Posted on 09/06/2004 6:17:36 AM PDT by Redcoat LI
Media: From watchdog to lapdog By Joe Sciacca Recent Columns by Joe Sciacca Monday, September 6, 2004
CNN rented a New York City diner for the GOP convention and still ended up chopped liver in the ratings.
Comedy Central's ``The Daily Show'' billed itself as ``the most trusted name in fake news'' - which is, actually, true.
Chris Matthews ended up in a spitting match with Zell Miller, a moment that had millions of Americans calling their cable companies - to complain that their cable was working.
All of which begs the question, when it comes to presidential politics, is the media needed anymore?
Forget about the usual whining about the partisan tone at Fox or how Drudge has become as much of a daily news staple as the New York Times - and a rival in the area of credibility quite often as well.
We are well into a new era of politics in which a politician taking his case to the people without a media filter isn't enough.
Now, pols want to make their case with a media filter of their own choosing, one that gives them an on-air makeover in seconds flat, a sort of broadcasting Botox.
When President Bush [related, bio] was trying to explain his way out of a declaration that the war on terror cannot be won, he didn't call a press conference - he called Rush Limbaugh.
``People wish you the best and they're praying for you every day . . . They love you out there, Mr. President,'' offered Rush.
When you're on the campaign trail these days, help is just a phone call away. John Kerry [related, bio] has his own phone-a-friend.
``As you perhaps know, Sen. Kerry, from our 20-year relationship,'' Don Imus recently revealed, ``this is not `Meet the Press' and I don't pretend to be impartial.'' This announcement was not greeted with surprise.
If the media is the message, then there is an even higher goal in today's politics: create your own media.
The only thing better than having pals in the press is having your own employees in the press, as the use of ``convention jockeys,'' or CJs, by the GOP at the convention showed.
The five women, some former TV and print reporters, fed C-Span viewers a diet so rich in Republican sweets it was like trick or treat at Karl Rove's house.
What do the Democrats do to top this? Self-interviews? ``Hi, I'm John Kerry and I'd like to ask myself a few questions.'' Automated debates? ``Mr. President, your charge that I am a flip-flopper is (A) unfair, (B) uncalled for, (C) a distraction or (D) a distortion.'' They say that robots may fight the wars of the future. But in politics, the future is now.
The so-called 527's, the unaffiliated but deeply partisan special interest groups waging a negative TV ad war, wouldn't be so hard to take if they were only required to identify themselves properly.
In this corner, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth or Whatever Mud Sticks to the Wall. In the other, Move On to Demonize Bush Recklessly.Org.
While the stealthy surrogates do battle, the candidates hit the mainstream media circuit: Leno and Letterman. Who needs to field questions from reporters when a Top Ten List will suffice?
It's not that the press isn't interested in covering politics any more, it's that it is simply no longer setting the agenda, and likely will never again.
Reporters, however, continue to play a role in today's presidential politics. Somebody has to tell the Kerry daughters' hamster story.
Good answer! LOL.
Good answer! LOL.
because I've shot them in the back as they've run unarmed from me.
..and I know what it’s like to almost die.
because rice kernels hit me in the a$$ when my grenade went off quicker than I could beat feet.
Yep, JFK, you da man!
LOL! Which reminds me, I have a few things I need to get. . .
I'll see you over there later.
Forget about the usual whining about the partisan tone at Fox or how Drudge has become as much of a daily news staple as the New York Times - and a rival in the area of credibility quite often as well.
Notice, no mention of the partisan tone of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, et al.
We are well into a new era of politics in which a politician taking his case to the people without a media filter isn't enough.
Now, pols want to make their case with a media filter of their own choosing, one that gives them an on-air makeover in seconds flat, a sort of broadcasting Botox.
OK, fair enough premise. So, just who started this evil trend? How long has it been going on?
When President Bush [related, bio] was trying to explain his way out of a declaration that the war on terror cannot be won, he didn't call a press conference - he called Rush Limbaugh.
