Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers discuss the Netroots and its actions. Bowers uses the provocative title "Why Should Anyone Respect The Netroots?" It is a good question. I know I personally lost a lot of respect for the Netroots in the past 2 years. But Bowers rightly is not concerned about whether I respect him - he wants respect from politicians and the Media. But what does he want them to respect? The power and influence of the Netroots is what seems uppermost on his mind:

The point is that just doing something beneficial to a politician does not mean that politician will end up respecting you. This is especially the case when you are viewed as a bunch of amateurs who will work for free . . .

(Emphasis supplied.) Therein lies the problem. Most of the Left blogs work for politicians, not for issues. THAT is why the Netroots gets no respect. Stoller makes the point well:

Kind of funny:

The Left blogs fundamentally misunderstand what they are doing wrong. Markos cites TINS:

The Obama campaign has been successful largely because of its inspiring "new brand of politics". Unfortunately, as Bill Clinton might note, that makes it somewhat difficult for the Obama campaign to get quite as nasty with the opposition as it might need to. But that's OK--because that can be our job.

The problem is not the nasty - hell, Obama has gone full out on offense against McCain - the problem is the target Obama's Tier 2 (blogs and Media (see MSNBC in particular)) is aiming at - Palin. Get tough on McCain. Talk about how McCain is tied to Bush. The Obama Tier 2 (blogs and MSNBC) are doing a lousy job because they are shooting at the wrong person. They are not getting played, they just are doing the wrong thing. More . . .

Eric Boehlert writes:

CNN.com announced last week that among McCain's top political priorities for the Republican convention was his "need to make it clear that his first term will not be Bush's third term." . . . [I]f McCain did pull off the great escape, it was only thanks to the press and the way eager journalists pitched in to erase Bush from the political picture.

Boehlert tactfully ignores the main reason Bush went off the radar - Sarah Palin. While it is true that the Media went after Palin, with the loud cheers of the Left blogs in the background, the cost of this obsession is obvious now - George W. Bush became the forgotten man. To the detriment of Obama and Democrats. More . .

Charles Babington, one of several AP writers who have been criticized for their unfavorable coverage of the Obama campaign, has noticed that major newspapers have noticed that the McCain campaign is truth-challenged.

A New York Times headline accuses the McCain Campaign of distortion:

Ad on Sex Education Distorts Obama Policy

Language in a Washington Post headline is even sharper:

McCain's 'Education' Spot Is Dishonest, Deceptive

[more...]

Now even the normally level headed Greg Sargent has it:

Forget war with Russia. The real news from Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin is this stretch, where she is clearly clueless about what the Bush Doctrine is...

"In what respect, Charlie?"

This performance is the kind of thing that could have a serious impact on the race, unless everyone politely agrees to ignore it.

This is seriously nuts. Palin asked Gibson to define what HE meant by it. (NOTE: Stellaa points out that Gibson tried the same game with Obama and Media Matters ripped Gibson for it then. Guess Sargent is ok with it when it is done to a Republican.) Indeed, her eventual answer to the question is extremely sensible (unlike Bush and McCain's actual policies) and smart politics. She did not accept the premise of Gibson's question and then gave a sensible answer to the question. This type of stuff is what is killing the Left blogs right now. They look like fools when they act this way. The video is on the flip.

Is anyone watching Fashion Rocks? It's great. Dennis Leary is hosting, Fergie and Debbie Harry just about brought down the house and Keith Urban is totally on his game.

It's on CBS and the proceeds benefit Stand Up to Cancer.

Update: Kid Rock is another standout with "All Summer Long." The audience is on its feet, and then he brings out...Leonard Skynyrd. They're now doing Sweet Home Alabama. Sounds better now than it did then.

This an open thread.

Gimme Shelter from the Bridges to Babylon tour.

Here's You Can't Always Get What You Want. So true, but we can get what we need, and that's not John McCain and another 8 years of George Bush policies.

This is an open thread.

Somerby reports on Olbermann:

THIS FELLOW JUST CAN’T STOP: Some “men” are born to behave this way. One fellow clearly can’t stop:

MADDOW (9/8/08): And so, you think [Obama’s] confidence is about what comes next in the campaign, not necessarily an undue confidence about where his tactics thus far have gotten him.

OLBERMANN: Well, look what he’s—he’s fought off this. He’s fought off this, you know—we found somebody at Schwab’s Drugstore in Hollywood and give her a screen test and now she’s Liza Minnelli and a star is born and we’re making her the vice president of the United States or at least the candidate on the ticket.

In this way, this fellow adorned the first few moments of Rachel Maddow’s first program! But then, some “men” are born to insult women; they keep it up to the day they die. KeithO seems to be such a guy. He’ll never stop gender-trashing Palin, even if it puts her consort safely inside the White House.

Speaking for me only

In a post yesterday, I disagreed with Glenn Greenwald's post about Keith Olbermann. Today, Greenwald writes about the obligations of journalists. Greenwald writes:

[If] you posit that journalists have no obligation to do anything other than advance their self-interest, then all media criticism becomes incoherent. So what if journalists pass along McCain's lies without pointing out that they're false? So what if Judy Miller gets herself on the front page by disseminating the false war-fueling claims of unreliable sources? . . . . According to [Matt] Yglesias (and many others), they have no duty or obligation to do anything else. Their only consideration is advancement of their self-interest, and that's how it should be.

More . . .

You may have to turn the volume up or double click on the video to get to You Tube where you can click the "watch in high quality" button. It's Don Henley singing "Dirty Laundry" at the 1993 MTV Inaugural Ball which he most appropriately dedicates to "President and Mrs. Clinton." I made the video from the VHS tape I recorded of the gala in 1993.

Media bias against the Clintons is nothing new.

This is an open thread as I'm still at work.

What a surprise for me to log on this morning and see all the venom directed at MSNBC and Keith Olbermann. And, for the second time in a week, liberals at odds with liberals in the blogosphere.

I will make one attempt to redirect the conversation and then I'm going back to work.

I do not think Keith Olbermann is a "hack," partisan or otherwise. I do not think MSNBC relieved him and Chris Matthews of anchoring duties at upcoming debates and election night due to pressure from conservatives or politicians.

I think the removal action was the result of pressure from journalists, other media professionals and quite possibly advertisers who convinced MSNBC that the partisan coverage of live news events was tarnishing not just MSNBC's, but also NBC's reputation as a credible news organization. The issue, as I said in my earlier post, is the distinction between anchoring of live news events and talk shows. [More...]