Of all John McCain’s mistakes in the 2008 general election campaign, perhaps the greatest was his initial assumption that his decades-long efforts to curry favor with the mainstream media would mean less biased coverage that they had traditionally afforded to Republican presidential nominees. If our party is ever to win back the White House and rebuild our majorities, while reaching out to the under-30 crowd who voted so overwhelmingly Democratic in the most recent election cycles, we have to confront the reality of media bias.
With ABC set to broadcast from inside the White House next week to promote the President’s health care plan, that bias has become increasingly clear.
And yet when asked about the absence of media criticism of his policies, the President harped on one, just one network that criticizes him:
I’ve got one television station [FoxNews] that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration . . . . Well, that’s a pretty big megaphone and you’d be hard-pressed if you watched the entire day to find a positive story about me on that front.
If he had bothered to watch FoxNews, he’d know that the network regularly includes Democrats (and their allies) defending his policies. Funny that W never complained about MSNBC — its entire agenda was attacking his Administration.
Mary Katharine Ham took the President to task for dismissing the notion that the press has given him a free pass:
He called the idea that he’s gotten an easy ride from the press “very hard to swallow.” Delusional and totally graceless for a man who’s gotten the journalistic tongue bath he’s received from so many outlets (with the notable exceptions of a few in the White House press pool, who are great to watch).
Read the whole thing! As she puts it, citing Newsweek‘s Evan Thomas, they’ve moved from seeing their job when Bush was in the White House as bashing the President to, now that their chosen Democrat is in charge, deifying the Chief Executive .
With the rise of the blogs, one would hope they would consider the opinions of a greater variety of bloggers of all political stripes, but instead, they are taking their cues increasingly from left-wing web-sites:
How many MSM reporters (Associated Press, NY Times, CBS News, etc.) ever read Hot Air or Instapundit? And how many of them sympathize? The typical MSM reporter sympathizes with Media Matters, DKos and Crooks & Liars. The typical MSM reporter watches Olbermann every night. The typical MSM reporter thinks Letterman’s jokes about Palin are ROTFLMAO funny.
This from the increasingly indispensable R.S.McCain who would surely agree that we conservatives, we Republicans, have a problem with the media culture. Had another McCain recognized that problem sooner, we might well be calling himself something other than Senator today.
“I’ve got one television station [FoxNews] that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration”
Key word here: “one.” Republicans have to face NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, PBS… all entirely devoted to destroying them.
Obama is just a whiner.
What a spoiled little brat. As though he is entitled to fawning media coverage.
Maybe if he did something positive instead of crapping all over people, destroying the economy and consolidating absolute power?
Sad it before, say it again: if the Manchild from Chicago had to face one week worth of the abuse that was heaped upon President Bush on a daily basis, he’d be curled up in a tiny ball and begging for his mommy.
Just. Not Presidential.
Oh, I guess that if I had a toady press lined up behind me, I might strut the stage like Mr. Mandate and start throwing my weight around. Obama has never suffered the baptism by fire, so he has no concept of fallibility. Couple that with a press that is dedicated to his success and you have a perfect model of the emperor who wears no clothes.
Fox is the “enemy” precisely because it dares to internalize the thrill of touching the hem of “THE ONE.”
A few years ago, I was broadsided by a woman who ran a red light at over 40 mph. I encountered her a year or two later. She said: “I know you, you hit my car…….” I, of course, set her straight. Her response was: “Whatever, ….. you caused me a big problem.” Of course her insurance went through the roof and she had to pay huge damages. But it it was in no way my fault or responsibility. I was simply in the path of her ballistic self centeredness.
She is a clone of the Obama view of the universe.
Heliotrope, at least she didn’t have the fate of the western world at her fingertips. I am getting very very troubled by our narcissistic leader who is hell bent on destroying our capitalist base, while Iran boils over. All the while calling the mullahs, ‘supreme leaders’
Folks, we have a serious problem.
I do so dearly hope that Republicans keep using the “MSM” as their punching bag instead of admitting their real failures….
