Wurlitzer, the Mighty, or Wingnut Welfare Wurlitzer - Professional media outlets dedicated specifically to promulgating right-wing propaganda, such as Regnery Press or Fox News. In the modern era of media consolidation, it may be difficult to separate the deliberate organs of misinformation from the incessant general tinkle of infotainment. The term 'Mighty Wurlitzer' itself is pre-Internet, said to have been coined by an early CIA operative in reference to Cold War propaganda efforts.
Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign from the Department of Agriculture because of recent remarks she made that, taken out of context, suggested she discriminated against a white farmer. That farmer's wife, however, is saying Sherrod is a "friend for life" who saved their family farm from foreclosure....
....Breitbart had edited the video, of course, and he refuses to release the whole thing, naturally. But that didn't matter in this case any more than it mattered in the ACORN case....
....But I also have to wonder if they know what the optics of this are. If two-bit sociopathic wingnuts can scare them to this extent with obviously doctored videos, what happens when they see a real threat? Are they going to flap their arms like penguins and run around in circles screaming "they're coming to get us, run for your lives!!?" At this point, that doesn't seem entirely ridiculous.
Seriously, this shows tremendous weakness. Andrew Brietbart is a con artist and and right wing entertainer whose antics should always be met with a cynical laugh and a shake of the head. To fall for his schtick more than once is political malpractice....
...This week, people close to the Emerson campaign crossed the line in mudslinging too. In a paid election letter to this newspaper, a writer who once worked for Emerson's husband called into question Sowers' sexuality. The innuendo used was repugnant...
"Too?" Rust spends the first three paragraphs blaming Tommy Sowers' (D) campaign for the tone of the 8th Congressional District campaign, without citing any examples, before he gets to condemning a paid political letter which appeared in his paper written by an individual associated with Jo Ann Emerson (r), the republican incumbent. The subject? You guessed it:
...The second point -- the innuendo -- is unfair and inappropriate. I will admit: I don't see that sexual orientation has anything to do with whether a person is qualified for Congress...
You'd think the publisher of the paper would cite a specific example of a "distortion" by the subject of his first three paragraphs. You'd think. Nah, it's just easier to wrap yourself in a false cloak of impartiality and dismiss one party's egregious behavior with the condemnation and excuse that "everybody does it." And then wring your hands.
I wonder if that letter by the Emerson supporter had anything to do with this?:
Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District, issued a press release on job creation yesterday:
Courtney Cole Calls for Special Session on Jobs Bill and Tax Credits Urges Legislature to Pass Bi-Partisan Jobs Bill, Support the Ford Claycomo plant and quit playing politics with tax dollars
Warrensburg, MO -- Democratic candidate for 121st District State Representative Courtney Cole is calling on the legislature to remove political agendas and agree to a special session to focus on passing a badly needed jobs bill to put Missourians back to work.
Cole's request is after Governor Jay Nixon announced that he would be open to a special session if the legislature would guarantee it would be productive.
"Missouri has a 9.5 percent unemployment rate and small businesses are closing their doors every day. We cannot afford to lose more jobs.That is why today, I'm joining the bi-partisan call for the legislature to hold a special session focusing on a serious jobs bill that puts Missourians back to work and food on the table," said Cole.
Cole is calling for the legislature to support incentives to keep the Ford Claycomo plant here in Missouri, incentives for manufacturing and small business growth in rural areas, and a serious review of the recent findings in an audit completed by State Auditor Susan Montee regarding tax handouts.
The audit, released in April, found that the legislature underestimated tax credit giveaways by over $1 billion dollars.
"The legislature must pass a plan to bring in long-term, good paying manufacturing, agricultural and small business jobs for Missouri families throughout the state," said Cole. "We must remove politics out of who gets tax credits and allow Economic Development Director David Kerr to focus the necessary resources on attracting jobs. The partisan political games in Jefferson City have wasted millions of our hard earned tax dollars and kept too many people out of work. It's time for it to end."
