No, it hasn't happened. But It should have!
The only damn way the Dems could have made their case with the American people would have been to be bold and ask the networks (or cable channels) for airtime to go over his decisions, explain what CAP was, etc. Show the public what we saw in Alito, because the media were certainly only fixated on the horserace of whether we would filibuster, not why we thought he was so heinously unacceptable.
What Debbie Stabenow said today on the floor of the Senate should have been said two weeks ago. In prime time if possible. But somewhere on network or cable. It would have been an event. That's how you get attention and get people to listen.
More over the hill:
How else are Dems going to get through the filter (to borrow the right's term) that kicks the Dems at every turn and discounts our arguments and deeply held convictions as mere politics (we don't have ideas, but when we do it's just politics). And if they won't give us the time, then we need to buy it.
It hasn't been done since 1992 when crazy Ross Perot became a viable third candidate by buying half hour chunks of time to speak to America. We need to do it too.
Ideas are a product, and we have to treat it as such, especially since we cannot, repeat cannot ever count on the media to treat us fairly.
I have long advocated that the party needs to take out ads all year long (on issues and just to remind people what we're about), not just every four years. The party needs to get its message and brand out and wage a constant campaign to move the media and the entire debate.
It should be a campaign of mini civics lessons educating the public on how things work and how we believe they can work better. Slickly produced ads that allow people to get to know the party and our people.
It's costly, but it's an investment. It would pave the way to better media reception and better public recognition for our people and ideas. We can level the playing field every election cycle and in the end save money and win. You want to end the meme that Dems have no ideas? This is how. They're never going to get out there if the only place they're ever talked about is on C-Span (God love it!)
This Alito question may be decided already despite our burning up our fax machines and phone lines to make our voices known. It shouldn't be this difficult in the future.
Of course we need more Dems in congress. But how do you get there?
Of course we need to mau mau the media to be fair to us, but how?
What do you think Kossaks? Is this not an idea that should be taken up and championed?