Weekend political video roundup
August 30, 2008 at 1:46 pm by Wayne GarciaLots of good videos to get caught up on this past week, with the DNC, McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin and primary elections. To get started, here is John McCain’s gracious and sincere message to Sen. Obama on the night of Obama’s nomination:
Vlogbrother’s introduction to Sarah Palin:
Gov. Palin on Glenn Beck, talking about “the polar bear lawsuit:”
Pat Buchanan <3 Obama’s speech:
Hotties <3 Obama:
“Democrats are devil-worshiping Satanists:”
“Jesus, Joe, why don’t you get a shovel?”
And finally, our No. 1 political video of the week:
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August 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Wayne, what’s up with the blackout on Cynthia McKinney? I understand she’s not considered a “viable” candidate just like everyone else who attempts a go from outside the 2 parties, but isn’t her campaign and message newsworthy? Especially for an “alternative” weekly? And isn’t the non-coverage of her self-perpetuated by the media? Her campaign is not news because it’s so marginal and it’s so marginal because no one wants to report on her unless she’s accused of hitting a security guard?! It’s disappointing.
The comments made during your liveblogging of the DNC make clear that there’s an understanding of how staged and transparent a spectacle the convention is, yet we critique the rhetoric like we would the performance of anyone else in showbiz. At least with McKinney, like her or not, we are getting something fresh and something that would resonate with many folks if they ever get the opportunity to hear about it. She’s black. She’s a woman (it’s the first All-Women of Color Presidential ticket in US history actually). And she knows how to ask tough questions that Obama’s not willing to. It’s McKinney who should have the so-called “hip-hop vote”, not Obama, but the “hip-hop vote” relies on mainstream news just like everyone else. I know you’re busy, but why isn’t there more analysis on how fucked up the two party system is?
Check out her out:
http://www.votetruth08.com
August 30th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
no news blackout on McKinney. Just for some background from the Atlanta CL from 2006:
4th congressional district
It’s time for McKinney to say goodbye, again
Cynthia McKinney may be the most contrarian voice in the U.S. House.
Along with many constituents, we admire her willingness to speak truth to power on issues such as Iraq, discrimination and environmental destruction. The lawmaker, who represents most of DeKalb County and parts of Rockdale and Gwinnett, was among the first to point to President Bush’s incompetence after 9/11, even as his approval ratings soared. After Hurricane Katrina, she called for a halt in federal funding for Louisiana jurisdictions that didn’t allow African-Americans to flee from New Orleans to a mostly white suburb.
But McKinney often undermines her effectiveness by either overstating her case or by miring herself in combative personal issues that place her own ego ahead of the district. While she wasn’t indicted for allegedly hitting a Capitol Hill cop, the recent incident didn’t exactly model great leadership. Few Democratic or African-American colleagues bothered to rally to her side — a testament to the broadening sense that her embarrassing behavior does more good for Republicans than for her own party.
Case in point: The AJC pushed far more significant news of the indictment of former GOP leader Tom DeLay off the front page in favor of McKinney’s sensational cop-wallop escapade.
After losing her seat in 2002, McKinney regained it two years later with an impressive thumping of a crowded, well-financed field. It’s unlikely that the congresswoman will be dislodged in the Democratic primary, and the primary essentially serves as the election because the district contains so few Republicans.
District residents have a reasonable alternative, however, in former DeKalb Commissioner Hank Johnson (another Democrat, John Coyne, neither lives in the district nor has the appropriate experience). Johnson, a criminal defense attorney, is as soft-spoken and methodical as McKinney is charismatic and abrasive. But he holds similar — although occasionally more moderate — positions on issues like the environment, transportation, taxes and the Iraq War. Most importantly, he’s less likely to burn political capital on dead-end controversies or such quixotic campaigns as McKinney’s effort to make public the files of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A93494
August 30th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
and from ATL CL in 2001, this headline and subhed:
Is U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney an embarrassment to her post?
Yes. Asking if McKinney is an embarrassment is like asking if the sky is blue or if Atlanta traffic stinks
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/is_u_s_rep_cynthia_mckinney_an_embarrassment_to_her_post_/Content?oid=6788
August 30th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Watch what Ken Wilber has to say about an integral, four-way politics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv7R19xL9Is
August 30th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
You’re pointing out two several year old smear campaign articles as proof there’s no media blackout of Cynthia McKinney?
