Cornyn, Cruz oppose Kerry confirmation
The emergence of Ted Cruz has made life miserable for Minority Whip John Cornyn. Cruz constantly has the senior senator for Texas looking over his right shoulder. Cornyn voted against Kerry as secretary of state, as did Cruz, but it’s likely that he did so only to inoculate himself against further doubts being cast on his conservative bona fides.
Roll Call has a story about the likelihood of a primary challenge to Cornyn:
The founder and director of a grass-roots conservative group said he expects Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, to face a primary challenge. Cornyn is up for re-election in 2014.
“I don’t know how good of a primary challenge he is going to get at this point, but he will get a primary challenge,” said Dean Wright, co-founder and director of New Revolution Now, based in Austin, Texas.
“There is vetting going on,” Wright said, but he did not have any other details. He noted that one possible challenger could be Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is viewed as much more likely to run for governor in 2014. Abbott and Cornyn are known to have a cordial relationship, with Cornyn once touting Abbott as a possible Senate candidate.
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There is another factor that makes Abbott an unlikely challenger to Cornyn. I have personally heard Abbott say, in years past, that the U.S. Senate is not a good option for him, because the travel back and forth would be difficult for him. In any case, I don’t think it matters: Abbott is widely thought to be focusing on the Governor’s Mansion in 2014.
Tagged: john cornyn, Ted Cruz
Whoa, Nellie! says:
I only caught a fleeting glance at the vote, but weren’t there only three NO votes? So two of those forlorn hopes came from Texas’ senators? Way to sideline us, guys!
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Jerry Only Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
the other was inhofe, to no ones shock.
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paulburka Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Yes, Inhofe was the third no vote.
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Texian Politico Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:09 pm
It doesn’t sideline Texas and was a meaningless vote. It will have no impact on our state and only a negative ninny like Whoa Nellie would think so.
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Whoa, Nellie! Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:33 pm
I think these three petulant “No” votes are a more meaningful sign of whiny negativism than anything I might post here. Cruz, Cornyn, Inhofe did everything but threaten to hold their breath until they turned blue. Tantrum duly noted, gentlemen.
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Whoa, Nellie! says:
Yeah, just went back to check: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/01/29/181388/senate-approves-kerry-as-secretary.html
Cruz, Cornyn, Inhofe; now there’s a table I wouldn’t like to be seated at.
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Texian Politico Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
You don’t have to worry about it Negative Nellie. Ha.
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Tom says:
I’m not going to argue that John Kerrey will be a great Secretary of State. Time will tell whether he is up for the challenge. The issue is whether he is qualifed. Cruz and Cornyn voting no on Kerrey’s qualifications is more of a reflection on their qualifications to serve in the Senate.
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Bill Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
This.
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Smokin Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:37 pm
Very true.
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BCinBCS Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:46 am
Spot on, Tom.
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Beanie the Counter says:
Cornyn has never liked Kerry. Unlike 2012, where Dewhurst and Tom Leppert divided the establishment GOP Vote in the primary, Cornyn will have no such problem in 2014. So Cornyn will win handily, especially since the bloom is off the Tea Party rose, even in the Republican Primary.
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Beerman Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Cruz will be a one-term politician. And, I predict that an ugly scandal will end his career in DC.
Just thoughts from an old senile senior citizen living the dream!
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Anonymous Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
Hard to say right now. I’d guess he has a better chance of losing in 2018 if the Republicans regain control of the White House in 2016 and there are problems voters see emanating out of Washington that reflect negatively on the Texas economy.
He’d also probably have a better chance of being beaten if Perry opts to run and win a fourth term, because the 2018 gubernatorial would then be a major referendum on Rick’s by-then 18 years in office, no matter who was at the head of the GOP ticket. Cruz running for re-election in tandem with Gov. Abbott (and with a President Hillary in D.C.) would be less likely to produce a large turnout of negative votes for Republicans in Texas.
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paulburka Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:30 am
I think it’s very premature to say that the bloom is off the tea party rose. The tea party is where the energy is in the Republican party. With the coming of Jim DeMint to the Heritage Foundation, the tea party has captured the intellectual capitol of the Republican party. He has already declared war on the establishment. It is clear that the Republican party is in danger of splitting, and that is true in Texas too. Cruz is the intellectual leader of the tea party and he will amass a huge national following. He is a relentless ideologue.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Burka, Cruz would also call for the abolishment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act because he sees it as UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
Cornyn was against it’s extension, before the GOP-controlled Senate in 2006 passed it.
