No More Passes

Mmmmmrrghfthfth….. ::biting my tongue:: ….

…mmmmmmmmI CAN’T HELP IT. Gotta talk about politics again.

Actually, my rant today is not so much about either presidential candidate as it is about the mainstream media in America–because, you see, the media is running a campaign of its own.

The mainstream media is aggressively trying to get Barack Obama elected the next President of the United States.

Now, I’ve commented about this fact on some other blogs–including some “across the pond”–and the response I’ve read is: “WHAT media bias?” Some have even suggested the media is biased in favor of McCain!

But all you need to do to see the bias for Obama is to look honestly at the difference in how the candidates (and their running mates) are treated by the media, and how their words and actions are spun. I could spend literally hours giving examples here, but let’s just look at a few highlights:

1. SARAH PALIN AND THE EXPERIENCE ISSUE
Now, the interesting thing is–Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska is not running for President; she is a Vice-Presidential candidate. Yet because McCain has a sound advantage over Obama with regard to experience (especially in foreign policy), the spin is comparing Palin’s experience with Obama’s. Palin has granted two interviews with mainstream anchors (Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson). Both anchors seemed intent on “gotcha” questions, trying to catch Palin off guard, and editing the tapes to make Palin look bad. Gibson’s interview of Palin looked more like an interrogation; by comparison, his interview of Obama a few months ago was soft, friendly–hero worship in comparison.

Obama’s lack of experience? Barely glossed over by the media. Almost never do you hear that Obama has never made an executive decision, and often voted “present” when he did not want to commit to a decision (or be held to account for his decision). Almost never are his recent foreign policy gaffes concerning Russia and Georgia mentioned, or his mistaken reference to the 57 states of America (there are, in fact, 57 Islamic states).

The media has raked Palin over the coals, even though she actually has more executive experience than Obama. Barack Obama has been given a pass.

2. SCANDALS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND DIGGING FOR DIRT
Again, because of McCain’s long record, little is unknown about him; so it’s hard to pin any kind of scandalous sensation on him. So again, the question is mainly the treatment of Palin versus Obama. Since McCain added Palin to his ticket, the media has swarmed Alaska, looking for trouble. Teams are literally digging through dumpsters for anything that could scandalize her. What little they have come up with has been shallow at best, yet they have treated it like the sensation of the century. A similar team is also digging through dumpsters in McCain’s home state of Arizona. Little attention is given to the 80% approval rating Governor Palin enjoys in her home state–because in the minds of the elitist media, Alaskans are probably too stupid to even know whether they have a good governor or not.

By contrast–no such team is looking for dirt on Obama. In fact, there has been much effort to draw attention away from the potential scandals that could damage him–and there are a few. Little attention is given to his 20-year association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his anti-American message. Little attention is given to Obama’s continued association with unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, or his association with corrupt voter registration organizations, or his associations with some of the very financial people who caused and profited from the current economic crisis in America.

Palin’s associations are brought under intense scrutiny. Obama is given a pass.

3. THE ROLE OF THE CANDIDATES IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS
Sources have admitted that when both presidential candidates met with the President and congressional leaders last week to discuss the financial bailout package, the resulting divisive fiasco began when Obama, unprepared for the meeting, raised hasty and accusing questions about the other party’s ideas, taking cues from a memo that was quickly emailed to him. Obama, who claims to be able to unite both parties as President, contributed to the derailment of the negotiations. McCain’s comments during the meeting, though sparse, were conciliatory.

How did the media spin it? They made it look like McCain shoved his nose in where it didn’t belong (although he’d been asked to help in negotiations). They gave media coverage to Democratic congressional leaders who said that things fell apart when McCain came to town, and he did not help at all. His decision to supsend his campaign was allegedly a “political maneuver.” He was asked to come, then blamed for the fallout.

Obama’s part in the breakdown? Not. Even. Mentioned.

McCain gets blamed, and gets no credit for what he did do to help bring a financial resolution. What little Obama did, did more harm than good. He gets one big pass.

This guy gets more passes than a teacher’s pet.

And this doesn’t even cover the fact that bad news about McCain’s campaign gets immediately plastered over the Internet and airwaves, while any negatives about Obama’s campaign get slightly mentioned. Or the fact that last week’s debate, declared a “tie”, is given to Obama since he’s ahead in the polls. (WHAT?? And were these people watching the same debate I was?) Or the fact that last night’s VP debate is already being spun as a Biden win, despite the fact that Palin’s performance surprised everyone, and despite the fact that the moderator had a pro-Obama conflict of interest. Or the fact that now there is a station on Dish Network called “The Obama Channel”, DEDICATED to Obama propaganda, with no similar channel for McCain?

If you still doubt that the mainstream media is pushing for Obama’s election…what was the one time McCain opened up a lead in the polls? It was right after the Republican National Convention. Why? Because it was the only time the media could not control the content. McCain’s choice of Palin as running mate threw the media off balance, and they weren’t prepared with a negative spin. And during their speeches, the media could not interrupt them or edit them.

In other words…when the media wasn’t in a position to spin the truth, McCain took the lead in the polls. (Incidentally, the Democratic Convention produced almost no poll bounce for Obama.)

I submit that if the media were not working so hard to elect Obama–if the media would just give a fair platform to both candidates to present their arguments without the accompanying spin–public opinion would currently be very different right now. Even with the current economic crisis in play.

Well, I’m sorry. I’m tired of the double standard; I’m tired of watching the media give passes to Obama and not once ask him to give account for the things that might disqualify him. For reasons I’ve stated before, I will vote for McCain in November. I have not arrived at this decision by listening to the media, but by doing my best to get past the media and listen to both candidates and finding out where they stand on the issues.

I realize there are readers here who disagree with my choice, and I respect their right to disagree–and I hope you’ll keep reading and not be offended. The only thing I ask is this: don’t trust the mainstream media, because if you do, you will not get an honest look at any of the candidates. The media is trying to get us to believe what they want us to believe. You have to get past that in order to find the truth. If you are going to vote for Obama, do it with open eyes, knowing for certain what he stands for, what his record is, and who he takes advice from. Be willing to ask the questions the media will not ask, and listen to alternative forms of media who will report what the liberal media will not. And if you still can vote for Obama after doing that–so be it.

I’m not quick to jump on the American Family Association bandwagon, but my friend Karen emailed me an invitation from them to sign a pledge NOT to watch the three major news networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) until after the election. On this point, I agree with the AFA. These people in media are entitled to their personal political persuasions (as we all are), but as journalists, they must be held to account for their continued attempts to influence the vote. Journalists are supposed to be neutral. They are supposed to report news, not create it. We need to send a message in a language they will understand–no ratings, no money. There should only be two presidential campaigns at this time, and we need to do what we can to end the media campaign. Regardless of your choice for President, I urge you to sign this pledge and abide by it. Get your news from somewhere else. You can handle it.

And yes, I’ve turned off comments for this post, just for today. If you liked what I said, please sign the pledge. If you didn’t–it’s my day to rant. If you want to rant back, do it on your own blog.