Bittergate: Proof of Rightwing Media Bias

[Chadman]

Thought I would post this - kind of thought provoking and might be worthy of a discussion...

Bittergate: Proof of Rightwing Media Bias
By TPM Cafe (it's a liberal blog, just so you know the source and so you can pre-conceive your thoughts before reading...)
- April 15, 2008, 8:22PM

The faux "bittergate" scandal is winding down, but I do want to call attention to one thing overlooked: The press reaction has been that what Obama said was a "gaffe" and politically perilous, the worst crisis since Rev. Wright. My question is (the horse race aspect aside) why???

Specifically, the remarks on clinging to guns, God, and anti-immigrant sentiment are singled out. The key point overlooked is that the remarks that are supposedly untouchable are taboo only from an ultra-rightwing perspective. From a liberal perspective, they are entirely legitimate, and more than that, totally correct ,at least from a liberal POV.

Think about it:

Guns - If you are a Democrat, you support reasonable limits on firearms, period. Why is the entire media and political establishment pandering to the gun nuts who will never in a million years vote Democratic? And look at the appalling silence at massacres such as Virginia Tech which are repeated again and again. There was no outcry, largely because the entire media establishment has been co-opted by the right. Pols pander to gun-nuts (and "gun nuts" there are -- sportsman don't need copkiller bullets or assault rifles) but why does the MSM roll over for the NRA's extremist views?

God - Religion is even more of a rightwing boondoggle. Religious political activists push their fanatical extremist views on everyone else, to the point of terrorism in some cases (assassinating abortion doctors, for instance). They bash gays, jews, muslims and women's rights. Democrats really are about tolerance and minority rights and about separating church and state.

Anti-immigrant sentiment - This is the worst one IMHO. We listen to Lou Dobbs rabble-rousing nightly on the supposedly centrist CNN. We hear about Minutemen stalkers harassing latinos. What exactly is wrong about speaking out against hatred and intolerance? Why is speaking out against hatred and xenophobia taboo? Is the MSM pro-xenophobia? It is unfathomable to me who would be offended by the phrase "anti-immigrant" othre than immigrant-haters. If the shoe fits.

First off, I am not talking about Obama's views on these issues. He's a bigtent Democrat who wants to reach out and not be divisive. Fine.

But what about the media, what's their excuse? Why have they swallow the GOP's version of political correctness? And I'm not just talking about the usual suspects like FoxNews and Politico. But ostensibly centrist news like CNN, MSNBC, Time, New York Times and so forth.

Why has the media rolled over to the point that it goes without saying that "urban" and "educated" is bad, that "guns" and "anti-immigrant" are good.

Bittergate brings it all into focus. The mainstream media is thoroughly infected with extreme rightwing values.

 

[kosar]

Thought I would post this - kind of thought provoking and might be worthy of a discussion...

Bittergate: Proof of Rightwing Media Bias
By TPM Cafe (it's a liberal blog, just so you know the source and so you can pre-conceive your thoughts before reading...)
- April 15, 2008, 8:22PM

The faux "bittergate" scandal is winding down, but I do want to call attention to one thing overlooked: The press reaction has been that what Obama said was a "gaffe" and politically perilous, the worst crisis since Rev. Wright. My question is (the horse race aspect aside) why???

Specifically, the remarks on clinging to guns, God, and anti-immigrant sentiment are singled out. The key point overlooked is that the remarks that are supposedly untouchable are taboo only from an ultra-rightwing perspective. From a liberal perspective, they are entirely legitimate, and more than that, totally correct ,at least from a liberal POV.

Think about it:

Guns - If you are a Democrat, you support reasonable limits on firearms, period. Why is the entire media and political establishment pandering to the gun nuts who will never in a million years vote Democratic? And look at the appalling silence at massacres such as Virginia Tech which are repeated again and again. There was no outcry, largely because the entire media establishment has been co-opted by the right. Pols pander to gun-nuts (and "gun nuts" there are -- sportsman don't need copkiller bullets or assault rifles) but why does the MSM roll over for the NRA's extremist views?

God - Religion is even more of a rightwing boondoggle. Religious political activists push their fanatical extremist views on everyone else, to the point of terrorism in some cases (assassinating abortion doctors, for instance). They bash gays, jews, muslims and women's rights. Democrats really are about tolerance and minority rights and about separating church and state.