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Indiana Pearl Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Did you see DeMint on MTP last Sunday? Partisan posturing and no answers . . .
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texun Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:47 pm
It’s way too early to declare Cruz “the intellectual leader of the tea party….” What we can expect is that he will seek the limelight, saying whatever it takes to get it.
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John Johnson says:
I think Kerry is the epitome of someone I would not want my son or grandson to grow up to be. The fact that Cornyn voted against him doesn’t bother me in the least, but I would like to know what he states is the reason he did so.
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Jerry Only Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
a war hero?
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Anonymous Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Doonsebury opining on John Kerry from 42 years ago. The nefarious John Cornyn-Ted Cruz-Garry Trudeau axis rears its ugly head.
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Tom says:
“I think Kerry is the epitome of someone I would not want my son or grandson to grow up to be.”
John Kerry:
Yale graduate (member Skull and Bones), enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, awarded Bronze Star, Silver Star and 3 Purple Hearts, Assistant District Attorney, Lieutenant Governor, and then elected to U.S. Senate in 1985, chaired Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and then confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Boy, Tom, I take it that your post is indicative of how you judge others “worth”. Prestigious school, part of “the group” at a snotty schooll; questionable military service, questionable service metal acquisition; an attorney; and a politician. I’m giving him low marks for all of these, because there is not one iota of altruism in any of it. It has been all about him. He has been chasing status all his life… and marriages that have afforded him the money he wanted along with it. He ain’t my kinda guy. Damn sure not someone I’d want to share a drink with. Don’t think I need to worry about it.
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ghostofann Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:12 pm
With the exception of the “attorney” part, you just described Shrub, JJ.
How ironic.
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JohmBernardBooks Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:51 pm
Bush 43 actually had a job, something John Kerry has never accomplished, meantime he piled up a personal networth of $250 million, and that doesn’t include his wife’s billion $ fortune she inherited from her dead republican hubby.
Most dems admire that Kerry much like Clinton, Kennedy, Feinsteine et al accumulated vast sums of money despite never having a job.
John Johnson Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
You’re right, ghostofann, lots of parallels. One major difference…Geo W. has shown a true sense of altruism. I quit supporting him politically in ’07, but still think he has some redeeming qualities. Don’t see any in Kerry.
Anon Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:24 am
Shrub the entitled? Never had a real job in his likfe? Deserted the Guard during the war? Had his daddys buddies hide him? That 43?
John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:23 pm
George W. had a job. My son sat if front of him for several years as a batboy for the Rangers. My son loved him. Very personable, approachable.
The Mustache That Dare Not Speak Its Name Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:54 pm
I’m sure John Kerry would be heartbroken to find out he wouldn’t be welcome to sit at your trailer park Algonquin Roundtable, John. Oh, the witty repartee he’ll miss.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Pot, kettle, black…poster with the hokie name.
I got a big smile on my face when I read your sarcastic “witty repartee” comment. Coming from you that’s a real laugher.
paulburka Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:33 am
JJ is swiftboating John Kerry.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:23 am
Maybe I am. Don’t like him; don’t respect him; don’t trust him. Think he has lied to get where he is today. Is this “swift boating”? If so, I’m guilty.
Texian Politico Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:43 am
Can it be said that Kerry has three PHs when he threw them away over the White House fence in protest of all the war crimes in Vietnam?
Anonymous Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:20 am
Definition of swiftboating:
The act of exposing the exagerated or inflated claims of a person seeking to promote themselves into a position of authority.
Indiana Pearl Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Sounds like Mitt Romney . . .
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Whoa, Nellie! Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Yeah, a lot there to be ashamed of, innit?
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Anonymous says:
Bush 43 was a member of Skull and Bones as was his father Bush 41.
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Alan says:
If Ted Cruz is going to be the Senate’s Ron Paul and be one of a handful of worthless “no” votes for the sake of saying no, he might as well resign now. The House has 435 members and can handle a few fruitcakes. If even a few of 100 Senators phone it in, it makes a difference.
Ted Cruz is a smart man and while I didn’t vote for him in the primary, the run-off or the general election, I assumed once he got to DC he’d put his big boy pants on and be a serious man. This kind of thing and his ridiculous behavior on some of the cable news shows doesn’t bode well. KBH was a behind-the-scenes workhorse like Lloyd Bentsen and John Tower were. Ted Cruz will likely be another Phil Gramm – a self-promoting hack whose only constituents are out-of-state political activists and rich people whose money he lines his pockets with. Like Gramm and Perry, I assume Cruz’s miserable failure of a presidential campaign is forthcoming.
