Who Helen Thomas is ( For those who term her irrelevant)

[saracat]

Helen's list of accomplishments as not only a reporter but as the first "woman" to do many things in the male dominated world of journalism is far to lengthly to post.I suggest that those who dismiss her, and do not understand why this woman is considered a "National Treasure" look her up.A link to only a partial biography follows the quote:

"Regarded as the dean of the Washington, D.C., press corps, reporter Helen Thomas (born 1920) has served as White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI) since 1974.

To those who regularly watch presidential press conferences, Helen Thomas is a familiar figure. Usually dressed in red (a tradition dating back to the administration of Ronald Reagan) and always seated in the front row, she is invariably the first or second reporter the president calls upon. It is an honor she has earned by virtue of her long and distinguished career in Washington, and it is one she relishes. Besides, it affords her the perfect opportunity to do what she does best-bluntly challenge the president (and other public officials) to tell the plain, unvarnished truth. "We (reporters) are not there to curry presidential favor, nor can we respond to efforts at presidential intimidation," she asserted in her memoir, Dateline: White House. "Our priority is the peoples' right to know-without fear or favor. We are the peoples' servants."

http://www.answers.com/topic/helen-thomas

http://www.aeispeakers.com/Thomas-Helen.htm

[Forkboy]

1. K&R

Anyone trashing her is an idiot of the highest order.

[Lugnut]

2. +1 n/t

[QC]

5. +2

[valerief]

154. +3

[Dinger]

175. 114th Rec From Me

And a kickypoo!

[Dinger]

176. Oops, Too Late

Damn!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. She's like the Cal Ripken Jr. of the WH press corp.

:shrug:

[Arkansas Granny]

4. K & R. Helen is one of the best and we're lucky to have her.

[Nikki Stone1]

6. Thanks for this, saracat. Sometimes the young'uns need larnin'

;)

[saracat]

12. Apparently it isn't only the youg'uns.It is also the wilfully ignorant

[Nikki Stone1]

25. So many of those, eh.

;)

[flyarm]

96. or some on someone's payroll! eom

[gateley]

7. Boy, some people think she's irrelevant? She's the only one who asks

the questions that NEED to be asked. She has no agenda other than finding out the truth and holding the President accountable.

[saracat]

11. Some want her to make an exception for this presidency.

The take exception to her demanding answers on HCR and her saying Obama lacked"courage" in pursuing Health care for ALL and that "bipartisanship doesn't exist".
Helen speaks her mind no matter who is president. I couldn't believe alleged Democratic folks were saying that she lacks credibility and that she wasn't "respectful" enough. Some are sounding like the other side on Bushco!

[gateley]

17. I wish each and every reporter was just like her. I think all of her questions are valid. nt

[Harry Monroe]

36. And shouldn't that be the primary agenda of EVERY single reporter?

They should have no other agenda other than that. Unfortunately, someone let Fox News in the henhouse.

[BeHereNow]

8. K&R (how long before the "group" shows up?")

:rofl:
BHN

[Cha]

39. Hey genius..this is an internet board.

How long before the anti-Obama group ever shows up on a thread?

Yeah, Helen has a lot of accomplishments but saying President Obama "lacks courage" isn't one of them.

[flyarm]

98. I think she is 100% right on it!

how's that FISA still working out for you???

and the never ending wars???????

[ProSense]

9. Cool, and her claim that Obama "lacks courage" is still ridiculous. n/t

[BeHereNow]

10. I knew it wouldn't be a long time...

:evilgrin:
And you did not let us down.
BHN

[saracat]

14. I wish someone would post the Pic of Helen and all the roses from DU!

I would love that as my avatar!

[BeHereNow]

16. Me too!

Now THAT would be an avatar worth keeping!
BHN:bounce:

[saracat]

21. Here are some pics

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6775354&mesg_id=6775354

[calimary]

27. Great memory!

I remember that!

I LOVE Helen Thomas! She's a true gem.

[saracat]

29. DU seemed a nicer place then.

[BeHereNow]

102. Indeed, not as many aggressive roaches then. More subtle and easier to eliminate.

The current population seems more insecticide resistant.
Give it time, I'm sure the mods and Admin are working on a new formula.
BHN

[truedelphi]

166. Hey that is one good idea. n/t

[joeybee12]

145. From the white house's lips to proSense's ears...

...I did realize only journalists who are bootlickers matter these days.

[Forkboy]

13. As predictable as the sunrise.

[BeHereNow]

15. And cowardly at that...

Roaches creep back into the wood work when
you shine the light on them.

BHN:smoke:

[ProSense]

24. "Roaches creep back into the wood work when " Is that where you came from?

Where did you come from?

[Cha]

40. Quit calling yourself a "roach" ..that isnt't very

nice.

[BeHereNow]

104. Quack.

bhn

[ProSense]

23. I'm glad you rely on me for thrills and to make your day, but that doesn't change that

Thomas' statement was bullshit.

[saracat]

28. Who relys on you for that?? Helen has her opinion.You have yours. Hers just

happens to be valued by more people.That happens when you know more , are better educated on the topic ,and have had years of experience.

