01/15/2009 12:25:22 AM EST

Blaming the blamers

posted by yturks


In this video, Cenk ridicules Bush for what appears to be an attitude that his popularity is low because the economy happened to deteriorate toward the end of his term, with no recognition that his policies are largely to blame for the sudden economic downturn.  I concur with this ridicule.  You see this attitude in many of these "exit interviews".  But the same ridicule should go to the people on the other side of the room, the news media people asking the questions.  

These interviewers are very proud of themselves for mildly challenging Bush now by asking him if he feels some sense of responsibility for what has gone wrong, but they lack recognition that they failed to discuss these issues thoroughly and repeatedly WHILE the Republicans were implementing their destructive policies and taking the country down this path.

If it's a surprise to anybody that "all of a sudden" we have an economic crisis, we're stuck in losing wars in faraway lands, lost an American city, destroyed the global reputation of the United States, allowed environmental destruction to increase wildly, are flooded with dangerous imports and have a government that spies on its citizens and tortures people around the world, it's because these incompetents didn't expose the causes of these problems and discuss them thoroughly enough while it was all happening.

We need a National Truth and Reconciliation Committee charged not with figuring out "how we got here" but with understanding "how the establishment is collectively responsible for letting Republicans get us into this mess."

David

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Blaming the blamers | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
Why, David (none / 0)
Why can't you bring this sort of bitterness to your movie reviews? You should bring this sort of scorn and derision with you into the theaters when you watch Yes Man or Twilight, or whatever it is you watch

by Perry on 01/15/2009 02:07:06 AM EST

And... (none / 0)
lolenny

by Perry on 01/15/2009 02:08:03 AM EST

[ Parent ]
re (none / 0)
I think Sen Feingold gave an accurate response to the issues you mentioned:  Priority #1 - Restore the Rule of Law.

by sfinneganus on 01/15/2009 09:11:08 AM EST

I completely agree (none / 0)
I saw David Gregory on the Daily Show last week smugly asking John Stewart what he was going to do now that he no longer has a human dart board in GWB to poke fun at. Stewart's reply was "we're a comedy show". What hacks like Gregory don't seem to grasp is that Stewart is a media critic, not a partisan hatchet-man. Unfortunately the media and congress remain as broken as ever, with no relief in sight. Stewart's job is safe.

by hazmat on 01/15/2009 09:58:36 AM EST

Hmm (none / 0)
Oreilly tried to point that out once, that he acted like a partisan Hatchet man, but said that its cause he wasn't a real news show.

by nmaks on 01/15/2009 05:51:34 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I completely agree Dave (none / 0)
The funny thing is, Cenk STRONGLY agrees as you can see from this 2006 TYT clip.

The media failed us.

by Tom Hanc on 01/15/2009 12:39:40 PM EST

A suggestion Dave... (none / 0)

Give them a tax credit if they plead guilty.


by MRFred on 01/15/2009 01:34:29 PM EST

Much Needed Post (none / 0)
Lately I've been thinking a lot about some of the things you wrote.  Recently I've been frustrated by the media, even some of my favorite hosts (Uygur, Maddow, Olbermann) when they go on a Bush bashing frenzy as we near the end of an era.  Personally I think the three hosts I mentioned have free reign to criticize Bush since they have been fighting the fight all along, however, in my mind the President is simply a mirror into the American soul.  

The majority of Americans/media sat back and let our country get ran into the ground by an incompetent, ill-intentioned Administration.  Sure I may of written a few blogs, posted some videos, and attended some anti-war rallies, but I still find myself 100% guilty.  I really hope next time, I'll be prepared to do more.  

by rev24 on 01/15/2009 02:18:54 PM EST

A National Truth and Reconciliation Committee??? (none / 1)
Is that anything like "The Committee on Un-American Activities" - Ok Dave McCarthy, who gets blacklisted? All of those politicians with R's by their names? All evangelicals? All who support the troops? - You Liberals might think you know your history, but you sure as Hell don't understand it! - Obama isn't going to prosecute Bush, because he doesn't want the next Republican doing an anal exam on his record in office - Just deal with it, Democrats, you had your chance to nail Bush in 2007 and you blew it! :)

by bobo1 on 01/15/2009 06:17:21 PM EST

absurd. (none / 1)

the law is the law bobo. If the next president is justified to give Obama an "anal exam" as you put it, then he/she should do so with the blessing of the american people. On the other hand, if that is a waste of the people's time and money, then the party that carries out your dream of an Obama anal-axam will get clobbered at the polls. This has happened recently, perhaps you remember? Now, let's talk about the present.

GWB is the most unpopular president.

Ever.

That's EVER. Well, since we've been keeping score.

