So I finally got through on C-Span this morning...

[redqueen]

This morning Brian was interviewing people with the New York Times... I missed the caller but heard one guest explain that they cover the primaries like sports. People want to know which team is winning, and why. *gag*

I wanted to call in, but my husband was online so....

I watch the next guest talk about her article about Kucinich's date. I was all excited, thinking that she'd talk about something of substance. She didn't. *sigh*

The next guest was the Washington Editor, and by this time the line was free, so I just had to try to call. And by God, I actually got through! I was psyched!

So... I get through, and ask the editor why there was no mention of Kucinich despite him receiving the longest and loudest applause during the debate for confronting the issue of how the media has dragged down political discourse. At this point Brian interrupted me and blah blahed about how they're talking about it now.

Then I pointed out that we see more coverage of Kucinich's date than his fight against Diebold to prevent them from hiding how insecure electronic voting machines are. At that point Brian cut me off.

Heh.

The guy sidetracked and instead of answering, said that Kucinich doesn't have money, the organization, poll numbers, blah blah blah, so they can't cover everyone. I wish Brian hadn't cut me off... I'd have liked to have redirected the editor back to the issue, which was why they didn't even mention his name since he DID get the longest & loudest response. But oh well... I was still pretty happy. :)

Just had to share that. My first C-Span call. Woohoo!

[grannylib]

1. Good for you for pointing out the issues that all the candidates, and all

of us, and the media, should be interested in!
Geez, are we surprised that you got cut off from anything substantive?
The media really are shameless...
Congratulations to you though!

[diamondsoul]

2. That's sad, especially since

C-span has been the one station that's been pretty kind to Dennis over-all.

[redqueen]

6. Well it's not really too surprising

They only let people talk about controversial issues if they sound like they're on the 'fringe'. Not trying to start anything, but honestly have you noticed how they let people that can't express thoughts clearly and ramble on about conspiracies just go on and on and on... But if anyone calls in with a criticism of substance, something controversial that really needs attention, they get cut off. Maybe it's just me, but I do seem to notice a trend that way.

Also, I never got to make my comment, which was to point out that an earlier caller had been unfairly interrupted and was not responded fairly to.

The reporter who was on, Gaylord was her name I think, was covering two freshman representatives, a Republican lady and a Democratic man. She referred to the Democrat as 'hispanic'. A caller was mad and said that referring to his race was wrong, and that she's contributing to racism. Whether the caller had a good point or not isn't the issue to me, though. The thing that bothered me was that Brian let the guest treat the caller rudely. She interrupted the woman and lied about what she herself had said. She told the caller that she must be confused, that she had only mentioned the congressman's minority status in the house with respect to his party. This was patently untrue. She had, in fact, referred to him as hispanic, and Brian let her get away with it. And her condescending tone was almost enough to make me barf!

He's my least favorite host. That's for sure! But I still love C-Span. And by the way, they're asking for help with an issue with the FCC, which might make them unavailable in your area. Check http://www.cspan.org for details on what you can do to help them out. :)

on edit... well that's strange. I checked c-span.org and cspan.org to get the link directly to the FCC info, but the alert about the FCC issue is gone from both - it was on there earlier. :shrug: Oh well, I'll leave the link up just in case. :)

[otohara]

3. Where's Judith Miller?

I would have asked about the "silence" surrounding ms miller - she's Jason Blair, only worse - she helped start a war based on lies.

[Mel]

4. I heard you! I heard you!

you had him and you did good!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cheered you and didn't even know it was an evil DU'er, Right on Sister!
I also yelled at Lamb for interupting you I could tell you where on a roll he didn't jam your momentum and yes he did cut you off at a point he shouldn't of!:(
You where hitting what I consider 'your groove' :) Way to Go!

Did you hear the two callers that asked him about Greg Palast? I liked that and I wrote a little on another thread about those two calls.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=887319

[redqueen]

8. Thanks!

I was so nervous... but yes I did hear that editor respond to one caller, saying he wasn't familiar with Greg Palast -- RIGHT! He's SO lying, but what else should we expect, right?

I just hope my points were clear. Now I gotta go read your thread about the calls, since I missed one.. thanks for posting it! :)

[ProfessorPlum]

5. Excellent job. Way to go.

Let them know that people are paying attention, despite the hypnosis they are trying to lull us all with.

[redqueen]

9. Thanks

It's hard to keep up the energy, though... takes so long to get through. And it's hard sometimes not to just turn it off, what with callers saying things like, 'I just think George Bush is the greatest president we've ever had, and I agree with everything he's done. Those Democrats and liberals that criticize him are just angry that he's doing such a great job now that their man is gone, and they're not fooling anyone. Bush is protecting our country, he's improving our economy, and he's showing the world we won't be taken advantage of anymore. Thank you.' <-- paraphrased, from memory, but YES, ACTUAL CALL!

