Is it any wonder that the print journalistic media are going out of business in record numbers of late? Their refusal, and the refusal of most of their liberal broadcast brethren, to cover legitimate stories of a non-liberal bent (a despicable process called “slanting” or “propagandizing” rather than doing real journalism) leaves that happy job open to the internet and to FOX broadcast news and the talk radio shows and all have been responding to the challenge admirably.

The New York Times famously subtitles their rag, “All the News that’s Fit to Print” as their masthead logo. Of course it’s a terrible lie, the Times has for at least 55 years only printed less than one half of all the news that’s fit to print. This is the price you pay when your editorial policy is to slant every story to fit your publisher’s ultra-liberal bias. The Times is just one small part of the problem, of course. In their sainted ivory-towered offices the Obama-protecting Barak-worshipers of Main Stream Media (MSM) as a whole look to be committing the cardinal sin of the news business: missing out on important stories. 

Right now when it comes to having a “newspaper of record” in the United States that honor falls to USA Today, which unfortunately is only a weekday newspaper: certainly the NY Times has abdicated all right to that lofty title. The fact is that the liberal media, MSM if you will, has entirely failed to vett Obama himself . . . if they had done that job as good journalists must, they would have found Van Jones to be an Obama Clone nothing more . . . and that neither Obama nor Jones is fit to wear the mantle of public official. But, of course, liberals are never challenged by the NY Times or other MSM -- that would be high treason. 

The MSM can’t seem to get their story straight about Van Jones. Some like Tom Brokaw insist that Van Jones was a good man “railroaded unfairly by the uncontrolled, irresponsible internet nut cases and crazy FOX.” Meanwhile the Washington Post claims that Obama’s vetting policies are to blame and rues the fact that “the resignation will prove a distraction" to the important work of passing Obama’s health care reform initiative.

In the wake of their refusal to vett and even thoroughly interview ex-Obama Green Czar Van Jones or even to properly cover the story of his demise (because he was a czar and not vettable by the FBI and the legislative branch, it was their very important job to find up what’s what with Mr. Van Jones and all 36 of the Obama Czars – Rajjpuut must reiterate:  that job has NOT been done yet) . . . it now appears the MSM has been reduced, as David Limbaugh put it, to “sputtering incoherence” and is about to miss another scoop. And what scoop is that? Who or What does it involve?

                Call it “GE-Gate,” call it “Obama-Payola,” call it “Rent-a-Senator” . . . whatever you call it, hearken back to the days of proud smokestack America when an idealistic young actor was serving as spokesman for and signing off from one of the most popular shows on television, General Electric Theater with his signal anthem: “At General Electric where progress is our most important product.”

That young actor, a union-paying Democrat and later union president before coming to GE, was so impressed by the corporate culture, integrity and sense of purpose at General Electric that he eventually became a conservative and later served as Governor of California and President of the United States. While in the oval office he helped win the Cold War, end the Warsaw Pact and the USSR and Eastern-European communism while bringing the Berlin Wall crashing down. Those were the halcyon days when General Electric really commanded respect. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Rajjpuut doubts very much that Ronald Reagan would be proud to serve as GE spokesman nowadays . . . .

                Today, once mighty GE, proudest long-time resident atop the Dow Jones 30 Industrial Stocks, is in the butt-kissing and apple-polishing business full time with none other than the nation’s first black president . . . a charismatic speaker and out-and-out charmer who promised to “. . . clean up Washington” and “run the most open, transparent and accountable administration in the country’s history.”

                 “. . . clean up Washington” and “run the most open, transparent and accountable administration in the country’s history.” Memorable words, unfortunately NOT SO the deeds!

The only question now is, “What's the going rate to buy one U.S. Senator's vote for the most important event in corrupt-new suddenly Eco-conscious GE’s life?” Will it take $50,000 or $75, 000 or $100,000 each to pass the “cap and trade Waxman-Markey bill?” Forbid it almighty God, I know not what course the pikers may take, but for real payola, hold out for $200,000 minimum!

