David Guilbault

A RAMBLING FOOL

Sarah Palin steps down.  Here's her speech - Huh?   It's a rambling, incoherent, clearly insincere performance.  And, she's clearly lying through her gleaming white teeth.  Something's up. Every time I hear this buffoon speak, I think the same thing, "Oh ... my ... God."

"We're fishermen. We know only dead fish go with the flow."
- Gov. Sarah Palin

SARAH'S STRAIGHT TALK

"Truly, Sarah Palin has come a long way. When she ran for vice president, she frequently became disjointed and garbled when she departed from her prepared remarks. Now the prepared remarks are incoherent, too.

“And a problem in our country today is apathy,” she said on Friday as she announced that she would resign as governor of Alaska at the end of the month. “It would be apathetic to just hunker down and ‘go with the flow.’ Nah, only dead fish ‘go with the flow.’ No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time ... to BUILD UP.”

Basically, the point was that Palin is quitting as governor because she’s not a quitter. Or a deceased salmon.

Sarah Barracuda made her big announcement Friday afternoon on the lawn of her home to an audience that appeared to include only Todd, the kids and the next-door neighbors. Smiling manically, she looked like a parody of the woman who knocked the Republicans dead at their convention. She babbled about her parents’ refrigerator magnet, which apparently had a lot of wise advice. And she recalled her visit with the troops in Kosovo, whose dedication and determination inspired her to ... resign."

- Gail Collins, The New York Times

PALIN AND HER ENEMIES

"If Palin were exactly what her critics believe she is — the distillation of every right-wing pathology, from anti-intellectualism to apocalyptic Christianity — then she wouldn’t be a terribly interesting figure. But this caricature has always missed the point of the Alaska governor’s appeal — one that extends well outside the Republican Party’s shrinking base.

In a recent Pew poll, 44 percent of Americans regarded Palin unfavorably. But slightly more had a favorable impression of her. That number included 46 percent of independents, and 48 percent of Americans without a college education.

That last statistic is a crucial one. Palin’s popularity has as much to do with class as it does with ideology. In this sense, she really is the perfect foil for Barack Obama. Our president represents the meritocratic ideal — that anyone, from any background, can grow up to attend Columbia and Harvard Law School and become a great American success story. But Sarah Palin represents the democratic ideal — that anyone can grow up to be a great success story without graduating from Columbia and Harvard"

- Ross Douthat, The New York Times

FAILURE OF THE PRESS

It's a sad state of affairs when a faux news anchor (albeit a brilliant satirist) has to take supposed news organizations to task - first CNN in 2006, then CNBC in 2009 - for shirking their journalistic responsibilities.

BLESS THE WHISTLEBLOWERS

W. Mark Felt, Watergate Deep Throat, Dies at 95
By Tim Weiner, The New York Times

"W. Mark Felt, who was the No. 2 official at the F.B.I. when he helped bring down President Richard M. Nixon by resisting the Watergate cover-up and becoming Deep Throat, the most famous anonymous source in American history, died Thursday. He was 95 and lived in Santa Rosa, Calif. ...

Mr. Felt played a dual role in the fall of Nixon. As a secret informant, he kept the story alive in the press. As associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he fought the president’s efforts to obstruct the F.B.I.’s investigation of the Watergate break-in.

Without Mr. Felt, there might not have been a Watergate — shorthand for the revealed abuses of presidential powers in the Nixon White House, including illegal wiretapping, burglaries and money laundering. Americans might never have seen a president as a criminal conspirator, or reporters as cultural heroes, or anonymous sources like Mr. Felt as a necessary if undesired tool in the pursuit of truth."

'Deep Throat' Mark Felt Dies at 95 - Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post
How Mark Felt Became 'Deep Throat' - Bob Woodward, The Washington Post

UNCHECKED SOURCES

Well, the blogosphere and some of the mainstream media have been embarrassed again for publishing supposedly inside McCain campaign information from what turns out to be a hoaxster.  Read the story, 'A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Nonexistence', on The New York Times website.

BILL O'REILLY

I was a news producer at ABC News, mostly working on the evening news programs, for over 20 years. Working my way up from copy boy to producer, I worked on the newscasts anchored by Howard K. Smith, Harry Reasoner, Barbara Walters, Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings.

I was in network news during some of its best days, post Watergate, learning from and admiring true broadcast journalists.

Came a time, I produced news reports for 'World News Tonight with Peter Jennings'.  There, I had a reputation for being able to work with 'challenging' correspondents and was thought to have the ability to bring out their best.

One of the network's correspondents was Bill O'Reilly.  I was assigned as producer on several of his stories.  They were painful experiences.

