Obama's Weak-Horse Diplomacy Claims Another Victim: Brazil

Investor's Business Daily ^ | 18 Sept 2013 | Editorial

[IBD editorial writer]

Geopolitics: President Obama put all the U.S.' foreign policy eggs on Latin America in a Brazilian basket, lavishing attention on the giant in a big "reset." Now that Brazil has walked out on a state visit, the U.S. has egg on its face. It's believed to be the first time ever that a world leader has canceled a state visit to the U.S., a visit so special, so elaborate, and so intent on showing the esteem in which the U.S. holds its guest of honor that it was the only one planned for 2013. Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff Tuesday told the U.S. thanks, but no thanks, for the Oct. 23 dinner, making it clear her nation is furious about revelations from National Security Agency renegade Edward Snowden, who claimed the U.S. had spied on Brazil's leaders, its communications and the state-run oil company, Petrobras. With all due respect, Brazil's fury is probably a bit disingenuous.

[IBD editorial writer]

Obama blows it again - this time on Brazil.

[tcrlaf]

“Obama blows it again - this time on Brazil.”

The sheeple will never know about this, because the MEdia will never tell them.

Can you just IMAGINE the Mainstream media howling had this happened under Bush?

[beethovenfan]

World to Obama - screw you.

[coydog]

I wonder, what would it take to divorce the media from Obama’s backside? Or would they go down in flames with him when that finally happens?

[1rudeboy]

They are True Believers. They will go down with the ship, if it ever sinks.

[dblshot]

Tall and dark and leftist and muslim, the president from Hawaii goes walking
And when he passes, each one he passes goes - ah forget about it
When he walks, he's like a girl that swings so cool and sways so gay
That when he passes, each one he passes goes - ooh forget about it
(Ooh) But I watch him so sadly, how can I tell him to forget it
Yes I would travel to the US gladly,
But each day, as he spies on me
He looks straight ahead, and lies to me
Tall and dark and leftist and muslim, the president from Hawaii goes walking
And when I pass, I smile - but he doesn't see (doesn't see)
(he just doesn't see, he’ll never see me...)

[pepsionice]

I think the damage to the news media has already been accomplished. Check out your local newspapers. Few of them are making a significant profit, and most are borderline profit failures. This means that they can’t offer up any great pay situations for their reporters...mostly because people have given up reading newspapers, or have a great distrust in their local paper.

So you lean over to ABC, CBS, and NBC. All three will admit that fewer people now watch their nightly news than a decade ago. Sixty Minutes? It generally has fewer viewers than a decade ago, unless they get up some five-star situation and special person to interview. This lessening of viewers....typically means pay doesn’t increase. You might get hired and paid $1.5 million a year....but five years later as you want a new contract....there’s no pay increase because you haven’t increased viewership. Your support team at the news bureau? All of them are stuck in positions with no real pay advancement, and they now realize it’s bad position to be in...at age forty.

The cable news networks? If you work for MSNBC....you know your pay package is maxed out and will never improve. You can’t show any increased viewing since the mid-Bush years...you’ve maxed viewership. Talking advertisers into paying more? Well....if all of your ‘talkers’ are in the number ten to twenty rating...and the Fox guys occupy first ten spots....then advertisers refuse to pay more. It’s that simple.

Time and Newsweak? Both are bankrupt, and valued at zero. If you had predicted this back in 1990....folks would have laughed. Today, a journalist working for Time is shaking his head and just hoping to type out another year or two and hope for some teaching job at some college, or a job with the White House.

The internet era has dissolved the future hopes of liberal journalism. Folks can get their news from some blog or on-line site. The days of the New York Times shaping public attitude? Gone. The days of the Washington Post being a major force in changing public perception? Gone.

Noticed that British newspapers are quoted continually now? They actually publish articles countering the administration, and folks read them weekly now. If you had suggested that ten million Americans would read some British journalism at least once a month back in 1990....folks would have laughed. Now? It’s reality.

So I’ll pass this judgement. We have crossed a bridge, and burned it down. Those folks who remained on the other side? They stand there now and shaking their heads. They’d like to find some bridge to cross, but they can’t. The rest of us have moved on.