[ProSense]

31. "That happens when you know more, are better educated " Are you saying she knows more than Obama

Her point was stupid. Obama "lacks courage" even in the political sense is idiotic:

Signed a memorandum expanding federal benefits for the same-sex partners of Foreign Service and executive branch government employees

Iraq: U.S. closed 100 bases, reduced contractors by 34,000 since Jan., pulling 4,000 more troops out

US undertaking largest withdrawal of troops and materiel since Vietnam

Helen seems to think the President sits around all day picking his nose waiting for Republicans support.

[saracat]

37. "Helen Tthomas has forgotten more than almost any person in DC

currently knows about politics and she currently still knows more than they do". This is a famous quote about Helen that still applies. She is totally aware of what is going on, and can bring over a half-century of Washinigton experience to her questions to authority and her writing. None of those that take her questions or their bosses can possibly match her
in experience.
As for your last comment it is ludicrious. Helen just doesn't believe in bipartisanship.And at this point, many agree!

[Bluenorthwest]

95. Mr Obama fires an average of 2 people a day for being gay

People who volunteered to defend us. Such courage! Helen Thomas is a great American and I've watched her face off powerful people and raving fools since long before I was able to vote. You? Some internet knee jerker who is best known for refusing to answer direct questions.
Insulting a person like Helen Thomas must makes you look even less like a thinking person. It is just daft and naff, and like, who the fuck are you? So you don't like Helen Thomas. And that changes what? Just more trashing of good people by the same handful of rude hysterics. Yep. The same handful.

[ProSense]

108. Mr Obama has to follow the laws signed by Mr. Clinton until they are no longer laws.

Where was Helen then?

[saracat]

116. So Bushie like to resort to the "Blame Clinton " meme. I thought we were done with that!

[katandmoon]

141. He most certainly does not have to. He could do the RIGHT THING and end this discrimination NOW.

But -- he is a coward.

[Bluenorthwest]

153. The President is also required by law to investigate and

prosecute a variety of crimes by the Bush administration and he simply says 'turn the page'. I guess he only 'has' to enforce the anti-gay laws that yank his personal bigot chain. He sure is not following the rest of the law.
And when Bill Clinton was President, Helen Thomas was in the front row giving him hell. Any American who watched even one press conference then would know that. Odd that you have to ask.
And I just want you to know that I'd not have mentioned his firing of gay people if you were not trying to make points using gay issues. Issues that do not touch your personal life.
The President can use stop loss rules to cease the firings while Congress acts, but he lacks the courage or empathy to do so. Helen says courage. I say he just likes being a mean bigot. How's that? He fires people for being. And he most certainly does not have to do so.

[Toasterlad]

136. If You Had the Slightest Idea Of What You Were Talking About...

...you wouldn't have made Obama's "memorandum" your first "point"; indeed, you wouldn't have posted it at all. Obama's toothless, token gesture to the gay community - performed only to (unsuccessfully) blunt the anger of the outrageous DOMA brief - does not cover the majority of benefits that straight couples enjoy, in particular medical benefits of any kind, which is the primary focus of ANY benefits package. Not to mention that this "memorandum" won't last any longer than Obama's presidency. It is not a law. It's not even an executive order. It's a meatless bone, which is all Obama has ever offered the gay community. Despite his many promises to the contrary.

And why has he broken his promises? Because he is, as Helen Thomas so astutely pointed out, a political coward.

Meanwhile, exactly what "courage" was required for your other two "points"?

And yes, Helen Thomas knows much, MUCH more than Obama about being an honest, moral person. And she DAMN sure knows more than you.

[Forkboy]

34. The thrill you provide is just one of many in my days.

So I don't technically rely on you for them, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

[bvar22]

157. Now...Now.... You all are being too hard on ProSense.

She deserves credit for imagination, creativity, and persistence in the face of overwhelming facts.
She also works very hard.
I have to give credit where credit is due.
I wouldn't work that hard unless someone paid me.

[Cha]

65. Just like when there's something about President Obama

and the haters show up..that kind of predictable?

[redqueen]

67. That doesn't count though. Just like it's only those that disagree with them who are a "gang"...

and they're just a collection of like-minded individuals.

This was funny yesterday... today it's just sad.

[Forkboy]

86. making up things I didn't say to argue with is also rather sad today.

Just like it's only those that disagree with them who are a "gang"...and they're just a collection of like-minded individuals.

First of all, I never said anything about how I see those who agree with me, on this or anything else, but "like minded individuals" would be one of the kinder terms. I can see calling groups of people on each side of any issue a gang, including the one I'm on. Second of all, the line The Gang's All Here is the name of a movie from the 40's and was meant to be taken about as seriously. Third of all, lighten up. :eyes:

[redqueen]

90. Wasn't talking about you.

Just because I last discussed that with you doesn't mean I was talking about you.

I was actually thinking about the thread yesterday (in particular, one participant's idiotic "QUACK" bullshit) when I typed that.

[Forkboy]

80. I just kicked and reccommended a positive Obama thread.

Many of the people you race to label haters are capable of regarding him highly on some things and not on others. But that distinction is lost on those who see any criticism as hate.

[Cha]

91. I don't label you a "hater" and you know that.

I call out the haters though.

[redqueen]

92. Same here. (nt)

[Le Taz Hot]

133. So criticism of Obama = being a "hater?"

My, how, uh, black-and-white. :wtf:

[Captain Hilts]

110. Stunning predictability. It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous.

ProSense does whatever it takes.

