On Rep. Hinchey & Rove .....

[H2O Man]

Some of the older DUers may recall that a long time back -- I think it was last week -- there were several threads about Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) saying that he believed Karl Rove was behind the forged documents that Dan Rather reported on in a now infamous 60 Minutes segment. On two threads, I had suggested that DUers contact a specific assistant editor from the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, and request that he comment on Hinchey's saying he believes Rove played a role.

Today, that assistant editor has an interesting editorial about the Hinchey-Rove controversy. See:

http://www.pressconnects.com/today/opinion/stories/op022705s151013.shtml

[theorist]

1. And the press picked it up!

The RWers make a little noise and they get primetime coverage. We do two weeks worth of hard research, find out who the players are in PropaGannon, how they are connected directly with the Republican Party of Texas (RPT, get used to hearing this; maybe not as big as WMD).

Sickening.

[H2O Man]

2. I think this article

shows that we can have a positive impact on the MSM. It is an editorial by one of the best writers employed by Gannett. Rossie has won numerous awards for his writing skills, and is taken seriously by other newspaper editors. His article is what we want to see, I would think.

[EFerrari]

29. Try this link: maybe moved to make room for new?

http://www.pressconnects.com/sunday/opinion/stories/op022705s151013.shtml

[H2O Man]

31. Thanks, sfexpat2000 !

I'm not sure why the link to the story changed so quickly .... the P&S-B is a "daily," of course, and maybe they change everything in the early morning hours.

[ryan_cats]

55. Yes but

It's a death by a thousnd cuts.

[No Exit]

3. Great article! Isn't it amazing how much energy they put into

falsifying the record about their AWOL candidate? Imagine the total hours of work that have been put into this one issue, since Bush first entered politics.

Wouldn't their energy have been better spent by simply finding a candidate who DIDN'T go AWOL, and who DID honestly serve his country?

Oh, but then Karl wouldn't get to lie as much. And since lying and fraud are his main stock-in-trade, he wouldn't have gotten as much of a chance to showcase his "talents".

[H2O Man]

4. I agree.

I also think it is important to recognize that DU can pick specific goals ..... such as contacting someone from a newspaper who has an open mind, and asking them to consider addressing a specific issue .... and it can have a positive result.

[cyclezealot]

6. people like us have to do a lot of the field work

Since the press won't.

[H2O Man]

9. If 25 DUers

write LTTE of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin on this subject, likely at least 5 will see print. We can be sure that the right-wing will be sending at least 25 LTTE to say both Hinchey and Rossie are wrong, and at least 5 will be published. We have an opportunity to participate in the public debate.

" 'Yes' is the answer -- and you know that, for sure." - John Lennon

[Me.]

36. That Would Have Been Way Too Easy

and besides, they couldn't be sure, with another candidate, that all the money would flow into the pockets of papa bear and his friends. Also, a lot of dirty deeds might have been exposed without jr., to seal all the records up.

[wishlist]

5. Very good editorial esp since a lot of people don't know about Rove

Helpful in that he explains a couple of the dirtiest tricks attributed to Rove for those readers who aren't aware of the kind of smear/distraction tactics Rove has used over the years, and then explains how the focus on 'forged' documents discredited CBS and their whole story while derailing scrutiny of Bush's lousy service record, so readers understand why Dems think Rove was involved.

Thanks to you and everyone who suggested he comment on the matter.

[H2O Man]

7. We know that Hinchey's office

was not getting much positive feed-back after saying he believed Rove was involved in this. It is extremely important that when an elected official takes a public stance that we agree with, that we support them.

When Hinchey spoke out, I wrote a post here saying that small doors often lead to large rooms. We have an opportunity now .... we will all make a decision to either respond to Rossie's editorial, or to pass on this opportunity.

I strongly urge all DUers to write a short LTTE thank can: {1} agree with Rossie's editorial; {2} thank Hinchey for saying what we all know is true; and/or {3} call for the House of Representatives to investigate the White House's efforts to manipulate the the news media.

Remember, your LTTE is far more likely to be published if it is short and focused. Raise one point that makes the reader want to see a further discussion of this case. Trust in the republicans to respond in an angry, knee-jerk manner .... thus opening the door for more letters from our side.

[DemGirl7]

18. My friend who interns for Rep. Hinchey at his Kingston office...

told me that the phone calls that they have been recieving there were for the most part have been positive, and supportive.

[moggie12]

24. Done - wrote a quick e-mail to the news dept at the paper

"Just thought I'd drop you a line commending David Rossie's 2/27 editorial (concerning Rep. Hinchey's remarks about Karl Rove). Kudos to the Press & Sun Bulletin for printing the truth about Karl Rove's track record of ugly smear tactics and dirty tricks.

