Category Archives: Politics

Fallon replaces Leno in 2014? Talk about bad political timing!

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Jay Leno is No. 1 in ratings for late night comedy among the networks for his time slot and in the key 18-49 demographic.

NBC apparently perceives a threat to its late night ratings from Jimmy Kimmel, the younger 45 year old comedian who does late night comedy on ABC in the 11:35 p.m. slot. Leno is 62.

So in the Spring of 2014, Jimmy Fallon, 38, moves from his 12:35 a.m. perch on “Late Night” to take over “The Tonight Show” from Leno.

Presumably, NBC feels that it will hold the No. 1 ratings for late night comedy with Fallon.

Maybe yes; but, maybe no!

2014 is the year for mid-term elections.

There will be a firefight in this nation by Democrats and Republicans in the elections for members of Congress to control the Senate and the House.

Voter turnout could be unusually high because of the hundreds of millions in campaign advertising dollars flooding the airwaves, and what can expected to be increased competition for Senate and House seats by women, blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, groups neglected by the GOP in 2012.

Indeed, should Democrats take control of the Senate and House in 2014, it is almost a certainty that Hilary Clinton will run as the Democratic candidate for President in 2016. A Clinton candidacy will spike political activism and turnout especially among women.

Jay Leno has been one of the leading late night comics for every Presidential and mid-term election since he took over “The Tonight Show” from Johnny Carson in 1992. And to the extent that comedians have influenced voters and the outcome of elections, Leno has been at the top.

But, on the brink of the 2014 mid-term elections, one of the most important elections in history, NBC decides to replace time tested and proven Leno with the new face of Fallon?

Talk about bad political timing!

Suppose the FOX Network decides to pick up Leno for an 11:35 p.m. comedy show?

If Leno holds on to much of his viewership, he could tank both Fallon and Kimmel in the ratings.

More interestingly, he also could draw a new base of politically active viewers to FOX, viewers in that key 18-49 demographic who are likely to vote and affect political outcomes in 2014 and 2016.

Talk about ironies, the joke could end up being on NBC!

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How the GOP and conservative media blew it on the fiscal cliff crisis

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We need to get this to the Fiscal Cliff! What ...

We need to get this to the Fiscal Cliff! What could go wrong? (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

The deal as it is on the fiscal cliff, approved by the Senate on January 1, 2013 and likely to be approved by the House, was inevitable.

A strategist with a keen sense of how to play into the momentum generated by mainstream media on major policy issues could see the deal coming and plan accordingly.

President Barack Obama deftly played into the momentum.

Republican politicians, commentators and other antagonists did not.

And, until the GOP and conservative commentators master the communications game of playing into mainstream media momentum instead of being critics of the intentions of Democrats and mainstream media, they will not be able to significantly influence major policy outcomes.

Typical of the angst of the GOP about the position of President Obama on the fiscal cliff crisis is the post by Joel B. Pollak, in breitbart.com entitled: “Media Must Share Blame for Fiscal Cliff Crisis,” in which he argued the following conservative position:

As Americans ponder how our politicians could have allowed “fiscal cliff” negotiations to drag on into the final day, it is clear that the mainstream media shares a significant part of the blame. There is no way that the impasse could have lasted this long if President Barack Obama felt a sense of responsibility to lead his government and his party–but instead he is able to enjoy the role of critic and spectator, thanks to media indulgence.

The media’s utter failure to hold President Obama to account was exemplified today on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition in a report by Steve Inskeep and Scott Horsley. After the hosts mocked Congress for having “left another crisis to the last minute,” they discussed, without criticism, how Obama “doesn’t sound that worried” about going over the cliff. Likewise, the New York Daily News wrote: “Congress created the fiscal cliff.”

READ MORE: LINK:  http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/12/31/Media-Must-Share-Blame-for-Fiscal-Cliff-Crisis

It was not, as Pollak argued, media indulgence.

It was classic media agenda setting.

There is a fundamental reality regarding the influence of mass media in setting the agenda and influencing the direction of major policy issues. It was expressed by Professor Maxwell McCombs, 40 years ago in a scholarly article published in 1972, essentially as follows:

In choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping political reality. Readers learn not only about a given issue, but also how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of information in a news story and its position. * * * [T]he mass media may well determine the important issues—that is, the media may set the “agenda.”

