Today Alex Kummant was LIVE on MSNBC. While yesterday, Ross Capon was live on MSNBC as well.
The anchor discussed the largest rail passenger ridership increase in the U.S. in decades. This was definitely very positive news coverage.
I did not record it as I usually do, but I am working on getting a transcript from MSNBC to upload online.
Anton
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
Let me know when you get that transcript. I never watch MSNBC. I do not consider them a legitimate news source. {Look at who they employ}
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
The preceeding comment was brought to you by the gentleman who does not consider the most quoted and influential newspaper on this planet, The New York Times, to be a recognized newssource.
It would appear O'Reilly and Hannity are more your cup of tea, Mr. Smith.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
I can't wait to read my NY Sunday Times. It's always worth the Sunday morning walk to the local store.
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: The preceeding comment was brought to you by the gentleman who does not consider the most quoted and influential newspaper on this planet, The New York Times, to be a recognized newssource.
It would appear O'Reilly and Hannity are more your cup of tea, Mr. Smith.
Nope, I have a number of internet resources. Drudge, Lucianne, American Thinker, Townhall, New York Post, Washington Times, etc.
The people that work at the NYT are some of the most partisan, stupid people you will find in journalism. And there are a LOT of stupid people in our media!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
The "thump on the porch" is worth it. Mr. Century. It often is my alarm clock.
My present Times (and WSJ) carrier "couldn't be nicer'; she is "out there" (even this past Friday after the violent thunderstorms, microbursts, and possibly even a full fledged tornado around here) with her "tween and teen' daughters "365 a year'.
Her Xmas envelope is heartily filled by me (take note, Mr. Paulshore).
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
From one Smitty to another....I totally agree. I follow news, politics, and current events (including Amtrak) very closely. It has been my experience that the liberal media is extremely one-sided and has a blatant agenda. That's not to say that the non left wing news organizations do not have an agenda either, but when it comes to facts, the liberals often leave out the truth in order to spread their beliefs. I prefer the days when the news was exactly that---news. The New York Times in it's current state is a complete disgrace. Readership is down (gee, I wonder why?) and they continue to layoff their employees. If you have access to XM Radio (or live in an area that carries Air America), give them a listen. It's a hoot! Talk about angry, conspiracy-filled, hateful people---wow! That Randi Rhodes is really something. I feel sorry for her.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
I have tried very hard to keep quiet but I must reply to Smitty. I think you are totally biased but that is your right and as much as I diagree with you I would fight for your right to voice your opinions. Not so with the died in the wool conservatives I know. They do not allow for any opinion other than theirs. I am a moderate and am heartly sick and tired of both extremes. I would like to see debates on issues devoid of religious beliefs, and biases. In closing it seems to me that if the liberals leave out the truth the conservatives make up the truth as they see it not ncecssarily as it is. Since this is a rail forum I can only say what a friend uses "and what has all this to do with the price of tea in China"?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mike Smith: Nope, I have a number of internet resources. Drudge, Lucianne, American Thinker, Townhall, New York Post, Washington Times, etc.
While I doubt if I could ever accept the web as my primary newssource, slant if any notwithstanding, your sources all seem to have one slant in common, Mr. Smith.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Liberals, conservatives, capitalists, socialists.....and maybe Amtrak foamers. The identities are necessary, but I dislike the labels. They are grossly missed to separate us instead of bring us together. As the present becomes history and the future becomes present this practice festers. It reflects what Train Lady states.......issues devoid of religious beliefs,and biases. My brother-in-law and I do not agree on politics,but we regard each other as a person of substance first above all.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Trainlady,
I appreciate your comments (seriously). I welcome criticism, and I enjoy debating people in a nice way---not a mean way. Granted, this is a railroad forum so I won't get into it too much here. But when comments come out that I disagree with, I state my opinion......that's all. And yes, I agree with you that I am biased. But then again, we are ALL biased in some way (although only few will admit to this). And for folks who choose to sit in the middle and not take a stance, well, I kinda think that's the easy way out. It's hard to stand up for something when you don't believe it in the first place. Taking the middle road doesn't ruffle any feathers.
