WB: Copy Cat – Moon of Alabama

March 25, 2006

WB: Copy Cat

Billmon:

The corporate suits now opening the journalistic doors to the propagandists of the authoritarian right are powerful and privileged people who hope that appeasing the blogswarm will help them remain powerful and privileged — or at least avoid the fate of Eason Jordan and Dan Rather. This, as I (and many others) have already noted, bears a striking resemblance to a successful protection racket.
…
Compared to Marcuse’s original schematic, the goals of the corporate media establishment and the conservative blogosphere aren’t really in conflict, as both sides are quickly realizing. The authoritarian right doesn’t want to overthrow the system; it just wants to purge it. And, as Keith Olbermann recently pointed out, there are plenty of suits in the corporate corner offices who would be more than happy to go along, as long as it is a.) commercially viable and b.) doesn’t cause too many embarrassments of the Coretta King-was-a-communist variety.

Copy Cat

Posted by b on March 25, 2006 at 11:19 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Welcome back billmon.

Posted by: beq | Mar 25 2006 13:22 utc | 1

Billmon your emphasis is exactly where it should be — on the WaPo and its machinations… not all over the little pawn Ben… which is precisely why we need you to continue your articles… I for one have missed your insight and hope you are here to stay… for a while as there is no permanence of course… namaste

Posted by: crone | Mar 25 2006 14:31 utc | 2

The authoritarian right doesn’t want to overthrow the system; it just wants to purge it.
What is the difference? Where will the ongoing purge stop? Isn´t the purge an overthrow?
A system (in the System-Dynamics sense)is defined as a set of rules on items that describe the reactions of items to movement of other items in that set.
This administration is changing the rules of the existing system and thereby the system itself.
The unprecedented open assertion of legislative and judical power by this executive (see Glenn Greenwald’s latest)
is a change of the basics of democracy.
The president asserts that he can interpret the law and that he can ignore the law whenever there is some connection with ‘defending the nation’.
He denies that congress and judges have the power to interfere with that. That is a change of the rules and an overthrow of the system.
The media may be
a.) ignorant to this
b.) agree to this for commercial reason
c.) understand this full and shut up for fear about the consequences.
There is some a and b in this but I somehow suspect there is much more c. in this than we know.

Posted by: b | Mar 25 2006 14:52 utc | 3

Great work billmon. The problem I see is the Washington establishment has had republican presidents for most of the last twenty five years and a rethug congress for ten years. Clinton was actually just as bad on economics. The rich got richer on his watch. K Street is now populated by rethugs, most of the courts nationwide have rethug judges. What does all this mean? The Washington establishment has been acculturated to rethugs. They have no institutional memory anymore of FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, the new deal, etc.
The rethug bloviation machine has effectively discredited the great society, affirmative action, etc. The dems went along with Reagan attack on unions and his devastating supply side economic sceme.
Many of the old line journalist, the Dan Rathers, etc, have had the right wing attack machine muddy the waters so bad any semblance of truth won’t see the light of day. No-one has ever really proven Rathers story on Bushies National Guard record was wrong.
The establishment has been converted, thats the bottom line. And, they want the little plagiaristic Ben boys of the world to led them forward. A conservative shoutdown artist to tow the beltway line.
The Olbermann’s of the world, Jon Stewart’s etc, are our only saving grace, but as Billmon stated, the front office would fire Olbermann in a nano second if they thought the backlash wouldn’t be to bad.
The establishment culture has changed, and the only way to change it is for the heartland to get the balls to shout back and shout them down. Otherwise, this country is lost. I can see the waters being muddyed now for the fall elections. I watched the McLaughlin group last night and Buchanan layed out the strategy. Wedge issue all the way. Gay marriage, security state, keeping your money, “immigration” etc. Go read the transcript.
The only way to change this is grass roots activism. Changing the culture on the local level and working up to the state and then federal level. This is the model Dean is following that the DLC establishment dems don’t like. You see, they’ve been acculturated also, and have a stack in the current system. I wrote our Senator Debbie Stabenow the other day, asking her if there is a conspiracy on the part of DC dems to purposely lose elections. They got involved in the immigration debate, and it is a loser for them. Shut up already. Anyway, I wrote her a blazing e-mail.
Sorry for the long post. But this is likely my last for today as I’m going to my cabin and getting alcoholed up. I need to let off steam.

Posted by: jdp | Mar 25 2006 15:27 utc | 4

“What is the difference? Where will the ongoing purge stop? Isn´t the purge an overthrow?”
Yes.
“The dems went along with Reagan attack on unions…”
Which is worse, a stated enemy, or a friend who, when you let your guard down, stabs you in the back. “Et tu, Brute?,” the plaintive wail of idealistic liberals everywhere.

Posted by: Malooga | Mar 25 2006 15:48 utc | 5

My roller coaster reached a peak this morning. Impeach! The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

Ever the populist, DeWalt adds: “Anything we as citizens can do is important because it makes those courageous congressmen take pause even that much longer before they are willing to go along with him. We’re at a tipping point.”
If that’s the case, historians might one day trace it to a subtle shift at an amicable town meeting in Newfane.
The resolution that roared
Whereas George W. Bush has:
Misled the nation about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction;
Misled the nation about ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda;
Used these falsehoods to lead our nation into war unsupported by international law;
Not told the truth about American policy with respect to the use of torture; and
Has directed the government to engage in domestic spying, in direct contravention of U.S. law.
Therefore, the voters of the town of Newfane ask that our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives file articles of impeachment to remove him from office.