....Cole, who has increasingly close ties to the Missouri democratic establishment, is using Nixon's Kansas City jobs speech to further the bond between her and the democratic minority. The Missouri Democratic Party is desperately trying to pick up seats in the Missouri House of Representatives after a dismal 2008.
However, in Cole's August 3, 2009 candidacy announcement, she immediately highlighted job creation....
....Cole signaled early on that job creation is her number one priority.
"...Cole, who has increasingly close ties to the Missouri democratic establishment..."
Uh, Courtny Cole filed as the only Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District. She is an elected member of the Missouri State Democratic Committee. Now, would you mind telling us, good correspondent of the Kansas City Religion & Politics Examiner, how "increasingly close" worked into your story? Just asking.
"...The Missouri Democratic Party is desperately trying to pick up seats in the Missouri House of Representatives after a dismal 2008..."
Uh, if the Democratic Party picked up seats in the Missouri House in the 2008 election you'd think that it was the republican party that had a "dismal" year in 2008. You'd think.
Representative Michael Frame (D):....And when looked up, when I turned up again he was almost nose to nose with me. And asking me if, if I had a, a problem, with some few other cuss words thrown in there as well, too. And, and do I have a problem, do I have problem. I told him he was, you know, to paraphrase, was, was way out of line. He really needs to step back...
"...with some few other cuss words thrown in there as well..."
The Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal printed the story in today's edition, quoting Representative Tim Flook (r):
5/17/2010 1:26:00 PM
A Dust-Up for Denny? Tempers or politics flare in final hours of session
Jack Miles
Editor
...."All Denny did was walk over and say, 'Hey, what's the problem with the bill? He had his hands in his pockets," Flook said, adding, "The whole thing was a joke."
Well, that sounds totally innocent, doesn't it?
Okay, the Star-Journal also quotes Representatives Frame (D), Burnett (D), and Skaggs (D), the latter relating the use of "curse words".
Old media presents equal and opposing viewpoints. I suppose all we can do for them is hope that someone caught the confrontation on audio and/or video.
You'd think someone would ask Representative Flook (r), when you were actually interviewing him, about how he managed to get across the floor of the House to so closely and definitively witness the exchange on the Democratic side of the chamber and how he could characterize the incident so differently from those three Democratic representatives. You'd think.
Wow, only in Warrensburg can two legislators disagree and it makes the news. Since my side of the story was not printed, I'll elaborate more here. Rep. Frame and others were yelling, making noises and snide comments from the back of the House Chamber during my presentation of SCR 31. As I prefer to talk face-to-face... with someone versus shouting and hiding in the "peanut gallery", I finished my closing remarks, went over to Rep. Frame and asked him if he had a problem with my bill as I could not help but hear shouting and yelling from the back of the chamber. Rep. Frame responded "Don't you square up to me!" to which I responded, "I've got my hands in my pockets, I'm just asking you a question." Rep. Skaggs and Rep. Burnett then jumped in and tried to escalate the situation by yelling remarks at me.
If Mr. Miles, Editor of the DSJ, was not friends with Rep. Skaggs this would have never even made the news.
I will continue to advocate for legislation important to my constituents and not be bullied by Rep. Frame or his accomplices.
...CBS Sunday Morning had very solid coverage of the spill and the impact it is already having on local businesses. But, as I watched This Week on ABC, I couldn't help but wonder why producers didn't take this opportunity to invite Sarah Palin on...
...I'd like to ask Palin what her solution to this drama in the Gulf is...if her Drill baby, Drill policy would mandate remote shut off technology...what she has to say in defense of off shore drilling to the folks in the Gulf who, based on 2008 election results, voted for her ass and McCain.
On Friday, the White House announced its three finalists for the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge.
Blue Valley Northwest wasn't one of them.
The high school had been named one of six semifinalists in the country still in the running to bring President Barack Obama to its graduation ceremony. Students had produced a video and completed other tasks to advance as far as it did.
An Obama spokesman insisted that the three finalists were picked by people who visited the White House website and voted.
But from the start, I thought that given Kansas' GOP propensities, there wasn't a snowball's chance that Blue Valley Northwest would win.