I cannot imagine following ANY politician that blindly. A football team, rock band, actor,yes. A politician, no.

[RetroLounge]

26. Right on schedule...

:eyes:

RL

[jesus_of_suburbia]

Always! n/t

[waiting for hope]

18. Helen Thomas is a national treasure -

Anyone who thinks otherwise does not have critical thinking skills.

[saracat]

19. And unfortunately there appear to be many.

[waiting for hope]

20. Ain't that the truth ..

BTW - K&R. :)

[Cha]

76. Anyone who thinks President Obama "lacks courage"

is not thinking very critically.

[Toasterlad]

138. Pot On Line One For You, Kettle

I think he wants to ask you something about how critical thinking equates to rolling over and spreading your legs for Obama on every single issue.

[earth mom]

22. Thanks for posting! K & R & Bookmarked. Helen is a National Treasure!

:applause:

[donheld]

30. Sad thing is, she's old. Who will replace her when she's gone?

I see little promise of anyone like her.

[redqueen]

32. Sooooooo... how many people said she was irrelevant?

[ProSense]

33. Disagreeing with her bullshit point is the same thing as saying she's irrelevant.

OP = feel good straw man.

[redqueen]

38. I'm all for applauding Helen's efforts... but this passive aggressive bullshit is just sad. (nt)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. OP claimed the presidents do what she says and she influences national policy.

I questioned that, so she started this thread.

[saracat]

43. I didn't say that and I don't recall your post. I said when Helen speaks

presidents "listen". I also said something about her having more "influence" than anonymous posters on a discussion board.

[Cha]

49. Helen lost me when she claimed being

"shocked" and that she'd never seen the lack of transparency as in this White House.

And, when she says President Obama "lacks courage".

"We have never had that in the White House,” Thomas said, referring to the degree that press events are pre-scripted in the Obama administration. “I’m amazed, I’m amazed at you peole who called for openness and transparency…”

http://www.therightreasons.net/index.php?showtopic=1507...

As far as "lack of courage" is concerned..who am I going to believe..Helen Thomas or Obama's History.

HopeOverFear (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-13-09 06:17 PM
Original message

"President Obama is tough. Just not our kind of tough."

http://mutantpoodle.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/the-power -... /

The Power of the Soft Martial Arts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxxb2ctulEs

I’m done with pundits on the left saying Barack Obama needs to get tough. (Since folks on the right claim he’s creating re-education camps, they, at least, haven’t jumped on this idiotic bandwagon.)

If people haven’t figured out Obama by now, I don’t know what to tell you. He will never play the boisterous, in your face, my way or the highway character that some liberals dream about.

Last fall, Maureen Dowd loaned Aaron Sorkin her column inches, and had him channel Jed Bartlett to give Obama advice. Unsurprisingly, it was to take the gloves off:


OBAMA: What would you do?

BARTLET: GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say ”thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said ”Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word ”patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library….I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!


Obama, of course, didn’t go that route. How’d that work out for him?

Look – the first problem with people who want Obama to morph into the Incredible Hulk is, quite simply, that’s not who he is.

The second problem is that people too often equate bluster with strength. But ask anyone whose worked in bars before – the guys to worry about aren’t the blowhards – it’s the guys who say nothing but don’t back down.

After a full election campaign where Obama deftly let his opponents trip themselves up with their own momentum – just as Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba does in the clip above – Obama’s methods should be totally clear. He allows his opponents to propel themselves, with whatever combination of hyperbole and hysteria they choose to offer, past reasonableness, and then gives them a little effortless nudge – all the while leaving the door open for conversation and, dare I say it, bipartisanship, with those on the other side.

In short, he lets his opponents use up their energy attacking, and then steps in and finishes them.

The irony is that we are a culture that values toughness and yet fails to see it when it’s right in front of us. Ta-Nehisi Coates nailed it a year ago:


This is a war, and you don’t lose wars because of abstract principles, but because of hard immovable facts. Is your army bigger than theirs? Are you attracting more recruits? Are you deploying in the right places? Who has more resources? Who has the technology edge? These are the reasons I voted Obama in the primary. I didn’t think he was “more principled” than Clinton, nor did I really care. I thought she was tough, but I knew he was tougher. I thought her campaign was smart, but I thought his was smarter. I thought one person was talking about being a fighter, and another was out there actually being a fighter. The general is bearing all of this out, because right now, Barack Hussein Obama is beating John McCain like he stole something–from Toot, no less.


I’ll admit, the process with health care reform hasn’t been pretty. But the Senate Finance Committee – maybe the most reactionary committee in the Democratic supermajority Senate – just passed a health care reform bill 14-9. Those who screamed the loudest over the summer have largely run out of ammunition (after all, once you go down the Death Panels road, you’re bound to hit a dead end). There’s a long way to go, but no one’s gotten this close in nearly a century. All this from someone who people don’t think is tough enough.

I don’t know what form health care reform is going to take at the end of this godawful process. But whatever it is, I think Obama will have gotten as much as possible out of a pivotal group of recalcitrant Senate Democrats. I am just as convinced that trying to beat people up to get more would not only fail to do better, it would probably wind up with less. And finally, I think that given that this is how Obama operates, and how skillfully he does it, asking him to adopt strategies and techniques at which he’s less skilled is dumb – it’s like picking up a girl because you have a thing for swimmers, and then being upset because she can’t play softball.

