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Auntie Andrea And Little Luke
From digby's blog Hullabaloo:
More sage insights from the spawn of Russert:
Andrea Mitchell: Luke, you've been watching all of the vote counting up there. Harry Reid is bring a vote to the floor, most people think he's a pretty good vote counter. With Ben Nelson indicating that he'll at least let it get to the floor, they're going to get this up for debate.Young Luke is quite the analyst. You can see why he was vaulted to the top of the American news business over the heads of others who have far more training, brains and ability. It's in the blood.Little Luke: That's what all signs are point to right now. But the interesting thing we can take away from this is a point that NBC producer Ken Strickland made that I think is great. It's that Harry Reid, no matter what happens, he is showing to the liberal base that he has done everything in his power to get a bill with a public option to the floor at least up for debate.
This satisfies the liberals, this satisfies the MoveOn.org crowd, and really, I think it will show him to be the standard bearer of the liberal cause, Andrea.
Andrea Mitchell: Luke Russert, you're in the right place with the best story in town. Thanks so much.
Just in case anyone missed it, Little Luke thinks that actually getting a public option in the bill isn't important to liberals--- the real victory is that the public option got to the floor. Apparently, Villagers think this whole thing was simply a bid for attention and now that the savvy Reid has delivered that, it doesn't matter what the bill has in it, we just love him to death. After all, liberals would certainly would never be so bold as to forget our place and think we might actually win something. How silly.
To the wise and worldly Little Luke, liberals are children to be appeased with gestures and shiny objects. I wonder where he learned that?
38 Comments so far
Show AllI take it that this Nerd Genius is the issue of the late and totally unlamented Tim Russert and not of Russert Potato. If so, then he is a product of In Nepotism Fertilization.
Be watching on election night 2010 when little luke expresses utter amazement and surprise when the Republicans win enough seats to take control of both houses of Congress.
It's a shame that children don't know how to grow up anymore. David Frum was the son of one of Canada's tv greats Barbara Frum. She was a liberal, and the reason that Davie went so far off the deep end when he chose to rebel against his mum and joined up with the fascists.
'lil lukie should be an out and out commie if he wants to prove that he's not his father. But it seems that if you give a brat a trust fund they'll want to prove that they are their father. It couldn't be that those trust fund kids doubt their genetic parentage could it?
From Catholicized aliens. Moveon, again? Nay, MUFON. I just Want TO BELIEVE! - A Flaming Liberal.
ONCE AGAIN, we see the Septic Tank Rule in play here. Obviously, broadcast Journalism (among innumerable other wonderful organizations) faithfully follows The Rule. As we can see with Little Luke, the TeeVee Nooze is like a Septic Tank: the "you-know-what" floats to the top, sits there, stinks, decomposes (all-too-slowly) and creates excess carbon. Why don't I have a FLUSH button on my remote control?
Try the one that says POWER.
It should be obvious to all that this potato head is from an eye off the late corporate media talking potato head.
Although Tim Potato Head feigned objectivity, he couldn't conceal his conservative blight whenever he had the opportunity to toss underhanded spuds to the Monsanto farmers, while firing overhanded spuds at the heads of organic farmers.
Let us hope that the potato beetles get to this spud before it has a chance to mature and pass the blight on.
the end is near.
Actually, that's not far off the mark. If we reach the point where Harry Reid can legitimately be called the 'standard-bearer for the liberal cause', the U.S. will have broken the tape in victory at the end of the race to the bottom.
Goebbels,
You are reading my mind.
But you know, there is an upside. If the best these PR spinners can do is try to set up Reid (of all people!) as a parragon of liberal values, they are either totally out of it or are just grasping at straws.
"they are either totally out of it or are just grasping at straws"
No, they're not out of it, they just want to makes sure everybody else is. This is all show business, or theater for the masses.
"This satisfies the liberals, this satisfies the MoveOn.org crowd, and really, I think it will show him to be the standard bearer of the liberal cause"
MoveOn used to have some progressive tendencies, e.g., used to be against the Iraq war (that interest has faded); however, MoveOn has moved to the right, just as the Democratic Party has. Today Move-on posted this article: "Thank Sen. Harry Reid". For what? Forcing Americans to pay insurance companies who only use 80% of the premiums to pay health care and have threatened to raise rates further. Move-on.org has turned into a Democratic Party cheerleader and basically used Progressives just as Obama did.
