F*** Stephanopoulos.

[whometense]

And Leno too.

Four comedy segments on This Week today, and two, count 'em, TWO mocking Kerry.

Stephanopoulos bows to his corporate overlords in saying, "hey, Bushco may be imploding, but that other guy? Fuggedaboudit.

In the interest of fairness one of the clips came from the Daily Show, with Bush speaking quoting Kerry, and Jon Stewart commenting that Kerry was boring even when someone else wqas saying his words. Sorry, not funny. This is Jon's only real hook into laughing at Kerry, and it has more to do with the tone of his boice than with what he's saying. But okay.

The Leno "joke" was really egregious. "John Kerry said today that the war in Iraq was a colossal mistake. This coming from the guy who voted for it twice."

Say what? Am I completely out of it here? What is that supposed to mean?

If you want my opinion, the true comedy of the morning was supplied by Rumsfeld, appearing everywhere at once, and golly-gee-ing himself out of responsibility for everything.

Q: "Sir, as late as August 2000 commanders in Iraq were asking for more US troops, and they say they were denied."

Rumsfeld: "Is it possible that someone, somewhere in Iraq asked for more troops? Sure. Did I know about it? No way."

Har har. He oughta be in vaudeville.

[Mass]

1. Stephanopoulos has been a tool for Bush for a while now

and today, note how there was nobody against Rumsfeld. Even FOX had Biden to talk after him. ABC had NO anti-war voice in the panel either.

I know he supported this war all-heartedly, but still, what about fair and balanced.

[ProSense]

2. Yes! Aiding and abetting Bush

is what the media is all about. Now that we know Bush lied, Kerry has a plan, the record of Kerry's statements support his position for the past two years, pull out the funnies.

How about the real clips of him countering ever damn thing Bush ever said? Remember, Kerry was the guy in opposition to the crap you media idiots helped Bush sell to the public.

[karynnj]

3. Leno does get pretty monotonous on Kerry doesn't he?

Rumsfeld was so slimy - in his story everybody but Rumsfeld was to blame. But not him - he wouldn't even take reponsibility for going to war. What's sad is that if you ignore the words, he has a voice and demeanor that convey that he is reasonable -when he is anything but.

[ray of light]

4. To be fair to Leno...

Most comedians poke fun at all politicians.

[ProSense]

5. To me this isn't about Leno.

Why not leave it to the comedians to tell jokes. This is a serious debate. A so-called news program shouldn't be plugging into comedic distortions to convey Kerry's position on Iraq. Quote Kerry on Kerry, not Leno on Kerry. Problem is, all they have is that over-played quote. Kerry voted for the resolution (based on manipulated evidence provided by Bush), against the funding (after Bush violated the resolution), and has been a critic of the war ever since (including speaking out about Bush's failures).

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. I agree

This to me is not funny, I'm sorry, to me nothing about it is funny. I'd like to see him put up Bush joking last year in front of the media whores, "nope, no WMD'S here, nope not here...". To me that was dispicable, but no they laughed as troops were dying.

[ray of light]

7. yes, that's why I didn't respond about Stephonopolus

Besides, I have not seen him so I can't say if this is a typical pattern.

HOWEVER, what I can say is the tv regularly makes all dems look like 'a$$es'.

AND more to the point, I believe all of us need to find a way to get progressives elected in 06 so we can break up the tv monopolies and that dems need to advocate for the return of free and fair media. (and free and fair elections.)

But that was why I only mentioned Leno...because I've heard him slam rethugs and dems equally.
(Actually, I rarely watch Leno either. Just the Daily Show and Bill Maher.)

[ProSense]

8. So right about

electing progressives. People are bouncing all over the place on this issue. Getting our troops out of Iraq is a serious issue, but so is life after that. Everyday there is a new person for president in their endless attempt to discredit current Democratic leaders. They jump on some person because of one issue or because they believe the person is advocating a certain POV, then after the letdown---sometimes by learning that person's actual position (as opposed to the one they attached to him/her)---it's on to the next. Great way to select a candidate.

[ginnyinWI]

9. I haven't watched it yet, but

have it on the dvr. I usually enjoy the show, although I'm well aware that ABC as a whole is drifting more and more to the right. Their network news is very soft on * and a complete waste of time.

Leno makes me gag. They have a clip of him almost every week on Steph's show, and every week I rush to hit "mute" so I don't have to hear his voice. And sorry, I also have gotten sick of Jon Stewart's snark. I guess I can't stand anybody making light of such serious national problems. It's almost as if they are war profiteering--it's almost immoral. The way everyone disses someone like Kerry who has the backbone to stand up to this evil administration certainly is!

Why do we as a country allow ourselves to be led by a bunch of mafiosos, and then shoot down anyone who tries to come to our rescue?
How dysfunctional can we get?

[whometense]

14. Jon Stewart

breaks my heart when he does this. I still love him, but every Kerry joke strains our relationship. ;-) I try to have a sense of humor about it, I really do, but I feel the same way as you do - the comedic snark that is ok in normal times just seems almost immoral to me too.

