Mainstream Media Owes an Apaulogy
If you haven’t checked out former MeckDeck guerilla blogger Jeff Taylor’s new venture, The Freelance, now’s a good time to remedy the oversight. Taylor delivers a scathing indictment of the media’s handling of Ron Paul’s campaign, using this piece of arrogance from the Chicago Tribune as a launching pad: “In short, no, [Paul] will never be president of the United States and no, he is not a plausible contender for the GOP nomination, so those who are covering the campaign don’t feel obliged to pretend otherwise.”
And 3 … 2 … 1 … blast off:
This is Legacy Media stripped naked as gatekeeper of the possible. Imagine such a thing said out loud about Barack Obama in August 2007 {…} reporters and editors did not reflexively discount a shockingly inexperienced, although telegenic, candidate in 2008. Why? Because Obama’s race and life history made them feel good about America. Their America. His story reaffirmed there basic American narrative, so of course he should be a serious candidate for President — even if there were very large obstacles to his election.
…
Paul, in contrast, threatens everything most reporters and editors do, think, and say. For the TV jackanapes the fact that Paul gives terrible talking head is a mortal flaw. They cannot and will not ever see past that immateriality as doing so would mean admitting their very lives are immaterial.
Paul’s consistent anti-war stance flummoxes — and angers — your basic crusading peacenik journalist, as it reminds them of how they have abandoned their principles in favor of political opportunism. And, no they’ve never heard of Robert Taft.
Economics? For simplicity’s sake Paul should be embraced as he is the only candidate who has consistently opposed Bush-McCain-Obama bailout mania. That would make the preferred racehorse, either/or narrative very clear. But as a vague grasp of Keynesian pump-priming is all 95 percent of reporters and their editors have when it comes to economics, that is right out.
…
Paul is far from a perfect candidate — his gold-buggery is straight out of over-night AM radio — but any decent person has to root for his nomination just to permanently destroy this poisonous transmission belt of nonsense in our midst.
The whole piece is worth a read, and offers a stellar touchstone for the next time you hear some wonk opine that Ron Paul can’t/shouldn’t win the GOP nomination or the Oval Office because, well, he can’t/shouldn’t win.
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