Firstly, at that time, network news producers usually took the lead role in outlining a story and setting up its elements, in coordination with the correspondent and the senior producers.  For the few stories I produced with O'Reilly, he did most of the set up.  Not knowing him or his sources, that made me uncomfortable.  But, the stories were innocuous and I never suspected or detected any bias or dishonesty in his reporting.

However, I did find him to be the single most self-centered person I had ever worked with.  He literally talked about himself non-stop.  I spent hours and hours with him on the road and the conversation never strayed away from the topic of Bill O'Reilly.  He showed me that his was an ego of uncontrollable expansion.

He was always bemoaning that others were getting undeserved breaks.  Forrest Sawyer and Stone Philips were rising stars at ABC News when O'Reilly was there.  He kept saying you have to be an inanimate object, like a forest or a stone, to make it at the network.  His jealousy and underlying insecurity was always evident.  He hated those that he felt were less deserving than he.

He couldn't survive in an atmosphere where he was not the be-all and end-all.  So, he left the network for syndication anchor positions where he was the headliner.  Then, finally to FOX News where his transformation was complete.

I've watched Mr. O'Reilly, now, over the years, turn into a monster.  And I've always held my tongue.

But, watching his latest bullying attack on Barney Frank has pushed me to comment.

Bill O'Reilly has no business on the public airwaves.  He is belligerent and ignorant.  And I mean those adjectives in the most negative light.  He abuses the very air over which he is heard.   As Rep. Frank said in response to O'Reilly's shouting, 'Your stupidity gets in the way of rational discussion'.

There is nothing rational about the way O'Reilly conducts himself.  Because he is popular, on TV, radio, and in print, he gets away with his unconscionable tirades.  He is dangerously powerful and powerfully dangerous.

As he has no respect for intelligent discourse or common decency, he should be shown no respect in return and held in derision.  To mock his most recent self-aggrandizing book, he is 'A Bold Fresh Piece of Shit'.

IDIOT WIND

Do we really need to see Fox's Geraldo Rivera and CNN's Rick Sanchez standing in the middle of a hurricane?  Do we really need to see dozens of newscasting fools across the television dial bracing themselves against gale force winds?  Are they simply 'too stupid to get out of the rain'? Do they not understand the danger of standing in the middle of a hurricane?  Do we really need to see one of them killed, live on the air, by flying debris or electrocution?

Will the network executives who put them in harms way take responsibility for their deaths or injuries?  Are they all f**king idiots? Batten down waterproof remote cameras all around and get your people the hell out of the way of the storm.  Seriously, are they f**king idiots?

CHURLISH PALAVER

I watched the Democratic Convention on my 24" iMac, courtesy of a high definition feed from the Democratic National Convention Committee. I watched almost every speech, without the inane interference of the media pundits.

Thank you DNC. I hope the RNC provides me the same opportunity next week at the Republican Convention.

To borrow words from two reviews of the media coverage, I was spared the 'churlish palaver' of the broadcast network and cable news anchors and commentators.

Alessandra Stanley, of The New York Times, gave an appropriately harsh review of the coverage in her column, 'The TV Watch'.

On the Small Screen, Intimacy and Welcome Silence for Obama's Big Rally

'Mr. Obama brought the crowd to its feet many times to cheer and applaud, but perhaps just as importantly for audiences back home, for almost 50 minutes he silenced the ceaseless chatter of television anchors and commentators who had insistently put their own stamp and faces on one of the most exciting political conventions in modern times.

People do want to watch: the audience for cable news coverage this week was about double what it was in 2004. Yet despite the huge public fascination, the three major networks limited their coverage to an hour a night, a prime-time patchwork of highlight reels, catchup snippets of live speeches, and commentary.

Anchors at conventions used to serve as omniscient narrators; at this convention, they mostly served as human V-chips blocking live speeches with their own palaver and predictions.

The broadcast networks long ago ceded gavel-to-gavel coverage to cable and, more recently, to the Internet and news Web sites. Concerned citizens have more ways than ever to follow political events, but it requires ingenuity and patience to cobble together a coherent narrative.

And even the 24-hour cable news channels proved unreliable at times, giving too much screen time to their gassiest anchors'

- Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times

Washington Post Style Columnist Tom Shales, too, had unflattering things to say about how the convention was presented to the voters.

A Big Moment for the Small Screen

'Generally speaking, the cable networks devoted too much time to the convention and the broadcast networks devoted too little -- in the latter case, one small hour per night.

How churlish, especially during a month with low viewing levels and rerun-dominated program schedules. With many hours to fill, the cable networks stooped to occasionally questionable tactics, and anchors had near-violent arguments on-camera.

