It's time to pressure the media to call out McCain on these dangerous, hate-filled tactics!

[bluethruandthru]

This is gone beyond negative campaigning. With Palin holding Nazi-style rallies whipping the crowds of the faithful into a hateful rage about Obama being a terrorist....Cindy McCain chiming in and practically accusing Obama of throwing her son in front of a bomb...and McCain chanting "Who is the REAL Barack Obama". It's totally out of control.
It obvious they are trying to work some nutjob into a homicidal rage and get him to go after Obama.

We need to let the media know that the days of Lee Atwater/Karl Rove tactics are done. We've had ENOUGH! It's not hardball campaigning to try to goad someone into murdering a political candidate. It's disgusting, disgraceful, dishonorable and McCain needs to be labeled as such!

If McCain won't be a man of honor and stop this - then the media, in full force, needs to call him out. They should stop covering the McCain rallies, quit giving him or his surrogates any airtime, refuse to print anything about them, until they stop this shit. It's gone way too far.

[OneGrassRoot]

1. They need to pay attention, they're targets as well....

you know, the whole "liberal elite media" and all.

McPalin hates them, too.

They need to expose this clearly and swiftly, and repeatedly.

[bluethruandthru]

13. Good point! n/t

[JohnMcCant2008]

2. Ratings, money, etc.... Sadly won't happen. Palin owns the media and they allow it to continue.

[TornadoTN]

3. They don't openly advocate for a crazy to step forward - it's just an added bonus to them

They are mainly trying to appear to the FEAR demographic and get that group fired up and out in the community spouting their hate. The impact that it will have is to convince the low information voters that what they are saying must hold some merit.

This election is cleraly no longer about the issues - it's about the low road and stirring up hate. Not just toward Obama for being black, it's towards anyone that is different than them either racially, religiously, politically, etc.

[leftofcool]

4. Since most of the media is in the tank for McCain

that isn't going to happen. Remember who owns the media? Very large corporations with CEO's with very large salaries and bonuses.

[bluethruandthru]

9. True...but they all want a good story.

Maybe it's time to make the story the fact that the public is rejecting the hate speech and they want it to stop. It would be a first in American Politics if the electorate rose up en masse and said "We don't want to hear this crap anymore".

[ginnyinWI]

18. they should cover it negatively then.

They should run the tape but without sound, quote the perpetrators and do it in a way that shows these people as bad guys.

Better yet if the McCain camp tells its followers to stand down.

[bluethruandthru]

20. That's a good idea about running without sound

but I won't hold my breath for McCain to decide to be honorable.

[liberal N proud]

5. Agreed

There is not place for this hate filled agenda from the McCain Palin campaign.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I've never seen a crazier bunch of people than McStupid and his

nasty bitches--imagine trotting out women to do your dirtiest work, so you can still claim a shred of "honor" that you yourself didn't accuse Obama of consorting with terrorists or trying to harm troops. It's just insane. McStupid makes Chimpy look like a boy scout.

[Lancer]

8. Pushing out women to do the dirty work

just goes to the point made in the Rolling Stone bio -- that like his father, McShame is deeply mysoginistic.

[TwilightGardener]

14. Yep. He uses them, but they're such power-hungry nutcases themselves

that they allow it (speaking of Plastic-Face and Princess Klan)

[bluethruandthru]

10. I never thought I'd say it but

even George Bush ran a more honorable campaign than McCrap. He may have smeared Kerry's war record....but he didn't accuse him of being a traitor or terrorist or member of a sleeper cell!

[Fluffdaddy]

7. Pressure will not work. The GOP See this as their only shot

This is their scorched earth policy, and they will not stop.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. unfortunately they have a lot they have hidden and don't want it to come out

they are hanging on for dear life!

[cags]

11. The Obama campaign needs to squash this once and for all with a press conference. Call McCain a liar

[scheming daemons]

12. Yeah.... because we want he media talking about this instead of the economy...

:eyes:


I am SO glad that DU-ers do NOT run the Obama campaign.


YOU ARE ADVOCATING THAT WE FORCE THE MEDIA TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT AWAY FROM THE ECONOMY.


Are you nuts?