[DemBones DemBones]

21. Oh, those Bushbots who say "I support George Bush 100%" are so

robotic. Not all, but many of those who call on the pro-Bush line sound as if they're reading out of Kliff's Notes on How to Be a Good Konservative. (Kliff is Karl's Kissin' Kuzn, of course.) Much of it comes straight from Oxy-Rush, I think, but the main thing is that they're clearly parroting others' words. Once in a while I hear a liberal who sounds a little scripted, but it's rare.

"I just love the pResident, he is a God-fearing Christian man." -- a sentiment usually expressed by women who sound like they wouldn't mind slapping anyone who has another opinion.

"These liberals" is a favorite phrase, used with various accusations, and often combined with the lie that Clinton did nothing about terra for eight years.
Usually these comments come from Angry White Men, whose intonation and phrasing suggests they got them from Rush.

[asjr]

7. I heard you

and wanted to hear more but of course Lamb was up to his usual self and talked right through some of what you said. If that attitude of his doesn't turn people off I don't know what does.

[redqueen]

10. Yes I think that's the point of it, really

To make people so cynical and disgusted that they just give up completely. It's worked pretty well so far, eh?

[Fleshdancer]

11. That was you!??!!

Awesome! You did a GREAT job...really caught the lazy media off guard by pointing out their own stupidity. Funny thing though, I turned Washington Journal on for just a brief moment, caught your entire question, waited for the answer, and was so disgusted at that point, I changed the channel.

I should have known you were a DUer! :toast:

[joanski01]

12. I heard you, too!!!

Great. Considering that it was Repuke Friday, I didn't turn it on until late, but I caught you. That Washington Editor of the New York Times was just awful. I guess I finally figured out that anything they don't want to answer, they just say they don't know anything about it. He never heard of Greg Palast.

Then about Kucinich, he says they don't have enough resources to cover everything and they have to make hard decisions. The New York Times also doesn't have enough resources to send a reporter off on a three-month investigation.

[SEAburb]

13. Lamb and Berke were both disrespectful to you

By chance I change the channel to c-span just before you got your shot. Lamb's butting in was designed to throw you off. Berke's smartass, tounge-in-cheek reply to your question really pissed me off. His claiming the story of DK's date was a positive story, when he knows it was just written to make DK look silly. They never show him as a serious candidate.

You did a great job of staying focused on what you wanted to say and not letting Brain derail you.

[rbnyc]

14. WTG!

I wish I would have heard you. Thanks so much for posting about it and standing up for the truth.

[goodhue]

15. great job

Thanks for makign your voice heard. The NYT is really one of the worst offenders of Kucinich media blackout.

[no name no slogan]

16. Nice job rq!!!!!

That's VERY cool that you got on there and gave The Man® hell. The "liberal" NYT is a giant joke as far as their "coverage" goes. I too have seen a whole boatload of stories about DK's "date", but little mention (outside of The Progressive) about his debate performance, much less the issues he brought up to Koppel and the ensuing long ovation.

THIS is what FIGHTING is all about-- not just heat, but LIGHT. I only wish I could have seen it :-( but I got that job thang to do...

Cheers! :toast:

[Desertrose]

17. awesome redqueen!

Sorry I missed it!!

Thanks for all your hard work...yeah...it is hard to keep the energy up sometimes when there are so many want to smack you down!!!


:yourock:

Wahooo!!!

:loveya:
DR

[blm]

18. cool...I've been honked off about the coverage of the date

while ignoring the man on real life issues.

The corporate media is so soulless.

[redqueen]

19. Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words

This was very nerve wracking so your support means a LOT!

:yourock:

This has given me renewed strength to try to get through on these shows, much in the same spirit as what VetWife from SmirkingChimp did. Maybe if enough of us gang up on them we can start chipping away at the media blackout on meaningful discourse itself! :)

[LWolf]

20. Keep calling.

Keep talking.

And call them on the interruptions, etc.!

:yourock:

[DemBones DemBones]

22. I wish I'd heard you! Brian Lamb is really obnoxious, the very worst

C-SPAN host, so I often avoid watching him. The younger white guy is also pretty bad about cutting people off, though he will do the same as Brian and let a caller ramble on if he or she a)sounds foolish and b) claims to be a Dem or opposed to Bush. So obvious!

It must be very scary to go from dialing, dialing, dialing to suddenly getting an answer -- difficult enough to express your thoughts without having to deal with any rudeness from the host (and/or guest.) I really admire those who get through and make intelligent comments!


:yourock: redqueen :yourock:

[Kahuna]

23. I heard that call! It was great. Boy did that editor

have egg on his face.

:yourock: