Jacksonian's Comments (408)

“Happy Holidays.

Take it easy on the eggnog.

And ask Santa to bring you spellcheck.

:o)”

“Your publication is a national treasure, as is its venerable editor.

Best wishes to you and your staff, Greg.

Maybe the holidays will bring you a much-deserved reprieve. Let's hope so!”

“That was almost comprehensible.”

“During the campaign, Obama said a vote for McCain was a vote for a third Bush term.

Instead we got Obama.

And a third Bush term.”

“When did the braintrust that comprises the president's inner circle decide that it was wise to throw Obama's base under the bus?

When did the obstructionists who comprise the G.O.P. ever indicate they were interested in bipartisanship?

When did an electoral mandate for change come to mean a continuation of the status quo?

President Obama had a unique opportunity to emerge as a transformational leader. Instead he has proven to be hopelessly mediocre, generally absent of leadership skills, and lacking the courage of his convictions.

During the run up to the 2008 election, comedian Bill Maher correctly pointed out that Republicans hate government yet seek to govern -- and then govern badly. Democrats love government, seek to govern -- and then fail to govern at all.”

“I can see I'm going to have to keep the stroke-o-meter attached to my head at least through the New Year.

Sigh.”

“Nobody said it better than Harry Truman.

The buck stops with Obama.”

“This is all moot.

The Democrats will not get 60 votes to pass even meaningless reform.

Notwithstanding the "moderate" senators from Maine, the G.O.P. will remain united in its opposition. If the White House had Collins or Snowe on board, this would be a done deal.

That leaves Lieberman.

And if you believe that at any time, under any circumstance, he intended to vote for any measure that affected the status quo of his patron saints in Hartford, I have a toy store to sell you in the North Pole.”

“I vote for Paula Deen, Jason, for next week and indefinitely into the future.”

“TMI”

“Too bad he doesn't want to extend the milk of human kindness to the un and underinsured.”

“What if you have a "nose for news" but have low income, no income, no job, or no job prospects? What options do you have in the new model?

Do YOU work for free?

Reporting is a journalists's stock in trade. And innate nosiness notwithstanding, traditonal reporters provide a service and deserve to be paid for their efforts.

What about the thousands of reporters over the years whose job has not been to cover national politics, but who cover courts, cops, schools, business, leisure, legislature, city council, county board, utility commissions and dozens of other areas which, believe it or not, have some importance in people's lives.

Some editors and some reporters failed, as you put it, "to cover the news." But many more do a respectable job in what used to be a respected position.

Before you shoot the messenger, you may want to consider who makes aggregated news possible AT ALL. Most likely it's someone slogging through endless meetings and trudging off to community events. And loving every minute of it.

Even so, everybody has to eat.”

“LOL. Point taken.”

“A search engine, like Google.”

“As a former reporter who came up through the ranks the old way -- starting in a small market and climbing the newsroom ladder as I became more proficient -- I'm wondering how the new model works as a training ground for budding journalists?

With a dearth of entry-level positions available, and many internships now filled by professionals, where does a journalism major lead anymore? When "citizen journalists" fill the void, what happens to those with the calling, the "nose for news?"

One of the things your article mentions, and which other bloggers lament, is the failure of the traditional media to get the Iraq/Afghanistan reporting right. This is a valid criticism indeed, but Beltway reporters and others covering the story represent but a fraction of working journalists.

The general assignment and beat reporters covering small, medium, and even large markets have provided a hugely valuable service over the years. If all politics are local, how much more so is journalism?

Don't get me wrong here: I'm a huge fan of the Huffington Post and a regular reader. What I'm wondering untimately is, when most traditional reportering is just a relic in the Neuseum, whose stories will you "aggregate?"”

“What's more important is WHICH promises he's broken, not how many.”

“I've been voting Democratic for 35 years, but it's obvious the only difference between the two parties is who gets the bigger share of the lobbyists' dollars.

The president and Congress are a joke: They can't even pass weak health-care legislation much less the strong reforms they promised. They can no more rein in insurance companies than they can banks or investment firms.

Hell, they can't even close the casino which broke the bank.

Overrun by corporate influence in politics, "Democratic" America more resembles an oligarchy. One percent of the population owns more than the next 90 percent combined. Incredibly, the gulf is widening.

As a country we care more about killing Afghanis than about saving dying Americans; we care more about CEO bonuses than about worker rights and living wages; we care more about mortgage companies than mortgage holders.

Wall Street got the gold mine, and Main Street got the shaft.

As unemployment soars and foreclosures rage, we hear now that more than four in 10 American children rely on government assistance for their meals.

Let them eat cake with those food stamps, eh?

Many of us had high hopes for the "change candidate" and the new Democratic era he ushered in. We gave him our time, our money, our votes. We gave him a legislative majority to accomplish his agenda.

Why did we bother?

What's surprising isn't so much that 40 percent of Democrats are unenthusiastic about the midterms. What's surprising is that the number isn't higher.”

“So he's not going to "up" his involvement in the health care debate?

Well that makes sense: Why start now?”

“Don't you just love the word, "perspicacious?"

You bethcha!”

“In W's case, maybe that's just as well.

:o)

Fanned.”

“Fanned.”

“"...she plays the victim and blames everybody but herself."

It sounds as if she has found her ideal role model in Sarah Palin.

This is a thoughtful, well-reasoned, intelligent article complete with excellent analysis. You give us all hope that today's high school seniors are not as vapid, vacuous, and devoid of critical thinking skills as some of Palin's admirers apparently are.

Kudos!”

“You're right that he's too dangerous to ignore.

But I still have an overwhelming urge to do so.

:o)”

“Bill Moyers is a national treasure whose poignant, fearless, humanitarian approach to newsgathering represents the brand of journalism too few practice anymore.

He is the embodiment of McClatchy's, "Truth to Power," motto and the antithesis of many "powerhouses" in today's mainstream media. Shame on every reporter and editor inside the Beltway and out who doesn't strive at all times to achieve Moyers' high standards.

Best wishes in all your future endeavors, Bill. We will miss you.”

“Here is just a small list of the people whose 15 minutes are up:

Jerome Corsi

Orly Taitz

Mayhill Fowler

Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

William Ayers

Joe the Plumber

Levi Johnston

Thank you for your sparkling contributions to the public discourse. Now please go away.”