funeral for a doll

so fragile it was

so fragile it is

a porcelain offering from

a man without false shine

alabama hardness that often hid wealth mined

from beneath the carnage he often

reached the bottom of, acting as if he had

discovered some new form of extinction

in a land he defended as if it was his alone…

but her smile always lit the exit tunnel

when he choose to suffer the surface of things:

he would rise from the bottom slowly

as if lifted on a scaffold of crud and circumstance.

she smiles and giggles, as she did back then

remembering the way he handled her firstborn

pulling it out of a greasy bag that was

as rippled as the wine it once held gently

the same way he would hold her

from time to time, his breath smelling like that church

on the corner- he said it was his church- where the

men and women preached funny when they came out…

he would preach funny sometimes too

but he didn’t preach at the funeral for her little baby

that broke after it fell off the kitchen table when

he slapped her sister, sending her flying underneath it

into one of the already rickety legs.

he said that he was sorry about what happened to her baby

he grinned and said he would try to buy her another one

she really didn’t believe that he bought that one

but his teeth shined just like her little baby did

so she just smiled back and giggled…

Assassination in the real world



There is a scene from the movie Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, that I believe beautifully sets the tone for this post. Cruise plays an assassin named Vincent and he’s just carried out a hit on someone and has hijacked the cab of Foxx’s character, Max, and has thrown the victim’s body into the trunk of Max’s cab.

Max feebly tries to chastise Vincent for what he just did, attempting to appeal to his conscience. Here is the exchange as it took place in the movie, picking up right after Max asked Vincent what had the murder victim done to deserve his fate:

VINCENT: What do you care? Ever hear of Rwanda?

MAX: Rwanda. Yeah.

VINCENT: Tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody’s killed people that fast since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Did you bat an eye, Max? Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam or something? No. I off one Angeleno, you throw a hissy fit…

MAX: I don’t know Rwandans.

VINCENT: You don’t know the guy in the trunk, either.

Until recently I didn’t know who Anwar Al-Awlaki was and I’m almost certain that I was among millions of Americans who contribute to the collective ignorance of the existence of the Muslim cleric whom President Obama has targeted to be killed because of an alleged link to terrorist activities.

The focus of this post is not Al-Awlaki’s guilt or innocence or whether President Obama’s executive order is justified or not. I want to focus on the ignorance and indifference that Tom Cruise’s character Vincent touched on in the movie.

I’m sure that a lot of people who watched Countdown with Keith Olbermann on 4/7/2010 were stunned to hear that the President of the United States had issued an executive order to have anyone killed, let alone someone who is currently a U.S. citizen.

I can imagine many asking themselves: How can a nice and timid family man like President Obama give the OK to have someone killed? Because it’s not about personality, it’s about the nature of power in this country and the necessities born out of that nature. And it’s a nature that we are not taught about in history and civics classes in this country.

What President Obama did is unprecedented in terms of authorizing the assassination of an American citizen, but as it regards a U.S. President’s authorization of assassination, this is hardly anything new.

In an Associated Press story that appeared in the 11/19/93 Daily Herald it was revealed that the administration of President John F. Kennedy (today coincidentally is the 47th anniversary of his assassination) “…asked the CIA to develop a “standby capability” for carrying out assassinations of foreign leaders, according to newly declassified documents.” The story goes on to say that “…the Kennedy administration had inherited a plan to kill Cuban President Fidel Castro…”

The Associated Press story also refers to a 1967 report by the CIA inspector general, J.S. Earman, that “…covers the various well publicized CIA efforts to assassinate Castro during the 1960’s,” and

adds that those efforts “…were reviewed in considerable detail by a Senate committee in 1975, which concluded there were eight such attempts on Castro’s life.”

At this point Max the cab driver would probably ask: “What exactly did Castro do to deserve to be killed?”

The Senate committee that the story is referring to is the Church Committee, which held Congressional hearings that took place in 1975, a portion of which is shown in the second video in this post.

The focus of the video is Congressional testimony regarding a “heart attack gun” designed for the CIA for use for assassination. It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie or one of the Mission Impossible movies that Tom Cruise starred in, but again, this was discussed during Congressional testimony. On Capitol Hill. In Washington D.C. In America.

