Request from Janeane: SUGGESTIONS for her last two CROSSFIRE days?

Hey gang,

I got a personal email from Janeane informing me she would be hosting CROSSFIRE this week.

She asked me if I had any suggestions or important information, and if so, to relay it to her, I'm assuming with the idea that she would use them on the show.

Now, I wanted to post this on Sunday night, but let's face it, Janeane's so bloody smart and up on the issues, I was flattered she even asked me in the first place. I thought I'd give it a day or two to see how she does.

Also, from experience, I took in to account how shows like CROSSFIRE are so freakin' brisk and heated, with Tucker screaming at you from across the table, you've got TV monitors to monitor, not-so-friendly guests popping up beside you, a producer or two buzzing in your earpiece and interrupting you for breaking news, the audience to be aware of, the big screen behind you to read off of, to say nothing of what I'm sure are several teleprompters. It's not like she's going to have time to "introduce" something that isn't already scripted or outlined of that day's show.

(in a side note, I know this from experience. I hosted a reality/game show for FOX last year. I had to work with six cameras, one of which was "floating" around me on a boom, a Steadi-Cam operator, and FOUR teleprompters. Add to that, the producers encouraged me to add in "zingers," and to really "go after" the contestants. It was nearly impossible for me to think on my feet!)

Anway, so I withheld from bombarding Janeane with "talking points," but I did make one suggestion. I felt that, on the first day, she "won" by not losing. Her composure, that is. It's Tucker's home turf, much like Boston Garden was the Celtics' home turf, and Larry Bird knowing exactly where all the "dead" dribble spots were on the parquet flooring, Tucker knows exactly which way to turn to which camera and when, and how to perfectly time a cheap shot or low brow, right before the bell goes off or they cut to commercial. I mean, think about what Janeane was walking into, here, and be more impressed with her than you already are! The stage was set for Tucker to eat her alive. She more than held her own.

The only "advice" I sent her way, after suggesting she allow herself to find her way on the first show, was to "go for the jugular," be "unfair," and like Tyson, "come out swinging and land a stunner on Tucker's jaw" right away. He's not used to it; knock him on his ass and he won't recover in time, especially since CNN's whittled the show to a half hour. Basically do what's been working for the Republicans all these years.

Janeane may have been planning on doing such anway, but did you just watch Wednesday's show? I mean, we're only 9 minutes into CROSSFIRE today, and, unlike day one and two, she has gone straight for Tucker's throat each time she opens her mouth! Has anyone else here noticed her demeanor today? I really think she "threw" him. If you observed his body language the rest of the show, you saw his shoulders were a bit more hunched, and he played to the camera more, as opposed to dealing with her.

I think she's gonna get flowers and chocolate from Karl Rove, either offering her a job to switch over to the dark side, or she's gonna get flowers and chocolate coated with Anthrax!

Sooooo, separating the wheat from the chaff in my rather windy post here, and keeping in mind that she's gotta work very quickly....

WHAT KIND OF "TALKING POINTS" WOULD ALL OF YOU SUGGEST FOR HER REMAINING TWO SHOWS?

Please respond ASAP, cuz I wanna make she gets these emailed and faxed to where she's staying by tonight, that way shes' got time to consider them, if she's got time to consider them at all.

I can't promise anything, but can guarantee that she will see them.

Thanx for your help!

Captain Mike

Repug today said "the only candidate who took money from
Enron is Davis" A good retort is that if it used again is
the fact that Ahhhhhnold actually met with Ken Lay at a secret meeting .

I don't have the link but I read it here at DU I'll see if I can find it .

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2003/08/11/enron/index_np.html

She's doing great, imho :loveya:

4.4 M mp3 of today`s show

on edit: Has she talked about Cheney's "energy plan" which was to carve up Iraq's oil fields long before 9/11 happened? If she did I missed it.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.b_PR.shtml
http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml

She could (if she dares) also talk about 9/11 being a BFEE LIHOP.

on second edit: I think the producers are using the bell against her. She could (maybe on Friday's show) just ignore it and finish her points if they try and cut her off mid-point again.