IN OUR DAY, more than ever before, [politicians] go before the peo­ple through the mass media rather than in person. The informa­tion in the mass media becomes the only contact many have with politics. The pledges, promises, and rhetoric encapsulated in news stories, columns, and editorials constitute much of the information upon which a voting decision has to be made. Most of what people know comes to them “second” or “third” hand from the mass media or from other people.

READ MORE: “The Agenda Setting Function of Mass Media,” LINK: http://www.soc.unitn.it/sus/membri_del_dipartimento/pagine_personali/delgrosso/personali/articoli%5Cagendasettingtotal.htm

In the debate regarding the fiscal cliff crisis, mainstream media did not indulge any party, any politicians or any biases. It simply read the election results, and framed its content accordingly.

A majority of American voters reelected President Obama. In doing so, they accepted the President’s vision that in order to address the fiscal crisis, revenues had to be raised by increasing taxes on the wealthy.

Of course, the GOP opposed that vision, and opposed the President’s position on policy.

But, none of that was even remotely relevant to how mainstream media framed the issues and the talking points of the debate in its coverage, analysis and coverage of the fiscal cliff crisis. That content started the momentum, set the agenda and for all practical purposes influenced and even dictated the outcome.

Instead of attacking the President and the content of mainstream media coverage, conservative media should have directed its efforts to dissecting the issues and framing well written and persuasive content to cut into or slow down the momentum, and to give GOP politicians salient talking points that may have influenced policy outcomes instead of just making noise.

By spending time producing rhetoric instead of  salient content, conservative media did no more than to allow conservatives to be swept under the waves of mainstream media momentum, and to be shut down in the policy debate and the resulting fiscal cliff deal.

So for good of for naught, the deal on the fiscal cliff crises for all practical purposes is done.

On the fiscal cliff crisis, history will reflect that the GOP blew it, and that conservative media blew it.

Maybe the GOP will get its act together in enough time to make a difference in the policy debate on the next major policy issue and emerging fiscal crisis concerning the debt ceiling.

 

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Election 2012 lessons for effective political media and campaign ads

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Joe Biden und Barack Obama in Springfield, Ill...

Joe Biden and Barack Obama in Springfield, Illinois, right after Biden was formerly introduced by Obama as his running mate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

There were significant lessons learned from Election 2012 for effective political media and campaign ads.

JIM MESSINA WON BIG FOR OBAMA

In the words of a winner, Jim Messina, manager of the Obama Biden campaign:

A decade ago, the average voter got most of their information from the  evening news, Messina said. Now, the average voter gets their news from 15  different sources, he said.

Like the individually targeted fundraising appeals, the Dashboard system also  allowed them to generate tailored voter appeals.

The campaign shifted some of its resources to online advertising, an arena  that provided more targets and a wealth of specific users.

“Television is still the dominant media, but I think online will catch up  very quickly,” Messina said. “I think it already is for young voters out there.  The next presidential, whoever has my job the next time, is going to have to  decide what percentage you spend online.”

The shift to online was even more dramatic between 2008 and 2012, Messina  said. On Election Day in 2008, the Obama campaign sent out one tweet on the  social networking site Twitter.

In 2012, the campaign not only had a Twitter team but also had a Facebook and  Tumblr, as well as additional online social media presence.

Read More: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84103_Page2.html#ixzz2CsND38b0

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLOSION

As noted by David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, the explosive growth and use of social media in Election 2012 was indeed staggering:

Tuesday night’s election generated a record-setting political conversation of 28.5 million social media comments, according to Bluefin Labs.

The previous high was 12.2 million social media comments made in connection with the second presidential debate, according to the Boston-based firm that specializes in social-media metrics.

The first debate drew 11.2 million comments

Read More: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-social-media-comments-election-night-bluefin-20121107,0,2827252.story

GOING FORWARD

The landscape for effective political media and campaign ads is ever changing.

It poses major challenges for candidates, political campaigns and their strategists in future elections.

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Obama can do better at State Department than Susan Rice

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Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the UN.

Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the UN. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

That’s the conclusion of opinion writer Dana Milbank, washingtonpost.com, after pointing to specific instances of policy clashes and other flaps Ambassador Rice has had in her career. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-susan-rices-tarnished-resume/2012/11/16/55ec3382-3012-11e2-a30e-5ca76eeec857_story.html?hpid=z6

Those flaps probably would diminish the notion that some of the opposition to her is sexist and racist.

But, Robert Kagan, washingtonpost.com, makes the salient argument in her favor (quote):

It seems a big reach to suggest that Susan Rice, of all people, should be barred from another job in the Obama administration because of what happened in Benghazi.

With so many potential crises staring us in the face in 2013, the country doesn’t need a nasty fight over who said what when or a brutal confirmation battle that may result in a new secretary of state wounded from the start by a partisan Senate vote. It’s hard to see what national interest would be served by such a spectacle at a time when many around the world wonder whether the United States can get its act together.

READ MORE: “Scapegoating Susan Rice does U. S. no good,” LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-kagan-scapegoating-susan-rice-does-america-no-good/2012/11/16/dfc00224-300c-11e2-a30e-5ca76eeec857_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop

Kagan nails it.

With the impending fiscal cliff and other big problems challenging the nation, and in view of her qualifications for the appointment, Republicans need to fold the tent on opposing Ambassador Rice’s nomination for Secretary of State and move on.

Related Web Articles

Will conservative media seek to empower the individual American, whatever the color, gender or ethnicity?

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One of the unexpected outcomes of President Barack Obama’s election victory, which was reasonably predictable, is that conservative media is in turmoil.

That level of divergence could imperil the effectiveness of conservative opinion during the next series of critical news cycles when media will influence public opinion and the shape of policies addressing the fiscal cliff.

CONSERVATIVE MEDIA DIVIDED

POLTICO.COM  in a post by Dylan Byers surveys the divergent views of conservatives on how right leaning media cost the GOP the Presidential Election. READ MORE: “Media fight on the right over GOP,” LINK: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83679.html

HUCKABEE’S MESSAGE

Whatever conservative media did or failed to do, Mike Huckabee has delivered the salient message conservatives need to dwell on going forward:

“Our problem isn’t the product, it’s the box we put it in. Our message should not be ‘tailored’ to a specific demographic group, but presented to empower the individual American, whatever the color, gender or ethnicity.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83679_Page4.html#ixzz2BvucjiWM

LEANING FORWARD

Does conservative media have the will to lean forward?

Will conservative media adopt Mike Huckabee’s admonition, and seek  to empower the individual American, whatever the color, gender or ethnicity?

RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB

Media & Politics Weekend 09-29-12

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MJB’S Online Weekend Politics Roundtable

10 Points & Questions for Comments

1. DAVID LETTERMAN: insists he’s independent, wants Romney on show 

MJB: Is a talk host ever perceived to be independent?

2. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: strategists push Romney to deliver ‘knockout’

MJB: Is that daydreaming?

3. DAVID FRUM: can sanctions peacefully stop Iran from getting the bomb?

MJB: In our opinion: NO! What’s yours?

4. RACHEL MADDOW: Romney campaign puts the ‘mess’ in messaging

MJB: How can Romney pivot out of the mess?

5. SUPREME COURT TERM:  focus shifts to civil, gay rights

MJB: Will Chief Justice Roberts save gay rights, affirmative action and voting rights?

6. GWEN IFILL:  five myths about presidential debates

MJB: Could Mitt Romney pull an upset-if so, how?

7. TOM FRIEDMAN: ” Voters will have to go with their gut about which guy [Obama or Romney] has the best gut feel for navigating this world.”

MJB: What does your gut say?

8. WESLEY PRUDEN: the great media slide continues

MJB: For political coverage, do you put more trust in the political content of blogs, social media and YouTube videos than you do in the political coverage by mainstream media?

9. LIFE: decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it!

MJB: Does Mitt Romney really want the Presidency, or is he afraid of it?

10. FAITH: most of us will get to that dreaded point in life when things become meaningless

MJB: Is the Presidential election meaningless to you?

Get into the conversations, and comment!!!

