I had to chuckle this morning, albeit somewhat grimly for reasons to be detailed in a bit, when I saw the front page article in the San Francisco “No We’re Not Out Of Business Yet But The ‘Going Out Of’ Signs Are On Order” Chronicle this morning (it bears a different title online): Fascist? Socialist? Attacks on Obama take a shrill tone. This as opposed to the calm reason which was the earmark of all analysis involving President Bush, I suppose. Then again, this is the newspaper boasting the services of that legendary levelheaded pundit Mark Morford who labeled President Obama a “lightworker.” And they wonder why they’re bleeding red ink even in the bluest of blue cities. But I digress.
Meanwhile, someone at CNN made a terrible editorial mistake by allowing intelligent conversation to appear on its Web site in the person of Ed Rollins, noted Republican strategist (translation: liberals hate his guts almost as much as Karl Rove’s). In discussing President Obama’s recent European trip, Rollins cautions about the nemesis lurking beneath the hubris of labeling it a modern-day Magical Mystery Tour, noting that popularity polls do not always hold fast and while there were successes, several genuine problems remained unaffected with more lurking on the horizon. His column even managed a minor modern miracle: a mention of Sarah Palin in the MSM minus snark. To make up for this, the site also trumpets its pop culture cesspool Showbiz Tonight‘s gabfest centered on Levi Johnson’s not-so magical and anything but a mystery media tour. After all, what could be more newsworthy and trustworthy than the word of an ex-boyfriend who knocked up his former girlfriend then bailed on the relationship?
Several days ago, a story oozed up from the black lagoon about Vice President Biden’s daughter being caught on tape snorting the evil doppelgänger of Tinkerbelle’s pixie dust. Oh no no no, some celebrity Web site cried; the video was a set-up. No claim was made that the young woman was coerced into putting nose candy inside her nostrils, mind you. Just the taping was a set-up to try and sell same for some slimy tabloid cash. No one paid, as far as I know, and the story died a quick death with zero mention by most major media outlets. Leave the children alone!
The most pathetic aspect of all this is how the media can’t see its own folly. Of course it should leave the children of politicians alone. I have a hunch President and Mrs. Obama are both secretly thankful how given the age of their daughters the worst crime they can commit is sneaking a cookie without permission. That said, why does it continue to harp on Sarah Palin? Of course it should prefer rational analysis of the President. That said, where were its complaints when the left called President Bush every name imaginable?
I suspect it was saving its quota of complaining about hypocrisy for days such as today. When it’s the one being that way. There’s something heavy going down in the world; actually, a lot of heavy things going down. How does the media respond? By doing as it says, not as it does.
Nice.
P.S. Speaking of something heavy going down, a touch of lightness in the face of everything going on these days courtesy of a wild video by Golden Earring:
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/golden_earring_something_heavy_going_down.flv nolink]
It is unfortunate that Bristol Palin’s bad decisions have tainted her mom’s career. They should be left alone, and the ex-boyfriend should be deported to Borneo. But we can’t say it’s unexpected.
Since Christian America has allied itself so closely with the Republican Party, why *wouldn’t* the media jump all over an illegitimate teen birth? The Religious Right seems to expect immunity for its own moral failings while pillorying the Democrats for the same behaviors. Remember all the fun poked at Christian Republicans last year when it looked like the GOP nomination would come down to two adulterers and a Mormon? Christians were too slow to forgive Clinton’s misdeeds because he’s a “liberal” and too quick to forgive the adultery of Giuliani and McCain because they’re “conservatives”. Clinton gets a couple of blowjobs from an intern and he’s Satan incarnate. McCain cheats on his tragically disfigured wife, then throws her away like an old snot-rag, and he’s the salvation of America. Hillary stays married to the big lug instead of getting divorced (and remember, God hates divorce), and she’s a dummy. Rush Limbaugh commits adultery *and* develops a drug addiction, and he’s still the Voice of Reason.
Horse-hockey. Either Biblical morals count or they don’t, and the American public is starting to see through the double standard of the religious right. Immoral behavior is immoral no matter what one’s political stance is, and as soon as Christians remember that moral standards apply to both sides of the political fence, maybe kids like Bristol Palin can get a break.
I also must add that Sarah’s “She-Fudd” image, with all the shotgun posing, doesn’t help her image much…
As a Reupublican, I do think that it is a tragedy that the presidential candidate lineup ended as it did on the Republican side. I would have gladly voted for a Mike Huckabee or a Sarah Palin. It’s true that I had reservations about McCain, but what was the alternative? It’s showmanship versus substance.
Like McCain or not, he has proven experience, and despite previous moral shortcomings, he was a million times more ready for the job. But more than half of Americans wanted a rock star, and even though their 401(k)s are disappearing while the clueless White House and Congress stumble about, they voted for a candidate whose policies are totally incompatible with the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that many Americans would claim to love and seek.
This country has become a joke, and I will be more than happy when ‘yes we can’ finally becomes ‘wish we hadn’t’.