Back when George W. Bush was President of the United States, the mainstream media not only claimed that he was personally responsible for rising gasoline prices (which would ruin the lives of working Americans), they also suggested that he was sneaking to people's homes at night to deflate their cars' tires and take a leak in their windshield fluid reservoirs.
But today, things are very different. Even though Barack Obama's two year legacy of anti-oil policies would seem to have a direct bearing on the skyrocketing cost of gasoline, only 1% of network news stories bothered to mention that, just maybe, Obama's moratorium on oil drilling and exploration - and his lobbing cruise missiles into the oil fields of Libya - just might have something to do with the fact that a tank of gas now costs twice what a share of General Motors stock does. No, really.
Instead, the networks are parroting Mr. Obama's assertion that the rising prices are due solely to the oil companies (the evil rich), and oil speculators (the evil rich), and Republicans (the evil rich) who have failed to prudently invest in sustainable, natural, alternative energies (unicorn farts).
Which is, perhaps, why network news ratings are increasingly going into the dumper. As today's cartoon mentions, CBS has just agreed to accept Katie Couric's "decision" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) to leave her position as anchor of the CBS Evening News...but only after covering a really important news story: the Royal Wedding of Two People Whose Names We Don't Remember But Sort Of Like Anyway Because They Didn't Send Invitations To Barack And Michelle Obama.
Here at Hope n' Change, we'd like to think that Couric's dismissal could hint at the possibility of actual news reporting returning to the networks...if only in an attempt to steal some of Fox News's audience share.
But it probably won't happen. We have it on good authority (from the mainstream media) that the real blame for the decline in network news viewership should be directed at George Bush.
Just like the blame for everything else that's happened for the past two years.
"See BS" Evening News
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23 comments:
Hmph, you conservatives and your ignorance of foreign affairs. The two people getting married are...er...um...I think the guy's first name is "Prince"? Oh, who cares.
The "blame Bush" mentality is disgusting for numerous reasons none of which, ironically, have to do with Bush's merits (hint: there weren't many). It was RIGHT for people to blame Bush for the problems during his term. And, no, it wouldn't be WRONG to suggest that some of the problems we are facing NOW are direct results of his leadership.
But who gives a shit whose FAULT it is? That's a distraction from the main issue - what is the CURRENT president doing to FIX it? All the bellyaching about Bush is nothing more than an opportunistic campaign strategy.
(Heh - the number of ALL CAPS words I use is directly related to how late it is when I'm posting.)
James. Go get some sleep. Then read a book. Start with Skuffy the Tug Boat. It covers much the same areas as Atlas Shrugged but more intelligently and without the mindless atheism and pedantic narcissism (sp).
SJ-- didja get it? was about 6.4 MB let me know, please. I get 1000 plus emails so all cap the heading please?
If it weren’t for double-standards, the left would have no standards at all.
I am an oil speculator of late, I admit. I speculate as to whether the gallon today will be a nickel or a dime higher than yesterday.
Of course, if so many of us didn't commute to work we wouldn't use so much gas, and thus demand down, price down (simple economics of course) -- and the president is working on the problem of too many of us being employed right now.
To receive costly health care we will of course have to help organize the community, as directed (none of that tea party stuff.)
His wife, meanwhile, is urging on a new anti-obesity program called "Walk Everywhere." "Starvation is Healthy" was rejected as too pushy.
But don't worry, once the cost of gas and food get too high and we're all unemployed the government food trucks will come by to give us our daily ration. They will be driven by the very rich themselves, as part of their penance for having earned a buck.
Funny thing is, Obama sort of campaigned on the wisdom of $8 a gallon gas, and now he's worried? He finally is getting a campaign promise done.
Yes Jim, it is completely disingenuous for the progressives and the media to harp on the horrors of $4/gallon gas when for decades they've openly worshiped the Europeans who tax fuel to twice as much as we've been paying.
Of course, even during the windows when fuel is cheaper and the progressives seem honest about their desire for more it being more expensive, they are actually still being dishonest; The Europeans do not tax fuel because they are so much more "green" than we are, but because it's necessary to help fund their social-welfare states.
As for speculators; Absolutely they are partially responsible for bidding up the price of oil. But they are only able to do so because of the relative inelasticity of demand for it, and our continual policy of restricting new supplies. But as much as speculators are responsible for bidding the price of oil up, they are also equally responsible for the drops in the price of oil when the bubbles burst to below long-term historical trend, as it was after the run-up in 2008. (Ironically, these are the periods when the progressives argue that we should be taxing it more)
If speculators can be held responsible for anything, it's volatility. Volatility is not a good thing for the economy, as it makes it difficult to conduct business in the long-term. However, "reforms" as the progressives tend to propose them usually involve price-control regimes that are even worse. (Think gas lines from the '70s) The only thing worse than $5 gas is gas you can't buy at any price.
Just think guys, in 150 years when the rest of the world has pumped the oil dry, we'll still have lots! And water, too! Won't that just make us SUPER popular!
John the econ, do the neo-comms have ANY solutions to ANY problem that don't involve more and higher taxes? Honestly, that's all I EVER hear from these mental midgits.
Sorry to see you go, Katie. I will miss the pleasure I used to derive from intentionally not watching you. As for gas prices...I like how Rush pointed out that on almost every corner you can see anti-Obama campaign signs in the form of current gas prices.
As for Ms. Couric--adios muchacha. I never watched your show when you were on, and I won't miss you when you're gone.
@Readers- Good comments above! John the Econ makes a great point about the relationship of speculators to volatility. Of course, since no one can ever guess which way the Obama administration is going to act (or not act) on issues of importance, that also adds to the volatility... which is why things seem perpetually chaotic these days.
