Democrats: a long war against the mainstream media required
Why, oh why are Democrats letting Republicans continue to have the initiative on the Pelosi-led bipartisan Congressional visit to Syria – along with Israel and Saudi Arabia? Where was the stink over the large Congressional delegation to another official enemy, Cuba, in December? Of course, it has already been noted you heard nothing about the delegation to Syria by Republican Reps just a few days earlier – or if you did hear it, it was a pro- forma mention at most that was not allowed to muddy the anti-Pelosi, pro-administration thrust of the story.
This would have been a basically non-newsworthy event had some sharp Republicans opposition researcher not sensed a PR opportunity and turned it into news. Who cares how phony or deceptive it is if mileage can be gained for a few days along with shoring up the base?
We should be extremely disturbed, however, that the mainstream media have gone along and channeled this phony attack into the topic of the day. A conservative TV journalist for ABC recently made a splash by saying that Matt Drudge sets the agenda for the MSM. Nothing illustrates the truth of that more than the growth of media legs on this non-story because Karl Rove said so. It’s as bad as the fabrication out of whole cloth of the John Kerry “joke” nonsense, as well as the “War Against Gore” in 2000 and beyond.
I have been reluctant to go quite as far as this dire conclusion, but as far as I can see the major media outlets are completely gone at this point. They are totally bought and paid for by the most right-wing elements of the Republican Party, and will find a way to pick up on any attack on Democrats dreamed up by the American Enterprise Institute. That’s despite the overwhelming public vote in favor of Democrats in November.
This will not begin to change unless the Democratic Party as an institution, and every other organized force of Democrats, develop the infrastructure to attack the media hard and very, very nasty whenever the press starts down the road of regurgitating GOP talking points. By name, with the intent, for the clear benefit of the nation and the world, of driving the practitioners out of the business of journalism. Democrats need their own list of powerful words, and the will to use them.
This would have been a basically non-newsworthy event had some sharp Republicans opposition researcher not sensed a PR opportunity and turned it into news. Who cares how phony or deceptive it is if mileage can be gained for a few days along with shoring up the base?
We should be extremely disturbed, however, that the mainstream media have gone along and channeled this phony attack into the topic of the day. A conservative TV journalist for ABC recently made a splash by saying that Matt Drudge sets the agenda for the MSM. Nothing illustrates the truth of that more than the growth of media legs on this non-story because Karl Rove said so. It’s as bad as the fabrication out of whole cloth of the John Kerry “joke” nonsense, as well as the “War Against Gore” in 2000 and beyond.
I have been reluctant to go quite as far as this dire conclusion, but as far as I can see the major media outlets are completely gone at this point. They are totally bought and paid for by the most right-wing elements of the Republican Party, and will find a way to pick up on any attack on Democrats dreamed up by the American Enterprise Institute. That’s despite the overwhelming public vote in favor of Democrats in November.
This will not begin to change unless the Democratic Party as an institution, and every other organized force of Democrats, develop the infrastructure to attack the media hard and very, very nasty whenever the press starts down the road of regurgitating GOP talking points. By name, with the intent, for the clear benefit of the nation and the world, of driving the practitioners out of the business of journalism. Democrats need their own list of powerful words, and the will to use them.
posted by KISSWeb | 2:36 PM
2 Comments:
Puts the finger on the weak link in the Democratic Party strategy. It accounts for much of the wuess factor in current Democratic presidential candidates because this weak link acts like the failure to provide infantry with air cover or a great product (the Big Three: Obama, Clinton and Edwards) with promotional tail wind. Instead of calling the GOP on red herrings like the Pelosi visit to Syria, the Big 3 are (for you boxing fans) dancing and doing the rope-a-dope instead of nailing GOP mudslingers with one-two punch responses.
But I don't think it's really the candidates who should carry the water on this. It's the DNC, DCCC and DSCC who need to enlist the shock corps of counter-attackers -- not only former Clinton people, but also Senators and Reps who have nothing to lose -- when this crap threatens to gain traction. Actually, it should be well before that. They should know it's going to happen before it happens.
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