On Friday it was announced that General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt would be the chair of the White House’s Council on Competitiveness and Jobs. Given the fanfare of the announcement (Obama toured a GE plant with Immelt as part of the official rollout), it was considered big news. But let’s compare two nightly news broadcasts.
The first program mentioned that between 2007-2009 GE laid off 21,000 U.S. workers and closed 20 factories. The report quoted critic Scott Paul of the business-labor partnership Alliance for American Manufacturing. And it also mentioned the issue of conflicts of interest: GE has $3 billion in government contracts, including manufacturing engines for a fighter jet Secretary of Defense of Robert Gates has deemed a “wasteful boondoggle.”
On another broadcast, the announcement was framed as “part of the White House’s shift in focus now that the economy is in recovery.” The choice of Immelt was “more evidence the president is trying to mend fences with the business community,” with the correspondent adding that “the president said companies like GE are key to his export strategy, which he says will create jobs in the U.S.” The only criticism was a passing remark that “some labor leaders were skeptical today, saying that GE has cut jobs and sent them overseas.”
The first report was done by ABC‘s Jake Tapper, and aired on World News. The latter report aired on NBC Nightly News, owned by General Electric. As anchor Brian Williams put it, the show was “duty bound to remind you GE is the parent company of NBC Universal.” That would have been pretty obvious to anyone who watched both broadcasts.
“We bring good things to light”
And keep bad things (that we’ve done) in the dark
Sometimes this stuff just writes itself, doesn’t it?
Let’s not mention that GE has been fighting for years to clean up the environment they destroyed. The irony is that they finally agreed to do the clean up, but at huge government compromises. So their plan worked if it involved obfuscation and plain delay tactics. It seems if you are a corporation and push for your side to win long enough, then delay is the answer. Look at the tobacco industry, their plan was to deny that tobacco contributes to cancer, then refute the science which proves the danger of tobacco, then to make it a controversy(all the science isn’t in is their argument). The danger to the atmosphere of CFCs is another exmple of “Well, all the science isn’t in yet.”
Corporations, even though they have no soul, have been given personhood with all its citizens rights including freedom of speech.
Note that the state legislatures were shoulder deep in the pockets of the wealthy and the corporations when the Senators were chosen by the state. It was obvious corporate corruption influencing the outcome of the electorate. As a result, the 17th Amendment was passed by the federal government allowing a supposedly fair election by “we the people.” The state’s corrupt flimflam process of getting representation had broken the holding of hostages, the voters, and that continued until the Supreme Court decided the corruption of government needed to be reinstated, enter the Citizen’s United decision giving corporate power over the election process. Corporations again have control over the election process supplanting the voters desires.
In walk the Tea Partiers who want to get rid of the parts of the Constitution that they do not agree with; 14th, 16th, 17th amendments, the 10th they want a reinterpretation to emphasize the states. I have heard Tea Partiers say that the Boston Tea Party was about combating the tyranny of the king, and high government taxes, at least in their eyes that was what it was about. Truly amazing, they don’t even know the history of the event for which they have co opted the name to identify themselves.
Raymond….I always hear a new one on these blogs.Now the tea party is ignoring certain parts of the constitution, and interpreting others in ways one can only imagine?Sorry that wont fly.The tea party is built around that rag(libs words).Your president has called it a mean document that inhibits government.Pa—lease lets not even for a moment get into who reveres that document.How do you like the classes being given in Washington to our legislators on the constitution?What an amazing effective shot in the ass the Tea party has been.Thank God
As far as GE…..They signed a pact with the Devil.New lightbulbs for everybody that no body wants.Tax cuts and secret deals.Im sure Obama will let them opt out of his healthcare plan.How is that for a bribe….letting people opt out of your vaunted health plan as payment?Free market places are the horse you cant tame.You give it good pasture and it will thrive.Wall it in- and it turns nastier than ever.Till it withers and dies.
michael e ..And georgie bush called the constitution just another God damn piece of paper. It was what he actually DID to the constitution that sends shivers down my spine however, but no matter some bagger with a gun will cure it all. They’ll enshrine another creature like him and bring him foreword as the answer to our problems. GE will lay verbal wreaths at his feet in future newscasts and America will be laid waste once again with those good old days of nonsense rhetoric from politicians who will sell us out to any corp it wants damn well feels like.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have introduced a resolution that would change the 14th amendment of the constitution..
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller told a Fairbanks audience Oct. 4th that he would back an amendment to repeal the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitition.
Georgia Rep. Paul Broun, speaking about the 16th and the 17th Amendments told a gathering in Athens, Ga., in 2010 that “both amendments need to be repealed.”
Fortunately, (or unfortuntely, in some cases) our Constitution is essentially written in stone–it’s difficult to change, especially when hare-brained schemes proffered by reactionary dopes (that would be the two senators named above) get out in the open where sane people can give them the once over. Despite the pitiable, idiotic claims of the Baggers, they don’t give one good gaddamn for the Constitution (and more importantly, The Bill Of Rights). It just gives too many undeserving people too many rights, and who needs all those rights when there’s money to be made?
Tim your as wrong as you have ever been.They do care.It is all they are.Though I respect your being mistrustful.You have never said what you hate in the official tea party platform
Woody and b…..Anybody has a right to change ,or repeal any part of the constitution.Following the course as laid down IN the constitution.Tims right when he in effect says…. let em try.Obama was a constitutional teach who in effect taught how to circumvent the document according to his students.He called it a mean document that inhibited governments growth.DAMN STRAIGHT BARRY BOYSo bring on all those who want it changed for this idea or that.it seems pretty resilient so far.
Carol your more than right when you say Bush lost his way on the constitution.I was no fan.But stop that liberal nonsense on the guns bit.Elitist claptrap.Go to a tea party rally.Everyday people.Dont frame it as a paramilitary arm
This report is about the way a corporation reports the news when it is the news and owns the news.
Can we discuss that? michael e?