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Forum Post: It’s the Media, Stupid! STUPID!

Posted 10 years ago on April 29, 2013, 9:17 p.m. EST by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

It’s the Media, Stupid!

April 26, 2013 | http://consortiumnews.com/2013/04/26/its-the-media-stupid/

Exclusive: Rich right-wingers, including the Koch Brothers and Rupert Murdoch, are eying the purchase of the Los Angeles Times and other major regional newspapers to create an even bigger platform for their propaganda, a media strategy that dates back several decades, as Robert Parry explains.

*[And controlling the media works: as a recent poll revealed, the culpability for the horrendous effects and continuing repercussions from the Bush-Cheney years is fading in America's poorly informed collective mind. Already a man on the street survey would list Raygun equally a saint and a founding father. Meanwhile, media coverage of the GOP sabotage and hostage taking of our government is replaced by the failure of Obama and Dems. And the right, with it's Big Media owners, campaigning in disguise as betrayed and outraged leftists, have contrived a both parties the same trend, which some frustrated, confused, disenfranchised, easily misled, and stupid follow in betrayal-retribution, believing ~ what the right and the 1% want most of all ~ that government/democracy is futile. Be aware the right, having lost two major elections despite massive election fraud, are hoping media omission and disinformation will result in one more 2010. After which further gerrymandering, deregulation and more SCOTUS CU laws will save the 1%-owned GOP from the McCarthyism/Bircherism (hopefully Raygunism soon) dumpster of evil RW American political history.]

By Robert Parry

The U.S. news media was never “liberal.” At most, you could say there were periods in the not-too-distant past when the major newspapers did a better job of getting the facts straight. There also was an “underground” press which published some scoops that the mainstream media avoided.

So, reporters revealed the evils of racial segregation in the 1950s and 1960s; war correspondents exposed some of the cruel violence of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s; major newspapers defied the U.S. government in printing the leaked history of that war in 1971; the Washington Post uncovered some (though clearly not all) of Richard Nixon’s political crimes in 1972-74; and the New York Times led the way in publicizing some of the CIA’s dirty history in the mid-1970s.

While such work surely offended the Right and many parts of the Establishment, the stories had a common element: they were true. They were not, in that sense, “liberal” or “conservative” or “centrist.” They were simply accurate – and they helped spur America’s other democratic institutions to life, from protests in the streets to pressures on the courts to citizens lobbying government officials.

It was that resurgence of participatory democracy that was the real fear for those who held entrenched power, whether in the segregationist South or inside the wood-paneled rooms of Wall Street banks and big corporations. Thus, there developed a powerful pushback that sought to both hold the line on additional (and possibly even more damaging) disclosures of wrongdoing and to reassert control of the channels of information that influenced how the American people saw the world.

In that context, one of the most effective propaganda strategies was to brand honest journalism as “liberal” [or partisan] and to smear honest journalists as “anti-American.” That way many Americans would doubt the accurate information that they were hearing and discard many real facts as bias.

As a journalist for the Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s, I encountered these hardball tactics while covering the Reagan administration as it sought to manage the perceptions of the American people mostly by hyping external threats (from Managua to Moscow) and demonizing some internal groups (from “welfare queens” to labor unions).

Reagan’s men described one of their central goals as “kicking the Vietnam Syndrome,” that is, the resistance among the American people to be drawn into another overseas conflict based on deceptions.

The Air Waves War

But the key to their success was to gain control of as much of the U.S. news media as possible – through direct ownership by like-minded right-wingers or by appeals to senior news executives to adopt a more “patriotic” posture or by intimidation of those who wouldn’t toe the line.

The tactics worked like a charm – and were aided by a simultaneous shift on the Left toward selling off or shutting down much of the Vietnam-era “underground” press and instead concentrating on local organizing around local issues, “think globally, act locally,” as the slogan went.

This combination of factors essentially gave the Right and conservative elements of the Establishment dominance of the news. Like an army that controlled the skies, it could fly out and carpet-bomb pretty much anyone who got in the way, whether a politician, a journalist or a citizen. No truth-teller was safe from sudden obliteration.

The Right’s success could be measured at different mileposts in the process, such as the Republican containment of the Iran-Contra scandal in 1987 and President George H.W. Bush’s pronouncement after crushing the out-matched Iraqi army in 1991 that “we’ve kicked the Vietnam Syndrome once and for all.”

