On the subject of public health, in the National Public Radio blog on campaign spending (Kramer, 2010), the reporter interviewed Peter Stone with the Center for Public Integrity. Stone noted the three best-known independent groups that are raising millions for attack ads against Democrats in general, Obama in particular, and against those supporting healthcare reform.
Stone noted that Crossroads GPS (Karl Rove's fundraising organization), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Americans for Prosperity were running "…these so-called issue ads which tell the viewer that so-and-so is not very good on healthcare issues and (ask viewers) to please call or write Washington with your concerns" (Kramer, p. 1). The very thing that Wiist was alluding to has already been taking place, and many more millions are expected to be spend on ads from murky sources that attack progressives who support healthcare, who support the Clean Air Act and who believe the Environmental Protection Agency has the right to set pollution standards vis-a-vis climate change and the greenhouse gases produced through the burning of fossil fuels.
On the subject of the Citizens United decision, when a Google search is initiated using the key words, "Citizens United and the 2012 election," 47,000 results are reported on the Google home page. Among the links offered one finds: "Thanks Supreme Court! We now have the best elections money can buy"; "Justice Stevens on Citizens United"; "Stevens Questions Court's Commitment to Campaign Ruling"; "Retired justice says campaign finance ruling made cash king"; "Scott Walker Wisconsin Recall Also a Battle Against Citizens United"; "Big Money Corporate Spending in Elections May Lose in Supreme…"; "After Citizens United is a constitutional amendment needed?"; "Ruth Marcus: Awash in undisclosed cash"; "The Middle East and Citizens United"; "2012: the campaign of cash"; "Big stakes, bigger price tag for Congressional races in California"; "Texas money is key to GOP success in November"; "Another letdown for Citizens United critics?"; "Montana bucks the court"; and "Feds order Florida to halt voter purge," among many others.
Among the most recent and interesting sidebar stories vis-a-vis the unprecedented tsunami of mystery cash that is currently being pumped into campaigns by corporations and wealthy individuals is the power that billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch intend to wield in this election cycle. An article in the Huffington Post reports that the brothers -- who have often supported conservative causes and have provided millions of dollars to those groups attacking same sex marriage and other progressive issues -- plan to spend "…as much as $400 million to defeat President Barack Obama and help Republicans win control of Congress" (Stone, 2012).
The Koch brothers have told sources -- who then shared this information with reporter Peter Stone -- that they will bankroll the National Rifle Association, Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition, the American Future Fund, among others (Stone, p. 2). Stone reports that a "few dozen rich conservatives and consultants from Wall Street, Las Vegas, California and other locales" met with the Koch brothers in Palm Beach this past spring, and there election strategies were discussed in terms of where the money should be spent. One notable politician in attendance, according to Stone's report, was the attorney general of the State of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli, who is a "major player in court challenges to the constitutionality of President Obama's health care reforms" (Stone, p. 3).
Why would billionaire donors give millions to the National Rifle Association? What does the NRA have to do with presidential elections? The NRA which supports Republicans and opposes Democrats in every election, is planning a "multimillion dollar 'Trigger the Vote' registration drive, expected to be its largest ever," according to the NRA's top lobbyist Chris Cox (Stone, p. 3). Cox said that "…millions of gun owners are not registered to vote," and while the Obama Administration has said little about gun safety issues -- and has not put forward any legislative packages -- Obama is seen as a progressive and the NRA will be gunning for Obama with all the clout it can muster.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky is part of a media campaign sponsored by another gun advocacy group, the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) (Wing, 2012). This campaign is a mass-email project, which asserts that Obama has somehow blocked a million legitimate rifles from coming into the U.S. Like the NRA, the NAGR uses the ruse that government is planning on confiscating guns from U.S. citizens; this assertion is ongoing with gun groups albeit there has never been any attempt by any U.S. president in modern times, or by any session of the U.S. Congress to take guns from law-abiding citizens or to repeal the 2nd Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.
Meanwhile Rand Paul's participation is part of the "Million...
Gender Bias in TV Coverage at the Olympics International Olympic Committee figures reveal that the latest Olympics at Rio had a record 4,700 female athletes competing -- which makes up nearly 45% of all participants. Many countries including the U.S. and Australia broke records with regard to female participation -- the former nation's delegation included 292 female athletes, which is the greatest number of women ever, from a single nation, to
Gender Bias in Coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics Over the past centuries, gender bias has been one of the dominant issues in the Olympic games. While there has been a noticeable increase in the women participation in the Olympic games, nevertheless media bias has been largely remarkable where men receive more media attentions than female counterparts. In the recent 2016 concluded Olympic game in Rio, media have been found using
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Evolution of Mafia Media Coverage: From Romanticizing to Condemnation: Explore how the representation of the mafia in media has evolved from the early romanticized accounts of gangsters in the 1920s to more critical and investigative reporting in the modern era, and how this evolution reflects changing societal attitudes and the real-world impact of organized crime. 2. The Role of Media in Shaping Public Perception of Organized Crime: Examine how
Media and Conflict The existence of a pro-business, pro-government bias led to ineffectual journalistic coverage of U.S. unemployment during the period leading up to the 2008-2009 recession. In what has come to be known as the Great Recession because of its comparability to the Great Depression, the U.S. unemployment rate reached historic highs. The magnitude of the recession was such that economists and policy-makers should have been better prepared to manage
Media Review News story - Union Serves 72-Hour Strike Notice at Viking Air The CAW (Canadian Auto Workers Union) has announced a 72 hours strike while making a bargain with the Viking Air management. As per the notice, the Union will go on strike by 12 noon on Thursday, 19th January (CAW, 2012). The union's national spokesperson Gavin McGarrigle said that it had been over a year since skilful workers had been waiting
Media Representation of Issues in Immigration Immigration is a fundamental element of American history. Centuries ago, immigration was not the issue that it is in the 21st century. There is a very small percentage of Americans that can trace their heritage back to the beginning of the country without at least one family member or even generation of family that are not immigrants. Around the turn of the 20th century, with
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now