How to Survive Media Bias

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

Candidates cannot live by the Internet alone, but there was something clever about former Tennessee Republican senator Fred Thompson’s media approach to running for president. The former star of Law and Order could have flooded every frequency there is. Instead, he went straight to his core audience.

Thompson favored Internet videos and talk radio, generally refusing to bend over backward for hostile media, such as the evening news shows and papers of record. Some would call that lazy. I’d call it smart.

Michelle Bachmann learned her lesson the hard way. The Minnesota mother of five, foster mom of 23, and tax lawyer, serves as a member of the House of Representatives. But she almost lost her bid for re-election, and the reason is MSNBC, a network that’s become a playground of the rabid Left.

Bachmann made the mistake of appearing on MSNBC’s Hardball in mid-October. Host Chris Matthews berated her for daring to suggest that the mainstream media do its job and report on some of the radical anti-American associations of the man who has now been elected president of the United States. Congresswoman gone wild? Hardly.

But Matthews was a softie compared to left-wing radio talk-show host Mike Malloy, who outrageously said of Bachmann.

She’s a hatemonger. She’s the type of person that would have gladly rounded up the Jews in Germany and shipped them off to death camps. She’s the type of person who would have had no problem sending typhoid-smeared blankets to Native American families awaiting deportation to reservations. . . . This is an evil bitch from hell. I mean, just an absolute evil woman.

What exactly did Bachmann do to deserve this?

She said to Matthews, when asked about domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, who has played more than a cameo role in President-elect Barack Obama’s life and career:

This is an unrepentant terrorist who says he wishes he would have bombed more people. Remember, this is a man who bombed the Pentagon and was happy to be bombing Americans, as well. This is not a person that the president of the United States would want to be associated with.

She continued to insist that, had former Republican presidential nominee John McCain been hanging out with Ayers, “It would have been a nightly story. It would have been everywhere.”

Bachmann and others were right to push the issue, which, sadly, didn’t have enough of an impact. Obama’s links with Ayers, much like his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, speaks directly about his judgment. Bachmann knows this and tried to point it out, calmly and with reason. And for doing so, she was pilloried, held up to widespread ridicule and nearly deprived of her role as a public servant.

I’ve spent a little time with Bachmann and know her at least well enough to be able to combat this “hatemonger” nonsense. Death camps?! She and her husband care for as many disadvantaged children as they possibly can.

As she recently told my friend, radio talk-show host Mark Levin, it’s amazing that any “normal American” would want to have anything to do with politics after the “public flogging” Bachmann endured in the final weeks of her reelection campaign. Her story of overcoming the megaphone of the mainstream media — an entity that proved a tremendous fundraising boon for her opponent — and speaking directly to the voters via talk radio and old-fashioned campaigning should serve as an inspiration to good Americans who want to serve — and have their voices heard over the noise.

It's Gettin' Ugly Out There

by Mike Gallagher.

The Democrats sure have been busy this week. They have now dropped any pretense of civility or decency in this remarkable 2008 election season. Evidently, the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate has turned a number of Dems into rabid attack dogs.

Gone is the appearance of unity.

The act of campaigning with any sort of honor or respect has vanished from the Democrat playbook.

This campaign went from politics to blood sport a long time ago. Now, the Democratic Party voices are nasty, shrill and vile.

Consider what has taken place in just the past few days:

Leftist hackers invaded Gov. Palin’s privacy by criminally breaking into her personal email account; voyeuristic websites posted the private correspondence all over the internet. During an Obama campaign appearance, a bland governor from Kansas made the not-so-bland assertion that the reason the current polls are so close is because “one of the candidates” is half-black. While campaigning on one of the TV networks, Democrat Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden actually suggested that it’s high time that Americans stop being so unpatriotic by not wanting to pay higher taxes. And finally, the Democrat candidate himself urged his followers to start arguments and “get in (the) faces” of Republicans and independents.

As my kids would say, these Democrats have gone and jumped ugly.