Anti-immigrant sentiment - This is the worst one IMHO. We listen to Lou Dobbs rabble-rousing nightly on the supposedly centrist CNN. We hear about Minutemen stalkers harassing latinos. What exactly is wrong about speaking out against hatred and intolerance? Why is speaking out against hatred and xenophobia taboo? Is the MSM pro-xenophobia? It is unfathomable to me who would be offended by the phrase "anti-immigrant" othre than immigrant-haters. If the shoe fits.

First off, I am not talking about Obama's views on these issues. He's a bigtent Democrat who wants to reach out and not be divisive. Fine.

But what about the media, what's their excuse? Why have they swallow the GOP's version of political correctness? And I'm not just talking about the usual suspects like FoxNews and Politico. But ostensibly centrist news like CNN, MSNBC, Time, New York Times and so forth.

Why has the media rolled over to the point that it goes without saying that "urban" and "educated" is bad, that "guns" and "anti-immigrant" are good.

Bittergate brings it all into focus. The mainstream media is thoroughly infected with extreme rightwing values.

I think that one's going a bit far, Chad. I don't mean about you posting it, but in and of itself.

 

[Chadman]

I agree, Kosar, wasn't meaning to say that I agreed it was proof of the conspiracy, or anything the usual suspects around here are always crying about from the left. I just have been sitting around listening mainly to the usual right wing mouthpieces Rush, Sean, Bill, etc. over the past few days and hearing the new battle cries of elitism, political incorrectness, etc. from the few selected sentences of Obama's comments.

I think it's so ironic that now Obama is blasted as being an elitist, while the same people are ridiculing his formative years being brought up in an economically and socially arguable environment - the exact same kind of situation that the right says are as far away from elite status as you can get, and are reasons why he is not qualified to be President.

 

[Double Two]

"But what about the media, what's their excuse? Why have they swallow the GOP's version of political correctness? And I'm not just talking about the usual suspects like FoxNews and Politico. But ostensibly centrist news like CNN, MSNBC, Time, New York Times and so forth."





What world does this clown wake up to in the morning? If the author believes the media outlets he mentions(CNN, MSNBC, Time & the New York Times) are "ostensibly centrist", one must question the man's sanity or at least his observational skills! Hard to imagine an educated person being that stupid. I have to believe the author is being disingenuous.

I guess if you are on the VERY far-left, you would like to think most of the American viewers see these outlets as "centrist" but I believe most have better sense. I dare anyone to argue the point that these media outlets are not only tools of the left but some, MSNBC espeically, are leading the Obama crusade!:yup

 

[Chadman]

Okayyyy, before this gets into the right wing media defense thread...I don't mean to advocate that with this post, per se. My reason for posting this was to generate more of a topic of the subject matter, than the right wing media bash. So, this can go wherever y'all want to take it, but that was my intent - more on the bullet points than the media thing.

 

[Double Two]

Point taken Chadman, but after reading the quote I outlined it's hard to take any points this idiot tries to make seriously. It was not my intention to turn your post into a media bash and I apologize. Have a wonderful afternoon my friend!!!

 

[Chadman]

No Problem, D2. After thinking about the post, it was a poor way to bring up the topic. Should have just posted something original from my thinking, instead of an angled blog post that probably asks more for feedback like you gave than what I was thinking about.

Have a good one - going to get some nice fresh air and start thinking about lawn prep this evening, since the snow has finally left the area.

 

[gjn23]

lots of centrist around....

cnn
msnbc
nazi's
communists
radical muslim extrimist terrorists
peta
global warming crowd
the landing on the moon was filmed in a studio in the valley crowd
dinasours never existed crowd

blah-blah-blah

delete this garbage article and whatever the point was supposed to be.......wait that's censorship, another centrist ideal

 

[Jabberwocky]

shouldn't you be in a basement somewhere loading up on guns and canned goods?

 

[Eddie Haskell]

labels are funny things. leftists, centrists, rightists. It all depends on your perspective. I live in Cincinnati. I live in an upper middle class suburb. A friend of my sons mother and I were talking the other day about politics. An otherwise very normal person, well educated, graduated from Purdue (on second thought...) born and raised in Indiana. Made the following comment... "I don't think I could ever vote for a man named Obama for president".