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texun Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Right-on!
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The Reason says:
The real reason Abbott will not run for US Senate is that he cannot transfer his $18 million over to a federal election. What makes Abbott powerful is not that he has said the right things for his base (because many people say the right things) or that it is “his turn” — What makes him powerful is that he has in the bank three times the money of any other potential statewide candidate.
If he were to run for senate, he has no power and is just another politician trying to raise $25 million, $2,500 at a time.
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paulburka Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:35 am
This is a really good observation. Raising money for a federal office is no fun.
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Tom says:
Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve and served in combat, was wounded and received the Silver and Bronze stars. Whether you agree with his politics, he served his country in time of war when he could have easily avoided it. The attempts to denigrate his military service is despicable.
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buy a clue Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:35 pm
word
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John Johnson Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
He was always insecure…always a little weird…always wanting to be, and driven to be, JFK. He had a plan from early on, and took shortcuts and embellishments to get there. There is nothing in his suit that I respect.
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BCinBCS Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:55 am
Oh horrors, JJ! Trying to be like JFK. How low can a man aim?
(Think twice, post once.)
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:07 am
What is it about JFK that you like so much? The Cuban missle crisis was his apogee. What else did he do? NASA? yeah, he got it started. Civil Rights? No, that came after him. Failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Some possible vote rigging by his father.
Good public speaker. Good personality. Good looks. The morals of a monkey, and lots of chutzpah. You’re way of judging good and bad seems to be a great deal different from mine. I’m no Kennedy worshiper. You obviously are. So be it.
buy a clue Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:03 am
so in the reverse universe where gramps lives going to vietnam, facing combat and being wounded is a “shortcut” but having daddy pull strings and get your drug addled butt into the texas national guard is the mark of someone you should strive to be like. gotcha.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:29 pm
John Johnson, Kennedy did push for some aspects of civil rights, but he didn’t push hard enough because of the Southern Democrats’ threats to block the rest of JFK’s economic reforms.
Hell, the Southern Dems wanted to keep Blacks and other minorities IN THEIR PLACE.
Whoa, Nellie! Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:40 pm
I’d say that if nothing else, John and Robert Kennedy are owed a debt of gratitude forever for not allowing the US to be stampeded into a nuclear exchange with the USSR over Cuba. They stayed cool in a crisis and refused to rush headlong into war. For that alone, and the millions of lives that were not lost, they stand tall in history and will be so judged.
JohmBernardBooks says:
John Kerry is a looter who says he threw his medals away but later is shown in pics with them. Kerry is a male Jane Fonda.
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Anon Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:23 am
I’m sure he has done more for, and sacrificed more for our country than you and your ilk.
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Jed Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:14 pm
so has jane fonda.
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Anonymous Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Take that JBB & JJ!!!
Longhornfan says:
From LBJ to John Tower to Lloyd Bentzen to KBH to Ted Cruz. Talk about going off a cliff! Cruz is nothing but a camera seeking bomb thrower. There will never be a piece of legislation signed by any POTUS with his name on it. Like Ron Paul, he will be a footnote in history, solely because of his parents’ heritage and the state that elected him. Texas is figuring out fast that when you Cruz, you luze.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Texans will deeply miss KBH indeed because despite her staunch conservative politics, she did a LOT for Texas by bringing home the bacon and seeing all those DC dollars built for hospitals, schools, new roads, etc.,
Cruz and Cornyn will NOT have Texans’ best interests at heart since they’re sticking it to Obama because of his skin color.
Cornyn referred to Ron Kirk, Sharp and Sanchez back in 2002 as the “Racial Quota Ticket”.
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Jim Sirbasku says:
JJ–
I am pretty sure John Kerry has done a lot more in life and for his country than Wendy Davis but that doesn’t stop you from panting around her like she’s Carly Rae Jepsen you old creep.
By the way, Kerry is a Forbes. Ever heard of them?
JS
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John Johnson Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:38 pm
Are you and clueless one and the same person, Jimbo? I hope so. Sad to think there are two angry, obscene people out there like you who choose to post here. Bad enough to have just one. You keep firing you best shots. Occasionally, I will act like you have offended me so you can get your jollies.
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Anonymous Reply:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Kerry’s father’s family were Austrian Jews who changed their name to the Irish name Kerry and became Catholics in Massachusetts. Here’s what Wiki has to say about Kerry’s Forbes connection. What’s your point, JS? He had no money, but he does now. He came by it honestly. He married it.