Once mighty General Electric has spent so much money buying influence in Washington that it’s now become a one-penny-dividend stock. That’s right, it’s last dividend was one whole penny. Oh, for the glory years when retired teachers, store clerks and profligate Hollywood celebrities could survive and thrive on the large steady dividends from GE. But somehow they've gotten diverted from their old sense of corporate purpose. 

General Electric spent more on lobbying in the second quarter of this year than any other company, according to federal lobbying files. Since 1998, GE has been the undefeated long-term champion of lobbying excesses, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, outpacing its runner-up by 40 percent in the last decade plus. Meanwhile GEPAC has become perhaps the shadiest political action committee in a mighty shady town. Tying the lobbying and PAC effort together, is the noble profession of Vice Chairman John G. Rice who, poor baby, may be suffering from “Deep-Throatitis” since a secret corporate e-mail he wrote was recently leaked to the press and revealed embarrassing strategic goals and tactics all based upon supporting Barak Obama and buying votes for GE-favoring measures. This in itself is perhaps only playing hard ball with a nine-pounder cannon . . . however, GE besides owning a financial arm that recently received $139 Billion dollars in federal bailout funds courtesy of the Obama administration . . . most sinister fact of all: GE also owns NBC and all its Obama-praising affiliates such as MSNBC and CNBC.

While it may have been obvious during the presidential campaign that MSNBC news was incapable of mouthing anything less than glowing praise for Barak Obama . . . their closet relationship has come out into the open courtesy of the aforementioned leaked memo GE Vice Chairman Rice wrote in that Aug. 19 e-mail to his colleagues at GE. First a bit more background . . . .

                In the most blatant and shameless sell-out in American journalistic history, Barak Obama now “owns” MSNBC journalistic coverage of Himself and scratching the back that scratches his: General Electric (GE: MSNBC’s parent company) now “owns” the inside track on all cap-and-trade contracts; global warming contracts; green job contracts; and, oh yes, bailout money for the nearly bankrupt** General Electric during the Obama administration. GE, of course, has already received $139 Billion dollars in federal bailout funds for its financial arm.

                It appears that this “open scandal” is no surprise to anyone. The other liberal-leaning networks aren’t commenting, however, so the only party-pooper in the crowd is conservative channel Fox News. The MSNBC-Obama mutual back-scratching act is so blatant that Barak himself made light of it at the Radio and TV correspondent’s dinner when he said, he was trying to come up with ideas for his comments at the gathering and couldn't sleep. But suddenly he knew where to go for help. So he just rolled over in bed and asked Brian Williams for his opinion.

                If you watch political news at all, it’s no secret that the Fox Network is on Barak Obama’s enemies list; and that MSNBC, owned by GE, is easily the most pro-Obama TV news department in the whole country. In a land of left-leaning antennae, MSNBC could just as well change its name to the “Barak Network” and no would notice or raise an eyebrow.

There was one instance during the presidential campaign when light criticism of Barack the Beloved resulted in a wrist slap and another in March of 2009 when some of their CNBC financial analysts began criticizing Obama and his proposed programs (“a spending spree” according to one pundit) -- the typical government spending boondoggles GSBs liberals are famous for. Virtually immediately GE CEO Jeff Immelt and NBC President Jeff Zucker both dropped in on aforesaid commentators to inform them as to the weather: “Boys, this is how the wind blows around here . . .” 

Apparently the “re-orientation chat” worked. Since that time criticism, even subtle criticism of Obama the candidate or Obama the president has been non-existent. Their bias for Obama had always been outrageous, but today Zucker and Immelt have become Obama’s trick ponies and President Obama is deified at least three times daily on each NBC affiliate company. Other than Obama getting unlimited use of NBC teleprompters during the campaign and later as president, no one could be sure exactly what the tie in was. Up till late August the nature of their “pact” was still anybody’s guess. Let’s look at three examples of the suspicious nature of the relationship:

1.        GE is relying on the Obama administration to come through on a promise that all American health records could by law only be computerized with GE and its supposedly “superior technology” having the inside track for a contract that would bring in billions. When word of this “cozy relationship was first aired in early August, Obama began showing a bit less favoritism at news conferences and even invited ABC in for one-on-one interviewing. Instead of a whole slew of government contracts, however, GE might be cruising for a bruising. Fox commentator Bill O’Reilly opined recently that any important contract for GE

“would make Watergate look like a Shirley Temple movie.” If that is the case, then one video clip that will make every highlight reel will be Kareem Dale (Special Asst. to Obama) smiling, “At the White House, as we always like to say, we love MSNBC.”

