I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the hundreds of thousands of progressives and others who demanded that Keith Olbermann be reinstated to his position at MSNBC. These people understand the enormously important role that the media play in contemporary American politics. They know the recent ascendancy of the Republican Party and right-wing politics had less to do with the leadership skills of Mitch McConnell or John Boehner and far more to do with the enormously powerful role played by Rupert Murdoch, Fox News and right-wing talk radio.
Progressives know there is something very wrong when a nation divided politically has one major network operating as a propaganda arm of the Republican Party and 90 percent of talk radio is dominated by right-wing extremists.
If there is a silver lining in the action of MSNBC against Keith Olbermann, it is that people will now pay more attention to the political role of corporate media in America. While commentators on Fox and right-wing radio have the backing of Rupert Murdoch, a major Republican contributor, and other conservative corporations, progressives understand that their position is extremely vulnerable. Keith Olbermann was suspended by General Electric's MSNBC for a bogus reason. What will prevent the same thing from happening to Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and other progressives?
General Electric, NBC's parent, is one of the largest corporations in the world with an anti-labor history of outsourcing jobs and with financial links to military and nuclear power industries. Surely we understand that GE is not going to provide the same backing for MSNBC commentators that Rupert Murdoch provides for his mouthpieces at Fox News.
What has not gotten a lot of attention in the midst of this controversy is that GE's NBC Universal, one of the largest media conglomerates in the country, is in the process of merging with Comcast, the largest cable television provider in America. The new head of that company would be Stephen B. Burke, Comcast's chief operating officer and a "Bush Ranger" who raised at least $200,000 for the 2004 reelection campaign of President George W. Bush.
As Vermont's senator, I intend to do all that I can do to stop this merger. There already is far too much media concentration in this country. We need more diversity. We need more local ownership. We need more viewpoints. We do not need another media giant run by a Republican supporter of George W. Bush. That is the lesson we should learn from the Keith Olbermann suspension.
If you agree, please "like" Bernie's Facebook group: "Stop the NBC/Comcast Merger" .
Follow Sen. Bernie Sanders on Twitter: www.twitter.com/senatorsanders
Since the initial revolutionary efforts that removed the yoke of monarchy from one hemisphere of the Atlantic colonies in the 18th century, the ebb and flow (I love water metaphors) of action for healthy growth versus the unhealthy reaction of holding on to archaic forms and customs has built enough flow force to threaten inundation. Finger in the dike efforts have been ignored by passerby who fear to "be involved." There may be little life force in the finger as it atrophies from lack of blood.
Thanks to the few hundred thousand who understand the symbolic value of Keith Olbermann.
I wonder just how many "tries" the universe offers before deciding the effort is not worth the result.
Catchy?
Bernie, we need the Fairness Doctrine back, and a return of limits on media consolidation.
A stolen election, a questionable second election and the worst economy in 80 years, plus what is evidently an illegal war with no end and Republicorp is doing nothing more than lining their pockets at America's expense - damn the future and it's people.
Fox viewer continued.
Fear? my fear has to do with a lame duck congress passing a Second Stimulus package; Retirement Account confiscation; Federal approved Id cards with tracking device; State's right to work laws
abolished enable unions to do away with secret ballots for workers.
I fear G-20 groups that riot in the streets with the intent to overthrow the government.
I fear that the President has given power to some of his close advisor who have been or are communists, and some are consider revolutionist who want to destroy the Constitution and develop a one-world- one government system.
I am a regular army veteran. I try to temper my anger and fear. Hatred is not an option
although simply that i watch fox you wil want to label me as an inhuman misguided soul.
I'm also a Christian a follower of Jesus Christ. I'll wait for the hypocritical label later. to be continued
No time can be more unfavorable to philosophy than that which it is shamefully misused on the one had to further politically objects , on the other as a means of a livelihood….Is there then nothing to oppose to the maxim Primum vivere, deinde philosophari ? These gentleman desire to live , and indeed to live by philosophy . To philosophy they are assigned, with their wives and children…..The rule. “I sing the song of him whose bread I eat, “ has always held good.; the making money by philosophy was regarded by the ancients as the characteristics of the sophists….Nothing is to be had for gold but mediocrity…..It is impossible that an age which for twenty years has applauded a Hegel---that intellectual caliban----as the greatest of the philosophers, …..could make him who has looked on at that desirous of its approbations…But rather, truth will always be paucorum hominum, and must therefore quietly and modestly wait for the few whose unusual mode of thought may find it enjoyable…..Life is short, but truth works far and lives long; let us speak the truth.”
But you offered nothing as to how to combat it but only saying that you would do anything in your power to stop the merger between Comcast and NBC?
This is why TBGOPers win, time after time. The Dems were given a super majority in 2008. The out sourcing of jobs, the closing of tax loopholes, tax Heavens in Sweden and Bahamas, the elimination of the Bush tax cuts were not done, the Citizen United, you all knew about since Jan of 2010, etc. I Appreciate your tenacity but one tree in a forest isn't a jungle made.
You all are now going to re-elect Reid but some Dems are writing fictitious letter to oust Speaker Pelosi. The former was ineffective but the latter was but Dems, typical of their DNA, refuse to fight for the average American.
So if you all wanted to do something about the always right wing debate due to their domination of the media, why don't you people take a page from FDR and the way Rev Fr Coughlin was dealt with?
Encourage initiatives in every state about campaign financing and the monstrous Citizen United. Those would be part of my suggestion. Going along to get along is not a winning strategy.
You really ought to read some real history and be careful what you wish for.
Fr. Coughlin was a "Progressive" and one of the original pro-labor purveyors of Social Justice (founded the National Union for Social Justice) While he was originally supportive of FDR and the New Deal he was also adamantly anti-capitalist, anti-semitic, anti-communist, anti-socialist, and vehemently spoke out against FDR's cozy relationship with Wall Street. Something for everyone - which would explain his populist appeal..... for a while.
The reality is that sanctions from the Catholic Church had as much to do with the end of Coughlin's political "career" as did FDR's blatant violation of the First Amendment when it came to PUBLIC airwaves and when FDR succeeded in revoking Coughlin's MAIL privileges.
Do you really want to give the GOVERNMENT power over the media? Even when Repubs or Conservatives are in the majority? Of course, the whole idea is to shut down THOSE "alternative voices".
Brian Roberts - not Steven Burke - is the CEO of Comcast. And in the true spirit of cronyism, Roberts wrote a sappy letter of support for the Democrat's HCR - one day after announcing the potential merger. Meanwhile, the CEO of GE, (parent company of NBCU) Jeffrey Immelt, is already on Obama's Economic Advisory Board and has been one of Obama's leading Corporate sponsors (aka Corp Crony) with major interests in every sector of the economy from health care to financial services to energy (both green and brown).
Soooo, Bernie is right that this merger represents a step towards a media monopoly...... but also another feather in the cap of the Bi-Partisan Crony Capitalism that already runs our Government..... and the Country.
Either way, MSNBC's liberal editorial bias is not likely to change. KO's suspension (for all of one day - lol) was just a slick diversion to make fools look the other way.