I haven't forgotten.

I used to be a Republican. And while the Democrats frustrate the hell out of me, it will be a long time before I forgive the Republican party for 2001-2009.

Talk about leading with one's chin.

Maybe it's time for Republicans to experience "what happens when you lead into a rock-solid Left hook---with a glass chin....

can you say "crony capitalism"

But Steve, the hypocrisy is a successful strategy.
And it will be until Wolf Blitzer and any number of "news side" journalists have the courage to call these hypocrites on their hypocrisy.

It's working - and until Obama leads with a right to that glass chin, it will continue to work.

I am glad someone besides me noticed; I have been watching this game in various forms for many decades, starting with Saint Ronnie in particular. I am disappointed that the Democrats are so unable to articulate about what should be their strongest talking point: the public record.

The above mentioned Republicans are keeping score - so am I!

My tally - Republican hypocracy and discredited rhetoric 100; Republican earnest engagement regarding policy nil!

When unassuming Americans begin to hold these fools accountable, I will once again dance in the streets of my beloved America! -Kevo

Don't forget voting against PayGo

My favorite transformation is (1) from militia-black helicopter-jack-booted thugs to pro-Patriot Act; then (2) from support of wire-tapping and torture and the imperial presidency to the Tea Partiers and Barrack the fascist. It's as if they have the same disability the guy in Memento had--the inability to form new memories.

Yes and until the Dems start being really forceful about calling this out and the media step up they'll get away with it.

One problem is that dems didn't scream from the rooftops while it is happening, making them partially complicit. If I had time, I would search for some dem quotes excoriating the policy of adding to the deficit to fund wars. That would add some credibility to pointing this out now. Still, the bushies and repiglicans in congress drove the policy of deficit spending and tax cuts and demonized anyone as unpatriotic traitors if any opposition was put up. It is hard to stand up to repiglican lying with MSM parroting the lies. It takes testicular fortitude and unfortunately Dems are sadly lacking in this department.

Whenever I see another article slapping Democrats for being inarticulate, I am frustrated all over again. Yes, it does seem as though the Democrats don't make enough noise about Republican hypocrisy, mendacity, and incompetence. But the media megaphone which the Democrats need in order to make themselves heard belongs entirely to the Republican side. It's impossible to overstate this problem. The media is not simply inept - it is corrupt and complicit in the slow but steady decline of American democracy.

I hope that this talking point is gathering a bit of steam. The hypocrisy on the right just now, [see Bunning, O. Hatch et al] may get a day or two in the MSN.

Is there any polling to see if the new patriots, Tea Baggers etc., are the same folks who stood by W. for eight years?

Krugman observed that trend years ago, during the first term of Bush 43. And his advice then was that, when Dems were in power once again -- as they were likely to be at some point, due to the natural see-saw of politics -- they should not even try to close the gap, never mind build a new surplus for the SOBs to waste. Personally, I don't like living on tick and never have but personal finances aren't the same as national finances and Krugman's advice struck me as smart.

"But the media megaphone which the Democrats need in order to make themselves heard belongs entirely to the Republican side." - cmac

Which is why they also have to go after media personalities who give repubs a pass on their lies. Put them on the defensive as well. If they refuse to give you air time, call a press conference and point it out. There is an inherent power from public office. News organizations pay a cost when they don't cover public officials.

And besides, the media always love a good fight. The Dems should start giving them one.

I think cmac is on to something about the media's complicity.

A perfect example of this would be the lack of media coverage of Representative King's awful remarks about the guy who crashed an airplane into the IRS offices. The Democrats denounced this on the floor of the House of Representatives, the head of the IRS employee union denounced King's callousness to the IRS employee who got killed ... all the things that SHOULD have been necessary to stoke up some media coverage, complete with soundbites.

And none of this got significant play in the mainstream media.

They gave far more coverage to the resignation of the White House social secretary.

Pathetic. But very telling. As if there was systematic bias at work, or a systematic effort to downplay news that looks bad for the GOP, eh?

Great article, my fear is that Obama will manage to bring us out of the ditch that was dug by the republicans, then they will get the presidency and enjoy the fruits of his labor.I guess I am really frustrated that the general US population does not seem to pay attention to what is going on - they just listen to Fox and think that is the facts.

The only way that the wankers can get away with it is that many Americans are stupid or misinformed.

The bigger mystery is why Democrats can't figure out how to turn this to the Republican's disadvantage. Why can't the Dems flock to the TV cameras and microphones to pound the drum on this simple and telling fact?

Democrats, quit shrinking from the fight you signed up for! Come down out of those hills and join the fray!

If they can't fight for themselves, how can we expect them to fight for US?

Republicans have erased any memory of there having been a period of budget surpluses. according to Steele deficits are a multi decade long problem.

