Former MSNBC producer: MSNBC hosts "won't tell you" when Obama's lying
Wow. Jeff Cohen, founder of FAIR.org and former producer of the MSNBC Phil Donahue show, has this explosive article on Alternet, excerpt:
The World War I vintage Espionage Act, originally used to imprison socialists for making antiwar speeches, has been used by the administration against whistleblowers with a vengeance unprecedented in history: eight leakers have been charged with Espionage under Obama, compared to three under all previous presidents.
The Obama administration has prosecuted not a single CIA torturer, but has imprisoned a CIA officer who talked about torture with a journalist. National Security Agency official Thomas Drake, who was unable to get abuses fixed internally, now has a criminal record for communicating with a reporter years ago about sweeping domestic surveillance.
So there I was watching Obamas lips move about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden at a June 27 press conference. Saying he wouldnt be scrambling military jets to go after a 29-year-old hacker, Obama added that he would not start wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues, simply to get a guy extradited. I didnt believe a word of it. Given Obamas war on whistleblowers and journalists who utilize them, and given the Armys abusive treatment of military whistleblower Bradley Manning (apparently aimed at getting him to implicate WikiLeaks), its inconceivable that Obama was truly blasé about Snowden. To deter future whistleblowers, Snowden would have to be caught and made an example of and probably mistreated (like Manning, in hopes of getting him to turn against WikiLeaks and even journalist Glenn Greenwald).
But with Obama in power, a number of MSNBC talking heads have reacted to the Snowden disclosures like Fox News hosts did when they were in hysterical damage control mode for Bushcomplete with ridiculously fact-free claims and national chauvinism that weve long come to expect from the fair & balanced channel.
As Snowden arrived in Russia from Hong Kong, MSNBC host Ed Schultz blustered on about Snowden as a punk and coward. Railing about the security of the country in tones Hannity would approve of, Schultz questioned Snowdens patriotism and credibility, asking: If the United States of America is doing something so egregiously wrong in its surveillance program, how come hes the only one speaking up? In OReilly-like blissful ignorance, Schultz seemed unaware of the three NSA whistleblowers whod loudly spoken up way earlier than Snowden and gathered for an illuminating USA Today interview a week before his tirade.
I watched one MSNBC host function as an auxiliary prosecutor in Obamas Justice Department, going after Snowdenwhile trying to link WikiLeaks and journalist Glenn Greenwald to criminal flight. MSNBCs Melissa Harris-Perry has been condemning Snowden by contrasting him with civil disobedients who love their country and submit to arrestwhile Snowden just wants to save his own skin.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)However, he is paying a much higher price for his assumptions than most of us will.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)ReRe
(10,597 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)Maybe his "opinions" were what cost him the job...
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)FarPoint
(12,437 posts)backs him up....he is selling this article on Phil's tail winds after all. I won't be holding my breathe by the way.
Swamp Lover
(431 posts)...to try to paint a former producer of the Phil Donahue show as having some sort of insight in to MSNBC is sort of like Fox "News" turning to Pat Caddel or Bob Beckel for comments from the inside of the Democratic Party...
He used to work there. I'd trust a former producer of the MSNBC Phil Donahue Show more than any they have now or the supposed "Democrats" you referred to. And who are you criticizing? The OP author, alp227? Get real. Read the whole article. Every word Jeff Cohen wrote was true, because I have witnessed every bit of what he said right here on my own TV tuned to MSNBC. One that I kept looking for but he left out was Karen Finney.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)need to know what is going on behind the scenes...yeah right I get ya.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)Make whatever assumptions you want. I won't let you go on very long with this. Go along now and try to harass someone else.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)dennis4868
(9,774 posts)like most here...nothing shocking.
Cha
(297,643 posts)person's asshole opinion.
Poor Bradley Manning
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/07/07/untitled/#more-128253
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)Cha
(297,643 posts)ReRe
(10,597 posts)Great art work, will give them that. Thanks for the cartoon, Cha.
Yeah, I'm asshole.
Cha
(297,643 posts)enough hate and stupid whining going on about President Obama. there is another side.
I appreciate the President.. I'm not here to pile on.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)MSNBC is spewing your points.
When I saw the source of the cartoon I knew you hadn't forgotten the sarcasm tag.
It's ok...wait until the Fourth Amendment and all the whistleblowers are halted. Maybe
then after the jack boots have destroyed what 237 years of effort has upheld you and the Obama Diary people will realize what you have lost...or not...to your peril. You are the one who brought up the President's name....I voted for and believed the President's campaign efforts. Something has happened but I am not blaming the President for whatever 'that' is. Most likely, totally out of his control as President which is turning out to be a figure head position at best. imho
treestar
(82,383 posts)who's the totalitarian here?
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)were discussing totalitarianism. Where did that come from?
treestar
(82,383 posts)Cha
(297,643 posts)snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)conversation but, MSNBC agrees with you. Oh, your lucky day.
The Obama Diary may view Snowden as one engaged in self-hero worship or as a narcissist. I view him as someone who has a lot to lose and it's not his home, girlfriend or salary but his life. I do not think he exposed his position lightly and for that I find him most brave. We probably need to part agreeing to disagree.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Figures it would be a propaganda site.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)a couple of times since only to last a few minutes before I reach my boiling point.
Thanks for the article, alp227. I agree with Jeff Cohen. I listen to MSNBC until they start dumping on Snowden, or Ellsberg, or Drake, or Binney or any of the others. Then I switch away.
treestar
(82,383 posts)The hyperbole in the first paragraph alone is award winning.
alp227
(32,050 posts)ReRe
(10,597 posts)And I thank you again for posting it.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)Another thread debunks the allegations about the number of prosecutions.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)the number of whistleblowers charged with espionage under the President. Most sources were listing 8 but Bill Moyers as of April 26th, 2013 said 6 (+ Snowden) = 7. If the number were 6 I still find that alarming. I am interested in your link to the other thread if you have it.
Sorry, my mouse died last night and the keyboard function for copy and paste only copied a part of the address for a complete link to Moyers.
Corruption Inc
(1,568 posts)Not so obvious to the partisan hacks that make up about 1/3 to 1/2 of the American populace.
Rec'd.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)Excellent article and post.
Nitram
(22,877 posts)people still watch TV "news". There are much better sources of information.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)News orgs don't accuse Presidents of lying--heck even Fox doesn't call Obama a liar the way this guy does.
Does Cohen disclose his relationship with Fox News in the story?
WeekendWarrior
(1,437 posts)I would say that considering the way Phil Donahue was unceremoniously dropped by MSNBC during the Bush years, Mr. Cohen still has a bit of an ax to grind.