BAD THOUGHTS (WHY LA TIMES WON'T RELEASE TAPE)

National Review The Corner ^ | October 30, 2008 | John Derbyshire

[greyfoxx39]

Bad Thoughts   [John Derbyshire]

Now here's a subversive little thought about that Khalidi tape that the Los Angeles Times is guarding like a cargo of plutonium.

• Item:  The Los Angeles Times is owned by the Tribune Co.
• Item:  The Tribune Co. is based in Chicago.
• Item:  "In 2008, Tribune is struggling under a $13 billion debt load, much of it incurred in taking the company private in 2007, and from plummeting advertising income at its newspapers." (Wikipedia. A business friend tells me the current figure is actually $14.7 billion.)
• Item:  Tribune Chairman and CEO Sam Zell is a major Republican donor. Why would he not want his paper to release the Khalidi tape?
• Item:  The federal government is sitting on a bailout fund of $700 billion.
• Item:  It's not likely the Treasury can disburse more than one or two hundred billion of that before the next administration comes in.
• Item:  The next administration will therefore have at least half a trillion greenies to hand out to anyone it deems worthy of being bailed out. Anyone — there are no hard and fast rules.
• Item:  14.7 billion is a very small proportion — less than three percent — of half a trillion.

When Sam Zell's office was called and asked about this (by a friend of mine who requests deep anonymity), they said the thought was ridiculous.

Which of course it is. Perfectly ridiculous. Utterly, impossibly ridiculous. Preposterous. Totally preposterous … (Rinse and repeat.)

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[greyfoxx39]

It all becomes clear now...follow the money, as usual.

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[luv2ski]

If Zell is a Republican, why wouldn’t he want to release the tape, elect McCain and potentially get his piece of the pie (bail out)? Am I missing something?

[nuconvert]

They won’t release it, because they want Obama to win.

[henkster]

There’s no question that the msm (or “approved” portions thereof) will receive a government subsidy under an 0bama presidency. All soviet style dictators require a propaganda arm.

[conservative_guyz]

The most amazing irony in all of this would be if it was the Ayers that provided the video to the Times...

If William or Bernadette had given me that video - whether I promised them that I’d not release it or not, I wouldn’t release it. Period. Those whackos have a history and a teeny weeny IED would take care of me and/or my family... not a risk I’d wish upon my worst enemy.

[DainBramage]

Uhmm except that if it gets released the next administration is republican and he gets his money.

[Thane_Banquo]

What is Tribune’s equity? $14.7 billion isn’t necessarily a lot of debt if you have, say, $15 billion in equity. And they’ll do well when they sell the Cubs.

But if they released the tapes, wouldn’t that mean President McCain would owe them?

[Political Junkie Too]

Item: David Axelrod is a former Chicago Tribune City Hall Bureau Chief and politics reporter.

-PJ

[greyfoxx39]

Digg this article

[greyfoxx39]

IMO, Zell isn’t banking on a McCain win, and even if Mac DOES win, he can say, “I gave you lots of money...turnabout’s fair play”.

[greyfoxx39]

Zell is a “major republican donor”..see the article. McCain will owe Zell if he wins.

[holden]

The Cubs are going to the Philippines and will be called the Manila Folders!
(It's just a joke.)

HF

[Dajjal]

obumpa

[greyfoxx39]

“obumpa”....ROTFL!

[Asceticon]

It will really upset me if a cent of that money is used to bail out liberal media outlets that are suffering because people are sick of their propaganda in the first place.

[4woodenboats]

And a pretty good one! Manilla Folders.....LOL

[Paved Paradise]

You got it. Almost every evil can be directly traced back to money as it’s root in some way - not all, but most.

[Paved Paradise]

Oops. its (not it’s)

[greyfoxx39]

It will really upset me if a cent of that money is used to bail out liberal media outlets that are suffering because people are sick of their propaganda in the first place.

That may be reason enough for conservatives to "take to the streets"!