Accuracy in Media
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Rep. Smith Says Media Favors Obama


By Don  |  October 30, 2009


Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) who recently appeared at the AIM 40th anniversary conference in Washington tell the Politico that most of the media is rooting for Obama.

From the Politico

The Oct. 27 POLITICO story “GOP Asks: Where’s the Outrage?” begins with thought-provoking examples of the national media’s glaring double standard when it comes to covering President Barack Obama. However, those examples are followed by several columns of copy offering equivocations and justifications that this is merely “a sign that the media’s echo chamber can be a funny thing.”

 

In this case, the better explanation for the national media’s double standard is that the majority of reporters, editors and producers are sympathetic to Obama’s worldview and inclined to give him a free pass. But don’t take my word for it. The American people see it, too:

 

• According to Gallup, by a ratio of 3-to-1, Americans think that the media are too liberal rather than too conservative.

 

• According to a Sacred Heart University survey, nearly nine out of 10 Americans say the media played a strong role in electing Obama president, and seven in 10 say the national media are intent on promoting the Obama presidency.

 

• And according to the Pew Research Center, Americans’ trust in the media has plummeted to an all-time low, with only about a quarter of Americans saying that news organizations are not politically biased.

 

POLITICO and other members of the national media could help their credibility significantly if they just admit what everybody knows: Most of them are rooting for Obama.

 

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)

Chairman of the Congressional Media Fairness Caucus

After  a little over nine months in office Obama has little to show for his efforts except a record budget deficit, high unemployment and an attitude that he can attack Fox News and expect them to go soft on him in the future.  Yet the media has largely been sucked into his game as they cling to the hope that Obama will bring real change.  Maybe they will sober up after the 2010 elections.

 

Post #2431



Comments 7 Comments  |  Post a Comment


Jeffie
October 30  at  12:16 pm  |  #1  |  Link

Actually, the Politico story on which Rep. Lamar Smith commented was not entitled, “GOP Asks: Where’s the Outrage?” That title came from BeltwayBlips, which picked up the story and renamed it in a way that I’m sure Rep. Smith found more palatable:

http://beltwayblips.dailyradar.com/story/republicans-ask-where-s-the-outrage/

The actual title of the Politico story is “What if George W. Bush had done that?”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28764.html

Interesting that Rep. Smith couldn’t bring himself to mention the former President’s name in his letter. And while the premise of Politico columnist Josh Gerstein’s story is that Obama seems to get away with incidents for which the mass media would have skewered Bush, I would also observe that Bush got away with a great deal early on in his Presidency. As his “stewardship” wore on and it became increasingly obvious how failed and flailing his catastrophic administration was, he got away with less and less.

Maybe the same fate awaits Obama, or maybe not. I think it’s fair to say that Reagan got better press throughout his presidency that Jimmy Carter—and I say that as someone who liked Jimmy.

Wesley in Dallas
October 31  at  11:03 am  |  #2  |  Link

Many used to call Carter’s Speeches, “Carter’s little farter starters”.

Even Pat Cadell who was has worked for Democratic presidential candidates George McGovern in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980, Gary Hart in 1984, Joe Biden in 1988, and Jerry Brown in 1992., doesn’t think Carter was anything near a good president.

He was the first U.S. President to send Aid and Weapons to the Mujaheddin (The Taliban), to fight against Russia. The then-President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, was offered 400 million dollars to subsidize the anti-communist Mujaheddin in Afghanistan by Carter. General Zia declined the offer as insufficient, famously declaring it to be “peanuts”; and the U.S. was forced to step up aid to Pakistan. Pakistan became a full ally of the Untied States under Reagan, for is support of Pakistan.

Iran and Saudi Arabia were Pillars of American Allies since WW II, but he screwed up relations with Iran for good. After the Shaw was taken down by Iranians, Carter gave him Amnesty, including Iran’s Billions of US Dollars. That is when the captured the 52 hostages from the U.S. Embassy, then burned it to the ground. The Hostages were held until 1980, the plane holding the 52 hostages sat on the tarmac, until the very moment Reagan took the Oath of Office, the plane was then cleared for take-off.