If there's a perception that laws were broken and that nobody was minding the store as in Bush's case, I have a hunch people will tolerate some much needed examination of the record.

by hazmat on 01/15/2009 07:57:06 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Dont misunderstand... (none / 0)
I'm not saying that Bush shouldn't burn in Hell and rot in jail. I'm saying that Obama isn't going to go full bore with the Justice department because it will set a dangerous precedent for his departure and future presidents. Only about 1/2 of the American people want the Bush anal exam - the other half would rather move ahead and do their best to recover from their wounds - the damage to our government won't be solved by meaningless show trials - it will be solved by meaningful change and good deeds from here on out... Good luck with that. We are so fucked! :)

by bobo1 on 01/15/2009 08:41:22 PM EST

[ Parent ]
We are to blame (none / 0)
We let the media spoon feed us sound bites and sensationalism with no depth. How is Steve Jobs health or Madoff a bigger issue than what 60 Minutes exposed on Sunday night on the now defunct brokerages role in oil speculation? Yes the ones that we are bailing out at taxpayer expense are the ones that ran oil up to $140 a barrel using Enron technicians and trading platforms. That would be the same Enron whose overnight collapse along with Author Anderson exposed the very problems that just killed the housing and oil markets in 2001.

You know those billions of TARP money they can’t account for, like the billions in plastic wrapped cash we shipped to Iraq? Yes, those billions. Apparently it was used to cover margin calls on oil speculation rather than by back troubled assets.   In English, that means these fuckers new exactly what was going on since 2001. Much like we knew the World Trade Center was the number one terrorist target back in 1993, after it was attacked the first time.

That ran Sunday night, no one else has mentioned it, not TYT, not Hartman and certainly not the mainstream media.  Which is exactly why we have fallen into the very same traps that led to the last great republican depression. The failure to understand and expose Enron, led to the housing and oil bubble and crash. 


Just like the failure of the congress to go after Iran Contra players led to the same guys screwing us again in Iraq.

by sisco66 on 01/15/2009 09:45:55 PM EST

[ Parent ]
What about the 2007 Dems??? (none / 0)
Who continued to allow this to go on, knowing full well what was going on while having the power to stop it! Hell - back in Iran Contra, the Dems had an even bigger majority than they do now! So whose really to blame for the non action??? DEMOCRATS!!! Yes its our fault for electing democrats to congress. Its our fault for laughing when Chris Matthews has on air orgasms. Its our fault for believing in all of their talk of HOPE and CHANGE, because in reality, just like the Republicans, the Democrats are LYING BASTARDS! Sisco - you are absolutely right...Its OUR OWN DAMN FAULT FOR NOT BURNING THE WHOLE FUCKING THING DOWN AND STARTING OVER!!! I'm glad we can agree! :)

by bobo1 on 01/15/2009 10:28:39 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yes sir (none / 0)
The Dems gave the Cons all the rope they needed to hang themsleves, and us, while the media covered for both of them. If people understood the truth, they would burn the whole thing down.

I think there is a document somewhere with instructions, something about July 4th.

by sisco66 on 01/15/2009 10:56:43 PM EST

[ Parent ]
GW Ken (none / 0)
KKKKK Ken,

1.  Fitz's directions in the VPW case were too narrow, he was only allowed to use one satute, which was almost impossible to convict on. Not to mention, he let Rove change his testimony numeroust times. I don't think Fitz is  the bulldog we all thought he was. He f'up his recent attempt as well.

2. The Democractic congress, for the whole year that they have been in control have had one goal in mind, continuing to let Bush hang himself.

3. Banks- Supply side baby, had to keep the bush pyramid growing. But if you saw 60 minutes on Sunday, and you can figure out how to do math, you will understand that it was not who the money was lent to. It was the deregualtion of all forms of monentary manipulation that led to the finacial melt down. It is what brought on the last great republican depression, it is what brought down Enron and it is what brought down the banks that were too heavliy leveraged in commodities market, like AIG and Lehman.

Look at the big picture

4.  Gates by any measure has done a great job.

5. Slob was not contanied. The truth be told, we would have saved more lives in Africa based on the reasons for Iraq, at a fraction of the costs.

6. You are kidding on the nuclear thing right? I am starting to guess that you are fairly youg becuase you really don't know or understand very much. You seem to just repeat thing you have heard somewhere else.

Dick and Woly started both the Iranian and Pakistani nuclear program back in the 1970's over Fords objections.  Pakistan gave North K the wepaons technology.

7. Ronnie Ray gun was given a blank check, I don't know what you are talking about.

The rest is pretty much garbage. It is great to have discussions about policy and history, but try using some facts.

by sisco66 on 01/17/2009 12:40:00 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yeah Dave (none / 0)

That's more like it

 

Although I would've preferred if you would've used more profanity

by Perry on 01/15/2009 08:40:08 PM EST

Blaming the blamers | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
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