Journalism: Why We Do It

It's been a long week for our staff - and a new baby in our editor's house, the horrendous news of the McCutcheon decision by the Supreme Court, and the shooting at Ft. Hood didn't make it any shorter.

When you add in stories from this week about pure political stupidity  - like Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King's latest affront to immigrants willing to give their lives in the U.S. military, or the insanely stupid idea of "Cuban Twitter" attempted by the USAID organization - we sometimes wonder why we fight so hard to work in the media.

We draw cartoons, write, edit, publish, and produce at least five days a week, and someone on our staff is usually working 18 hours of every day. Even in our off time, we're often thinking of what we'll do next, reaching out to professional contacts, working for our next contract, or practicing and improving our skills.

So when we read about a talented media figure like David Letterman retiring in 2015, our initial reaction is usually, "Well done," often followed closely by, "Must be nice to retire." Retiring, however, is different than losing your job because some corporate executive idiot somewhere has absolutely no idea how to run a media business.

As we read yesterday afternoon, 167 more members of the media, are facing unemployment at the Newark New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper and their nationally-known news website, nj.com. As Paul has of lampooned in multiple cartoons over the years, editors who know how to write and do layout had better learn to draw and take photos too.

Thousands of employees of Barnes & Noble, the nation's only remaining large-scale bookseller, can also expect to receive similar news over the next few years. For people who love books, magazines, newspapers, and physical media of nearly every kind - most of our staff included - the fact that there is only one major bookseller left nationwide is almost too painful to contemplate.

If you want to know why we still do what we do, why we fight so hard to work in media, to do it right, our reasons are really quite simple.

Our reasons include a young lady who's a hell of seamstress, a young man who's a lawyer and also writes great fiction, and a young woman with an eye for interior design. We've got dogs, and kids, and fantastic neighbors and friends, some of whom do crazy things - like throw a grand Husker picnic in South Florida, at the cusp of spring, complete with Runzas and Valentino's pizza, and other tastes of home.

We also still keep working in this industry, after many years, because we know that, as members of the media, we make a difference for all those people we care about. The McCutcheon decision by the Supreme Court this week moved America dangerously far into the political territory of oligarchy. But folks like Clarence Thomas and the Koch Brothers still didn't get their wish this week that all regulations on campaign finance be removed.

It's also important that 80% of Americans agree that Americans should get rid of as much money from politics as possible. That's a statistic reported by the New York Times, and collected from multiple independent media polls. That's also the kind of journalism that reminds both us and oligarchs like the Koch Brothers that Americans overwhelmingly side with us, not them.

As long as people like us help people like you fight for what's right, those people who wish to be the new American oligarchs may keep trying to pile on the work, and make the rest of America their indentured slaves - but they'll never fully reach their goal. Which means people like that seamstress, that lawyer, that interior designer, and our other neighbors and friends can enjoy life - and those kids can have a future.

Getting a chance to make that much of a positive contribution to the world everyday, just by showing up for work? And getting to generate a few laughs along the way? Yeah… We'll be back to work on Monday.

Puppetry And Invincibility

While we heard about the latest shootings in Fort Hood, Texas, and our hearts are with the families and survivors, we're not going to focus on it much today. There are too few hard facts, too many rumors, and not enough details for any media organization to make serious and substantive statements right now about that story.

Instead, we're focusing on a different danger, one where the facts are already clear and well-known, though the outcome may be just as final in the end.

Of course, we're talking about yesterday's unethical and ignorant majority ruling in the McCutcheon case by the right-wing activists on the U.S. Supreme Court. As many journalists, scholars, and commentators who understand the ruling have confirmed, the ruling effectively expands Citizens United, allowing virtually any person or group with enough money to buy any election they want.

As John Nichols of The Nation noted Wednesday, while the ruling does leave some few campaign finance laws in place, it effectively has legalized plutocracy in America - or, as Ian Milheiser of Think Progress put it, it legalized money laundering through politics.

However you think of it, what it means for American politics is simple. Individuals in this country now effectively have no voice unless they're billionaires, while politicians are no more than puppets, who will be forced to dance on the strings of whoever has the most money.

It should be noted that, with this decision, the Roberts Court now loses what little legitimacy it had left as a bastion of justice and judicial integrity. Justice Breyer, in a vehement dissent read aloud from the bench, even pointedly addressed this problem of "political integrity" in a system where the only political speech that's even heard comes from those who can effectively scream the loudest.

