Why Not Attack The Press – It’s Fun and Easy – Just Ask President Clinton
Don’t believe what you read. The headline above is more satirical than real. But I’ve noticed that a lot of you are press bashing these days, which I find funny, and frankly, helpful. After all, we are people too, and we do enjoy input from time to time – not too often mind you!
Are you suggesting that the mainstream press is biased? By mainstream press, I am talking about people who write in newspapers, magazines and the web, and broadcast news on Television. I do not include right-wing radio hosts as press, period. I view most of right wing radio as race-baiting, fear mongering, uninspiring and dividing media. I view left wing extremists the same way, race-baiting, fear-mongering and dividing.The only one who comes close to being real press on the radio is Michael Smerconish, who thankfully, is not like a broken record very day. Actually, on a given day, you can write this site off as “opinion.” No kidding. But it is, as they say, the “Voice of Reason.” As you know I am rarely wrong, most always right, and certainly humble.
I wanted to make that clear.
The main street press is full of hard working reporters who cover the candidates. Sometimes, because of the difficulty of their jobs, these news people become part of a “herd” with common themes. Examples: Let’s attack Bill Clinton for being such a scrooge in South Carolina. Please note that I made that point days before the press herds even found it. Another popular theme: Obama is not for real. That theme is now officially old and antiquated.
Here are some others: Rudy is done. (That could be correct.) Billary For President. I am tired of that one already. And here’s another one: endorsements are useless. Just ask Hillary if she wanted Teddy’s endorsement. There are a few more of my favorites: Huckabee is A Serious Contender. And my favorite of all time: Romney Changes Positions. Now that one was really hard to figure out. Finally, Bush is Lame Duck. This theme, started by the divisive and nasty Moveon.org, has been around since 2004 when the Moveon people sabotaged John Kerry’s campaign by being so way out they made Kerry look like a right wing zealot. Sometimes in this political business, your friends are enemies.
What’s my point here? I really don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out why President Bush laughed and smiled through even the serious parts of the State of the Union. Some people suggested he looked arrogant. That is possible, but perhaps he was just relieved that it was his final speech with his back to Nancy Pelosi.
Anyway, on to Florida, where Rudy is hoping for a miracle, in his face off with John and Mitt. As the established press would say, this could be a “barn burner” , a “pier 13 brawl”, “Sunshine Showdown”, or “The Battle For Kissimmee.”
Comments(20)
Larry is right on, trashing both the right wing and left wing radio ranters.
But his indictment of the press is facile and superficial. Thomas Jefferson observed (correctly in my opinion)that a sound democracy depends on solid common schools. Ours are a bifurcated mess, oversubsidized suburban, underfinanced city.Our masses are Britney Spears suckers, Superbowl nitwits, and in general poorly equipped to participate in a mature democracy because our media are devoted to training consumers, not voters.Until we totally revamp our educational system, from K-12, to train voters not consumers, we will continue to have infantile media. Until we value IQ as much as we do GNP, we will remain a sandbox culture, unable to perform well in a complex world. With our infrastructure falling apart before our astonished eyes, we dither with $800 rebates to already exhausted consumers. How sad. What a betrayal of our Founding Fathers. Patrick D.Hazard, Weimar, Germany.
I certainly do suggest that the mainstream media is biased towards liberals and Democrats. Sometimes it is plain to see, other times more subtle.
Just read Bernie Goldberg’s “Bias”.
By subtle, I mean it could be the choice of a headline, the choice of a picture, even the choice of a story topic or placement of it.
You will also see news articles with five paragraphs of quotes from Democrats and one quote from a Republican, and they call it “balanced” because they say they’ve presented both sides.
As a quick example, I picked an article off philly.com – “Corzine’s ‘painful solution’”. Corzine’s own staff could have written that story.
When you’re a Democrat (and I’m fairly certain you are, Larry) you don’t see it because your guys and issues are almost always given favorable press. The Democrats are always good, for the children, blah blah blah, and Republicans are always bad, for the rich, blah blah blah. Like a broken record.
(Look at where the “rich” send their campaign contributions – DEMOCRATS.)
You can choose to believe it or not, but there is a Democrat-Media Complex, a symbiotic relationship between the Democrats and the mainstream media in this country.
Sure, you can point out that Bill Clinton is attacking the press – because he was accustomed to 8 years of pure bliss. Now he feels jilted. (Don’t give me Lewinsky – the press reported on that kicking and screaming – he was never challenged by the press on real policy issues – they were his lapdogs.)
I don’t doubt that the reporters are “hard working”. But they are biased.
Larry, on January 27th you said “Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement was a plus but endoresments really don’t matter.” Today you are saying endoresements do matter and that Teddy Kennedy’s endoresement really matterted especially for Hillary. Which is it?
