Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Does Another GOP Propaganda Job

Mitt Romney has declared “Victory”
over Hurricane Sandy in Ohio, Wisconsin ...

Homestate GOP Hacks - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

The Journal-Sentinel continues its function as a GOP propaganda organ with a story by Patrick Marley accompanied by a huge photo of Paul Ryan in Wisconsin red: "Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan greets volunteers and supporters at a campaign office in La Crosse on Tuesday as they collect relief supplies for victims of superstorm Sandy." (Photo - Mary Altaffer)

Writes Patrick Marley:

On Tuesday, the Romney campaign allowed reporters and camera crews to watch a few minutes of Ryan's visit with volunteers in La Crosse but then required them to leave. Julian Bradley, La Crosse Republican Party chairman, and others in attendance said Ryan did not talk politics after journalists left.
"He was very gracious, appreciative of the fact we pulled this together," Bradley said.

What is Marley thinking? Why the propaganda for Romney-Ryan?

Meanwhile, on Planet Reality, objective writers note what the Red Cross actually has to say about efforts employed by the Romney-Ryan campaign by actually citing Red Cross directives on collecting relief supplies for victims of disasters:

Unfortunately, due to logistical constraints the Red Cross does not accept or solicit individual donations or collections of items. Items such as collected food, used clothing and shoes must be sorted, cleaned, repackaged and transported which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel. - Red Cross

Impeding is not a constructive thing to do right now.

Why does Marley omit this in the piece headlined: "Obama, Romney to resume campaigning in Wisconsin"? More from Reality Land:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As Journal-Sentinel Flacks Away, Scott Walker Goes off Script

Scott Walker meets with his propaganda team

Scott Walker said Kelly Reinfleish, "did what she was expected to do" after Walker hired and promoted her in 2010 in the Milwaukee County Executive's office.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel again parrots the GOP line: "Two weeks out from Wisconsin's historic recall election, Gov. Scott Walker appears to have momentum, money and motivated supporters on his side."

Momentum and motivated supporters?

Did Marley, Stein and Bergquist really write this lede?

Their piece's supporting facts and data present far less than a rigorous empirical case supporting their conclusion.

Scott Walker's campaign headquarters

To the contrary, out of the GOP bubble Scott Walker for the first time in Wisconsin history, has to hide his campaign headquarters so unpopular is he with a broad coalition of Wisconsin families.

The MJS piece quotes Mark Graul, GOP operative four times; cites Walker spokeswoman, Ciara Matthews twice; cites Ben Sparks, spokesman for the state Republican Party three times; and omits Walker's war on women.

Its reference to the criminal John Doe probe omits quoting from the criminal complaints that have resulted so far in 15 felonies and three misdemeanors, and in another first a sitting govenor establishing a criminal defense fund; no mention of Walker's top aides stealing from veterans; no mention of Walker usurping local control of communites; power grabs, massive cuts to education and so on.

The rest is false equivalence and tripe not worthy of Marley and Stein's typical writing. Don't know much about Bergquist.

For example:

Walker still faces considerable challenges, from determined opposition from union supporters to a John Doe investigation of his former aides while Milwaukee County executive and the fact that the previous two governors facing recalls in the country both lost. But Democrats face challenges of their own, from Walker's modest lead to the small numbers of undecided voters who could still be persuaded.

Out of the GOP bubble, Cognitive Dissidence offers this today:

Walkergate: He Said, She Said

He, being Scott Walker, discussing Kelly Rindfleish in a radio interview. [Walker] said:

'She did what she was expected to do.'

She, being Kelly Rindfleisch, discussing what she was doing while employed by Walker at Milwaukee County, said (top of page 4 of criminal complaint)

'really, half of what I'm doing is policy for the campaign...its policy stuff but its for use over there...I'm also doing operation freedom'

Isn't it refreshing to hear Scott Walker finally tell the truth?

Walker hired several aides who committed felonies that Walker says are a "distraction," so presumably Walker should get a pass from breaking several criminal state and federal statutes.

Rindfleisch's reference to Operation Freedom is Scott Walker's PR gig pretending to support veterans by appointing cronies who embezzled $10,000s meant for veterans and families, and using "the money to pay for Caribbean and Hawaiian vacations and a political trip to Atlanta to meet with Herman Cain's presidential campaign," among other dishonorable and criminal deeds.

