Molly Ivins: The $200 million disinformation campaign

[Dudley_DUright]

<snip>

Also of note is what appears to be a new dimension in how monied special interests buy legislation through Congress. We are all familiar with both corporate lobbyists and the system of legalized bribery known as "campaign finance." But now comes an unholy tsunami of corporate money aimed not at politicians but at ourselves. Over $200 million will be spent to convince us that we should privatize Social Security and change the rules of class-action lawsuits. In other words, they want to make us in favor of our own screwing by corporate special interests.

This has been done before, but not at this incredible level. When the insurance industry mounted a 10 million campaign in 1993 to defeat the Clinton health insurance plan (remember Harry and Louise?), no one had ever seen that kind of money spent to kill a single bill before. And now, The Washington Post reports, "Corporate America, the financial services industry, conservative think tanks, much of the Washington trade association community, the Republican Party, and GOP lobbyists and consultants are prepared to spend $200 million or more to influence the outcome of two of the toughest legislative fights in recent memory."

Bush's Social Security privatization plan is so bad (not to mention that it doesn't fix Social Security, as even he now admits), it is unclear if even a massive public relations campaign can save it. But be prepared to watch them try. Coming soon to a television station near you, ad after ad assuring you that Social Security is going broke right now and only private accounts can save it. The sponsors of these ads (and Republican money can buy some mighty high-priced ad agencies) will all have lovely names, like "Committee to Save America" and "Society to Save Old Folks." But it's pure political propaganda, and more fool you if you buy into it.

The point of tort deform is not to save business from a non-existent "flood" of frivolous lawsuits. The flood is just as phony as the Social Security "crisis." It's a fight between big business and the trial lawyers, and as the African proverb says, "When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers." We're the grass in this titanic clash of special interests. What we stand to lose is the great America right to sue the bastards. What business calls tort "reform" just means the doors of the courthouse will be shut to average citizens. You cannot get justice.

more...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=18599

[papau]

1. Ivins is spot on - as always - she just nails it - pity MSM can't see the

obvious - or is prevented from framing the reporting of what Bush is doing in a "THIS IS TRUTH" and "THIS IS NOT TRUTH" reporting spin - rather than he said/she said.

As Monyihan said - everyone is entitled to his own opinion - but everyone is NOT entitled to his own facts.

:-)

[MaineYooper]

5. or you can take it further to Harlan Ellison's version:

Everyone is not entitled to their own opinion. They are entitled to their own informed opinion.

And yes, Ms. Ivins is always spot on.

[applegrove]

2. Democrats new logo should be: we are into GOOD INFORMATION not BAD

INFORMATION like the Republicans.

[cornermouse]

3. Why do I feel like my country died?

:cry:

[Skittles]

4. because it did

:(

[struggle4progress]

6. kick