Cross posted from Doug's Views

I have one message to Joe, Sean, Pat, Nora, Soledad, Chris, Campbell, Wolf, and the other "commentators" covering the Democratic convention:

SHUT THE *UCK UP!!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes! I was flipping through the news channels and stopped to hear Shep Smith for a moment and behind him was the set at Invesco and Fox was projecting naked Greekish statues [one I'm sure was Michelangelo's David] into the spaces between the white columns!

I wrote a diary the other day about how I am not a Democrat nor am I a Republican.

I am also a bit wordy, so I guess I could have just come right out and said I am an Independent.

If there was a street called "One way Avenue" and it just had a right neighborhood where all the "True" conservatives lived and the left neighborhood, where all the progressives lived, and the numbers started with "1" on the right side and built up as we went right to left, up to 100, I would be at "House 33" or so.

I am voting for Obama for president. I've never voted for a Democrat for President, though I have before voted in Democratic primary races.

<More after the break>

I know that the chattering classes, the beltway bandits and mindless lemmings are all desperate for something, anything, to write or broadcast that is negative and divisive but really how pathetic can you get.

I just read Maurine Dowd, I know I should not have but it’s a column in the New York Times, a once respected news paper.  One expects certain things, quality, accuracy, a certain amount of neutrality, even handedness.  One is as ever bitterly disappointed.

Lots of us discuss whether McCain's "Celeb" ad, and his Obama-the-celebrity meme in general, has one effect or another on voters and viewers.

But in truth, it was never aimed at us. Or at swing state voters who view it during a commercial break. Or at the TV viewing audience at all. That was a decoy, and an extremely effective one.

I know, I know .. it's sort of repetitive, but here's what I have noticed in the last 20 minutes or so of watching CNN. I had to shut it off when Soledad O'Brien just called it the Democrat National Convention.

The number of distortions and lies were almost too many to count.

Carl Bernstein was on one panel, and he brought into focus these lies [paraphrasing now] 'the Democrats will finally be able to show during the Convention the public what you [corporate media] have refused to do. The polls are meaningless, and issues that matter will be highlighted'.

That was a bright spot.

Bill Schneider was another bright spot, as O'Brien tried her best to work the PUMA theme, he blurted out, almost in desperation that [paraphrasing]  '40% of Republicans are not happy with John McCain, and many Republicans  are voting for Obama - and where was the reporting on that?'

I had to shut it off, because I was simply too enraged.
I felt powerless against this 24/7 blaring noise machine.  

By now I am sure many of you have seen or heard about the Ayers Ad funded by the American Issues Project.

Interestingly Fox News has decided not to run the ad (despite "accidentally" airing it. This decision may have been related to the concern that the ad may violate election law.

However, that doesn't stop CNN.

If you take a look on the reco list, there is a diary titled Fox reporter humiliated at Denver march.  It's managed a good number of comments, and seems to maintain the opinion that this was a glowing victory moment for someone, though I cannot fathom who.

So I must ask, exactly how is this a good thing in any way?

I can't stand it! WTH is going on over at CNN? It's no surprise, but as of lately, in a 24 hour news cycle they have been the WORST downer second to FOX? Just a few ago Wolf and Anderson start off their opinion pieces with the "concern of the Dems", over our concern that the "Hillary" supporters will NOT vote for "Obama" but rather McClone! Is is just me? Can't be, it's becoming a overwhelming consensus amongst my many peers and blog observers!

Having missed the events of the day live, I've spent the past couple of hours flipping between the three cable news networks. For about half the time I watched Fox and I really got a feel for profound difference in coverage between Fox and the other stations.

Not to say that any of the coverage was particularly insightful or brilliant, but on CNN and MSNBC I repeatedly saw clips from Biden's speech followed by talking head analysis of mixed levels of value. In the at minimum 45 minutes of Fox viewing I saw no clips of Biden's speech - not one. I would say about 25 percent of the time was spent on McCain's theme of Biden's former slights about Obama's experience when Biden was running for president. ALL of the rest of the time was spent discussing how much the choice pissed off Clinton supporters, bringing in whatever Democrats they could find to support the meme (Susan Estrich, a former Clinton campaign representative I didn't recognize, etc.) with alleged journalist Geraldo Rivera saying he was "pissed" that Clinton was passed over.