This new media reality – as it expanded through the 1990s and into the new century – meant that the Right could put nearly any propaganda theme into play and count on millions of Americans buying it. Thus, President George W. Bush could make up excuses to invade Iraq in 2003 and face shockingly little media resistance.

Eventually a few voices emerged on the Internet and at some lower-rung news outlets to challenge Bush’s case for war but they could be easily discredited or ignored. It took Bush’s disastrous handling of the Iraq War and other domestic and foreign crises to finally put a wrench in this right-wing propaganda machine.

However, the overall dynamic hasn’t changed. Yes, MSNBC – after failing in its attempt to be as right-wing as Fox News – veered leftward and found some ratings success in offering “liberal” assessments on domestic politics (though still avoiding any serious challenge to the Establishment’s views on foreign policy).

There also are some feisty Internet sites that do challenge the conventional wisdom in support of U.S. interventionism abroad, but nearly all are severely underfunded and have limited reach into the broad American population.

Buying Up Newspapers

And, the likelihood now is that the Right will consolidate its dominance of the U.S. news media in the years ahead. In the very near future, some of the country’s most prominent regional newspapers may fall under the control of right-wing ideologues like Rupert Murdoch or the Koch Brothers.

Koch Industries, a privately owned oil and gas giant which has provided the means for Charles and David Koch to lavishly fund libertarian think tanks and Tea Party organizations, is now exploring a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel, the Hartford Courant and the Chicago Tribune, according to a report in the New York Times last Sunday.

By buying the Tribune newspapers, the Koch Brothers would give themselves another strong platform for delivering volleys of right-wing propaganda and wreaking havoc on political adversaries. I remember in my days covering Capitol Hill being told that what a congressman fears most is the determined opposition of the hometown newspaper.

Another expected bidder, at least for the Los Angeles Times, is media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who already owns Fox News and powerful newspapers in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Wall Street Journal.

On the other side of the bidding are some liberal-oriented businessmen eying the Los Angeles Times, but it is not clear if they can compete with the fat wallets of the Koch Brothers and Murdoch. The New York Times reported that Koch Industries might have an edge in the competition because it would take over all eight newspapers at once.

Some on the Left mock the idea of investing in the “dinosaur” industry of newspaper publishing and question the value of owning even some of these prestigious names in American journalism. It is certainly true that those newspapers have declined in recent years due to poor management and shifts in advertising dollars.

But they still influence how people in those metropolitan areas learn about the world. The newspapers also help set the news agenda for local TV stations and bloggers. The Baltimore Sun, for instance, produced some of the most important reporting on the Reagan administration’s human rights crimes in Central America, as well as publishing groundbreaking stories about domestic spying under George W. Bush.

Yes, some of these newspapers have disgraced themselves in recent decades, such as the Los Angeles Times’ shameful attacks on journalist Gary Webb after he revived the Reagan administration’s Contra-cocaine scandal in the late 1990s. [See Robert Parry’s Lost History.]

But Internet sites – even ones like Consortiumnews.com with a strong interest in doing investigative journalism – lack the financial resources and the editorial support to carry out those kinds of costly investigative projects, at least with any regularity.

Without major investments by honest Americans in honest journalism – whether the Old Media of print or the New Media of electronics – the United States will continue to drift into a made-up world of right-wing paranoia and pretend facts. And that is a danger for the entire planet.

Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his new book, America’s Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com).

(Continued:)

10 Comments

10 Comments


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[-] 3 points by redandbluestripedpill (333) 10 years ago

Another way in which occupy missed the boat. Whatever media attention occupy got, was wasted on demands rather than unifying America around protection of the rights that occupy was using. Then the demands turn out to be secondary to ignoring the constitution.;-(wtf)

[-] -3 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

...and the ripped cardboard and crayon signs, the Woodstock Reenactments and the lack of media awareness.

[-] 2 points by redandbluestripedpill (333) 10 years ago

Could it be a new definition of " socialism"? Where another generation thinks that the. "ripped cardboard and crayon signs, the Woodstock Reenactments and the lack of media awareness" automatically create change?

[-] -2 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

Could it?

[-] 0 points by redandbluestripedpill (333) 10 years ago

Yes, it appears socially controlled, rather than control by any capacity for reason the 99% can find or interact with. The group think aspect makes a pretty good "ism".

[-] -1 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

quadrupidism?