I lament the decline in the media-eg despite the outrageous lies of Cooper Anderson that they are keeping them honest, Repubicans are allowed to spew outrageously incorrect statements without being called out on them.

I think media is scared -if they called out Republicans they would suffer- that is why they don't do it.

over the last ten years?

Ronnie Rayguns was harping on "tax & spend Dims" in the 70s and is the template for the Repugnants' economic trashing of the country throughout the 80s.

i don't know why everyone continually looks to these lying, thieving assholes to be honest in their policy statements.

it's the press' responsibility to hold them accountable for the lies and distortions they spew.

well, it used to be the press' responsibility.

This is just the same old theory of "What if a Democrat Had Done It?"

If a Democrat had done what Bunning did, he would have been forced to resign his seat.

If a Democrat had made a pro-plane-into-an-IRS-building comment as King did, it would have been in the media for weeks on end.

If Democrats acted as if all history prior to Jan. 20, 2009, didn't exist, that's all we'd hear about until the next election.

Hell, we're talking about a media that spent two weeks -- two whole fucking weeks -- before the '06 election covering a botched joke by John Kerry ... even though the guy wasn't even running for office!

It's the same old shit that's happened since Reagan's team successfully (and in coordinated fashion) beat up the media so bad with the "YOU'RE REALITY IS LIBERAL!" line that the Washington Post stopped fact checking the Gimper's speeches -- and that was before Fred Hiatt turned the op-ed section into the journalistic equivalent of the wall in a bathroom stall in some run-down rest stop.

This isn't to say that Democrats don't deserve part of the blame. They think that releasing statements or press releases is the same as getting in front of the media. It's not. Those things are pretty much ignored.

They need to hold press conference EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN DAY the GOP gums up the Senate (which, at this point, is every day ending in a "y").

Yet they don't.

Not sure it's incompetence, or complicity, but it's killing our nation.

objectively, cmac is correct that the media is complicit with the Republicans. falling back on that, however, is a cop-out the Democrats cannot afford.

the media has been trending to the right since Raygun, was much harder on Dukakis than Bush I, had way too much fun at Clinton's expense, and then was much harder on Gore than Bush, and gave up entirely on investigative journalism during the Reign of W. this is not a new, previously unobserved phenomenon. Dems have had plenty of time to adapt.

and when there is a Dem President, it is a little hard to say we don't have any megaphone; Obama just isn't the type to use it harshly. he had an unprecedented megaphone for the HCR summit, and other than having no patience for McCain, didn't call out the Republican tactics over the course of the debate.

one also has to look deeper: why does the right have a better megaphone? why didn't AirAmerica survive? are progressives willing to listen, fund, and support a megaphone? why have Dems taken the Fairness Doctrine off the table? why did we not press on media consolidation? part of how the right got the megaphone was a long, patient journey of Accurancy in Media, ignored as a fringe in the 70s, becoming a real thorn in the MSM's side 15 years later in the mid-80s. Other than an apparently lack of patience (of which I've accused the left many times here) is there any reason we can't duplicate AIM's strategy?

finally, we have to find ways to work around the MSM problem. We need more coordination on message. We need more colorful personalities (Harry Reid as our spokesman? Really?) If we can't get national, go local: local media always needs content, and our congressfolks represent a large majority of the population. Take the fight local. Our failure on this last set of counts can't be blamed on Republicans or the media -- these are things the left can solve if they have the will.

This is just off the cuff. In theory, the left has well-paid strategists who should be able to figure this out -- and should have decades ago. Yes, the media sucks, and makes the life of the left harder. but at some point, complaining doesn't make sense any more. We have to get smarter. So far I don't see much of that anywhere on the left where it would count.

What is going on with Mitch McConnell? Politico just reporting to Andrea Mitchell he knows the senate, and Obama doesn't know how the senate works and he's doing what he does best (McConnell and others)and he's now essentially becoming the one man party of no..

Mitchell asked where is Harry Reid as McConnell is ranting on the senate floor that he is proud to be a Partisan"...he's really digging in deep now..

And I see now Sen. Barrasso says (as they await Obama to enter the room) he refuses to vote for the bill even though Obama plans to integrate his ideas into the bill: "It's fundamentally flawed" he insists..and goes on with details..here comes Obama..

I don't know if I have the stomach to listen to him outline an even more Republican Plan only to have them all laugh at it..I think they feel manipulated with his trying to integrate these things..they don't see it as good will..

And I can't believe Obama remains this out of touch once again...that he has tried so pathetically to please them or appear he is and WE ALL END UP LOSING...

He has sorely underestimated just how much they hate him and want him to fail no matter what and how they don't give a damn about the country's needs...

why does the right have a better megaphone?

