The State of the Day (updated)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have reviewed the day and I am pleased to report that the State of the Day is confused. A little of this. A little of that. But not much cohesion in purpose and/or goals. Therefore, a couple random bits:

I had this weird dream that a major media corporation was fighting in the courts to prevent a presidential candidate from appearing on its station’s debates. Oh wait, that’s no dream. Good morning, America.

Yep, MSNBC and its parent corporation, NBC, and the parent of that corporation, General Electric, are in a fast and furious legal battle with Dennis Kucinich over his involvement – or lack thereof – in the Nevada-based Democratic presidential debate. The network (a.k.a.: The Corporate Goliath) first ruled that Kucinich could, indeed, participate. But it quickly reversed itself and literally dis-invited Kucinich. He responded with a trip to the courts and won a ruling that ordered his involvement. And now The Corporate Goliath in control of what was in the good-old-days considered the “public’s airwaves” is now frantically trying to appeal the ruling in every legal venue it can think of.

This is just ugly. It’s repulsive enough that the NBC’s, CNN’s, Fox’s and the like routinely stifle true public debate on the public’s airwaves. But NBC has taken the exclusion of opinions to a new low by actually fighting court orders that are aimed at expanding public discourse.

There was a time, you know, when this nation’s founders feared just such a power grab and subsequent subversion of our democratic ideals. That’s why corporations were originally looked on very suspiciously. The original corporations were only granted a charter for specific time frames in order to complete specific functions deemed in the public’s interest (building a road, for example). When the task was done, the charter was gone.

There was an understandable concern that corporations – when left unchecked – could accumulate too much power and seek to monopolize not only the markets and the business environment but our democratic institutions as well. And here we are, in 2008, with a Goliath of a corporation that owns and controls everything from nuke plants to dishwashers to television and radio stations seeking to unilaterally decide which presidential candidates we should hear from. Like I said, it’s ugly.

This battle for inclusion in the debates could be Kucinich’s shining moment. Well, if you want to ignore his feisty insistence that we end the war now, provide health care for everyone and put an end to the corporate stranglehold over our political and cultural institutions. But Kucinich’s battle for inclusion should put a spotlight on just how rotten the system has become – from the corporate ownership of the media right down to how the votes are being counted. And, if people are listening, it should inspire the pursuit of redress.

But I’m guessing we’re not going to read or hear much about Kucinich’s Sisyphean battle with the corporate Goliath. Most likely because the other corporately-controlled media outlets aren’t going to be too interested in undermining the systemic control they are all enjoying. In other words, it’s their ball. Their ballpark. And their referees.

Good morning, America.

 [Tuesday afternoon update: As of 5:00 p.m., the matter of Kucinich v. NBC is still in the courts. The debate is supposed to start in 4 hours and the lawyers are currently giving oral arguments to a judge about -- get this -- whether a candidate who is running a national campaign should be included in the debate. But we should all notice how Kucinich's Democratic opponents are handling the situation. In case you missed it, they're ignoring it and him. If they had a political justice bone in their bodies, Clinton, Obama and Edwards would be joining together and speaking out about it. Better yet, they'd be releasing a statement declaring that if one of the them is excluded, all of them are refusing to participate. But don't hold your breath. Oh baby, feel the change...]

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Hillary on Meet the Press: Yikes. I saw it. We can’t possibly be looking for four more years of that bullshit, can we? The Clintons are robots. And they’re wired for only one thing: self-power. Worse, they think they are completely entitled to it. That’s why it’s so easy for them to slip and slide all over the political landscape in search of the most advantageous place to be. They can’t speak from their hearts because they are robots. I’m convinced of it.

During her Sunday appearance with Tim Russert, she was given one opportunity after another to look human and/or humble. But she refused. And, instead, talked in not-so-nice verbal circles that said this over and over: me, me, me, me. Worse, she wouldn’t let Russert talk on his own show. I am Hillary, hear me roar. And roar. And roar.

Until we change the channel. Click.

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Rinse Your Media Brain.

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Do Not Think Bad Thoughts.

 

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Do Not Stick Your Finger in the Plum.

 

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Wash Your Hands.

 

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And Get Back to Work.