Department of Unintended (But Completely Obvious) Consequences
October 14, 2008 12:07 pm ET by Jamison Foser
Washington Post reporter Dan Balz:
The presidential race is not over, but at this point, Obama has a better chance of becoming president than McCain, and as a result, the questions ought to be going toward him as much or more than McCain -- questions not of tactics but of substance.
[...]
McCain has been criticized for raising questions about Obama that were seen as questioning his patriotism or his commitment to the values the country holds dear. But there ought not to be any moratorium on asking hard questions of both candidates right now, and especially of the Democratic nominee who sits in the pole position heading into the final three weeks.
Balz is not only suggesting an overt double-standard, he is suggesting a glaringly illogical double-standard.
Say the press does (or, if you prefer, continues to do) what Balz suggests and scrutinizes Obama more closely than McCain. What then? Well, potentially, that scrutiny results in John McCain beating Barack Obama.
In which case, in an attempt to ensure that the next president is thoroughly scrutinized, Dan Balz will have helped elect the candidate who, because of his own suggestion, has not been scrutinized.
I know this is a crazy idea, but if reporters want to make sure the next president has been thoroughly scrutinized before voters make their decisions, they could thoroughly scrutinize both candidates.
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
The Friday Rush: A series of conflicts
Contrary to media hype, Sarah Palin is very unpopular
<i>they could thoroughly scrutinize both candidates.</i>
What a preposterous suggestion! That would mean reporters actually doing their job rather than, you know, making stuff up.
The Horror, the horror.
Must Concentrate! Maketing Forces,Marketing Forces,Maarrketing Ffoorrcess......AAaaaaahhh!
I think Balz is unintendedly simply pointing out the obvious...that Obama has not been citiqued nearly as much as McCain/Palin.
It's hard to critique when you are busy cheering. I think the guilt of not doing his job fairly may be setting in...but with 3 weeks left it is too late. Soon the media will have officially elected its first President.
Media Elect Obama. I can only imagine how they will report when he begins to enact his disastrous economic policies in the middle of a recession. "It's Bush's fault" will only work for about 2 years into his first term...then the people start to revolt.