Tip of the hat to NPR for the Reid/Abramoff article

[hollowdweller]

I had heard a lot of this before but I really felt like it did a great job on debunking the assertion that Reid did anything wrong.

While I knew that Reid had received $$ from Indian tribes, and none from Abramoff, I still wasn't clear on the "contact between Abramoff's lobbying firm and Reid" that is mentioned without explanation in so many news articles. Apparently the contact was to find out about when a vote was on legislation he was involved with that was OPPOSED to Abramoff's wishes.

I thought it laid the whole thing out pretty well, that Reid got no $$ from Abramoff, in the positions that he took on stuff that was in agreement with Abramoff he had been consistently in agreement even before that, that the only people indicted were republicans.

[Canuckistanian]

1. I'm sure if Reid had done anything wrong

They would have indicted him, empaneled a Grand Jury and started an investigation on him by now.

Did anyone forget who's in charge of the three branches of government now?

[rfranklin]

2. which is diametrically opposite to what this poster thought...

NPR/Morning Edition does smear piece on Harry Reid
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2470716

[mntleo2]

3. LTTE To NPR

I do not listen any longer to your program, but this morning, I got a note from a friend saying..."this is unbelievable, get a load out of this crap from NPR!" Upon listening to what you had to say in your attempts to sound like Fox "news" smearing Democrats for the Abramoff scandal AGAIN, I am again reminded as to WHY I no longer listen to your so-called news. Harry Ried, who has stayed consistant with his positions with the Native gambling and Marianas forced slavery, Reid who even you shills said voted AGAINST what this criminal touted, is somehow implicated that he is also involved? But you insist on dragging his name through this Republican scandal in order to make things LOOK like he is somehow involved, didn't you? I heard a Republican speak on your piece of work, but where was Harry in all this? If Harry Reid decided not to even respond to you, perhaps he knows what many of us know: Morning Edition is just fluff and you are no different than the rest of the corporate media.

Look perhaps many of your readers are considered enlightened, but many of us see your pap as merely more propaganda. Especially since almost your CEOs are just Republican lobbyists themselves. They don't care about the responsibility of journalism to inform, they would rather prostitute themselves as they did on the Hill. That you tried to implicate Ried or ANY Democrat in this scandal is just plain stupid. Most informed people know Abramoff refused to even allow Democrats into his corrupted K Street projects.

If you are not careful, you will become the laughing stock of news like your sister station Fox ~ or perhaps you already have the distinction of being in their league. How disgusting my tax dollars are supporting this pap!

Cat Sullivan

Cat In Seattle

[Junkdrawer]

4. Respectfully disagree...

I listened to the piece and they took a clear case of "Republicans trying to spread the Abramoff Scandal" and made it into a "Well, both sides are right and wrong here" type of "Balanced Smear".

It reminds me of a column by Paul Krugman. "Some claim the world is flat - both sides are right and wrong".

[mntleo2]

6. I Did Not Hear What You did, But

I can see where you are coming from. I listened to it too, and heard just another excuse to use anything possible to make sure doubt about his and other Dem's involvement was kept going. It was subtle, but to me this is what "good" propaganda is all about ~ making sure it is just under the radar so you *think* it is "fair and balanced", and that was what I heard. Maybe I am getting so paranoid that I am hearing it everywhere now, I dunno, lol.

Cat In Seattle

[msgadget]

5. That's how I heard it

And, perhaps the problem people are having with it is that no one bashed republicans while trumpeting Reid's innocence but that would've made it an opinion and not a news piece. Have things gotten so bad we can only accept reporting that bolsters a side?

[Supersedeas]

7. the Corporate Media has done their damage -- now on to Iran war drums