I thought Caroline’s endoresmenet was huge and said so in a post prior to your dismisal of political endorsements on the 27th. The follow-on with Teddy and Patrick Kenedy this is a highly valuable political trifecta that could turn the tide for Obama on Super Tuesday. I would agree that celebrity endoesements don’t matter,and SOME political endorsments don’t matter. But to have the Kennedys say they are passing the torch of JFK’s legacy to Obama is monumental- something they never said about Bill Clinton. The Kennedy’s have made an historic endorsemnent that could change the outcome of the Democratic nominee if old school Democtrats do what the Kennedys say they should do. So, while I wouldn’t go as far as to “press bash” you for trying to have it both ways on the value of endoresments, you do seem to leave yourself a lot of wiggle room sometimes.
Larry,
Why anyone would want to press bash you is unthinkable.You are always a gentleman.
Ted Kennedy is a disgrace,always was and always will be. He has split the party
I support Hillary,I will never vote for obama.Kennedy should have spent his life in jail for killing mary jo,do you think people forget?
They accuse bill clinton of playing the race card,what about Oprah,What did she do?
Larry- The press let us down woefully during the run up to the Gulf War. You were all so giddy at being “embedded” you lost all impartiality. You became the “Pravda” of the new millennium.
Watch Stephen Colbert at the Press Dinner a couple of years before… Look at the faces of your colleagues. They know what they did. They let down the country.
Pardon me if I don’t buy into your accolades of the hard working press corps.
Financial pressure and competition from other media have ruined investigative print journalism, the press the founding fathers sought to protect. All we get are the fear mongering teases of local television news–whether on weather, crime, health, or defective consumer products–and local color pieces in the local papers. At the national level, we get Britney, missing white women, and more fear mongering, all in the same voice from the same talking heads.
To the extent it ever had one, America’s attention span has fallen apart. Our national “press” is a disgrace.
Pat,
Kennedy did not kill Mary Jo. He did not strangle her, knife her, rape her or any of those things. He did use stupid judgement in drinking and driving and therefore should have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. His actions after the terrible accident were despicable and callous, but involuntary manslaughter is not a life sentence offense.
So get the record straight he did not kill her, his actions led to the accident that killed her. That is a big difference.
Not wanting to be a hypocrite like a lot of people can be, I drove drunk a few times when I was younger and certainly could have caused a similiar type of accident that would have harmed or killed someone. As the prayer goes, therefore but for the Grace of God, go I….
Regarding the endorsements, the Caroline Kennedy endorsement for me is more profound than Senator Kennedy’s because she certainly has a lot more credibility than her Uncle and Cousin. For her to put Obama into the same light as her Dad is saying something since if I remember correctly, she has been very sparse in making endorsements in the past. Caroline Kennedy is someone that should be held up as a role model for the young women of the World vs. B. Spears, Paris Hilton and the like.
I don’t agree that Bill Clinton did play the race card but that the media took his “Fairytale” comment completely out of context. To imply that Bill Clinton is a racist is like saying President Bush has the IQ of Einstein and Dick Cheney is a really nice guy….
Larry – Agree with your comments about the Right and Left radio/TV talk show hosts and like you I do think Michael Smerconish is very good, even though there are a lot of times I disagree with Michael, he is thought provoking and does not twist/distort the facts as someone like Ann Coulter does, she has never met lie she didn’t like….
I also like Keith Olbermann but wish he would rise above the fray on his battles with Bill O’Reilly. I am not a fan of Billo either, but we get it Keith already that Billo plays loose with the facts….
Patrick Hazard – Your point about the masses is right on. Several years ago a mentor of mine said: “The Masses are Asses” and in general that is a “right on” comment. A lot of us get caught up with the “I want to be cool, be part of the in crowd”, so we stop thinking independently and become part of the group-think. I know that at times I have fallen into that trap. Several years ago I saw an excellent sales/management training film called: “The Road to Abilene” that deals with “Group Think” psycology vs. independent thinking and how easy it is for people to fall into the trap. Part of it is the need to please others or to be liked by others.
Yes, Teddy (aka “The Swimmer”) was not so drunk he knew how to extricate himself from an overturned Oldsmobile 88, but did not have the manly decency to go back into 6 feet of water to help Mary Jo out of the car…,then, the good Catholic he is, he spent the rest of the night, kneeling in the sands of Chappaquidick, praying for the repose of Mary Jo’s immortal soul as she drowned, screaming and kicking at the rear window of that Oldsmobile in the back seat of the over turned car, in 6 feet of water, as the water slowly filled her watery grave… for 10 long hours. Teddy, a college educated man, an attorney and a US Senator, agonized over what he should do…yes 10 hours, long enough for the alcohol to wear off so he would not be charged with BOTH vehicular homicide and DUI, which wopuld have made his crime an indictable felony, and being an attorney, he knew it…what a poor guy, I really feel sorry for poor Teddy…
I should add that the modern press exists in a culture that is dominated by consumption of entertainment. In various ways, the modern press has become another “infotainer.” Shows like Crossfire, for example. It’s like watching WWE wrestling, only the fighters are articulate. Or the dramatic narrative story arcs we get in national news. O.J. Britney. Missing white women. That’s not reporting. It’s entertainment. The press should realize that and not pretend it’s answering some higher calling to ferret out the truth when all it’s trying to do is increase share and make bigger profits.
