George W Bush was in town yesterday for a speaking engagement and as expected the protesters were out in full force for the cameras. Nothing out of the ordinary really as GWB has always had this ability to drive the left absolutely nutty, but watching the news last night I wondered just how many of those people protesting would be doing the same thing if it was Obama in town rather than GWB. Afterall the Obama administration has not exactly changed much if anything from the last guy in the way of policy, in spite of what they said during the campaign, and in some ways they have done some things that make GWB look good by comparison.
Case in point: the vilification of Fox News.
Normally in a non bizarro world if a President and their administration tried to control or manipulate the media, or direct opinion on the media, bloggers, the media, and the left would go batshit crazy over these efforts, and rightfully so. But in this case not so much. In fact they are getting support for their efforts from not only some others in the MSM but from lefty groups such as MoveOn.org Contrast that with what would have happened if GWB did the same thing with CNN or MSNBC.
Taken from a more Canadian perspective could you imagine what the reaction would be if PM Harper or someone from the PMO went on to CTV and Global and declared that the CBC was not a news organization because they had an agenda and therefore the CBC and any of their stories should be ridiculed and ignored? Yes it would get ugly and it would get ugly fast. Remember early on when the PM got the PPG all worked up because he had the audacity to try to have some control over HIS OWN pressers and asked reporters to put their names on a list to ask questions? The press and the left went nuts and we are still seeing the effects of that even today in stories from the MSM when they sneak references into their reporting of how the PM likes to 'control' everything.
So where is the outrage on what the Obama administration is trying to do?
Vilifying a news organization because you do not like the stories they are doing about you is not only petty & cheap, it exposes your lack of leadership, thin skin and inability to deal with criticism, and it just reeks of something seen in 3rd world countries and dictatorships and is not what one would expect to see from the leadership of a free and democratic country such as the USA. Wrong is wrong.
There are ways to deal with negative or even slanted press stories, fighting back with the truth is the best IMHO, but the government trying to control/manipulate or even vilify the press is not the way to do it and in fact it is a very dangerous game to be playing in a free and open society. But it is a game that the left, in this case because they dislike Fox News so much, is only too happy to play. The next time this game gets played however the left may not be so supportive and when they scream out in outrage it will ring hollow because the last time it was played everyone will remember that the left were on the side lines cheering it all on.
To be fair there has been some backlash from this coming mainly from the press but you know as well as I that the level of outrage we have seen over this so far is nowhere close to what it would have been if GWB or even PM Harper had done the same thing.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
What is wrong with the media? Why are they not defending their own, with opposing views? Where are the heroes and professional journalists, after all, what if this was occurring in an opposite way? What if it was happening to them?
Rutherford's guest today was spot on. Look for the sources, used in the reports. It tells you their leanings and biases. Listen to your lawmakers, as well their sources, will reveal the leanings of your elected officials.
In Canada, we have an entirely left leaning television media and that is controlled from their Eastern based head offices. Our national segment, at the local level is verbatim what I have watched on other local stations.
The networks, asking for our support in their fight with the cable companies has been wasted on me. When they decide to give 10 days of coverage to a truthful and balanced dissection of a story like 'prop-gate', then perhaps I will listen to their pleas. Until then, see ya, won't miss ya!
I just got back from the speech in Saskatoon.
It was very good.
He's actually quite quick witted and charming as was shown in the Q&A session after his speech.
He came across as someone you'd like to have a beer with.
He said he basically ignored the media and his detractors because they didn't have the information he had and he was sure that striving for democracy and freedom was simply right.
Their noise was simply that, noise.
Stan
Stan,
When he was in Calgary, I was embarrassed to be a Canadian. It was his first visit as a private citizen and our Eastern based CTV journalists, exaggerated everything reported by the, on the ground local media. From the number of protesters to the number in attendance.
They made it seem as though, it was a red neck province, accepting a red neck President.
It was despicable!
In Calgary's case, many of the protesters were brought in to create the appearance of a mass protest. That it was reported incorrectly has tainted my respect for most of them, forever.
For the left Bush = bad
and Obama = good no matter that they have/had the same job.
Too bad it is not all that simple.
Stan, where the protesters out in Saskatoon?
The looney left are very good at staging, why are we shocked?
Liberals are great at cropped photos and suggesting we have a protest.
Tim Hortons protest Lib MP +4 staffers, Toronto Library announcement 5 bristol board brigade.
The Looney left are great at photoshop, Toronto Star, CBC are happy to enable.
I would not pay to listen to him and I am a lifelong Canadian conservative. He did more harm than good in his administration.
I'm just wondering what happened to Obama's idea of sitting down and having a dialogue with the people he disagrees with, didn't he win a Nobel Peace Prize for that?
americans lucky to have FOXNEWS whereas Canadians have none.
Americans have left leaning media Canadians have ONLY left leaning media(cbc ctv etc)
Obama is following the likes of HUGO CHAVEZ in controling the media.
Have you noticed that the left leaning media rarely talks about OBAMA in a ngative way? Even Larry King Live says nothing about the OBAMAS. yet he talked every day about Sarah Palin.
We all know the same technique applies here in canada.
The day we have a FOXNEWS like in Canada is the day that media will make $$$$$BILLIONS- making CBC,CTV a 'dogpit'.
Every document from TRUDEAU down will be broadcast shown on television- making every Left-leaning canadian national media feeling sick to stomach for their deliberat lack of reporting.
For eamaple, the KHADR case which started during liberal years has now become PMSH problem, the same for the taliban detainees abuse, which began in 2002, has also become PMSH fault instead of the LPOC. Again, the left leaning medias refrain themselves from accusing the liberals.
Post a Comment