Obama’s mastery of his style is what made him an effective – and winning – candidate, and it’s his best hope for success as a president. LBJ wasn’t on the ballot, folks. Move on.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8700538

[jesus_of_suburbia]

53. Helen lost you when she criticized Obama. Let's be honest!

[saracat]

57. And its no big loss! Helen also lost all the Bushies!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

63. I think she's gained some of the Bushies back recently.

[Cha]

70. Oh, yeah, they quote her on a

rwanker board..as linked in the post on how shocked she is that she's never seen this lack of transparency EVER.

[redqueen]

73. That was the quote that really blew my mind.

The one yesterday I just disagreed with. But the other one... wtfingf?

[saracat]

77. Because Helen hold AL:L presidents feet to the fire. She isn't anyone's fangirl.

Many who work for the admin have told me the same thing. But then they actually work for the WH.

[Cha]

83. She told the facts about bush and she has to lie about

President Obama.

[Toasterlad]

140. Funny How She Told the Truth About Bush and Yet Lies About Obama.

I guess she's a big time conservative.

:eyes:

Are you even programmed to scan what your CPU generates?

[saracat]

71. LOL. I guess Y'all don't remember when Helen said she would

"Kill herself" if Cheney ran for president and that "Bush was the worst president ever" and ujnlike those on this board, she said it publicly while Bush was still president to the people who surrounded him.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

74. No, I don't remember that.

Nor do I care.

Nobody gets any special prizes just because they didn't like Bush.

[saracat]

79. But they do if they are a presidential fangirl?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

87. No, they don't get any special prizes for that either.

You don't get any brownie points for being a decent human being (hating Bush, or like Obama for example), you only get docked for being completely full of shit.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

58. Alright, I'll be honest.

Helen lost me when she criticized Obama.

Because her criticisms were completely full of shit.

[kiva]

35. "We are the people's servants."

Now if only we could get our politicians to believe that...

Thanks, and a big kick for Helen.

[Cha]

42. If you look at President Obama's record

then you would see that's what he's doing.

[saracat]

45. Then you shouldn't be so worried about what Helen says!

[redqueen]

46. Who do you think is worried? A few people disagreed with her...

and then a whole slew of you went absolutely apeshit. It was funny.

[saracat]

52. They didn't just disagree and those that love Helen didn't go "apeshit'

that behavior was reserved for those that attacked the First lady Of the WH Press Corpr for daring to express an opinion different from their own. I think some are "worried" about the influence on public opinion thay think she doesn't have.

[Cha]

51. Who's worried? I'm setting the record straight.

[saracat]

54. It is your opinion. Helen also has an opinion. Hers is worth more than yours.

[Cha]

59. Neener Neener Neener...

[saracat]

66. Are you Sarah Palin? Or do you just look like her?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

75. I was thinking the same of you.

The whole "your opinion isn't important" business reminds me of her "real america" routine.

Not to mention all your other issues.

[saracat]

82. now sweetie , admit it, you really do look like sarah particularly when

you advocate walking lockstep and demanding that others have only the same opinion. The loyalty above critical thinking is what gives you away.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

89. Now you're confusing me with Cha.

You advocate walking lockstep and demanding that others have only the same opinin. Helen Thomas's opinion.

[saracat]

94. No I don't. But I do think Helen should be respected. You can disagree with her

It would be nice if ALL opinions could be treated respectfully. I admire Helen Thomas. I may find it sad that others may not but that is their opinion.

[Cha]

81. Now you're just being stupid.

[saracat]

84. Impossible. I just can't compete with someone like you that has all the wit and

wisdom of a small soap dish.

[SidneyCarton]

171. How so?

This is not a field in which there are degrees offered of expertise. Ms. Thomas has covered a number of presidents, sure, but I don't recall her having a Ph.D. in Obamaology. Furthermore, like everyone else in the media, unless she can put forth an "edgy" kind of persona, she gets no air time, so it becomes necessary to engage in the hyperbolic BS like everyone else in the chattering classes. The argument that Helen Thomas' opinion is worth more than anyone else's is subjective in the extreme.

[katandmoon]

142. Keeping plenty of Repugs on salary and protecting BushCo's ass.

[blondeatlast]

44. K/R for a sorely needed history lesson. nt

[Libertas1776]

47. A big K and R

for Helen!

[scheming daemons]

48. That's who Helen Thomas *WAS*... not who she *IS*

For the past 20 years, she's been a caricature of herself.

[Forkboy]

50. And the gang is all here!

:rofl:

[jesus_of_suburbia]

55. There's a few still missing.

:D

[kiva]

56. The fabulous four fans...

but I still think one or two are missing.

[Cha]

62. I see lots Obama haters here..

that's what I see. Did you think this was just a private little party for anti-Obama posters?

[kiva]

68. Um-hmm...that's it, anyone who disagrees is a hater...

don't you all ever get tired of repeating yourselves?

[Cha]

72. Ummm, I see..you can dish it out

but you can't take it.

[kiva]

85. Can't take it? Why, because I responded to you?

If I didn't respond, would that be a sign that I couldn't take it (whatever 'it' is)?