[bluethruandthru]

15. I'm not saying the Obama campaign needs to do anything.

I think we, the public, should let the media know that we are fed up with this kind of campaigning. It's dangerous and distracting.
The media is already not talking about the economy every time they show a Palin/McCain rally where the two of them and their surrogates are acting like revival tent preachers whipping up the faithful into a frenzy. That's what I want the media to stop covering...not the economy or any other real issue.

And...yes, I'm probably nuts, thank you!

[CitizenPatriot]

16. a media campaign to alert them

that we, the public, are aware of these tactics and WILL NOT TOLERATE IT could be effective.

We will NOT watch the Klan Kult on national TV, so when they air her rallies, TV is off.

whatever she appears on, TV is off. They suggest a sitting senator and running mate is a terrorist, wanted their sons hurt in War, etc-- TV OFF.

Just an FYI.

This isn't about ideology; it's about Democracy.

If we allow this to continue, this country is nothing but a Fascist Kult for Religious Nutjobs....the Palinban.

Email, call, but mean business and let everyone you know that they need to TURN off their tv when this shite starts. turn off the radio. Just stop the insanity and don't be a part of spreading the disease. We need to know what is going on enough to inform ourselves, but we can also be a part of the solution by just saying NO.

[bluethruandthru]

23. Exactly!

Loudly rejecting this kind of campaigning is key. The media always says they're only giving the people what they want. Well, we need to let them know we don't want it.

[CitizenPatriot]

26. Here's a GREAT list, borrowed from Frenchie Cat's post earlier this week!

Thank you, Frenchie Cat, for all of this work and I hope you don't mind me reprinting this list here.



Phone Numbers:
CNN-
(404) 827 – 1500
Comment line: (404) 827 - 0234
(From grasswire
CNN NEWS CHIEF Eason Jordan. 404.827.5111. fax: [phone]. [e-mail]
CNN NEWS DIRECTOR Kim Bondy. 404 827 1500. fax. [phone]
CNN NEWSROOM 404.827.1500 . 404.827.1500. [e-mail]
Call Anderson Cooper at 1-866-NY-AC360

MSNBC
- Phone: [phone]
CBS
-Phone: [phone]
ABC-
ABC NEW YORK NEWSROOM: [phone] [e-mail] Newsroom Fax Machine 212.456.5150

Peter Salinger (THE MAN IN CHARGE OF ELECTION COVERAGE) Director, Special Events & Sports 212.456.5105 [e-mail]

Cristi Landes, Manager, Programming 212.456.5107 [e-mail]

Wayne Fisk Director, Programming 212.456.5327 [e-mail]

Jeff Fitzgerald Executive Director, Operations 212.456.5554 [e-mail]

Heidi Oringer Executive Director, Entertainment 212.456.5541 [e-mail]

Jon Newman News Coverage 212.456.5100 [e-mail]

Joyce Alcantara Assignment Manager 212.456.5106 [e-mail]

Jim Kane Deputy D.C. Bureau Chief 212.222. 6604 [e-mail]

Andrew Kalb Executive Director, Programming 05.567.2269 [e-mail]

Robert Garcia Executive Director, News & Sports 212.456.5103 [e-mail]


C-SPAN
Contacting C-SPAN's Washington Journal:
Republicans: [phone]
Democrats: [phone]
Independents: [phone]
Outside U.S.: [phone]
Email Questions or Comments: [e-mail] This e-mail address is being protected from spam
bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ASSOCIATED PRESS OFFICES:
212-621-1500
http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html

*************************************

PERTINENT EMAIL ADDRESSES:
Jim Lehrer [e-mail]
Tom BrokeJaw http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152 /
Chris Matthews [e-mail]
Mark Halperin (no direct, but address him and use [e-mail] )
Chuck Todd [e-mail]
Everyone at CNN is listed individually on this page: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv /
Morning Joe - Feedback page-very bottom right column http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789 /
Race to the White House - Feeback page- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23598392 /
Andrea Mitchell [e-mail]
Josh Marshall [e-mail]
Andrew Sullivan [e-mail]
Mark Ambinder [e-mail]
Keith Olberman [e-mail]
Rachel Maddow [e-mail]
Eugene Robinson [e-mail]
E.J. Dionne [e-mail]
Donna Brazile [e-mail]
Ed Schultz [e-mail]
Randi Rhodes [e-mail]
Stephanie Miller [e-mail]
Thom Hartmann [e-mail]
Mike Malloy [e-mail]
Steve Clemons [e-mail]
Bob Herbert [e-mail]
Cynthia Tucker [e-mail]
Joe Klein http://www.time.com/time/letters/email_letter.html
Howard Fineman [e-mail]
David Remnick (the New Yorker) [e-mail]
The New York Times Editors [e-mail]
The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com