That may have been entertaining, but it was as if the cable networks weren't covering the convention so much as staging their own alternative event: the story of the news stars and their squabbles.'

- Tom Shales, Washington Post

My favorite conservative commentator is David Brooks of The New York Times.  I try to watch him on 'The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer' every chance I get.

He is thoughtful, reasonable and honest.  He has had many fine things to say about Barack Obama.

But, I think all that reluctant praise he bestowed on the Democratic Party candidate during the NewsHour's comprehensive live convention coverage had become more than he could take.  Tonight, he got all the pent up bile out of his system by way of his op-ed column.

I have to admit, that while I find it wrong-headed, since it is meant to sting my candidate and his party, it is, nonetheless, hysterical.

A Speech to the Delegates

'We must close the book on the bleeding wounds of the old politics of division and sail our ship up a mountain of hope and plant our flag on the sunrise of a thousand tomorrows with an American promise that will never die!

For this election isn’t about the past or the present, or even the pluperfect conditional. It’s about the future, and Barack Obama loves the future because that’s where all his accomplishments are.

We meet today to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans, a generation that came of age amidst iced chais and mocha strawberry Frappuccinos®, a generation with a historical memory that doesn’t extend back past Coke Zero.'

- David Brooks, The New York Times

Of course, I am mostly saddened by the fact that millions of Americans didn't watch or listen to or read about any of it.

After Obama's speech tonight I went out for a meatball marinara sandwich and a Dr. Pepper at my local Subway restaurant and was dismayed at all the people out and about who clearly had not been home watching tonight's historic moment.

When I returned to my building I asked the young woman on the elevator with me if she had watched the speech tonight. She, newly of voting age,  said she hasn't watched television or listened to a radio in three years.  She wasn't sure of Obama's name.  Then she asked, 'was it that nomination thingy?'

Yes, it was that nomination thingy. A nomination to choose who might hold the most important elected office in the world in one of the most dangerous and precarious times of my life.

You'd think everyone would be watching and listening. Even the media.

DUMB AND DUMBER

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported a survey in April 2007 called 'Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions: What Americans Know: 1989-2007'.

SUMMERY OF FINDINGS: Since the late 1980s, the emergence of 24-hour cable news as a dominant news source and the explosive growth of the internet have led to major changes in the American public's news habits. But a new nationwide survey finds that the coaxial and digital revolutions and attendant changes in news audience behaviors have had little impact on how much Americans know about national and international affairs.

But, what struck me from the findings was that the most 'knowledgeable' consumers of news were the viewers of 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart', 'The Colbert Report', the readers of major newspaper websites and the audience of 'The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'. The least knowledgeable were those who got their news from local TV stations, the network morning programs and the Fox News Channel. What was saddest is that only 35% of Americans scored in the high knowledge category.

PUBLIC PILLORY

Missive Five
To Media Watchers:

Now, as the general election campaign for president has begun in full force, I am going to try to keep a tally of people who get pilloried in public.  I make no judgement on their so-called sins.  This is simply to demonstrate that we live in an era of easy character assassination.  Please feel free to point out those I have missed.

July 11, 2008 - James A. Johnson, Head of Obama VP Search Team

Obama Aide Quits Under Fire for His Business Ties

'His resignation, at the start of a general election contest in which the candidates have pledged to run issue-based campaigns, came after days of intense scrutiny from the news media and attacks from Senator John McCain and Republican Party officials over mortgages Mr. Johnson, a former chief executive of Fannie Mae, received on favorable terms from the Countrywide Financial Corporation, the mortgage company that was a central player in the subprime lending crisis. Mr. Johnson also faced questions about his role on compensation committees that awarded large payouts to corporate executives.'

John M. Broder and Leslie Wayne, New York Times

July 11, 2008 - Michelle Obama, Wife of Presidential Candidate

Michele Obama in the Hot Seat Too

'They loved to hate Hillary Rodham Clinton. They loved to hate Teresa Heinz Kerry. And now, it appears, conservative voices are energetically taking on Michelle Obama.'

Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times, June 11, 2008

Mincing Up Michelle

'It’s good news for Obama that Hillary’s out of the race. But it’s also bad news. Now Republicans can turn their full attention to demonizing Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama is the new, unwilling contestant in Round Two of the sulfurous national game of 'Kill the witch'.'

Maureen Dowd, New York Times, June 11, 2008

Michelle Obama Likely Target of Conservative Attacks

"Michelle Obama was widely criticized on conservative blogs when she said "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country" at an appearance on behalf of her husband in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in February.  The Obama campaign said Michelle Obama's comment reflected her excitement about the grass-roots support her husband is receiving, but conservatives said the statement raised questions about her patriotism.'