Are you surprised that some DUers have noticed that it's always the same group who shows up when there's a whiff of criticism in the air? Accusing people of 'hating', isn't that number 5 on your list of excuses as to why everyone doesn't agree with President Obama all the time?

[waiting for hope]

100. Number 5 on the list - I thought that was the first

thing!

[flyarm]

103. nahhhh Number 1 is racist, No.2 is whinner..they have the Frank Luntz crap down to

A NEW DEMOCRATIC SCIENCE!

[joeybee12]

146. No, just people who understand that a journalist is supposed to

be adversary to those in power, no matter what party. Rules don't change just becuase of the party in power.

[redqueen]

61. Do y'all have a list or something?

I recognize a few doom'n'gloomer names... but I don't call them 'gangs'... wtf is up with that?

[Forkboy]

69. Yeah, and you're on the next one, buddy!

:P

[scheming daemons]

107. Yes... they have a list.... it can be found at....

..... progressiveindependent.com

They have a hit list over there of all the people at DU who support Obama.


At least they did... before their site began to die from lack of use.

[cornermouse]

118. About that list business?

Those who live in glass houses.... Don't think that's been forgotten and buried.

[Forkboy]

120. Too bad I've never even posted there.

[jonnyblitz]

121. actually i saw a "hit list" of DUers who supported Hillary during

the primary labelled as the DU trolls and all the hardcore Obama followers were listed as the good guys. their opinion of Obama changed after he became president but at first the DU Obama followers were the good guys in their eyes. I had an account there for about 5 days about 5 years ago or whenever it started but had it deleted soon thereafter.

[QC]

64. Jeepers, Batman, someone must have sounded the criticism alarm! n/t

[saracat]

60. Perhaps she shouldn't have spoken out against Bush? Or do you agree with the Bushies

and their effort to marginalize Helen? Sounds like you might support the idea!

[flyarm]

99. that is "YOUR OPINION" and your opinion only..my opinion is ..she is the same lady journalist i have

watched and listened to since the Kennedy days..she has not changed one bit!..not one iota! SHE IS ONE OF ONLY A FEW LEFT WITH CREDIBILITY AND HONESTY! FROM DAY ONE, UP UNTIL TODAY!

MY OPINION..IS JUST AS VALUABLE AS YOURS!

[stray cat]

78. And are those who like who blind followers who worship her and can see no wrong?

or is that only a label for others?

[saracat]

88. Helen actually hasn't done anything wrong yet. Her job is to

crticize and hold politicians, the WH in particular accountable. She is doing that. The WH has to prove her wrong. But as no Prez has in over 50 years, it isn't likely. Helen isn't worried about being popular. I promise you, If helen stops asking the hard questions and starts just kissing butt, I will jump her case.

[Toasterlad]

152. "If helen stops asking the hard questions and starts just kissing butt, I will jump her case."

Ditto.

You can measure the validity of a person's views by their reaction to someone who treats everyone exactly the same.

In other words, if you liked what Helen did to Bush, but don't like what she does to Obama, you're full of shit.

[Arkana]

93. Helen Thomas?

Helen Thomas...

is...






















SPARTAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[flyarm]

97. Helen is one of only a few real journalists left! She has my utmost respect..

and i can't say that of another human being in Washington!

Thank you Helen for always staying true to truth!

[demmiblue]

101. I have the utmost respect for Ms. Thomas.

She is the real deal. I just wish there were more like her.

Thank you, Ms. Thomas!

:yourock:


(How embarrassing for DU to see some of the vitriol directed toward this inspirational woman)

[JoeyT]

105. This is pretty funny.

Cause what this looks like is two groups of people going flat out apeshit about someone disagreeing with their hero and utterly failing to realize they're looking in a mirror and screaming at their reflection.

Y'all can like someone without worshiping them and demanding others worship them as well. Hell you can even disagree with them and still like them. No one wants to make a hamburger of your sacred cows. Hating someone and disagreeing with them are two entirely different things. I know that's kinda hard to grasp after the Bush years, but it's still true.

Personally I like both and disagree with stuff both have said and done. Neither is perfect, but we could use another hundred reporters like Thomas and another hundred politicians like Obama.

[Kind of Blue]

109. Exactly and Welcome to DU!

[Number23]

111. "utterly failing to realize they're looking in a mirror and screaming at their reflection."

THANK YOU.

The behavior by certain people on this site (the OP included) lately has been nothing short of disgusting. I'm sure there are 4 year olds on the playground fighting over a Tonka truck that would be put to shame by the idiotic immaturity of so many on this site recently. The bickering here is pitiful.

[jonnyblitz]

127. i hope you were looking in the mirror when you said that.

you are illustrating his point with your spew. he wasn't just talking about people on one side of the issue.

[Number23]

174. lol It's so obvious that you have no idea what I was referring to. You obviously don't even know

what the hell you're talking about your damned self.

Take care, hon. You go rest that head now.

[Name removed]

182. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

184. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jonnyblitz]

125. we already have "another hundred" politicians like Obama.

it just depends on whether you think business as usual without skipping a beat is good or not.