Grassroots.

Posted by: beq | Mar 25 2006 16:02 utc | 6

beq,
although I agree in principle that Bush has committed enough “high crimes and misedemanors” to warrant impeachment, the practical side of me is against it.
For starters, it would quickly disintegrate into a political circus, distracting us from the real problems and challenges we face. Secondly, it would drag the Democrats down to the level of the Republicans when they impeached Clinton over a blow job.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 25 2006 17:05 utc | 7

@ ralphieboy. You are correct, of course. Republicans taught me how to hate. I’m a much different person than I was 15 years ago. Hatred is wasted energy.

Posted by: beq | Mar 25 2006 17:34 utc | 8

thank you billmon. like a glass of pure water.

Posted by: annie | Mar 25 2006 17:37 utc | 9

Great post Billmon, it is curious that the w.post would have to dig so deep into the stinky muck, when the country has a clothespin on its nose — and is running the other way. They must be thinking if the proles are’nt getting drunk on the usual wild irish rose anymore, its time to pour on the ethanol, like getting more drunk is the answer. Gosh, maybe George Bush really is the president.

Posted by: anna missed | Mar 25 2006 21:18 utc | 10

Billmon: great post, as usual. I’m always excited when I find a new post here.
The one thing I’d argue: I don’t think that post.com deserves too much criticism for not discovering that Domenech was a plagiarist (they deserve all the heat people can give them for not discovering–or caring–that Domenech was a terrible person, tho).
It seemed to me what happened was that someone happened to recognize a very old piece of Domenech’s as coming from P.J. O’Rourke. THEN the blogosphere started looking into his body of work, correctly suspecting that someone who plagiarizes that grossly would have done it multiple times.
If Domenech hadn’t plagiarized a writer as distinctive and memorable as O’Rourke (THAT was stupid–despite my disagreement with his politics, I love O’Rourke as a writer because his language is so memorable), there’s reason to believe he probably wouldn’t have been caught. If I remember correctly, Jayson Blair, who was read by hundreds of thousands of people, was only discovered by the writer he stole from.
It’s hard to know what to do. Vetting every applicant through Google would be a long, dull and morally depressing process.
In my experience (I’m Domenech’s age, a somewhat late college grad and have been a professional editor for, well, a week), most places just take it on good faith that you haven’t plagiarized. Maybe that’s a mistake, but I don’t think that washingtonpost.com did less due diligence than almost any other publication.
Less than due diligence on the plagiarism angle, at least; they screwed the pooch pretty comprehensively otherwise.
NB: I kept wanting to write “Washington Post” and had to stop myself. What are they calling it these days? WPNI? If I were Ben Bradlee, I’d either make them rename the site or make Jim Brady work at a desk in my office before I read another WaPo essay saying how Domenech definitely, in no way worked for The Washington Post and wasn’t EVEN IN THE SAME BUILDING because washingtonpost.com doesn’t represent The Washington Post.
It’s just, like, where everyone reads it.

Posted by: whetstone | Mar 26 2006 0:08 utc | 11

This is not the product of some inherent hierarchical tendency of the blogosphere, which has proven to be a hell of a lot more fluid than I expected — i.e. you’re only as good, or as important, as your last post.
for some maybe, but not you billmon. you’re always good (and important) and everybody knows it, except perhaps… you.

Posted by: annie | Mar 26 2006 4:50 utc | 12

counterpunch: Coretta Scott King a Communist? There’s a History Here

…let’s be clear: Domenech’s comment is more than unhinged howling (although it is that). It’s part of the right’s larger preoccupation with reliving the Cold War, and a larger agenda to resuscitate McCarthyism and validate the Red Scare.
There are two goals at work here. One is to justify today’s crack-down on dissent, from illegal wire-tapping and surveillance of peace groups, to the harassment of “tenured radicals” the right fears are out to brainwash our impressionable youth.
But just as dangerously, it’s also an attempt to re-write our entire history — to cast [as] victims those who stood for racism, white rule and persecution (McCarthy suffered from a “witch-hunt,” says Ann Coulter), and to portray those who stood most nobly for justice and freedom as diabolically un-American.
In other words, to change the very definition of progress in our country.

Posted by: b real | Mar 26 2006 5:17 utc | 13

If they can rehabilitate McCarthy, then they can rehabilitate Hitler. After all, he was one of the greatest law-and-order anti-Communists the world has ever seen.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 26 2006 8:49 utc | 14

What is MSM?

Posted by: Anonymous | Mar 26 2006 19:25 utc | 15

Mainstream media.

Posted by: beq | Mar 26 2006 19:32 utc | 16

Billmon wrote, “No matter, I’m sure there are plenty of other well-connected young GOP apparachiks out there willing to take on the evil MSM conspiracy by going to work for it.”
One place to look might be the Theme Team Blog Workshop organized earlier this month by Rep. Jack Kingston, Vice Chairman of the Republic House Conference. Domenech was a panelist. Also, check out Kingston’s celebratory post on Domenech’s short stint at the Post.

Posted by: Jeremías | Mar 29 2006 1:46 utc | 17

Make that “House Republican Conference.” Sorry

Posted by: Jeremías | Mar 29 2006 1:47 utc | 18

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