Cool I must of missed it Monday ..So glad it got said :D

Tell her to say that Iraq's not (just) about oil, it's about something far more insane: PNAC's ridiculously arrogant and risky plan to reshape the Middle East, throwing the entire region into chaos if necessary for the neo-cons.

If she hasn't seen it yet, tell her to check out PNAC's website.

It's also about the neocons' belief that America should be allowed to make up the rules on the international stage as they along, as suggested by the latest National Security Strategy document. Tell her that even a lot of traditional conservatives (not me, but I'm familiar with how they think) are horrified by the recklessness of this outlook, which has scared the crap out of most of the United States' liberal democratic allies.

And tell her that she's awesome for doing this and to keep it up!

Here are many articles on the subject:

PNAC Links Archive

I would like to see her address the fact that "they" changed Bush's speech from "all combat operations" to "all major combat operations". Dang it.

versus "Saddam trying to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction PROGRAM"

You're right, there are very few who could walk into that den and deal with Carlson the way she has over the last few days.

I do have a suggestion, although I don't know if she could get away with it on CNN. That's to bring up the Novak article re: two Senior White House officials outing Joe Wilson's wife as an undercover CIA agent. I don't think they've touched this subject on Crossfire since it broke, probably because Novak is in the center of it.

Please send her all of our thanks and congratulations on doing such a great job for the cause, and fighting the good fight.:toast:

...for Americans to know that the same crowd has been trying to seize power since the 1930s, when there was a coup attempt against FDR.

Just reel off these words:

Smedley Butler (saved coup attempt against FDR)
McCarthy
Watergate
October Surprise
Iran Contra
Secret Plan
Enemies List
Arms for Hostages
October Surprise
Starr Report
Coup attempt against Clinton
Election fraud 2000
Purging voter names
Secrecy and toxic cronyism

The same desperate people. Ever more bold and brazen.

like... 'you aren't saying that we should just leave iraq in it's sorry state are you?'

or what's your BIG IDEA, that should be her que to articulate a 'fair and ballenced' plan for a U.N. take over to bring a democracy to iraq as dubya and his cabal promised.

this is the LAST think the bush gang wanna do AND it is unassailable from any REASONABLE person.

there are plenty of examples of the U.N. being the ideal choice if not its internationally agreed upon ROLE IN THE WORLD... not to mention OUR OWN creation practically.

it is a WIN/WIN for us...

he continues to reveal what a 'RADICAL' his admin is if he continues...

and

if he relents the iraqi people and us win by brining some sannity back to the problem and our men and women home, NOW :bounce:

plus there is the added benny that either way the neo-cons loose :evilgrin:

if she can use the word RADICAL and its synonyms a lot it will go a little ways in plantin them memes :shrug:

and she should say it all with a nice big smile and very cheerful and pleasant like paula zahn and her clones do...

tell her she is doin great though and will be able to fend off ANY foe with the real time DU THINK TANK at her service ;->

peace

Another poster on this thread said it, but Chimpy needs to be called on this.

If I write "let's make some nerve gas" on a yellow sticky note, that's a freaking weapons PROGRAM.

It's NOT an imminent threat worth dying over.

if she could get this on the air, I would be eternally grateful. she is doing a fabulous job btw too.

and, as you said, she's not losing her composure. I truly believe that Tucker is intimidated by her - she does not back down on these issues.

My advice to Janeane: Act like a Republican! Hammer them over and over on the issues, their lies, their duplicity in the Middle East,
Cheney's oil dealings, the Carlyle Group. Keep the Bush Lied mantra out there. I always think to myself, "what if this were Clinton or
Gore were in office and these things were happening - the GOP would never ever let up on them". We need to do the same.

One last thing that I always mention to people - think about all of the terrible things that have happened since Bush stole the office of presidency. When was the last time we had good news come our way?
We have had two and one half years of depressing news - the wars, terrorist attacks, the economy. joblessness, space shuttle blowing up, - it just keeps getting worse. We are the most hated nation in the world and that is the worst tragedy of all.

the outing of amb. wilson's wife, cia agent valerie plame.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030815.html

on edit: maybe a good jab could be quoting shrub saying that anyone that harbors terrorists is a terrorist and pointing out that he redacted 28 pages to cover up SA's involvement with AQ, therefore HE is a terrorist.

