The State of the Union Address: The Version You Didn't Hear
  by The Angry Liberal

... Introduction: Ladies and Gentlemen: I can't believe I'm introducing this loser as the President of the United States!

Opening: My fellow Americans, the state of the union is strong. Not as strong as it was after the World Trade Center was attacked and I had to say it was stronger than ever, or as strong as it was in the nineties when most Americans had jobs, or in the eighties when Reagan was president and I was a drunk. But it is definitely stronger than it was during, say, that couple of hours in 1981 when Reagan was shot and Al Haig took over as president. Heck, he didn't have to get the Supreme Court involved! He just took over! What a guy!

Okay, here's the usual collection of distortions, mindless platitudes, and pie-in-the-sky proposals:

Job training: We need to prepare our unemployed for the jobs of the future. Therefore, I propose a series of measures called "Jobs for the 21st Century." After completing their job training, participants of this new program will receive a diploma and an airline ticket to India, where his or her new $3-per-hour job will be waiting. ...

Watch the ad CBS won't air during the Superbowl. Then let them know that rejecting ads because they're "controversial" just isn't right. Just click on the image below.

During this year's Super Bowl, you'll see ads sponsored by beer companies, tobacco companies, and the Bush White House.¹ But you won't see the winning ad in MoveOn.org Voter Fund's Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest. CBS refuses to air it.²

Meanwhile, the White House is on the verge of signing into law a deal which Senator John McCain (R-AZ) says is custom-tailored for CBS and Fox,³ allowing the two networks to grow much bigger. CBS lobbied hard for this rule change; MoveOn.org members across the country lobbied against it; and now our ad has been rejected while the White House ad will be played. It looks an awful lot like CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech.

Of course, this is bigger than just the MoveOn.org Voter Fund. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) submitted an ad that was also rejected.⁴ But this isn't even a progressive-vs.-conservative issue. The airwaves are publicly owned, so we have a fundamental right to hear viewpoints from across the ideological spectrum. That's why we need to let CBS know that this practice of arbitrarily turning down ads that may be "controversial" -- especially if they're controversial simply because they take on the President -- just isn't right.

To watch the ad that CBS won't air and sign our petition to CBS, go to: http://www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/

(If you want to skip the ad and just sign the petition, click here.)

We'll deliver the petition by email directly to CBS headquarters.

You also may want to let your local CBS affiliate know you're unhappy about this decision. We've attached a list of the CBS affiliates in your state at the bottom of this email. Remember, a polite, friendly call will be most effective -- just explain to them why you believe CBS' decision hurts our democracy.

CBS will claim that the ad is too controversial to air. But the message of the ad is a simple statement of fact, supported by the President's own figures. Compared with 2002's White House ad which claimed that drug users are supporting terrorism,⁵ it hardly even registers.

CBS will also claim that this decision isn't an indication of political bias. But given the facts, that's hard to believe. CBS overwhelmingly favored Republicans in its political giving, and the company spent millions courting the White House to stop FCC reform.⁶ According to a well-respected study, CBS News was second only to Fox in failing to correct common misconceptions about the Iraq war which benefited the Bush Administration -- for example, the idea that Saddam Hussein was involved with 9/11.⁷

This is not a partisan issue. It's critical that our media institutions be fair and open to all speakers. CBS is setting a dangerous precedent, and unless we speak up, the pattern may continue. Please call on CBS to air ads which address issues of public importance today.

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Laura, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
  The MoveOn.org Team
  January 23rd, 2003

P.S. Our friends at Free Press have put together a page which explains simply how CBS and the FCC rule change are integrally linked. Check it out at: http://www.mediareform.net/media/

P.P.S Here are the CBS affiliates in your state:

KCBS-TV, Los Angeles: (323) 460-3000
KFMB-TV, San Diego: (858) 571-8888
KPSP-TV, Thousand Palms: (760) 343-5700
KBAK-TV, Bakersfield: (661) 327-7955
KCOY-TV, Santa Maria: (805) 925-1200
KGPE-TV, Fresno: (559) 222-2411
KION-TV, Salinas: (831) 784-1702
KPIX-TV, San Francisco: (415) 362-5550
KVIQ-TV, Eureka: (707) 443-3061
KOVR-TV, West Sacramento: (916) 374-1313
KHSL-TV, Chico: (530) 342-0141

Footnotes:
1. "Who's Buying What At the Super Bowl," Ad Age, 1/20/04
2. CBS fax to MoveOn.org Voter Fund, 1/14/04
3. "Democrats Fold on 39% TV Cap Fight", Broadcasting and Cable, 1/21/04
4. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
5. "New Media Campaign Stresses Link between Drugs and Terrorism," U.S. Dept. of State
6. "CBS Television Network Soft Money Donations," Opensecrets.org
7. "Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War," PIPA/Knowledge Networks Poll