[Mad_Dem_X]

161. Well said!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Mimosa]

106. Saracat 'has courage'

Saracat, during the primaries I ... am too chicken to say I had you on ignore.*shy laugh* Now I'm paying attention. Cream rises to the top. ;)

[saracat]

177. Thank you so very much

[NBachers]

112. "And then the squabblers moved in and took over"

Do they all travel from post to post in a squabbling group, or do they just happen to land there by coincidence?

[ecstatic]

113. Thanks for this history

I wasn't around back then, and I'll be honest, I am turned off by what I see of her now. That's my right. I don't mind people disagreeing with me, but I do mind outright distortions.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

115. Thin skinned some of ya are!

Try reading the article in the London times about that ! Actually read all the UK newspapers !!! Oh 000000000 no0000000 don't criticize president Obama !!!!!!!! The only thing you could do worse than that is step on my blue swade shoes !!!!!!!!!!!! Ohooooooooo no00000000000000 !!!!!!!!

Indeed, Helen is up there with the best of the best !Hard facts.

[bkohatlanta]

114. Helen Thomas and the Truth

The only job the press has ever had is to hold everyone, including themselves, accountable to the truth. Regrettably, for years it is a job that Helen Thomas, Christiane Amonpour and Michael Ware. Now they have been joined by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: there is hope in this old Republic.

And Helen is right. Her job is the same whether Democratic or Republican. I want to know if people are honest and they are the ones who can help us find out.

[Luminous Animal]

117. Kick for you, saracat for a great post.

Thank you! And thank you Helen Thomas!

[era veteran]

119. Sweet Kentucky Girl

[DFW]

122. Helen has been dissed for criticizing presidents for nearly 50 years

I think she will probably survive anything tossed her way on this thread.

My father was a member of the Washington print press for 50 years (he arrived in 1950), and he was a close friend
of Helen's for 40 years. I met her soon after she started at the White House, and she preceded my father as president
of the Gridiron Club by 2 years (she was the first woman president). We don't speak every day, but we do speak about
once a month, and we always spend time together when I'm in Washington, about 2 or 3 times a year. She has had every
epithet thrown at her that has been thought up on this board, and about a thousand others that are now obsolete. She
will continue to say what's on her mind, and it sometimes is a little strong, and she sometimes may even feel she could
have expressed things differently. But due to her experience and unique perspective on Washington, she is not by any
stretch of the imagination full of shit, over the hill, or losing her edge. Take it from one who has known her personally
for decades: if there is one thing she has not lost, it's her edge. She says what she says from the heart and out of conviction,
tempered by professional comportment. What she writes is FAR tamer than what she'll say in private to friends, I can promise
all of you that from first-hand knowledge. She DOES draw a line, even if those who disagree with her don't perceive it.

If some see things differently, well join the club. JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush Lite, and
Obama have all been on the receiving edge of her sharp-edged pen. It didn't bring down any of them, and the only one who
really let it get under his skin for any length of time was (surprise!) Bush Lite.

She's not infallible, and never claimed to be so. But she's a friend, and I know her well enough to be of the (informed)
opinion that she is not deserving of the negative stuff tossed her way on this thread. As for being a legend and an
American icon, well, she doesn't really aspire to that status, either. If she happens to be so, it is due to accolades
from others. Well-deserved accolades, I'd say, but that's just an old friend talking..........

[1]

123. helen thomas's career passed her by decades ago. she IS irrelevant. has been for years...

her thoughts on obama are no more noteworthy than yours or mine.

we all get old and senile. some gracefully. some, like helen, not...

[joeybee12]

147. I see you have 1,000 posts...were all of them this stupid and offensive? n/t

[RetroLounge]

162. Another Pom Pon failure...

:puke:

RL

[NikolaC]

124. K&R

Helen is one of the best out there. There aren't too many legit journalists left.

[malaise]

126. I love this thread

Go Helen Thomas!! :yourock:

[cornermouse]

128. Isn't one of the recurring themes on Du something to the effect

of "holding Obama's feet to the fire" and "making him do what he promised"? That's exactly what Helen is doing now and has done to every president that she's seen. If you really meant what you said about "holding his feet to the fire" you would be cheering Helen on instead of attacking her...

[QC]

131. For some, holding his feet to the fire means bathing them in wet, sloppy kisses.

That element has been setting the tone for the whole site lately.

[Toasterlad]

143. Indeed. And It Stretches the Limits of Credulity To Believe That's Coincidental

Definitely someone's agenda being worked here.

[KalicoKitty]

129. I love Helen Thomas!

Bush always avoided her...he feared her questions! :rofl:

[amyrose2712]

130. +112 !

[peace13]

132. Helen is the voice of reason.

Obama can learn from her, if he chooses to.

[Usrename]

134. She's a national treasure.

I don't know what's wrong with some of the folks here. I guess they just can't handle the truth.

[bigwillq]

135. Helen Thomas

is what true journalism is. Cheers to her for her years of service to the craft. :bounce: :toast:

[DFW]

137. "Helen Thomas is irrelevant" ?!? It's rare to see a post THAT obtuse on DU

*on edit--I am NOT referring to the OP, but to one of the replies far down

Calling her senile is quite a stretch. How many times have you sat down and talked to her in the last 30 years?
Not to mention the numerous interviews and documentaries on her in the last 3 years on American TV.

Senile?

