After years of Mainstream Media political reporters & columnists in U.S. being compulsive sycophants to Obama's White House, turning-off readers/viewers in droves, now their colleagues on U.S. national security beat have to deal with the karma -reality of (perhaps) being intentionally digitally monitored by Obama Administration. That's karma for you!; "Obama’s war on leaks has journalists and their sources on edge. ‘I worry now about calling somebody.’"; Damning CPJ report by Len Downie of Arizona State's Cronkite School & Washington Post and Sara Rafsky was released Thursday, but some say evidence is clear that MSM is still pulling-punches with Obama; @lendownie, @Cronkite_ASU, @CPJ, @pressfreedom, #pressfreedom

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Now starting #newsblackout Day 5 at Miami Herald re Ryan Lizza's New Yorker column & Marco Rubio; Tampa Bay Times gave up Tues., Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday; Miami, often still barely part of America, and almost completely journalism-free this Summer.

musha hadeen YouTube Channel: Syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh discussed the fact that the old cliché about U.S. Big Business always supporting the Republican party is no longer true, and explains why that has changed. "At the root of this is money." Exactly. 
Now, instead of publicly fighting government encroachment and red-tape, Big Business supports and even depends upon Big Government programs -and the cheap loans that they can receive via crony capitalism. It's for this reason and many others -including cheap labor in places like Florida- that Big Business is now so intent on pressuring the GOP to pass the pro-amnesty Schumer-Rubio immigration bill, S.744, or else risk getting no campaign contributions in the future. This has led been led by many large and powerful GOP donors who have become conditioned to getting their way because of their money -and the GOP consultant class that are always hip to act morally superior and act as go-betweens for the folks with big checkbooks! Now both groups are acting like they are the ones who are casting the votes, not Congress, not unlike lots of schlocky films of the '70's involving political intrigue, mindless conspiracies and a basic premise that business people owned elected officials. 
Rush Limbaugh mentions GE, the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson by name as examples of this elite class who are pushing hard for amnesty for all 11 million illegal aliens in the U.S., regardless of what it actually does to the country and whether it actually solves any problems. That's OUR problem, not theirs!
Uploaded June 17, 2013. http://youtu.be/_jzVx8QTGJU

Whether you're a conservative, moderate or liberal, this far-ranging discussion is by far the most-accurate thing that has been broadcast on U.S. radio so far this year, and yet I'm sure it was quite upsetting to many of his listeners across the country who weren't quite prepared to believe it when Rush said it. 
Yes, it looks like many of his millions of listeners will have to let go of their old ways of thinking and quickly adapt  their political calculations and accept that the political world hasn't just changed, but changed dramatically as a result of what is being attempted by the GOP Establishment.
Time to push those old clichés out the door and see the world for what it truly is -full of opportunistic, know-it-alls who in some cases are Republican-leaning business people -and their hired hands- who want pols to sell their principles in exchange for their campaign checks, leaving you to have to watch from the sidelines. 

As most of you who have been paying attention know, the Once Upon a Time decent-but-never-great Miami Herald has really fallen down the journalism rabbit hole the past 15 years, due largely to some consistently poor management, a lack of commitment to quality local reporting and an abject refusal to evolve with the times and give customers the sort of compelling original content they want about the area they live in.

The sad reality for me is that they cover Cuba about as much if not more than they cover Broward County where I live, less than 14 miles north of where the Heat played the Spurs Thursday night in downtown Miami. 

As I've stated here on the blog before, Broward County is largely terra incognita to the Herald, especially now at their new HQ in the make-believe city of Doral, the city of warehouses and persistent street flooding that strands citizens and commerce even worse than in Hallandale Beach.

That has been even more the case as the paper has cut back on frontline reporting personnel, and in my opinion, keeping more of the problems instead of trading them out for fresh eyes that can see what's right in front of them.

Real Clear Politics

Top 10 Newspapers in Trouble

#4 Miami Herald

05.22.12, 08:54 AM CDT

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/lists/top_10_newspapers_in_trouble/miami_herald.html

I mention this because the Herald's longstanding pro-amnesty bias, obvious for quite some time, regardless of the facts or the circumstance, has allowed their other biases on behalf of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, that is, ONCE THEY GOT ELECTED to Tallahassee and D.C., to again cloud their news judgment and any claim to news objectivity.