One would think this would be quite a story dominating the campaign. But the Milwuakee Jounral-Sentinel has buried the story along with every GOP media outlet.

Kelly Rindfleisch was brought in from Columbus County, violated the residency requirement for Milwaukee County employment staying at the home of James Villa, former Chief of Staff for the Milwaukee County Executive Office and long-time personal friend of Scott Walker, and informal advisor to the Friends of Scott Walker in 2010. (The Brad Blog)

The MJS doesn't think what looks like conspiracy to secretly break Wisconsin law is sexy enough to cover during the historic recall campaign.

As the apparently weary Walker said, Kelly Rindfleisch "did what she was expected to do."

Enough of that, MJS, tell your readers about Donald Driver's dancing.

MJS Channels Nixon for Scott Walker

The Milwaukee Journal from 1973 (above) -
The golden age of journalism when corrupt
politicians such as Richard Nixon were held
accountable, - Today, the Journal-Sentinel is
not a check on Wisconsin's own Nixon, Scott Walker.
The Journal-Sentinel actively promotes his career,
shields Walker's corruption, even creating an
enemies' list in service to Scott Walker. And now,
the Journal-Sentinel formerly endorses Walker.

Update IV: A fact for future reference, James L. Santelle is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Update III: If a federal grand jury is looking into Walker's conduct while serving as Milwaukee County executive, it would be sitting in Milwaukee. Federal grand juries are empaneled for 18-month terms and may be inquiring into a number of matters at the same time. No mainstream journalist has even asked Walker the question of whether he or his defense attorneys have met with federal investigators or federal prosecutors.

Update II: Seen May 21, former U.S. Attorney turned Scott Walker defense attorney Steve Biskupic leaving the Federal Courthouse in downtown Milwaukee, accompanied by Michelle Roberts, former first chair of criminal division and an appellate lawyer and litigator, now with Biskupic’s firm.

Update: According to well-informed sources, Scott Walker has met with federal prosecutors in the last several weeks in a separate investigation looking into public misuse of office.

This, in addition to already having met with Milwaukee County John Doe investigators probing what and by whom crimes arising out of the 2010 Walker for governor campaign may have been committed.
---

"Overzealous political associates sometimes get in trouble. The John Doe probe doesn't justify a vote against the governor"

So reads the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as it continues its in-kind contributions to the Scott Walker campaign.

Racing with our friends at Cognitive Dissidence and other sites to write the Nixon parallel.

How the Journal-Sentinel is able to divine that associates [passive voice] got into trouble, and that the man at the top is innocent is unclear. The editorial writers at the Journal-Sentinel are not from Wisconsin, so old Wisconsin values are not held

"I will not place the blame on subordinates, on people whose zeal exceeded their judgment and who may have done wrong in a cause they deeply believed to be right. In any organization the man at the top must bear the responsibility. That responsibility, therefore, belongs in this office. I accept it."
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel May 1, 1973

That quote above is from Nixon pretending to take responsibility for Watergate and the cover-up.

But Walker and his mouthpiece don't even bother with the last two sentences about responsibility and accepting responsibility.

Walker says nothing in public, and the Journal-Sentinel excuses Walker for him.

It is simply not credible that Walker did not know that the aides he hired and promoted ran his 2010 campaign out of the Milwaukee County Executive's office.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel—The Death of a Newspaper

The Milwaukee Journal from 1973 (above) -
The golden age of journalism when corrupt
politicians such as Richard Nixon were held
accountable, - Today, the Journal-Sentinel is
not a check on Wisconsin's own Nixon, Scott Walker.
The Journal-Sentinel actively promotes his career,
shields Walker's corruption, even creating an
enemies' list in service to Scott Walker.

Update: MJS defends Walker against recall in editorial, ahistorical and incoherent. Not one word about lies, about promises broken, about Walker's condoning aides' stealing from veterans. MJS calls families protesting Walker, "tantrums."

There was a time when journalism played a vital role in democracy, holding politicians to account for their actions in office.

When newspapers competed  to investigate and report stories on corruption, lack of transparency and betrayal of the public trust, papers specifically served as a counter-weight, performing a reformist function in a democracy.

