David Frum identifies conservative pay-for-play scam Issues Beyond Palo Alto, posted by Alfred E Newman, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 16, 2011 at 10:43 am
Sneak peek inside the right-wing echo chamber. How Heritage buys street cred with the fringies over Cato, the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute and other right-of-center think tanks. And how they fight back against Heritage by purchasing other rightwing hosts.
Golly, just think how we thought Rush was so pure. Sean was so sincere. Glenn so independent. Mark Levine and all the third stringers so courageous!
Not.
I guess Rush's $400 million contract wasn't enough. Have to sell his soul to Heritage (Richard Mellon Scaife, Koch Bros, etc...) to afford to send his maid out to refill those empty cigar boxes with oxy. Web Link
Someone's gotta sow fear so the sheeple can be talked into buying gold from the show's official gold sponsor, but why not pick up another couple million and required script points from a thinktank?
Frum: "None of this behavior would be remotely acceptable at CBS, ABC, NBC, or most major newspapers.
And yet when it's done by conservative media, the reaction is a big ho-hum from within the ranks."
"Regular listeners to the Rush Limbaugh program will rarely, if ever, hear the broadcaster cite the work of the American Enterprise Institute. Or the Cato Institute. Or the Manhattan Institute. Or other right-of-center think tanks.
The rival Heritage Foundation does, however, get frequent and favorable mention on the most popular conservative talk show in America. In part, Heritage owes this attention to Limbaugh's genuine admiration for the institution...
But there's another reason that Heritage gets such unique and favorable treatment on the Limbaugh program. It pays for it. "
* * "It pays for it." * *
Wow. The fringe will probably blather something about Soros owning the world, limousine liberals, or the mainstream (corporate) driveby media being too liberal (a fantasy always good for a laugh from those the left.)
From Frum:
"Understand: We are not talking about commercials, separated from the main flow of editorial content. Heritage work is embedded and inserted directly into the editorial flow of the Limbaugh program, as if selected without regard to the money paid.
Also understand: It's not just Limbaugh, and it's not just Heritage.
Heritage pays for similar treatment on Sean Hannity's radio program. FreedomWorks pays for mentions on the Glenn Beck show. Americans for Prosperity pays to be promoted on Mark Levin's show. The endorsements often obscure the paid-for nature of the broadcaster's endorsement.
Ditto for the relentless advocacy of gold purchases by almost every radio host."
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 16, 2011 at 4:40 pm Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Posted by That User Name is already, a resident of another community, on Jun 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm That User Name is already is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Walter:
Struck a nerve? Enough that you can't believe it, and require proof? Your sainted heroes a sell out to the billionaire funded thinktanks?
He offered the proof. It's all in the links.
You have to actually read it.
Do you want to hear it from the Druggy's mouth? Go listen to the video (I refuse to send him money just to watch him stare stoned into his microphone, but you're probably a member) or trust on the quote from a couple years ago: "And we are welcoming the Heritage Foundation as a new partner to the EIB Network this month." Jan, 2009, for the record. transcript is here: Web Link
Glenn Beck and uber-lobbyist, super-inside-inside-the-beltway-connected corporate lobbyist Dick Armey Web Link and his running the "grassroots tea party" (Koch Bros funded) Freedomworks? "“This is a new thing from FreedomWorks and by the way, they are sponsor of this program..." Want video? It's at the link above, but hey, Walter, ya gotta actually read the article! And it's in the tax filings: Web Link
Sean "such an honest baby face, how can he not be thinking all these talking points up himself?" Hannity, taking a couple million from Heritage? Web Link
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 17, 2011 at 5:12 am Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
You presume a bit - I rarely listen to Limbaugh and Glen and Hannity almost never. Cleaver tie-in with the Tea Party. All in all, a nothing article.
Posted by Perspective, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 17, 2011 at 8:59 am Perspective is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Oh my gosh!! Say it ain't so!! I am devastated to learn that all this time these guys were PAYING for their Ads!!
Not.
All sponsors pay to be advertised. Of course!! Whether it is obvious as in a clear advertisement, or simply "product placement" like when we see a Coke can in a movie, virtually every mention is paid for, TV to radio to movies to billboards. Good grief. To even think anything else is horribly naive and uninformed, to say the least.
