Barack Obama and the Sorry Mainstream Media

"Democracy without honest information creates the illusion of popular consent at the same time that it enhances the power of the state and the privileged interests that the state protects. And nothing characterizes corporate media today more than its disdain toward the fragile nature of modern life and its indifference toward the complex social debate required of a free and self-governing people."
--Bill Moyers
"The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make a criminal look like the victim and make the victim look like the criminal. This is the irresponsible press. If you aren't careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."
-- Malcolm X
"We should stop being misled by a voracious appetite for trash. I'm really kind of disgusted at the fact that for the first time probably in our nation's history the media is dictating this political campaign more so than the candidates are."
--Montel Williams

Today, the daddy is feeling this article by E.J. Dionne in Truthdig. In this article, Dionne mentions that the news media hasn't ferreted out the truth from the many lies, deceptions and manipulations but, for the most part, blames democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama for the closeness of this presidential race. He states:

"The media bear a heavy responsibility because “balance” does not require giving equal time to truth and lies. So does McCain, who is running a disgraceful, dishonorable campaign of distraction and diversion.But Obama bears responsibility, too: His task is to remind Americans that the stakes in this election are far higher than the matter of who said what and when about Palin. He isn’t doing it."

While it is true that Obama could be hitting harder at McCain, it is also true that Obama has spent a lot of time warning Americans not to be distracted by the Republican shenanigans. Indeed, he chastized his supporters for going after Governor Palin's family and urged them to stick to the issues. He has also said time and time again in speeches and press conferences that Republicans have resorted to smear and deception in this campaign because they don't have any ideas to run on. So why Dionne just wants to blame Obama? What's going on here?

The daddy sees two things going on here. First, the press, the reporters and pundits, like other U.S. citizens, have little, if any, patience for rigorous discourse or reasoned analysis. America has become a soundbite culture and guess what? Here comes this youg skinny black guy upstart with his Harvard law degree speaking in a measured tone, using sound reasoning for his policies and behavior. Who does he think he is? Some guy running for president or something?

Now, after electing twice a guy America would want to have a beer with but who turned out to be one of the worst presidents in U.S. history, you would think that the mainstream media would be heralding the qualities of Obama and promoting those qualities as a requirement for ANY person running for the U.S. presidency. No, the mainstream media poo poos it. They say Obama is too intellectual, too bright, too reasoned, too-- dare I say it?-- smart to connect with the American voter and can a white boy get a soundbite please?

The second thing going on cannot be said politely: the mainstream media is not doing its damn job and hasn't been doing it for sometime. Just as they did not vet the swiftboaters and their straight-up lies about democratic presidential candidate and genuine military hero John Kerry until the campaign was just about over in 2004, they're not vetting either Sen. McCain or his running mate Gov. Palin in 2008. And just as they did not vet George Bush claim of being a "compassionate conservative" in 2000 (The guy signed for the electrocution of more people than any other governor in U.S. history), they're not vetting McCain's claim to be a serious maverick or change agent in 2008. Face it: Sen. McCain is a warmonger and phony maverick with an anger management problem and Gov. Palin is nothing less than a Dick Cheney in high heels who is tied to big-oil lobbyists and an opportunist climbing up the backs of true feminists to the White House. But you won't get a hint of this reality from the mainstream media.

So, if you're a producer of a mainstream media news program and your corporate-owned, conservative news station is not calling out slimy politicians for their lies, half-truths, deceptions and manipulations, what do you do? You bring in a Republcian analyst or strategist and a Democratic analyst or strategist, let them go after each other. In that way, you don't have to go the next step, ferret out truth from fiction and call out the liars and half-truth manipulators for the jive politicians that they are. You may even be able to sleep at night.

So, if you're a anchor or reporter masquerading as a journalist or pompous pundit imitating a serious commentator and want to keep your overrated status and overpaid J.O.B. at this corporate, conservative television or radio station, what do you do? You analyze soundbites, giving greater preference to the person with the best soundbite. And if that soundbite comes from a Republican who speaks negatively of a liberal politician, so much the better.

What do you do? You then blame the liberal politician for being too reasoned, too measured in his statements, too much of policy wonk and not a person with whom Joe Six Pack " would want to have a cold one and play pool to sound of John Mellencamp's "Small town" and Bruce Springstein's "Born in the U.S.A" at the corner bar.

Yes, Obama could be more assertive in calling out Sen. McCain for running a smear campaign and selling out working people, veterans and women to become president of the United States. But the larger story is the mainstream media's failure to call out McCain for who he really is. His record is staring them in the face, but they won't look at it. Dionne's article is just the first of many by phony liberals and rabid Republicans like Pat Buchanan to use Obama as an excuse to cover up the mainstream media's failure to get to the truth about the McCain/Palin ticket and the outright b.s. that's shoveled at the American voter night and day.

Dionne: Stop whining about Obama and do your damn job!