Obama Dismantles Free Press
One of the lessons history teaches us is that the further a country moves to the left, the more restrictive its press becomes. In a true Marxist state, the press is an extension of the government and acts as the party’s official mouthpiece. Competition, freedom to report accurately, and dissent are not allowed. Punishments for transgressions  are swift and severe. The most egregious example of this was the former Soviet Union.
Today, all true socialist and communist countries lack a free press. North Korea, led by the the demented Kim Jung Il; Cuba, led by the Marxist Castro brothers, Venezuela, led by the the megalomaniac Hugo Chavez; and Communist China are the most familiar examples of the above axiom. Some of the countries mentioned lost their freedom of press almost immediately after a revolution — China and Cuba, for example. Others lost it by degrees. Chavez dismantled Venezuela’s free press a little at a time, all the while consolidating his own power. As he became stronger, the press became weaker, until ultimately, it merely became a transcription service for his speeches.
As our country lurches further to the left, we are starting to see the familiar pattern emerge. The administration of Barack Obama has chosen the Venezuelen model. Slowly and methodically, the government’s fingers are wrapping around the neck of the free press.
The first assault was in the form of the “Fairness Doctrine,” an effort to purge conservatives from the airwaves.
Next came the phony “Town Hall Meetings” with the public, where cherry-picked Obama supporters were allowed to toss pre-screened softball questions designed not to embarass the president.
Now, the same concept of pre-screening both the questions and the questioners has been applied to “White House Press Corps Meetings,” the latest of which was such a fiasco that it prompted an angry exchange [video here] between liberal correspondent Helen Thomas and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs!
Said Thomas: “Nixon didn’t try to do that. They [the Nixon administration] couldn’t control [the media]. They didn’t try…. What the hell do they think we are, puppets?â€
The answer, Ms. Thomas, is “Yes.”
The typical tactict of a shakedown artist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton cannot hold a match to this candle. And while the flame flickers, the moths will dance.
Uh….didn’t Dubya do the same thing with his town meetings?
To compare leftist dictatorships’ suppression of the press (right-wing dictatorships NEVER do that, though) with Obama is a bit unfair.
The Fairness Doctrine has yet to be reinstated, and for all the bluster about it, I doubt it ever will be.
FF3psyc,
But George W. didn’t declare that his would be the most transparent and open administration ever – BHO however did. And at least George W. shot from the hip, misspoke sometimes and paid the price. BHO has to have everything scripted for him – is he THAT poor of an extemporaneous speaker? Is BHO just a puppet then? If so, who is it that has their hand up BHO’s back side controlling what he says and does?
Obama has to have everything scripted to hide the fact that he is the perfect example of affirmative action and social promotions. If he truly had a genuine, and not social promotion, type Ivy League education, he wouldn’t make serious gaffes like “I’ve been in 57 states.” and “John Kennedy sent a plane over and flew his father to Hawaii so he could get an education in 1959.”(Two years before Kennedy became Pres.) Every time he opens his mouth without a telepromter, he shows just how woefully ignorant he is in American History, Geography, Economics, and Common Sense. He obviously is just another attractive, Charismatic, Narcissistic, glib would be dictator, ala Idi Amin and other African Despots who looted their countries and reduced their people starvation and bloody genocide in their struggles to survive. . He is following in their paths as he Nationalizes, ouright or thru Govt. interference, the means of financing and running the country’s business activities. He has neither the intelligence, authority, nor ability to accomplish the tasks he has taken on but he has enough arrogant self esteem to think he is infallible. He is already trying to silence the press and opposition. ( Just how many Tea Parties has his minions pressured local Politicos to shut down?) You will know he plans to make himself Presidente for life when he tried to repeal the two term limit on the presidency. Barrack Hussien Obama has a puffed up image of himself, instilled by our flawed education system which rewards the less than most qualified to build their self esteem, and destroys the truly gifted, so they won’t make the less gifted feel bad about themsleves. They have finally achieved thier goal. They have promoted a fool to the top position in the country. God help us. I hope the coungtry can survive.
I don’t think you really believe this. Are you practicing your hysterics trying to get a gig working for Horowitz or something?
Ever sent Obama an email through his whitehouse.gov website? Up until recently, there wasn’t a place to request a response. In both cases, it doesn’t matter because you get no acknowledgement that your message was received (with Bush you did) and you get no response.
So much for openness.
Wow, how hilarious. I’ve only recently come to Wordpress and already I’ve learned that Michael Jackson is not really dead, that global warming is a myth, and now that Obama is a Marxist. Keep up the good work guys!
For a while i thought I was the only one seeing these things. thank you for confirming my sanity. Great post.
uh, the fairness doctrine was nixed during reagan, and when it was created there was no such thing as conservatives “to purge…from the airwaves”. You’re talking about a piece of legislation which hasn’t been around since Obama was just out of junior high. surely you could have found some other way Obama has squelched the press to prove your point.
By the way, you do notice that the Iranian faction that is squelching free speech, the press, even texting, is called the CONSERVATIVE wing of the Iranian political spectrum, while the party in Pakistan that was trying to democratize the country, led by Bhuto, was named the Liberal Party. And what was the party seeking democracy in the Ukraine that was led by the man that eventually was nearly killed by food poisoning? You guessed it – the Liberal Party.