Turns out that the three finalist high schools are in Ohio, Michigan and Colorado, each a pivotal swing state.
The White House flack told me I'm too cynical. Really?
Too cynical? They were being way too nice. You're math challenged.
"...An Obama spokesman insisted that the three finalists were picked by people who visited the White House website and voted..." [emphasis added]
Uh, why did the White House spokesperson have to "insist" for you? Did you question the process? Just asking.
We sort of get the point that the Johnson County, Kansas school didn't have a chance. But, it's not the White House doing the voting.
The vote in Johnson County, Kansas and in the state of Kansas in 2008:
So, would anyone who was not a stenographer think to check the differences in the presidential election voting population among the areas of the school finalists? You bet, that's why we're here.
Senator Claire McCaskill was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show this morning:
Matt Lauer, NBC Today Show: ...But basically it's a temporary deal. You know where this is gonna end up, don't you?
Senator Claire McCaskill (D): Well, that's the point. Uh, why? Why do we play these games? This is a serious problem. Let's get to work. Uh, the, the ranking Republican on the Banking Committee said we know what happened, we know what we need to do to fix it, and we've worked on this for fifteen or sixteen months. This is just what's been going on in Washington. The Republicans are banking on something. They're banking that the American people won't be paying close attention that they're on the side of Wall Street and we're trying to fix the problem.
Matt Lauer: Well, well, but you don't expect them to stay even if you want to accuse them of being on the side of Wall Street. In an election year they can't possibly benefit from that.
Senator McCaskill: I, I mean, I, who knows? Uh, this is beyond comprehension that they're refusing to let us debate. That is nonsense. We just want to debate the bill. They wouldn't even offer amendments in committee. They clearly are calculating that the public is so sick of all of us that if this thing fails because we're in charge we'll get blamed.
The stenographer weighs in on the open seat race in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District (Johnson County) in today's Kansas City Star. The rumor reported by the Star is that Stephene Moore, the spouse of retiring Congressman Dennis Moore, is considering a run. Consider the following two statements in the article:
...Democrats view the always-on-the-move nurse and community activist as sharp and pleasingly energetic...
[emphasis added]
...Doubters are surfacing. One of them showed up at a talk I gave last week on the Plaza.
"What has she done besides being a congressman's wife?" one man asked with obvious disdain...
Uh, that question was clearly answered earlier in the article. Yes, it was a direct quote from an unnnamed "doubter," but really, shouldn't the Star's political stenographer expend a little less ink on repeating baseless cliches about women?
Desiree Rogers resigned as White House Social secretary this week when she realized her job was not SOCIAL secretary but social SECRETARY. about 24 hours ago via web
....VARGAS: And then, of course, this weekend, we have a brand-new White House social secretary appointed to replace Desiree Rogers, a close friend of the Obamas who is exiting after a bumpy tenure, I would say. Cokie, you spoke with her. She -- she was highly criticized after the Obamas' first state dinner in which she arrived, looking absolutely gorgeous, but in what some people later said was far too fancy a dress, but most importantly, that was the state dinner that was crashed by the Salahis, who walked in without an invitation when the social secretary's office didn't have people manning the security sites....
[....]
....KRUGMAN: Can I say that 20 million Americans unemployed, the fact that we're worrying about the status of the White House social secretary...
VARGAS: It's our light way to end, Paul.
DONALDSON: Paul, welcome to Washington....
The incomparable Digby on Sally Quinn's self-righteous indignation:
...If only she still had a newspaper column, she could have written yet another in her series about uppity upstarts from "somewhere else" whom she ran out of town, their tails between their legs. Now she'll have to content herself with tweeting into the ether or writing a post for her blog "On Faith" which requires her to desperately try to tie her nasty little back biting into God's work. It's tough...
Sally Quinn's a blogger? Crap. Now the rest of us are gonna have to vacate blogtopia (y, sctp!) and find a respectable line of work.
This is the forty-first post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB
What, from that headline you'd think that the evil Ben Wesly has victimized the university?
Where to start?