But anywho.....regarding trains and Amtrak, I have found that a lot of foamers and RR employees tend to lean left and liberal. I'm not quite sure I've figured this out yet. My only guess is that there is union influence somewhere, since unions usually support Democratic candidates in elections. In my former line of work (public safety), pretty much everyone is conservative. There are always exceptions, of course. But the reason for this, I think, is fairly straightforward. We see the results of liberal policies, liberal courts, liberal judges, and liberal living. Once you've been in public safety and see "behind closed doors" on a daily basis, it's very eye-opening and extremely difficult to be anything but conservative.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Just dabbling a toe in as I normally avoid 'political' discussions.....and I've previously stated that the controlling party seldom seems to make much difference with Amtrak anyway.....
Smitty - I find it interesting that in my line of work (public education) the biggest strains to the orderliness of it all are caused by those citizens at the bottom end of the socioeconomic scale. The 'dirt poor' if you will. Most of them could care less about which ideaology comes to power because whomever is in office seldom makes any difference in their lives.
Surprisingly though, the ones who do profess any political preference at all in this area lean solidly to the right. I have some ideas why this is the case but this is hardly the forum for those issues.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Smitty, Yes I am a moderate and yes I have very definite biases( as you may have noticed) ONe does not have to be a conservative or liberal to have definite ideas. Sometimes I vote Republican and sometimes Democratic or independent depending on who is fer or agin what. As to the politics of those who ride Amtrak maybe Republicans tend to fly more than do Dems. At any rate I find your comments interesting and appreciate civilized exchanges.When people get hot under the collar it takes the enjoyment out of debate and it is more interesting to have diffeent opinions.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by smitty195: But anywho.....regarding trains and Amtrak, I have found that a lot of foamers and RR employees tend to lean left and liberal. I'm not quite sure I've figured this out yet. My only guess is that there is union influence somewhere, since unions usually support Democratic candidates in elections.
A likely reason insofar as "foamers", advocates, and folk who just like to ride 'em is that public funding of passenger rail is a social program, and any person who views that a government of the people should be for the people, places social programs higher on their agenda than one who believes the business of America is business and we elect those people to uphold that doctrine.
I can recall once the Executive Director of a child welfare agency client telling me shortly after President Reagan took office "he will be taking food out of children's mouths". Since I just got the client, I was simply "smilin' and noddin'", but it is indicative of the underlying thoughts that Liberals will further the interests of social programs over those of the business community.
Somewhere it has happened, but I am at a loss to know when organized labor has endorsed a conservative candidate.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
I think that from post #2 the thread abruptly deviated from Anton's original topic. I don't care who likes MSNBC, the NYT, NYP, or any other news outlet. I don't care if the majority of railfans are conservative, liberal, or reasonable. None of that matters. What I want to know is what did Mr. Capon and Mr. Kummant have to say?
Is anybody besides me and Anton interested in that?
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
I'd also like to hear what he had to say.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
Me too.
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
I'm patiently waiting to see if Anton can come up with the transcript. {As stated in post #2}
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
double post.
Posted by gp35 (Member # 3971) on :
This is what I noticed. Under Republicans, Amtrak loses operating funds. Under Democrats, Amtrak loses routes.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
I think Anton was a little busy today. If he finds it, I'm sure he'll post it. He's very resourceful!
gp35: If you have any reference information or statistics that show Amtrak funding to be stronger under Democrats rather than Republicans, I'd sure like to see it. The stats I have seen over the years do not back this up at all (remember the Desert Wind, the Pioneer, and so many others?). I like referring to politicians as Republicrats and Demublicans----it's sometimes difficult to find the differences on certain issues.
trainlady: I also should have mentioned that I completely agree about the extremes on the left and on the right and the "stretching" of the truth. Somewhere between the two extremes usually lies the truth, although it's a bit hard to find sometimes.