Speak for yourself there, unless you know her personally as well, and have reason to have a different impression
from having spent time with her. Just because she may seem a little too feisty on TV for your tastes doesn't
mean she has lost her marbles. My grandfather lived to be 102, and was completely compos mentis as well. Age
doesn't equal senility. I can't imagine I'm the only one on DU who knows her well. I've met plenty of 30 year
olds who had less upstairs than Helen has today. Most of them are Republicans, but by no means all of them.

[QC]

144. Unfortunately, it's not rare at all lately.

Helen is just one of many good people to end up on the pep squad's hitlist. In fact, it's hard to think of a good progressive who hasn't done some time under the Hopemobile.

[DFW]

148. I usually don't follow that kind of stuff

With Helen, it's personal (unprofessional of me, I know, but I'm neither a journalist or a politician),
so I pay more attention to posts about her, and may not pay strict attention to objectivity (so sue me).

I posted this after seeing her last month, but I think the link still works: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6471012

[BeHereNow]

165. Note the chirping of crickets...

You post of your PERSONAL experience with one of the last remaining
and greatest journalists in the history of this country, validating what
most of us already know about her, and the Helen haters give no response
to your testimony about her whatsoever.

It's so typical of them- facts and experience goes right over their empty
heads.

No wonder they can't appreciate the First Lady of the Press Corp.
They aren't interested in facts.

BHN

[DFW]

168. I have no problem if someone differs strongly with something she said

I know how often my dad had to contend with angry phone calls from Senators and Congressmen about some piece
or other he wrote. It's part of the game, and he didn't even write editorials, just reported straight news--
quite fairly, it would appear, as he got shit from both left and right, and was equally praised by left and
right in the Congressional Record on both Senate and House floors.

But no one EVER called my dad senile (he died at age 78) or a relic, and Helen, at least the way I see it,
is also neither. Just because she has a few more wrinkles and doesn't interrupt quickly enough or loudly
enough to be some star of the Sunday talking head shows, that does not mean by any stretch that she has lost
her edge. Again, I speak as a friend who sees her regularly, not someone judging her based solely on some
opinion drawn from TV images, so my opinion is just that--an opinion colored by a long friendship.

Even so, though I have no degree in geriatric medicine or psychology, I have known plenty of elderly people.
Hell, my daughters practically put ME in that category! Her chronological age has nothing whatsoever to do with
her competence or relevance. The attention paid to her by other media figures, as well as the huge number of
Americans who still look to her words with great interest, testifies to the fact that she still has great
relevance. As for senility--maybe some of her detractors have a different definition of the word than I do.

She in neither infallible, nor full of herself, nor senile, nor by any stretch of the imagination irrelevant.
If some of us should find her (to their way of thinking) wrong, well she never descibed herself as anything
but human.

[saracat]

172. Thank you, DFW.I also have no problem with anyone "disagreeing"

with MS. Thomas. I object to all the denigration that seems to accompany the alleged "disagreement." I object to the fact that her words are also convoluted and interpreted in a different manner than an reasonable person could interpret. I believe "Helen was referring to "political courage"and The president bending over backward to support bipartisan hip to the detriment of heath care reform. She did not "personally" attack the president. There is a whole world of difference, in my opinion.
The major problem I have with many of these responses is the continued inability many of these posters have in their inability to separate the message from the messenger.

I envy you your friendship with Ms. Thomas. I hope you will remind her that there are many who love and respect her for her outspokenness.

[katandmoon]

139. K&R When she hits a nerve, she hits a nerve!

[samsingh]

149. Helen Thomas is very relevant and her opinion counts whether i agree with her or not

[Kajsa]

150. Helen is one of the best reporters around.

She is fearless and asks the difficult questions
that need answers.

I love her! :loveya:

Thanks for posting this.

:)

[meegbear]

151. And who are "those who term her irrelevant"?

[Nikki Stone1]

155. There was a nasty thread here yesterday because Thomas dared to criticize Obama.

The American Idol types came out in force.

[meegbear]

156. Gotcha!

Thanks! :hi:

[RetroLounge]

163. See post 123

among others here

:hi:

RL

[winyanstaz]

158. K & R...

Helen is one of the last of a dying breed. A real-honest to goodness reporter!
She is a national treasure and has stood up for the American people all her life.
Thank you Dear Helen for all you do.
We should give her the purple heart for all the flake she has taken and all the times she has stood up and spoke truth to power when everyone else around her was kissing ass.

[asdjrocky]

159. Thanks Saracat!

Love my imaginary Grandma!

[bvar22]

160. K&R

I see NO ONE in the current White House Press Corp (Parade Followers) capable of filling her shoes.
I salute Helen Thomas, a "JOURNALIST" and a patriot.

:patriot:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

164. Helen has to be and always was one of the most relevant journalists

out there.

I've admired her since the Kennedy years and that admiration has never stopped. Too bad there are people here who refuse to believe inconvenient truths.


:loveya: Helen!

[sailor65]

167. Well said, as always, Saracat. +1 n/t

[noiretextatique]

169. helen thomas is doing her job

and i can't say i disagree with her opinion about obama.

[SidneyCarton]

170. That does not place her OPINIONS beyond reproach.

No one is infallable, and no one gets the right to run their mouth without having their conclusions questioned, criticized or set at naught. Not President Obama, not St. Dennis Kucinich, and not St. Helen Thomas. Were the positions reversed and she said things you disagreed with, I have no doubt you would be the first to resort to equally ridiculous hyperbole to criticize her.