Use the words "...the American people think..." and "...the American people have decided that...." and "...the American people don't like...."

So I can't comment on her demeanor or effect on the bow-tied nimwit.

So what can I offer...Well, what I've learned on the Guy James Show is that when it comes to regular neo-Con callers, beat them about the head and neck mercilessly until they cry. For new callers be nice and let them tie their own rope. That way you avoid looking like a bully.

What issue is a no brainer?

Well the 2001, Dem sponsered, $350 million bill that would/could have prevented the blackout was defeated with a prty line vote, ie, the repukes missed all the warning signs and prevented modernization, Bush also threatened a veto.

So in effect: THEY CAN'T GOVERN!!!!

Bloody flagwaving used by wingnuts and their choir for ANY justification.

But the victims? Their survivors? Let 'em eat whitewashed cake, when they can find even that!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=6910

This Gail Sheehy editorial over in the Eds threads is important reading, about 4 9/11 widows fighting city hall. Slices and dices bureaukrats, pundits, and shameless polls (Porter Goss hiding behind an office door to avoid meeting "The Girls").

It's dead on about a topic that must constantly be pushed back into the media penumbra, since mighty forces will be withered by examination.

Will the press notice FBI's Mueller's comment that there are no current 9/11 investigations? Will the press remember that current investigations are part of the reason for silent pages on the Saudis?

snip
The 9/11 Commission wouldn’t have happened without the four moms. At the end of its first open hearing, held last spring at the U.S. Customs House close to the construction pit of Ground Zero, former Democratic Congressman Tim Roemer said as much and praised them and other activist 9/11 families.

"At a time when many Americans don’t even take the opportunity to cast a ballot, you folks went out and made the legislative system work," he said.

Jamie Gorelick, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, said at the same hearing, "I’m enormously impressed that laypeople with no powers of subpoena, with no access to insider information of any sort, could put together a very powerful set of questions and set of facts that are a road map for this commission. It is really quite striking. Now, what’s your secret?"

Mindy, who had given a blistering testimony at that day’s hearing, tossed her long corkscrew curls and replied in a voice more Tallulah than termagant, "Eighteen months of doing nothing but grieving and connecting the dots."
snip


Go read this.

edtd, left out Mindy's secret

Don't know if this helps her, but if she needs ammo here it is. See cthrumatrix's thread for more:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,92372,00.html
Cheney Energy Task Force Documents Detail Iraqi Oil Industry
Friday, July 18, 2003

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force appeared to have some interest in early 2001 in Iraq's oil industry, including which foreign companies were pursuing business there, according to documents released Friday by a private watchdog group.

Judicial Watch (search), a conservative legal group, obtained a batch of task force-related Commerce Department papers that included a detailed map of Iraq's oil fields, terminals and pipelines as well as a list entitled "Foreign Suitors of Iraqi Oilfield Contracts."

The papers also included a detailed map of oil fields and pipelines in Saudi Arabia and in the United Arab Emirates and a list of oil and gas development projects in those two countries.

The papers were dated early March 2001, about two months before the Cheney energy task force completed and announced its report on the administration's energy needs and future energy agenda.<more>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,999737,00.html
The spies who pushed for war
Julian Borger reports on the shadow rightwing intelligence network set up in Washington to second-guess the CIA and deliver a justification for toppling Saddam Hussein by force
Thursday July 17, 2003
The Guardian

As the CIA director, George Tenet, arrived at the Senate yesterday to give secret testimony on the Niger uranium affair, it was becoming increasingly clear in Washington that the scandal was only a small, well-documented symptom of a complete breakdown in US intelligence that helped steer America into war.

It represents the Bush administration's second catastrophic intelligence failure. But the CIA and FBI's inability to prevent the September 11 attacks was largely due to internal institutional weaknesses.

This time the implications are far more damaging for the White House, which stands accused of politicising and contaminating its own source of intelligence.