“Although the extended family enjoyed a great fortune, Kerry’s parents themselves were upper-middle class; a wealthy great aunt paid for Kerry to attend elite schools in Europe and New England. Kerry spent his summers at the Forbes family estate in Brittany, and there, he enjoyed a more opulent lifestyle than he had previously known in Massachusetts.”
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:39 am
Don’t let facts get in your way. Kerry has a personal net worth of $200 million his wife’s seperate fortune is almost a billion. She married a rich republican. No one can explain how Kerry has made his fortune and the media smiles when axed about it?
My question for the low information vioters here, has he paid his taxes on his yatch? Do democrats ever pay taxes?
http://www.examiner.com/article/senator-kerry-still-attempts-to-elude-paying-yacht-taxes-to-nantucket
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ANONYMOUS Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:34 am
Want to have a posting contest, JBB? I’ll match every democrat you post with an equally slimy Republican. Your side is equally guilty. I’d challenge you to prove otherwise, but you’ll lose.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801827.html
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:05 am
Two points hopefully they won’t go over your haid,
1. Rep Cunningham resigned, was tried and convicted
2. Rep Cunningham isn’t being vetted for Sec of State.
Question for dems, How about that Rep Rangle? Since when did not paying federal incomes taxes become an ethics violation?
So back to my question. How did Sen Kerry become the US Senate richest senator w/o ever having a job?
buy a clue Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:06 am
didn’t the leader of your party, mitt the twit, say that avoiding taxes was his patriotic duty?
JohnBernardBooks says:
You low information voters are a hoot!
Not only is John Kerry rich he has the title of “richest US senator” and he’s never had a job. How is that possible?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/richest-us-senator-john-kerry-rails-against-corrupting-money-politics-farewell-address_698932.html
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Anon Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:20 am
Have you ever had a job? Outside of minimum wage? You are a gasbag.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:30 am
That’s some powerful stink bait you use, JBB. You hooked another one.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:08 pm
If you noticed not one of the low information voters posting here knew Kerry was the US Senate’s richest senator, or that he never had a job, or cared.
Vetting says:
The reality is the 2004 campaign said some silly things that only a few trolls believe. Even the people who voted against him didn’t cite that junk as their reason.
So…this means one of two things:
1. The 2004 stuff was all junk and many of the people who were pushing that junk voted for his confirmation, or
2. 40+ members of the GOP just abdicated their constitutional responsibilities in a massive way and have placed an evil liar into our highest diplomatic position for a chance to gain a senate seat?
JBB et al, you cannot sell something that not even the manufacturers are making anymore. Let go of your black hat vs white hat absolutism because that ain’t reality.
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Anonymous Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:10 am
Are we suppose to vote on this? I say it’s number 2.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:36 am
JBB, you mention Kerry’s lying about throwing away his metals and get nary a response back defensively addressing it. You question how his personal wealth was obtained without a defensive, clarifying response. All you get are the troll responses they accuse you of broadcasting. It’s all very entertaining.
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FLPD Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:25 am
I believe he got his personal wealth the same way Michael McCaul got his–he married it. I don’t know whether he lied about throwing away his medals, but I do know that Michael McCaul, John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz never were awarded medals because they chose not to serve their country.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:48 am
I am disappointed in you FLPD. Is this the best answer you can give in support of Kerry? Just pointing out that others might have the same shortcomings as a defense? Forget about everyone else and address the quesitons about Kerry. Specifics would be nice.
buy a clue Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:23 am
The bigger question is: why don’t you have the same bug up your ass about McCaul? Why don’t you feel the same disdain for W? Someone who earned medals but symbolically threw them away is bad, but someone who ran away and hid and never served is good. Remove the log from your own eye before you start complaining about a response you feel is inadequate.
John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:17 pm
There you go again, clueless. Enough with the “yeah but’s”. We weren’t discussing McCaul…or W. They are not mentioned anywhere in this blog’s thread. It was about Kerry’s appointment…so we are addressing Kerry.
I don’t hold out any love for McCaul. I know nothing about him. As far W…how many times do I have to say that I gave up on him politically back in ’07, and that his National Guard service has more question marks around it than Kerry’s 4 months and four metals. As Pres, he sucked, but I respect him as a human being for admitting his shortcomings, changing his lifestyle, and sharing time and money, many times behind the camera, to aid our servicemen and those who are down and out. Africans love him. They don’t know who John Kerry is. Hope this answered your question.
texun Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:01 pm
And you are sounding more and more like JBB!
