The Whole Delivery

Candy Crowley will moderate the debate tonight. Expect the same centrist media performance instead of the best journalism.  Basically, it doesn't matter if it's a long term veteran or a new centrist media darling, America's debate moderation format in national, state, and local elections is antiquated and dead. When moderators don't ever think about fact checking candidates or do their research to correct candidates' lies, half-truths, or just deceiving misinformation in general, what purpose is a debate to American lives (and the global community) in the 21st century other than a glorified excuse for news networks to still feel their overrated, overpriced pundits are worth listening to? When candidates are blatantly proud of their mendacity and dishonesty , with only follow up questions as their punishment for those shameful actions by supposedly the best journalists in America, then the debate format's current form is nothing but a continued sham ma...

The current "Shut up Liberal" messenger of our times did it again yesterday. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy Once again, Duncan Black's latest succinctly keen observation is timely : A frustrating thing is that the administration doesn't say, "we'd like to do this but we got the best we can do," instead they say "what we did was awesome." "Grateful and truly humble the nation's liberal base should be to this Administration, for we are the greatest Administration ever. And the fact that you can't fully acknowledge our brilliance is really shameful." That is the thought process right now emulating from this Administration to the people they know full well are privy to never wanting to vote Republican. And it is once again misguided. Even more frustrating is how they rush to claim the word "progressive" for their legislative accomplishments despite being (and advoca...

Hackio's Mike Allen displayed once again the type of credentialed reporter he and his work place is this morning on the brainless Hugh Hewitt's radio show. In fact, Allen's very candid assessment of what the D.C. stenographers and gossip writers yearn for represents not only his sorry publication's hopes, but all of his Beltway colleagues' top wishes in full glaore. It is an interview that both Instaputz and Atrios have been all over this today. And it sure is disgusting to see and hear : Hugh Hewitt: Well you know, Mike, I read John Harris’ piece at Politico, and I’ve got to say, the one thing I didn’t see covered well, Jane Norton got more votes losing than Michael Bennet got winning. It’s the same thing we saw in Missouri, the same thing we saw in Georgia. Yeah, the left turned out… Mike Allen: Yeah, so you’re saying there’s an intensity issue. HH: Yes, I’m saying that Michael Bennet’s going to get wiped out by Ken Buck. What do you think? MA: (laughing...

Chart from Calculated Risk : MB , Atrios ( all the posts ), and even Ezra put in perspective, though the first two don't provide any window dressing. And hell, add DDay in there as well.

First, the tweet of the day from yesterday. It is from the invaluable Marcy Wheeler : And from the Philadelphia urban hellhole legend that is Duncan Black : More than that, someone needs to get on the teevee and point out that no, it is not ok for any actor - state, big corporation, or terrorist - to destroy the coastlines and economies of several states. You don't just get to say 'woopsy' and move on. Gigantic fuckups need to have consequences for the perpetrators, even though these days that seems like an amusing notion. Oh so easy, but oh so hard for common sense to be implemented.

Brought to you by the New York Times . Mr. Black : Either the NYT just ran with oppo research they were fed without bothering to check, or they did their own snipitty snip snipping . Given recent history, I imagine they'll address the issue in 10 years or so. We'll be lucky for it to be even a decade if they do so. A lot of people, from myself and especially the likes of Tweety bird, the usually terrific Bill Press, Ron "Cheney Uncle Tom Laptog" Christie and a hell of a lot of others deserve to give a major apologize to Blumenthal. But that should all start with the Judy Miller rag. But I think their arrogance from the ACORN era will prevent them from doing so for another while. Journalism rolls in its grave yet again for another day in America.

Congrats Florida's Partners Bank in Florida!!!!!! You are #100 of the eated bank list THIS YEAR. (And I beat Atrios to it!) Update : And now, we have #101!! Ameris Bank, down in Moultrie, Georgia , join the LIST!

Media Matters has its second edition of "Good News", from some sources who rarely cary out good news: Also, Media Matters makes fun of a fool who tries to make fun of Obama : She tried to make fun of Obama, but spells "two" wrong, putting the homonym "too" instead. Dummy. Atrios , Yglesias , and David Krutz report on both the media and Republicans hypocrisy over voting for the war funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan in comparison to last year, and years past. Though I accept what Kos was definitely saying, and no one should tell him how the run the site he put his blood, sweat and tears in (and still does by the way). But he says this, which I disagree on If turning the site green would help, then perhaps, but it'd merely feed that narcissistic desire some people have to "do" something. Hackers creating proxies for Iranians to bypass their nation's internet censors? THAT'S doing something tangible and of great value...................

Thanks to Jed, here's video of the authorities confirming that James von Bunn had an illegal gun. The NRA, of course, has no comment on this, although no one asked them, to be fair: Crooks and Liars has video of the WHO saying the swine flu is a "pandemic." Jane Hamsher over at her site Firedoglake says that Rahm Emmanuel is forcing pork in the conference report titled Cash for Clunkers. Now to make sure things are straight instead of doing Campbell Brown like journalism, Obama never said that pork barrel spending would all be gone. He said that wasteful projects would be cut. But we'll see, and it appears so, that the pork Emmanuel is pushing is wasteful. David Waldman reports that Joe "Smug" Lieberman got his wish. His amendment stays thanks to some in the House. UPDATED : David has corrected me, the Lieberman amendment is still OUT. Media Matters makes Newt Gingrich look stupid again. Also, they show that sometimes, Joe isn't as dumb as he thinks. We...