I wrote a diary the other day about how I am not a Democrat nor am I a Republican.

I am also a bit wordy, so I guess I could have just come right out and said I am an Independent.

If there was a street called "One way Avenue" and it just had a right neighborhood where all the "True" conservatives lived and the left neighborhood, where all the progressives lived, and the numbers started with "1" on the right side and built up as we went right to left, up to 100, I would be at "House 33" or so.

I am voting for Obama for president. I've never voted for a Democrat for President, though I have before voted in Democratic primary races.

<More after the break>

    Right now CNN has up a front-page "Election 2008 Issues" article that lies about Social Security, from the title to the first line to the very end.  This is part of a concerted right wing campaign, including a not-coincidentally-just-released film "IOUSA", financially backed by a right wing think tank, to use the phony "crisis" in Social Security as an election gimmick.

    The article features comments by right-wingers and "reformers" and not a single cite to experts, like economist Paul Krugman, who - accurately - claim that there is no crisis whatsoever.  Since CNN doesn't allow comments in response to the story, I'm calling CNN on the lies in its story here.

John Amatoover at Crooks and Liars raises a good point.

Every time I turn on the TV and watch CNN and FOX (my hotel doesn’t get MSNBC) every Republican operative controls the dialog and direction of the panel discussion and it’s disgusting. Just one example—Hillary Clinton gave a brilliant speech last night, but every Amy Holmes-type talking head throws as much cold water on the speech as he or she can. The result is that the Dem talkers spend the rest of the time disputing the outrageous claims made and thus the GOP controls the entire framing and the entire segment. It’s shameful that the networks are allowing this to happen. I saw Jeffrey Toobin tell Amy that she was out of her mind with some of her comments and the discussion continues to that end. Soledad O’Brien comes back and says "well, that was a lively discussion." Oh, no it was not. It’s a calculated ratf&@k. This is going on all day and all night.

And why do all the networks allow it to happen?

Earlier this evening, Bill Clinton and John Kerry gave two outstanding speeches at the Democratic National Convention. The arrogant cable networks carried only Bill Clinton's. Once again, CSPAN came through as the true American herald.

Bill Clinton received minute after minute of thunderous applause when he walked out on stage - he deserved every bit of it. His speech was masterfully on target, explaining what Americans have lost under Bush, and why Obama and Biden are what's needed to get it back and move forward. Clinton's praise of Biden was especially meaningful, given that, on the basis of Bill's irrefutable logic, Hillary might well have been chosen as VP candidate. It was pleasure to see Bill Clinton address a crowd again. As always, his intelligence and commitment shone brightly.

Cut to the talking heads on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox. But on the small inset screen on our TV, who do my wife and I see but John Kerry. He was never a mesmerizing speaker, but, hey, he gave it a close run four years ago, and we wanted to hear what he had to say.

Courtesy of Fark:

What can Hillary's body language tell us about how she really feels about Obama? It's not news it's CNN. Bonus: The comments are made of win

Are they ever!  Join the fun beyond the jump!

Nancy Pelosi is facing "tough questions" via Digg on CNN.

Check it out.

Update:  And they're done.  It was cool, though.  The Internets really work!

My work day is done, but I'm still here, catching CNN's live feed of the Convention.

I see Sen. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader, step up to the podium and I think to myself, "this'll be a good one".  I was right.

He starts talking about how oil is a major reason behind nearly every war - from WWII up until the Russia-Georgia war.  He says that Pearl Harbor was bombed for oil.  My eyes are widening, and suddenly, massive credibility is being given on a major stage to ideas that I have been afraid to truly lean into for fear of them being goofy conspiracy theories like the one about the Moon Landing being a fake.  I get excited, like the cover is finally being blown on the connections between the oil and war industries.

Then CNN cuts him off.  For a bullshit, pre-taped interview with Nancy "Useless" Pelosi.  I can't find his speech anywhere.

This smells like information control to me, and this ain't f*cking China.

Today's CNN/Time state polls of Colorodo, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Nevada show a good, solid shift to Obama. These polls, which I read at realclearpolitics.com reflect phone calls made from 8/24-8/26. So this is live and current. Also a mason dixon poll has Obama up 1 in florida, which is nice to see.