GBNorman: Excellent points on social spending. I guess I didn't look at the views this way.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Republicrats and Demublicans....I like that Smitty!
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
quote:Originally posted by 20th Century: Republicrats and Demublicans....I like that Smitty!
Unfortunately, it's becoming the absolute truth, based on recent history...
Posted by Tanner929 (Member # 3720) on :
Love the NY Times as I read through Castro, Chavez loving columnists till I get to the pages and ad pages of Multi million dollar homes and Mercedes, Bentley ads that keep Pinch [barley] afloat.
The MSNBC story was about the spike in Rail Travel due to the Airlines problems. Story concentrated on the NorthEast corridor (suprise) comparing the fly and train fares and travel time. Along with the rehash of Acela problems. The story did not touch on the amount of travelers who got in their cars and drove to DC or Boston.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Can't be sure if it will be displayed when you have logged in, but look at the popup this discussion has engendered:
Somehow Mr. Tanner, I think your immediate posting was the "culprit".
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Big Google is watching you!
Posted by 4021North (Member # 4081) on :
I agree that we've gotten off topic here, and I couldn't care less what's on the idiot box these days. But my two cents' worth on the political discussion is that we need to respect people who hold differing views a little more than what I'm hearing.
Posted by MOKSRail (Member # 3163) on :
I taped and watched the segment. Unfortunately, I did not transcribe it.
NARP's Capon provided good commentary on why Amtrak ridership - not just in the NEC but systemwide - has increased.
The interviewer mentioned the lousy service airlines have bee providing of late. I recall his phrase, quoting a major newspaper report, "The air trip from hell..."
Capon said Amtrak routes are enjoying a resurgence in popularity and use.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
This is getting too much; here is the latest popup I was confronted with:
Fear not, Google is not about to sponsor anything that will corrupt your computer or offend your nine year old kid.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Wow, Mr. Norman for president?
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
Wow this thread really took off!
Mr. Toy & Mike Smtith & anyone else interested....
I have contacted MSNBC for video and a transcript of the segment of both Mr. Capon & Kummant.
I will post that here as soon as it becomes available.
Anton
PS. Thank you Andy, yes I have certainly been really busy! :-)
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Gilbert - I just got the title banner from your link -- the rest of the content didn't load up....... I'll try it again later.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Looking forward to the transcript; thanks Anton.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by CoastStarlight99: I have contacted MSNBC for video and a transcript of the segment of both Mr. Capon & Kummant.
I will post that here as soon as it becomes available.
Anton
Good luck with that request, Anton; while it likely was made in good faith by a railfan desiring to share information with others without any remuneration in the same community, the rightsholder will see such request differently.
On that point, my "Old School', namely South Kent School along the New Haven's Berkshire Line, had within the past several years been the subject of a "somewhat favorable" "60 Minutes" segment regarding how boarding ("prep') schools have had to reinvent themselvews to market to the family's of today's youngsters. The School has attempted to obtain this material from CBS News, but without success - even with a 'gentleman's agreement" that it be used only for non-commercial purposes (I guess shaking down us Alums is deemed "commercial").