Related articles around the web

ELECTION 2012: Is Romney Getting Buried in “A Devastating Opinion Storm” Generated by YouTube Views of New Media?

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Hugh Hewitt, a lawyer, blogger, political pundit and commentator is not convinced by polls showing that President Barack Obama is leading Governor Mitt Romney. In his popular Blog, Hewitt slammed the polls, and then exclaimed:

So with 40 days to go until the decision is in, that’s the playing field: A tied race, with enthusiasm on the GOP side but grim self-interest propping up a disconnected president while the world burns, the domestic economy crumbles, and elite media and select pollsters cheer the emperor they love and on whom they depend for treats.

Interesting. Frightening, but interesting.

LINK: http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/bbda2e0c-ca90-43f2-8473-5458a8af7d69

But, in his best-selling book: BLOG-Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your Word, AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Blog-Understanding-Information-Reformation-Changing/dp/078521187X , in which he writes extensively about new media and the impact of blogging on the coverage of politics by mainstream media, Hewitt expresses a salient and powerful notion: “the impact of a devastating opinion storm generated by a blog swarm,” and how the generation of that opinion storm in new media can push or even trump mainstream political media coverage.

Can the aggregation of YouTube views have the same force as a blog swarm? In other words, are there certain trends in those views which can generate “a devastating opinion storm?”

The recently compilation of the YouTube viewing data of the  videonclips from the Presidential campaigns certainly suggest the possibility.

Charlie Warzel, adweek.com, writes as follows:

The 2012 conventions have been arguably the most important political moment thus far in the campaign and according to a study from the Pew center for excellence in journalism, Democrats enjoyed a hearty advantage in terms of exposure on platforms like YouTube. The results, which tracked total numbers of YouTube views from date of publish until September 24th, illustrate that Clint Eastwood’s empty chair performance well-overshadowed Mitt Romney’s big moment last August, pulling in 3.2 million views to Romney’s 1.05 million.

xx xx xx

[W]hat the numbers do help illustrate, however, is that the Romney camp has had serious difficulties capitalizing on a crucial moment of visibility for the candidate. YouTube may be one element of the vote, but as the views were compiled over a month, it is indicative of the limited exposure that Romney is generating online. In a time where the Republican nominee needs to familiarize as many voters with his ‘brand’ as he can, he seems to be falling short, digitally at least.

SOURCE: LINK: Read More: Click: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/clint-rocks-mitt-democrats-dominate-youtube-convention-wars-144068

 

The Pew Research Center provided the following data:

The higher interest in Obama and the Democrats in social media is also reflected in the viewership of videos since the two conventions. For instance, through September 21, 2012, Obama’s acceptance speech on various YouTube channels has been viewed nearly five times as often as Romney’s (4.9 million to 1.1 million). And contrary to what some observers might speculate, Obama’s speech has also been viewed more than former President Bill Clinton’s address to the nation, though that speech, in various forms, has been viewed on YouTube nearly four times as often as Romney (3.9 million times to Romney’s 1.1 million). The same pattern can be seen in the numbers as they relate to the wives of the candidates. Michelle Obama’s speech has been viewed 3.2 million times, about five times as often as the one delivered by Ann Romney (563,000).

Pew Research Chart

SOURCE: LINK: Read More: Click: http://www.journalism.org/commentary_backgrounder/how_social_and_traditional_media_differ_their_treatment_conventions_and_beyo

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

COULD THIS NEW MEDIA DATA GENERATE “A DEVASTATING OPINION STORM” THAT WILL BURY ROMNEY? 

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ROMNEY: Was Mitt Romney’s “Meet The Press” interview a sign of defeat?

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Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts,...

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, US presidential candidate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One would think that Mitt Romney would take advantage of his “Meet The Press” interview on 09-09-12 to articulate a clear agenda loaded with specifics. That did not happen.

Instead, it appeared that Governor Romney was changing course midstream.

Look for yourself: NBC NEWS-MEET THE PRESS

MTP is the Sunday TV talk show which is a leader in public affairs media. When Presidential candidates appear on the show, people watch and listen. An MTP interview influences the opinions of millions of viewers. It can affect the outcome for the voting in the November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election.

Remarkably, Romney stated that Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention ”elevated” the Convention. Is the implication that Clinton’s speech diminished the speechmaking at Republican National Convention?