Addendum:  Sorry, I realize there are no conservatives here.  I'd posted this on some other blogs where they roam.

Here's one where the whole could definitely be more than the sum of the parts.

Having watched a bit of Hannity & Colmes on Fox and then Olbermann on MSNBC tonight, the one thing that stood out was how lame the shows were.

Hannity bashed Obama and ate up any liberal who got in his way. Colmes did a reasonably good job but didn't try to match shouts with the blowhard.

Olbermann did an entire show--a full hour--about McCain saying he didn't know how many houses he has.
Every single guest who came on--from a Washington Post columnist to commedian Robert Klein--echoed Keith's opinion that McCain's not knowing how many houses he has was a terrible gaffe. Then Olbermann and the guest would each congratulate each other for having the correct opinion about the significance of McCain's not knowing how many houses he has.

As a moderate, H&C made me feel like voting for Obama. But after watching the obnoxious Olbermann shadowbox for an hour I was ready to pull the lever for McCain

The solution to this lame programming was obvious.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/...

Unbelievable.  Felt like I was on the Fox website. Are the Murdochs and Grahams related in a way we did not know? Did someone get married between the fams? WTF?  So much for Woodward and Bernstein.  WTF? Had to do it another time , sorry.  The ad is very misleading but the WaPo claims it is pretty much accurate.  I think this is symptomatic of the  Capital Press corp's long love affair with Sen. McCain.  

The headline "McCain targets Obama's Glass House" says it all.  First we have Dana Millbank - now we  have this crap.  I still like Chris Cilliza.  Please don't tell me there is something wrong with him.  At this rate if he dose'nt start promoting McSame he might get the boot (or at least assigned to a terrible beat) .

We are all pot smokers now.

Doc

FOX fully unfurls the Dirty F'n Hippie™ meme

"The implication here is that a lot of pot smokers are coming to town."

"To all of the Democrats who are going ..." began Fox host Steve Doocy. "And, this is also news to all the Republicans going to their convention in St. Paul. Don't take your pot. Don't take your pot to the DNC."

This has been posted again as requested!  Please Rec so it can get some traction.

Rick Warren was on Sean Hannity's radio show last night and avoided all questions pertaining to who he was picking for President, but was more than happy to find ways to criticize Obama.  Before he ended his little appearance, he announced, that he had received a personal phone call from Georgian President Saakashvili.

I SAID WHAT?

I caught 10-15 minutes of the FOX program, "Presidential Character: Obama," and those minutes may have changed my life.  The program uses clips from the audiobook of Dreams to highlight each time period of Obama's life, and also includes interviews with journalists who have covered Obama, and interviews with people from his past.

I found this program very inspiring.  The way FOX chose Obama's words to support its hints that Obama is a radical, race-obsessed guy with a very un-American background -- it was spectacular!  This innovative journalism speaks to me, and has moved me to become a FOX journalist.

Here is my first piece as a FOX reporter, using Obama's other published book, The Audacity of Hope, in that innovative FOX style.

digg video link

Often as adults we should let the children speak because they have shown time and time again they are smarter than we are. There is a new video from Brave New Films.

I hope that you enjoy the wisdom of these children as much as I did!

I don't usually do diaries like this (I don't do too many to begin with), but I can't help it today because of what I'm currently watching.

You're allowed to list a Fox News anchor or correspondent if you'd like, but it's sort of unfair.  The results will be pretty obvious before we even begin.

Anyway, full disclosure: I'm easily annoyed.  I get irked by as little as harmless mannerisms if I'm in the wrong mood.  I usually keep it to myself.  

But there is one thing that gets to me a little deeper under the skin: fucking idiots. (more)