This was not part of a movie or make-believe. Nor was Keith Olbermann’s report. It seems that the majority of Americans are blissfully ignorant of these matters, and when they hear about atrocities that take place in far away lands they barely blink. This is the state of oblivion that the assassin Vincent was referring to in the movie and it could very well become a terminal condition for America if the citizens of this country do not become more appreciative and vigilant regarding our freedoms and also the freedoms of those in other countries as well.

Big Pimpin’: No longer easy

“If the word has the potency to revive and make us free, it also has the power to blind, imprison, and destroy.”

Ralph Ellison  

In Ralph Ellison’s book Invisible Man the main character narrates the book as an unidentified black man who is invisible to society because he is seen as a stereotype and not as a living and breathing human being. The opening chapter of the book presents the main character as an exceptional student who was chosen as his high school’s valedictorian and was asked to give his graduation speech- which was based on a paper that he wrote about the struggles of the average black man- to the upper-class white people of the small southern town where he lived.

But before he was allowed to demonstrate the God-given ability and intellect that earned him the title of valedictorian he was forced to engage in a humiliating spectacle that featured him being blindfolded and made to fight nine of his classmates, all of whom were also black and who were also fighting blindfolded.

Mr. Ellison called the spectacle “The Battle Royal” and I believe that the powerful symbolism that he illustrated with that scenario can be easily applied to certain elements in the world of Hip Hop that have existed for some time now. When you reflect back on the MC battles and beefs that have taken place through the years and that have led to people being hurt and killed and consider that the tragedies stemmed from individuals being blinded by fame and fortune (as well as self-hatred), all the while providing a grotesque form of entertainment for many who were far removed from the realities of being black in America (i.e. white fans), I believe that one would be hard-pressed to argue with the analogy. Add to that the denigration and vicarious vixenization of black mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, wives, grandmothers, and lovers, through the use of lascivious lyrics and images in videos and you pretty much have the ingredients for a self-genocidal gumbo.

Which is why when I came across the article in The Wall Street Journal where superstar rapper Jay-Z expressed regrets about the lyrics of one of his biggest hits, Big Pimpin’, I took notice. Here is Jay-Z’s response to a question that he was asked during the interview regarding how it felt to see his lyrics written down on the pages of his book, Decoded:

Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not “Big Pimpin.” That’s the exception. It was like, I can’t believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing? Reading it is really harsh.

Talk about profound. This very public, and apparently very painful, admission of egregious error is truly stunning, and it’s significance should not be lost in the trash heap of yesterday’s hot topics.

I’m not going to waste time speculating on just how genuinely disgusted Jay-Z is with the lyrics that he conceived that served to glorify what is probably the most vile and dehumanizing vocation there is this side of chattel slavery. Some have already cynically suggested that it’s easy to admit to mistakes when your estimated worth is $450 million and your wife is the beautiful Beyonce’, who is a superstar and icon in her own right.

But this goes far deeper than mistakes. This is about mentality. Rather than speculate on how for real Jay-Z’s regret is I choose to focus on the clout that he has amassed in the music industry and how he can use that clout to undo some of the damage that he and other rappers have done to the psyches and souls that they have affected with their words. As Mr. Ellison indicated, words can revive and make us free. Here’s hoping that Jay-Z doesn’t become invisible to the light that he has shined upon himself. 

green tea fields

the daughter asked,

“What happened to them?’

the father answered,

“they were killed by Africans from another tribe”

the daughter replied,

“oh.”

they said that they had been waiting

since Byumba…

the reed mat is partially burned

from flames stomped out yet raging

it conceals everything and nothing

displaying the stilled feet of crossed legs

that could belong to someone who loved

to lay in the grass and look up at the sky.

they said that they had been waiting

since Cyangugu…

the head rests on red, lumpy clay

one hand covers the face

shielding it from the sun

that cannot be seen or felt.

they said that they had been waiting

since Butare…

the mouth hangs open

the way a baby brother’s would

while he naps during the late afternoon

of a hot and humid summer day

his spirit renewed when he awakens

to again go outside to play.

they said that they had been waiting

since Kibungo…

they were not present

at their colonial coronation

centuries ago

they may not have smiled

and said thank you

or felt honored.

they said that they had been waiting

since Kigali…

the blood of the children

is drying on the crown

that they may or may not

have believed was theirs

but never cared to wear

as they ran laughing

through the green tea fields.