Truthfully, ugly doesn’t even begin to describe what the Democrats are doing these days. When Gov. Kathleen Sebelius injects the stale, tired old claim that racism might just keep Obama out of the White House, don’t think for a moment that isn’t done with the total blessing of the Obama campaign. If Sen. Obama was sailing along with a 10 point lead in the polls, they wouldn’t be reduced to such babble. They’d at least pretend this election is about issues, ideology and truth.

They just can’t figure out how to tear down the genuine Republican enthusiasm over the McCain/Palin ticket. Is the excitement part of a GOP revolution? A renaissance, perhaps?

Too early to tell. But if John McCain wins, you can bet the farm that’s what everyone will be saying.

The Democrats are dumbfounded. And now, they’re just being dumb.

When I first heard the audio clip from ABC’s “Good Morning America” featuring Sen. Biden claiming that “it’s time to be patriotic...time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut” by forcing Americans who make over 250 thousand a year to pay higher taxes, I couldn’t really believe my ears. I know Biden can be a loose cannon -- just ask convenience store clerks with accents or Black Americans who would be (rightfully) offended at being called clean and articulate -- but not this nuts. Surely the Democratic VP candidate wasn’t stupid enough to claim that paying higher taxes is a form of patriotism, was he?

Not only did he say it once, but he has repeated the claim. He even angrily defended his comments at a union gathering later the same day.

I can just picture the next Democrat campaign billboard: “Get Taxed Through The Nose, Wave A Flag!”

And finally, there is Sen. Obama getting pretty aggressive with his rhetoric. At a rally in Ohio, Obama told thousands of cheering supporters: “I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.”

I personally witnessed a number of the Democrat anarchists in St. Paul, site of the GOP Convention. The police there accurately described them as a bunch of dangerous criminals who were capable of serious vandalism, violence and even death. They sure do know the meaning of getting in one’s face.

How nice of Sen. Obama to encourage them to “get in (the) faces” of the loyal opposition. Real responsible.

If a looney Democrat beats an independent or Republican to death over the backyard picket fence, I wonder if Obama will feel bad?

It’s definitely turning ugly. And the Republican Party will be tested. Will we “jump ugly” and take the lefties on by degenerating to their level?

I truly hope not.

We’ll win this election on the strength of ideas and philosophy and moral clarity.

We’ll beat the failed Democrat policies of the past by invoking the true working class spirit of good and decent Americans who want to work hard, achieve success, and celebrate the sanctity of this, the greatest country in the world.

As painful as it is to witness the classlessness of Democrats, this is a process that has to happen. Millions of Americans are watching with their mouths agape, positively stunned that Barack Obama’s party could stoop so low.

Instead of hiding in the shadows, I’m thankful that so many Democrats are willing to expose their true sense of self.

This can only be great news for the Republican Party on November 4th.

Media Bias Backlash

Editorial from the Washington Times.

It seems that a majority of voters perceive the media is slanted in favor of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. As a result, we are in the midst of a voter backlash against the media.

The issue has come to the fore over the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. In a Rasmussen poll published Sept. 4, 51 percent of respondents said that reporters are trying to damage Mrs. Palin's reputation with their news coverage. Twenty-four percent said that negative stories about Mrs. Palin made them more likely to vote for John McCain in November.

Us Weekly magazine came under scrutiny for their latest cover story "Babies, Lies and Scandal," as critics argue it is a gross mischaracterization of Mrs. Palin. This, in contrast to a June 17 cover story headlined "Michelle Obama: Why Barack Loves Her." Even Oprah Winfrey has been accused of bias for not interviewing Mrs. Palin on her show, even though she has had Mr. Obama on as a guest - prior to his official campaign for the presidency - in 2005 and 2006. Mrs. Winfrey has also campaigned for Mr. Obama.

The national news networks have also come under fire repeatedly for biased reporting with a liberal slant. In June, the former anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News Tom Brokaw chastised the press for insisting that Hillary Clinton exit from the Democratic primary. He referred to the news coverage as "inappropriate" and "commentary disguised as reporting." At a panel in Denver, sponsored by the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy, Mr. Brokaw said that MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann demonstrated bias in their election reporting: "I think Keith has gone too far. I think Chris has gone too far."