David Mattingly, CNN, June 12, 2008

Michelle Obama Becomes GOP Target

'It’s less than a week into the general election campaign, but already Michelle Obama is a Republican target.  Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger leveled the first blow, introducing Republican John McCain’s wife at a fundraiser this week as someone who is “proud of her country, not just once but always.” Obama wasn’t mentioned by name, but the audience got it. The dig signaled the start of what Democrats expect will be a concerted effort to cast Michelle Obama — and, by extension, Barack Obama — as an unpatriotic radical.'

Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico, June 12, 2008

Photo Credit: Unknown

THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION

Missive Three
To Live Bloggers:

Posted by David Guilbault on the Washington Post Website, July 23, 2007, on the occasion of a Democratic presidential candidate forum, as online bloggers conducted a running commentary during the debate:

"All of this live, instantaneous commenting, reacting, judging, attacking, defending, parsing, sniping and analyzing is what is wrong with public and political discourse in these times. Thoughtful, considered opinions are the rarity. How about we all listen carefully to the candidates, watch their speeches, read their positions, study their backgrounds, consider their policies, understand their motivations, recognize their attributes and THEN offer our supporting or opposing judgments?"

AGE OF ACCUSATION

Missive Two
To My Darling Children:

Today, in this country, you can destroy a man/woman  in the public forum by making a false accusation against that person which will be dutifully and woefully parroted by the press under the guise of ‘vetting’ someone’s character.  In fact, the media, now routinely, is complicit in repeated character assassination.

One’s words can be easily misquoted, misrepresented, distorted and denounced and broadcast in damning snippets around the world and across the Internet while the truth of one’s statements are buried under an avalanche of oft-repeated, intentionally amplified lies.

It is next to impossible to defend oneself against critical and destructive attacks when the accused has no platform where he or she can expect the intended audience to listen fully, carefully and open-mindedly.  The press snaps to attention and gleefully plays a full-throated game of ‘gotcha’.

Even when someone is able to mount a reasoned public defense, the chattering mob of bogus commentators pull phrases out of context and distort the true intent of the statement to service their own self-interest.

A case in point is the public pillory of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  For months his past words have been truncated, misquoted, distorted and purposely misrepresented.  He has been labeled as an anti-patriotic, hate-mongering racist.  In fact, he is a thoughtful, learned, passionate advocate for the downtrodden.

I watched the complete Bill Moyers interview with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, extended clips of the Reverend's 'controversial' sermons, and Rev. Wright's recent speeches to the NAACP and Washington Press Club.  He didn't say ONE thing that wasn't true.  He talked about governments, this one included, that have not always done the ‘right thing’ (my words, not his).  He drew our attention to the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of African-Americans, the internment of Japanese-Americans, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed untold numbers of civilians.  He noted that America develops, manufactures and sells chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction).  He lamented the subversion of ‘other’ cultures by the dominant White Anglo-Saxon power holders.  And he comically demonstrated that different cultures think and act differently – in their religious practices, anthropology and sociology.  All, reasoned and incontrovertible truths.

But, today, under political pressure, and after the press has demonized the man, Barack Obama has thrown his former pastor under the bus and backed up over him.

I'm saddened by the current turn of events and state of public discourse.  When the Rev. Wright was first condemned by the political Right, Obama gave a thoughtful speech in Philadelphia calling for a national conversation about race in America.  Instead of calm, deliberate dialogue between people of different skin color, religious beliefs or cultural practices, we continue to demean and suppress other people out of ignorance and a refusal to even hear or understand their opposing points of view.

Thoughtful dialogue is being drowned out by the loud barrage of the righteous mob.

Again, I plead to you, to seek out the truth.  Listen, learn, understand, question and then make up your mind.  When you find a person or opinion contrary to yours, don’t go on the attack, or even on the defensive.  Hear them out.  Understanding and respect are the ways to peace.  Know what you stand for and what you oppose.  But, more importantly, know why.

When you see or hear someone and their thoughts being so vociferously and unrelentingly attacked, ask why.  Investigate who is behind the assault. Whose interests are being jeopardized?  Whose position and power are being threatened? Who wants to drown out the voice and why?

And, finally, don't be afraid to listen to other voices.  Seek out all viewpoints.  Even if their language is incendiary, even if their ideas are challenging, even if their passionate expressions make you uncomfortable, they may be speaking the truth.

All my love,
Dad

Photo Credit: Getty