According to former Bush officials, all defence and intelligence sources, senior administration figures created a shadow agency of Pentagon analysts staffed mainly by ideological amateurs to compete with the CIA and its military counterpart, the Defence Intelligence Agency. <more>


http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1004773,00.html
Don't blame September 11 on spy failures, says report
Gary Younge in New York
Thursday July 24, 2003
The Guardian

Nothing could have been done to stop the terrorist attacks on September 11 even though an FBI informant had contact with two of the suicide hijackers a year before they were carried out, according to a congressional report into intelligence lapses preceding the destruction of the twin towers, to be published today.

But despite objections from some senators a crucial 28 pages of the 900-page report, which criticises Saudi Arabia for its lack of interest in clamping down on Islamist extremists, has been removed from the final document.

Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers yet remains a close and important ally of America in the region. The omission of criticism of Saudi Arabia was condemned by the Democratic senator and presidential hopeful, Bob Graham, a former chairman of the joint house and Senate intelligence committee.

"I start from the premise that in a democracy, the people should know as much as the government knows unless there is a very compelling case that the information threatens American security interests," he said. <more>



http://www.nynewsday.com/news/ny-uscia0722,0,2289800.story?coll=nyc-topnews-short-navigation
Columnist Names CIA Iraq Operative
By Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce
Washington Bureau
July 21, 2003, 9:48 PM EDT

Washington -- The identity of an undercover CIA officer whose husband started the Iraq uranium intelligence controversy has been publicly revealed by a conservative Washington columnist citing "two senior administration officials."

Intelligence officials confirmed to Newsday Monday that Valerie Plame, wife of retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity -- at least she was undercover until last week when she was named by columnist Robert Novak.

Wilson, while refusing to confirm his wife's employment, said the release to the press of her relationship to him and even her maiden name was an attempt to intimidate others like him from talking about Bush administration intelligence failures.

"It's a shot across the bow to these people, that if you talk we'll take your family and drag them through the mud as well," he said in an interview.<more>

She should end her question by asking the guest please not to answer with empty platitudes and call the guest on it when they do. The GOP guest could have had his feet held to the fire better when Garofalo asked a very good question: 'You endorsed Arnold's plan. What is it?'

When you catch someone endorsing a nonexistent plan you should rub it in.

She didn't look good today. If I closed my eyes, she sounded great! But when I opened them she didn't look credible. Looked blowsy, messy, valley chick grocery shopping. Needs to look sharper, more knowledgable.

Ask a stylist or somebody who does prep for TV appearances. They should know. Venice Beach bohemian is NOT the look you want if you want to be taken seriously.

Anyway, I just finally closed my eyes and loved every minute of it, but most people will look as much as listen.

but you managed to insult two Dems at once. Way to go.

ffff

She needs a more professional, clean-cut, "newswoman" type appearance. She can be photogenic. When Jeneane guest starred on Seinfeld she looked great ..very attractive.. the best I've ever seen her.

Whether people want to admit it or no, appearance counts for A LOT. As it is liberals have to deal with the whole "hipster flake who only cares about left wing politics because it's trendy to be counterculture" stereotype.

Remember, the cable news audience tends to be older and more reserved. The last thing we need is for the audience to simply dismiss what our side has to say because of appearance.

what happened to WT7
why did it fall in it's own footprint? anyone know? help cnn, shrub

http://globalfreepress.com/movs/911/wtc-7_collapse.mpg

both dove tail nicely into some good discussions or talking points about 911 and the patriot act...

peace

They call the new preemptive security plan the "Bush Doctrine". This Iraq war is not a one time solution to a unique problem, it's a Doctrine. They call themselves the Cabal, it's their name for themselves, not something liberals tagged them with. They have set up their own intelligence in DoD at the same time they are saying more communication is needed between the FBI and CIA. They are not Republicans.

Bush is a failure. He has failed at everything he has done and it shouldn't be a surprise he's failing with the economy, environment, education, and Iraq.

