While waiting for Ben and/or Jerry!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014

We detail our plans for the week:
We hope you’ll make it a point to read “Silliest Tales of the MSM,” our main series this week.

For part 1, just click here.

We’re going to review the silly ways our White House campaigns have been covered by the mainstream press, going back to Kennedy/Nixon in 1960 and the bizarre demise of Candidate Muskie in 1972.

We plan to review the silly ways our mainstream press corps has covered these White House campaigns. In the process, we’ll show you which of the two major parties has been more badly hurt by all the silly fare.

At our companion site, How He Got There, we look at the way the mainstream press covered the gruesome 2000 campaign. In that case, their two-year war against Candidate Gore changed the history of the world. But did you ever stop to think about this:

They eliminated the Democratic front-runner in Campaign 1972. They did the same darn thing in Campaign 1988.

During Campaign 1992, they ginned up a scandal called “Whitewater” which lent its name to am entire era of pseudo-scandal. This led to the madness of Campaign 2000, in which their ludicrous coverage rather plainly sent George Bush to the White House.

We certainly wish that Ben and/or Jerry would arrive with a corporate sponsorship, allowing us to finish the story of Campaign 2000 at our companion site. (Most of the research is done.)

But this week’s main report will provide an intriguing overview. In our view, the silly tales of the MSM has harmed one side a great deal more than the other in the past forty years. We’ll lay out the story this week.

While we’re waiting for Ben and/or Jerry, we’ll ask you to consider contributing a tub of ice cream too. We think you’ll be gaining a new perspective this week. That said:

If you want to contribute to this site, you can just click here.

17 comments:

  1. In what is perhaps a sign of the times, Ben and Jerry sold their namesake company to a mega corporation, Unilever, several years ago. Unilever is a Dutch-British company, and unlikely to be interested in U.S. politics, particularly from the angle Bob is supposed to be pursuing. Perhaps Ben and/or Jerry might be willing to contribute as individuals, that I don't know, but I wouldn't count on the company throwing some of its tastily-acquired cash in Bob's direction. On the other hand, if Bob continues on his "bash-the-left-in-the-name-of-saving-the-left" path, who knows. Maybe they'll name a flavor after him. "Rachel Maddow Sucks," could be chocolate ice cream, with raspberry suckers in it. Sounds delicious. Or how about ""Fuck it, I bought a house in Nantucket." Vanilla ice cream (to reflect Chris MAtthews' pasty skin), with with a swirl of Irish Mist whiskey, and fudge chunks shaped like dollar signs. Mmmmmm mmm!

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    1. You do know that Somerby is not talking literally about Ben and Jerry, right?

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    2. He bashes the inept, egoic, millionaire journalists of the left not the left!!

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    3. I thought up another flavor: "Bullroar." Chocolate ice cream, with carrot chunks swirled with alfalfa stems. Come on, who wouldn't go for that? It's tasty, AND healthy!

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    4. I thought up another flavor: "Bullroar." Chocolate ice cream, with carrot chunks swirled with alfalfa stems. Come on, who wouldn't go for that? It's tasty, AND healthy!

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    5. 5:05 - read comp fail. He does both.

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    6. 4:53 is merely demonstrating what a pointless metaphor Ben and Jerry is for being the blooger's hyperbolic benefactors, but you know that, right?

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    7. Just to clarify, this was as much an attempt at levity as it was commentary on the sad state of affairs in the world (Ben and Jerry literally sold out). Why a couple of people would get upset about it is a little disturbing. Have some fun sometimes! Have some Whirled Peace ice cream and don't get so angry. It's good shit. Although honestly, "Fuck it, I bought a house in Nantucket" looks like a winner to me -- the flavors would go well together; an Irish Coffee kind of slant, without the coffee (coffee ice cream is gross). Maybe we could give it a more family-friendly name ("Nantucket Swell?" ), and pitch it to B&J's, since I believe they solicit flavor ideas from the public on their website.

      Oh, and for the humor-impaired, this post, too, is at least partially tongue-in-cheek. Get it? Food? Tongue? Awww, fuck it.

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    8. People might appreciate your humor more at a different site. I don't think anyone here was angry.

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    9. It would seem that someone has a stick up their butt. Which sounds like another flavor idea! Fudge ice cream, with candy canes. A winner for sure.

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  2. Please finish How He Got There.

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    1. Yes. I can't wait until we get to the Chapter where Al Gore overcomes the War on him and wins the popular vote because of the spell cast by Dr. Ukaka.

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    2. Bob had a very small window of opportunity to write "How He Got There" and couldn't do it. Books about the previous presidential campaign grow stale as fast as Christmas movies on New Year's Day.

      And 14 years later, he still can't get it done despite all his "research" which, judging from what he has already written, amounts to cutting and pasting from his own blog.

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    3. Books analyzing past elections do not have small windows of opportunity. Witness Matt Bai's new book about Gary Hart. History is best written from a lengthier perspective than immediately after the campaign. If he decides he wishes to finish his book, it will have interest and relevance now. If he decides not to finish the book, no doubt he is doing other things. Anyone who can write half a book can write a whole book. It isn't a matter of what he can or cannot do, but what he decides is worth doing with his time.

      "Finish what you start" is no doubt something your parents told you. It only makes sense if there is some importance to the project itself. Otherwise you are in the realm of "Don't throw good money after bad" or some other contradictory folk saying.

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    4. Unfortunately, Bai's book is not about the 1988 presidential campaign, is it?

      And you were so close to having a point!

      And here is mine. Whether or not he decides to finish it, how half-assed is it to promise it publicly on his blog, wait 11 years to self-publish a few poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly researched and painfully repetitive chapters that drew nothing but yawns, then some years after that, promise that you'll get around to finish it if someone will only pay him.

      About the only thing more pathetic is a poor, sad Bobfan thinking that this marvelous tome-in-waiting will be even better with "lengthier perspective."

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  3. Why Ben and Jerry? Why not Jay Leno? At least he knows Bob and how to talk to average Americans.

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