"There must be a lot more behind the scenes to the story of why Benoit Wesley pulled the plug on his significant, longtime contributions to the University of Central Missouri..."
No shit, Sherlock. Might I be so presumptuous as to suggest reading the previous forty posts conveniently linked below the fold here?
"...The remarks in question were made by Greg Hassler, part-owner of a radio station that broadcasts UCM sporting events.
Special note: He's not even paid by the university...."
Special note: the university pays him in meals, lodging, and warm-up suits. Oh, and his radio station has a ten year exclusive contract [pdf] with the university. With, you know, clauses in it. Like payments. And advertising revenue. And sloppy bookkeeping when it comes to advertising revenue.
...So, so, we developed a situation where now where we're at, at this point, we receive a rights fee every year. An up front amount of money, uh, that we know we're gonna get. Then, my self, my staff and the sales staff of the radio station, we sell the advertising together. And we split the advertising where the station gets seventy-five percent, we get twenty-five percent. If I sell to somebody on their list they get the money, the, the person who's the sales person, so they don't lose any commissions.
The, the point being is, is we have a situation where we are true partners. We work together, but, but the onus is on them to go out and make the money. Uh, as an institution what I want to do is just get our events on there. But they're so happy to, to be making the money and to be the home of Central Missouri Athletics and, and we're so happy to have this great partner. And so it works very well.
And now we have football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, some softball games on the air. They let us use their Internet site to carry some, some softball, some volleyball. We have coach's shows. We have a weekly coach's show. Uh, they give us advertising now. I mean they literally give it to us, uh, and a chance to promote our upcoming events because we're truly partners.
Uh, we don't treat them like, uh, just a member of the media. Um, you know, and, and we share all revenues, we, we trade spreadsheets often. So, it's a very nice situation.
And, and when you make somebody a partner it's important when we have that, uh, that gear day that you guys all know and the coaches get their gear in. I make sure that the sports director at the, at the local station, he's got his new shirt and his new warm ups. And, and if we have a team that is fortunate enough to advance and, and maybe participate in an elite eight or, or win a regional and, and we're buying rings for the team, you know, I, I go to my, my boss, the athletic director, and say, can, can we get a ring for the sports director, he travels, we've got this partnership? And, and those are the kind of things we do. So, we've really created a, a wonderful relationship there we're really proud of....
This is the fortieth post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB
The Star published a substantial (for them) story on-line and on page A5 in today's Kansas City Edition:
...Hassler told The Kansas City Star that his remark "was spun out of context" and he apologized on the air in December.
"I said that is not what I meant," Hassler said. "I have nothing against anybody at all. I am not anti-Semitic.
"Did I actually say I was sorry? No, but I think that could be considered an apology. The whole thing is just silly."
Podolefsky said he didn't think it's silly...
A source has since confirmed that the following is from a December 10, 2009 radio broadcast:
...Greg Hassler: ...But there's another blogger out there that has taken some things that I have said, eh, out of context and has spun them around and at, attacked me on blogs, calling me a racist, a bigot, which I'm not. They've also called me anti-Semitic, which I'm not. I love all people of all religions, I do. I'm not anti-Semitic.
other voice: I would agree with that.
Greg Hassler: You know what I am?
other voice: What are you?
Greg Hassler: I'm a big Mules and Jennies basketball fan, [laughter] that's what I am....
As we noted on January 26th:
...The content in the audio [transcript], supposedly from December 10, 2009, is almost a verbatim quote of an e-mail sent by Greg Hassler in response to a reporter from the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, described in an article published on November 13, 2009...
"...Did I actually say I was sorry? No, but I think that could be considered an apology. The whole thing is just silly..."
Evidently Ben Wesly doesn't think so and some at the University didn't appear to understand that.
Well, it's official now: John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative who affirmed claims that waterboarding quickly unloosed the tongues of hard-core terrorists, says he didn't know what he was talking about....
Of course, the media that hyped the original story will run a retraction in five, four, three...
