Nope. I won’t be watching them. I have the new Chris Rock HBO Comedy Special, I have the new Rock movie- Walking Tall, and I have that shitty Travolta movie, the Punisher. And before you give em any shit, I know this is not a high-brow selection. I fully expect the Punisher to suck. Back off the Rock, though. I like him, and I think he is the best of the new action heroes, and as far as I am concerned, he is the new Arnold.
I just can’t bear to spend two hours watching Bush stumble over words while Kerry lies about everything and no one in the press even blinks. I can tell you what the press will report astheoutcome of the debate before it has even occurred and without watching it. Kerry won it. I mean, the mainstream media has already told us where they stand:
An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to “reflexively and artificially hold both sides ‘equally’ accountable.”
The controversial internal memo obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how “Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.”
But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to “win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.”
That is what is known in liberal circles as ‘nuance.’ Kerry lies, and it is no big deal. Bush lies- and he must be doing for re-election!
The Democrats may win the Presidency this year, but I still doubt it. Regardless, if they do win, it will be an extremely costly victory. If they win, it will cost them, at the very least, the complete and total credibility of the mainstream media.
Forget Dan Rather and the 5 year investigation that ended up with nothing more than forged documents. When you read this piece in the LA Times by Jonathon Chait, which is supposed to be a barnburner, and it seems rather tepid when compared to the daily fare offered by the NY Times, you get an understanding of how in bed with the Democrats most of us on the right now view the media.
I used to think the meida was just lazy, but that benign mistrust of them has now been replaced with a malignant disdain for their out and out bias. Is there any way to explain how Kerry has not been asked ONE tough question this entire election cycle. How the only references to his flip-flopping on every issue are to the Republican attempts to paint him as a flip-flopper, rather than his actual flip-flopping? Why has not one reporter asked Kerry about his Senate career, and the votes for unilateral disarmament, nuclear freezes, etc. Why has no one seized upon the stunning incoherence of the Diane Sawyer interview? Why the thorough disdain for valid questions about Kerry’s military record? Why no questions about his taxes or military record? Why the complete acceptance about his lies about the economy and outsourcing?
How many weeks in a row did CBS air anti-Bush books? For fun, ask yourself how many of the NY Times op-ed columnists have written Bush-bashing books in the past year. Ask yourself, why are specious charges about Bush taking too much vacation time given mainstream attention bi-weekly, and no one notices that Kerry and Edwards have not made it to a Senate vote in 2-3 years- unless, of course, a DC fundraiser is simultaneously scheduled. Now that the Democrats have more money, why has the press not spent three months in a lather about the evil influence of money on elections?
Why is the complete lie about Kerry’s Iraq ‘plan’ not questioned? Which countries are going to support a President Kerry witrh additional troops? How is he goingto train Iraqi security forces ‘faster?’ Why has he not been called to task for blatant attempts to destroy the existing coalition? Why has it not been mentioned that even the 1991 coalition was not good enough for Kerry? Why is it not trumpeted acrss the headlines every day that the ‘allies’ Kerry wants to rely on were being paid off by Saddam Hussein? Why is it that everyone believed Saddam had WMD prior to the war, yet only Bush is supposed to be punished for being wrong- even when he is the only one who acted in good faith on what turns out to be faulty information. Kerry and crew thought there were WMD- and wanted to do nothing.
Why are the Democrats allowed to lie daily about the economy. Why is it not mentioned every day that the unemployment rate is lower than it was during the Clinton landside victory over Dole. Why are discussions of the economy always missing the damage caused by an inherited recession and the devestating impact that 9/11 had on the economy. Do you guys forget what happened to travel? Hotel services? Restaurants? The entertainment sector? The airline industry? Do they just forget how bad the attacks hurt the economy, or is it just because they want Kerry to win that they ignore this information? Why is it not mentioned that the tax cuts worked, and the economy be would be much worse if Kerry had his way? Andwhat exactly is Kerry’s economic plan? Tax hikes, increased government spending, more regulation, more of everything that we don’t need.
I could go on and on and on and on with questions that should have been asked of Kerry and the Breck Girl, but the press is too busy climbing up Cheney’s ass with a flashlight and a baseball bat, distorting his statements so they can call him a liar. There is a connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq. That doesn’t mean Iraq was responsible for 9/11, but it does mean that Iraq had to go. Period. Why is it that Kerry and Edwards are allowed to lie about Cheney and Halliburton on a daily basis? Why?
The Democrats may win this election, but it will cost them dearly. They are going to lose more seats in the House, probably 2-3 more seats in the Senate, and they are going to have a Democratic president that even most Democrats don’t like. And personally, I can’t wait. It might be fun to give the Democrats a dose of their own medicine. Nw that we know that the out and out lies from Michael Moore are references for the Kerry/Edwards critique of the Bush foreign policy, I can say pretty much anything I want, and still remain in the new boundaries for decorum that have been constructed by the Democrats. The Democrats have half their base convinced Bush and Cheney went to war for oil, so I shouldn’t take any heat for suggesting Kerry is a Manchurian Candidate.
A Kerry victory might be fun.
*** Update ***
Is it conceivable that President Bush can survive the media onslaught, unprecedented in American history, that has been unleashed against him?
Jane
I’m surprised that you’d give Bush a pass on being less than stellar and blame the media for Kerry’s performance before the so-called debate (and yes, I watched it, ergo so-called) even began.
I don’t blame you for not watching it, but for such a political blogger, your pretense that you have more important things you’d prefer to do is disingenuous.
I give a high five to Keith Olbermann at msnbc who probably provides the wittiest and most accurate assessment in his round by round scoring.
Boatswain
you should have watched! Bush won… by an RCH… its a technical term… totally biased questions intended to screw W and he did good enough. Kerry Scowled.
the soft bigotry of low expectations has played its wonderful music over the forum.
John Cole
I didn’t claim I had more important things to do. I stated I can’t stand watching Bush stumble over words and I can’t stand Kerry lying and not being called on it. I never pretended Chris rock was more important than the debates.
Harry in Atlanta
The only way in hell I would ever watch Keith Olbermann is if I were on death row and we got only one channel on tv and he was on and even then it would be a tough choice between watching him or picking at my toenails. I guess I just ain’t that desperate.
Jethrine
Your comments re the insufferable Keith Olbermann and being on death row remind me of an old joke, except, under the new version, the punchline would be “Death by Keith Olbermann!”
a reader
Great summary of the questions that professional journalists should be asking, yet are not asking. Thank you.
Mike
Actually, I believe ther is more than simple bias at work. MSM are wuite concerned tha they are losing control. Power. They have always been able to feed us what they want, when they want. Now they are caught. They are swinging at ghosts right now, and are more concerned with their place in this world than Kerry’s. If he loses, it will be their failure.
kjo
Right. Even if the MSM pushes Kerry in, it’s their last hurrah. Even my liberal friends will admit privately that the BIG Networks and CNN are campaigning for Kerry. My friends argue that with the Republicans controlling talk radio and Fox, the liberals in the media have had to get real overt. Maybe. But I still think this is the end of their influence. Almost nobody believes them anymore.
I haven’t believed anything I’ve seen on CBS, and I haven’t watched much, since Nov. 1963 when young Dan Rather told us how he saw President Kennedy thrown forward in the car as the bullet came from behind him. These people have been lying to us for our own “good” for 40 years.
Too many other sources today. We don’t need them anymore.