In case you forgot, I commend to you, 

The Atlantic Wire

Miami Herald Is Better at Marco Rubio Damage Control Than Rubio

By John Hudson

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/10/miami-herald-better-marco-rubio-damage-control-rubio/43990

Here's what I posted early Thursday morning

http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/republican-votes-for-gang-of-eight.html

Republican votes for the Gang of Eight immigration bill continue to fall away even 

as the Miami Herald continued their news blackout for a third day regarding Ryan

Lizza's New Yorker column and the truth about S.744, and the bad news for Marco

Rubio and the newspaper continues apace, as the truth about both continues to seep

out over the Internet

It's the perfect book-end to Wednesday.

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/news-blackout-at-miami-herald-re-marco.html

Yes, lots of genuine frustration that an important public policy issue that directly affects this area of the country more than any 95% of the U.S., negatively in my opinion, is being completely ignored -on purpose

Not surprisingly, this being South Florida, and the Summer, it's not like the four English-language TV stations are doing anything to fill the news vacuum.

They've done nothing about it and are, in fact, resorting to their usual summer habits: -either sleepwalking or taking a siesta for the whole summer.

But don't worry, they'll wake-up and pretend they're serious reporters again around Labor Day, esp. if it looks like a hurricane may pass thru South Florida.

Yes, then they are all Edward R. Murrow speaking gravely into their microphone.

In fact, Thursday night, even given the unique circumstances of the NBA Finals, during 90 minutes of ABC's Miami affiliate, WPLG's newcast from 5-6:30, other than the 4 breaks for weather updates, the only non-Miami Heat story was the George Zimmerman trial.

That's the whole list.

(I even watched it again on my DVR before writing this just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.)

Miami, often still barely part of America, and almost completely journalism-free this Summer.

re immigration reform: Is Marco Rubio becoming a dissembling, thin-skinned, over-exposed loser? Byron York observes the metamorphosis of Marco Rubio on immigration from border security stalwart to a flip-flopper who now wants amnesty first border security later, and who objects to being called a flip-flopper or #sellout. York puts it perfectly: Rubio: "We need to legalize immigrants so they can pay for border security"

Is Marco Rubio becoming a dissembling, thin-skinned, over-exposed loser? Byron York observes the metamorphosis of Marco Rubio on immigration from border security stalwart to a flip-flopper who now wants amnesty first border security later, and who objects to being called a flip-flopper or #sellout. York puts it perfectly: Rubio: "We need to legalize immigrants so they can pay for border security"

Hmm-m... interesting. 

Out of curiosity I checked @marcorubio and he hasn't tweeted ANYTHING about immigration in well over a month. No tell-tale sign of his flip-flopping!

https://twitter.com/marcorubio

The Washington Examiner

Immigration fight revolves around security question

By Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent

June 13, 2013  8:00 pm

There's a fundamental conflict at the heart of the Senate debate over the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill. Most Republicans believe a policy to integrate 11 million currently illegal immigrants into American society must be conditioned on stronger border security and internal enforcement. Most Democrats don't. At bottom, that's what the fight is about.

Most Republicans believe security must come before integration, in one of two ways. Some believe enhanced security must be in place -- not a plan, but a reality -- before the 11 million can be granted temporary legal status. 

Read the rest of the column at: http://washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-immigration-fight-revolves-around-security-question/article/2531881

New: Rubio: We need to legalize immigrants so they can pay for border security. http://t.co/o6a10YosHn
— Byron York (@ByronYork) June 14, 2013

The Washington Examiner

Rubio: We need to legalize immigrants so they can pay for border security

By Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent

June 13, 2013  10:00 pm 

Why is it necessary to legalize the roughly 11 million currently-illegal immigrants in the U.S. before newly enhanced border security and internal enforcement measures are in place? Sen. Marco Rubio, the leading Republican on the Senate’s Gang of Eight, says part of the reason is that the federal government can’t afford to secure the border on its own and needs financial help from the immigrants themselves, in the form of fines paid when they are legalized.

Rubio made the statement during a radio interview after he voted against an amendment from Republican Sen. Charles Grassley that would have put off legalization until after the border is secure — a position supported by majorities of voters across the political spectrum.

Read the rest of the column at: http://washingtonexaminer.com/rubio-we-need-to-legalize-immigrants-so-they-can-pay-for-border-security/article/2531906

MICKEY KAUS: The Secret DUI Factor. I’m told, by a reliable and well-placed source, that a g... http://t.co/DyN86X5swT via @instapundit
— Instapundit.com (@instapundit) June 14, 2013

New NJ senator voted in favor of Grassley amendment. RT @itoldyoumonsoon: @ByronYork How did Jeffrey Chiesa vote out of curiosity?
— Byron York (@ByronYork) June 13, 2013

Byron York @ByronYork  https://twitter.com/ByronYork