South Korea:
During his first month in office, Carter cut the defense budget by $6 billion. One of his first acts was to order the unilateral removal of all nuclear weapons from South Korea and announce his intention to cut back the number of US troops stationed there. Other military men confined intense criticism of the withdrawal to private conversations or testimony before congressional committees, but in 1977 Major General John K. Singlaub, chief of staff of U.S. forces in South Korea, publicly criticized Carter’s decision to lower the U.S. troop level there. On March 21, 1977, Carter relieved him of duty, saying his publicly stated sentiments were “inconsistent with announced national security policy.” Carter planned to remove all but 14,000 U.S. air force personnel and logistics specialists by 1982, but after cutting only 3,600 troops, he was forced by Congressional pressure to abandon the effort in 1978.

Panama Canal:
One of the most controversial moves of Carter’s presidency was the final negotiation and signature of the Panama Canal Treaties in September 1977. Those treaties, which essentially would transfer control of the American-built Panama Canal to the nation of Panama, were bitterly opposed by a majority of the American public, and many in both parties in the House.

A common argument against the treaties was that the United States was transferring an American asset of great strategic value to an unstable and corrupt country led by an unelected but popularly supported General (Omar Torrijos). The Untied States built the Canal, whereas several other countries had failed. The Panamanians at the time offered the U.S. control and sovereignty turned over to the United States for doing what everyone else thought impossible at the time of completion.

Carter was also the driving force to aid Community Organizers and force Sub-Prime lending from Banks and Loan companies, the largest of which became ACORN.

During Carter’s administration, the economy suffered double-digit inflation, coupled with very high interest rates, oil shortages, high unemployment and slow economic growth. Productivity growth in the United States had declined to an average annual rate of 1%, compared to 3.2% of the 1960s. There was also a growing federal budget deficit, which increased to $66 billion (In today’s currency the $66 Billion would equate to over $144.5 Billion).

The 1970s are described as a period of stagflation, as well as higher interest rates. Price inflation (a rise in the general level of prices) creates uncertainty in budgeting and planning and makes labor strikes for pay raises more likely. Carter asked Congress to impose price controls on energy, medicine, and consumer prices, but Congress did not agree.

Led by Volcker, the Federal Reserve raised the discount rate from 10% when Volcker assumed the chairmanship in August 1979 to 12% within two months.The prime rate hit 21.5% in December 1980, the highest rate in U.S. history under any President. Carter admitted in February 1980 that inflation had reached a “crisis stage.” Investments in fixed income (both bonds and pensions being paid to retired people) were becoming less valuable. The high interest rates would lead to a sharp recession in the early 1980s.

All in all, not very good…But unlike Obama blaming Bush after over 9 months, Reagan never put Carter down, he just focused on our economy and got it back on track. Any economic problems Reagan had were when the Sub-Prime mortgages were no longer being paid (sound familiar?), but he dealt with it without blame. No Stimulus, no TARP, no printing money to monetize our debt.

Not to mention Reagan breaking up the Soviet Union, and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
——————————

The article is correct, there is a double standard, regardless if it is Bush or any other Republican. Obama has (whether or not intended) a State Run Media who refuses to ask him the hard questions.

Jeffie
October 31  at  12:34 pm  |  #3  |  Link

Wes,
I’m not going to argue with you over Carter’s Presidency, but to get back to the topic at hand, you are missing or ignoring the point. Reagan got better press than Carter—perhaps, as you say, because Reagan was a stronger and more effective President.

Likewise, there’s a reason why George Bush got bad press. He was an incredibly bad President—arguably the worst President since James Buchanan.

Wesley in Dallas
October 31  at  3:45 pm  |  #4  |  Link

I have to admit, I was sorely disappointed in the Conservative side of the party, and the Republicans spending on pork, just as they had accused the Democrats and Liberals in the past.

However, I cannot fault Bush for Iraq, almost every member of the Democrat party signed off on the war. Although they did not have physical Nukes, it was too late to pull out once it was started. But, our Military (and confirmed by the IAEA, did finally find some Yellow Cake Uranium, and there was the thousands of pounds of liquid Sarin Gas, and at least six Al Qaeda training camps, although empty at the time.

The troops did well in Afghanistan, but left recommendations for Obama on tactics and troop increase as they downsized the Iraqi forces. McChrystal was following the Bush tactics, but has balked at troop increases, he requested them over 70 days ago. I do not buy Obama’s argument that he needs to wait to see how the Afghan elections turn out, it makes no difference who is in office there. He is just buying time till November as to not anger those constituents who will be soon voting, nothing but stalling.