Heard today that Obama gets 40% positive press, Cliinton got 30%, Bush 43 25%.
Heard today that Obama messiah killed a fly while doing an interview. Amazing feat of course. Phenomenal skill. He even cleaned up the carcus with a tissue afterwards. It was on all the networks, CNN, PBS, NPR, HLN, and word is MSNBC will make a series out of it.
Can’t believe some think there is media bias. Can believe some think the newsies fawn over and kowtow to the Obamas. Where’s the proof?
Imagine the whinning from lefties if Obama and his ilk ever got fair and balanced coverage from all the journalists instead of just Fox News. Would we have 400 Barney Franks? Imagine the horror. Imagine the fun!
Helen Thomas asks Bush 43 “how many Iraquis have you killed today?”
Brian Williams bows to Obama after asking about the new puppy and how the Michelle victory garden is coming.
It’ s the same damn thing! Fair, balanced.
Glad Kevins here……
Did you hear Kev that Obamateleprompter today is bracing us for 10% unemployment? Does that mean we will really hit 12 or 13%. Since just a month ago his vaunted economic team said we wouldn’t go above 8% unemployment. Could you encourage him to be more truthful? Could you also find out where all his “shovel ready” jobs went? As you know he promised those 90 days ago. When he said things are beginning to turn positive, as a liberal do you know what he meant by that? Does he get out enough and meet unemployed Americans who are suffering….would he walk around and actually tell them that things are getting better? Could you ask the President why our gas prices have increased 50% in the past 60 days? What is he doing about that? Every day for 50 days gasoline has spiked upwards. Does he know this? Does he have any other date nights scheduled. We are so happy when we know he can take some time off and get a good meal and just relax and kick back. Any liberal insight would help.
Leah, you are absolutely correct that we have a serious problem and my fear is that it is going to get a lot worse before this country turns the corner and heads back to sanity.
Too busy highlighting the massive FAILURE that is your beloved Chairman Obama to pay attention to imagined “failures” of the lying liberal left.
Could you name some of them, or is this another drive-by comment you threw out before cowardly going back to lurking mode?
#13: “Could you name some of them, or is this another drive-by comment you threw out before cowardly going back to lurking mode?”
TGC, by GOP “failures” Kevin means “elections.” I’ve said it before–liberalism “succeeds” when a liberal gets elected; conservative ideas succeed when they are implemented and improve American lives.
More and more, the only ally Republicans have is reality, particularly economic reality. The mainstream media are a lost cause. We need better candidates and those candidates need to be able to speak directly to the people, meaning around, above, under the gigantic media filter.
This deification by the State-Run Media is getting to be a big problem. Of course, when you are a godless liberal with no moral center (hello, gillie), that can be easy to do.
For instance, Chris Matthews compares Obama to Jesus and (get this) Howard Dean to John the Baptist! (I guess that scream that Howie cut loose in 2004 was the voice “crying in the wilderness.”) Can anyone ever recall GWB being compared to anyone except Hitler or Satan?
And don’t forget how Newsweek’s Evan Thomas called Obama “God-like” (which he now states was taken “out of context.”) Isn’t it funny how liberals can speak the truth to their feelings and later claim to be taken out of context? (Hello, David Letterman.)
Links for those of you who always need proof of conservative rationale:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2009/06/17/matthews-howard-dean-st-john-baptist-barack-obamas-jesus
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2009/06/17/evan-thomas-obama-god-i-was-not-being-literal
No wonder The Snob has a messianic complex! Everywhere he goes, someone from the State-Run Media has a rapture going on!
(Shaking head in disgust)
Regards,
Peter H.
No wonder The Snob has a messianic complex!
One of the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is going nuts and over-reacting to the slightest criticism. Does that sound familiar?
And, Good Lord, Obama swats a fly, and the media gushingly compare him to Dirty Harry, Michael Jordan, and Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid. WTF? Doesn’t this embarrass you guys? Even a little bit?
I took the head clean off a fly with a rubber band during church once. Momma swatted my backside when we got home.