[Removed]

[-] -1 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

MSNBC's Alter Traces An Alex Jones Conspiracy Theory Up The Right-Wing Media "Food Chain"

http://www.mediamatters.org/video/2013/04/30/msnbcs-alter-traces-an-alex-jones-conspiracy-th/193844

Conspiracy theories reach the halls of Congress

Senator James Inhofe, R- Okla., has introduced a bill that's rooted in the conspiracy theory that the government is "stockpiling" ammuntion to "violate our Second Amendment rights."

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/all-in-/51725186#51725186

Poll: Many Americans uninformed about health care overhaul, some don't know it's law

As the Obama administration girds for “glitches and bumps” along the path to full implementation of the health-care law, a new poll indicates many Americans are still unclear about the details of the new law and, in some cases, unaware it’s actually law of the land.

A whopping 42 percent of Americans do not know that the Affordable Care Act is, in fact, law. Included in that 42 percent -- 12 percent believe it has been repealed by Congress, 7 percent think the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it, and 23 percent are unsure of its status, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll.

For the record, no portion of the law has been repealed; and the Supreme Court upheld it last summer in a 5-4 decision.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/30/17988277-poll-many-americans-uninformed-about-health-care-overhaul-some-dont-know-its-law

[-] -3 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

(Continued:)

10 comments on “It’s the Media, Stupid!”

Lynne on April 26, 2013 at 2:19 pm said:

I have always believed the corporate right realized the power of controlling the message and have been building a powerful vertical infrastructure for the last 3 decades starting with the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 86…No coincidence that RUSH came on the scene in 87 Joseph Goebbels recipe(paraphrased) You can control a people any where at any time by doing 3 things

  1. Always have an enemy (GOVT, Obama, illegals, gays etc)
  2. Always be the UBER Patriot (see Tea Party group names or listen to Fox and AM RADIO)
  3. Always have the means to saturate and repeat and repeat and repeat your message until it becomes the “truth” (see talk radio) It may be old technology but over 20 million listen DAILY Reply ↓

Frances in California on April 26, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:

Your observations are astute, Lynne: The only hope lies in the verticality. All Empires crash – this one will be no exception. The problem is, we’re underneath them. Reply ↓

F. G. Sanford on April 26, 2013 at 3:50 pm said:

It may be difficult to swallow, but Americans may have to face the reality that mediocrity and willful ignorance have become the norm in our society. If the Kochs can buy these papers and keep them in circulation, it just proves they have a better handle on America’s sentiments than those of us who find the idea repulsive. The great conceptual fallacy of the “Occupy” movement was the idea that it represented 99% of anything, let alone the political mood of the country. Of course, the delusional notion that anything could succeed without stating goals, aims or a strategy didn’t help. Nobody bothered to look into the bankrupt ideology of its feckless progenitor, David Graeber. No social movement succeeds without disrupting something. Just ‘being there” was Occupy’s apparent strategy. Thousands of people volunteered to get bludgeoned, brutalized, pepper sprayed and arrested for no specific goal. Those memories, in conjunction with the visual impact accomplished by the lockdown of Boston by martial law, have solidified in the public psyche the futility of the “right to assembly” and the “redress of grievances”. Unions once wielded power because they could exact a financial toll by stopping production. The Kochs have thus taken great pains to subvert unions, and the electorate, mind you, voted for the politicians that helped them do it. America, my friends, appears to despise even what little is left of its own freedom. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t keep voting against its own interests. If “Occupy” actually represented even 50% of anything, it could have bankrupted McDonalds, or CitiBank, or WalMart, or Kentucky Fried Chicken. It could have picked a minimum wage sweatshop and boycotted it nation-wide. With the political clout that would have inspired, it would have gotten immediate media attention. Jackass politicians fighting over gay marriage and gun laws instead of unemployed, sick, and poverty stricken Americans would have been trembling in their collective alligator shoes. Instead, Americans will likely be reading about the shortage of beds in “for profit” prisons and the need for more assault weapons, helicopters and armored military vehicles to maintain law and order in our crumbling cities. They’ll be reading about that in the Koch Brothers’ newspapers, because what Americans REALLY love is not their freedom. What they REALLY love is seeing somebody punished for being less fortunate than they are. If I’m wrong, they’ll simply boycott those newspapers…but don’t count on it. Reply ↓

FoonTheElder on April 26, 2013 at 4:16 pm said:

The Kochs don’t buy these to run them profitably. They run them as a propaganda tool to prop up their other interests that give them much more money and power than they would ever get from the newspaper business. They already own the state government of Kansas.

