News and National Mood… from 9/11 to the 2006 Elections

[Coexist]

There are a lot of people who think our job is to reassure the public every night that their home, their community and their nation is safe. I don't subscribe to that at all. I subscribe to leaving people with essentially – sorry, it's a cliché – a rough draft of history. Some days it's reassuring, some days it's absolutely destructive. – Peter Jennings

I remember watching the news after 9/11. My television was on 18 hours a day, tuned into CNN, then MSNBC, then Fox, then ABC, then CBS. There was something in me that needed to know more, to not miss anything.

Peter Jennings was the man I looked forward to tuning in to. He was incredibly thoughtful, and searched for the meaning behind the madness. To help American’s deal with such a tragedy, Mr. Jennings often raised they question, “why do they hate us.”
The Christian Science Monitor also took this approach, and between the two of them, I tried to heal instead of hate. Through them I was able to look at the big picture. The world picture. It helped keep me from falling for all the spin about Iraq; helped me to hope instead of fear.

Other friends of mine, who had the same visceral reaction to the attack on our country, turned to Fox News. I know why. Fox news encouraged their rage and hate. Their anchors told them that they should be feeling irrational anger towards an entire people and their lands. They, and the Bush administration, told them that they needed to be scared; that danger lurked in model airplanes and inside the luggage of swarthy men.

Real news outlets should not wrap the ugly American in a flag of invulnerability, their job is to question our world involvement, and see if it had a hand in inciting fundamentalist hatred towards our nation. Fox News didn’t; their ratings skyrocketed. Their meme became “if you aren’t with us, you were a leftist-atheist-American-hating fool who didn’t deserve airtime, except to be jumped on and shouted over” and all of the other networks followed suit in the great ratings chase.

Then came &imgrefurl=http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/katrina/&h=496&w=768&sz=176&hl=en&sig2=9auc_DQo8XbTbGunEZyQlg&start=3&tbnid=OO4cr6nLin8E9M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=142&ei=kSktRY-nC7bE6gH06cmdDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkatrina%2B%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGIC,GGIC:2006-36,GGIC:en%26sa%3DN">Katrina. The Republican’s pedestal disappeared; people were amazed at the ineptness of the party that was supposed to be our savior and protector. Their pathetic ineffectiveness was laid bare and floating in storm waters for all to see.

Still, the talking heads were a little gun-shy. How many times had we expressed the hope that the MSM was taking their gloves off for good – only to be disappointed by their beaten-wife-syndrome style of reporting the next day.

Then came Keith Olbermann’s Special Commentaries. He called Bush a liar, and the sky did not collapse upon us. The words “impeachable offense” were uttered on a news show, and Al-Qaeda did not rain missiles upon us. It became clear that we can express dissent with our leaders, while retaining our love affair with our country. Keith’s commentaries have given us an outlet to think and reason and laugh and cry about our own country. And the spike in his viewership proves that it was time to do that again.

What is happening with Countdown now is the same thing that happened with Fox News in 2001-2002. But this time, the result will be the restoration of balance, not an ugly power grab. Whether this November sees us taking back the House, the Senate, or both – I am now happy to just get things back to fair. Because that’s the way this country is supposed to be.

“My toast would be, may our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right." John Quincy Adams

[CheshireCat]

1. Thanks for taking the time to write

Thanks for your thoughts.

Been at DU since almost the beginning and used to post more often. But life has picked up speed and time does not allow much time for posting. I am still here, reading and learning. Reading your thoughts today has allowed me a peek beyond the curtain of blinding cynicism that shields me from hope.

[Coexist]

2. I'm glad something positive came from my rambling

It was there and I needed to share.

[Coexist]

3. kicking to see if the Countdown watchers find this to be true.