please...
Posted on 01/24/2012 4:48:50 PM PST by chessplayer
CNN's Soledad O'Brien would not brand Saul Alinsky as a leftist radical, and neither would she say President Obama was influenced by his writings – but she had no problem tying Alinsky's controversial beliefs to the Tea Party movement on Monday's Starting Line.
As a community organizer in Chicago, Barack Obama mirrored the tactics Alinsky laid out in his book "Rules for Radicals" – which featured a tribute to the devil Lucifer, "the very first radical." GOP candidate Newt Gingrich has recently tied Obama's name with Alinsky, sparking a media debate over the matter.
O'Brien wanted to set the story straight on Monday, and delivered a neutral take on the controversial community organizer. "He spent his life helping minorities in poor neighborhoods exert their political force by organizing them to get to the polls," she stated.
And O'Brien's soft take echoes the coverage by her network. According to a Nexis search, during the 2008 presidential campaign Alinsky's name was mentioned on CNN precisely eight times, almost always by conservative host Glenn Beck or his conservative guests. Host Lou Dobbs dropped the name once, and actor Jon Voight mentioned Alinsky on the October 4th edition of Ballot Box 2008.
And even though she cast Alinsky as a simple community organizer, O'Brien hastily downplayed a connection between him and Obama. "President Obama has never said that he was influenced by Alinsky. In fact, he was 10 years old when Alinsky passed away," she insisted. Apparently for the CNN reporter, the President's word merits no need for fact-checking.
However, O'Brien was more than willing to connect Alinsky with the Tea Party, quoting FreedomWorks leader Dick Armey as admiring the effectiveness of Alinsky's tactics while condemning his ends and goals. She also insinuated that the Tea Party had used Alinsky's tactics in the past.
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And even though she cast Alinsky as a simple community organizer, O'Brien hastily downplayed a connection between him and Obama. "President Obama has never said that he was influenced by Alinsky. In fact, he was 10 years old when Alinsky passed away," she insisted.
So this O'Brien (interesting her name is the name of the character who tortures Winston Smith in Orwell's '1984') paints Alinsky as helping the poor, but then attempts to distance Obama from Alinsky. If Alinsky was so wonderful, why would she want to deny the tie to Obama's operational mode?
And that is why Newt is getting more popular by the day.
Back when Osama Bin Laden was taken out, there was a slew of different explanations coming from the white house and other sources. I remember telling my wife that I thought it was odd that there were so many different conflicting details regarding the killing and disposal of bin laden being released all at once. I told her that it was confusing and I thought something was up. This president has a very well oiled machine that is masterful at controlling everything in the press so this is why I was curious about the very fast and confusing release of conflicting information.
The white noise is the answer! I figured it had to be some sort of propaganda technique. This is very good to know. Turnspeak!
Saying Hillary is a “big fan” of Alinksy is a huge understatement. She interned under Alinsky and is every bit as much of an Alinsky adherent as is Obama. Right thinking folks and I mean those who love this country ignore this at our peril and to our detriment. Yes, your comment is very much “on topic”. Thanks.
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This dirty trick is an extremly clever psychological ploy first practice by Reich Propaganda Minister, Josef Goebbels: Turnspeak Propaganda
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