JOURNALISM WATCHDOG AGENCIES TO CONTACT
FACTCHECK [e-mail] - Drop them some facts; They need them
POLIFACT [e-mail] - Drop them some Facts; they need them
American Journalism Review [e-mail] -
Columbia journalism Review [e-mail] - Drop them a Tip. They are looking for them
Committee of Concerned Journalists [e-mail]
FAIR [e-mail] - Drop them a tip - They are looking for them
Institute for Public Accuracy [e-mail]
media matters [e-mail] - Drop them a Tip. They are looking for them

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TOOLS
http://www.democrats.org/page/speakout/letterstoeditors
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media /

[annabanana]

17. Maybe the media owners really don't care about the cameramen. .

Maybe they'll see the loss of a few grips and lighting people as "the cost of doing business"..

[CitizenPatriot]

25. yeah, like that's news, right?

they could care less if they lose a few "disposables".
Another shining example of the worker bee being asked to give a wee bit too much to keep their jobs.

[RichGirl]

19. I agree...

Can somebody put up all the media email addresses? We need to blast them.

[Kajsa]

22. I agree!

Those rallies are resembling KKK rallies now.

Who is responsible for monitoring the activities of hate groups
in the US?

[bluethruandthru]

24. Everytime I watch one of these rallies

I expect to see crowd shots of angry people holding pitchforks and torches!

[Kajsa]

27. Isn't that the truth?

I'm old enough to remember Jim Crow laws and an openly active
KKK.

I see little difference with these crowds.

The hate, the ignorance, the celebration of stupidity,
it's all the same.

:(

[bluethruandthru]

31. The repugs keep playing to the ill informed

with their dumbed-down messages and the mocking of anyone with an education.

[stuntcat]

28. Yes it is.

I was already so disappointed in our newspeople but lately they're just baiting a fight by making up polls and ignoring real news. Fuck them.

[Overseas]

29. I'd love to see the media stop covering McLiar & Impalin' campaign events.

Even just give them a publicity free week to think their approach over.

A one week strike from the corporate media that has already desperately propped up the McLiar campaign as much as it can.

They've helped promote the McLame cause over and over and given him so much preference already and if he then still needs to cross over into stimulating violent hatred, they'd better let him go.

[backscatter712]

30. MSNBC has been covering the crowds yelling "KILL HIM!"

That's an encouraging sign, watching MSNBC broadcast pics of Palin's Nuremburg rally, captioned to show the shouts of "KILL HIM!" and "TREASON!"

Hopefully, this will get the Rethugs to ratchet back their rhetoric to civilized levels, though I'm not one to count on the GOP's good graces...

[CitizenPatriot]

32. email I am sending out to everyone

here is the email I am composing to send out to everyone I have ever met. Odd that I used the KKK rally as an example, and hadn't read the other DUer's post upthread at that point. I am glad to see I am not the only person getting this impression.

Hi everyone,

I spent all morning writing this email because I have never been so sure that I was witnessing a wrong as I am right now. I am not a lawyer and don't pretend to know the law governing the media or the campaigns. I am simply an American citizen whose common sense recognizes a dangerous situation when I see one; The McCain/Palin campaign is playing fast and loose with dynamite and needs to be called out on their behavior immediately, before something terrible happens.

The McCain/Palin campaign is using a dangerous tactic of inciting violence against a sitting Senator and Presidential candidate for political gain. The hate being spewed at the McCain/Palin rallies is not typical campaign rhetoric. They are inferring Obama is a terrorist and many of their followers come away believing this. I just watched a YouTube video of their followers leaving a rally in which many of them expressed the opinion that Obama is a "single terror cell" and worse. There have been shouts of "off with this head" "traitor" and "kill him" at their rallies. Neither Palin nor McCain have addressed these cries as they occurred, let alone condemned them. If they are truly fit to lead this country, one would expect them to show responsible leadership in this respect.