I politely smiled, knowing the community I live in, was not at all shocked by the comment. Here in the heartland, many people might take that viewpoint as somewhat right of center. Same statement in a "real city" on either coast and you're exactly what she is. A flaming right wingnut bigot from a fly over red state. In Tennessee, she is a flaming leftwing yankee liberal from the north.

On the other hand, I am the only true measure of the true American pulse without the media bias. Relative to the rest of the world, the NY Times, CNN, MSNBC, PBS are IN FACT, centrist. You just have your ears fine tuned to News Corp and the propoganda fed to you by the corporate media and Rush et al. that it is liberal. But coming from Pelham, Alabama gives you that ultra worldly perspective doesn't it x2.

Maybe, you oughta wake up and smell the coffee. But then again you're probably too busy singing God Bless America to notice anything else going on in the world around you. And I don't mean Al Jazzera.

Eddie

 

[The Sponge]

To me all news stations are the same but one and that is the one who blatantly sides with one side and has complete jackasses beleiveing the rest of the media is on the other. :shrug: Eddie its nice to see you take a poke at our new additon to the political forum when some of the others just lay down and hide.

 

[djv]

Heck they say ABC is liberial. Well if you saw the debate tonight it was a 3 one one attack good old conservative way. So ABC can know move to right?

 

[Eddie Haskell]

Thanks, Sponge. Speaking of Purdue, it would be nice to see you, DJV and some of the other normal thinkers at the Eddie Haskell Invitational the first weekend in August at Belterra in Indiana.

I'm mildly suspicious about our friend 2x. There used to be a charming fellow who posted her from Pelham named Bluemooned Freak, I believe. Blue and I didn't agree on a whole hell of a lot. After one such discussion I remember, he and I were going to meet somewhere along I-64 to further discuss, in detail, the issue of whether or not our respective mothers were canines, as we so cheerfully liked to refer to each others maternal lineage. Wonder what happened to ole Blue.

Eddie

 

[ImFeklhr]

labels are funny things. leftists, centrists, rightists. It all depends on your perspective. I live in Cincinnati. I live in an upper middle class suburb. A friend of my sons mother and I were talking the other day about politics. An otherwise very normal person, well educated, graduated from Purdue (on second thought...) born and raised in Indiana. Made the following comment... "I don't think I could ever vote for a man named Obama for president".

I politely smiled, knowing the community I live in, was not at all shocked by the comment. Here in the heartland, many people might take that viewpoint as somewhat right of center. Same statement in a "real city" on either coast and you're exactly what she is. A flaming right wingnut bigot from a fly over red state. In Tennessee, she is a flaming leftwing yankee liberal from the north.

On the other hand, I am the only true measure of the true American pulse without the media bias. Relative to the rest of the world, the NY Times, CNN, MSNBC, PBS are IN FACT, centrist. You just have your ears fine tuned to News Corp and the propoganda fed to you by the corporate media and Rush et al. that it is liberal. But coming from Pelham, Alabama gives you that ultra worldly perspective doesn't it x2.

Maybe, you oughta wake up and smell the coffee. But then again you're probably too busy singing God Bless America to notice anything else going on in the world around you. And I don't mean Al Jazzera.

Eddie

+1

Exactly how it is in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle is nationally considered a liberal rag, but amongst the "progressives" in San Francisco it is considered a tool of big business and conservatives.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Double Two]

Dear Eddie,

Thanks for opening my eyes to my backward and out of touch with reality way of thinking. I am new to the political forum, like my new best friend Sponge pointed out in his post, so I have only read a few of your illuminating posts. Only one word comes to mind when I read these objective notions---BRILLIANT! You ARE the only true measure of the true American pulse without media bias and thank God you enlighten us with your wisdom.(Sorry to bring religion into this post but you know how we simple-minded people from the red states are) I believe you showed class in dealing with your flaming right wingnut bigot neighbor that graduated from Purdue. I can just imagine the sly smile you gave her, head tilted back looking all the way down your nose. Your actions would make your elitist conductor, Mr. Obama, proud. I must respectfully disagree with you about how she might be viewed in the hills of Tennessee. Believe me, she will be the majority in that state when she votes against Obama, not a leftwing yankee liberal. As for the media outlets you mentioned being centrist who needs them when all one has to do is log on to MJ's political forum and read your instructive posts. If I were smart, which being from a red state like Alabama I'm obviously not, I would engage the channel-lock and never watch these stations(especially Fox News) again.