In closing, I realize that YouTube was once an "anything goes' video file sharing site (I first visited this past June having only then acquired a computer that could support video), but today it is now owned by a Fortune 500 concern, Google. I think you can look for more aggressive policing and removal of copyrighted material than has existed in the past.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
NBC Network News tonight had a very positive report on ridership increase on Amtrak--don't know if it was the same one that ran on MSNBC that you reported above, but it couldn't have been exactly the same, because the piece did not include anything from NARP (that I noticed). It began talking about congestion in airports. It then said more people are choosing the trains. It showed the new Amtrak CEO talking up the trains. Showed a nice shot of (gorgeous) Union Station. Showed 2 women going from Washington DC to NEwark on business choosing ACELA rather than flying. It mentioned that while Amtrak in general has no better on time rate than planes (geesh, I'd have thought it's a lot worse myself, but I guess airports are really getting bad too), the ACELA has a rather good on-time rate, 88 percent. The two women were shown to like ACELA because they can plug in their computers and work while they travel. It mentioned ridership increases in California and between Chicago and St Louis. It did have one negative comment, some guy from the Heritage Foundation giving the conservative spiel one hears from McCain, Mica, et al (or used to hear--I think phone calls have shut them up), saying how Amtrak sucked up too much money and was government waste, something along those lines. But that was refuted by everything and everyone else in the piece. It really was a very positive piece. And it ran early in the broadcast, a prominent position.
All of this makes me think that some DC interests are spoonfeeding positive stuff about Amtrak to the media, just like they spoon feed everything else the TV news reports on. Now, who can it be? I mean, it couldn't be just Amtrak or NARP giving the info to the news and getting it on; the media has never paid attention to them before, and Amtrak is "socialism," no real profiteers. But I smell a money deal someplace. Maybe there is a potential for some government contracts for GE for new trains or something and they are talking Amtrak up to ensure those contracts go through. After all, NBC is owned by GE! Anyways, whatever it is, my cynical self has always said that the best thing for keeping Amtrak going would be to have some corporate interests interested in promoting it and getting their lobbyists to lobby for it. . . .
Posted by zephyr (Member # 1651) on :
quote:Originally posted by sojourner: NBC Network News tonight had a very positive report on ridership increase on Amtrak...It did have one negative comment, some guy from the Heritage Foundation giving the conservative spiel one hears from McCain, Mica, et al (or used to hear--I think phone calls have shut them up), saying how Amtrak sucked up too much money and was government waste, something along those lines. But that was refuted by everything and everyone else in the piece...
Thanks to the heads-up by Mr. Norman, I caught that piece also. And my take was it was not too bad, considering the source (NBC). The fact they actually had a contrarian view (the "conservative spiel") was amazing (for NBC). But the fact that it was "refuted" by "everything and everyone else in the piece" made the world so right--ah, the sun will rise tomorrow.
But for all the swooning over Amtrak, it was interesting to note the giddy comments were over corridor/regional trains (no exceptions, and all state subsidized except for Acela, which, dare I say, should be). They focused on the big pax increases in Northern California, Chicago-St. Louis, and Acela. You know, the type of service (i.e., partially funded by the benefiting States) the current dufus administration (yuk, let's all spit) has advocated. No direct mention of LD.
Yes, it's got to be a conspiracy, as layed out in the post just north.
Let's review. We have a positive NBC piece on Amtrak; yes, they dared to air a brief contrarian view (they could loose their broadcasting license for that); but they corrected this lapse by having it shouted down by a majority "group think" (nothing trumps mob intellect).
However, we're not fooled. There's more than meets the eye. NBC is "...talking Amtrak up..." because there's gotta be a "...money deal someplace." That network is owned by GE which is probably shooting for some behind the scenes big bucks corporate welfare deal with the Bushies (again--ready, get set, spit!).
Jeez. And we've haven't even started discussing those top secret Black Helicopters yet. GE makes them, you know. And we all know who's in cahoots with GE (spit, spit, spit!).
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
Hi everyone, I have attempted to contact the transcript office at MSNBC on two occasions and have had no luck.
But...here is a news story that appeared recently appeared! Video
Looks like Kummant has been pretty busy lately!
Ronald Utt appeared in the video, and clearly does not like Amtrak, it even speaks of his negativity on his profile: Heritage Foundation
Anton trainweb.org/coaststarlight99
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Anton, I appreciate your resourcefulness, but could you tame those links using the URL feature so that the text doesn't run off the screen?
