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Debate or debacle

I'm usually the money-in-politics guy, but I can't resist.  Add me to the list of so many observers who found last night's Democratic debate a grotesque affront to productive political discourse.  I won't go into the details; the whole thing, on the eve of a critical primary in what has been a remarkable, impassioned, inspiring presidential season, was devoid of almost any discussion of issues that Americans care about and that affect people across the country: health care; our foreign policy; the economy and the housing crisis; etc.  Instead we were served warmed-over "gotcha" questions that were tired fare to begin with: a pin on your lapel, he-said she-said, nonsense.

It's fitting, then, that Katie's post below highlights Democracy Now! and, more broadly, the need for a diversity of voices in our media.

If there's one thing last night's debate showed, it wasn't about either candidate, it was that we need more voices in our media because the ones we've got sure aren't doing the job and our whole democracy suffers for it.


Tags: election 08, media reform, barack obama, hillary clinton, abc news (all tags)


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Democrats at their best

Was it any surprise that the campaigning has gone like this within the Democratic party. The Democratic Party is built on racism against whites, sexism against men and censorship.  

Similar to Common Cause which censors members who say anything against the writers on this site(anyone else notice that most of the people that spoke out against Common Cause's bias have seemed to disappear, could it be that they censor their accounts so they can no longer post comments?).

Anyways, I'm sure my comments will get removed in time or my account will be shut off so I can no longer point out how Josh Zaharoff and his buddies lie about being non-partisan, when post after post demostrates that Josh and his crew are all liberals and are lying to you and I, in order to get you to vote for the Democratic candidate.

 

by MusicofIndia on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 02:37:32 AM EST


comments

MusicofIndia, you're not being censored, but I'm not sure what you're trying to prove.  I don't see how anything in my post indicates that I'm trying to get you to support a Democrat; your comment suggests that you're not actually reading what I write, but merely looking for a couple keywords -- "Democrats," "Obama," "Clinton" -- and assuming that I've got some secret agenda.

As it happens, the Democratic primary race is the single biggest political event taking place in this country, so how different entities -- the media, small donors, special interests, political elites -- interact with that race is critical to how our democracy functions (or in the case of the debate this week, dysfunctions).

by Josh Zaharoff on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:14:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]


It's time to do something about it.

Josh got straight to the point. The bottom line is we need more voices in the media.

When only a few voices are in charge of putting feet to the fire and their main goal has become profit instead of working for the public interest while making a living, there is no incentive for stirring good public debate.

Check out how ABC responded to the criticism.

*Take Action

by Katie Fleming on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 03:42:03 PM EST


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