselves Over Decrying the Obama Nobel Prize

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 12, 2009

As regular readers may have noted, I usually – at the bottom of my entries – promote my twice-weekly e-mail column, "And, in the News…" Occasionally, I also share an adapted version of the contents of those issues out here. The Monday issues are when I cover politics – via my regular "Political Soap Box" feature (Friday’s issues are usually more pop-culture-, sports-, or random-thoughts-oriented)…and I wanted to share the issue I sent out this morning, covering the confusing, idiotic (if – duh! – completely expected) Republican reaction to President Obama winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

One Year On – My First Anniversary at The Stonecipher Report

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Aug. 27, 2009

Hey, not to be TOO self-congratulatory, but yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the first appearance of my work here on The Stonecipher Report!

Much has gone on since I responded to head honcho Tyler "Ripp Stonecipher" Rippeteau’s ad (on Craigslist) seeking local political writers for his site…I am now his site’s semi-official "Political Director" (a la the much admired wonk coverage of the ’08 election for NBC and MSNBC by Chuck Todd) and Tyler’s co-host of The Stonecipher Report radio show (available on Chicago’s WHPK, 88.5 FM or online via whpk.org) (plug, plug!) – as well as a friend now to the all-around good guy who runs this site.

Special Transcript From Last Week’s Radio Show – “Ask Billy Jeff"

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

June 22, 2009

In case you may have missed this last week, we had a special "guest" on The Stonecipher Report radio show…(BTW, we’ll be back on today, available over the air or via the Internet...on Monday, June 22, from 3:00 - 4:00 PM Chicago time on WHPK-FM, 88.5 FM…and, of course, you can also hear us online at WHPK.org, streaming live from 1:00 - 2:00 PM on the West Coast, 4:00-5:00 PM on the East Coast (just click the "Listen" tab or the "We are STREAMING" window on the station's website)).

...So, here’s a very special transcript of the fascinating interview I did on Tuesday with "Billy Jeff," a very famous political man of the ‘90s (and beyond) whose voice you would all find familiar (as long as the impression didn’t fail TOO much)…Enjoy!

Must-Miss-TV! The GOP Plans Sudden Response to Obama-ABC Healthcare Broadcast

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

June 19, 2009

Note: This piece is cross-posted at Eyes on Obama

An interesting bit of news hit the web last night (and – no, no – it WASN’T the speculation over whether GOP Sen. John Ensign of Nevada was outing his own affair with a staffer to either A) Derail a blackmail attempt or B) Empty his closet of skeletons prior to a 2012 Presidential run):

(CNN) — National Republicans — miffed over ABC News' decision to broadcast a primetime special featuring President Obama making the case for his healthcare proposal — are looking to raise $100,000 to hit the airwaves with their own healthcare reform proposal…

"ABC News will be promoting Obamacare at virtually every opportunity, from ‘Good Morning America’ to ‘Nightline,’ and reach from ABC News' Web sites all the way to the White House's East Room," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele writes in an e-mail titled "URGENT" to supporters Thursday…

Taking Out the Trash of Friday Political News…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

May 29, 2009

Note: This piece is cross-posted at Eyes on Obama

Hey, and I always thought Friday was supposed to be a sort of political "take out the trash" day, with potential news items getting buried by the impending arrival of the much-waited-for weekend, especially now, during the hot-movie, time-off-of-work-and-school, baseball-games-PLUS-basketball-and-hockey-playoffs, pleasant-weather weeks…But I’ve been busy surfing online today, and turned up a number of interesting recent political news stories that I thought you all might appreciate.

…So let’s take a peeky-boo at what’s going on in the halls of US politics this late-May Friday, shall we?