Can’t you do any better than that?
It would seem that this smattering of old negative press seems to confirm a thesis of deliberate marginalization of the woman and her ideas by the press. Especially
as most pundits will simply echo
those pre-stated opinions rather than conducting their own research, or -god forbid- actually interview the woman.
Are you agreeing with the Atlanta papers’ positions?
Is their word is good enough for you and the rest of your peers?
“End of story” and “Nothing to see here”.
I guess, though, its better to have your character assassinated in print than end up like Paul Wellstone.
But either method is effective enough to prevent the type of change needed to cure our oil and war addicted culture.
I suppose you think Dennis Kucinich is too short to be presidential material as well.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Wayne,
Those articles you linked to are from long BEFORE McKinney announced she is running for the President of the United States and one was an editorial from a guy who obviously hates her guts and thinks Giuliani is the bee’s knees. Perhaps I should have mentioned that I’m feeling a general blackout on her campaign FOR PRESIDENT, not her house seat.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:17 am
what i meant was there is no blackout, in terms of we all sat down and said, “hey guys, there is NO way we are writing about Cynthia McKinney.” but tell me, how do journalists, with limited time on their hands, write about the myriad candidates running (libertarian, reform, green, etc.) who have zero chance of being an actual president? and don’t give the me the old saw “well of course they won’t win if nobody writes about them” because that is not the reason they won’t win. So are their ideas so interesting or their positions so influential that we should take the time to discuss them? each minor party candidate has a fascinating story and an alternative view, but where do we draw the line and/or find the time to get to all of them when I find my main mission to cover local politics?
just asking
August 31st, 2008 at 10:21 am
Populista — no, I think Dennis Kucinich’s experience, personality and issues are the reasons he won’t ever be elected president.
And again, I repeat that of course there is media conspiracy not to write about McKinney’s presidential bid. This is the first interest I have heard about it at all, and I promise to look at her campaign further, I’m not locking her out. but to attribute a blackout conspiracy to the MSM or the alt world is just beyond the pale. We make news judgments every day, and sometimes we are right and sometimes we are wrong, but I try to find the most interesting, most relevant and most needed info out there to give to people. Sometimes the criteria is that it is just the most entertaining. But i don’t have a news blackout list. Although I am thinking about having one and putting Max Linn on it
August 31st, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Wayne,
I’m using the term blackout loosely not accusing you personally of being a part of some “conspiracy” not to report on lesser known candidates. However, I do suspect certain national news outlets have a specific policy not to cover candidates like McKinney for some of the very reasons that you state (and when they do get covered, it’s rarely objectively). Whether it’s purposeful or unconscious, the result is the same: she’s not getting coverage and that deprives people of choices which ultimately damages democracy. It’s a systemic bias inherit in the kind of society we live in which is why I’m brazen enough to expect the alt world to look elsewhere and dig deeper than the mainstream media does. It’s your responsibility not to ape the same stories they report and report on ad nauseam.
You ask: “So are their ideas so interesting or their positions so influential that we should take the time to discuss them?” Unequivocally, the answer is YES. Especially in a media sphere where so much time and energy is consistently devoted to bullshit tabloid fluff like Paris and Britney. And when it comes to dumbing us down, I certainly think there IS a conspiracy in certain areas of the msm. Do you remember the internal memo from the AP that advised all to make sure that everything that Britney does is a big deal?? What about Kucinich getting shut out of debates and “narrowing the field” to those accepted by the establishment? If, as you state, Kucinich will never get elected because of his personality and experience, what’s the harm in letting him answer some questions and blather on a bit at a debate? Wasn’t Obama initially considered a long shot next to Hillary? How does Sarah Palin’s experience compare to Kucinich? If McCain (God forbid) were to win and then croak we’re gonna have this gun-toting beauty queen running the show? Something is very wrong here man.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
By the way, I’m writing this from St. Paul, where I’ll be all week hanging out in the streets and sneaking into parties and trying not to get arrested (again). Generally, I’ll be creatively loafing with my video camera amidst the chaos. As I reported on the last 2 RNC’s for this paper, I was hoping to continue the tradition but havnt heard back from Mr. Warner about credentials and sending updates here. Any news on that?