I had a conversation yesterday with an old friend with whom I hadn’t spoke for years. After the niceties, she began bashing Obama for doing nothing successfully. I said, “Wait! I bet you voted for him didn’t you?” She said that she pleads the fifth amendment, but then that she had “believed in him”. I asked “believed in what?” She couldn’t tell me what, except that she had thought that Obama “cared”.<\/p>\n
Then she went on to tell me how she’d watched the interview with George W. Bush that was on National Geographic last week and that it had completely changed her opinion of him. Before the interview she had thought he was an arrogant, smarmy, cold person, but that interview made her think he was a warm and caring person. I told he that was because she got to watch him without the context of his words filtered through the media prism.<\/p>\n
Now, I understand that one conversation with one person doesn’t represent a monumental shift in the politics of the country, but knowing this person like I do, she’s greatly influenced by the media. When the media didn’t bother to criticize Obama’s lack of experience and leadership, but focused on his vacuous “hope and change” message, they abrogated their responsibility to the American voting public, but that’s not news to most of the readers here.<\/p>\n
This economic morass in which we find ourselves today should, but won’t teach the media a lesson. I know my friend will vote for the next shiny object that runs for office, it’s just part of her nature, but the media needs to review it’s standards, such as they are, and adhere to their constitutionally guaranteed contract with the American voter.<\/p>\n
I’m not sure John McCain would be doing much better than Obama, but, I have to think he couldn’t be doing worse. AT least he wouldn’t have wasted a year on getting health care reform passed, he wouldn’t have wasted a summer-plus putting off the extension of the Bush tax cuts, he wouldn’t have been spinning his wheels on Guantanamo, he wouldn’t have been holding “beer summits” to smooth over hurt feelings.<\/p>\n
Added:<\/strong> The Washington Times says “Obama\u2019s a flop in states he flipped in 2008<\/a>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"