Elite, schmite. Alternet is not much better than "elite" media as long as its videos exclude people with disabilities.

That means videos without captions or subtitles if you didn't understand that.

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etc. Time for pitchforks and torches. Hope Charlie Gibson owns an AK and knows how to use it when the real middle class show up at his gate.

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other than the fact they can't be bothered to actually do their jobs -- is the fact that they are clueless. Absolutely clueless. This article hits the nail on the head.

How many professions actually come with built-in Constitutional protection? And they can't even be bothered to be grateful for that protection, can't be bothered to do actual reporting, can't be bothered with facts or figures or sources to back them up.

The Media Elite are no better than the Political Elite in this country. Come to think of it, they have been inter-marrying and breeding for a while now, so there is a new hybrid with their offspring, right? Will the future journalists be critical of the politicos when it's their parents or grandparents they're expected to write critically about? (Now, it's their husbands/wives/friends!)

Washington is an incestuous town. It's only getting more so. Perhaps we need a purge of those within the MSM. (I know it will never happen, but it felt good to say it, anyway!)

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David, you are an excellent writer. However, this entry seems like a thinly veiled attempt to chastise Hillary for Obama's remark. Interesting, isn't it, whatever goes wrong with his campaign, it is Hillary's fault. Since when does she get lumped in with media people like Matthews and Russert. Elitism isn't really about money, and you know it. It is all about attitude. The people of Ohio and Pennsylvania aren't stupid, though educated people like yourself would like to characterize them so. After all, they voted Hillary over Obama. There is something to be said for having the instinct to spot someone phony who talks about hypothetical hope and change and ignores what real people are struggling with every day. Elitism involves not knowing the difference, and maybe in this case making fun of the people who are just trying to make it through the week. Hillary didn't do that. Obama did, and you can't make that go away.

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Military analysts for broadcast media were revealed to be Pentagon mouthpieces some of whom also were revealed to have contractor business in an in-depth article in New York Times. Once Obama gets the nomination, he should insist on debates run by the League of Women Voter rather than the cartel of Big Media and big political parties. It was a shame that Gibson and Step. chose to continue old phony comments of Wright, rather than the authorization of torture by the bad apples Bush, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Rice and Cheney revealed on their own network. We should start the drumbeat now for League of Women Voter debates with BBC questioners rather than the shoddy usual suspects with interest of American upper class that we have seen for last the 20 years. we should say we are as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

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I cannot keep up with the ample sources I have in my Favorites folder online. There is so much good stuff available, and more keeps becoming available every week.

I suppose that if you are part of the "biz" you feel a need to know what the *stars* are up to. I gave up watching Russert at least ten years ago. I don't even know who Chris Matthews is except for what I see from his critics online. And "Wire"? Again, I suppose that the need for small talk at cocktail parties allows discussion of soap operas and melodramas.

And maybe that's the price one pays for enjoying the "Big Sky" country. In a nation that's rotting at the core, why should anyone pay attention to who is the most rotten?

I do watch Bill Moyers. To think that he was forced off the air by the vast right-wing conspiracy I hope represents our bottoming out. It's time to get healthy--politically speaking.

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When I hear all these pundits, analyzers and experts expound, I always remind myself to distinguish carefully when the use of 'we', 'them', 'us', etc get utilized; even when Ideals such as 'freedom' or 'liberty' or 'fair-shake' and such get used. They don't necessarily mean nor are they addressed to you or me! It's kind of a 'bi-level' talking (the British have this honed to fine, sharp and precise practice (almost "2nd nature" with them). They've had longer practice than the US, but, good old American ingenuity seldom is left behind!

All these biggies in the media party it up and socialize quite intimately with all the ostensible subjects they cover. Perk up ears and eyes when 'middle-class values' and such are championed and advocated; it's such a Usefully Ambiguous analytical concept that can hide many a trap within. Such concepts can always be expanded or contracted at will and according to the perspective of the speaker or originator. Same goes with "working class" or "poor" (never does one hear Underclass or that taboo Proletariat for that matter).

When someone says "us" they may just not mean US. Bios and priors are always very advisable.

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If 5 million a year doesn't put in the winners circle Chris what would ?
Try living paycheck to paycheck and discovering that there is more Month than Money . All the while praying there is no BIG unexpected expense . Actually it doesn't matter whether the big expense is unexpected or not you still can't pay for it .
I have slightly more sympathy for Charlie Gibson and his $200,000 remark because there are ares of the country such as here on Long Island where that is certainly NOT rich , not with the price of homes , local taxes and Gas and Electricity .

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Oops upon further consideration concerning Mr Gibson I would have to decry his support for continuing the break for Capital Gains . As the article points out most of that goes to the top 1% . Including Billionaire Hedge Fund Managers who helped bring on the current Credit Crunch by their ingenious greed of packaging Risky Loans as Investments . They are not bound by ANY rules and can take the most outlandish risks to make obscene profits but when the lose they are right there bellying up to the bar for the Government to save them. The most egregious sin though was their being able to stifle the attempt to treat their wages as ordinary income rather than tax preferred Capital Gains . This enables them , as Warren Buffet pointed to pay a lower percentage tax than their Secretaries .
It should also be pointed that the advantage of the lower rate does not apply to tax deffered vehicles such as 401-K's . This is because upon withdrawing the money it is taxed as ORDINARY income even if the bulk of it was from Equity Investments . The other point ignored in the discussion of Capital Gains is the FACT that when money is lost the investor gets to write it off . First against Capital Gains but any unused loss can be applied against Ordinary Income. However once again that does not apply to investemnst in 401-K's only to individuals .
Of course the purpose for this break is that these investments create jobs but do they ? Sure as hell hasn't done much job creating here in the good old US of A . I do not see how my purchasing an EXISTING share of Stock from you helps create any new job . It seems to me no different than going down to Atlantic City . The company in question receives no money so where is the job creation ?

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