This is WRONG. Please join me in letting the media know that when they show this footage, they need to comment on these tactics, which are a dangerous and unacceptable low in political campaigning.
The media has a responsibility here. Yes, they need to inform Americans about the tactics but they need to do so in a manner which clearly does not condone such tactics or lend validity to the accusations. What they are doing currently is tantamount to playing a Klu Klux Klan rally without comment, except that most Americans recognize the KKK for what it is. The real danger here is this message is being delivered by two candidates for the Republican ticket for the highest office in our country. As leaders, their message has an apparent validity built into it that the KKK does not have. It is the wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will forgive the pun on the Wolf Hunter.

Every citizen, regardless of party, should recognize the danger in inferring a political opponent to be a terrorist. And as such, every single citizen who values democracy should be outraged. There is NO excuse for this. We wouldn't condone such behavior from second graders on the play ground; why would we condone it from people who claim to be fit to lead this great country as President and Vice President? This is not presidential behavior.

Media contact info below.

Thank you for your time,

xxxx

[bluethruandthru]

33. Excellent!

I may steal some of your letter. :)

[CitizenPatriot]

34. Please do!

Thanks for the feedback-- I'm hitting send in a minute and I wasn't kidding when I said I was sending it to everyone in my address book. I work freelance, so you can imagine how many contacts I have in there -- People whose names I can't recall...:-) Kinda dangerous, but I'm in that kinda mood today.

[Kajsa]

35. Excellent letter, CitizenPatriot!

You inspired me to write a LTTE at the LA Times,

I wonder if they have the nerve to publish it.

___________________________________________________


Dear Editors,

Right now, the media has an obligation to expose the
very dangerous climate the recent McCain/Palin rallies
have nurtured.
Every clip I see, shouts of " Off with his head" the
infamous " Kill Him" or " get him"are heard.

Not one attempt has been made by either McCain nor
Palin to stop this.

They remind me of Ku Klux Klan rallies.

I am old enough to remember Jim Crow laws, the lynchings,
the church bombing that killed four little girls
and the assassinations of Medgar Evers and MLK.

Enough! This hatred will repeat the tragedies of our past.

We've seen it- we know it can happen, again.


Sincerely,

(Kajsa)

[CitizenPatriot]

37. Your letter brought tears to my eyes

I am most pleased to have inspired such eloquence. I hope they print it; they are certainly a paper in "transition" if you will;-)

I used to live in LA and miss it right now as I am in the the south, dealing with more red than I ever dreamed possible. I asked to be more useful the next election...and boy oh boy, did I get it.

Actually, I'm grateful to be here where I can make a difference, but it is hard. Not nearly so hard as Obama has it right now, so I'm not going to complain too loudly.

I want THAT ONE for President!

[Kajsa]

40. Thank you!

I've been living in OC, Repub Central for over 24 years,
but I'm close to LA where I grew up.

I want THAT ONE for President, too!

:) :pals:

[bluethruandthru]

39. Great letter!

Thanks for writing that!

[Kajsa]

41. Thank You, Bluethruandthru!

Thanks for the kind words and posting this great thread!

:) :pals:

[bluethruandthru]

36. I just learned from another thread

that right now the cable networks are all covering a hate filled "town hall" that McCain and Palin are holding! Is this really "news"? This is what we need to ask the media about. I rarely see anything but a 30 second sound bite from an Obama or Biden speech...but McCain and especially Palin's events are covered wall to wall.

[CitizenPatriot]

38. good point.

I wondered if this was actually doing them any favors, though.

swing voters are supremely turned off by this crap, supposedly.

It's worth asking the media to at least comment on the terrorist tactics the GOP is using against Obama. Ha ha, see what I did there?

I'm a girl, so I guess in today's palinesque-feminism, I can get away with calling anyone a terrorist. wink wink. hee hee. look at my shoes. Palin is a terrorist secessionist terrorist.

cheers.

[bluethruandthru]

42. True, it's not helping the two "mavericks"

but it does whip up the lunatic fringe.

[CitizenPatriot]

44. and they are scary. nt

[Cha]

43. It would great if the lazyass corporatemedia would get off

their barstool and quit phoning it in.