2.      GE appointed former Senator Tom Daschle to its health advisory board. Daschle, President Obama's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services until a tax scandal derailed him, has strong connections to the Obama White House. So obviously there is a huge potential conflict of interest here. NBC News is in on the “hear no evil, see no evil, SPEAK no evil” take for Obama, even as GE, the parent company, is aiming to corral billions from the federal government. Hard to believe that MSNBC has only run positive spin stories on Obamacare for the last 11 ½ weeks isn’t it? NBC, was once renowned for the high ethical tone of its (liberal) news coverage but now with Zuckerman, Immelt and Daschle running point for the news gatherers, all you can hear is poisonous left-wing fanaticism supporting the president unerringly. Literally, sneezing or partial eye-rolling while reporting an Obama story is now a capital offense at NBC.

3.      GE, the once mighty Dow Jones Smokestack America Industrial giant who’s dividends were all any frugal retiree every needed, is now (unless the White House comes through) moving toward not just penny dividends, but actual penny stock status unless the White House comes through for them. To arrest that slide they have created a whole new strategy arm called “Ecomagination” which is plotting to win a wide array of ecology-themed contracts associated with global warming, green-tech, and cap and trade legislation. It all comes down on the “Obama connection,” will the president come through?

The connections that were assumed are now obvious, the August 19 e-mail memo from GE Vice Chairman Rice made it all official . . . .

"The intersection between GE's interests and government action is clearer than ever," Vice Chairman John G. Rice wrote in his August 19, 2009 e-mail to colleagues. He was calling on all GE people and GE subsidiary people to join GEPAC, the General Electric Political Action Committee. "GEPAC is an important tool that enables GE employees to collectively help support candidates who share the values and goals of GE,” that is, as the e-mail continued:   sharing the values and goals of GE means “support for policies that profit the company.”

Rice continues by getting specific about climate change, "we were able to work closely with key authors of the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill, recently passed by the House of Representatives. If this bill is enacted into law it would benefit many GE businesses."

GE has put almost all its eggs into the Waxman-Markey basket. W-M would profit GE Greenhouse Gas Services, which deals in greenhouse gas credits, products that have value only if a cap-and-trade bill like Waxman-Markey passes. That is if W-M fails, GM is up the creek. Rice did not pull any punches, "Our Company is heavily impacted by a number of issues pending in Washington this fall.”

GE spent more on lobbying in the second quarter of this year than did any other company, according to federal lobbying files. Since 1998, GE has been the leading lobbier, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, outpacing its runner-up by 40 percent. Tying the lobbying and PAC effort together, Rice said, " . . .we must also make sure that candidates who share GE's values and goals get elected to office . . ."

Six House members have received more than $4,000 from GEPAC this cycle -- all Democrats -- Representative John Murtha, D-Pa., faces a tough re-election next year, thanks to accusations that he has used his chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee to benefit donors and patrons. GE is a top defense contractor.

The other big recipients are all incumbents in powerful positions, presumably safe for now: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, Ways and Means member Richard Neal, who chairs the subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, and key appropriator Norm Ducks**. This year two-thirds of GEPAC money has gone to Democrats, but during the 2008 elections, recipients were pretty equally divided.

Why would GE give $15,000 to every senatorial candidate regardless of party in the last election? Obviously, it was not because they cared so much who won, but rather because this way they had an “in” with the winner, whoever he/she was. The process is called “Rent-Seeking” which means: Lobbying and contributing to campaign funds so that favorable government legislation or regulation; or defeat of unfavorable legislation or regulation happens precisely in the manner most calculated to generate huge profits for the company which ordinary free market interchanges could never provide.