The Court's problem of integrity on this issue dates back to the 1976 Buckley vs. Valejo decision, when the Court began the journey towards Citizens United and McCutcheon, in both cases where the Roberts Court claims money is speech. Money is, of course, not speech - political or any other kind. The IRS acknowledged as much again just last month. Money is property, property that can be traded for tools to amplify the speech of anyone who can afford it - but money itself is not speech.

This is one of the rare items where some on the far right agree with us. Often cited by organizations like the Cato Institute, or right-wing bloggers, the idea that money is speech actually goes against not just logic and facts, but also property rights issues that many ideological conservatives consider foundational. Not surprisingly to us, RNC Chairman Reince Preibus isn't one of those people. Of course, anyone of clear conscience already knows what those like Mr. Priebus are, regardless of what price he finally negotiates with his donors.

Unfortunately, the culture that enables the kind of success that only favors those who already have money, without rewarding the work of anyone willing to do it has already been identified - correctly - by people like Robert Reich. Reich says that America is slouching towards oligarchy; frankly, after the McCutcheon ruling, we tend to think America is moving toward oligarchy at a breakneck pace. Reich also says that political action is the only way to stop this new gilded age from getting worse.

Sadly, he's wrong. It is, however, the only bloodless way to do so.

That's a point of fact that has been repeated throughout history in every major culture in the world. The difference between now and every other point in history is that now, everyone has access to the internet. As former CIA Director Clapper admitted this week, with the right tools, the internet can allow anyone access to even the most private information - which means the exact time and location of the people and things that are most important to those wannabe oligarchs are now as instantly available to a savvy potential political candidate, as they are to any angry, determined individual with time on their hands, and nothing left to lose.

As events from Fort Hood to 9/11 have shown America and the world, when all kinds of weapons, from guns to simple box cutters, are applied at precisely the right place and time, by people who feel they have nothing left to lose, no one is invincible.

Stop Clowning Around, Dems!

There are perks to being right about important topics, and we got to experience one of those perks yesterday watching President Obama's 'victory lap' speech in the White House Rose Garden, lauding the success of the first four years of the ACA. The President not only praised those who have supported the ACA so far, but also echoed what we and others have said recently: That it's time for Republicans to get over the fact they lost this one.

To our surprise, some conservative pundits like Ramesh Ponnuru finally seem to be taking the President's suggestion to heart that they lost the war over Obamacare, and now they need to move on.

But a lot of our colleagues in the media seem to be having some difficulty with that. The three major cable news channels all seem like clowns, each stuck doing their own schtick - the missing airplane story on CNN, Chris Christie-palooza on MSNBC, and whatever the latest right-wing, anti-Obama hate messaging is on Fox.

We can't help but look at this situation and be reminded of one of our staff favorite fictional political characters, President Jed Bartlet, as he'd reach a conclusion or solve some problem. As soon as the problem was solved, Bartlet seemed to ask, "What's next?"

For Democrats, the answer should be simple right now: Get back to work - and be proud of what you've done.

Logic will tell you that Democrats really shouldn't have such a difficult time running for office this fall. From Republicans like Florida's Governor Rick Scott, who is fundraising with the founder of a series of abusive teen boot camps, to Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker, a politically owned tool of the Koch Brothers, it's not as though the modern Republican Party has any honest or serious leadership.

If that fact wasn't obvious before, the ridiculous budget proposal from Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, that was revealed yesterday, should have reminded Americans how unserious Republicans are today. One member of our staff literally thought Ryan's latest revamped plan was a joke, since yesterday was April Fools Day.

As Greg Sargent noted on Tuesday, Republicans only have one plan to run on this fall - namely, that they think Obamacare sucks. As the facts continue to show, however, a growing number of Americans don't agree with them. A majority of Americans support the ACA now - which is why Democrats must run on the success of the program, even as they try take care of Obamacare's loose ends.

In places like Kentucky, that means that candidates like Alison Lundergan Grimes - who is challenging Senator Mitch McConnell for his seat - can't do what Alex Sink did in Florida. Sink lost, in part, because she didn't loudly, proudly, and effectively stand up for what she supported. For Democrats, that means supporting the Affordable Care Act - not avoiding the topic as Grimes seems to be doing.

From Froma Harrup to Bob Shrum, the smart Democratic pundits and campaign advisors are all saying the same thing to Democrats this year: Embrace Obamacare!

It remains to be seen, however, whether candidates will listen to wise council, or to the clowns on cable "news."