ABC's debate disaster: Protest Friday in L.A.
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| Also listed in: Courage Campaign Staff |
Last night, I tried my best to watch the Democratic debate on ABC. I mean I really tried. I made it about 20 minutes before I couldn't take the absurdity of the moderators anymore and changed the channel in disgust. On the way home from work today, I caught the rest thanks to an NPR replay, and I think only being stuck in traffic kept me from physically running away from the sound of Charlie Gibson. It had nothing to do with supporting Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. Heck, it didn't really have anything to do with being a Democrat or Republican or Independent; Liberal, Progressive, Conservative, Moderate. It was insulting to me as a functioning adult for ABC to completely ignore substantive issues in a debate for President of the United States.
This isn't a soap opera, this isn't about building compelling storylines to sell ad time, this is about the fate of functional democracy. It's about providing me, you and all of us the best opportunity to make an informed decision when we vote. When Americans can't get health care, or a decent education, or an affordable home, or out of Iraq, a conversation about superficialities and irrelevant distractions do a disservice to the country. If you think this country and this presidential race should be about more than the insulting farce delivered by ABC, here's one way via Rick Jacobs to make your voice heard:
Did you watch ABC's prime-time character assassination of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton last night?
The day after this disastrous "debate," Americans are shaking their heads in disbelief at what they witnessed, sarcastically speculating whether ABC News decided to launch an early roll-out of the Republican "swift boat" campaign. Editor & Publisher called it "perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years."
Our friends at MoveOn produced a short YouTube video on Wednesday's travesty (watch it here) and described the most unbelievable moment:
"Moderators George Stephanopolous and Charlie Gibson spent the first 50 minutes obsessed with distractions that only political insiders care about--gaffes, polling numbers, the stale Rev. Wright story, and the old-news Bosnia story. And, channeling Karl Rove, directed a video question to Barack Obama asking if he loves the American flag or not. Seriously."
It's worse than that -- the video question specifically asked Obama about his thoughtful reluctance to wear an American flag-pin lapel. Apparently, wearing a flag pin is a legitimate symbolic proxy for whether or not a person is patriotic enough to be President. Questions about global warming, the economy, and the war? Mere trivialities in ABC's bizarro world.
Enough is enough. David Dayen, a netroots activist and friend of the Courage Campaign, called us a few hours ago with an idea. We're moving on his inspiration right now:
Please join us at ABC's headquarters in Burbank on FRIDAY to protest and pass out flag pins to ABC employees leaving their Disney corporate office. Your mission: Ask ABC/Disney employees whether they can pass their own flag-pin litmus test: "Are you patriotic enough to wear a flag-pin?"
We need to know how many people are coming, so watch MoveOn's video and PLEASE RSVP NOW:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/FlagPinProtest
At 4 p.m. please join the Courage Campaign and your fellow activists at ABC's Disney Studios in Burbank in front of the West Alameda Gate, between S. Buena Vista and S. Keystone Streets (click here for a map). We're going to protest ABC's debate disaster and ask their employees to pass the flag-pin litmus test until about 7 p.m.
This isn't the first time the Courage Campaign has protested against ABC. Two years ago, ABC aired the "Path to 9/11" propaganda hit piece on Bill Clinton and we were there to correct the record.
Now, it's time for us to let ABC know that wearing a flag pin isn't patriotism. Patriotism means standing up for the values embedded in our Constitution -- and speaking out when those values are endangered by the corporate media's fascination with scandal over substance.
We've got the flag pins. Now, we just need you. Please join us to speak out against ABC/Disney's appalling abuse of our public airwaves on Friday in Burbank, anytime from 4-7 p.m.:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/FlagPinProtest
Thank you for everything you are doing to make 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California. And America.
Rick Jacobs
Chair
P.S. It takes a community to put on and pay for a protest, organized virtually overnight. Please help us cover our costs, for everything from flag pins to signage, by donating $25 (or whatever you can afford) right now:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/contribute
Where was the "Courage Campaign" when just a few weeks ago 11,000 pages of Clinton's First Lady schedule was released and ABC's biggest new story was where was Hillary Clinton on the day of the "blue dress" scandal?
If you were truly for non-biased media, you would be working to protest non-truths, rumors, negative framing, unfair and unbalanced coverage of both candidates, equally. WHY NOW? If you're FOR OBAMA...then state it, don't pretend like you're fighting for media fairness...you're fighting against Clinton and just a tool of Moveon.org
"pimped out Chelsea" where were you?
Rhodes: Clinton and Ferraro are "fucking whores" where were you?
We have seen sexism that approaches evil directed at clinton all year. Rhodes engaged is hate speech for FUN. Yesterday Obama flipped Clinton off for the amusement of his childish cult.
There is no courage in what you did today. There is only petulance. Obama was asked to answer for some basic TRUTHS about his life. FINALLY. And he choked. That's all that happened. I am to the left of most of America in my beliefs and any thoughtful progressive knows that what has happened in this race is bigotry directed at women - pure and simple. Obama has run a toxic campaign of race baiting and bait and switch that has USED progressives to ensure victories for a member of an old chicago boys club. The cult that has sprung up around Obama is dangerous. And many of us intend to see it defeated. Obama has torn the Democratic party in half with his campaign of bullshit roasted over a fire of "hope"
You should be ashamed of yourselves. I will do everything in my power to see that he loses to McCain which now seems likely.
Why didn't you protest before while Clinton was - is - being attacked unfairly? And her family? My God - you've all lost your minds. you can't see the obvious because you love an imaginary figure called "obama". Obama got what he deserved in the debate.
Where were you when NBC and MSNBC were so condescending to my DEMOCRATIC Senator from the great BLUE state of New York?
It took Saturday Night Live, a comedy show for God's sake, to humiliate the media enough to at least look critically at Obama - you did NOTHING.
Heaven Forbid we criticize THE ONE!
A so called "progressive" woman called our first viable female candidate for Vice President a "fucking whore" at an Obama fundraiser and the "democrats" in the audience hooted and hollered. Where was your courage there?
Too little too late...hypocrites.