Typical non-article by Frum and a non-post poster.
Posted by That User Name is already, a resident of another community, on Jun 17, 2011 at 10:33 am That User Name is already is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
It's not just typical "fear, fear, fear, scare, BUY GOLD NOW" advertisement drivel from beck.
"And the integration of sponsors and their causes into the content of conservative talkers’ shows is not unique to advocacy groups and think tanks, as Beck demonstrated in 2009 when he melded his frequent warnings of impending economic collapse with his promotion of gold, generally, and the precious metals retailer that sponsored his show, Goldline, specifically."
You belittle the issue by trying to tie it to paid advertisements. Nice try. No sale. What Beck does with his editorial content to push gold for his ad buyers is shady, but probably legal. His sheeple who fall for it deserve the fleecing. Too bad they don't think consumer rights are something the government should watch out for. Sad irony. And NOT the point of the article.
It's about editorial content being bought and paid for, with little or no public announcement of such.
"Understand: We are not talking about commercials, separated from the main flow of editorial content. Heritage work is embedded and inserted directly into the editorial flow of the Limbaugh program, as if selected without regard to the money paid."
and
"Just imagine if the CBS Evening News were to accept $2 million from a pharmaceutical company, and then run news spots about the excellent benefits from taking that company's medication. Imagine if the Los Angeles Times accepted $2 million from a company promoting a natural gas pipeline, and then published editorials advocating government approval of the pipeline route. Imagine if columnists at the Financial Times accepted money to tout British bonds or German stocks.
Shocking, right? Yet for millions of Americans, conservative talk radio is a news source much more trusted than CBS or the Los Angeles Times or the Financial Times."
Walter and perspective: belittle it all you want. Beat on the messenger all you want (your preferred tactic for debate.)
It's a nasty slice of the right wing echo chamber.
Walter: that "Cleaver tie-in with the Tea Party" is more than that. How many tea partiers realize that huge corporate and billionaire donations run Freedomworks and they're being used in an "astroturf" operation when they think they are grassroots?
Posted by That User Name is already, a resident of another community, on Jun 17, 2011 at 10:39 am That User Name is already is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Is the whole conservative movement looking to get their pockets lined? No, not all, but many examples abound.
Locally, yesterday provided a clear example.
Tim Pawlenty, who before Monday's debate debacle, was considered one of the "serious" choices to have a chance against Mitt.
Turns out that Tpaw still takes paid speaking gigs (private fees paid to HIM, not his election committee) while running for president. Still legal. And completely selling out without telling his supporters.
Example: yesterday TP was in town on a private speaking gig at the American Health Insurance Plans convention, a trade group for the health insurance industry.
He's in the pocket of the for-profit insurance companies. Shouldn't his supporters (both of them - he averages about 5% in polls and is, after Monday, going nowhere) know that the reason he wants to end Medicare is to shower favors on those who put money in his wallet? He's going to pay back the insurance companies for taking care of him. By destroying Medicare.
Similar to your boy Rush getting millions from Heritage for building Heritage talking points into his show and not telling his sheeple at least once a day?
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2011 at 7:54 pm Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Gold - $1000 to $5000 in 3 years? Somebody protect me against such a scam. Lots of other commodities pitched during that same era. Have any done as well?
Posted by That User Name is already, a resident of another community, on Jun 20, 2011 at 10:11 am That User Name is already is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
"You belittle the issue by trying to tie it to paid advertisements. Nice try. No sale. What Beck does with his editorial content to push gold for his ad buyers is shady, but probably legal.... And NOT the point of the article.
It's about editorial content being bought and paid for, with little or no public announcement of such."
That's obviously fine with Walter, he's just paying attention to the get rich quick gold ads while others tell glen beck and rush what to say to Walter between the ads.
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2011 at 6:09 pm Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Get rich quick gold ads? a 500% gain ain't no scam, buddy.
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2011 at 6:11 pm Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Neither is a 500% decline in the value of the dollar. What would the COLA be if gasoline were included in the index?
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