Posted on 10/01/2012 10:41:58 AM PDT by moneyrunner
Patrick Caddell Mainstream media is threatening our country's future
I think we’re at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy or not. You know, when I first started in politics – and for a long time before that – everyone on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, despised the press commonly, because they were SOBs to everybody. Which is exactly what they should be. They were unrelenting. Whatever the biases were, they were essentially equal-opportunity people.
That changed in 1980.
....we face a fundamental danger here. The fundamental danger is this: I talked about the defense of the First Amendment. The press’s job is to stand in the ramparts and protect the liberty and freedom of all of us from a government and from organized governmental power. When they desert those ramparts and decide that they will now become active participants, that their job is not simply to tell you who you may vote for, and who you may not, but, worse—and this is the danger of the last two weeks—what truth that you may know, as an American, and what truth you are not allowed to know, they have, then, made themselves a fundamental threat to the democracy, and, in my opinion, made themselves the enemy of the American people.
Definitely read the whole thing.
He appears to be the last sane man left in that party.
Another Liberal mugged by fellow liberals...
Pat Caddell is one of the few Dems I listen to rather than hit the mute button.
“Democrats and Republicans, despised the press commonly, because they were SOBs to everybody. Which is exactly what they should be. They were unrelenting. Whatever the biases were, they were essentially equal-opportunity people. That changed in 1980.”
Cadell obviously does not remember the 1964 race, where the media assaults on Goldwater were as bad as anything today.
I believe the media has always (during my life) been left-wing biased. But it becomes especially vicious when an actual conservative is running OR when a radical liberal is running. They will attack actual conservatives viciously because they threaten the conventional wisdom gravy train. They will enthusiastically support radical progressives because that is such a win (in their mind).
In other words, the media jumps in hard for the democrat when (1) The modern progressive agenda is threatened by a conservative or (2) When they see a huge advance in the agenda by electing a radical progressive.
This explains a lot. 1964 and the Reagan years were actual conservatives running for president. Nasty, nasty press. 2000, OTOH had a “compassionate” conservative against a blah moderate democrat. Press was more balanced. 2004 was a “compassionate” conservative vs a radical progressive, Kerry. Vicious. 2008 was a moderate R vs a radical progressive. Unbelievably biased. Etc.
He is the only one I don’t hit the mute button.
Pat Caddell slams the media: They have become an “enemy of the people” (video 26:00)
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