[saracat]

173. All opinons can be questioned and debated but to personally

attack and dismiss as valueless one of the great contributors to liberal thought, and one of the last of the real journalists who has more than paid her dues ,is ignorant and disrespetful. There are those who disagree with MS. Thomas opinion, and that is their right. The insults and personal attacks leveled at her should not be acceptable. After more than 50 years of continuous effort, she has earned our respect.

[bvar22]

178. Personal attacks and insults is ALL they got.

It is EASY being "Centrist".
All you have to do is follow The Parade.
You don't have to STAND for ANYTHING, AND you get to insult those who do!

But wait a day or so.
Helen will say something praising Obama, and the same crowd will drag her out from under The Bus and give her a parade.
:shrug:
They twist more than Chubby Checker.

Centrists are a capricious lot.
They have NO issues or policies that they will STAND for.
Whatever is in the Middle of the Road is good enough for them!
Wherever The Parade is leading, they are happy top follow.
I don't understand them, but watching their neck snapping reversals is always entertaining.

[saracat]

179. What is sad is the damage they are actually doing and all in the name

of loyalty. They themselves have created the meme that allows them to be called some of the names that they are. the GOP can and will use this against us just as we used it against the Bushies.

[SidneyCarton]

181. And it is just as easy to be an ideologue.

Never worry about the harsh realities on the ground. The political dogma says the world is like this, so it is thus, regardless of the situation. No need to think, no need to compromise, no need to solve problems, just spout the right bumpersticker statement at any time, and you have the security of knowing in your own mind that you were right, if only those other "cheerleaders" would accept the incredible wisdom and self-evident truth that you patently embody.

If we are capricious, then you and yours are sadly predictable.

[saracat]

185. Trying to use reverse psychology aren't you? For the record, I am not now nor have I ever been an

ideologue. That appellation is much better applied to those who exist only to promote an the mythical image of a politician. Those, in fact, are the bumper sticker spouters.And the "harsh realities on the ground" occupy far more of my time than I would like. I embody no "self evident truths". I only have an opinion and a a sense of respect for a woman who has accomplished much.

[SidneyCarton]

186. Your defense of Helen Thomas does not make you an ideologue.

Your continuous sniping of President Obama from the Left does. I get it, he's not all you desired him to be. I on the other hand am relatively satisfied with what I got, (a difference in expectations, no doubt.)

I accept that we differ in opinions on the subject, and that does not offend me. What does offend me is the assumption made by the poster I was responding to, that as I do not fall as far to the left as they do, that my convictions in general must not be as strong, or that, as a hated "centrist" I just have no values whatsoever and go whichever way the wind blows. It is very easy to disagree with everyone about everything on any subject in which they do not agree entirely with your point of view, hence it is very easy to be an ideologue.

[saracat]

187. I only"snipe" actions that I think have been destructive such as the appointment of Emmanuel.

and making bipartisan deals on health care reform that invariably benefit the insurance industries.I used to be considered a "centrist " myself, however there probably are things that I am more to the "left" on. I am sure many centrists have strongly held beliefs on a variety of things.

[SidneyCarton]

188. Fair enough.

[SidneyCarton]

180. Respect certainly, sanctify, never.

Ms. Thomas has indeed paid her dues, and is a paragon of the liberal community. That said, she has said boneheaded things before, and the thing ProSense noted was one of them. While I don't think that makes her irrelevant, I also don't think that makes it gospel truth either. Respectability does not immediately grant you a pass when you say something stupid, nor does it ensure that we all prostrate ourselves like slack-jawed bobbleheads when it occurs, for fear that we might disrespect an icon.

[saracat]

183. I disagree that what Prosense noted was in any way stupid. But that

is MY opinion and it is one shared by many who are well informed.Others may have reason to think otherwise.But there is no evidence to suggest that MS. Thomas statement was "stupid". She was not making a true or false statement either, but merely offering an "opinon".You may not agree with her "opinion" but that does not make it either true or false. It simply means you do not agree.
I also suggest that some might take the same advice you offer and apply it to political figures as well.It appears that many wish to denigrate Helen for failing to display themselves "prostrate like slack jawed bobbleheads in fear of disrespecting a poltical figure."

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

189. Safe be it to say

the honeymoon has about ended as it is and as it always does.Hard facts do not wait to see how it will play out in any given long run. The fact is,it's not going to be all pretty in the next three years. They pronounced the turn into the 20th. century in 1898 . And the honeymoon for president Obama as it is has come to an end in October.

By order of the global theater.

It's about time for the thin skinned to thicken it up.
Obama say's he is not tired ,he is just getting started. And he knows it's a up hill battle. He also knows the facts are what the facts are. President Obama does not need to work to get the vote of lock steppers and he knows that. I won't bother to give that a fancy phrase.

What we know is that he works and he will continue to work to gain support.
It is perfectly ok to disagree with his methods ,and or criticize the president. I believe president Obama openly invited criticism. Only a fool or someone who really has much to hide would avoid it by any and all means.

And than there are those that really,- have no clue what so ever ! The best of the best ! m8 ,the men in black. !!!!

Entertaining indeed !