Winter in America

It’s winter…winter in America…and ain’t nobody fighting, ’cause nobody knows what to save.

From the song “Winter in America” by Gil Scott Heron/Brian Jackson

Nowadays when I reminisce about being young and black in America back in the early 70’s I see it as a special time, a transitional period in different ways, on different levels. Personally I had successfully made the leap from grade school to high school and was reveling in my passage into the teenage years,  bolstered by the belief that manhood was just around the corner. 

But things were drastically changing in the world at large as well. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968, and I remember standing on the back porch on the second floor of the apartment building that we lived in and watching the sky turn reddish-orange and black from the flames and smoke during the riots that had broken out. Then a couple of months later I sat in front of our black and white television mesmerized by the news coverage of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

From what I was told these were good men that stood for what was right and wanted to help make this society, this world, a better place for all people. The fact that they were killed because of their benevolent beliefs was a signal to my young mind that this world was not as nice a place as I thought it was. I guess that it can be said that I had developed a higher level of consciousness about people and the society that I lived in.   

 

Then there was the music. The songs began to reflect the prevailing spirit of the times, questioning and outright challenging long-held notions and beliefs about America and it’s commitment to the principles of justice and equality.

One of my all-time favorite songs of this genre of music is Winter in America, by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Released in 1974, the song still powerfully speaks to the pain and disillusionment that stems from decimated dreams and perverted promises and the spiritual toll of struggling against complex forces that suppress and oppress.

One can only hope and pray that there will always be those that will never stop believing in and working towards a changing of the season that leads to the realization of the highest of American ideals…

Money in Politics: The High Price of Democracy

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.  ~Oscar Ameringer

After witnessing the 2010 mid-term campaigns I seriously doubt that any sane observer would describe politics as a “gentle art.” And according to a recent article in the Washington Post, getting votes from the poor these days is an art form that has gone the way of participatory democracy in this country.

In the Post article Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, an alliance of national organizations that advocates for the poor, commented on the reluctance on Capitol Hill to address the issue of poverty in this country, which she says is “a national emergency.” 

Weinstein noted that there are people in Washington who realize that “…poverty is important and is a blight on our nation.” She goes on to say, “But we are also up against a general recognition that poor people don’t vote in great numbers. And they certainly aren’t going to be making campaign contributions. That definitely puts them behind many other people and interests when decisions are being made around here.”

Which leads me to the video clip featuring Robert Kaiser, who coincidently is associate editor and senior correspondent of the Washington Post. Mr. Kaiser was on tour, promoting his book titled So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and The Corrosion of American Government.

During his talk Mr. Kaiser makes several points that pretty much echo what Ms. Weinstein said as it concerns the lack of representation for the poor on Capitol Hill. But there was one particular point that he made which was staggering in its summation of just how much of a factor money has become in politics. Kaiser said that in 1974 the average winning Senate campaign cost $450,000. In 2008 the average cost of a winning Senate campaign had risen to approximately $10,000,000.

What that suggests to me is that not only the poor, but every other economic class except for the wealthy has pretty much been priced out of what we have been made to believe is the premier model of democracy in the world and it’s a price tag that both major political parties are responsible for attaching to the system of government that impacts our lives from the cradle to the grave. It’s no wonder that we have the level of disillusionment and rage that we have among the electorate in this country…

Ntozake Shange: When the rainbow prevails

When I die, I will not be guilty of having left a generation of girls behind thinking that anyone can tend to their emotional health other than themselves.

Ntozake Shange

With Tyler Perry’s movie For Colored Girls opening today, I felt compelled to devote a post to the vision and influence of the woman whose literary work the movie is based on, Ntozake Shange. I believe that this is a day to celebrate and that the celebration should be about something far more significant than any success or failure that may be assigned to the movie.

In preparing for this post I came across an interview of Ms. Shange that was done several years ago. When asked why she decided to become a writer she said, “I couldn’t find anything that truly reflected what I thought was my reality and the reality of other women my age. Since I couldn’t find it, the only responsible recourse was to write some myself.”

