Dems and Obama at Odds On Debt Fixes

[TomCADem]

Source: Fox News

The strained relationship between the White House and congressional Democrats is headed for another bad turn as President Obama tries to win an increase to the government’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit.

Obama’s 2012 campaign strategy of distancing himself from Washington, including the members of his own political party, was on ostentatious display during last week’s fight over a spending plan for the remainder of this fiscal year.

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Obama has been rather wobbly on the matter of debt and deficits. There had been some excitement over the debt commission Obama impaneled last year. But hopes that there was budget hawk rustling behind the big-spending stimulator of 2009 and 2010 were dashed when Obama released his budget for next year without a whisper of a remedy for overspending. He would instead wait and see.

That opened a lane for House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to make his own proposal. And that is where the interests of Obama and his former congressional colleagues began to diverge.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/12/dems-obama-odds-debt-fixes/

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WARNING! FOX NEWS CORPORATE MEDIA NARRATIVE! SOCK PUPPET ATTACK FROM THE "LEFT"

Many of us are well aware of the fact that the right wing corporate propaganda machine pumps millions of dollars into groups like Freedom Works to orchestrate astroturf attacks on President Obama and Democrats from the right. However, this same machine also orhestrates attacks on President Obama and Democrats from the left by pumping up stories of liberal dissatisfaction with President Obama and or Democrats even as they fight to protect progressive programs from elimination by a right wing House.

Whether it is Latinos for Reform telling Hispanics to stay home, a Rand Paul staffer posting on liberal blogs that Conway is not liberal enough, Freedom Works organizing an Angry Renters campaign to attack help to homeowners, or Rush Limbaugh encouraging his listerners to act like angry PUMA democrats, the corporate propaganda machine is not merely trying to manipulate the right.

The corporate propaganda machine is engaging in increasingly sophisticated sock puppet attacks from the left by giving prominent liberals who are willing to attack and blame Democrats, while staying generally mum about Republicans, a forum to state such attacks. It could Juan Williams complaining about Republicans or Dennis Kucinich and Bart Stupak attacking Health Care Reform. Then, these attacks are then amplified by the mainstream media, which picks up on the narrative.

Finally, corporate PR firms manipulate liberal blogs by posting this "news" on liberal blogs, and kicking and recommending articles critical of Democrats, but giving Republicans a free pass, on liberal blogs. Then, Fox News reports the "news" of liberal dissatisfaction with President Obama and Democrats.

Look at the DU's Greatest Hits page. It is often filled with anti-Democratic posts that are systantically kicked and recommended. Even Jim DeMint saying that he would be against allowing gays to teach at public schools does not get near the attention of stories reporting "news" that a Democrat is not liberal enough, with liberal references to the sock puppet unicorn, the DLC.

So, here is Fox News, once again pushing the narrative and attacks from the left. I am sure Bill O'Reilly will have another show about how the left is dissatisfied with President Obama. Gee, do you really think that Fox News cares what liberals think. Also, if Fox News was fair and balanced, you would think that they would manage to find a liberal who has something critical to say about the right wing nuts who are in control of the Republican party.

Of course not, Fox News also manages to marginalize those Republicans who stray from the approved corporate media message.

[keopeli]

1. I don't believe this is LBN.

This is a Fox opinion (i.e. 'hit') piece. I would personally never quote FOX in LBN...ever. Be that as it may, there is no 'news' content to this article.

Now, much of what your comments say may be true (or may not), but your comments themselves demonstrate that even you don't believe this is 'news'. So, my question is, why do you pick LBN to post this? Why do you want to lend credibility to an article and then tear it down as propaganda? It seems to me there is some sort of disconnect in your rationale. While you clearly have something to discuss and an opinion to give, the only reason I can imagine for posting this in LBN is that you want to make the OP seem more 'newsworthy' in order to amplify your rebuttal (you hope). The whole idea is full of double-speak and obfuscation. Either Fox is making this narrative up (as you suggest) and this therefore is NOT LBN, or the story is truly news but you want to point out that you believe this "news" to be false, even though you post it in LBN. There's a lot of cognitive dissonance here.

My only assertion is that I would like LBN to contain real news. As such, I don't believe FOX should be quoted as the only source in any post and, if I believe that it's a hit piece and opinion, as you clearly do from your comments, I would never post this in LBN. It belies the credibility of your comments (rebuttal) when you do so.

If you agree, would you kindly move this to the Discussion Forum to carry on your debate in a more reasonable fashion? Thanks for your consideration.

Peace

Keo

[TomCADem]

2. I am specifically posting to highlight how what is presented as "news" is often presented...

...through a corporate narrative that hides a propaganda objective. For example, why is it that Fox News is so eager to progressive grivances against President Obama and Democrats? Well, as you note, is there any actual news there?

Your comment got this post kicked to discussion, but is the article really any difference from other "news" pieces? If this was not Fox News, and I did not bold face the fact that this is corporate propaganda, it would be indistinguishable from much of the anti-Democratic, give the Republicans a free pass, "news" that is posted on LBN.

Sometimes the narrative, and the propaganda is discerbable, but other times it is more subtle, yet the narrative is often the same. Progressive are strangely complaining about Democrats and/or President Obama, but are not really saying anything about Republicans.

Let me put it this way, Republicans are trying to outlaw unions and privitize/destroy Medicare, and there are really "progressives" threatening to sit out the 2012 elections? It is beyond stupid, yet this is the narrative that right wing media will push, which will be picked by the corporate "mainstream" media.

Sadly, these articles do not have a huge WARNING!!!. This article on Fox News is not presented as opinion even though it is filled with anti-Democratic propaganda. The proganda is getting more sophisticated. The astroturf will not just be on the right. You will have articles like this one that purportedly air the views of progressives, but are really designed to undermine support for Democrats on the left the same way that Republican funding of Ralph Nader/Green Party candidates is designed to do.

[keopeli]

3. I agree with you on just about all counts

But, this being DU, I maintain that your post is really a discussion of an opinion piece and that we, being wise to Fox's cunning ploy, can be honest and distinguish one (LBN) from the other (discussion).

Finally, I don't believe my comment got the post moved to discussion. Rather, I believe the rules are what caused the mods to move the post. I simply agree with both the rule and interpretation. I'm sorry if you feel slighted; this was not my intent.

Peace

[mmonk]

4. You're confused. They are painting Obama as the liberal

and they are trying to exploit the Senate New Democrats and other conservatives. Liberals and progressives are not going to drop their values for Fox or give into the right I hope.