Not anymore (with some notable exceptions).

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is a cautionary tale of what happens when media empires decide that their news product ought to promote the career of its chosen politicians, the public, the facts and the truth be damned.

Paul I. Tascoupe has a wrap-up of the Journal-Sentinel's latest effort to spin the news for Scott Walker's campaign against the Wisconsin people who demanded Walker's recall election in the face of the Journal-Sentinel's unyielding support for Walker throughout his myriad scandals and the recall effort.

The Journal-Sentinel changed a headline on jobs to help out Walker who realizes his 250,000 new jobs is a posturing promise that has no chance in hell of being met. Walker also realizes that his spin and statements are not meant to last; lie and evade and the Journal-Sentinel is there to cover for him.

From Tascoupe:

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Graeme Zielinski had this to say about the 'controversial headline.'

“The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been a reliable friend to Scott Walker over the years, with a few notable exceptions. They have endorsed him, they have opposed his recall, they have adopted his talking points and here, they seek to add to the fog created solely by Scott Walker himself over the historic job losses endured by Wisconsin, we argue as a direct result of Walker's "divide and conquer" policies. Our candidates frequently dispute assumptions made by Scott Walker Republicans in their unrelenting propaganda machine, but never does this result with the state's largest paper then using that "controversy" to modify or describe the fact or number itself. That the Journal Sentinel chose to do so in this case, or at all, shows a deep-seated bias that hangs from the publisher to the editor on down, corrupting the content of the news pages of Scott Walker's favorite paper. This was a mistake, pure and simple, and the paper's failure to own up to it sounds very much like the same never-ending stream of justifications that flow from the lips of Scott Walker himself.”

New strategy should be: Scott Walker is a liar

Tim Russell - Walker's top guy and criminal scum
who stole from veterans

Update: Our most candid of recent Wisconsin members of Congress tells it like it is. “The governor has a severe problem with the truth, whether it be the way he’s handling this investigation, whether it be the jobs numbers, the whole routine he had that somehow, this attack on the working people of this state was a budgetary matter, along with the budget. He has a very bad relationship with the truth overall,” said Russ Feingold, speaking at a press conference with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on May 23.

By now it's clear local print and broadcast news refuse to hold Scott Walker to basic standards of good government, burying stories of Walker corruption and crime.

In the case of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the outlet has become a GOP propaganda organ displacing a newspaper.

Here's a 'tactic,' tell the truth about Walker.

Tom Barrett should look into the camera and say what most everyone—including Republican partisans—know fully well: Scott Walker is a compulsive liar who cannot be trusted.

A candidate who speaks the truth will capture the imaginations of voters despairing their government is lost to narrow, anti-public interests bankrolling Scott Walker.

Walker sold out the people of Wisconsin, even condoning stealing from veterans. This truth should be told.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Endorse Obama

Face of change belongs to Obama

Experience and being a maverick were said to be John McCain's assets. He squandered each with breathtakingly faulty judgment.

Wisconsin Political Data and Analyses Lead Country

via mal contends - Wisconsin is ground zero, along with some seven other states, in the 2008 presidential election.

Small-time (by marketing standards) Milwaukee and Green Bay are two of nation's top four markets for presidential ads, and the state ranks sixth among the key battlegrounds in TV spending (Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

How do we know that? We know through the work of the Wisconsin Advertising Project, which compiles statistical data on political spending in broadcast media around the country, including this latest report (for which I cannot find a link): Nearly 100 percent of the McCain campaign's recent advertisements are negative.

And the Wisconsin Advertising Project is not alone in its contributions to political knowledge.

Wisconsin is ground zero to among the nation's most insightful political data gathering and analyses, often cited by the national media and used as analytical resources in describing voting demographics, voting preferences, and various trends.

Other examples include Election08Data and Political Arithmetic.

But these are not secretive campaign strategists planning their appeals to the voters, these are public outfits and publicly minded academics and political junkies.

The value of Wisconsin's long commitment to public education and the Wisconsin Idea is clear.

It is no wonder that the grand-daddy of all polls--the Nielsen ratings--also has long ties to the University of Wisconsin System in Arthur Charles Neilson, Sr., BS, University of Wisconsin at Madison (1918).