A lot of "liberals" I know are on antidepressants which appear to make them very gullible to rock star candidates and liberal sounding soundbites.
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
The problem is far too many liberals and pissed out progressives ARE easily appeased with gestures and shiny objects--like weaver birds on xanex.
metal,
Weaver birds on xanax! Damn! That's the best description of my fellow Vermont liberals that I have ever heard!
Genus Dinemellia
White-headed Buffalo-weaver
What's more, they would probably take it as a compliment... sigh.
We need a new term to describe negative feeling rejection from happy face addicts.
How about RIRS (Reality Input Rejection Syndrome)?
Maybe we need to equip all liberals with itching powder in their shorts so they won't relax. No wonder those ambitious, greedy, corporate party reps run all over us. THEY KNOW HOW TO FOCUS AND STAY MAD.
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
Yep. Too many of them just appease themselves with the tiniest tidbit of overly invested hope they put into DLC hood ornaments like Obama and then automatically switch their brains into the "off" position like Homer Simpson or Reese from Malcolm in the Middle.
Or titmice on Tramadol. :-)
Has anyone with less talent and ability for her job stuck around as long as Andrea herself?
Andrea Mitchell. Mrs. Alan Greenspan. Objective journalism at its best.
Luke is polishing his bullshit. He must be a chip off the old cowchip.
Maybe Obama can bring him in like Bush did with Rove, Bush had his turd blossom so I guess Obama can have his blossom turd.
The irony of justaposing the stories of Bill Moyers retiring and Andrea Mitchell's fawning over that twerp Luke Russert is hard to miss.
Bill Moyers retiring and the sophomoric analyses of Luke Russert are emblematic of what US "journalism" has become.
This "liberal" will not be satisfied unless the final legislation contains a REAL public option. Beware of a watered down law that will be proclaimed a success.
I do fear that most likely the final product will be exactly that, " a watered down law that will be proclaimed a success." Can you remember anything passed in the last 30 years that actually responded to public need and welfare? I do ask that question seriously because I unfortunately can't.
during that time the republicans have become two-year-olds in a tantrum yelling: "NO!!!"
for peace and sustainability
'nough said! Sigh! I'm glad I don't have a TV any more.
From the grapevine, it looks like Harry Reid may be challenged for his Senate seat by a Nevada-born Republican now hailing from New York City, a Wall Street investment bankster, name of Chachas.
I am sure the 'liberal' MSM like Andrea Greenspan, er, Mitchell, and baby-Luke Russert will be all for the up-and-coming 'little guy' - the multimiilionaire Wall Street bankster- against the mean, old Reid, that too doctrinaire, too tough 'liberal-left-leaning commie' - and slant their coverage appropriately.
On the other hand, do CDers complaining about Reid herein prefer Reid's Senate seat to be filled by a rabid-right, neo-con Republican, "no-taxes-on-the-rich", multimillionaire Wall Street Investment Bankster?
It seems some of them may. I sure do not. But that is the real and true choice. It is not between Harry Reid and Jesus.
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
Exactly how has Reid shown himself to be any different or better than "a rabid-right, neo-con Republican, 'no-taxes-on-the-rich', multimillionaire Wall Street Investment Bankster?" The DLC "leadership" in Congress has already blown the best opportunity the Democratic Party had in over 40 years by extending the worst of Bush II's policies and coating them in better, more saccharine propaganda. They haven't done Cheney towards early termination of Bush II's tax cuts for the super-rich. They helped hard sell TARP to the public as a way to "buy up the bad paper" in the big banks, only to let the banks keep all the bad paper in still un-investigated amounts and use the tax payer TARP money to speculate in the stock market in still unregulated derivatives (among other things). The Dims have done next to nothing to slow the rate of home foreclosures; nothing to create the millions of jobs necessary to replace the ones lost during Obama's first year in office; stayed the course on Bush II's oil/pipeline wars and open-ended military spending; done nothing to improve public education; nothing on climate change; ignored or betrayed organized labor at every step. If they look like Republicans and quack like ducks, then they must all be Republiphux.
Wake up, FVHorn. The Dimocratic Party is now just as morally and ethically DOA as the Republicans. Real progressives need to unite under a new umbrella Party and then reach out to alienated former Democrats who have realized the DLC's Obama="change" betrayal. The dwindling number of decent human beings with two brain cells left to rub together who are still living in America don't have anymore time to waste on the Dimocratic Party and its aging cast of shagged out corporatist millionaires.