The movie will be introducing Ms. Shange’s play for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf to a new generation, specifically a new generation of African-American females. Ms. Shange survived several suicide attempts to become one of the most accomplished and recognized writers of our time. Her story is not only one of survival, but also of triumph against destructive forces that besieged her from both within and without.

In another quote from the interview Ms. Shange shares that “…the imaginings of women of color are particularly sacred to me. Those are things we cannot afford to lose when we are being beaten down constantly.” Those words still resonate with raw relevance today, and regardless of any reactions or reviews that the movie may incite, I believe that it will serve a far greater purpose than for the pursuit of profit or praise…

Infected by the talking points puppets

As I watched Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Republican Representative Eric Cantor being interviewed on MSNBC last night I got the feeling that I was watching a really bad “B” horror movie, the type that comes on well after midnight when most people are asleep.

These two politicians’ robotic repetition of  inane and unconscionable talking points were such an affront to human intelligence that at one point, while he was interviewing Ms. Bachmann, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was compelled to ask her “Are you hypnotized?” I suppose that he couldn’t ask her if she was high. Of course the video of that exchange has gone viral.

But that’s not the only thing that has gone viral. The Matthews/Bachmann spectacle is indicative of what the political discourse in this country has degenerated to.  Though last night’s results were by and large typical by mid-term election standards, it’s obvious that the contagion of regurgitated rhetoric was prevalent enough to instigate a power shift in Washington that will more than likely result in gridlock over the next two years.

So, in all likelihood the mangled mindset that is illustrated in the “Hi, I’m a Tea Partier” video will play a major role in paralyzing the government of the United States, negatively impacting millions of citizens. Need I say more?

Democracy in crisis: A Terrible Answer

Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies – Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s amazing how we as human beings have the unlimited capacity to hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see. We can tell ourselves how much we are devoted to the truth, how fair we are, and how much we care about others, but it seems that there is something inside all of us that makes us susceptible to skewed vision that can make us incredibly shallow and self-centered.

Whether the foundation or catalyst for the skewed vision is love, abuse, ego, fear, prejudice, ignorance, etc., our perception becomes reality, no matter how much reality tells us otherwise. And therein lies the danger. 

I truly believe that we are living in dangerous times. There are many who may make light of the present social and political climate in this country, who may dismiss the behavior of some of the candidates that ran for office in the mid-term elections as merely public and shameless displays of incompetence or idiocy, who may look at the occasional incidences of violence as the random acts of a few psychos.

But history attaches a far more frightening potential to these developments that are dominating today’s headlines, which is the point that Professor Chomsky is making in the video. He makes the point that there is so much suffering and disillusionment in American today and people are looking for answers regarding what’s going on. Unfortunately Rush Limbaugh and people of his ilk are providing “an answer.” As Professor Chomsky profoundly puts it, “It’s a terrible answer…but it is an answer.”

In an article that appeared in The Progressive magazine earlier this year, professor Chomsky was quoted as saying, “The level of anger and fear is like nothing I can compare in my lifetime.”

Just to put the rise of the Tea Party in historical perspective, let’s consider another quote from Professor Chomsky that appeared in that article: “In 1928 the Nazis had less than 2 percent of the vote,” he said. “Two years later, millions supported them. The public got tired of the incessant wrangling, and the service to the powerful, and the failure of those in power to deal with their grievances.”

Something to think about…

The Real Story of the 2010 Election

For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are lead of them are destroyed.

Isaiah 9:16

I believe that it’s safe to say that if the absence of knowledge can lead to destruction, then the absence of truth almost assures it. The video pretty much speaks for itself; but I also want to share a newsletter that I received from Media Matters on Oct. 29, 2010, which I believe will provide relevant narration for the video.

The focus of the newsletter is Fox News and its “…massive influence over the coming elections…” It’s a scathing indictment which takes the position that the emergence of Fox News upon the national consciousness is “…perhaps the most significant development in the country’s political landscape over the past two years.”

And it’s hard to argue with that point, when you consider the present climate in this country and the fact that Fox News has the power to influence millions of citizens “…with shameless smears, lies, misrepresentations, and fabricated stories.” The danger underlying this development goes far deeper than the violation of journalistic ethics.