Likewise, Romney expressed his dissatisfaction with sequestration, the policy initiative which triggers automatic reductions in defense spending beginning January 1st. When host David Gregory reminded Romney that sequestration had broad bi-partisan support, he was adamant when he reiterated his position that the policy was wrong, and that GOP members of Congress should not have supported it.

Romney even when so far as to say that there were parts of health care reform which he liked.

We are only 58 days away from Election 2012.

With these kinds of pronouncements, can Mitt Romney articulate a game changing agenda to assure a GOP victory?

Or, has he virtually conceded that Clinton’s Convention Speech was the agenda setting message for Election 2012, a concession which assures his likely defeat?

ROMNEY: Would an African American female running mate push Mitt Romney’s candidacy over the top?

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Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney ...

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann Romney (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

COMMENTARY

Could Mitt Romney win the “race to the top” if he names an African American female to his ticket as vice president?

Jessika Morgan, in “Black Female GOP Possibilities May Exist for Romney Running Mate,” wrote the following:

Women are being considered as possible candidates to run with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on the November ballot, the GOP candidate’s wife said July 5.

“We’ve been looking at that,” Ann Romney told CBS News in an interview. “There’s a lot of people Mitt is considering right now.”

She declined to say more about the list of possible vice president candidates to be paired with the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, other than to note that, as the former Massachusetts governor’s wife, she has offered advice in the selection process and would “love that option” of a female running mate.

Among the Black Republican women who could be added to a list of women running mate possibilities are former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.

Rice, the subject of speculation in June, rejected the idea. And while Carroll, a Navy veteran and the first woman elected to statewide office in Florida has been silent, political journalists see Carroll as a possible aid to a Romney candidacy.

SOURCE: AFRO AMERICAN NEWSPAPER LINK: http://www.afro.com/sections/news/afro_briefs/story.htm?storyid=75525

Related articles

Could an African American running mate aid Romney’s candidacy?

What do you think?

Your comments are welcomed.

MORGAN FREEMAN: Obama is not the first black president?; well, you were not the first black actor to play president yourself!

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COMMENTARY

Maybe Morgan Freeman was pandering for media attention and Internet clicks with his comment that President Barack Obama is not really America’s first African American or black President. According to Freeman, President Obama is America’s first mixed-race President. SOURCE: YAHOO’S MOVIES LINK: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/morgan-freeman-obama-not-americas-first-black-president-152604131.html

Freeman, of course, who is presumably African American himself, portrayed a president in “Deep Impact” the 1998 film release of Paramount and Dream Works. SOURCE: IMDb LINK: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120647/

The film was very profitable. It grossed $180 Million on a production budget of $75 Million. So everybody including Freeman made some pocket change from his fictitious portrayal of the President.

And, presumably, this is what Freeman and his handlers were seeking by having him take a swipe at President Obama. Afterall, every click counts!

Thankfully, Freeman was not the first African American actor to portray the President. That credit goes to Sammy Davis, Jr. in the 1933 release of  “Rufus Jones for President.” SOURCE: WIKI LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_president_in_popular_culture_(United_States) A number of other actors also preceded Freeman in the role.

So Mr. Freeman, while your sop about President Obama borders on nonsense, at least it made us do some work and dig up some pop culture and history.

75 years after

Cover of "Deep Impact (Special Collector'...

Cover via Amazon

a black president emanated from the mind of a creative film writer, fiction became reality. America did indeed elect its first black president.

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ROMNEY vs. OBAMA 2012: Carter would be “comfortable” with Romney as President? WOW!

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4 U.S. Presidents. Former President Jimmy Cart...

4 U.S. Presidents. Former President Jimmy Carter (right), walks with, from left, George H.W. Bush (far left), George W. Bush (second from left) and Bill Clinton (center) during the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas, November 18, 2004 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WOW!


THIS MORNING, IN AN INTERVIEW ON “MORNING JOE,” MSNBC, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER SAID HE WOULD BE “COMFORTABLE” WITH MITT ROMNEY AS PRESIDENT!!

WHAT!!!

We need to wait to find out whether President Carter misspoke.