Look forward to reading your next post Eddie and by continuing to do so maybe I will wake up one day and smell the coffee. Until then, and I sing, "God Bless America, Land that I love........"

Your New Best Friend,

Double Two

 

[Eddie Haskell]

Dear Two:

Very good. One slight error. My nose has the cutest little upturn at the end. So its kinda looking down it then with a little rise at the end. Pugnatious. Other than that, excellent post, you have potential to one day, become an elitist intellectual like Barry and I, and then, if your lucky, enter the thinking world. Best of luck, who do you like at Taladega this year?

Eddie

PS: When did someone who maintains an SEC avatar start defending a Big 10 school as an institution of higher learning? Don't you understand my attacking sense of humour is non-discriminatory?

 

[gardenweasel]

chad..i think the stink was over the word "cling".....sounds like those middle class folks in pa. are pathetic morons that are so stupid that they need to "cling" to "ridiculous"(that`s how he made it sound) notions like the second amendment, their faith and hatred of those that are different from them........

you don`t think that insulted some people?...

that really did make him look elitist..when you consider it was said at a closed function in front of a bunch of elitist liberal donors in san francisco...wasn`t for open public consumption...

and theres the rub...he`d have never said that in front of middle class voters in pittsburgh...

is he saying one thing to some people and something different to another group?...does he have real beliefs?...or is he just pandering?...

something like this raises those questions...throw in reverend wright(a racist whom he`d rather defend while throwing grandma under the bus),his wife`s comments and you can see where middle class honky`s and jews might get a tad uncomfortable....

just sayin`.....:shrug:

 

[Chadman]

Fair points, Wease. Seriously. But I just think this soundbite thing taking a couple sentences and attaching a label to it is contrived and misses the point of his comments. He may be tailoring his comments to the crowd - sure - which is something to think about, but certainly part of politics at this level, and those that don't are left behind, too often.

 

[gardenweasel]

Fair points, Wease. Seriously. But I just think this soundbite thing taking a couple sentences and attaching a label to it is contrived and misses the point of his comments. He may be tailoring his comments to the crowd - sure - which is something to think about, but certainly part of politics at this level, and those that don't are left behind, too often.

i agree about the soundbite thingee...it has been taken to a ridiculous level....it`s going to smother any important dialogue the candidates may have and reduce all discussion to a generic,politically correct pablum....

i`m not all het up about those comments...but,i have to say,i wish he weren`t tight with wright and that weathermen dude....that concerns me....i don`t buy the "i`ve never heard those comments" about wright....and the weatherman fella is an unrepentant terrorist that got off on a technicality....

but,that`s me...

i never thought i`d say it,but, i honestly wouldn`t feel nearly as empty if hillary got the dem nod and the whitehouse....rather than obama...i don`t trust him...i think he`s a lightweight...

and i`m just ambivalent on mccain...

i feel like we can survive another 4 years of "clinton"....obama?...to many questions for me...

 

[Double Two]

Note to Chadman: I hope this is my last intrusion into your post but I need to reply to my new best friend Mr. Haskell. Again I apologize.

Eddie,

Thank you for the kind words reguarding my reply to your post. I really do aspire to one day become an elitist intellectual like yourself and join the thinking world but I better not set my goals too high. I mean seriously, how high can a man from a red state like Alabama aim?!!? In reference to the rest of your inquiries, number one, I am not the charming fellow Bluemooned Freak. Sounds like he is a intellectual wanna-be if he differed with your sentiments. As for predicting the winner of the Talladega race goes your guess is better than mine. Not a race fan but we poor simple-minded Alabamians do appreciate all the Northern $$$ ya'll spend down here!!:yup Lastly, my Auburn avatar represents my alma mater although my degree is little help when it comes to debating a heavyweight like yourself. We do have one thing in common however, that non-discriminatory sense of humour, and I promise not to lose mine if you do the same. Looking forward to our next discussion my friend and have a wonderful evening!

DT