For years, the Southeast Missourian has had guidelines for letters that encouraged readers to submit their opinions on topics of general interest. Those guidelines discouraged letters about candidates for public office. A new policy, effective immediately, gives letter writers an option for expressing their opinions about candidates.
The new guidelines create a new category of letter called the Paid Election Letter. For a flat fee of $25, writers may endorse or oppose candidates -- in up to 150 words. Longer Paid Election Letters will be considered, but each additional word over the 150 limit will cost 50 cents...
Which particular political party with close to unlimited resources and a history of utilizing astroturf do you think will benefit most from this policy?
Former Missouri lawmaker Brian Yates couldn't hold back.
Having resigned his seat Dec. 1, midway through his final term, the Lee's Summit Republican let loose last week with a no-holds-barred assessment of the state of Jefferson City....
....Serving in the General Assembly, he said, had become a "scam...."
....The 34-year-old lawyer ticked them off: the passage of legislation in exchange for campaign donations, the underhanded dealings of former House speaker Rod Jetton, price tags placed on committee chairmanships, wealthy folks getting all the attention, all that political money sloshing around the Capitol....
Rep. Brian Yates (R-Lee's Summitt) is officially resigning at noon tomorrow to work full time for QC Holdings. It's a payday loan company, with stores operating mostly as Quik Cash or National Quik Cash.
H'ray usury!
We did a search at the Missouri Ethics Commission for campaign contributions by QC Holdings during 2008 and this is what we came up with:
....Hardly a week goes by when I fail to read something by some schmuck with a blog who believes his own stories about newspapers coming to an end. But get real. If that ever came to pass, what would replace newspapers? Bloggers? Some of them are nothing more than political wonk wannabees who would be happy to rail - either being always conservative or always liberal - about one idea or another, but would they be willing to stand for hours on a country road to tell the story of a suicidal man and his standoff with law enforcers? Would they print photos of proud young men and women who have joined the military? Would they stay awake while sitting at long school board or council meetings?....
"...some schmuck with a blog..." Heh. Evidently he was not referring to us. We do that standing for long hours thing, go through public records, cover events and type transcripts, research, you name it.
Yesterday we posted a story on another subject, and while doing a bit of research we came across the content shown in the following excerpt:
In today's issue there is an AP story regarding the University of Central Missouri president and comments of treatment of his family by our community; his outstanding accomplishments and how well liked he is by a majority of tenured professors; and the unfairness of not having his contract renewed...
...They have voted not to renew President Podolefsky's contract. They have no obligation to explain their votes to this newspaper, university staff or the general public. While I don't necessarily agree with this policy in its entirety, it is simply the bottom line.
- Wm. James
Well Mr. James, maybe you'd think differently if you actually filed a few more Missouri Sunshine Law requests instead of listening to someone else's whispered conventional wisdom about what masquerades as acceptable public policy.
Irony impairment indeed.
Also in today's edition, front page above the fold, was an Associated Press article on the Aaron Podolefsky story - quoting me, apparently from the interview I did with KSHB-TV.
Another irony. It's a difficult and convoluted process to get permission from the Associated Press to quote myself from their article quoting something I wrote here. You'll just have to settle for the original:
....Michael Bersin: I think that's really the issue, is that people are mystified by this....
....Michael Bersin: And, the, the point is that it shouldn't be a mystery. Because we're the university community, the entire university community is owed an explanation by this board....
Our previous coverage of the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky:
...The ultimate winner will get the opportunity to write a weekly column that may appear in the print and/or online editions of The Washington Post, paid at a rate of $200 per column, for a total of 13 weeks and $2,600. Our Opinions lineup includes a dozen Pulitzer Prize winners, regulars on the national political talk shows and some of the most influential players inside the Beltway. We'll set our promising pundit on a path to become the next byline in demand, the talking head every show wants to book, the voice that helps the country figure out what's really going on...
"...the voice that helps the country figure out what's really going on..." Words fail.
I wonder if Paula Abdul is one of the judges.
...If memory serves, you won, proving that good looks and charm win over brilliance and the ability to govern. And for the record? You are stupid...