OUR TAKE!!!!

Because if he did not, then President Barack Obama could be in real trouble in Election 2012.

AROUND THE WEB

OBAMA 2012: bitch slapped by the Secret Service!-or a lot to do over nothing?

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President Barack Obama addresses United States...

President Barack Obama addresses United States Secret Service Uniformed Division officers before a group photo at the South Portico of the White House, April 4, 2011. (Office White House Photo by Pete Souza) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lead

It’s hard to believe that the sexual misadventures of some Secret Service agents, and perhaps some soldiers, on President Barack Obama’s advance team in Columbia, is drawing so much news coverage and online chatter.

Quote

According to The Washington Post:

The charges are triggering scrutiny of the culture of the Secret Service — where married agents have been heard to joke during aircraft takeoff that their motto is “wheels up, rings off” — and raising new questions at both the agency and the Pentagon about institutional oversight at the highest levels of the president’s security apparatus.

“We are embarrassed,” Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a briefing at the Pentagon. “We let the boss down, because nobody is talking about what went down in Colombia other than this incident.”

SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST

Our Take

Ok, but so what-because as The Washington Post also reported:

Prostitution, legal and regulated, is a booming business in the Caribbean tourist hub of Cartagena, a city of about 1 million inhabitants that is famous for its Spanish colonial heart and a modern stretch of Miami-style high-rises. As a byproduct of its lure of cruise ships and conventioneers, Cartagena draws prostitutes from both the city’s poor and upper-class echelons — as well as from different cities around the country.

SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST

It’s legal! It’s regulated! But, it’s national or even international news?

Hell, a killing does not even get this much attention!!!

Please folks, give us a break, and a rest.

Let’s find, discover or if need be, make up, a real story, and move on!!!

Related Articles Around the WEB

 

Update

CBS News reports that the Secret Service has revoked the security clearances of the agents accused in the sex scandal. SOURCE: See VIDEO Clip, Sidebar.

ROMNEY ELECTION 2012: Democratic attack on Ann Romney was just plain dumb

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Opinion

All of the benefit and momentum supporters of President Barack Obama supposedly got from weeks of media scrutiny of the GOP attack on women, a female Democratic activist follows suit and attacks Ann Romney, Mitt Romney‘s wife.

Our take: DUMB, plain and simple.

It turns out that Ann is very articulate.

Ann strikes us, and perhaps others, as a forceful and persuasive advocate for the notion that a stay-at-home

Photo of Ann Romney at the Reagan Dinner in De...

Photo of Ann Romney at the Reagan Dinner in Des Moines on October 27, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

mom raising 5 children is  working no less than a woman punching a time clock at the factory every day.

And, if her rebuttal sticks, Democrats could find that the President may be in trouble with his reelection bid among his strongest constituent base: women.

 

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ELECTION 2012: Harvard grad Romney takes a cheap shot at Obama and Harvard-has the GOP gone mad?

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Mitt Romney at one of his presidential campaig...

Mitt Romney at one of his presidential campaign rallies. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OPINION

Of all the dumb things a GOP Presidential candidate could say (quote):

Mitt Romney continued his verbal assault on President Obama on Thursday, accusing him of spending “too much time at Harvard” while speaking at a rooftop event in Harrisburg, Penn.

It’s an odd attack coming from a fellow Harvard graduate, especially considering Romney spent more time at the Ivy League institution than Obama did.


Source: HUFFINGTON POST

President Obama spent “too much time at Harvard?”

Mr. Romney, apparently your 4 years at Harvard was not enough time to develop your brain!

How Romney, a Harvard graduate, who holds both a law degree and a M.B.A., from one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world, with over 323,000 living alumni, 62 of whom are billionaires, could make a statement like that, is just plain dumb!!

What an idiot!!!

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MEDIA: Limbaugh’s charge in the GOP’s media assault on women-like Picket’s Charge at Gettysberg: “Lost Cause” II

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Rush Limbaugh - Caricature

Rush Limbaugh - Caricature (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

Lead

As with the ill fated Picket’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysberg, Rush Limbaugh‘s Charge in the GOP‘s media assault on women is a suicidal attack doomed to fail with massive casualties in the ranks of conservative media men.

