This weekend CNN is giving four hours of free airtime to the leading propagandist fanning the flames of deficit hysteria, Pete Peterson. And the other "experts' all echo Peterson's conservative deficit fixations. Bloggers and online activists are joining today to promote this action. And if CNN does go ahead with this programming, tell them to provide balance to Pete Peterson's deficit hysteria. Give equal time to defenders of Social Security, Medicare and public investment.
CNN plans to air Peterson's thoroughly debunked propaganda movie "I.O.U.S.A," - and then his acolytes will have free reign to spread their usual lies about Social Security, Medicare and government in general without any fiscal expert to challenge them and give a different point of view.
How do we know? Because CNN did the exact same thing with "I.O.U.S.A" last year. No debate. Just Peterson's propaganda.
Is this how "the most trusted name in news" should cover the debates on retirement security, job creation and fighting poverty?
We have just one day to get CNN to balance it's programming.
Whose voices will be shut out this weekend?
The nation's leading economists who are urging our government to use deficits today to invest in long-term prosperity - such as Paul Krugman, James Galbraith and Dean Baker.
The fiscal experts who have repeatedly said Social Security is sound and broader health care reform will protect Medicare.
All of you who voted for an active government to invest in our future.
While you are kept silent, who does CNN give the microphone to?
A multimillionaire Wall Street mogul who wants our government to slash investments while millions are losing their jobs. This guy had no problem taking tax cuts for the wealthy that caused our deficit problems - and his Wall St buddies crashed the economy.
NOTE: Peterson is holding an April 28 "Fiscal Summit" to once repeat his "way forward" out of the deficits caused by tax cuts for the wealthy and the financial crisis caused by Wall Street and the bankers. On the program: President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin, who deregulated the financial system, profiting Rubin's Citibank - until the system melted down. Also on the program, Alan Greenspan, the former Fed Chief who presided over the deregulated banking system. These are the people Peterson chooses to lecture the rest of us about why we need painful austerity. This weekend's CNN programs are just a setup for April 28.
We are in the midst of a great debate over the direction America should take.
"The most trusted name in news" should be the place where we have the debate, not where one opinion is deemed to be absolute truth.
We already have a cable news network that does that. We don't need another unfair, unbalanced channel
Speak out today. Don't let Pete Peterson take over the debate about our future.