The Gospel According to Lehrer and Rather | American News Project »
Posted By jovial 1 year, 5 months ago in NewsA lot has changed since the tumultous conventions of 1968. Maverick journalists Dan Rather and Jim Lehrer lament the old days when political conventions were spontaneous and less immune to corporate influence. Both are searching for substance behind the spectacle.
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jovial
Grew up In Brooklyn. Joined the Navy in 1976 stayed in 10 years. Aircraft Electronics tech. Worked for Major Govt. contractor then settled in California ...
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Poulenc1 year, 5 months ago
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The commoditization of conventions is a function, I think, of the need to sell viewers to advertisers--the thing that makes TV go 'round.
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Why chance spontaneity when it might result in unwanted--even "disastrous"--viewer alienation, and thus a loss in product sales?
One more example of the packaging of America--of the triumph of the simulacrum over the reality (which is often untidy).-
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cowboygrandpa1 year, 5 months ago
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Corporate entities running American politics.
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Wow what a shock that would be to the founding fathers. They wouldn't recognize America anymore.
The very thing they revolted against has again reared its ugly head. Taxation without real representation, A ruling class of wealthy/Royalty worried about how much they get at the cost of the rest of the world and country.
War for empire building. Foolish leaders full of lies and greed.
They dance like marionettes to the puppeteers who allow them a modicum of self serving power in front of the American people.
Good post jovial.-
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memestryker1 year, 5 months ago
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CG, that's true to an extent, except our founders were the equivalent of today's corporate entities, and ordinary citizens--including males--got no vote. They were mostly landed gentry or merchants.
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I think people have always been gullible, and we will always have crafty manipulators who pull their strings. I'm looking forward to a day when we can do something about that!
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pc251 year, 5 months ago
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it's INFOTAINMENT........
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQUBbpvXk2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ELleCQvew
from the 1976 movie NETWORK -
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 5 months ago
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I think the conventions of today are a waste of money and time, especially when the candidates have all ready been picked.
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I thought that the original purpose of the conventions was to pick the candidates from numerous candidates. Today they are picked ahead of time so I think the conventions are only there for show. -
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Searchbeam1 year, 5 months ago
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Ronald Reagan was the one who started us down that slippery slope of media ownership by corporate giants. He started commercializing the PBS by appointing one of his henchmen to run it.
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Newt Gingrich did the next dirty deed by granting citizenship to Rupert Murdoch by a special Congressional resolution, so that he can gobble up American media. The result was Fox News, a water boy for the Republicans. Around the same time came the startup of Washington Times which was owned by the Korean pastor Rev. Moon who got off the "Wanted" list by pumping money into the Republican coffers and has since become a holding tank for Republicans without jobs and patrons.
Around mid-eighties started the real corporate takeover of broadcast media such as NBC and leading to complete takeover of CBS by Sumner Redstone's studios and entertainment network, and ABC by Capital Cities/Disney.
The latest casualty is Wall Street Journal - that shining light of American Capitalism, but a part of the free press as well - when Murdoch bought it.
The role of watchdog of our democracy given by our Constitution to the Press - and then, by extension, to Broadcast media as well - is lost and probably gone forever.
There are no more media watchdogs - only lapdogs embedded with the administration which has usurped power from the other branches in a methodical and cynical way.
Only God, or the new media like Internet, can now save our democracy.
Indeed, a darkness at noon!
Peace and Blessings! -
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 5 months ago
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Good summary of events SB, what happened was that the Government stopped overseeing the media a.d.a FCC. Once deregulation was stopped then every thing became fair game to run rampant.
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I am not one that supports the government overseeing and regulating every thing, but look what happens when they don't. -
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cleare1 year, 5 months ago
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i've been working with the media for almost 30 years and have been following politics on tv and radio for nearly 40 and i can confirm that things have really changed.
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back in the day, we all got our tv news from the same three networks; all of which made an effort to at least appear objective, probably because the power of the broadcast medium had not yet been fully tapped by the powerful and wealthy elite. corporate america was very different too, not so consolidated. and of course, there were federal laws prohibiting concentration of outlet ownership, all of which has recently been turned upside down.
the audience has changed as well. poor education and mtv mentality has shortened most americans' attention span to about 30 seconds. people are developing opinions with sound bites instead of considered discussion backed up by solid research. many of the conservative political wonks on radio and tv these days, don't even use fact checkers...entertainers like limbaugh and o'reilly.
thank god for the internet and the few remaining open minds in america.
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