``People wish you the best and they're praying for you every day . . . They love you out there, Mr. President,'' offered Rush.
Bush started this? Last week? Ah, I see that this is a truly rational analysis of the facts and nothing but the facts. No bias, spin or outright lies in this piece.
When you're on the campaign trail these days, help is just a phone call away. John Kerry [related, bio] has his own phone-a-friend.
``As you perhaps know, Sen. Kerry, from our 20-year relationship,'' Don Imus recently revealed, ``this is not `Meet the Press' and I don't pretend to be impartial.'' This announcement was not greeted with surprise.
And poor John Kerry had no choice but to respond by setting up his relationship with Don Imus. of course, he's been doing this for 20 years. I guess he must be a member of the psychic friends network.
If the media is the message, then there is an even higher goal in today's politics: create your own media.
The only thing better than having pals in the press is having your own employees in the press, as the use of ``convention jockeys,'' or CJs, by the GOP at the convention showed.
The five women, some former TV and print reporters, fed C-Span viewers a diet so rich in Republican sweets it was like trick or treat at Karl Rove's house.
And here goes the nasty GOP again, creating their "own media" by daring to have their own people providing play by play for their convention on that most watched of all media, C-SPAN. Oh, the horror. Of course, all of the C-SPAN employees are partisan democrats, but that's besides the point.
What do the Democrats do to top this? Self-interviews? ``Hi, I'm John Kerry and I'd like to ask myself a few questions.'' Automated debates? ``Mr. President, your charge that I am a flip-flopper is (A) unfair, (B) uncalled for, (C) a distraction or (D) a distortion.'' They say that robots may fight the wars of the future. But in politics, the future is now.
And poor John Kerry has no defense. He has no employees or shills or friends in the media. No sir. Unless of course you count Begala, Carville, Hunt, Shields, Rather, Brokaw, Jennings, Franken, Matthews, Olberman, O'Reilly (yes, O'Reilly is a FOJ), Russert, King, etc.
The so-called 527's, the unaffiliated but deeply partisan special interest groups waging a negative TV ad war, wouldn't be so hard to take if they were only required to identify themselves properly.
In this corner, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth or Whatever Mud Sticks to the Wall. In the other, Move On to Demonize Bush Recklessly.Org.
Once again, the order implies the Republicans started this evil trend and the poor Dims had no choice but to respond. I guess he failed to notice that he's talking about, basically, the only anti-Kerry 527 (and it ain't pro-Bush, except by default) as compared to the 30 or so leftist Dem 527s. He fails to mention the $80 million vs. $2.5 million discrepancy in 527 spending. That might mess with his misleading construction.
While the stealthy surrogates do battle, the candidates hit the mainstream media circuit: Leno and Letterman. Who needs to field questions from reporters when a Top Ten List will suffice?
Bush hasn't done the late night comedy circuit. Kerry has done it several times this year.
It's not that the press isn't interested in covering politics any more, it's that it is simply no longer setting the agenda, and likely will never again.
No, it's that leftist reporters are simply incompetent talking heads, only interested in repeating the talking points handed down by their Democrat masters. Most of the time they don't even both paraphrasing. Listen to Juan Williams and Mara Liason on Fox sometime. They tend to repeat the same phrases, over and over, reinforcing each other. Then an hour or so later Chrissy Matthews is screaming those exact phrases, word for word, at his next victim. And of course, Wolfy has been spouting them all day long. Twice an hour on Headline News.
Reporters, however, continue to play a role in today's presidential politics. Somebody has to tell the Kerry daughters' hamster story.
Notice, Kerry's daughter's story. He only knows the dim talking points. Lame.
It's not that the press isn't interested in covering politics any more, it's that it is simply no longer setting the agenda, and likely will never again.
Neither do I.
Here's another whopper: In Vietnam he had a dog named VC.
Can anyone list some other obvious BS tales?
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