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Dear Mr Zephyr, Though what I said was supposed to be with a little humor, let me say that I feel maligned by your post and also a little puzzled. You seem to be accusing me of being a leftwing conspiracy nut, but aren't the black helicopters something the rightwing conspiracy nuts see? (I am still trying for humor here, but I forget how to make those emoticons so I hope you can tell!)
Anyways, it does seem to me that you have a very low bar for what you consider a conspiracy. I was not trying to propound a conspiracy, just wanted to say that I have lived a long time and am a very smart gal and in my opinion very little gets done in DC without other special interest getting it done. And while yes, it's worse than ever with the Bushies, it's pretty bad with all the pols, and both parties. And the best thing for Amtrak would be if some of the moneyed interests were pushing Amtrak for one reason or another, because that is the way of the world. (For instance, if the freight lines started loving Amtrak because they could use it to get government money for trackbuilding, or if a company like GE starting pushing Amtrak because they wanted to build it train cars.)
Your post implies that the network news has generally been pro-Amtrak and deigned to run one tiny Heritage Foundation tidbit for faux balance in this piece. My observation is that for many years past, the network news has been anti-Amtrak, reporting only on its calamities, which is why I was delighted to see this puff piece (which I agree was a puff piece). I also noticed when CNN showed travel for Labor Day, they showed a visual of an Amtrak train along with the cars and planes. To me, there has been a sudden change of course, and I suspect the reason has to do with money. But maybe Amtrak under Kummant simply has better p.r./contacts with the media, or maybe we've all been calling the networks and complaining about their anti-Amtrak maligning (I know I called once or twice in my time) . . . but I just put forward the possibility that there is money involved because, sorry, that is what I usually think when Washington does anything.
This has less to do with out-and-out conspiracy than with the limited vision of people who care more about being in the "in" crowd and are filled with competitive zeal over nothing, in a way that has not moved much beyond the high-school election mentality--vain, shallow, immersed in gossip--"at every word a reputation dies"--here I include not the politicians only but the media types who hang around with them, sycophants going to this or that cocktail party to see or be seen--oh, yes, and it's often for CHARITY so they can pat themselves on the back and pretend they are nobly serving others--anyway, such people have little time to devote to actual knowledge on any issue, so what they do know comes mainly from who they hang around with, who often happen to be lobbyists for vested interests.
Anyway, this is all a none-related tangent. I am sorry you did not like my snide remarks about GE, but I live in GE land and hesitate to say know more about their dirty laundry (or should I say, rivers) than you do.
But in one way you are right, one should not post baseless suspicions on the Internet, even if they are here among what I thought was friends, and even if they are about smelly old GE. Well, I can only apologize and say that because of the other things in my life, my mind was really on other things and I was not using my judgment in the second part of my post.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Sojourner you do not have to apologize for having an opinion that is different from someone else's. Isn't that what democracy is all about? Even the bigots, the uninformed, and the biased have the right to their opinions. DONT take this as meaning I put you in any of the above catagories. The right, the left and the middle are always going to disagree with each other on something.
Posted by zephyr (Member # 1651) on :
Sojourner, I take it you do not own any "smelly old GE" stock?
I did take your original post as attributing NBC's positive piece on Amtrak to some nefarious conspiracy. Still do after a second read. You say you just meant to add some humor to your post. Well, I certainly didn't find it amusing at all.
Look, you can make fun of my religion, or my politics, or my wife. I don't mind.
But I don't appreciate people poking fun at General Electric, Black Helicopters, or my hound. I find absolutely no humor in disrespectful wisecracks about anything involving Jack Welch, Art Bell, or Wormy Boy (that's my hound).
You've heard of "three strikes, you're out?" Well, you've dissed Jack and Art. That's two. You best do some serious thinking before saying anything negative about Wormy.
You're on notice, Sojourner. You are precariously close to being dropped from my Christmas list.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
If he finds it, I'm sure he'll post it. He's very resourceful!