Most of the national media (with the exception of one news network, a few newspapers, and talk radio) are too busy being stenographers for the administration and the Democrats to grasp what's really going on. As the New York Post describes:
It's been a hilarious August, watching media supporters of President Obama's health care package puzzle over the obscure motivations of the noncompliant Americans rallying against it...
While the commentariat's condescension is almost comical, the whole evil-or-stupid explanation misses the elephant in Obama's room: Americans of all stripes, it turns out, aren't very keen about the government barging into their lives...
After 11 months of federal bailouts and freakouts, Americans have become bone tired of panicky power grabs from Washington. It's the big government, stupid.
The message of the various Tea Party protests, which predated this summer's ahistorical media panic over town hall "lynch mobs," has been pretty simple, says Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, the nonprofit that has helped organize the protests, told Reason magazine this spring. "It was: stop spending so much money, stop borrowing so much money, and stop bailing out people who were irresponsible."Anyway, the point we're making is that it's all good for the local health club to have at least some of the flat-screen TVs in the cardio area tuned to cable news. But that also means that the tedious Obama permanent campaign gets inflicted on anyone working out on the stationary bikes, stairmasters, and so forth. As Valerie Cherish, in one of her catchphrases from The Comeback, would say, "I don't need to see that!"
The living rooms of America are a different matter: Thank goodness for Animal Planet, the Food Network, NatGeo, and other channels, which so far haven't been compromised or politicized (as far as we know, anyway). Even ESPN sadly is no longer safe from politicization.
With its disappearing market share, the mainstream national news media has found itself in a downward spiral. Unfortunately the big media still sets the news agenda to a large degree. With some exceptions mentioned above, most of the America media is blatantly in the tank for the current administration and the Democrats generally (with the exception of Hillary Clinton of 2008 vintage). As we've previously noted, in the year 2008, the fourth estate went morally as well as financially bankrupt.
And while we often try to avoid the nauseating administration lapdogs that dominate most of the national media precincts, we're fortunate that excellent websites and blogs keep readers on the top of the latest one-sided excesses in electronic and print media bias--so that we don't always actually have to watch. In general, taking a vacation from the news cycle can also be very beneficial.
Those aforementioned websites also do a fantastic job in covering developments that most of the national journalists avoid at all costs.
Our view is that all politicians regardless of affiliation should be treated with the same level of scrutiny. With that in mind, we made a list in no particular order of how the media reports on--or not--equivalent political events or issues.
Please feel free to forward additional double-standard examples to us, as this list is by no means exhaustive, and we will otherwise continue to add to it.
As a further public service, we include the crickets sound effect (well known to political- and sports-talk radio fans) to signify instances when the so-called mainstream media ignores--primarily for ideological reasons--a legitimate news story.
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Bush fires 9 U.S. Attorneys. Media response: Headlines, demands for investigation, saturation coverage
Clinton fires 93 U.S. Attorneys. Media response: crickets
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Bush appoints Texas associates to Executive Branch positions:
Media response: blatant cronyism, corruption
Obama appoints Chicago associates to Executive Branch positions:
Media response: crickets
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Bush politicizes Justice Department: Media response:
saturation coverage culminating in high-level investigation
Obama politicizes Justice Department:
Media response: crickets
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Republican lawmaker caught in scandal. Media response::
saturation coverage; mention party affiliation in first sentence
Democrat lawmaker caught in scandal. Media response:
never mention party affiliation, assuming story isn't spiked in the first place
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Bush works out, plays golf, goes on vacation. Media response::
obsessive waste of time, shirking his duties, insensitive in time
of war
Obama works out, plays golf, goes on vacation. Media response:
a glorious affirmation of youthful vitality in the presidency
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Nancy Reagan wears designer clothes: Media response::
corruption, decadence and insensitivity in White House
Michelle Obama wears designer clothes: Media response:
A glorious affirmation of style and glamour in the White House
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Domestic and (international) protests during Bush administration. Media response: citizens exercising their freedom of speech,
legitimate form of public discourse
Ordinary citizens confronting lawmakers at healthcare townhalls during Obama administration: Media response: angry mobs, paid organizers, racists, brownshirts, "astroturf"
Corollary: Democrats send busloads of union and
ACORN members to pack healthcare town halls.
Media response: crickets
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Bush administration engages in counter-terrorism surveillance:
Media response: assault on civil liberties, shredding the Constitution
Obama administration collects names and email addresses of
those citizens opposed to its healthcare reform polices:
Media response: crickets
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2008 Florida election controversy. Media response::
continual references to"Bush stealing election."
Extensive ACORN multiple state vote fraud in 2008 election.
Media response: crickets
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Cheney meets privately with energy industry officials.
Media response: corrupt practices in White House,
demands for investigation
Obama meets privately with pharmaceutical industry officials.
Media response: crickets
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Bush compared to Hitler, caricatured, etc. Media response:
citizens exercising freedom of speech
Obama compared to Hitler, caricatured, etc. Media response:
citizens engaging in racist acts
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Bush invokes God, refers to his his religious faith. Media response:
violation of church and state, religious zealotry
Obama invokes God, refers to his his religious faith.
Media response: crickets
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Extensive media focus on John McCain's health and age
(even though age discrimination is against the law).
John McCain releases his medical records.
Coverage of health of Bill Clinton (obesity) or
Barack Obama (lifetime cigarette smoker). Neither
candidate releases medical records.
Media response: You guessed it--crickets
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Sarah Palin's background in Alaska. Media response:
Sends hundreds of reporters to dig up dirt on the governor.
Obama's background in Chicago. Media response: crickets
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Sarah Palin's gaffes and misstatements (real or imagined).
Media response: saturation coverage
Obama/Bidens gaffes and misstatements (real).
Media response: crickets
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NBC reporter Norah O'Donnell criticizes Sarah Palin for
neglecting her family in favor of seeking the vice presidency.
NBC reporter Norah O'Donnell (or anyone else) omits mentioning
that she (O'Donnell) has three small children at home.
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John Kerry's Vietnam Service. Media response:
constantly mentioned during 2004 presidential campaign
Bob Dole's bravery on the WWII battlefield.
Media response during 1996 presidential
campaign: crickets
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Media in general celebrates/promotes teen promiscuity
Gov. Palin's daughter becomes pregnant: Media response:
Teen promiscuity is no longer worth celebrating or promoting
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