By John Stark
Right-wing media such as Fox and Rush Limbaugh let their audiences down by telling them what they wanted to hear: Barack Obama was going to be swept out of office.
So says Conor Friedersdorf, writing in The Atlantic Online.
As Friedersdorf sees it, the “liberal” mainstream media did a better job of both predicting the election results and offering critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of both presidential candidates. Fox et al focused on Obama’s failings, and portrayed everything that happened in the last four years as another Obama failure.
People who watched CNN or one of the old big three networks, or read the New York Times, were probably not surprised by Tuesday’s vote, Friedersdorf says.
As the right sees it, the MSM won the election for Obama by failing to focus on his failings.
What do you think. As my teachers used to say, “Let’s hear from somebody who hasn’t already spoken.”
Already spoken so hope I don’t get detention..
The rightwing media, I believe tried to shape not analyze or predict the election.
Best illustrated during the Hurricane afternath.
While every other major news source in the country was covering the devastation, aftermath etc., Fox was going nearly non-stop about Lybia. Trying to fan the flames/fabricate a potential last minute “news” to hurt the president politically. Despicable and anti-american are not too strong of descriptions for them.
“”The White House was quick to release a picture of the president from the Situation Room watching the bin Laden raid and then Hurricane Sandy two days ago,” said Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, in his only mention of the natural disaster during his hourlong 9 p.m. show. “Where’s the photo from the night four Americans died in Benghazi?”
None of Fox News’ prime-time hosts brought up President Barack Obama’s response to the storm, which included touring the battered New Jersey shore with Republican Gov. Chris Christie earlier on Wednesday. Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor, did bring up that bipartisan moment, which shows the president in a light more positive than he typically receives on the Roger Ailes-run network. But immediately after Trippi’s segment on the election, host Greta Van Susteren teased the next one: “Did the Obama administration deliberately mislead Americans about Libya?” she asked.
Some media have their favorites, and good old fashioned journalism has been replaced by political cheer-leading, instead of helping the public better understand the issues, and leave the decisions to the voters.
Both parties have their cheer-leaders and only goes to calcify the polarization in this country.
Neither party and to some extent the media are served by actually bringing people together. In reality we are not all that far apart. Most Americans are moderates, but do not really get a choice of a moderate. We only get to chose a candidate that is beholden and absolutely loyal to one party or the other.
Both parties have thinkers, but are being overwhelmed by the screamers. Both parties crack the whip on any member who does not toe the party line.
In this party first aptnosphere, the mainstream Americans are the losers, no matter who won last night.
The game will be rigged, and we will be generally be mislead into believing that “they care” but the truth is that that more than at anytime in our history, money mattered, so unless you have lot, you don’t matter today, as paying back all this money will dominate our political Kabuki for the nest four years.
In the end, if you could change one single thing and have a President Romney instead of a President Obama, it would be the Presidents skin color. I mean this not in a racial way, but only reflecting that if the rhetoric and negative ads, and policies were all the same, but President Obama was white, Romney likely would have won.
Minorities more often than not, trusted President Obama to understand their unique struggles, and who could blame them really.
They don’t call the White House, the White House, for no reason.
I am okay with that as minorities have always wanted to have some power, and President Obama represents this long held aspiration. Nothing wrong with this aspiration.
I only hope that the electorate wakes up and figures out we are all losing to moneyed interests, and every ones turn to lose is coming unless we change the system with a Constitutional Convention that takes the power away from the moneyed interests and the parties and returns it to the people, regardless of party or race, we are screwed and will never ultimately get the citizens interests taken care of first.
A government of the special interests, by the parties, and for the money
Good Lawd.
I can lay this election to rest as I can honestly say I’ve now heard it all.
“If Obama was white.. Romney would have won.”.
Tell that to Bill Clinton who raked in similar percentages of minorities in his elections.
Preposterous.
Yes, the right is shooting themselves in the foot. They’re positively unamerican and real Americans are reacting. Thank god.
“New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has hit out at accusations that his newly affectionate relationship with President Obama could have cost the Republicans the White House.
“Christie said he was particularly unhappy how the word ‘embrace’ had been used to describe his teamwork with Obama and the Federal Government in the cleanup effort after Superstorm Sandy.
“‘I’m a guy who tells the truth, all the time. And if the president of the United States did something good, I was going to say he did something good and give him credit for it,’ Christie told reporters in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey.”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229286/Chris-Christie-claims-Mitt-time-President-deserved-praise-Sandy-relief-effort.html#ixzz2Bb9VPmqY
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Bill Clinton was probably the most popular President ever with African Americans and Hispanics, but nowhere near President Obama.
In 1992 Clinton received 615 of the Hispanic vote to Obamas 71%. With African Americans Clinton received 83% of the black vote to Obamas incredible, and new record of 96%.
If we apply these to the 2008 actual voter numbers which are lower than today, we get that just this difference in Hispanics and Black voters gave Obama a edge over Clinton previous record of 2,871,000 votes, and he is only winning the popular vote by 2,842,000.
I am being generous, as the population of both black voters and Hispanics has increased since the 2008 numbers I used.
Sorry, the math is the math.
Some of these voters are still moving, and I am not even going to try to determine the electoral college, but there is mathematical evidence that suggests he is polling in far greater numbers of Hispanics and Blacks by proportions not seen historically, and one plausible reason is that President Obama is of color himself.
Not good or bad, just reality.
Color can matter and still be okay, as I am still proud of President Obama for being the first black President, and he is by far ans away hands down the coolest.
I just wish he would learns some math, because with our deficit, we are going to be in trouble, when the Fed stops printing money and interest rates skyrocket, which may come sooner than people think, as the world’s lenders will assume that the deficits will continue, if he does not take measurable steps to assure the lenders of the world that he is serious.
The other way out is inflation, which is just a tax that nobody votes on.
For the viewers, it was fun to believe in a chance for a win at the big store. Stung, cooled down and blown off, they’ll be back eager to play again at the next opportunity.
John, You obviously NEVER view the haters on MSNBC!!
Ted, grow up. Drones and marijuana? Who do you think is really behind those issues? The top issues for the left should be how we’re taxing. All the rest is distraction.
Just wait until the liberal media get’s a clue, from someone other than a UW Law Professor, speaking on the dope today.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019631839_marijuanafolo08.html
“But what they cannot do is force Washington to reverse course and ban small amounts of marijuana possession, he said. “Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government can’t force a state to make something illegal.”
Hugh Spitzer, a University of Washington constitutional-law professor, smokin a joint near you, where even RCW 1, is a confusing subject matter, when life’s a Holiday!
Finding — Declaration — 2007 c 61: “The legislature recognizes that on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and the slaves were now free; that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863; that the end of slavery brought on new challenges and realities in establishing a previously nonexistent status for African-Americans in the United States; that racism and continued inequality is the legacy of slavery and acknowledging it is the first step in its eradication; and that since 1980 June 19th has been celebrated as Juneteenth across the United States as a day for people to come together in the spirit of reconciliation to commemorate the contributions of African-Americans to this country’s history and culture.
if you feed people nothing but distortion and lies, how can they make an informed choice.
Hank, many mucked through. But only barely. Governors’ offices didn’t fare well. Strangleholds on legislatures’ control of their own budgets still exist. The Rabid Right has a long-term plan and if we aren’t cognizant of that, we become their tools.