Today's MTP (what is wrong with our press)

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It is now 10:23am and the second commercial break is upon us. In the 18 or so minutes that Dean has been questioned by Russert not one issue question has been asked. Not a single, solitary, issue question. This is prime real estate for our press. The top rated Sunday morning news show. Yet not one issue question.

I don't care who you support, he won't win with a press corps that behaves this way.

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1. 10:27am

Finally an issue question. yea.

[ewagner]

2. already aired here

They do get to issues...eventually.

Let me add my congrats to Dean supporters. Howard did well.

That man is DIRECT . Maybe too much so for the national media but I enjoyed watching him.

[joshcryer]

7. That is precisely what made me like him.

Frankly, directness is something I prefer in a President. I hate the Bush White House and the locked doors.

[Armstead]

3. Dean did great (IMO)

He is taking his share of responsibility for his problems, but staying with his basic message.

The first half was too many "inside baseball" questions, but second half was more about substance.

As objectively as I can say, I still think Dean is what we need.

[dsc]

4. Wow a segment on issues

but we are back to crap again. 10:46am and now the I have a scream speech, the dishonest version of course.

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5. 10:54

Interview over. Two issueless segments. Between 1/2 and 2/3 (call it 7/12) of the show was about nothing but inside crap. Again, this is prime real estate. This is supposed to be an issue based show. Dean did well, that isn't my point. But the press is deeply disfunctional. They should be ashamed.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. I agree with both you and Armstead

Dean did great and Potato head should be ashamed.

[creativelcro]

8. I thought Russert let Dean speak without interrupting

which is more than I expected. Howard did great, by using all the time to explain a lot of points (most of them the same points he's been making for a while now).

[RichM]

9. Dean did as well as could be expected. But MTP is typical of all the

corporate media, which is to say: vicious & profoundly diseased. To my eyes, EVERY SINGLE thing Russert said or did (including facial expressions & intonation) was an aggressive effort to force Dean into embarrassing corners -- an attempt to thoroughly discredit him, & to destroy him politically.

Russert, like most of the media whores, is best understood as simply a hired assassin. He is very skillful. The deal is, GE pays him $18 million a year or so, in return for which he vigorously attempts to destroy anyone challenging the corporate agenda. At the same time, he fawns obsequiously at the feet of anyone serving that agenda.

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10. some stats

Segment 1 had 30 questions none on issues.

Segment 2 had 23 split 20 on issue and 3 not.

Segment 3 11 non issue questions.

Total 44 non issue questions 20 issue ones. The Patriots got more questions than gay rights, health care, the Kay report, and the SOTU combined.