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Johnny Comment says:
Thank you Senators Cruz and Cornyn for continuing the outstanding tradition of Texas conservatives in embarassing the state you represent. America is leaving us behind. It was once said “thank god for Mississippi” now it is “Thank God for Texas”.
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FLPD Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:26 am
It’s okay if you’re disappointed in me, Johnson. I am of age to have served in the Viet Nam war and didn’t. I, therefore, have the utmost respect for those who did, especially those who died. I also remember how confusing it was to figure out what was right and wrong.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:06 pm
I entered the same Navel Reserves as Kerry, FLPD. I bet we did it for the same reason. We didn’t want to get drafted and serve two years in the Army sloshing thru rice paddies in VietNam. He probably heard the same stores I did about what a screwed up mess it was over there from returning friends. More than one told me “don’t go” and went on to tell me why. No real gameplan; constantly changing rules of engagement; no exit strategy (we weren’t committed to winning. I, like you, have the utmost respect for everyone who served there…not so much for those who embellished what they did while there and denigrated others who were there with them.
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FLPD Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Fair enough. I appreciate your service.
Indiana Pearl Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:09 pm
“Africans love GWB”?
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Anonymous Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Yes, ma’am. Has done more to fight AIDS in Africa than anyone. The Africans know this and love him for it.
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Whoa, Nellie! Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:48 pm
That one made me stop, too. I still haven’t figured it out.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:16 pm
Google “George Bush AIDS Africa” and you will get a full rundown of pieces written about his efforts. Here’s a good one to start with:
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/120211-593644-bush-helped-africa-on-aids-to-no-recognition.htm?p=full
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Leslie Knope says:
The Reason and PB:
Are you serious? You REALLY think those same pockets that have lined Gen. Abbott for YEARS and YEARS, are suddenly going to tighten the purse strings for a congressional run?? You’ve got to be kidding me, the money would pour out. I don’t think money is the reason Abbott will not run for Congress.
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Jorge says:
It will only get worse, Today our Senators will vote against Hagel, a former R who did not throw away his medals. Prediction: they will vote against the President on all future issues—both large and small.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Jorge, both will also vote against the extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act since both Cruz and Cornyn are HOSTILE to African Americans’ civil rights gains.
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Indiana Pearl Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Sadly true . .
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Texian Politico says:
Hagel will get a lot more than three no votes.
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Leslie Knope says:
P.S. Can we please talk about Abbott and Perry’s “gentelmens agreemant” on who will run and who will stand down. I hate when they do this, it’s SO ARROGANT, like “I will let you win, and I will stand down,” hey FYI numbnuts, it’s up to the PEOPLE to decide who does what and when.
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John Johnson Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:00 am
No, it’s not, Leslie. It should be, but it isn’t.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Sorry Leslie, that’s the way Texas Politics IS and will continue to be.
Perry and Abbott made a SECRET DEAL, Perry steps aside in 2014 and Abbott has the Texas Governor’s Mansion all to himself. Both are good friends from what I’m hearing, so I can’t see them facing each other.
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George Schwarz says:
I didn’t think it was possible for me to become more cynical than I have been over the past few years, but the more I see what is going on in what passes for the media today, the more I realize how staged and manipulated the American public is — and at the behest of the corporatist media. I suspect a lot of reporters and others in the media don’t like to have the curtain pulled back, but I am going to do so here.
Several years ago, when Laura Bush was first lady, she came to Amarillo to receive the honor of having the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center dedicate the Woman’s Center of Excellence in her name. The White House press staff controlled and manipulated everything. We were told where we could stand, what we could do, what we could shoot and even encouraged to take certain angles on photography. While awaiting her arrival, the media members were placed in a van and told we were not allowed to take pictures of her coming down the stairs of her military version of an MD-80. I did, of course, in part just because I was pissed and being told what to do. We were advised what would be “a great shot.”
But that was only part of the manipulation. In addition, we were told what we could cover and what we could not cover and manipulated at the last minute to keep us off balance. For example, at first we were told we could not cover a private meeting between Bush and some Texas Tech staff members, and then at the last minute were told we could cover it. Areas were cordoned off so our movements were limited. We did not have free rein to cover the big luncheon. We were even in such a public place restricted as to where we could stand and from where we could take photographs or shoot video.