When you have blatant hatred and bigotry being openly and freely expressed under the guise of objective reporting and malignant messages that are reaching the hearts and minds of millions who, for whatever reason, are receptive to those messages, to simply dismiss all of it as the behavior of a bunch of buffoons and clowns would be error of the highest magnitude.

For those of us who truly cherish the freedoms that we enjoy in this country, that’s a level of error that we cannot afford to engage in…

Media Matters: The real story of the 2010 election By most accounts, the Democrats stand to lose seats in both the House and Senate this coming Tuesday. There are, of course, a wide range of explanations for why this is the case.However, in endeavoring to explain how the GOP has seemingly managed to reverse its political fortunes in such a short amount of time, media outlets would be remiss not to mention one of the most important factors. In fact, we don’t need to wait for Tuesday’s results to pinpoint perhaps the most significant development in the country’s political landscape over the past two years.One of the two major political parties in the country is run by a “news” network.Since President Obama’s inauguration, Fox News has transformed from simply the mouthpiece and oppo research shop of the Republican Party into its headquarters. For the GOP, Fox fundraises, campaigns, gives strategic advice, picks candidates (and then provides them a comfortable platform to reach millions of voters, free of charge), throws and promotes rallies, gets out the vote, and, perhaps most importantly, sets the narrative.They do all of this while continuing their time-honored tradition of tearing down liberal initiatives and politicians with shameless smears, lies, misrepresentations, and fabricated stories. But before we get to Fox’s massive influence over the coming elections, some back-story is necessary. Less than two months after Obama’s inauguration, Fox News senior vice president Bill Shine gave an interview with NPR about how the network’s ratings were soaring at the time. During the interview, Shine noted that some people were “rooting for [Fox] to go away” after the election, but “[w]ith this particular group of people in power right now and the honeymoon they’ve had from other members of the media, does it make it a little bit easier for us to be the voice of opposition on some issues?” Fox’s programming has effectively answered Shine’s rhetorical question with a forceful “yes.” Right out of the gate, Fox led the charge against the stimulus, eschewing the views of economists to attack deficit spending and rewriting history to attack FDR and the New Deal. The network was certainly “the voice of the opposition” on health care reform, spewing countless falsehoods about both our broken health care system and the proposals to fix it while promoting disruptions of health care town halls and GOP initiatives to kill reform. And of course, Fox operates as a perpetual dishonesty machine, trotting out a steady stream of overhyped scandals and faux-outrages to dent the administration and Democrats (mustard on Obama’s “fancy” hamburger, anyone?) The network was integral to fostering discontent with Democrats and the administration through their relentless promotion of the Tea Party movement. Fox gave the Tea Party a huge assist last year in the run-up to the original protests, which Fox took ownership of by sending several of their top hosts to throw “FNC Tax Day Tea Parties.” Since then, Fox has shown that there is no Tea Party gathering too small to treat as a news event, and their personalities continue to regularly appear at Tea Party events around the country. But Fox has done far more this cycle than foster an environment conducive to a GOP electoral victory, having assumed a more hands-on role in Republican electioneering. In addition to Fox’s parent company donating $1.25 million to the Republican Governors Association and another million to the GOP-aligned Chamber of Commerce, more than thirty Fox Newsers have supported GOP candidates or organizations in more than 600 instances in at least 47 states, as we detailed in a report this week. While it would be nearly impossible to run through Fox’s influence in all of the individual races this year, their “coverage” of a select few races is indicative of the network’s complete transformation into GOP headquarters. The network tipped its hand for how it would handle covering elections in the “voice of the opposition” era during the run-up to January’s senate election in Massachusetts. Not only did Fox portray Scott Brown as a heroic Founding Father-like figure while smearing his opponent, it also actively aided Brown’s campaign by hosting him repeatedly in the days leading up the election and allowing him to direct viewers to his website so they could find out how to “help with donating and volunteering.” After Brown’s victory, the network was jubilant.   