lol…just a generic placeholder for whatever show someone may want to watch but is co-opted for Obama’s infomercial.
Although now you mention it I wouldn’t mind seeing American Idol Co-Opting made a plank in both parties. 
I know there won’t be commercials during the Obama program. I just think that FOX must think it’s going to get something from the deal besides the money the campaign is paying up front.
Reminds me of the “fireside chats” of FDR’s administration. I always thought those were good ideas, to empower and keep the people in the loop as much as possible. After all, regardless of whoever sits in that office, WE own it. The public needs more direct communication with the chief executive, and vice versa. I’m hoping it doesn’t just turn into a waste of time with half an hour of meaningless soundbytes. And I’m hoping it goes online fairly soon, because we don’t have a TV and I’d still like to get a chance to see it. Maybe I’ll head to the gym and watch it there.
Enjoy,
Steven
They are also harder to verify. Obama has already run into trouble with that, having to return, for example, foreign donations.
They lead to a different type of corruption, is all.
I accept the first point, but I don’t see how that leads to a different kind of corruption.
First of all, foreign donations are illegal and cannot be accepted, so that is more of a media problem in terms of them having been caught with tainted money, not corruption.
But the larger point is that if Obama can’t even identify the source of these donations, how could they be said to influence him in pernicious ways? The whole problem with large, non-recurrent donations is that they’re bigger amounts which are coveted more. They can allow, particularly for campaigns that are dependent on them, a sense of reciprocity to develop which is essentially quid-pro-quo corruption. With small donations, even accepting that they include some people with hidden agendas, they can only have a negligible influence because their ability to tug on the candidate is diluted by a sea of other small donations.
It basically provides a venue for money laundering.
The scene, a dark room with a table, a single incadescant bulb shines in the ceiling
Obama: Damnit! I need more money! $100 million by tomorrow!
Soros: But Barry, I’ve given you all I can!
Obama: Make…It…Happen… [Stalks from the room]
Soros: Alright boys, lets get to work.
- **Two hours later, donations start streaming in from the likes of *Mickey Mouse,Cletus Hokum, Amanda Hugginkiss, and several dead people.
Frankly, I’d prefer it if campaigns had more of a chance to do this kind of thing, making their case in an extended format instead of a 30-second ad or a 3 minute debate speech which is 89% talking-point anyway.
My fears exactly.
How does American Idol enter the picture? I thought it was the World Series pregame show that got the boot. The AI demographic is probably a pretty good one for Obama in any case.
The other side has made a 90 minute anti-Obama infomercial that it is putting in newspapers.
"Readers of Ohio’s three largest newspapers, along with papers in Florida and Nevada, are finding an anti-Barack Obama DVD in editions this week.
Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group based in Washington, plans to release a 95-minute film in the five swing-state publications to highlight Obama’s record on abortion rights, foreign policy and his past associations, including his relationship with former pastor Rev. Jermiah Wright. The group said it planned to spend more than $1 million to distribute about 1.25 million copies of “Hype: The Obama Effect.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/29/politics/main4555615.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories
There’s a summary for the campaign for you: Obama’s campaign makes an ad that targets people watching the World Series in primetime, conservatives put out a DVD where 95 percent of the copies will end up in a landfill.
Oh crapple, they got prostitue toe-sucker Dick Morris AND Rick “man-on-dog” Santorum?!? Pack it up folks, Obama is finished now.
Well said. 
I think the networks should give McCain equal time. In fact I think Obama shouldn’t have to pay to use the airways to get his message across to the nation in one 30 minute shot. I just think that on the whole, it is quite disturbing that one can buy an election.
Democrats with money. Democrats. With money! Sorry, still trying to wrap my head around it…
Ditto. And how can we say that McCain couldn’t have done the same? Has he really not spent between $3 and $5 million on TV advertising this whole campaign? If he chose to spend it on local ads rather than on one big, national, 30-minute broadcast, that’s his budgeting decision, not something unfair.
I think this is the biggest problem. Too many people are going to see this as media bias- “Why does only Obama get a show?” They are going to see it as grossly unfair. The fact may be that that money is, and always has been the biggest factor in winning an election, but millions of people wont even see this as a money thing, they will see it as media bias.
Seems to me if a Republican bought 30 minutes of primetime for presumably tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, Democrats would be jumping up and down saying “See how this rich spoiled man spends your money instead of helping people in need?” How much good could have been done with that money instead of wasting it buying a solid block of primetime on 3 different networks?
Why would we do that? Helping the poor isn’t actually a valid use of campaign funds. They have rules about that stuff.
Since Obama’s money was 100% raised by volunteers, vs McCain’s money coming from taxpayers, I have no problem at all with it.