And Afghanistan. That should have been a showpiece of American compassion, commitment and generosity. Instead it's a land as forgotten as it was on September 10. The biggest failure of Bush's Administration. We'll be paying for that one for a long time too.

n/t

That story has never gotten enough attention. The American people know practically NOTHING about Bush's stonewalling and the families' anger.

The best weapon for these rats is accountability upside the head.

Across the board.

Bush/Cheney refuses to internationalize the reconstruction of Iraq because they are working night and day to privatize all potentially profitable industry in Iraq--not just OIL--and they are perfectly willing to let our soldiers be picked off, one by one, until this goal is accomplished.

Here's how it works:

American taxpayers finance the reconstruction to the tune of $1000 million dollars a week; Bush/Cheney cronies profit; Bush/Cheney cronies fill the GOP campaign coffers for 2004.

What a deal!


Tell Janeane we salute her for a job exceedingly well done!

My suggested talking points:

Systematic lowering of the bar to reverse elections:
- Clinton impeachment
- 2000 Miami "riots" to stop recounts
- Off-year Texas redistricting to create more Rep seats
- California recall

Liberal success stories:
-40-hour work week
-Medical benefits
-Overtime
-Civil Rights
-Social Security
-Balanced budgets
-Medicare
-Head Start
-etc.

Challenge: What would RW reaction be if ANYTHING Bush has done had been done by Gore or Clinton: Blocking 9/11 investigation? $400 billion deficit? 3 million job loss? OBL and SH still at large? Secret energy meetings? Cooking intelligence? The "16 words"?

So many more...

And if Sadam turned himself in, can he be convicted if he had now WMD's?

And this from the people who think trial lawyers ought to be exterminated! They run to the lawyers when their widdle toes get pinched!

Look at O'Reilly/Faux, and FL 2000 and now California--they lost in 2002 by 6%, so off they go to the lawyers to wangle a loophole way into power and against the will of the people! How dare they call the Recall movement Democracy!

Go Janeane!

About $3 million.

Tell her that she is a Patriot and Hero. Tell her she stands foresquare with Tom Paine (and tom_paine), Tom Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin and the rest, who are undoubtedly standing beside her in spirit.

Tell her to never give up, never surrender, NEVER lose hope.

I don't need to tell her to be tough...she's got plenty of guts and anyone can see that.

(I wish I had some real input for your question, Cap'n, but I cut off my Cable TV months ago...sick of Feeding the Beast)

Be sure to let her know of our support, Cap'n.

"attention-to-deficit disorder". It's characterized by piling debt upon those children and the unborn who don't have trust funds.

http://www.conceptualguerilla.com/beattherightinthree.htm

Tell her to use the term "Cheap Labor Conservative" as much as she can.

I would LOVE to see her give a zinger like "Why is Bush taping his appearances? Is he trying to emulate Saddam and Osama, we only see or hear them on tape too!"

non-competitive bid to operate Iraq's entire oil business, as well as repairing all the stuff we broke?
ks

........There is Soooo much to capsulize regarding the power grab by the Bush cabal.....Tell her to rely on her satirical instincts that hoisted her to the national level....I am certain that she is familiar with the current events of the Bush cabal to command the audiences attention, its the delivery that counts!!!.....I would suggest that she read up on the comments of two national treasures,Will Rogers and Mark Twain....

Thats what the GOP are doing. They are sooo damn scared that someone else will get something (Like a poor person getting foodstamps) that they are willing to destroy the economy, their childrens economic future and their own fortunes to deny someone who might need it. And they are doing it out of pure spite.....There is no logic or reasoning behind it. Its the economic equivelant of a husband wiping out his whole family in a jealous rage. Economic Murder/Suicide. The GOP plan for americas future.

One of the few things I know about Tucker Carlson's past is that he was the reporter who was interviewing George W. when the then-Governor did his imitation of Texas death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker.

http://www.nationalreview.com/frum/diary013103.asp

At the time, TC must have taken quite a bit of criticism from the right wingers for revealing this tidbit. (The fact he did suggests to me that the man does have a grain of journalistic integrity ... evidently Bush was expecting he would play along like the rest of the press corps in order to curry favor with the Shrub.) Would Tucker do the same thing today, if he saw someone on "his side" acting like that?

