I am getting so sick of turning on the television and waiting for the so-called “media” to start doing their job.
Because so few of them do anymore, when it comes to cable “news” I have stopped watching most of it. I have NEVER watched FOX for obvious reasons. I gave up on CNN long ago, and I hear it’s just as bad as FOX these days, more recently when they hired a right-wing blogger who I’ve read spoke of his ideas about dealing with Census workers that involved guns.
The only cable “news” I watch anymore is MSNBC, and with a few exceptions, they aren’t much better. I’ll mention those exceptions here because I think they deserve credit for standing up and doing the right thing rather than selling out for ratings, or whatever the reasons the others have, or that motivates their rhetoric. (I’m only mentioning those that I watch, so if there are other examples who I’m leaving out it’s because I’m unaware of them.) The MSNBC hosts with standards and morals are: Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann and Ed Schultz.
That being said, again, is it too much to ask that the others start doing their jobs? Specifically I’m talking about the recent incidences where people are out there inciting violence. Instead of calling them out on it, these members of the “media” are all but glorifying it. When is enough, enough for these people?
I’ll give you a mild example. Last night I turned on Hardball. Here were Chris Matthews and his “BFF” Pat Buchanan (why Buchanan is still given a voice on MSNBC is beyond me, but that’s another post entirely) singing the praises of Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin who were campaigning together yesterday. Matthews was absolutely giddy as he described them as “dazzling” and kept repeating over and over again that they were the “new faces of the GOP.” The two of them were in such a celebratory mood that I half expected them to pop the cork on some bubbly before they were finished.
But that champagne wasn’t the only thing that was missing. Did Matthews make any mention that, as a “new face of the GOP” Michele Bachmann says things like she wanted the people of Minnesota “armed and dangerous” to “fight back” over President Obama’s plans to reduce global warming? No?
Or how about when Palin once again repeated her don’t retreat, “reload” comment while fully aware that members of Congress have been threatened and arrests have been made in some cases, at least one of which was listed on her SarahPAC map of “targets.” You know, the one with the crosshairs on each targeted office. Did Matthews mention this, or any of her other countless hateful comments that hint at violence? No?
Mind you, these aren’t Tea Baggers holding up signs in protest while wearing funny hats with tea bags hanging from the rims. These are former and current elected officials making these comments. Granted, Palin did quit to become a performer on FOX, but that didn’t stop Bachmann from introducing her as “Governor Sarah Palin” and Palin is still holding herself out as a person of authority, and of course these members of the “media” are only too happy to oblige, enabling her along the way as she rolls out her campaign of hate.
Does Matthews condone hate speech and threats of violence? Is this what he wants as ‘the new face of the GOP?” Sure sounds like it.
dont watch listen to NPR