I live in the Albany area, but saw Mr. Rossie's piece posted on an Internet site -- it was cited as an example of good journalism in an age when such is becoming less and less common. Thank you to your paper and Mr. Rossie for sticking up for Rep. Hinchey and educating your readers about Karl Rove."

[Goldeneye]

8. Karl Rove, a man of unblemished probity.....pfffff

Other than the first few paragraphs it was a good read though. I'm surprised this got fair coverage.

[H2O Man]

10. The first few paragraphs

are clearly tongue in cheek.

[H2O Man]

11. If Rove were arrested

for the BTK murders, I'll bet this thread would get more attention.

[kohodog]

22. Even if he was arrested for outing Plame it might get a vote! n/t

[EFerrari]

26. Hey, I had to pretend to watch the AA with my larger half.

I'm reading fast as I can. :)

[juslikagrzly]

12. Done!

Here's the link for email LTTE:

http://www.pressconnects.com/services/editorial/editor.shtml

and here's my LTTE:

Editor, Press & Sun-Bulletin

Bravo! Mr. Rossie for daring to discuss Karl Rove's political assassination tactics. It is rare to find anything remotely resembling courage in the mainstream media, but Mr. Rossie appears to be one of the few remaining bravehearts.

I am so pleased that I ran across Mr. Rossie's editorial (Sunday, 2/27/05) in my disheartening hunt for journalists willing to stand up and tell the truth. I am sorry only that Binghamton, NY is so far from Stillwater, OK. At least we have the internet.

I will "log in" for more truth from Mr. Rossie in the future. In the meantime, march on Mr. Rossie, we hear you and we applaud you.

[H2O Man]

16. Well done!

Good LTTE -- certainly the type that newspapers want to print.

[blm]

13. Reinforces my belief that most of the press KNOWS Rove would do this

and those who don't bring it up are either afraid or COMPLICIT and working for the Bush agenda.

[H2O Man]

17. It may be better

for us to concentrate our efforts on the "local" newspapers. The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin is not, by any means, one of the major newspapers on the national scene. But in the area it covers, more people are going to read Rossie's editorial than anything that was printed in one of the larger papers.

[FreedomAngel82]

28. I think if any of them

know their Bush history should know about Rove as well. I learned a lot from the movie "Bush's Brain" and now days I KNOW when there's a Rove setup. Of course sometimes I'm just paranoid (:tinfoilhat:). Him and Poppy Bush are all over everything that happens in this country. :\ Earlier this morning I was watching an Alex Jones tape I have and he was talking about Bush and Kerry and mainly 90% of everything on this was Bush and he was talking about how Bush has been trying for so long (since he first entered politics) to hide his military record and how when he was on "Meet the Press" around the election year he was asked about it and just shrugged it off and made it seem like Mr. Russert was attacking the national guard and not him specificially. I just wish all of this could finally come out in the open. Especially after what they did to John Kerry. I believe they also went after Wesley Clark but I'm not sure, but especially how they treated Kerry and his medals and his wounds and stuff. :grr:

[me b zola]

14. Excellent work, H20 Man!

You have reminded us that not all journalists have turned a blind eye & ear to what is going on in this administration. We need to continue our efforts of exposing the truth, as well as continue to seek out those who are willing to speak truth to power.

Rossie rocks!

[juslikagrzly]

15. Kick

c'mon folks, it doesn't take but 5 minute to send off a LTTE via email. We really need to support those willing to tell the truth.

[Lone_Wolf]

19. I'm from the Binghamton area...

Rossie kicks ass! This editorial is typical for him. He is always very outspoken with a liberal POV. I know that we are very lucky to have his insights in our newspaper.

[H2O Man]

47. Rossie

has won a number of awards for his editorials. He is one of Gannett's best writers.

[Me.]

20. Whew!

When I first started reading I thought, "oh no", then realized it was tongue in cheek. For nearly a year now you along with a few others like Calimary, have been stressing that letters can be effective and this is a good example of that. A good letter can work wonders and a lot of them can work miracles. Frankly, more articles with this point of view, that KKKarl is a master manipulator, is exactly what's needed to break down the WH wall of untruths and dis-information. Another good person to write is Joe Conason.

[paineinthearse]

21. Good work!

I remember our PM's way back when.

This supports my theory that we (each and every one of us) needs to form personal relationships with reporters and editors of LOCAL newspapers.