Washington Post punditry is the third worst in the Universe. The second worst is that of the Faux News Channel. During a recitation by their Pundit Master Glenn Beck of his screed "Health Care Reform Is A Communist Plot Which Will Kill Your Grandma" four of his audience members died of internal hemorrhaging, and the President of the National Press Club survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. The very worst punditry in the universe was written by the stenographer of Kansas City....
The stenographer holds forth in the Kansas City Star on President Obama's Wednesday speech on health care to a joint session of Congress - referring to, among others, Emanuel Cleaver (D), Sam Graves (r), Bob Dole (r), John McCain (r), and Dennis Hastert (r) - and then coming to the brilliant conclusion:
...For me last week, our politics suddenly seemed off-kilter, out of sorts, utterly off-track. A system that had been suffering from out-of-control partisanship - from both sides - had finally hit a wall and broken into a hundred parts...
Suddenly? Uh, where has he been for the last twenty years?
Both? Ah yes, false equivalence.
Uh, how is Congressman Emanuel Cleaver's mind going to be changed by the speech? He supports the President's agenda. And asking the question somehow makes sense?
The agenda of the republicans in Congress is nothing more than obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. And asking them if their minds were changed by the speech is somehow relevant?
John McCain complained that the process hasn't been bipartisan. Really?
Bob Dole had a "bipartisan" health care plan? Really? Was it passed by unanimous assent and signed into law? If so, I guess that would make him a successful bipartisan politician when it comes to much needed comprehensive health care reform. I rest my case.
The stenographer citing the words or "legacies" of two Democrats and eight republicans tells us all we need to know. It's the republicans' and a stenographer's fantasy world, the rest of us only live in it.
Senators Mitch McConnell (r), John McCain (r), and Kit Bond (r) came to Kansas City on Monday for a closed (to the public) health care forum. They obviously weren't too interested in fielding questions from teabaggers.
The coverage in today's Kansas City Star was revealing. The dead trees headline in the Kansas City Edition, page B1:
HEALTH REFORM BLASTED IN KC: At Children's Mercy, three GOP senators say say compromise with Democrats hasn't been found
....The Republicans said they also were miffed at Democrats for not doing enough to include them in ongoing negotiations.
"So far, there's been no bipartisanship involved in reforming health care in America," McCain complained....
[emphasis added]
Okay, just hold on a minute there. Senator Claire McCaskill (D) stated in Jefferson City (and at three other town halls I attended):
....[18:40] And the other thing you can do there, which might be interesting, 'cause you're here and you obviously care very deeply, you might watch the live video, not live, it's taped video, of all the the mark up sessions in the [Senate] bill. Fifty-two hours of mark up sessions on the bill. Thirteen Democrats, ten Republicans. There were a lot of amendments, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds that were written up. There were about two hundred that were considered. Of the two hundred amendments that were considered and adopted on this bill in this fifty-two hours a hundred and sixty-seven of them were sponsored by the Republican members of the committee and thirty-one of them were sponsored by the Democratic members of the committee. So, there was [applause], there were really a bipartisan [crowd shouting], the interesting thing [voice, shouting: "What happened to the other thirty (inaudible)?"] there really was a bi, and you can watch it. You can go on and watch it. You don't have to read something that somebody else has written. You can go on and watch it live. You can see the Republican members offering the amendments. You can see the discussion. You can understand, maybe the, the thinking behind some of the amendments and why they were offering them. And it might be a way that you could see, face to face, what really happened in fifty-two hours of consideration on this bill, instead of some of the misinformation that's gotten out there [19:57]....
"...Of the two hundred amendments that were considered and adopted on this bill in this fifty-two hours a hundred and sixty-seven of them were sponsored by the Republican members of the committee and thirty-one of them were sponsored by the Democratic members of the committee...."
Someone other than a stenographer might try to reconcile those competing statements.
Warrensburg, MO -- Democratic candidate for 121st District State Representative Courtney Cole is calling on the legislature to remove political agendas and agree to a special session to focus on passing a badly needed jobs bill to put Missourians back to work.