I love the way they have under his name on CCN, instead of the usual "Author" or "Journalist" or "policy expert"..this kid's only listed qualifications and credential is "Tim Russet's Son"
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
Then there's the Bush II daughter doing human interest grok for NBC McNews. There should be a law requiring all military age children of Presidents, Vice Presidents and munitions industry executives to enlist for military service whenever the Executive Branch pushes for war authority from Congress or initiates hostilities with Executive orders.
The corporate media all loved Tim Russert because he showed them how to do non-interview interviews that sounded dressy but carefully skirted the edge of real journalism. This allows overpaid network McJournalists to keep their cushy jobs without having to actually poke the beasts of the ruling oligarchs in their wolf snouts. The steaming MSM herd will protect Russert's kid probably even more than the Bush bimbette. There is no solution to this other than to pretend (whenever you see or hear little Luke on the idiot box) that you are listening to the partially sedated illegitimate son of the Skipper from Gilligan's Island. Just sing the lyrics to the Gilligan's Island theme song to the tune of In The Court of The Crimson King and you will have achieved the proper frame of mind for Lukey's dooky.
Luke Russert who? Again, Luke Russert who?
Luke, Stick to your lame sports show with your Butt pal James Carville on Satellite Radio!!!
Yes, you are just as annoying as your father Luke and I hate to tell ya but your father was a suck-up to people in power.
Thanks to your father Luke, no serious questions were asked before the war on Iraq and Big Tim let off every major Bush administration official off the hook. Yes, Luke, your father was a fine propagandist.....and a liar too!!! I am sure you are following in those footsteps too....
Perfect. Andrea Mitchell interviewing Little Luke. How charming. Just what the world needs--something spawned from Tim Russert to be left behind, like a bad case of herpes. It just keeps on giving and giving and giving...an
(Wonder what Auntie Andrea and Grandpa Greenspan are up to these days, anyhow?)
If this whole thing weren't so scary, it'd be funny.
Wow. Talk about ageism. I see the progressive movement is no longer trying to appeal to the under 35 market, which is the life blood of the liberal cause. I guess progressivism is fogeyism.
Yes, I'm sure media legacy careers such as Luke Russert's are exactly the sort of thing to motivate progressive youth to speak truth to power.
A macvital macreport on macnews. News for sale to the least informed. Way to go Andrea and Luke. How to waste space and time. Where is real news when you need it, oh it's on democracynow.org
Looks like bring your kids to work day...
Actually, Luke graduated from Boston College in 2008, and spent a log, hard 6 weeks(or was it days?) slugging away in the trenches learning his craft from the top up, before being hired by NBC News as a correspondent for the 2008 election....
a regular Edward R Murrows..
Well, if he turns out to be as swift as Dad, he'll be wretched. I think his inexperience may sift out, and he'll be unemployed with the rest of us.
Nepotism is fun though, isn't it?
I'm all for piling on the cable news hair do set, especially when they are clearly silver-spoon nepotism cases, but I'm not really sure how far off he is from the truth. For the congressional dems and their net roots "progressive" base, this kind of symbolic gesture really does seem to go a long way, since they are all far too "pragmatic" to pursue real change, like a single payer system, which leads to cheaper, better health care results in the rest of the industrial world.
The house dems passed a corporate give away--the "public option" in that bill, according to CBO scoring, will cover perhaps 6 million people by 2019, less than 2% of the population. It will not be open to anybody who wants to participate, it is not tied to medicare plus 5% rates. It will essentially be a refuge for a few people who are too sick to get onto the private insurance rolls and will probably have higher premiums then the private plans. It will likely be administered by private insurers. It will be a tiny, high risk pool in the untenable position of needing negotiate rates, instead of simply relying on the exisitng Medicare schedule. For all practical purposes, it is no public option at all. But they called it a "public option" and celebrated and congratulated themselves for including a "public option," and in the week afterward, we were all flooded with emails from groups like Moveon, Citizen action and the AFL-CIO, urging us to "thank" our congressional dems for giving us a "public option."
I fully expect that, no matter what comes out of the Senate dog and pony show, I will get emails telling me to thank Harry Reid, et al. In Washington, the weatlhiest city left in this crumbling corporate empire, appearance is the most important aspect of any debate. Intuitively, a media Prince like Russert gets that far better than most of us idealistic activists do.
Briggs Seekins
briggsseekins.wordpress.com