The Traditional Media and electing our next President

I have the so-called MSM listed as “traditional” media in the title because there are other ways to get our news now, and for that I am so friggin grateful.

I define the traditional media as the big three networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) plus the major newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and other regional powerhouses that are owned by huge conglomerates. Also, the radio airwaves, although not as powerful as they once were, are also part of the traditional media. Generally speaking, any media form owned and operated by a big-assed corporation is in this mix ok?

Now, by big-assed corporation, I mean a corporation that is either publicly or privately owned, but the kicker is that they own lots and lots of other companies which might or might not also be considered media outlets. For a complete, and I do mean complete listing of these conglomerates, check out the Columbia Journalism Review site here. It’s interacting in that you utilize a pull down menu that contains all the players in the Traditional Media and who owns them, along with what else they own.

Lets look at General Electric as an example. They own NBC and the following companies:

• 14 Local tv Stations
• 14 US Telemundo Stations
• Salon.com
• CNBC
• MSNBC
• Bravo
• Mun2TV
• Sci-Fi
• Trio
• USA
• Universal Pictures
• Universal Parks & Resorts
• Paxson Communications(30%)
• NBC Universal Television Studio
• NBC Universal Television Distribution
• GE Aircraft Engines
• GE Commercial Finance
• GE Consumer Products
• GE Industrial Systems
• GE Insurance
• GE Medical Systems
• GE Plastics
• GE Power Systems
• GE Specialty Materials
• GE Transportation Systems

Now, notice in that gigantic list the name of Universal Parks and Resorts, otherwise known as Universal Studios. It is in GE’s best interest to keep all of America spending money wouldn’t you say? It is also in GE’s best interest to push for a “forever-war” like the War on Terror, since that way all of their ‘other’ businesses listed in the bottom of the third column will keep producing aircraft engines, spy equipment and a host of other specialized products for the government and their ‘wars’.

GE now has a reason to spin the truth and lie to us, to take BushCo at their word on anything they spew and the clincher for me..a reason to call the shots on who gets put up as the Presidential candidate of both parties. This goes for the majority of the Traditional Media. They control what we hear and see regarding all the candidates. They also set the tone of this silly season known as the Presidential election, and they are doing it with the same approach they use regarding Britney Spears or any other jerkwad that doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together yet they are, for some reason, part of our culture. Why don’t they tell us that real wages declined in 2007? Sensationalism sells whereas real facts do not and might actually have the undesired effect of keep everyone from going to Disneyland (ABC’s owners), a movie or Universal Studios (GE).

As an example, Matt Taibbi gives us a look behind the scenes of one of Hillary’s Iowa stops. It’s staged down to the last volunteer shouting about ‘making some noise’. The press knows this and yet they are part of this bullshit dog and pony show that will be spoon-fed into our homes on the nightly news later in the day or tomorrows newspapers:

There must be a hundred reporters here, and every last one has lined up to capture this event in all its stage-managed glory. There are two camera risers, both packed to the gills with network shooters. Hillary’s lectern is planted squarely between two enormous American flags; this way, every shot is sure to make her look like George C. Scott in Patton, with every curve of her ample jowls bathed in the iconic stripes of Old Glory. Campaigns pay top dollar for such images in commercials, but the free press literally fights for space on the risers, for the right to transmit those juicy images for free.

And when Hillary finally arrives, her speech turns out to be the same maddeningly nonspecific, platitude-filled verbal oatmeal that every candidate has spent the last year slinging in all directions — complete with the same vague promises for “change” we’ve heard from every last coached-up dog in this presidential hunt, from Barack Obama to Mitt Romney.

They, meaning the media that follows her around daily, know this is the same shit, just a different day and place. But when they catch this small change in her daily bullshit, they perk up right away:

“Some people think you get change by demanding it,” says the former first lady. “Some people think you get change by hoping for it. I think you get change by working hard for it every single day.”

We got some drama going Martha! The damn drama makes the media folks happy as the proverbial clam. Hillary goes after Obama’s ‘change’ message and bingo, it’s a lead story! All the media outlets fall into line trumpeting that Hillary is attacking Obma and Edwards in their next reporting cycle. Taibbi has this to say, and I agree:

I mean, is this a joke, or what? What the hell is the difference between “working for change” and “demanding change”? And why can’t we hope for change and work for it? Are these presidential candidates or six-year-olds?

As for actually giving us an overview of what they plan to use as their policies..forget about it! Its nowhere to be seen in this high school pep rally or any of the others along the campaign trail. That of course is the candidates fault. But the drama..that falls squarely on the shoulders of the Traditional Media. No one can create a mountain out of a molehill like the Traditional Media. God forbid they actually tell us nothing new happened today, it was the same bs message as Hillary delivered the day before at another pep rally..and the day before that.

Now we have the ‘Reagan quote” from Obama.

Does anyone really believe Obama looks back fondly on the Reagan years? This non-issue has had legs for over a week now. There is a significance to Obama invoking Reagan’s name I believe. Either he was pandering to the folks on the right or he was just acknowledging Reagan’s historical significance, because the truth is…Reagan made more of an impact on our lives and economy than almost any other president in the past two decades. It was the worst type of impact of course..but it is what it is.

Fanning the flames of spin and drama; the Traditional Media. If your paying attention, they now have the Democratic party on the verge of a complete and utter meltdown because Hillary’s camp and Obama’s camp are sniping at each other over race and a simple phrase about Reagan that contained part fact and part opinion.

All the while..we still learn nothing of their platforms. We do not get to hear what they want to do and how they plan to do it if they get elected to what used to be, the most powerful office in the world. The one candidate that actually addresses the concerns of the common folks is John Edwards. But sadly, the Traditional Media have already buried Edwards and his chance of ever being elected President of these United States. Edwards gets less than half the sound bites of Hillary or Obama, if he gets any at all.

The media marginalizes those candidates they feel would not be in their best interests to become our country’s leader like Edwards, Gravel, Dodd, Richardson and Kucinich. The media sensationalizes the most trivial bullshit, as if waving a shiny object in front of our noses would capture our complete attention and distract from the true issues that confront us and our next President. They are carpetbaggers who sell their souls for the almighty dollar.

The candidates, for the most part, are not much better at providing us with details. With their cheerleading pep rallies that masquerade as townhall meetings and their vague personal attacks and outright lies about the other candidates we learn nothing of substance about them. The push polls and verbal jousts are designed to force the real issues into the background as we gasp in horror at something taken out of context and basically meaningless to the real issue: pulling this country up by it’s gucci bootstraps and undoing 8 years of terror known as the BushCo Regime. Between the media and the candidates we learn nothing of substance about the individuals that want to spend the next 4 years guiding our country out of the dark side and that is downright pathetic if you ask me. Unless and until I get information that will tell me who is the candidate of substance for me..I will be voting for my cat as President of these United States of America.

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