Also, media is not there to inform or entertain. It is there to sell advertising, mostly to big right wing corporations. Who better to sell advertising to the right wing than another of their fellow propagandists (see Fox News & Fox Street Journal).

It’s difficult to boycott monopolies and oligopolies when they are the only game in town. In almost all cases there’s no difference between any of them when it comes to product or treatment of suppliers, customers and employees. Reply ↓

F. G. Sanford on April 26, 2013 at 4:23 pm said:

Like I said, don’t count on it.
Reply ↓

Angelo on April 26, 2013 at 3:53 pm said:

Great comment Lynn, perfect and to the point.

I always felt the media was in the back pocket of Washington. AM radio became their launching pad for the right when it began to change in the mid 80′s. How many times can you call the media liberal. Look who owns the media today, that should say it all. Reply ↓

Rehmat on April 28, 2013 at 8:25 am said:

Koch and Murdoch want to make sure that there is no independent news media to challenge the Jewish lobby’s grip over westerners’ minds.

Two years ago, the disgraced Israel-Firster media tycoon, Rupert Murdoch, was honored by one of America’s top Israel lobby groups, ADL, for his “stalwart support of Israel and his commitment to promoting respect and speaking out against anti-Semitism”.

Christopher Bollyn claimed in 2003 that Murdoch has Zionist Jewish family roots and he had prior knowledge of 9/11.

In June 2012, former British prime minister Tony Blair’s ex-communications director, Alastair Campbell claimed in his diaries published by British daily The Guardian – that Murdoch called Blair on March 11, 2003 – eight days before US invasion of Iraq – urging him not to do anything that could delay the start of the invasion (for Israel).

Campbell said that Murdoch had pledged that News International — the division which runs his British newspapers — would support Britain if it backed the United States on the issue….

http://rehmat1.com/2012/06/17/alastair-campbell-murdoch-pushed-blair-into-iraq-war/ Reply ↓

Marty on April 28, 2013 at 5:35 pm said:

Forget this latest attempt to control ALL forms of information. This shit started back in the 70′s with a lot of people associated to the Nixon admin. The big money “men” all figured out that in order to win and HOLD power they had to control ALL the messaging. They started the think tanks, the big money mailing lists, the religious right AND the education system with finally the media. We ARE now a fascist state. The interesting for many of you to watch for now is the exodus of academics, professionals and skilled workers to other countries. I really hate to compare anything recently happening in this country to another regime/time, BUT an awful, awful of stuff that has been happening for the last 30-40 yrs looks like Germany in the 30′s.

It was fun while it lasted folks. Reply ↓

Bernice Vetsch on April 29, 2013 at 10:36 am said:

Might you, Mr. Parry, be able to contact Mr. Soros’s foundation to see if they would purchase the Tribune Company (which comprises not just the LA and Chicago papers, but several smaller ones and a number of TV stations) in order to help halt the spread of Foxification that has already infected so much of our media?

The foundation’s purpose is to support a free press all over the world, which surely includes America. THANK YOU for your article. Reply ↓

Marion Aird on April 29, 2013 at 1:26 pm said:

“The power of the press belongs to those who own one.” -H.L. Menken

Here’s hoping the power of the internet will hold off the vultures. [and Trolls]

[-] -2 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

Video: http://billmoyers.com/segment/norman-ornstein-and-thomas-mann-explain-why-congress-is-failing-us/

The Washington Post: Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.

By Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, Published: April 27, 2012

Rep. Allen West, a Florida Republican, was recently captured on video asserting that there are “78 to 81” Democrats in Congress who are members of the Communist Party. Of course, it’s not unusual for some renegade lawmaker from either side of the aisle to say something outrageous. What made West’s comment — right out of the McCarthyite playbook of the 1950s — so striking was the almost complete lack of condemnation from Republican congressional leaders or other major party figures, including the remaining presidential candidates.

It’s not that the GOP leadership agrees with West; it is that such extreme remarks and views are now taken for granted.

We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.

When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal constructively with the country’s challenges.

“Both sides do it” or “There is plenty of blame to go around” are the traditional refuges for an American news media intent on proving its lack of bias, while political scientists prefer generality and neutrality when discussing partisan polarization. Many self-styled bipartisan groups, in their search for common ground, propose solutions that move both sides to the center, a strategy that is simply untenable when one side is so far out of reach.

