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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:12 am Post subject: Republicans Whining about the Media |
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Yes, the White House Is Trying to Control the Media. Republicans Need to Stop Whining and Get In the Game
By Noel Sheppard
Associate Editor, NewsBusters.org
In recent weeks, the White House has come under increasing criticism from conservatives for its coordinated attack on talk radio host Rush Limbaugh as well as the amount of attention it�s given to CNBC personalities Jim Cramer and Rick Santelli.
The belief is that because the economy is doing so poorly, Obama & Co. should have their eye on the ball and not waste time debating their media opponents.
This argument runs counter to disappointments expressed by the very same people concerning the Bush administration�s abysmal record rebutting its own negative press.
For almost five years, although the nation was engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conservatives, myself included, frequently chided Bush for not standing up to the constant bashing he was taking from what many referred to as �the drive-by media.�
Isn�t this a double standard? Should our side be the only one allowed to parry with its opponents? Isn�t that absurd given the power of the press and how critical it is for politicians to try to control them is at this moment in history?
The truth is that George W. Bush became a lame duck in the first nine months of his second term when he allowed the media to prevent him from reforming Social Security as well as blame him for the hurricane that hit New Orleans.
How much different might Bush�s final years in office have been if he had pushed back against the press�s practically immoral �there�s no problem with Social Security� campaign, and if he had aggressively challenged the disingenuous attacks concerning the White House�s �poor response� to Hurricane Katrina?
Maybe the Republicans would have fared much better during 2006�s midterm elections if Bush & Co. had fought the media tooth and nail every time they misrepresented his policies or blamed him for events totally out of his control.
And maybe if the White House had challenged the baseless accusations last fall that it was responsible for the collapse of the financial services industry John McCain and Sarah Palin might have been able to defeat Obama-Biden in November.
Regardless of his own miscues, one could make the case that Bush�s entire legacy was dictated by an antagonistic media which he and his administration left largely unchecked.
By contrast, former President Clinton and his team seemed to have a far greater control of the message when they were in power. It was this very influence that helped Clinton survive impeachment proceedings by convincing enough of the population that his only crime was adultery.
Obviously it is much easier to manipulate those that support your view of the world, but such an inconvenient truth shouldn�t prevent Republicans �- especially when they control the executive and legislative branches -� from doing their utmost to make darned sure liberal voices and opinions aren�t running roughshod over the nation.
Now that the Democrats are in such a position and effectively manipulating it, the carping and whining on our side seems almost like complaining to the refs about the other team�s offensive prowess. This not only gets us nowhere, but makes us look foolish in the interim.
In bottom line: the political war in America is indeed being fought in the media. Since their devastating loss in 2004 liberals have been doing a far better job waging this war than conservatives.
Those on the right should stop crying foul over what Team Obama is wisely doing to control the message and instead learn to play the game better.
Noel Sheppard is associate editor of the Media Research Center�s NewsBusters.org. He welcomes feedback at [email protected]. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 am Post subject: |
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If the Right keeps whining about being victims, sooner or later they're going to start believing it.  |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:15 am Post subject: |
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One could say exactly the same thing re: Democrats whining about the media, Dmbfan...
For example, H. Clinton and her "vast right-wing conspiracy" charge, or J. Stewart and his sanctimonious lectures to Tucker Carlson and Jim Cramer, or M. Moore, red in the face, hurling invective at Wolf Blitzer and CNN, sneering like a child at "Sanjay Gupta..." The list goes on.
Democrats, of course, have long been in the game, via propaganda wings such as Moveon.org, or via celebrity auxiliaries such as those who portray Republicans like G. Ford (C. Chase) or S. Palin (T. Fey) on SaturdayNightLive.
And Ya-ta Boy: your sarcastic eyeroll reflects utter hypocrisy, per usual. |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| One could say exactly the same thing re: Democrats whining about the media, Dmbfan... |
Oh, I know.
I just thought it was an interesting article.
dmbfan |
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ubermenzch
Joined: 09 Jun 2008
Location: bundang, south korea
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| i like how the author says the media disingenuously attacked the white house concerning their poor response to katrina. it seems like if any attack by the press has been legitimate in the last few years, that was the one. while it would be naive to claim that no media groups have a partisan bias, i would say that in many cases the media are reacting also to public pressure. true, there is not just one monolythic public, but there are some things on which i'm sure all groups could mostly agree. it grates on the nerves to have everything constantly attributed to the effective or ineffective use of the media by the democrats and republicans. |
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