H20 doing this continues this story, Rove will not get off the hook any time soon.

Help give this and other news stories the legs they deserve. Pledge to form that relationships tomorrow!

:yourock:

[H2O Man]

33. To be accurate and honest

paineinthearse did most of the work on two of the best Hinckey threads. I think this small example shows that good ideas alone do not do much .... it takes some work to get results. We should be following up on this. If we can have an impact on this paper, we can surely have a similar impact on many others.

[paineinthearse]

52. Shucks......

Thanks, but a lot of this is serendipitous team work. Together we are much stronger than alone.

[Me.]

23. kick n/t

[fooj]

25. They have removed the page! I'm getting a 404 error page removed...

:cry: Those bastards are worried about something...

[EFerrari]

30. fooj, try this.

http://www.pressconnects.com/sunday/opinion/stories/op022705s151013.shtml

[EFerrari]

27. 11:10pm PST - also getting the same error as fooj

Anyone have a copy of the editorial?

[EFerrari]

32. ltte ratched 'way down. lol

To the Editor,

Democrats do blame Karl Rove for "political chincaney" -- in part, because, well, he's engaged in so much of it. It was refreshing to see Mr. Rossie marking both of these points.

However, there is another, even more fundamental issue here. I may not agree with George Bush or his administration. But my taxes pay for Karl Rove's White House salary. I don't pay him to manipulate the press but to do the people's business.

If one of our elected representatives. like Maurice Hinchey, believes my money is being misspent, I want to hear about it.

* * *
Link to on lin email form:
http://www.pressconnects.com/services/editorial/editor.shtml

[moggie12]

34. Good work, H2O Man!

I really like your approach: Target a specific writer and then follow-up with "thank-you's" when he or she writes something good. Very effective! I also think you're right about tackling the media one paper at a time, starting at the local level. The right-wing does this with local papers, radio shows and TV stations -- we need to do the same.

I also loved your quote from above: "I also think it is important to recognize that DU can pick specific goals ..... such as contacting someone from a newspaper who has an open mind, and asking them to consider addressing a specific issue .... and it can have a positive result."

This is a great point: Targeted, coordinated efforts -- with hundreds of people working toward the same goal -- are the way to go.

[H2O Man]

35. Our culture

is instilling a learned helplessness and a dependency in people .... We look to the "big father" figures to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves. This leads directly to citizens taking a position of "I can't" and "no" far too often.

We need to replace "No!" with "Yes!" and "I can't" with "I will." We need to identify our long-term goals, and then set out on a path of short-term goals that lead us in the right direction. We need to start "Working out with the Constitution" to get our country back in shape again.

[EFerrari]

37. Toxic paternalism

I think you make good points here. And notice, we generally expect some level of paternalism at the local level. The Cabal is playing local politics at the Federal level, using local tactics -- interesting way to generate that hometown feeling, isn't it?

And, because they're not homeys protecting their City Hall turf but frontmen for multinational corporations, they've taken the strategy to a whole new level that is indeed toxic for most people. Certainly, for the nation as a whole.

I grew up with a single mom. We did all right :)

[H2O Man]

38. There is a scene

in the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," where the fellows are being given their daily meds ..... one guy folds his hands, and behaves as if he is receiving communion in a Catholic service. I think that sums up what a large portion of our culture has come to.

[EFerrari]

39. Maybe. But remember learning takes place over time

and, is ingrained over time.

Which is to say, we've a much longer cultural memory of being "go getters" than of being passive receptacles.

Or, it may be my take is screwy as a first generation citizen of scrappy Latino descent.

Take heart. Btw, I've worked with families dealing with severe mental illness for about 10 years. You would be so amazed at how people's awareness of themselves and of their situation can be heightened given a little care and thoughtfulness. And how their reactivity can be tempered and overcome. If these families can do it, anyone can.

Cheers,
Beth

[H2O Man]

40. That's a good line of work.

I'm retired after many years in the same type of work. That is in large part why I like the movie I mentioned. The context of the movie was the institutional system,of course, and I have certainly had decades of working within that very system. I tend to be more interested in family systems, and I believe that when our society begins to redefine what constitutes a family -- particularly an extended family -- then we will be taking a step in the direction towards healing some of the wounds that have actually taken a few generations to be fully inflicted upon our culture.

[EFerrari]

41. It isn't actually my "line of work" as I trained as a Shakespearean critic

But, there was this huge gaping hole where our wonderful tech could help some folks, it isn't delivered. And so this, ah, hobby began.