Discussion

Limbaugh and the other white media males of his ilk just can’t stand it anymore.

Women are on the rise in business, in political power and in all aspects of media.

As time has gone by, what was regarded as the hollowed preserve of media dominated by him and other white men has diminished. And, before they even realize what has happened to what they have heretofore arrogantly regarded as their turf, that hollowed ground will be occupied fully by women.

So Rush, charge ahead as you will.

But, just like Major General George Pickett at Gettysburg, your efforts to attack and impede the progress of women will fail, and will go down in media history as  “Lost Cause” II.

Around the Web

FOX News: Brit Hume trashes Rick Santorum’s unnecessary social controversies; tags them as ‘political malpractice’

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, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.

Image via Wikipedia

Lead

Brit Hume’s smackdown of Rick Santorum‘s social issues agenda is tantamount to the political death penalty in GOP politics. Santorum is done.

Quote

RELATED: Santorum Explains Why JFK’s Speech On Religion & Politics Makes Him Want To ‘Throw Up’

Hume noted that his recent comments on contraception were something of a shock, and politically inexpedient. “To many Americans… that seems peculiar,” he noted, adding that many Americans did not see how pre-natal care was something to fight against.

SOURCE: MEDIAITE.COM

Commentary

Hume is one of the most influential political commentators among conservatives. Hume’s critique of Santorum means that there is no mainstream conservative support for Santorum.

Santorum is now effectively out of the race for the GOP Presidential nomination.

 

 

 

2012: AZ Governor Brewer endorses Romney

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Congressman Poe and Governor Mitt Romney

Image via Wikipedia

Today [02-26-12] Arizona Governor Jan Brewer endorsed Mitt Romney for president during her appearance on Meet The Press.

That should help.

If Mitt takes the Arizona and Michigan primary elections, he’s got the nomination.

If Mitt gets the GOP nomination, he stands a good chance of winning the general election.

SOURCE: Video Clip, see Sidebar.

Around the Web

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O’REILLY: as between Obama v. Romney, it will be FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly’s call

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Lead

Bill O’Reilly could be the factor who in his own right may become the pivotal political commentator and major influence for the eventual outcome of Election 2012.

MJB’s Take

If Election 2012 seems to be full of surprises, it’s because Mitt Romney just does not have the juice he needs, and the momentum he should have by now, to win.

As presidential timber, Mitt would appear to have it all.

Wealth, looks, education, business success, political success and two earned Harvard degrees to die for: Law and Business Administration. One would think he would have blown past his challengers in the GOP primaries, and then with the aid, comfort and support of Old School Harvard Alumni, be positioned to crush Barack Obama in the General Election.

But, for whatever reasons, Mitt seems to be lagging.

That must be a great disappointment to old school, Blue Blood Harvard alumni money which for the most part is still the real capital base of America. When the rubber meets the road, that money has more affinity for Mitt, a ’75 Harvard graduate, than it does for Barack, a ’91 Harvard graduate.

That 16 year Harvard graduation gap easily can be translated into the hundreds of millions of dollars of political money pouring into the coffers of SUPER PACS, those unrestricted funds for the aggregation and unlimited influence of corporate money, massed the old fashioned way, by folks like Old School Harvard Alumni Blue Bloods. SUPER PACS generally should favor Mitt, not Barack.

Now enter Bill O’Reilly.

The O’Reilly Factor, FOX NEWS, is one of MJB’s must watch talk shows. Almost without a peer and competition, it has emerged as one of the most influential talk TV shows in mainstream political media. It’s host, Bill O’Reilly is one of the best political talk hosts in media. And, he is one of the best educated media personalities in the business: B. A. in History-Marist College; M. S. in Broadcast Journalism-Boston College; and, MPA in Public Administration, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard.

There lies the key-Bill is a Harvard alumnus. He has the mystical and magical Harvard connection.

So if Election 2012 boils down to Barack, Harvard alumnus, in the Left’s Corner v. Mitt, Harvard Alumnus, in the Right’s Corner, the super referee will be Bill, Harvard alumnus, straight up the middle.

Bill O’Reilly’s say will be the say so with respect to the outcome of Election 2012.

That’s our opinion; what’s yours?