Today, the Washington Post has a front page story on Cindy McCain’s past drug addiction. McCain has talked extensively about her addiction to Vicodin and Percocet in early 1989 after rupturing two disks and having back surgery.
What possible interest is this to people in selecting a President?
McCain has spoken publicly about it but the Washington Post digs up the people who were hurt by McCain through her addiction. I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem salient or fair.
We’ve had personal attack after personal attack from the media. And I’m not talking just left-wing bloggers. This is the Washington Post.
The New York Times, just last week, had three…count ’em…three front page stories on 17 year old Bristol Palin’s pregnancy.
Honestly, as a former member of the media who was there when newsrooms applauded on election night when results came in showing a Democratic win. I’ve run campaigns where I was astounded by the bad faith of the media.
The twisting of words in making it appear the Palin said the War in Iraq was God’s will rather than her praying that it was God’s will. Two very different things. And they know that.
But does this year feel like the worst to anybody but me?
September 12, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I think once that path down the slope is taken, entropy takes effect, and the only place to go is farther down that slope. In 2000, it was the report of Bush’s DUI or DWI way back when, a couple days before the election. In 2004, it was CBS faking reports on Bush’s National Guard service. Now in 2008, it’s a Down’s syndrome baby and a premarital indiscretion being thrown under the campaign bus, along with this 20 year old story. And we’re still, what, 50 some odd days from election day?
Mind you, there has always been mud-slinging in the political arena – from Jefferson vs Adams to the present day. Who knows – perhaps then it was more “fairly” reported than it is now – where each candidate was equally represented in the press. And maybe back then the attacks were more confined to the candidates and didn’t extend to family members and irrelevant issues. I’m not a student of political campaign history, so if I’m wrong, I’ll admit it.
But I agree with you – it does seem to be getting worse, from a “what the heck does this have to do with the issues” perspective. Perhaps because there is more at stake this year than ever before, and the Left knows it.
September 12, 2008 at 4:13 pm
LarryD, you are spot on:
“Perhaps because there is more at stake this year than ever before, and the Left knows it.”
In some little way, in each and every day, we must all do something to counteract the malign forces in the national newsmeida which are out to destroy our faith, government, society, culture. Use your email to fire back at these perfidious hate mongers and let them know in no uncertain terms that we have a right to information that is unbiased and unadulterated. They no longer report the news; they engineer the news.
–William
September 12, 2008 at 4:51 pm
It’s not just you. It’s worse.
September 12, 2008 at 5:28 pm
It is worse, especially with regards to the media and their now blantantly obvious left leaning bias (they don’t even try to hide it now). But it also has the smell of desperation. Their bright and shiny new emperor has no clothes. They have always known it but now that the unwashed masses are figuring it out they are in panic-mode. They can’t seem to stop themselves either so the worst is yet to come.
September 12, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Renee pegs it, there’s a desperation in the MSM not seen before. As Bernard Goldberg pointed out in “Bias”, the MSM isn’t even aware they have a left-leaning view of life. They’re so immersed in it on a day to day basis it seems completely normal to them. Seeing the enthusiasim with which the great unwashed embrace McCain/Palin and kick The One to the kerb has them in a tizzy.
They just didn’t realize the country had so many Neanderthals living in it.
I almost feel sorry for them. Almost.
September 12, 2008 at 6:38 pm
It is most definitely worse.
September 12, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Objective media has been long gone for a while. Back then they were actually somewhat good at hiding it…now it’s so blatantly obvious….
September 12, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Someone’s dissin’ Palin, Kumbia,
Someone’s dissin’ Palin, Kumbia,
Ohhhh Lord, Kumbia.
Doesn’t seem to fit in there very well.
September 12, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Blatant bias without any degree of fairness. Journalism? Hardly. Last night I watched Charles Gibson (Mr. Prune-face in granny glasses) interrogate Sarah Palin. That was no interview, that was a grilling, and extremely RUDE. When are they going to put these old girlie newscasters out to pasture? Grandma Gibson asked over and over ad nauseam if she had enough “experience”, to be a VP. After all, she was only a Governor (like Clinton, Carter and Reagan), and not an accomplished, slick, politician like Obama (whose feet Gibson must worship at). The media hasn’t gotten worse, they’ve gotten bolder and no longer hide their dislike of conservatives.
September 12, 2008 at 10:54 pm
It sure seems worse this year. Many are showing their true colors, that’s for sure. Desparate times, desparate measures and all that.
Regarding Cindy McCain, I have seen proportionately little coverage of her dedication to relief work in other countries and the McCains’ adoption of a little girl from Bangladesh (their nearly grown daughter Bridgit). You would think that would make for far more compelling coverage of her than her public battles with addiction (which she has always been forthright about).
Sad all around.
September 13, 2008 at 4:11 am
Much worse. Before there was a veneer of impartiality, but that is long gone.
September 13, 2008 at 8:06 am
I wonder what it would take to get the Press ‘back on the side of the people.’
Our founding fathers believed that a free press was essential to a free society. But what happens when the free press becomes corrupt?
This is a very serious issue, and I wish a good discussion would come up in the blogosphere. Maybe that’s where the press is really free these days.