(Continued:)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-just-say-it-the-republicans-are-the-problem/2012/04/27/gIQAxCVUlT_story.html

Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann Explain Why Congress is Failing Us

April 26, 2013

Political scholars Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann tell Bill that Congress’ failure to make progress on gun control last week — despite support for background checks from 90% of the American public — is symptomatic of a legislative branch reduced to dysfunction, partisan ravings and obstruction.

A year ago, the two — who had strong reputations as non-partisan analysts – decided to speak truth to power with their book It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism. In it, they argue that congressional gridlock is mostly the fault of right wing radicals within the Republican Party who engage in “policy hostage-taking” to extend their political war against the president.

What’s more, Ornstein and Mann say, the mainstream media and media fact-checkers add to the problem by indulging in “false equivalency” — pretending both parties are equally to blame.

“Sadly, divided party government, which we have because of the Republican House, in a time of extreme partisan polarization, is a formula for inaction and absolutist opposition politics, not for problem solving,” Mann tells Bill.

Ornstein says, “Some of this is coming from the kinds of people who we’re electing to office, through a nominating process that has gotten so skewed to the radical right. But some of it is an electoral magnet that pulls them away from voting for anything that might have a patina of bipartisan support because they’ll face extinction.”

(Continued:)

http://billmoyers.com/segment/norman-ornstein-and-thomas-mann-explain-why-congress-is-failing-us/

[-] -1 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy: Plot To Sabotage US Economy with Frank Luntz [and unreported]

by keepemhonestFollow: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/08/1098434/-Eric-Cantor-Paul-Ryan-Kevin-McCarthy-Plot-To-Sabotage-US-Economy-with-Frank-Luntz

On January 20, 2009 Republican Leaders in Congress literally plotted to sabotage and undermine U.S. Economy during President Obama's Inauguration.

In Robert Draper's book, "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives" Draper wrote that during a four hour, "invitation only" meeting with GOP Hate-Propaganda Minister, Frank Luntz, the below listed Senior GOP Law Writers literally plotted to sabotage, undermine and destroy America's Economy.

**The Guest List:**

Frank Luntz - GOP Minister of Propaganda
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA),
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA),
Sen. Jim DeMint (SC-R),
Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ-R),
Sen. Tom Coburn (OK-R),
Sen. John Ensign (NV-R) and
Sen. Bob Corker (TN-R).

Non-lawmakers present Newt Gingrich

During the four hour meeting:

The senior GOP members plotted to bring Congress to a standstill regardless how much it would hurt the American Economy by pledging to obstruct and block President Obama on all legislation.

These Republican members of Congress were not simply airing their complaints regarding the other party's political platform for four long hours. No, these Republican Congressional Policymakers, who were elected to do 'the People's work' were literally plotting to sabotage, undermine and destroy the U.S. Economy.

Mitt Romney, who has hired most of Bush/Cheney Policy Advisers, and the GOP party believe they can defeat President Obama, take control of the Senate and maintaining control of the House of Representatives so long as the economic recovery stalls. So they are actively trying to make it happen ... and that's what hate-propaganda Minister Frank Luntz had in mind when he organized the January 20, 2009 covert meeting.

Republicans do not pay Frank Luntz to offer ideas for good policy to help America, rather, Republicans pay Luntz' to devise lies that will keep Americans dumb and ignorant to facts on policy. For decades Republicans have paid Frank Luntz to tell them (Republicans) what to say in order to brainwash 'the People' with lies and hate to destroy policy.

Luntz does not use words to merely have Americans "change their minds." Rather, Frank Luntz uses words intentionally to dumb-down Americans and fill them with lies and hate so as to brainwash and program Americans to hate a given policy.

Frank Luntz, like many Hate-Propaganda Ministers, loathes the notion of honesty in debate. Also, like many Hate-Propaganda Ministers, Frank Luntz wants total control ... total control even it if means destroying America. So, Luntz uses the tactics similar to Joseph Goebbels: spread hate, lies and fear in order to gain control. (More on Frank Luntz at the end of this Diary).

Remember, for months prior to January 20, 2009, America had been losing over 750,000 jobs per month because of policies these same elected Republican lawmakers had enacted and their goal, their goal that night, was to plot ways to sabotage and undermine any and all legislation that would pull American families up and out of the economic calamity they [lawmakers] had helped create.

Two months after their covert meeting where they plotted to sabotage the US Economy, in March 2009, Rep. Pete Sessions said Republicans should follow the model of the Taliban in its battles against President Obama.

