DEAN VOWS TO 'BREAK UP GIANT MEDIA ENTERPRISES'

If elected president, Howard Dean vows to "break up giant media enterprises" out of a concern "how deeply media companies can penetrate every single community" in America.

The Dem hopeful made the comments on GENERAL ELECTRIC-owned MSNBC during HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS.

"The essence of capitalism, which the right-wing never understands -- it always baffles me -- is, you got to have some rules," Dean explained to Matthews and students at Harvard.

MATTHEWS: Well, would you break up GE?

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN: I can`t -- you...

MATTHEWS: GE just buys Universal. Would you do something there about that? Would you stop that from happening?

DEAN: You can`t say -- you can`t ask me right now and get an answer, would I break up X corp...

MATTHEWS: We`ve got to do it now, because now is the only chance we can ask you, because, once you are in, we have got to live with you.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: No.

MATTHEWS: So, if you are going to do it, you have got to tell us now.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Are you going to break up the giant media enterprises in this country?

DEAN: Yes, we`re going to break up giant media enterprises. That doesn`t mean we`re going to break up all of GE.

What we`re going to do is say that media enterprises can`t be as big as they are today. I don`t think we actually have to break them up, which Teddy Roosevelt had to do with the leftovers from the McKinley administration.

Dean explained how "11 companies in this country control 90 percent of what ordinary people are able to read and watch on their television. That`s wrong. We need to have a wide variety of opinions in every community. We don`t have that because of Michael Powell and what George Bush has tried to do to the FCC."

Matthews continued:

"Would you break up Fox?"

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: I`m serious.

DEAN: I`m keeping a...

MATTHEWS: Would you break it up? Rupert Murdoch has "The Weekly Standard." It has got a lot of other interests. It has got "The New York Post." Would you break it up?

DEAN: On ideological grounds, absolutely yes, but...

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: No, seriously. As a public policy, would you bring industrial policy to bear and break up these conglomerations of power?

DEAN: I don`t want to answer whether I would break up Fox or not, because, obviously

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Well, how about large media enterprises?

DEAN: Let me -- yes, let me get...

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: The answer to that is yes.

I would say that there is too much penetration by single corporations in media markets all over this country. We need locally-owned radio stations. There are only two or three radio stations left in the state of Vermont where you can get local news anymore. The rest of it is read and ripped from the AP.

MATTHEWS: So what are you going to do about it? You`re going to be president of the United States, what are you going to do?

DEAN: What I`m going to do is appoint people to the FCC that believe democracy depends on getting information from all portions of the political spectrum, not just one.

Developing...

Like I said before, Dean will break up giant media enterprises when Bill Clinton stops sleeping around with fat women.

And I should add, when Michael Jackson stops playing rubba rubba with anyone but Bubba.

OK......Kind of interesting, but I already knew that Dean is agaisnt big business. Most liberal democrats are. It's not very hard to figure out.

:-:~ PhantomGhost ~:-:

"DEAN: I can`t -- you..."

Just struck me as funny

Seems fairly obvious Dean isn't really serious about this. "Would you break up GE?" "Would you break up Fox?" *hems and haws* Dean kept dodging the question with some prepared statement and passing the buck "I will appoint..." Well, I now know Dean isn't serious about this and I can't seriously consider him.

It just seems like he's making idle promises that he's not going to make good on if he's elected.

PhantomG,

Most liberal democrats are against big business??? What planet are you living on. On my planet called California, we've got two of the most liberal democratic senators in existance and they are toe in toe with the RIAA and MPAA and back everything they say. There isn't a clear distinction politically anymore about who supports big business and who doesn't. That's why when you go to the poles, forget your inbred political bias and vote for the person who really represents your interests, since the political parties themselves don't. They just want to keep things the way they are to maintain their power base and existance. Just like the RIAA.

airider

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
- Claire Wolfe, 101 Things to Do 'Til the Revolution

*sigh* there's just no difference between a demo-crap and a re-puke-ican anymore..

While its nice to hear him say he'll break up big media, he shows the normal political equivocalness when answering specifics.

Then again... perhaps he just isn't ready for specifics and rather wait until he's elected or he's just bringing up this point because he's aware there was much outrage over it and he wants to appeal to those potential voters.

One interesting note that occurred to me, Bush has accumulated some 200 million dollars in donations so far, mostly from big donars. Dean claims to be getting 50-200ish from his grassroots campaign, so why not state something direct about this media conglomerates, since Bush seems to be getting a lot of his funds from businesses?

I went to C-Span.org to see if I could get specifics on PAC contributions for Bush's campaign, it only listed the type of corporation that donated though. Nevertheless Business - Retail, Services has donated $78,500 and Communications Technology has donated $72,000 both of which may contain media conglomerates.

But I'm not sure how powerful those ubiquitous media conglomerates may be, perhaps speaking specifics would incite them to lower his coverage. Not to long ago Dean was an underdog, but he managed to supercede many of his competitors for the presidency, recently.

If his coverage were to stop nearly a year before the election, he would surely be diminished in his abilities to become elected, let alone nominated by his party.

Suikio

Well in his defense it is a bit obsured to ask someone to take a strong stance like that. It would also be political suicide. Yes we have to live with him when and if he gets in. But he also has to live with us. Not all of the people in this country are smart enough to hate big business. Personally I think he said too much. He should have taken a more idealogical position and said I would reverse the imbalance in big media in this country and I would stimulate a diverse growth in information. I'de give him my vote, but diebold would probably steal it first.

