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PHOTOS, PAGE 1

       Editor and prime reporter is Doug Terry, a veteran television and radio reporter in   Washington, DC, (details below)

Who runs the country, the government or the news media? Is it possible that that the news media are having too great a role in driving policy and influencing the actions of the president? The answer is yes. Following the last elections, the national media went into some sort of frenzy, as if the Republicans had suddenly taken over the world, instead of one house of Congress and a number of govenrorships. What happened in  2010 with the election of Republicans as a majority in the House was big, but it was not unprecedented. The 24 hour news channels, the thousands of bloggers and the remaining, influential columnists all reacted to the last elections in more or less the same way: OMG, what's happening? Whether joy on the right, a feeling of defeat and emptiness on the left or simple amazement from the middle and those who try to be  more neutral, the overall reaction was as if an earthquake had hit.

Are President Obama and his team riding the news wave too much instead of  shaping it? The answer is also yes. The first truly television presidency was not JFK, but Clinton and they have followed his example. Too much TeeVee, all the time. Reaction. Reaction. Reaction. Instead of the president setting the tone and the direction, it is coming from the news media, whether through overreaction or simply a desire to push the new.

In the rush to accommodate the reality of the Republican victory, some important facts were cast aside: obstruction is the only tool the Republicans won in 2010. So, the key question was how to deal with that obstructionism, put it in its place and still do the minimal job of keeping the government moving forward. Instead, Obama has acted as though he MUST treat the Republicans as equal partners in government and legislation. This is a disaster.

You  can't make nice with a bully. It will only embolden him, please him and cause him to bully more. Obama and his team know that jobs are the key.They don't have an answer. For the last six months, they've been  sucked into the Republican. narrative, following the media lead.

What are American corporations doing in the middle of this recession? A few weeks back on 60 Minutes, the head  of Cisco boldly said he would not bring home his 1 trillion foreign profit until gov. gives him a tax break. Pathetic. He went on national television and announced he was holding his country hostage until the government takes favorable action for his company. US corporate leadership believes they can prosper while the country rots. Right now, it is working. Long term, they will rot too. Someone needs to give them the message. The only person who can do that lives in the White House and is named Obama.

Doug Terry, 7.5.11

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