I also experienced that manipulation last year when former President Bill Clinton visited West Texas A&M University. The restrictions controlled where we could wait, so we were unable to get pictures of Clinton arriving; we were held in a closed hallway as he and his entourage were moved into the auditorium. In addition, during his speech we were pretty much restricted to where we could stand up from where we could shoot from once again.
And I wonder how many people reading this understand how manipulated other events are. For example, on C-SPAN, you never see wide shots. Why is that? Because it’s a manipulated picture. Senators and representatives want to give viewers the impression that they are making a great speech before their colleagues in these two great deliberative bodies. In fact, rarely are there more than a few other elected folks in the chambers while one of their own bloviates for the sake of his base and to make points with constituents and the press.
In the manipulation continues everywhere you look. The staged presentations of each of our esteemed representatives, when they look into the camera with this deep sincere look, take place in a studio. Or, in a part of their office that is a stage for that sort of thing. Wonderful displays of flags, family pictures and books behind them give the impression that these patriotic Americans are learned and meet the ideal family man image.
All of this is part of the corporatist plutocracy that is designed to manipulate and trick the American people into thinking that what they are saying is real.
Which brings me to some of the comments here. I don’t understand how some of you folks make these comments when you are not privy to what really goes on behind the scenes. Look at the relationships. Graduates of Yale and members of the Skull and Bones? Do you think these relationships and the heritage of these insider groups still go back generations and form the basis for running this country? If you have answered “yes,” that at least you have an inkling of how our country is really run. If you don’t think those relationships and the behind the scenes deals that result from them are real, then you are naïve.
The consolidation of big media and the recognition of the role of propaganda has done more to damage our democracy (or, if you wish, our republic) than any minor skirmish or indiscretion by any single elected official. I don’t have any easy answers to solve this problem, but the first step in solving a problem is recognizing it exists and understanding what it is. At least, for myself, I have come that far.
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ErnestTBass says:
Cruz and Cornyn are the Berman and Christian of Washington. They take ridiculous, far right views and make themselves look like idiots. Then, the leadership responds by putting them on the committee for wallpaper removal in the basement. Nice way to represent your state, guys.
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Jim says:
John kerry, a role model for all Americans!
http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/cussword.asp
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Mofus says:
When there was talk of moving a unit of C-130s from Ft Worth to
Dakota, calls were made to DC to KBH and the planes stayed home.
The wingnuts in the US House want to cut the Fed budget, even the DOD budget! So, when the military cuts start hitting Texas, we won’t have KBH to look after Texas’ interest and LOTS of those good paying Gum’t gonna go away. Wonder what that loss will do to Texas’ economic groth? Meanwhile, the teabagger and 1%-er will keep barking at the moon…….
As for JJ and JBB, boring, boring, boring………
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JohnBernardBooks says:
I look at how my reps vote on the important stuff like who voted to censure Holder.
Dems has the cat got your tongue? How did Sen John Kerry become the richest US Senator, without ever having a job? Sure the obvious lie is he married up, but w/o the republican fortune he married, he’s still worth $200 million. How?
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Anonymous Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 7:30 am
Who’s going to push the issue? Who in Congress is going to initiate an investigation? You can’t even Google and find where his personal wealth has been addressed. Is it just a case on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” since many in D.C. Have been raking it in through things like insider trading for years without fear of consequences.
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Anon Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:34 am
Like 43….who is going to investigate his desertion? His cocaine? His “job” with the Rangers his poppys buddies gave him to run up a fortune while only showing up for the games?
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John Johnson Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:10 am
Funny…I thought all those had been investigated. The stories sure showed up in ink and on the tube on a regular basis. Remember Dan Rather?
But we’re looking backwards once again, arent’ we?
Kerry is still right in the middle of the mix; he is still a player in where we go from here, so why don’t we know all there is to know about him? Where did he get all his personal wealth? Does anyone know?
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buy a clue Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:57 pm
the reason W isn’t in the middle of anything is because even the most brain-dead republican, sorry for the reduncancy, knows he is TOXIC.
buy a clue Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Why don’t you look through the 20 years of W2′s he released in 2004. Unlike mitt the twit who released 1.
Blue Dogs Reply:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:41 am
Anon, Bush Jr., defeated a very controversial incumbent governor and trounced a 4-term Land Commissioner four years later, then went on to win the presidency defeating Clinton’s VP in ’00 due to Clinton Fatigue and taking down Kerry, who SUCKED in ’04.
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