I've no creds in this field as an expert being a family member, and as you know, that's none at all. My initials don't count: am actively discounted as a "self appointed advocate". Huh? If a family member can't advocate for their members or their general wellbeing, who can? (That would be a rhetorical question :) )

But, have managed to keep our group together, just dealing. Haven't lost anyone although the risk of suicide (considerable in this pop).

I guess, what I mean to say is this: As a recovering "good" Catholic girl, it was very difficult for me to assert myself at the outset. I made mistakes, big bad ones.

But, at some point that issue was just less important. I fired L.A. County, and have done my best to get people to advocate on their own behalf AND to seek support for that.

There is a lot to be said for people just scoping out what is possible and going for it.

peace
Beth

[H2O Man]

42. A right-wing response

to the Hinchey comments on Rove appears in today's Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. It reads as follows:

HINCHEY HAS 'LACK OF ETHICS'
If Democrats postponed their post-election therapy long enough to catch a recent edition of Hannity & Colmes, they'd realize, once and for all, why they lost the election.

New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey accused Republicans of forging the infamous Dan Rather documents, without a shred of evidence to support the charge. To me, it shows a lack of ethics, morals, values, decency, and honesty. Based on the credentials of recent Democratic candidates, he seems to be positioning himself for a 2008 run at the presidency.

Joe Skojec
Vestal

The good thing about this type of LTTE is it opens the door for us to respond with more LTTE. We can get a discussion going. The newspaper benefits, the readers benefit. This is democracy in action -- exactly what our Constitution encourages.

[Me.]

43. kick

[H2O Man]

44. HELP !!!!!

On the "media" forum, a person made a post that has a link to a poll on the Hinchey-Rove controversy. There is a need for DUers to immediately help to show the interest in what Hinchey has charged. At this point, the Hinchey side is at about 32% of the vote, versus 68% for Karl Rove. Please help!

[babylonsister]

45. ..

[NewJeffCT]

46. direct link to the poll

I also put it in a separate thread...

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.asp?brd=1769

[Me.]

48. Kick n/t

[paineinthearse]

53. he he he

You can vote early and often, just refresh after each vote.

he he he

[EFerrari]

60. Oh, no! "what you resist you will become"! lol

[EFerrari]

49. Cr@p! The EDs called me to publish my letter

But 'way out here in CA, I missed the call.

My paper takes it as proof positive if they get my answering machine.

I called back but got a robot after hours.

Sorry, feel like I let the team down.

Beth

[H2O Man]

50. Call the newsroom.

There is (almost) always someone in the newsroom, at 607-798-1151.

Good job on your letter!

[EFerrari]

51. Did. This can go 2 ways.

They will either publish it on the basis of our voice mail or they won't.

So.

Thanks for making the opportunity. Let's do it again.

Beth

/spelling from hell

[paineinthearse]

54. Proposition

If our efforts help in definitively exposing Rove in this matter, I propose we have a DU meet-up in this town to celebrate!

We can call it the Rove Rave.

[H2O Man]

56. Rove Rave, eh?

I like that. Democrats enjoy Rove Rave, while republicans suffer from Rove Rage.

[juslikagrzly]

57. My LTTE will be published!

See my post #12. The paper called today to confirm and told me it would be published in the next few days.

WOO HOO! All the way from Stillwater, OK to Binghamton, NY.

The "internets" is so cool :)

[Me.]

58. Congrats!

Perhaps if the truth is told often enough, people will begin to believe it.

[EFerrari]

59. Good going!!!!

[H2O Man]

61. Great!

This shows the impact that DUers can have on media in the USA.

[moggie12]

62. My LTTE will be published!! That makes 3 for 3, H20Man!

They must be desperate for letters, because mine was terribly well-written!

The editorial assistant told me they got a lot of LTTE's, both pro and con.

Keep up the good work, H20Man!!

[NewJeffCT]

63. I got a call from the Binghamton paper, too

I had just wrote in support of Dave Rossie's article and not any general LTTE, too.

[Me.]

64. This Is So Encouraging!

Congrats to all of you for a job well done.

[EFerrari]

65. Hey, this really WORKS! I got a few words into an E&P blog today

on the American media nosedive "exit memo" by Laurie Garret.

I used to only write to my local paper (SF Chron) & they'd publish me about every 6 weeks. Widening the net really works. "Local" has been redefined by the net.

Thanks, H20 Man, for pushing on this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3206589&mesg_id=3207232

[EFerrari]

66. That's great! I can't wait to see it. n/t

[EFerrari]

67. Letters went up today: 3 to 1 for Hinchey. Good job! n/t

[Me.]

68. Wahoo!

I repeat, good job everyone