Corporate Media continues to send the attack dogs on Hillary Clinton.

[Bo Bike]

They must be scared.

"Media Matters" Jamison Fosser

For much of the past week, MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson have been in high dudgeon over former Sen. Bob Kerrey's recent reference to Barack Obama's middle name.

Kerrey said during an event announcing his endorsement of Hillary Clinton that "I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim. There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims and I think that experience is a big deal." Kerrey added that Obama has "a whale of a lot more intellectual talent than I've got as well."

The day after Kerrey's comments, Chris Matthews asked, "What the hell is Bob Kerrey doing?" Then, after reading Kerrey's comments, he suggested that Kerrey might have been "simply poisoning the well" against Obama. Matthews referenced Kerrey's remarks again later in the show.

The next day, Carlson referred to Kerrey's "apparent attack on Obama," which he described as "unbelievably sleazy" and "divisive and nasty and frankly kind of repulsive." The day after that, Carlson said that if it were not for the fact that Kerrey is "liked by reporters ... e would have been drummed out of America" for what he said about Obama.

It's fascinating to see Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson so angry about Kerrey's comments, because as far as I can tell, Chris Matthews was the very first person to introduce Barack Obama's middle name into the national political discussion -- and Tucker Carlson was right behind him.

Almost exactly a year ago, as Barack Obama's middle name was being thrown around regularly in the media -- by NBC's Mike Viqueira and by Fox News' Carl Cameron, among many others. The popular theory was that the use of the name originated with Republican strategist Ed Rogers. Matthews himself attributed it to Rogers during a December 13, 2006, interview with Rogers, saying that Rogers had "made some news" by using the name and pressing Rogers about it: "Why did you invoke the middle name of Barack Obama out of nowhere? What are you up to, sir? ... Well, Hussein is his middle name. Do you believe that invoking that name, that it will hurt him?"

But, as I explained at the time, Matthews was blaming Rogers for something Matthews himself had started:

The first mention of the name as a political matter that we can find in the Nexis database comes from MSNBC's Chris Matthews. On the November 7 <2006> edition of Hardball -- three full weeks before Rogers' comment -- Matthews said: "You know, it's interesting that Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein. That will be interesting down the road, won't it?" Media Matters noted Matthews' comments the next day.

Did Matthews come up with that on his own, or did he hear it on one of the right-wing radio shows he favors? Or did he read it on a far-right website, or have it whispered in his ear by a Republican operative? We don't know. But we do know that attributing the suggestion that Obama's middle name may have negative political consequences to Rogers lets Matthews off the hook for his role in popularizing the notion. Maybe that's why Matthews himself does it.

A few weeks after Matthews' reference to Obama's middle name -- and a day before Rogers first used it -- Tucker Carlson used his MSNBC television program to call guest Bill Press "a true member of the Barack Hussein Obama fan club."

Notice anything about the way Matthews and Carlson used Obama's middle name? It was completely gratuitous. Bob Kerrey (ostensibly, at least) used Obama's middle name in suggesting that his background might be an asset; Matthews and Carlson were doing nothing of the kind. They were just throwing it out there.

And now, they are livid -- absolutely livid -- when Bob Kerrey uses it.

Fourteen Corporations controls 95% of what Americans see, read and hear.

Are we going to let these fourteen CEO’s profoundly influence who the next president of the United States is going to be?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. Most of DU is delighted to have the media select a losing candidate for us

They applaud they process daily.

It's like watching a rube playing three-card monte.

It would be funny if the nation wasn't at stake.

[aquart]

2. But ...but...I thought Hillary was the MSM's choice

because she's a "Corporatist" (fascist) just like they are. Isn't that what our dear friends at DU were telling us for weeks and weeks? Don't the corporations like her now?

[killbotfactory]

3. I thought she was ready for this

Isn't that what she's been saying?

[BenDavid]

4. With as much negative reporting since October 30th I am proud

that HRC has fought her way back to the lead in those early states. The key word is fought. For days on end after the 04 election many in here were saying we need a fighter in the next election. well, we have a fighter. One we know that will fight and fight back hard, but for some reason most of you now wanna go with light weights.

You all wanna lose in 08 then send obama up against any republican and let their attack machine go into full court press. Just why do you think the msm and the right is so sweet and kind to obama? Do you ever think maybe those racists are licking their chops hoping for obama. I think so and if you do not think the right will stoop that low in the 21st century then you need to pull off your rose colored glasses.

When will many americans realise that the Republican party hasn't changed? They are and always have been the party of the rich and powerful. They made populist noises and fooled no one into thinking that they believed in G-d and values and all that when really all they wanted was to enrich themselves and their friends. While they were talking about gays, abortion, G-d, and terrorism (and doing f*** all about any of it), they tightened up bankruptcy laws, sent others sons and daughters to die in a pointless war so their corporations could profit, destroyed our public services, and stripped away our civil rights.

Please now see them for what they are. Listen to their criticisms of Mike Huckabee and realise they are really showing what they think of you, the average American voter.

[lvx35]

5. That's a real concern. I actually see people here saying that Obama is better, because he has less..

"Baggage" in the eyes of the Republicans. What they don't understand is that it doesn't matter at all, he will be attacked no matter what. Once you figure out that the "baggage" Hillary has is almost entirely fiction with no basis in reality, then you can clearly see that there is nothing protecting Obama from the same kind of attacks.

[dmosh42]

6. Follow the money!

HRC still tops the lobby money list, so there isn't much change to talk about.

[Perry Logan]

7. The prospect of Hillary's Presidency tortures the Right--and some of the more brainwashed DUers.