Ted is such a tool... one of the pluto's favorite talking monkeys.
"NotBush2004" <notbush@whitehouse.gov> wrote in message
news:b68064d1826b2727052ff97f3480e507@news.teranews.com...
The Koppel Primary
By Jim Hightower
Who needs presidential primaries when we've got Ted Koppel?
America's media sparklies have gotten way too big for their britches. Take
a
gander at the puffed-up arrogance of Koppel and his network, ABC, toward
our
country's democratic electoral process. Ted recently moderated a debate in
New Hampshire among the nine Democrats running for president. But ABC's
celebrity newsman, who in recent years has become almost-visibly bloated
with this own sense of self-importance, decided that he was the star of
the
show - and what a show he put on!
At the start, he dismissed any talk of issues, instead pestering the
candidates with questions about polls, endorsements, fundraising, and
other
inside-the-beltway jabberwocky about electioneering process. Then he
turned
kingmaker, assailing Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, and Carol Mosely-Braun
for only being in the race for "vanity" - totally ignoring the fact that
these three have put forth many of the best policy ideas. Oozing disdain,
Koppel turned on Kucinich, saying, "You're not doing terribly well with
money. You're doing even worse in the polls. When do you drop out?"
But Kucinich refused to be bullied by Boss Koppel. Here's his retort: "I
want the American people to see where the media takes politics in this
country. To start [by] talking about endorsements. Now we're talking about
polls. And then we're talking about money. Well, you know, when you do
that,
you don't have to talk about what's important to the American people." The
audience erupted in applause.
The very next day, ABC retaliated by pulling its journalists from the
campaigns of Kucinich, Sharpton and Mosely-Braun. Not that ABC had been
allowing much airtime for any of them - all three of these candidates
combined had been mentioned only ten times this entire year on ABC's
nightly
news show.
Even before the primaries begin and the people get to vote, ABC has
unilaterally eliminated a third of the Democratic contenders. Call it the
Koppel Primary.
Sources: "ABC Orders Some Candidates Off the Stage," www.commondreams.org,
December 15, 2003; "Kucinich Bests Koppel," The Progressive, December 11,
2003, www.progressive.com.
Jim Hightower is the best-selling author of Thieves In High Places:
They've
Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back, on sale now from Viking
Press. For more information, visit www.jimhightower.com.
Posted Monday, December 29, 2003
Copyright -- Saddleburr Productions, Inc
http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=168
--
During the last election cycle, while Frist headed the NRSC, the health
care
industry increased its contributions to Republican candidates to just
under
$ 4 million and became the largest industry contributor to the party.
"If you look at the money involved, it would be easy to say the medical
industry has bought itself a Senator and, now, a Senate," says Harleigh.
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1470.shtml
.
