Is Tim Russert a Willing Tool of the Reich-Wing Christian Establishment?
It's an open question.
I don't allege anything about a right-wing conspiracy. It's not a conspiracy. It's an establishment.
I guess because I am basically only somewhere between being a non-sectarian secularist and a non-denominational deist, I haven't kept up with the religious wars of our American realm. Woe was me then, when I was blown off my couch, while watching last week's Cincy debate between Senators Clinton and Obama.
I was totally unprepared for Tim Russert's witch-doctor hunt into Barack Obama's past acquaintances and non-acquaintances. I mean whatever was he after? Did Russert want to log a fatwa against candidates being endorsed by Minister Louis Farrakhan? Russert wasted seven minutes of his national TV audience's time on this. And, of course, Hillary was only too happy to pile on and go along with it, wasn't she?
I was only mildly irritated with this until I woke up and smelled the coffee and learned that Glenn Greenwald was righteously calling Russert out on this carpet.
Russert put Obama through the meat grinder over Farrakhan, even though Obama has never met the Muslim leader. But when was the last opportunity Russert had to ask John McCain about being supported, endorsed, and even introduced by Pastor John Hagee? Well, I'll tell you when. The McCainster was last on Russert's show Meet the Press on 27 Jan 05. Look it up here and you will see there's not a peep about a nexus between the McCainster and the Hatester.
Everyone who knows what Farrakhan has said about Jews, Israelis and Zionists should also know what Hagee says and has said about Catholics, Deists (like myself) and other assorted non-evangelical Christians. A short list:
- All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them.
- God caused Hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because it had a gay pride parade the week before and was filled with sexual sin.
- The End Times -- Rapture -- is imminent and the U.S. Government must do what it can to hasten it, which at minimum requires: (a) a war with Iran and (b) undying, absolute support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories
- Unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system' . . . .
Russert is obviously working on some hidden agenda to swift-boat Obama. Why else is there this crappy litmus test that he's forcing the Illinois Senator to pass through? Hagee is a zillion times more influential than Farrakhan. I conclude that, far from an independent journalist, Russert is a $100 whore for the Reich wing. He should be on Fox News.
I urge a fatwa against Tim Russert ever again 'moderating' a presidential debate featuring Democratic candidates.
posted by Vigilante at 3/01/2008 08:43:00 AM
17 Moderated Comments:
Many thanks to Stella of Swiftspeech for her assistance in coding for this column.
Russert wanted Obama to denounce Harry Belafonte two years ago, 'cause Belafonte called George Bush a world terrorist? If Russert can't take the truth, why does anyone listen to him?
In answer to your question... Yes. The Christian part particularly, given McCain's endorsement by that religious wing-nut Hagee, who thinks the anti-christ is the head of the EU. Pillock.
Geez, Vig! That's the easiest question anyone has asked in a longtime. Of course Russert is mouthpiece for the Reich.
{embarrassed}
That's what I get for not watching much teevee. I'm always the last one to get the memo.
In this debate, this 7-minute Farrakhan litmus-test episode presented Hillary Clinton with a Mike Gravel or Dennis Kucinich Moment. She coulda, shoulda, and woulda called Timmy Russert on his own shit. She could have pointed out that Russert had not called McCain out on his theocratic backers. She could have nailed Russert on not being fair. She could have protected her Democratic colleague. Think of the points she could have made among undecided Democrats. If she could only have been as smart as she would had to have been to have seen through Bush in 2002, as smart as Kucinich and Gravel are.
But no, Hillary Clinton is not an inspired leader in the Kennedy tradition. She is a plodder in the Nixon tradition.
Along these lines, I especially recommend Clive Crook's Hillary's Objection to Politics, discussing a difference between Bill and Hill:
The point of course is not that Bill always makes time for fun, it is that he so obviously loves campaigning itself: the campaign is not something he puts up with, it is something he lives for. Bill adores politics, Hillary does not. She wants power, and then to be left alone to exercise it. Politics is something you have to do to get there, a tiresome exhausting nuisance— and a process all too likely to choose the wrong person.
Saw the South Carolina state flag in the background during the video clip. Nice to know I never have to go far to find a wacko.
He is a Catholic himself. That is an automatic lapse from reality tag.
N.B.C. is General Electric obviously. It is a corporation that ONLY puts out disinformation.
Like for instance that Capitalism and Democracy are blood brothers.
Democracy is something that happened in the 5th cent. B.C. -- Not remotely connected to the special interest groups that brainwash people into ''voting'' for corporate interest groups.
He is a stooge for the Establishment.
Boris: You're on to something here. Check out Jamison Foser in Media Matters
This wasn't the first time Russert made the odd decision to ask Obama about controversial comments made by a famous African-American. During a 2006 interview, Russert asked Obama about controversial comments Harry Belafonte made the day before. But Belafonte, as Jane Hamsher noted at the time, had made similar comments two weeks before, and Russert had never asked any guest about them. Russert gave no indication of why Obama was uniquely qualified or required to comment on Belafonte's comments. (The only other time Russert has ever asked anyone about any comments made by Harry Belafonte, according to Nexis? 2003, when Russert asked then-Secretary of State Colin Powell about comments Belafonte made about U.S. actions toward Cuba.)
I suggest that Russert has une idée fixe to the effect that all prominent African American political figures are uniquely required to answer for whatever one 'of their people' say.
I think I want to go further and draw an obvious conclusion, but I'm not sure how to put it.
I have to agree, Vig, with your last comment. I think that Russert is trying to play in the minds of Black people everywhere that Obama is not "Black enough." Unfortunately for him, he's been quite unsuccessful.He'd have more luck proving that Hillary isn't "slutty enough" by asking her about sodomy, (seeing as she's being endorsed by Jenna Jameson.Obama doesn't have to support everything that prominent Black figures say, nor does he have to reject it.
Oh Really... is this even much of an issue ?
A real Issue ?
Like Obama being a stooge for the American business chamber of commerce?
Say hello to a collapsed debt structure and Homeland defense concentration camps and civil war.
When? Maybe soon. April to June starting... Maybe sooner.
Riots by mid summer.
Civil war perhaps by fall.
Screw Tim Russert.
Virgil, I'll put it to you that Russert is a good ol'boy racist. The only difference is that he's fairly literate. Don't let him fool you.
He is just a typical punk for the system. Beyond that who cares about his own actual views. ?
You're welcome, Vig. Glad to help.
I've loathed Russert since he started, so I'm already biased. But when I saw him continually cutting off Mike Gravel's comments (when he was allow to debate), I knew he was a GE shill.
I'm with Boris: he's an literate racist. Sounds like an oxymoron. Indeed, Tom Cat, Russert is the official Busheney mouthpiece along with Lou Dobbs.
Why does the right wing keep talking about liberal media? I haven't seen any recently.
I'm with Stella; word for word!
Wonderful thread! Thanks everyone. Aren't you glad you're a liberal? Don't you wish everybody was?
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