You what really pisses me off? When even "progressive" talk hosts miss the obvious question.

[Liberal Veteran]

Just once, I'd like to see one of the people who are told we need to extend the Bush tax cuts to create jobs stop the conversation and say "The Bush tax cuts have been in place since 2001. Where are all the jobs that are supposed to be created?"

And keep repeating the question until they fucking give an answer.

Even people like Thom Hartmann, who is usually brilliant will never just ask the obvious question when confronted by someone repeating the "tax cuts for the rich = jobs" meme.

[dhill926]

1. I've been wondering the same thing..........wtf?

[BeHereNow]

2. Do a search on Charles Shaw + Gatekeepers

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00043/uq-wire-the-gatekeepers-of-the-so-called-left.htm

BHN

Excerpt:
"These "resistance leaders" of the "Left" act as "Gatekeepers"—influential "progressive" figures who use their resources and visibility to regulate the debate, tactics, and rhetoric of the "anti-war" and other "progressive" movements.

The Gatekeepers of the So-Called "Left"

"The press is the hired agent of a moneyed system, set up for no other reason than to tell us lies where their interests are concerned." — Henry Adams

[Kalyke]

21. If the press is the hired agent of the moneyed, then why are

most real journalists dirt poor?

Journalists make less than teachers, on average.

Talking heads... well... that's another story. Most aren't actual journalists.

[Hydra]

22. I'm not part of that system

but at least in the MSM, there's HUGE message control. You can go out and dig all the dirt up you'd like. Good luck getting the airtime on CNN that the tea party or a pro-invasion voice gets.

[Mimosa]

25. Big corporations run the media

and employ the 'dirt poor journalist.'

[Mimosa]

24. ^ Excellent informative link above ^

There is even some 'gatekeeper' influence on D.U. .

[BeHereNow]

28. Ya think? On DU????

:evilgrin: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
BHN

[spartan61]

3. Didn't I hear Joan Walsh say this today

on the Ed Show? You are right. This needs to be asked every time a repuke makes this ridiculous statement.

[demmiblue]

4. I have heard Thom say this.

He also made the point that the jobs that were being created are going overseas.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. Actually, last week, Thom was having a discussion with someone from a rw group.

And I was screaming at him to ask the question and he never did.

It can't be a one off thing. It needs to be asked every single time.

[demmiblue]

10. True n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

11. I'm not saying they never say this, but they never do it when it matters.

They need to do that to every right wing caller that does it, every guest, every interview when some asshat drops that stupid "tax cuts = jobs".

The problem I see is that the question is never just simply put. The host just seems to pontificate on "We were bleeding jobs at the end of the Bush administration and since Obama took office, he has cut the amount of losses we are seeing. We've seen the result of trickle down and it isn't working." and they move on without pouncing on them and making them prove their theory.

Same thing with the Islam thing. When Pat Robertson (or anyone) claims that Islam is inherently evil, which happens all too often, I'd like to see them say "Do you really believe that a religion that has 1.6 billion followers is a monolithic entity? They all believe the same thing? So it would be safe to say you are in agreement with the Christian Identity?"

Or something like that.

[spanone]

5. i actually heard joan walsh ask that question today on m$nbc

she asked it in answer to a question so it wasn't directed at say, mitch mcconnell or some other fool

[BeHereNow]

6. Recommend because you are asking a question that

MATTERS.

BHN:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[butterfly77]

7. A lot of us have been saying this for a while now...

I even emailed the DNC and told them to get off their asses!

[BrklynLiberal]

8. K&R Jobs being created for others, not for us...

[Curmudgeoness]

12. I use this question all the time. And it is a great question.

There are no rational answers, at least I haven't heard one yet. The best I get is "it will get worse", which is arguable. The taxes on the rich were much higher in great economic times. So why is that?

[Hannah Bell]

13. +100. i believe there was a net loss of jobs under the wonderful bush tax cuts, in fact.

[SocialistLez]

14. They are in China, Mexico, India, etc.

Some companies receive tax breaks when they offshore jobs.
::sigh::

[Liberal Veteran]

15. I don't disagree, but they need to be made to squirm a little rather than laugh it off.

Or brush it aside.

It's a simple equation.

Host: How do would you fix the economy?

Typical RW response: "Of course we should make the Bush tax cuts permanent, those tax cuts will create jobs and put Americans back to work."

Host: Those tax cuts have been in place since 2001, where are those jobs?

Rinse and repeat. Make them squirm and sputter.

[tomp]

16. and thus has it ever been. nt

[seattleblue]

17. The most fair chart I have seen comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They are professionals and non-partisan. It shows Bush with a job creation of 1.1 million which was very anemic compared with past presidents. Clinton had 22.7 million and Reagan had 16.1 million created. The chart is reprinted on Wiki and sourced to the BLA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_created_during_U.S._presidential_terms

[Mimosa]

27. Roosevelt was 'all that' even before the war

Thanks for the link, SeattleBlue.

[Canuckistanian]

18. Thom HAS asked the question, a few times

And once I heard Randi Rhodes ask it, too.

But the MSNBC TeeVee hosts never have, to my knowledge.

[BeHereNow]

19. Kicking for the thinking night owls among us....

bhn

[no limit]

20. They do ask the question. Here is the response:

The tax cuts have been in place since 2001 and you can't blame what happened in 2008 on tax cuts passed in 2001.

Idiotic, I know. But this question has been asked by countless liberal talk show hosts and that's the response I have heard. Which shows you what great spin artists they truly are.

[Ramulux]

23. Cenk asks it all the time

I have seen that question asked many times on TYT.

[XanaDUer]

26. Me too

It's frustrating to hear them spin the BS, and you just sit there saying, Christ, PLEASE just ask the next logical question...

and, they don't.