With the successful trial run out of the way, Fox copied the Brown blueprint in several other races around the country. In the Nevada Senate race, Fox has spent months promoting Sharron Angle and attacking Harry Reid. While Angle has mostly refused to grant interviews to news outlets, she has made an exception for Fox. In fact, their welcoming atmosphere led Angle to brag about how “friendly” outlets like Fox help her with fundraising. Fox personalities have also worked overtime to aid her race. Fox contributor Sarah Palin endorsed Angle and her PAC gave $2,500 to the campaign. Fox contributor Karl Rove’s GOP slush fund (aka American Crossroads) has indicated it will invest in GOTV efforts to aid Angle. It is also aired an ad targeting Reid. Fox’s Dennis Miller appeared at an October fundraiser for Angle. And then there’s Dick Morris. Fox’s human ethics scandal has repeatedly fundraised on Angle’s behalf while also touting on-air the anti-Harry Reid group that he’s advising. And as Election Day rapidly approaches, Fox kicked off this week by launching an evidence-free smear of Reid. After Reid’s office responded to Fox’s desperate attempts to create a new “political scandal,” Fox’s flagship news program, Special Report, deceptively quoted a statement from Reid’s office in order to continue to push the story.  And, just in case their blatant efforts to get Angle elected fail, Fox already has their backup plan in place. This week, Fox News has been hyping comically flimsy allegations of “voter fraud” in Nevada. As top Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston explained to a confused Bill Hemmer, the fraud allegations are merely a “preemptive” strike so the GOP can “cry fraud” in the event Angle loses. But a candidate doesn’t even need to be in a close race in order to receive the benefits of FoxPAC support. In Delaware, Fox News has thrown their full weight behind Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell, Karl Rove’s short-lived detour questioning O’Donnell’s qualifications for office notwithstanding. Rove quickly got with the program and endorsed O’Donnell. He was joined by fellow Fox personalities Sarah Palin and Michelle Malkin. The network’s hosts have heaped praise on O’Donnell while playing dumb in order to claim her opponent has admitted to being a “bearded Marxist.” While it would be difficult to list all of the effusive O’Donnell praise, one characteristic outpouring of affection came from Fox Business host Stuart Varney, who labeled her precisely the kind of “new face, new blood that we need to get in there.” Following in Angle’s footsteps by bragging about the love she gets from Fox, Christine O’Donnell told GOP insiders at a strategy meeting that she has “got Sean Hannity in my back pocket, and I can go on his show and raise money by attacking you guys.” A host who was concerned about maintaining any credibility may have bristled at being portrayed this way, but Sean Hannity has long-since demonstrated his lack of concern for ethics. Far from being upset, Hannity is still welcoming O’Donnell on his show. The Ohio gubernatorial race features Republican candidate John Kasich, who just so happens to be a former Fox News host. Kasich repeatedly used his platform as a Fox host to position himself for a run, and continued to appear regularly as a Fox contributor and host from the time he announced that he was paving the way for a gubernatorial run in March 2008 until he officially declared his candidacy on June 1, 2009. Since declaring his candidacy, Kasich has continued to reap benefits from his cozy relationship with the network. Several Fox News personalities campaigned for him and openly root for him. Two Fox hosts – Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee — have told Kasich that they “love” him. Hannity has appeared at a fundraiser for Kasich, invited Kasich onto his show to plug his website, and reportedly “pledged to give $10,000 to Kasich’s campaign should he run, as well as have his wife give another $10,000.” Rupert Murdoch and his wife also donated $10,000 each to Kasich, and Murdoch initially explained News Corp.’s donation to the RGA as resulting from his “friendship” with Kasich. After Kasich’s opponent (accurately) criticized Fox as a “propaganda network” that is “committed to getting Republicans elected,” Bill O’Reilly responded by attacking him for “whining.” Those are just three races. I haven’t even detailed Fox’s love for “rock star” Marco Rubio, or the fact that Glenn Beck (along with the rest of the network) has transformed his show into a GOTV operation for the GOP. So when reporters sit down to explain the results of next Tuesday’s election, it’s important that they include the role of Fox News in shaping the outcome. And if you think the last few months were bad, just wait until Tuesday’s election wraps up and attention shifts to 2012 and the GOP’s presidential primary. Fox currently employs no fewer than five potential contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, and things could get awkward as they try to figure out which of their friends they want to help elect. It looks like FoxPAC is just getting started. This weekly wrap-up was compiled by Ben Dimiero, a research fellow at Media Matters for America.