Hurrying to Fall Behind

To think that weeks ago, I was trying to keep up with absurdities like the Thatcher funeral and the White House Press Correspondents' wallow.

Ancient times, news cycle-wise: before Boston, which soon faded into the scandal-ridden second Obama administration. Led by the monster who did not salute when boarding a Marine helicopter, thus failing to observe protocol invented by an actor who once played the Commander-in-Chief.

Steve M. makes good points about the ultra-right Republican ticket in Virginia, the "DC media's backyard." A wacko black minister is running for Lieutenant Governor—

... #2 on a ticket that, of course, will be topped by Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's anti-gay, climate-change-denying attorney general, who's working hard to make abortion effectively illegal in the state.

"Hear no extremism, see no extremism," indeed.

A couple of other news notes.

Roy Edroso: right's selective outrage, "Risen v. Rosen."

"Fusion centers."

You're OK

Where the record-breaking tornadoes come sweeping down the plains: Oklahoma is open for business as usual.

The full crew of climate change-denying government haters are ready to demand their FEMA bucks.

Silver lining? Dead schoolchildren were never forced to suffer such offense against the "culture" as storm shelter requirements.

And no emergency could have deterred state legislators from their public duty: holding a surreptitious vote to defund Planned Parenthood.

The gruesome images are ready-made for what our media finds newsworthy. Michael Shaw raises good points about the likeness of imagery in coverage of recent tragedies, and how that affects attention span.

Disaster coverage did provide at least one enjoyable media episode: Wolf talks to one of the Little People—

...he is extremely condescending and constantly out of his depth. ...the tornado victim he was interviewing had the courage of her convictions and embarrassed the heck out of him.

Only one quibble: David Atkins' assumption that Blitzer (or any of his peers) is capable of embarrassment.

Same Old Thing

As usual: giving in to these shrieks.

This day in history; a reminder of our Southern brethren, with their quaint political behavior—

1856 -- Democracy in Action?: Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina visited the floor of the US Senate & beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts unconscious with a gutta-percha cane, as two Georgia senators stood idly by. Sumner was incapacitated for three & a half years.

Hard Work

Trying to keep up with anything, with the paucity of journalists willing to do their jobs.

Well, no news in that. But in a hyper insane current "news cycle," I'm feeling the extra daily frustration of hearing the early a.m. news bites and spin before getting to work, where there's little chance of a pause for keeping up with better sources.

From real to trumped up ("Benghazi! Benghazi! BENGHAZI!";" grifters denied gravy train"; umbrellagate)... And all that now or in the immediate future is thrown at the wall, "scandal" is the story line beloved by "the stakeholders of DC." Need one add? — When a Democrat is in office.

Full Tbogg quote about the DC media club: "They are the stakeholders of DC, and thus the world, and you're just living there and cluttering up the place."

Charles Pierce, "for the benefit of aging stenographers whose memories may be failing them": Nixon.

As digby says—

The president --- and the country --- is on notice: the Village is upset. They feel they've been ignored. And they will not be ignored.

Are these bubbling scandals the consequence of official malfeasance or ineptitude? Are they threats to the constitutional order, the result of executive overreach or something that affects the balance of power in the government? You will never know. In the Village nothing like that is ever important. They are there to give us the inside information on how the Villagers are feeling and what has offended their sensibilities so we will understand how our government really works. We will not be able to tell the difference between a real scandal and a trumped piece of partisan nonsense because they cannot tell the difference and they don't want to. And that works out very nicely for the permanent political establishment, doesn't it?

That's the beauty of how this works, no matter how tuned out most of the populace may be.

And it leaves ever so much space to bury or gloss over the Owners' real business, from the next round of budget hostage taking, to those little libertarian experiments in the Koch-owned states.

All Scandal, All the Time

At least, until a Republican Daddy comes back to make the insiders feel all better...

Among the unsurprising players in the fauxtrage.

The plan.

As usual, hopping on board the victim bandbagon.

And regarding wire taps, Charles Pierce adds—

I remember vividly how outraged Republicans were, and the "bipartisan" demand for answers, and the many columns in the courtier press about how C-Plus Augustus had "lost" the important people in Washington because of his arrogant, petulant mien. Wait. No, I don't.

Next New Things

Great work on Obama's part: setting up a narrative, with talk of how the Syrian government's "crossing the line," would be a "game changer." Only one way the media can want to spur that story along.

In related news: Charles Pierce (and commenters), on how Massachusetts media adore "the new Scott Brown."

And, yes: today is the tenth anniversary of the glorious day. So sad, the void the punditry will be forced to live with, until there is a replacement for their old, hot and heavy, crush.

National False Expectations Day

Before today, I had no idea that the International Workers' Day ignored in the US had been declared "College Decision Day."

Whenever that branding became official, I have no idea. Taking into account the realities of the price tag, and the post-graduation jobless economy most will face—sorry about those 30+ years of Reaganism, kids—"Near-Future Rude Awakenings Day" seems more like it.

Meanwhile: elsewhere.