(Not even David Frum denies that the incident happened ... instead, claiming that Bush has "changed" since then. Even though there is lots of evidence to suggest that Bush is just as insensitive as ever ... e.g. http://www.dubyaspeak.com/incidents.shtml )

***KUDOS to Janeane on her performance so far ... I've had just a taste of the media circus, though nothing as extreme as CaptainMidnight triumphed over ... it is VERY hard even for such an experienced and media-savvy person as Janeane is, and she is doing a great job!

sss

A little hooter action is good for everyone.

>"go for the jugular," be "unfair," and like Tyson, "come out swinging and land a stunner on Tucker's jaw" right away. He's not used to it; knock him on his ass and he won't recover in time, especially since CNN's whittled the show to a half hour. Basically do what's been working for the Republicans all these years.<

DH and I got into a shouting match with Tucker Carlson during the commercial break of a "Crossfire" taping last April. He doesn't like being told that he's wrong, he especially doesn't like it when he's faced with facts. He detests it when someone doesn't back down or allow him to make yet another smartass comment. (Our argument was about Al Gore: I asked Tucker why he was so afraid of Al Gore. If he wasn't afraid of Al Gore, why not invite him on the program to speak for himself? I thought the top of Tucker's head was going to blow off.)

Tell Janeane to ignore the g-d bell and keep talking. When Tucker makes his smarmy little asides about Democrats, call him on it. She has facts and proof. He has a bowtie, a big mouth, and a hairdo that requires constant attention.

Here's an idea: I'll bet that "Crossfire" is talking about protests in the Pacific Northwest over *'s visit later this week. Maybe Janeane can ask Tucker when dissent became illegal in America.

Go, Janeane, and know that we're all cheering you on at home.

Julie

He say's he is against special interest but meets with Ken Lay?

How he won't answer a direct question.

...do you think you could gently suggest that an "I-just-rolled-outta-bed" look doesn't help gain credibility?

Her blondeness is fine. Really. (I prefer brunettes, but hey, to each his own.) I liked the glasses, too. The ones she used to wear.

The black fingernail polish is even OK.

But it doesn't look like she has shampooed all week.

What she is saying is perfect. How she looks saying it is another matter. I :loveya: the girl, and I am donning my flame-retardant overalls in anticipation of the wrath of the :hippie:...but...

Could we have a crash-course in dressing for success? Maybe something'll take...

groping, sexual harrassment etc. Bet she has some
good inside scoops from Hollywood on him.

Make Repblicanism a word that gets used all the time and equated with the problems of bad economy, jobs loss, no medical care... Hammer on the word "Republicanism"

I'd like her to comment about the post cards the soldiers were flooded with requesting that they send them to bush saying they were praying for him. I'm curious about how many actually sent them in.

I'll fax 'em to Janeane, and send an email too.

BTW: I suggested that she wear a Lori Klausutis T-shirt. One with either her picture, or just KLAUSUTIS on the front. People don't have to get it, right away. But it'll stir questions as to what that word means.

I actually suggested she wear it on Scarborough Country, but then he probably wouldn't let her on the air.

Anyone here NOT know about Klausutis and Scarborough?

Captain Mike

Disabled American Veterans blasting the GOP.

for that?

Captain Mike

Turn the talking points of the Republicans around on them.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Bush has taken none. She can fill in the blanks

HONOR: The families of 9/11, the troops, the military families?

TRUST: Republicans do not trust Democracy.

Evidence: 1992-2000 Scaife-led witch-hunt of Clintons
2000 Election 57K+ wrongly scrubbed from
Florida roles (www.gregpalast.com)
Texas Redistricting 8 years to early
California Recall-- 960K signatures to
throw out the votes of millions...
Hammer these simple points home--have the websites up on the
screens, have the images behind her of the troops the families

USE the Republican weapons against them. They have obviously worked.

BTW--it's not sinking to their level--and even if you think it is--it's only to raise them up to the level of human decency.

Thanks Ms Garafalo for taking on the burden--you're doing a great job!