What are we gonna do now?

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/contrib.asp?id=N00025663&cycle=2004


AOL Timewarner and Uncle Walt are among his top contributors.

Choose all cycles to see the list.

I hope that someone will ask him and the other candidates what they will do about the RIAA. I believe that the RIAA is almost as harmful as terrorists, and even worse, they're on our own soil.

Well said airider.

I am almost convinced that Dean is whom I will endorse...

If he comes out against the RIAA directly, he will have my vote.

Boxer and Feinstien out there in CA can go to hell tho... and I am a political liberal who normally votes Democrat.

Folks, look at the candidates themselves and ignore the "party" they claim to be in. In fact, it might be wise to NOT be in a party yourself... there is no law against being registered as a Dem and voting for some Repubs and vice versa. I wish we could just do away with parties anyway.

Shmoo, of Electric Gypsy
Support Local and Independent Music!

I agree independentmusician, parties have become blurred anyhow. I find the whole party names a bit silly, we should rely more on the individuals to represent us, not what party them come from and how close they follow their "party line".

The individuals and their opinions and perspectives are more important then a parties ideology. It also becomes quite obnoxious when the parties constantly bicker, and rarely seem to agree.

Suikio

I'm already voting for Dean all the way. As far as i'm concerned Howard Dean is already my president because I think this man has what it takes to help the average citizen in our country that has been taken over my corporate media monsters that insist on screwing us over. Dean is the democrats answer to George Bush and our "regime". I wish all of the countries that didn't agree to support the Iraq war in the U.N would come to America and liberate us from George BUSH!!!

HEY HOWARD TEDDY R was a REPUBLICAN!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah, he was.. amazing isn't it? Republicans actually used to be good.. Now there's the shocker of the day for me..

I still like Kucinich and who's gonna run against Bush? Has anyone heard? I'm not voting for frigging BUSH. Hopefully Dennis will make it all the way and knock off the others. My second choice is Clark I heard him talking about this stuff on Fox for a few minutes.. didn't completely get the whole thing because the idiot who was asking him questions never gave him a chance to answer and was putting words into his mouth FOX SUCKS!!! I hope someone rips them apart big time!!!!

As of right now I'm not committing myself to anyone in particular. At this point none of the democrats are really exciting me, but I try to keep in mind the field is kinda wide at this point..just waiting for it to boil down a little I guess. Gotta agree with Shmoo et al., enslaving oneself to one party is stupidity incarnate. Wasn't it my own senior senator, Mr. Levin (D-MI), that was at the head of the riaa ass-kissing parade during that one hearing recently (can't remember the senator who called for it at the moment)? The major parties are a big part of the problem. Too bad we don't have a better array of political parties in the US.

Ummm, imagine Dean gets elected. Then who will his enemies be if he actually tries to turn on big business? It might be the bought and paid-for senators of his own party.

Seriously, though, which is more dangerous, big government or big business? At least business cannot make me buy CDs, or make me watch bad movies and TV, nor can it make me buy designer jeans or cell phones or those wonderful purple pills. Yet, at the point of a gun or the threat of confiscating everything I've got, I am forced to "contribute" via taxes to inefficient government services of all sorts. Social security, government schools, etc. If Dean or some other liberal nationalizes health care, I have no choice.

Bush is no picnic, either. Still, Dr. Howard "central planning" Dean is not an answer to the problems I perceive in society.

And moreover, the RIAA's tactics, one-party mindset, and cold, heartless, callous attitude towards the consumer, are very much in keeping with those of the totalitarian Stalinist / Leninist / Maoist / Castroist / Pol-Potist hard-Left, so in that context it would make sense that Feinstein and Boxer are so obvious stooges of the multinational entertainment-media complex.

And how tied in to the hard Left is the multinational entertainment-media complex in general, and the RIAA in particular, can be measured in an article I saw that was written by Linda Chavez pertaining to "The Reagans" miniseries that was bumped from CBS to Showtime. In that article, Ms. Chavez referred to former RIAA czarina Hilary Rosen as an "AIDS activist" -- and made no mention whatsoever about her former job or her disgraceful legacy with respect to this issue.

Oh, and speaking of "central planning": That is written all over not only the RIAA, but also the MPAA.

Stilltrying, that's the most profound argument I think I've ever heard. I think I'll vote for Bush this coming election.

I hope the sarcasm is sensed.

As far as Dean goes, I don't think he was given a real chance to speak on the issue. He was constantly being interrupted even as he began talking. I watch the show to hear about what candidates think of the issues, not Matthew's smart-aleck interruptions which, though occasionally funny, get in the way of the show's actual purpose. Then again, that's just the way it goes on that show, and Dean was able to get many of his other points across.

My favorite candidate by far is Sharpton, but unfortunately, he's not a realistic candidate (due to the populace, not his own ability). For now, I'm still formulating my hard decision.

This just shows that Dean will run scared as soon as he feels pressure to answer questions. Kucinich has not run and has been completely honest with everyone who has questioned him. If I were Dean, I would back away now before he embarrasses himself when he can't follow through.

i don't think he whas trying to reviel to much of his game plane just yet but he whas almost forced i bleave if he truns his back completly to big bisness he will not get in i bleave he is trying to play both sides to get in and then unleash his trap
i may be grasping at straws but at leaset the straws i'm pulling up sound good :0P