Politics

Reagan and the Cold War: Myth vs. Reality

Submitted by John Stauber on

Investigative journalist Robert Parry writes that "the U.S. news media's reaction to Ronald Reagan's death is putting on display what has happened to American public debate in the years since Reagan's political rise in the late 1970s: a near-total collapse of serious analytical thinking at the national level. Across the U.S. television dial and in major American newspapers, the commentary is fawning almost in a Pravda-like way, far beyond the normal reticence against speaking ill of the dead. ...

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Main Source: 
Consortium News, June 7, 2004
Topics: 
Right Wing
Media

The Terminator, The Gipper and the Banana Republicans

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Acting has been a stepping-stone to political careers for numerous Republicans. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger examples include Ronald Reagan the former governor of California and two-term president of the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. One is that the Republican Party has actively recruited and supported candidates from the entertainment world. Another is that Republicans often run as 'anti-government' or 'non-politician' candidates, so that an actor's lack of political experience can actually be an advantage for his campaign.

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Main Source: 
Excerpt from the book "Banana Republicans," June 2, 2004
Topics: 
Right Wing
Politics

A Big, Right-Wing Bird?

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting funded two new right-leaning shows - "one hosted by Tucker Carlson, who speaks for conservatives on CNN's 'Crossfire'" and "one moderated by Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal" - while cutting "NOW with Bill Moyers" from an hour to 30 minutes.

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Main Source: 
AlterNet, June 1, 2004
Topics: 
Right Wing
Gay / Lesbian
Media
U.S. Government

Why AARP Sold Out Seniors

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Last year, as the debate over a Medicare prescription-drug bill heated up, the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) sided with the Republican plan, which marked a major step toward the party's goal of privatizing Medicare and decimating employer-based health coverage. Why did AARP support the plan, which will cause millions of seniors to lose more generous employer and state-coordinated drug benefits while providing only limited help to others? Barbara T.

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Main Source: 
American Prospect, June 7, 2004
Topics: 
Right Wing
Corporations
Lobbying

Is America Being America?

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

John Kerry's presidential campaign has adopted and dropped several slogans, including a "better set of choices," "safer, stronger, more secure," the "courage to do what's right for America," "the real deal," "bring it on," "change starts here," "build a stronger America," and a "lifetime of service and strength," reports the New York Times.

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Main Source: 
New York Times, June 1, 2004
Topics: 
Politics
Rhetoric

Out on a Limb, Looking for Votes

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

Bush-Cheney campaign chair Marc Racicot announced "the formation of a natural resources coalition ... to counter environmental groups' grass-roots effort to turn out anti-Bush voters" in Oregon, a swing state. "We believe President Bush has a very strong environmental record," said Racicot.

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Main Source: 
The Oregonian, May 28, 2004
Topics: 
Right Wing
Environment
Rhetoric

The O'Franken Factor

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Despite ongoing financial woes, Air America Radio appears to have garnered a significant audience during its first month on the air, particularly among the younger listeners sought by advertisers," reports John Cook. "An analysis of recently released figures from Arbitron, the radio ratings service, showed that in New York Air America beat Rush Limbaugh's station among 25-to-54-year-olds during the period that Limbaugh and Al Franken, the host of the flagship show 'The O'Franken Factor,' go head-to-head.

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Main Source: 
Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2004
Topics: 
Left Wing
Media

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