Damn those bloggers for forcing MSM to cover Bush speech

Rathergate.com ^ | 29 June 2005 | Kevin Craver

[calex59]

Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales didn’t think that President Bush’s speech merited attention, and that it was the evil right-wing noise machine that forced them to do it. NBC and CBS did not originally plan on covering it.

You can’t make this stuff up. And it gets better — Shales, who told Rather bloggers to “drop dead”, blasted Bush for allowing conservatives’ hostility toward the media.

Here is the standout paragraph from Shales’ boring, liberal MSM boilerplate panning of Bush’s remarks:

In a time when some polls show the popularity of the news media to be even lower than the approval rating for Bush’s conduct of the war, the managements of the networks may have feared hostile reaction if they didn’t air the speech live. Political conservatives keep up a steady drumbeat of hostility against the media, something the Bush administration does nothing to discourage. Refusing to air the speech probably would have led to unpleasantness — or at the least given the new subculture of bellicose bloggers another alleged media conspiracy to shriek about.

I particularly love the last sentence. You can practcially hear Shales’ tears hit his keyboard as he types that the power to decide what’s newsworthy is no longer the sole province of the elite media.

Speaking of funny, you have to admire Shales’ whining that the Bush administration isn’t going to bat for the media. So America’s lack of faith in the press is the Bush administration’s fault? Dream on. Talk about gall — Shales and his DNC allies have spent the past five years painting Bush as an illiterate country bumpkin, and went so far as to air obviously forged memos to try and sink him, and he’s supposed to stand up for you people?

Speaking of hostility, let’s step into the Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast the First Stone Machine and examine Shales’ professional and impartial coverage of Dan Rather’s retirement over the aforementioned forged memos:

“At the end of most of the old, classic “Frankenstein” movies, a torch-bearing mob of angry villagers would dutifully descend upon and then storm the castle where the poor old Doc was carrying out his ghastly experiments. Today, mobs form electronically. They gather on the Web to do their threatening and fist shaking and bellicose bellyaching. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?

So it was that even after Dan Rather signed off as anchor of “The CBS Evening News,” bringing to a close a distinguished and uncommonly eventful (for him as well as the world) 24 years, the anti-Rather ranters kept ranting, the yelpers kept yelping, the lumpenproletariat kept, uh, lumping. May we address ourselves to this particular constituency of the great American Internet? We may? Good: Drop dead, you pathetic losers. [blogger’s emphasis]”

You first, hypocrite. Looking at your mugshot, I think it’s safe to say you’ll beat me to the dirt nap by a good long time.

[calex59]

I like this guy, he really takes the MSM to task.

[calex59]

Oh, yeah, he is also a member of the military currently serving.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

...blasted Bush for allowing conservatives’ hostility toward the media.

Life just sucks when you can't insulate yourself between the office and Washington cocktail parties. It puts a real damper on being a liberal media wonk when those pesky masses keep catching you in lies and telling you about it. Stand by for mass retirements.

[JerseyHighlander]

“The best reaction shots were those of Ted Kennedy, whose stature seems to grow right along with his nose year after year after year. Kennedy has now reached a grand moment in the life of a Senator; he looks like Hollywood itself cast him in the role. Seriously....Kennedy looked great, like he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on Mount Rushmore. He gives off the kind of venerable vibes that some of us got from an Everett Dirksen way back when.”
— Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales in a January 21 2004 Style section review of the State of the Union address.points]

[Bahbah]

His analysis is excellent. He really knows how to pick the thing apart.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

bellicose bloggers

Not me! :)

[Mister Baredog]

Political conservatives keep up a steady drumbeat of hostility against the media, something the Bush administration does nothing to discourage.

He CANNOT be series?

ROTFLMPJO

[Swanks]

didn’t think that President Bush’s speech merited attention, and that it was the evil right-wing noise machine that forced them to do it. NBC and CBS did not originally plan on covering it.

So let's see what all the ink is about. IF CBSABCNBC didn't cover the speech, we then revert to regular programming. Is THIS what has this clown upset? He writes an article why MSM should have instead, run THIS regular programming...

[CBS] - NCIS (Repeat)
[ABC] - AVERAGE JOE; THE JOE'S STRIKE
(Note: at least he got to catch "I want to be a Hilton" at 9 o'clock)
[NBC]- FEAR FACTOR (Repeat)

And we thought the MSM elite were above such drivel...

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Kennedy looked great, like he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on Mount Rushmore.

The dope that this guy smoked in college is really taking its toll.

[ErnBatavia]

ROTFLMPJO

I'm almost afraid to axe what the last two or three letters of that acronym mean....hopefully, nothing to do with 'doing that crazy hand jive'...

[Soul Seeker]

In a time when some polls show the popularity of the news media to be even lower than the approval rating for Bush’s conduct of the war, the managements of the networks may have feared hostile reaction if they didn’t air the speech live. Political conservatives keep up a steady drumbeat of hostility against the media, something the Bush administration does nothing to discourage. Refusing to air the speech probably would have led to unpleasantness — or at the least given the new subculture of bellicose bloggers another alleged media conspiracy to shriek about.

The MSM, the Dems, the Reps and Congress have a lower popularity than the President, troops and faith based institutions. Stew over that. LOL

Oh, and when you stop trying to drive this man from office whether through a fake memo or a questionable memo from across the ocean? The President might actually stick up for you. Until then, get used to it. If you don't cover the President's speech WE WILL make sure the American people know why as well as what he said. Welcome to the growing age of competition as well as accountability.

[Argus]

Tom Shales, a bully and a coward who wants Bush to protect him from criticism even as he continues to hurl mud in his direction.

[Leo Carpathian]

God Bless Jim FRobinson, fellow FReepy FReepers, FRinternet, there is hope that LibeRATsis will not shackle America.
FReepON!!

[Mister Baredog]

LMPJO=Laughing my pajamas off. It's a derivative of ROTFLMAO, LOL.

[randog]

“At the end of most of the old, classic “Frankenstein” movies, a torch-bearing mob of angry villagers would dutifully descend upon and then storm the castle where the poor old Doc was carrying out his ghastly experiments. Today, mobs form electronically. They gather on the Web to do their threatening and fist shaking and bellicose bellyaching. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?"

This guy's a TV critic and he doesn't even know the story of 'Frankenstein'? The mob took the "poor old Doc" to task because his "ghastly experiments" were killing them--literally. Of course, the story goes right over Shales' head--it's all about society's elites not regulating themselves and running blindly amok. Sound familiar, Shales?

[Libloather]

"Every protest, every dissent, whether it's an individual academic paper, Founder's parking lot demonstration, is unabashedly an attempt to forge an identity in this particular age. That attempt at forging for many of us over the past four years has meant coming to terms with our humanness. "

Remarks of Hillary D. Rodham, President of the Wellesley College Government Association and member of the Class of 1969, on the occasion of Wellesley's 91st Commencement, May 31, 1969.

http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/1969/053169hillary.html

[sydbas]

Political conservatives keep up a steady drumbeat of hostility against the media, something the Bush administration does nothing to discourage.

Has he ever complained that President Bush has never discouraged the left's hostility towards Fox News? Should we hold our breath?

[popdonnelly]

Can't stop whining, can they? The go on and on about a lack of policy. Then, when the President makes a policy speech, they whine about that. Can't stop whining.

[rwfromkansas]

I remember Schieffer saying on Thursday or Friday....whenever this speech was announced....that CBS would cover it live.

Perhaps they changed their mind. NBC definitely was not originally going to air it.

[alnick]

To paraphrase a great patriot: The left is in its last throes.