“OMEN, n. A sign that something will happen if nothing happens.” ~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary
Tea Partiers protesting CNN’s news, as it followed the astroturf “Tea Party Express” phony grass-roots circus act in 2010.
We begin with the news about the news [emphasis added]:
CNN’s Primetime Ratings Sink to 20-Year Low 10:56 AM PDT 6/26/2012 by Michael O’Connell The primetime lineup of Anderson Cooper 360 and Piers Morgan, specifically, saw big drops during the prime 8-10 p.m. hours that have averages down to 446,000 total viewers and a mere 129,000 with adults 25-54. Those numbers mark 35 and 41 percent drops from the second quarter in 2011. Daily ratings stumbled to their lowest in more than a decade (2001), with 319,000 the average total viewers and 129,000 adults 25-54 — 35 and 45 percent drops, respectively….
How very sad. And while we’re talking about “news”, here are some factual Corrections: Ron Paul won Iowa, and will take a majority of its delegates to the Republican National Convention.
Ron Paul backers triumphant at Iowa GOP convention
5:38 PM, Jun 16, 2012 The Des Moines (IA) Reguster… Delegates at the state convention today voted 794 to 689 to approve the official, Paul-heavy at-large slate. And Friday night, 11 of the 12 district delegates elected are backed by the Paul movement. Iowa Republicans will send a total of 28 delegates – 12 elected from the districts; 13 at-large delegates; GOP state party chairman A.J. Spiker, who was vice chairman of Paul’s Iowa campaign; and the two national committee members …
21 of 28 delegates are Ron Paul backers.
Ron Paul speaks at Tea Party Patriots in Phoenix, 2011
This comes long after the state was awarded by the corporate talking heads to Mitt Romney.
And then to the Foster Friess-backed Rick Santorum. Do facts matter here? Or was ‘fact’ that was not fact reported as news?
Correction: The recall forces defeated Gov. Scott Walker.
By taking one senate seat, the majority in the Wisconsin state senate passed (over two recall elections) from a Republican majority to stalemate, to a Democratic majority, effectively checking Walker’s agenda and forcing him to bargain with the opposition.
The Walker out-of-state backers spent a huge amount of money to obtain this result, and revealed their tactics for the November election. So it was a strategic victory, as well.
These are facts.
However, you may not have heard of them, since facts are not reported as news: only the “opinions” of those who mint the news with grimy hands, bent on manipulating “common knowledge” to further their own ends.
With 96 percent of US media (including Bain Capitol’s Clear Channel radio mega-monster) owned by six corporations, and the onus on all newsrooms to “be profitable,” this may well be understandable in a short-term, opportunistic and expedient manner, but it has, over the long haul, killed news as … news.
The Non Dairy Creamer Party
Here’s the “news” that’s dominating Memeorandum, the same tired, meaningless polling BS that fills space and empty voids in news cycles but never adds a scintilla of meaningful information to the space inside anybody’s head:
First Read / msnbc.com: NBC/WSJ poll: Obama, Romney remain in dead heat — By NBC News Senior Political Editor Mark Murray — President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney remain locked in a tight contest, with each candidate displaying significant strengths and weaknesses four months …
Discussion:
CNN: Poll: Obama, Romney race still tight Allahpundit / Hot Air: NBC/WSJ poll: Obama leads Romney by eight points in swing states
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: MITT ROMNEY HAS A GLASS JAW — IT’S CALLED BAIN RELATED:
Justin Sink / The Hill: Romney: If health law invalidated, Obama’s first term was a waste — Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney argued Tuesday that if the president’s signature healthcare legislation was overturned Thursday by the Supreme Court, it would mean that President Obama’s first term was a waste.
Discussion:
Matt Negrin / ABCNEWS: On Arizona Immigration, a Supreme Court Rules, and a Candidate Hides
New York Times: Citizens United — The Supreme Court examined the Arizona …
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus: Political Pitfalls in a Hasty Reaction to the Health Care Ruling
Dennis DiClaudio / Indecision Forever: Romney Says Obama’s First Term Was “Wasted” on Health Care Reform
CNN: Romney tips hand on SCOTUS health care response
Robert Stein / Connecting.the.Dots: Week of Supreme Dread
Mark Murray / msnbc.com: NBC/WSJ poll: More would be pleased if health law ruled unconstitutional
Discussion:
CNN: Poll: More Americans pleased if court deems Obamacare unconstitutional
Noah Rothman / Mediaite: Poll: Most Americans Want Health Care Law Declared Unconstitutional
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit: WHICH IS WHY I FIND THE LEFTY-PUNDIT CLAIM THAT SUCH A RULING …
Steve Holland / Reuters: Romney “willing to risk being one-term president”: Portman
Discussion:
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Mitt Romney’s VP Frontrunner Just Pulled An Obama
Er, notice anything? There isn’t any NEWS. Just statistical analysis, snark and pointless musing about the ephemeral and non-immediate.
It is nothing less than hiding in tomorrow to avoid having to report on today.
Not a single piece of hard news in the lot. You also might have noticed that CNN slavishly links to the NBC/WSJ regular time-filler polling. All previous experience has told us that political polling DOESN’T MEAN A DAMNED THING IN JUNE.
But, hey. There must be a scarcity of facts to report on when so little of the reporting in ON facts?
(Yeah. There’s a “shortage” of facts. More like a shortage of gumption and gumshoeing.)
Face it, polls are artificial by their nature. In this case, it doesn’t MATTER what the country would think about a legal decision by the Supreme Court, since public opinion has NOTHING to do with the decision. It’s like polling on the Second Coming, or whether the Earth is round or flat.
The opinions of the uninformed don’t actually MEAN anything in this context. We’re LITERALLY reporting on the OPINIONS of laypersons regarding a LEGAL case. That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
WHERE are the facts, oh BetterThanBloggers Media? Aren’t you doing EXACTLY what you accuse bloggers of doing? Grabbing someone else’s work and adding a quick comment and then acting like you’ve actually DONE something?
Yes, “BELIEVE” because
“knowing” requires facts, which
requires truth and not outrageous
lies, mendacity and dissembling
There’s more. But that’s for the morrow.
And CNN’s low ratings? An omen.
Courage.
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A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog His Vorpal Sword. This is cross-posted from his blog
A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog, His Vorpal Sword (no spaces) dot com.