In the March 2009 interview with National Journal Rep Sessions said:

"Taliban Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban. Insurgency is the way they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes. And these Taliban -- is an example of how you go about to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that Insurgency may be required when [dealing with] the other side"

~Rep Pete Sessions, March 2009 to National Journal

Rep Pete Sessions went on to say:

"If they [democrats] do not give us those options or opportunities then we will then become Insurgency ... I think Insurgency is a mindset and an attitude that we're going to have to search for and find ways to get our message out and to be prepared to see things for what they are, rather than trying to do something about them"

Also, at their meeting they plotted to suddenly stop supporting any Stimulus Legislation, even though, they all supported Bush/Cheney Stimulus legislation.

At the meeting, Rep Kevin McCarthy said, "We've gotta challenge them on every single bill."

"Show united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies."

Remember, these same Republican members of Congress supported the very Bush/Cheney policies that caused America to teeter on the brink of the 2nd Great Depression and caused the 2007 US Economic Meltdown.

Here's how they all voted:

-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney January 2008 Stimulus
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney bailing out Bear Stern
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney bailing out AIG
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney TARP (sept 2008)
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney TARP (oct 2008)

And these same Republican members of Congress:

Supported Bush/Cheney keeping cost of two wars out of the Budget.

Supported Bush/Cheney spending $4Trillion while giving Top 1% Tax Cuts; ignoring the fact that taxes pay for wars.

Not only did these Senior members of Congress plot to destroy the American Economy more than it already was destroyed? They actually carried out their mission:

Every one of these Senior members of Congress have threatened Government Shutdown over things like:

  • Funding planned parenthood,

  • Raising the Debt Ceiling which, in-and-of-itself, would cause US Economic turmoil.

... oh, and stay current, these same House GOP members of Congress are still, today, threatening a Government Shutdown again over the Debt Ceiling [And Sequester].

Last year, during the Debt Ceiling negotiations, Eric Cantor and Sen. Jon Kyl abruptly walked out of negotiations and refused to renew discussions with Democrats. As a result, America's credit rating was lowered which put a smile on Republican's faces.

Senators: Jim DeMint, Jon Kyl, Tom Coburn, John Ensign, and Bob Corker have:

  • Filibustered more Bills (over 300) than any Congress combined in US History.

  • Voted NO on every single piece of Legislation brought to the Floor including:

    NO on Al Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment, NO on Lilly Ledbetter, NO on Fair Pay Act, NO on Anti-Outsourcing Bill (2010)

How in the hell could any thinking American be against those Bills? Seriously?!?

Representatives: Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Pete Sessions, Jeb Hensarling, Pete Hoekstra and Dan Lungren have voted NO on every single piece of Legislation including:

NO on increasing FEMA during natural disasters.

[NO on closing GITMO.]

These same failed Congressmen have been on TV constantly chanting the lie that they were guilty of ... the lie that "President Obama's policies undermine the US Economy."

Currently: Republicans Using the Transportation Bill to Sabotage the US Economy:

If the current Transportation Bill expires June 30, there will be no funding for transportation projects and 1.9 million construction workers would lose their jobs. Eric Cantor and Republicans in the House are refusing to act because Republicans would be overjoyed if almost two million Americans were added to the unemployment rolls this summer before the election.

Other Legislation used to sabotage US Economy

Republicans in Congress refused to negotiate or even discuss passing President Obama's American Jobs Act that independent economists claim would create 1.3 million new jobs. God forbid Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan or Kevin McCarthy support an actual Bill that would put people to work building needed infrastructure and provide funds to pay to rehire hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public service workers that have been laid off in droves by cash-starved states.

Republicans are gearing up block President Obama's 2012 Anti-Outsourcing Bill - which is a Bill to discourage the outsourcing of American jobs, which is due to come to the Senate floor around the fourth of July.

The Washington Post reports that Republicans have made it clear that the Federal Reserve would face fierce Republican criticism if it takes further actions to stimulate the economy before the election. The Washington Post wrote that,

Republicans... have expressed deep concern about measures taken by the Fed to support the economy -- and could be doubly upset if new efforts goose the stock market and are perceived to work in favor of President Obama's re-election.

Frank Luntz

Like I said above, Republicans do not pay Luntz to offer ideas for good policy to help America, rather, Republicans pay Luntz' to devise lies will keep Americans dumb and ignorant to facts on policy. For decades Republicans (Continued:) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/08/1098434/-Eric-Cantor-Paul-Ryan-Kevin-McCarthy-Plot-To-Sabotage-US-Economy-with-Frank-Luntz