Regarding Katie Couric, I'm glad to say that I haven't seen her alleged newscast in years. The last time (and it WAS the last time) was during the Bush administration...and she was doing a story about why a sudden spike in crimes committed by "inner city" youth was Bush's fault. Can anyone guess the reason? Anyone? Bueller...?
Okay, Couric claimed that black teens were committing more crimes because the people who might have become cops had instead enlisted in Bush's war. I practically had apoplexy: there was absolutely no data to make this bizarre claim, plus the number of cops has nothing to do with the kids committing crimes. Yet this was being delivered as "hard news" on CBS.
Small wonder that so many are now so ignorant and misinformed about our country.
I'm surprised she didn't have another on-air colonoscopy while she was on the SeeBS Evening News!
In our metro newspaper (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) there is an article by a black columnist about the impact of high gas prices on inner city residents. He includes an interview with the last black gas station owner in the inner city - Indians pretty much dominate the gas station scene now. Interesting human interest perspective - notes that a lot of people are making $3.00-$5.00 purchases.
Anyway, at times like this, I wonder what Peggy Joseph would say now:
Obama Is Going To Pay For My Gas And Mortgage!!!
I'm so confused about all the "evil rich" rhetoric. All those liberals who moan about the evil rich--aren't they all rich? They can afford to pay more taxes and higher gas prices. Wait, do they even pay any taxes? They are breaking the backs of people like me who are barely getting by and can't afford more tax increases and higher gas prices. And what about the feds who are devaluing our dollar at every turn? The government is so out of control and crazy! Definitely NOT the hope and change anyone was hoping for, right? Unless you are the MSM?
Cookie - it plays a lot better than the "evil Poor"... I mean, they're all just victims, you know? And can't raise taxes on THEM, anyway, they don't have any money in the first place - it's like WHY they're you know, POOR n shit.. Also, because 'wealth' is a zero sum game, every dollar the 'evil rich' have is one that's been weasled, swindled, or outright stolen from the far more deserving "poor"... At least our current policy of paying people not to work (unemployment, welfare) is better than the 'fake jobs' in Atlas Shrugged in that we don't have the useless people clogging up the factory, getting in the way of those actually trying to contribute.
@Cookie- Obama and the Dems like to attack "the evil rich" because it gives them a smokescreen to argue for higher taxes without admitting that the bulk of such taxes will fall on the middle class.
Case in point: Obama was recently whining about "$4 trillion in unpaid for tax cuts" that the Republicans put in place "for millionaires and billionaires." Except about $3 trillion of that figure was tax cuts to middle-class taxpayers. And Obama wants the money back, no matter who he steals it from.
Never forget that if ALL the "evil rich" were taxed at 100%, it wouldn't be enough money to cover Washington's psychotic addiction to spending. They have to seek money elsewhere (especially as their loan sources dry up), and that means the middle class.
Unless I've forgotten since reading it (it's heck, getting older) JontheEcon didn't mention that the speculators also provide liquidity in the markets so that they actually work with some efficiency to adjust supply and demand and prices. That's why the contracts the speculators trade in were established. Marxists like BO and his team think they can do a better job than markets, and will take every chance to seize the power to try.
I'm a huge nonstop news junkie, for both biz and leisure interests, and a Boomer who grew up with three TV channels total, but it would NEVER occur to me to turn to a legacy-network news broadcast today...even if they weren't shamelessly State Owned Media.
Ratings confirm I'm not alone. I know there's a metrosexual male model called Brian Williams, but I can't guess which network he is (or is it was?) with. Can't even make a guess stab at the names of any other Big Three anchors. And I've got news on all day.
Seems quaint that the Big Three still maintain some kind of vestigial stub token news operation...too bad they chose to disappear themselves own the lefty Memory Hole. Not sure I could pick Katie Couric out of a lineup.
@MP: You seem to have Atlas Shrugged down pretty well, but I fear you have grossly misinterpreted ol' Scuffy.
@Cookie: The rich are an easy target. Who doesn't bear a little bit of resentment, automatically, to those more succesful than them? And the economic truth about the "rich" Obama is gunning for is also far more complicated than his spin, and who likes complicated politics? Thousands of Americans, not all of them "looters", are taking his rhetoric to heart.
Oh, also: I know Easter is over and we talked about that yesterday, but I just recently realized that Daffy and Bugs were in attendance.
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/bugs-and-daffy-at-the-white-house.html#comments
The jokes about Looney Tunes in the White House, they write themselves. Also, their being there was largely a promotion for the new Looney Tunes TV show, which is awful. There's probably a very clever analogy in that, somewhere...
@James- Thanks for the link to Bugs and Daffy at the Whitehouse. The picture of them waving makes it look like they've just been inaugurated. Which, until a couple of years ago, would have been unthinkable.
FOX had talking-heads followup today on Obama's heavyhanded secularization of Easter (trademarked corporate mascots? Was the jazzercise sponsored by Time Warner?) while solemnly and officially observing Ramadan.
Even the WH press corps gave Carney a hard time on it this morning, pointing out the WH avoidance of any Easter message in contrast with the diligent observance of Islamic holidays.
Weekend polls show the % of Americans who believe Obama is some degree of closet Muslim are now near 40%, an all time high.
I'm with Stilton, I don't think Barry worships anything but himself, but he understands what a potent weapon Islam will be in destroying America as it is destroying the rest of Western civilization.
@James said,
"Thousands of Americans, not all of them "looters", are taking his rhetoric to heart."
I guess the rest of those thousands are the "moochers"? Perhaps they're those zillions who think they're somehow "entitled" to a piece of my paycheck? No, I'll bet THOSE moochers don't realize WHERE their welfare check comes from.
No. They're are genuninely good, hard-working, but maybe not-to-bright people who have had the wool pulled over their eyes.
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