It’s About the Democracy and the Media, Stupid…

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In case you were wondering if ACORN’s announcement today that they will soon be closing their doors will have any effect on my campaign to demand accountability from the people and institutions (e.g., the NYTimes, but many others as well) culpable in their demise, rest assured it will not — other than to serve as yet another reminder of why such accountability remains an imperative here at The BRAD BLOG.

As I have long tried to impart, it’s not about ACORN or even the liars, cretins, partisan scam artists, and democracy haters who schemed to take down the group. It’s about those whose responsibility it was (and still is) to keep the cretins from being able to do so. About those whose responsibility it is to protect our democracy from all enemies, foreign and domestic. On those particular points, after I cool down a bit, I will have much more to say tomorrow — and the day after, and the day after, and the day after…

* * *

This seems like a good moment to remind those who haven’t seen this, or have forgotten about it, to once again run the short video (just 40 seconds) of Paul Weyrich, the still-revered founding father of the modern day “Conservative” Movement and the godfather of the GOP’s modern-day voter-suppression movement. This is from his 1980 speech to 15,000 preachers at a Dallas convention where he shared the podium with both Jerry Falwell and Ronald Reagan.

This is what the GOP’s campaign against ACORN — and democracy — was always about…

“Now many of our Christians have what I call the goo-goo syndrome – good government. They want everybody to vote. I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people, they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

Weyrich passed away in December of 2008. His dream lives on.

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It’s About the Democracy and the Media, Stupid…

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6 Responses

  1. 1)
    BlueHawk said on 3/23/2010 @ 9:21am PT: [Permalink]

    As the President signs the ‘Healthcare’ bill…this item “It’s About the Democracy and the Media, Stupid…” …Is the perfect backdrop to the events of the last few months regarding ACORN and lying smear job that has brought it down.

    This travesty of a health “reform” act is what happens when all of America isn’t represented. This bill which further enriches and empowers the very insurance companies that it’s supposed to mitigate. This bill is an Orwellian piece of shit that masquerades as change…while keeping the status quo in place.

    The right wing lie machine hysterically bullied the PARTY IN POWER into this crap…the Party in power cowered and tapped dance to a minority of screaming idiots. That’s what this country has come to…the Lying screamers, backed by corporate power has neutered democracy and due process. The will of the people (a public option) isn’t even on the table…the criminality of $billions stolen in Iraq, the violation of our laws and constitution and stolen elections are totally ignored in our news media. While screaming dumbasses with no clue are broadcast continuously.

    Yes government is broken…because it was sabotaged by those who benefit from it’s demise; the right wing corporate oligarchs who exploit ignorant racists into working against their own best interests.

    America isn’t a democracy…it’s an ignotocracy…only the ignorant have a right to speak, truth is unspeakable, or better yet unhearable.

    But fear not…the lie has completed it’s trip around the world, but the truth now has it’s shoes on and the internet is providing the transportation.

    fuck television
    fuck newspapers
    fuck magazines..

    They’ve sold out for filthy lucre…their demise is self inflicted.

  2. 2)
    karenfromillinois said on 3/23/2010 @ 12:08pm PT: [Permalink]

    blue hawk,
    i agree with much of what u said,i personally would like to see medicare for all but that being said,in the few hours since the president signed the bill into law,somewhr in America there has been a baby born,with some medical problem that the insurance companies will not be able to call a “pre existing condition” and there fore deny care to…that cant be a bad thing

    one thing that seems to be under reported in this bill…racheal has said it twice,if insurance companies do not send 80-85 % of your premium on health care,they owe you a refund….this could be huge

    the tax credits for small businesses sounds like a bonus for jobs to me,while small businesses already got to expense the cost of health care for employees,now they will get a credit to actually help them pay for it

    maybe i am being overly optimistic but i think it is a move in the right direction,and the fight is not ovr,support grayson medicare buy in bill in the house,it is paid for and we would have an instant public option

  3. 4)
    MsKitty said on 3/23/2010 @ 4:32pm PT: [Permalink]

    Today I heard NPR twice say that the embarrassing pimp video helped to bring down ACORN without reporting that the video is a highly edited farce, that ACORN has been cleared of doing anything illegal and that a court has found the defunding of the organization to be illegal.

    Brad, please call them!

  4. 5)
    Janette Brown said on 4/7/2010 @ 11:53pm PT: [Permalink]

    Just heard you, Brad, subbing for Mike Malloy, interviewing Bertha from ACORN. ‘Would love to donate to her org; but trying to go to their website I was stymied … looks like the path has been been preempted. Hmmm. I tried linking in other ways. No go. I guess I will look for a snail mail option.

    But to voice my response to this thread, I applaud protecting the right of groups to organize, speak out and act within the law. ACORN has not breached their rights. And I don’t need any other info on them but that. I want to help protect all of our rights to express within the bounds of the law, and will support that by donating to ACORN. Thanks for the lead, Brad.

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