Posted on 10/12/2005 10:00:15 PM PDT by Libloather
Liberally-biased press ignores Democratic blunders
October 12th, 2005
Dan Hemp, regular columnist
Over the past weeks, the media’s judgment of what stories deserve front page news coverage has been controversial to say the least. One such story takes place in Austin, Texas. The district attorney for that area, a hopelessly partisan Democrat named Ronnie Earle, indicted House Majority Leader Tom Delay for conspiring to break Texas election laws with little or no evidence to make his case. Once he realized that he had no chance in court, he re-indicted Delay with the new and more serious charge of money laundering. The media, of course, was all over the story.
Another compelling occurrence has to do with high profile Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee. Just after Frist got rid of some stock to avoid a conflict of interest for a possible run for president, the stock fell off in price. Even though he started the process of selling the stock months earlier, the news media cried out with allegations reminiscent of the Martha Stewart case.
While these sideshows have drawn the attention of the 24-hour news cycle, an actual crime has been largely ignored by the supposedly “unbiased” press.
Michael Steele is the lieutenant governor of Maryland and a rising star in the Republican Party. As the first African American to hold statewide office, he has proven himself to be a charismatic leader and a strong politician. Before winning statewide as Governor Robert Ehrlich’s running mate, he was chairman of Maryland’s Republican Party. He was even chosen by the national party to be the deputy permanent chairman of the 2004 Republican National Convention — an unquestionable vote of confidence in a talented elected official. Most political pundits expect him to be the Republican nominee for retiring Senator Paul Sarbanes’ seat in 2006.
Chuck Schumer is the senior senator from New York and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. His job is to recruit candidates for the Senate and monitor the races that are in play for his party. Two of his campaign committee members — research director Katie Barge and junior staffer Lauren Weiner — apparently obtained Steele’s private credit report by using his social security number. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, knowingly and willfully obtaining a credit report under false pretenses is a felony with a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Investigators have already informed the lieutenant governor’s staff that he was an “obvious victim of a crime.” Contrary to what some political observers on the left would have you believe, these two ladies were not inexperienced interns that made a one-time mistake. Barge has been around the political scene and should know the rules by now. She worked as the research director for the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America and was on the opposition research team for John Edward’s failed presidential campaign. So how could she be so careless now?
From the looks of this story, it was far from an accident.
Schumer has denied any knowledge of the scheme to acquire the confidential credit report, but any fair-minded spectator would think that the story deserves at least a few lines of coverage in the major newspapers or a brief mention on the cable news networks. After all, an ongoing criminal investigation — by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI no less — into the actions of staffers for a Democratic leader of the Senate seems like a bombshell of a story. But not a word has been spoken about this piece in recent press coverage, maybe because the favored party of journalists is to blame in this case.
So what if the shoe was on the other foot? If the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee had unknowingly allowed staffers to commit a felony by using someone’s social security number to obtain their credit report, imagine the uproar that would have resulted. If this crime was perpetrated by Republicans against an African American Democrat, there would be an enormous outcry against the Republican Party. Charges of racism would be all over the news, and Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be out in force demanding that the office holder be run out of town.
However, the partisan media is interestingly quiet on this major political development. Is it any wonder why so many people who follow politics charge that the press has a liberal bias?
It maybe time to shatter the double-standard ceiling...
If Delay were a dem the MSM would be doing stories of how he is being railroaded and Corzine,Pelosi and Hilary would be in jail or out of office if they were Republicans.
Very interesting double meaning term.
A well written article.
Move along now. Nothing here to see. Keep moving. Give him some space...
Is this paper not the press? Is it somehow not part of the media?
Ping.
"Just damn" material......
Calling the MSM 'biased' is a gross understatement. The American MSM is nothing but a DNC 527.
and you can included fauxnews as well... As I've seen no mention of Schumers aledged mis-conduct on that channel....
What's your point? Sure it is part of the press. Not the liberally biased press. Seems to be well written, succinct and spot on.
Sniff...sniff....
I detect a faint odor about you. Do you perhaps live under bridges?
Doesn't that make you scratch your head a little?
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