So you can play with labels as much as anyone else.
But nice try.
in my first paragraph, I meant to say that there was not yet a conservative voice on the airwaves to be squelched. Conservative radio really started AFTER the doctrine was nixed. (as was liberal radio shows). Before then there really weren’t any political radio talk shows to speak of.
Compared to the US, there are very few countries in the world that won’t classify as leftist. This doesn’t mean they are all dictatorships and that they have flipped over to the other extreme -> outright communism/marxism. There are many possibilities in between which you won’t have to fear. In my perspective, punishment in the US has always been much harsher and the whole pleabargain system foules up the judicial system.
That being said, it is good that people monitor the government, especially when restricting freedom.
A. de Jong – a right winged Dutchman.
WOW!!! I am a Canadian and am flabbergasted by this so called thought!!!
Welcome to a world where the freedom of speech is being quenched by the government for the Press! Seriously. I wish someone would attend that town hall meeting and ask a totally different question, wonder what the punishment might be, 20 day and night of lashing perhaps for overstepping your bounds against the all mighty President???
Such a fairness doctorine was written to bring people back to the good old days after WWII! Seriously people, this isn’t pleasantville!!! This is actually taking the FCC’s levels of ridiculousness one step to far, cursing and monitoring every physical notion to control all airways for parents groups and now you can’t step on the toes of political groups.
Freedom of Speech is a right only your country gets to enjoy, don’t squash something that makes the US a unique and worthy place to live. You already have the rest of the world not stand you all… last thing is have yourselves hating yourselves even more!!! Didn’t Bush already do enough of that!!
All the proof you need to see that Obama has become a mouthpiece would be his idiotic responses to the Iranian demonstrations. First, he doesn’t seem to care, then he’s completely outraged, and then he’s apologetic when Ahmedinijad tells him to back off.
And helmkapsel, about the judicial system, plea-bargaining is really the only way to ensure a quick “trial.” If people care more about the “fair” part, they can turn down the bargain entirely. It might bother you, but it doesn’t bother the people who take the pleas. But I agree, the system is antiquated.
Here is a little history of the Fairness Doctrine for everyone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine#History
It was enforced politically.
Not to mention the fact that the WaPost was just outed for openly selling access to Obamatrons; and you thought ABC shilling directly from the white house with no real dissenting opinions was bad – this pretty much makes it obvious to all that we truly do have a state run media.
True, but Dubya did say that his administration would bring “humility” to the White House following the Clintons…that didn’t happen. Using NSA satellites to spy domestically and telling his staff that the Constitution was just a “g—amn piece of paper” wasn’t exactly humble.
I’m not exactly an Obama devotee, but it would seem that his critics are engaging in “Obama Derangement Syndrome,” as opposed to “Bush Derangement Syndrome,” which Dubya’s critics were accused of having.
Sorry, Scotty, but you must have been sleeping for a year or so as democrats have been trying vigorously to revive the “fairness” doctrine. But I guess you won’t read about the bad things libTards do when all you read is Media Matter. You, son, are a dope!
Well,the Fairness Doctrine as a regulation was discared in 1967. President Obama was born in 1961. So, he would have been in junior high school at 26? Is the rest of your thinking as week as your math skills?
Wrong again, Scotty. Air America (or the black hole of radio) was “nixed” because no one was listening except for maybe Barbara Boxer.Sheesh! I love liberals… so much info, so little brain.
Ha! Me too. But the secret service would probably bust a cap, uh, I mean, shoot anyone who tried.
Huh? Criminal Lawyers mess up the legal system. When 3 armed gunmen rob a Subway all you hear after cops shoot their dum asses is how they were “trying to turn their lives around” and the legal system is “unfairliy targeting minorities.” What a rediculouis liberal world we live in.
Seriously… can someone please write a “politics for dummies” so that liberals have something other than George Soros owned web sites to memorize bullet points from. Nick, no one said GW is a myth… but it is as “the coming ice age” was in 1974 – a left scare tactic to push an agenda and make money, not a planet killer. Get your head out of your a$$! Point 2: Obama IS a Marxist. If you cannot figure that out, then you need help. Try reading some of your party’s literature on Marx – I’m sure you’ll find a lot about hope and change in it. Maybe it’s just coincedence? Point 3: MJ is dead, but George Bush probably orchestrated his murder… or maybe there was a second shooter on the grass?
Ha! You’re right. Except I think Obama’s flip-flop fest on Iran is due to the fact he is still campaigning… trying to be all things to all people. Doesn’t work out so well when you actually have to follow through – as I’m sure he will find out.
Actually, it will come about through “Localism”, rather than through the reimposition of the Fairness Doctrine. The FCC will establish local boards(guess who will be appointed to them?)that will provide recommendations about programming diversity that will will be used by the FCC in determining whether licenses will be renewed or not. This will force stations to put on more local content, even if the listenership has no interest in what is covered. As a result, Talk Radio will slowly be squeezed out during each renewal period. When this process has sufficiently advanced, a diversity regulation will be officially imposed that will marginalize, if not eliminate, conservative radio programming. Most radio stations will decide that it is not worth the legal and regulatory hassles to provide opposing points of view on political topics, so such formats will be dropped in favor of sports, apolitical talk shows, news, and music.
Is Helen Thomas a Neo-Con?