George,
It’s spelled “endorsement”, you semi-literate douchebag.
Larry,
You’re so right. Obama is most definitely for real. After his landslide win in South Carolina, there’s no disputing that fact.
I understand that the media like to devise themes, but some are actually based on fact. It is fact that Romney has flip flopped on a number of issues within the last five years – abortion, gay rights, gun rights, corporate taxes, etc. Also, I think you overstate the power of Moveon.org. There are large numbers of Democrats who felt that Kerry would not take a stand against the war, and felt that this typified the political cowardice that the Democrats are frequently accused of. If Kerry had shaped his candidacy as a real contrast with Bush, he might have won. This is the very same issue that dogs Hillary’s campaign now. I don’t belong to Move.org, in case you’re wondering.
And we should be impressed by Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement because she has accomplished what significant thing in her life?
I’ll wait…..
Larry,
Before you rip into talk radio, pick up a copy of the New York Times. At least left and right talk radio don’t try to hide where they are coming from.
“Caroline Kennedy is someone that should be held up as a role model for the young women of the World”….because she has…oh wait a minute, she must have done something…ahh, married well and attended the right social parties? Headed a significant social organization? Has spoken out on….proper shades of nail gloss?
Geez, at least Brittany had some hit records and Paris made a smoking video. Even John Jr. went to law school and headed a magazine. Caroline has been in the witness protection program for 45 years. What is the fascination with this woman,you can’t think for yourselves and need her to guide you?
Larry, for whatever my observation is worth, journalism in this country made the transition from idealism to commercialism about the same time Christmas did. Which is far too long ago. It is no longer about the story, or about informing people so that as a society we can form conclusions based on observations.
It, to me, seems to have become slicing together some out of context bullet points as if to present a highlight reel and then have a journalist lead to me to the conclusion they think I need to have, because I lack the insight to form my own opinion? I constantly feel like I am being sold something.
In our current arena, paparazzi being the worst example of any of this, and hearing a telephone conversation between Alec Baldwin and his daughter being another poor one. That wasn’t news. I had no right to hear that played, and no man or woman outside of him, his ex, his daughter, or the authorities, had any right to speculate on it. BTW, I heard it on Michael’s show. I like the guy too, but it was the most disappointed I have ever been in anyone I held any esteem for.
Jim P., Larry is quick to defend his buddies. Try to get him to take a stance on an issue and all of the sudden he can’t get off the fence he straddles.
One moment he says celebrity endorsements mean nothing and the next moment Caroline Kennedy is a major factor in electing the next president.
Larry has too much time on his hands. He reads the NY Times (his bible) then regurgitates the opinions in his blog.
The only difference is that he mediates the NY Times’s opinions with a “conservative” interpretation of the subject thus leaving his opinions rather lame. He does generate some food for thought but we want to know his real opinions on the issues that affect us.
I was feeling depressed last night so I called a lifeline. The call center happened to be located in Pakistan. I told the operator that I thought I was suicidal. He all of the sudden got very excited and asked me if I could drive a truck.
Jim
First off, I never said that I was voting for Obama because Caroline Kennedy endorsed him. What I said again is that her endorsement is more profound to me than her Uncle’s.
Since you don’t know me I will let you know I follow the beat of my own drum.
For the record I have never voted for anyone because of someone else’s endorsement. I’m a Kensington man, growing up there as a child and teenager. My nickname in business is the Philly Bulldog. I did not get that nickname because I follow what other people think. I’m a cancer and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) survivor waiting for my second kidney transplant. One thing that has taught me is being your own man and making your own decisions since we are responsible for our actions.
Back to Caroline K…
What Caroline Kennedy has done is been a good Daughter, Mother, Wife and worked for a number of charitable causes unlike the stupid bimbo’s that obviously you would prefer as a role model for the young women of the World. We need more role models like the decent Caroline Kennedy. Your remarks about her being in a witness protection program for 45 years is dumb and unkind. Spears, Hilton, Lohan and others certainly could take lessons from her on staying out of the limelight.
Anyway, my man Jim, we can agree to disagree but wanted you to let you know that I always think for myself and make my own decisions based on factual information.
Anon 6:29 -
Is your name Hillary Clinton? Times are tough man.
Larry a has been, who was fired for being an incompetent is a pure liberal full of BS