Abu Ghraib was a complete and total embarrassment to this country, which cost several life long Military Commanders their jobs, and those guilty of the charades. I agree with the punishments, but those are the sort of things our country needs to deal with internally, I also support the firing of the Progressive in the CIA who leaked the photos to the press. The U.K. did the same, or worse, but you never heard about it, if only to save face.

Even though Bush let us down on illegal aliens (something else I will not adhere to is some PC and renaming) such as Undocumented workers…A rose is a rose is a rose. But at least he did build the 700 mile fence, and enacted the ICE program, other than that, it was a disappointment. I am living in Houston now, just have not changed my User ID…But we are a Sanctuary City, and just as it is in California, those illegals who commit violent crimes are set free only to kill and commit other crimes, or join gangs.

In south Texas, more than 14 hospitals have closed by going bankrupt treating some many illegals.

The kicker for me disliking Bush was when he started TARP, although he spent less than half of the $700 Billion, why is Obama not counting in his budget since it was left to him?

I am of the opinion that Obama has already done more damage to this country that all the bad presidents before him. He was elected on Change, not Chains, he promised Health Care Reform, making Health Care a Government run system is not reform, it is a sweeping complete change. All we really needed was to force Insurance Companies to cover people with Pre Existing conditions, and to cover those without insurance, allow interstate commerce for insurance companies, it would have saved 600 Billion dollars. He has convinced many people how much profit insurance companies were making. According the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and several other sources, Insurance Companies were very far down the list in yearly profits at 2.2%...

He has not told the truth about Transparency, including having every Bill posted on the White House web site “5” days before a vote, now he is meeting with the Democrats behind closed doors, another broken promise, and they just keep piling up.

America does not need to apologize to anyone, and never has. He is close to intentionally turning this country into a single class, and ushering in Socialism or Marxism. He believes in Globalism, and is close to losing our sovereignty and giving it to the U.N.

If Cap and Trade, otherwise known as Cap and Tax is ever enacted, we can kiss the Constitution goodbye. Hell, he has already trampled on the 10th Amendment, and it is illegal to fine people for not buying into Insurance. The only accomplishment I can think of is surrounding himself with many anti-American people, Socialists, Marxists, Communists, Maoists, and who knows who else. He has definitely brought Corrupt Chicago Politics to the White House.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “If you wish to judge me, judge me by the people I surround myself with.” Well, we are looking…

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” (Abraham Lincoln, 1809-65)

Not meaning to argue, but I call things as I see them.

Sorry for the outbreak and the length…

Richie
November 2  at  3:24 pm  |  #5  |  Link

Wes..right on dude. Great points. But a better name would be “FM” or Fringe Media, who have sold their souls and are complicit enablers of the marxist utopian dreams of Chairman Obamao. Plus, being from Chicago, I knew exactly who BHO was and is…a made member of the leftist, corrupt, Chicago Machine run by King Daley II. The electorate was hoodwinked by vague promises of “Change” and soaring empty rhetoric. The Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves.

Richie
November 2  at  3:29 pm  |  #6  |  Link

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS !!

Wesley in Dallas
November 2  at  7:26 pm  |  #7  |  Link

Richie, Amen to your Latin quote, Thus Always to Tyrants or “Thus ever [it be] with tyrants”!

For more than a year now, I have maintained that the MSM is no longer “Mainstream” and on this site I began re-labeling it the LFM, two schools of thought…Liberal Fringe Media, and Lunatic Fringe Media. I ended up using the first one the most, however both seem to fit.

Great minds think alike wink

What is really frightening is, there “are” these open admittedly Collectivism over running our Government, and the LFM are not only complicit in aiding those people to get away with doing this to…and justifying the ripping apart of the Greatest Nation on Earth.

I could not believe the GOP named Dede Scozzafava RINO who claimed to be a Moderate Republican), but the Conservatives began backing a normal regular citizen (Doug Hoffman) who garnered so much support, that Scozzafava had to withdraw…only to support the Democrat (She was a sheep in wolves clothing, nice try Libs).

The LFM and Liberals have heavily criticized those such as Palin and others who threw their support behind Hoffman. Well, I have a message to them, “It is not their damned party, so keep your mouths shut!”

Always stay true to your beliefs…Let’s not let our Country be taken from us…ever!

Thanks Richie

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