MSNBC network executives at last responded to the drumbeat of criticism they have received. This week, the network announced that Messrs. Olbermann and Matthews will no longer be co-anchors of political-night coverage; they will be replaced by NBC News correspondent David Gregory. Messrs. Olbermann and Matthews will remain commentators.

The McCain campaign has long criticized media bias. In June, a New York Times report alleging Mr. McCain's ties with lobbyists was denounced as a hit piece. There was also outrage among McCain supporters when the New York Times published a July 14 op-ed on Iraq written by Mr. Obama but disqualified Mr. McCain's op-ed for failing to meet its standards. The public was not amused.

One upshot to all this is that many Americans are turning to "new media" - the Internet - for more information without the bias. Once the subject of debate and inquiry: Does liberal media bias really exist? It is now recognized by a majority of Americans as an established fact.

Robocop's Comment:

Media bias? No shit. I am glad the general public is starting to realize this. That gives more people a reason to visit blogs like this one. Thank you left wing media.

Mainstream Media=Tabloid News

ABC Misrepresents Palin Quote in ‘Holy War’ Question

Millions of TV viewers who watched ABC News’ interview with Sarah Palin Thursday night never saw her take issue with a key question in which she was asked if she believes that the U.S. military effort in Iraq is “a task that is from God.”

The exchange between Palin and ABC’s Charlie Gibson, in which she questioned the accuracy of the quote attributed to her, was edited out of the television broadcast but included in official, unedited transcripts posted on ABC’s Web site, as well as in video posted on the Internet.

But in the version shown on television, a video clip of her original statement was inserted in place of her objection, giving a different impression of how Palin views the Iraq war.

In the interview, Gibson asked Palin: “You said recently in your old church, ‘Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.’ Are we fighting a Holy War?”

Palin’s response, which appears in the transcript but was edited out of the televised version, was:

“You know, I don’t know if that was my exact quote.”

“It’s exact words,” Gibson said.

But Gibson’s quote left out what Palin said before that:

“Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”

The edited televised version included a partial clip of that quote, but not the whole thing.

Gibson’s characterization of Palin’s words prompted a sharp rebuke from the McCain campaign on Thursday.

“Governor Palin’s full statement was VERY different” from the way Gibson characterized it,” read a statement circulated by McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.

“Gibson cut the quote — where she was clearly asking for the church TO PRAY THAT IT IS a task from God, not asserting that it is a task from God.

“Palin’s statement is an incredibly humble statement, a statement that this campaign stands by 100 percent, and a sentiment that any religious American will share,” Bounds wrote.

In the rest of the segment that aired, Palin told Gibson that she was referencing Abraham’s Lincoln’s words on how one should never presume to know God’s will. She said she does not presume to know God’s will and that she was only asking the audience to “pray that we are on God’s side.”

A promo posted on Yahoo! News Friday continued to misrepresent the exchange. It displays Palin’s image next to the words, “Iraq war a ‘holy war?’” implying that Palin — not Gibson — had called the War on Terror a holy war.

ABC News did not respond to requests for comment from FOXNews.com.

ABC’s mischaracterization of Palin’s words was not the only one in the media. The Washington Post also did some last-minute clean-up in one of its articles on Palin — a front-page story Friday with the headline “Palin Links Iraq to Sept. 11 in Talk to Troops in Alaska.”

As pointed out by The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, the original version posted online used harsher language than the one that hit Beltway newsstands early Friday morning.

The original passage, written by staff writer Anne E. Kornblut, read:

“Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would ‘defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.’

“The idea that the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein helped Al Qaeda plan the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a view once promoted by Bush administration officials, has since been rejected even by the president himself. On any other day, Palin’s statement would almost certainly have drawn a sharp rebuke from Democrats, but both parties had declared a halt to partisan activities to mark Thursday’s anniversary.”

But in the print version, and the version now appearing on the newspaper’s Web site, the article softened its claim a bit by swapping in the last line with this: “But it is widely agreed that militants allied with Al Qaeda have taken root in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion.”

Robocop's Comment:

Deleting segments of an interview? Inserting other material into the broadcast version of an interview? If this is what the mainstream media will now resort to, they are no better than the tabloids. It looks like we have alot of work to do.