News Fluff

by: Aimlessness

Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 11:17 AM CDT

I dubbed 2007 the year of the bimbo because of the enormous amount of time dedicated on what was supposed to be news channels, and even our plain old nightly news to the saga of Anna Nicole Smith, the trials and tribulations of Paris Hilton, and the various on goings of Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

Despite the fact that our country was fighting two bloody wars and the death of such greats as Molly Ivins and Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, one quarter to one half of the news on many nights and on many shows was wasted on the afore mentioned bimbos. 2009 is shaping up to be nearly as bad.

For the past two nights, the Rachel Maddow Show has been pre-empted to instead dedicate the full hour to Michael Jackson. Those "news" shows that haven't dedicated their entire show to Jackson, spent a quarter to a half of their time on story. Just as with the death of Anna Nicole Smith, we are getting a play by play on everything from the custody of the children to the location and details of the funeral and burial.

The coverage of Anna Nicole's death was over the top and excessive.

The coverage of Michael Jackson's death is turning out to be just as bad or possibly even worse.

Vets For Freedom NewsLadder Is Up. It's Fair And Balanced (Really).

by: Dave Johnson and James Boyce

Wed Jul 23, 2008 at 10:14 AM CDT

Tim Russert: 1950-2008

by: Amy Everhart

Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 02:49 PM CDT

Many people on both sides of the aisle and all ends of the political spectrum have expressed both positive and negative opinions about Tim Russert through the years.  I, for one, have always found him to be one of the the smartest, most reassuring and legitimate voices in politics.

I've grown up with him on Meet the Press and more recently have relied on him and the rest of the NBC News team for great political coverage during this historic presidential campaign.  Ian and I have our DVR set to record MTP, but don't bother with the other Sunday morning shows - his is far and away the best one (though I do have a lotta love for Shieffer as well). And the election night coverage on MSNBC never disappoints.

On the night of the Indiana primary, Tim uttered the best line of the entire campaign saying, "We now know who the Democratic nominee is gonna be."

This is incredibly sad news and it will be very difficult to fill his shoes. Brokaw maybe?

Hillary Cannot Pass Healthcare

by: nhudson35

Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 05:57 AM CST

My firm belief, as a Democrat, is that Hillary Clinton cannot pass universal healthcare.

But let's get to this "mandate" nonsense. Senator Clinton is arguing that the only way to get every American covered is if you force every American to buy healthcare. Unfortunately, she hasn't told anybody how she would enforce this mandate. So until she clarifies what exactly she intends to do to enforce this mandate -- for example, whether she is going to fine people -- her attacks on Obama are more about scoring political points than making a real point.

The truth is, Barack Obama's universal health care plan makes coverage affordable for every single American, he just doesn't agree with Hillary's plan to start by forcing everyone to buy insurance they can't afford.

I think the real question is who can stand up to the special interests, bring Republicans and Democrats together, and actually make their plan a reality? Barack Obama is in the best position to do that because unlike Senator Clinton, he's been standing up to the special interests and bringing people together throughout his career.

Texas Round Up

by: Sam Jones

Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 05:00 PM CST

• Invoking Abraham Lincoln before an old Illinois Capitol building, Senator Barack Obama formally announced his candidacy for for a 2008 Presidential bid.

• The Dallas Morning News believes support for casino gaming in Texas has stalled, and predicts a decline in legislative support.

• The Washington Post paints an eerie picture of Cactus, Texas, a small town that was left nearly deserted after heavy immigration raids in December.

• Howard Wolf, a member of the Sunset Advisory Committee, wrote a scathing letter about the state's regulation of alcoholic beverage distribution.  He claims there is a link of corruption between lawmakers, the TABC, and wholesale distributors.

• In Ore City, a High School student was arrested and held on a $250,000 bond for allegedly plotting to blow up his school.  The odd thing is, the student has apparently been threatening to do so for over a year - why was he arrested only now?

• For what it's worth, the DMN confirmed that former Senator Phil Gramm, a long-time friend of the Governor, is Vice President of the consulting firm with which Perry discussed selling the Texas Lottery.

• My West Texas reports that $913m in TX CHIP funding has been redistributed to other states since 1997, due to a mandate that requires all unused funds to be allocated elsewhere in the nation.