Short answer: the right has a more compliant, loyal, and advertiser-friendly audience. Liberals get bored & irritated by ranters, move on more quickly, and look at both advertisers & their products with some skepticism. The same qualities that make us liberals also lower our value as targets for the media & advertisers.

latts, there are a lot of characteristics of progressivism that are inconsistent with successful politics. not sure what we do about that. because progressives tend to be "good government" types, we have trouble dealing with scorched-earth strategies like the R's use -- at some fundamental level, we don't understand them. we wont blow up institutions, because that isn't good governance.

we also pride ourselves on being free-thinkers. this is a huge political disadvantage. i was deputy chair on a Dem statewide campaign years ago. the state Moral Majority and Right to Life groups were literally working out Republican HQ, coordinating expenditures, making endorsements. I called the state NARAL chapter and Sierra, and in both cases I was told "we're non-partisan, we don't get involved at that level." well intended, but much weaker politically: who are our partisans? The other side certainly has them.

the megaphone issue is just one of many the puts us at a structural-level disadvantage in political fights.

Much appreciate this interactive thread. Much better than the masturbatory rants that normally serve as "comments."

Zeit - much appreciate your insight; latts and cmac as well. I spoke about the media's right wing bias a couple of days back, but I had not fully appreciated the historic nature of the development.

Zeit is right. We have to figure out how to adjust. I think the blogosphere is at least one positive development. Literally, if there were no blogs, I wouldn't know any of you were out there. Indeed, there might be something to the argument that the media is right wing so much as it is corporatist. But when I watch Blitzer, Cooper, and Crowley, I can't help but think that they are intentionally putting the thumb on the scales of our political discourse. For what purpose? There are just too many areas unrelated to the economy or any corporate interest that are given the standard Republican bias.

Then I watch Ed Henry, now there is a special case, talk about in over your head. Watching Ed report on the news is kind of like watching a enw reporter for Entertainment Television. It has a junior high school feel of whose popular and whose not, whose in and whose hot. Watching Candy Crowley interview Pelosi was another case study. Here is Crowley scoring a sit down with the speaker of the House, on a brank new show, and she went out of her way to be confrontational and condescending. I can't imagine the same treatment happening to McConnell or Boner.

Is it possible that the news media recruits from a highly superficial, narcissitic "talent" pool. For these folks, maybe it isn't about Country, or political parties, but nothing more than a personal obsession with advancing ones career?While that might be fine for American Idol contestants, these folks dictate what passess for political dialogue in a 300 million plus country. Contrast most (all) of them with Maddow and the intelligence deficit really begins to show.

Zeit has the right approach. How do we accomodate ourselves to what is the new reality. All of our leaders are so serious, we need a bit of the class clown (more Grayson and Frank) for the media to really get excited.

Under Saint Ronnie the Rethugs stumbled on the deficit-nightmare strategy. To wit: they have always been the party of the rich, and the rich LOVE government debt-as an investment. If YOU were rich, which would you rather do: pay taxes and kiss "your" money goodbye, or give the government a loan, AND GET "YOUR" MONEY BACK, WITH INTEREST! ( quotation marks indicate that all wealth is obtained making use of the commons--the infrastructure) The strategy is completed with two more familiar sounding components: tax-cuts for the rich, so there'll be a net movement of funds from non-rich taxpayers to the rich when the debts are repaid, and CONSOLIDATE AND BUY THE MASS MEDIA, so nobody's the wiser. We need to undo this.

I think that the Dems could do a big favor to their Party and to the Public is they were to poll and video tape registered Republicans and just ask them why they feel compelled to vote Repub. It seems to me that the Repubs NEVER are asked to justify their opinions or actions. It's important to the MSM that the minority continually make outlandish claims because there would be nothing to fill up the 24 hr news cycle. To the MSM, the Repubs are a valuable commodity and make every effort to get them out in front.

Why do Republican'ts want Democrats to be so fiscally conservative?

So the Republican'ts can get back in power on the argument that only they can spend money wisely, then blow the new surpluses on bribes to their constituants.

One thing no one seems to mention regarding the Democrats' (apparent) inability to respond rapidly and loudly to Republican lies is that the Democrats are actually trying to govern. I understand that takes up a considerable amount of time.
Republicans? Governing isn't what they were elected for; as far as I can make out, all Republicans do during their terms in office is practice for the next election campaign. You know, see what polls the best with the teabaggers, etc.

Cheney said it best: "Reagan proved deficits don't matter [to Republicans]".

What I don't understand is why everyone I speak to in the course of my day, completely fail to realize the consequences of not passing health reform. They are mad at the party, mad at the Pres and have no idea what is needed to cure their malaise.
It seems the population at large (admittedly my segment is a rather small sample) is afraid of the further erosion of the U.S. economy. Fully 1/6 of the GDP can be addressed thru this legislation and solutions found but no one appears interested. They just want to stop everything.