[jillan]

10. and an even bigger F*** U to Russert!

Watched only the first half when he was interviewing Murtha.
Murtha was awesome. I urge everyone to watch the rerun.

But - towards the end of the interview he put up 3 clips from
1. Reid
2. Pelosi
3. Kerry

He took 1 fragment of 1 sentence from each of their floor speeches during the last few days concerning Murtha - all to provide a negative spin, and to put Murtha on the hot seat.
From EVERYTHING Kerry has said about Murtha this week, what does Timmy choose to put on the screen????? "i respectively disagree with Murtha". Yep - cut it off right there. Didn't even finish Kerry's sentence on why he said that. He did that to Reid, and Pelosi.

I am SOOOOO mad:mad:

[TayTay]

11. This was wrong of Russert and was deeply deceptive

Nancy Pelosi gave a great speech in support of Jack Murtha on Friday night. Russert chose to ignore that and follow the Washington meme that Democrats are in disarray and can't come together. This is planly false as just about every Dem voted against the sham Withdrawal amenedment that Hunter proposed.

I can only conclude that Russert either lied on purpose or lied because he is following an agenda. (Rusert, btw, is dirty as hell. He was part of the Plame story and withheld information from the American public last year that, if released, might have affected the outcome of the PResidential race. He, Judy Miller and Bob Woodward and every other reporter who protected the government at the expense of the people have a lot to answer for. )

[jillan]

12. Did you watch?

If not do - another reason to watch to a fellow Kerrycrat.

What Murtha has to say sounds awfully familiar, if you know what I mean. But I am going to say this, Murtha, probably from his military background has better verbal delivery. He shoots from the hip. Kerry thinks things through. That is why imo that Murtha is getting more attention on this than Kerry, even tho they are basically saying the same thing. I would give anything for the 2 of them to join forces on this. They are so close in what they are saying. And I have alot of respect for both of them.

[wisteria]

13. You all can do what you want, but I am going to contact Step and

Russert. The other two are comedians,this is what they do, find humor in humorless situations, although Leno's remark was out and out a lie.
IMO, if they don't hear from us they think it is ok to keep doing this crap. Maybe some of you don't watch the shows but many people do and consider them to be accurate sources of news. I just think they need to be told we are watching what they are doing and we don't like it.

[whometense]

15. That was what got to me about Leno too -

I expect the snark, but at least base your stupid joke on some kind of TRUTH.

[TayTay]

16. This is completely true

As the article about Kerry and all the bashing in Presstitutes proved, the actual news shows and mainline commentators do matter. People expect exxageration from comedians, that is what comedy is about: taking one trait and blowing it out of proportion.

But the Finemans and Russerts of the world are supposed to be responsbile and report accurately. They are supposed to be the free agents in the political drama and be independent and play fair. When they don't, when the stack the decks of commentators with those from one-side only, or when the shill for an ex-boss and cronies from a past campaign as Steph might be doing, we should call them on it.

[wisteria]

17. I wrote to Step and Russet, but I realized that both of these guys

didn't get an interview with kerry. Do you think this was their way of saying they were mad about that?

[BlueIris]

18. GOD. Alright, kids, despite the widespread Kerry bashing,

I've still got my feeling. I've told many of you about it, I've promised some of you e-mails with details. No, it's not scientific, no it's not based on all that much information, and as TayTay might post, it's kinda stupid. I know I'm right though. These asses are going to look pretty stupid in 2009, let me tell you.

[WildEyedLiberal]

19. I do too

You know, great men in history - FDR, for example - had VICIOUS opposition in their own time too. Just because they enjoy almost universal reverence now does not mean that the shit-flingers, liars, and those with their own agenda did not viciously oppose even men who we now regard as great. Someday it will be thus with Kerry. He will be regarded as one of the greatest US presidents, and people 100 years from now will wonder HOW ON EARTH anyone in his own time could have disliked him.

[TayTay]

20. Look at it from tte other side for a second

This guy doesn't quit. He didn't quit in the '70's when the Nixon gang came after him. He didn't quit in the Senate in the '80's when the Reagan White House tried to derail his investigations. (And he didn't quit when his own leadership shut him out of the Iran-Contra hearings, which was a big mistake.)

If you wanted to 'take Kerry out' you're going to have to come up with something new, because he just doesn't quit. (It think it helps that he has that personal wall around himself that keeps this from being personal. I think there is a very healthy separation of what is personal and what is just politics.) There are factions that are trying to ridicule the man right now and use that as a means to get him to take himself out. It's not working. He just keeps going forward, as he has done throughout his career.

Look at it from the other side for a second; these folks who want him to fade away must be saying, what's it going to take?

[whometense]

21. I have to say that that very question

kept me awake a lot of nights towards the end of the campaign, when it was looking like he was actually going to win.

But between Fitzgerald and whoever is in charge of the Abramoff investigation, at least Kerry's not the only truth seeker with his ass on the line.