Obama has had a few down days in the last week in these battleground states.

+13 in new mexico and

+5 In pennsylvania and nevada

It's just nice to see the positive numbers given the media's negativity fest against Obama.

Am I the only one to be surprised that...

The Chinese were lavishly praised by the mainstream press for running an efficient Olympic Games. Since when is it a surprise that a totalitarian police state runs an efficient public event?

Ron Suskind reveals in his new book Way of the World that Bush knew three months before the Iraq invasion Saddam had destroyed all his WMD. Also that the White House ordered the CIA to forge a letter from the former head of the Iraqi secret service fabricating an Iraq -- Al Qaeda link. And there's still no full-throated, lavishly-funded, Whitewater-style, in-the-full-glare-of-publicity congressional investigation?

Enough is enough.  

CNN is apparently willing to go to any length to perpetuate this so called 'Democrats Divided' farce. Forget what Hillary said last night, CNN has now have hired a body language 'expert' to tell us what she really meant.  What's next, a psychic to tell us what she was actually was thinking?

It's enough to make me puke.

Sound familiar? Sound a little desperate to fill the news cycle? Sound a little sensational? Sound like they are losing their grip on information that matters?

I say yes to all of the above.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


click to enlarge

Let's take them up on the offer.  If you feel like CNN is failing the American voting public, many of whom are tuning into this convention to see whether anything the Dems have to say will help them decide who to vote for in this ever-so-important and pivotal election, let them hear it.

Let's bury them in email, and maybe our voices will make it to the producers' desks.

Click here:  http://www.cnn.com/...

I know that the chattering classes, the beltway bandits and mindless lemmings are all desperate for something, anything, to write or broadcast that is negative and divisive but really how pathetic can you get.

I just read Maurine Dowd, I know I should not have but it’s a column in the New York Times, a once respected news paper.  One expects certain things, quality, accuracy, a certain amount of neutrality, even handedness.  One is as ever bitterly disappointed.

I called this program which is hosted by Ronald Martin and Lisa [insert some French sounding last name] yesterday.  They had this guy named Josh and who was a PUMA or a Hillary fanatic and wouldn't support Obama.

I placed a call soon after.  More after the jump.

When future generations look back on this moment, they will shake their heads in disbelief at the fact that the first African-American nominee faced such blatant bias and hostility from a corrupt media establishment. While Americans should be focusing on this great progressive achievement and the Democrats' vision for the future, the media has used a small group of internet conspiracy theorists to distract the country with a petty red herring. Their goal is simple: to deny Barack Obama the traditional privilege of a convention where he and his supporters can speak directly to the American people. Instead, the pundits and producers have drowned out the actual story in Denver to carry water for John McCain and demoralize Democrats.

Well, if you're in Denver, you can fight back. The media is desperate for controversy, and there is no reason we should not be using this against them. Follow me below the fold to find out how you can help.

It's a good thing we have the corporate media to keep us from seeing the Democratic Convention. The last thing I would want to do is see an amazing speech by Brian Schweitzer when I could listen to Pat Buchanan and Candy Crowley blabber on about their biased right-wing opinions, and I certainly wouldn't want to get caught up in the unity and optimism that is palpable in the convention hall when there are crazy internet conspiracy theorists to be dragged onto the set for an interview bookended by gratuitous, free replays of McCain's latest attack ad. And if there wasn't breathless coverage of the fact that there are a few weird people who really hate Barack Obama, I might have to be informed about health care or, worse yet, hear someone say something bad about John McCain... and I know as well as anyone that we have a corporate media just to keep that very sort of thing from happening.

But after two days of watching the media wage all-out war against the Democratic Party, I have to wonder what storylines they have in store for next week's Republican Convention. How will our fair and unbiased, if not liberal, media match the exhilarating drama of Wolf Blitzer and David Gregory trying to demoralize Democrats? This recently leaked CNN memo may give us a hint:

CNN Is reporting that Bill Clinton will not be in attendance at Invesco Field, when Obama delivers his acceptance speech.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...

DENVER (CNN) – Hillary Clinton will be on hand for Barack Obama's acceptance speech, but according to a source close to former President Bill Clinton, he will not: the source tells CNN that Clinton will not join his wife at Invesco Field Thursday night.