About us Login Get email updates
County Fair
Print

The AP rewrites netroots history

February 08, 2010 2:56 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

From Liz Sidoti, as she toasts the Tea Party movement and tries to put the grassroots initiative in perspective [emphasis added]: 

It was just a few years ago that liberals rose up against President George W. Bush and Republican rule on Capitol Hill. The groundbreaking Web site MoveOn.org lead the charge of left-leaning Web sites giving the opposition party a voice and an organization tool.

But the impact of the collective ''netroots'' was limited: It was credited with helping independent Ned Lamont beat Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary in Connecticut, but Lieberman won the general election as an independent. 

Now, with a Democrat in office, the ''netroots'' is muted.

Did you follow that? According to the AP, the only thing the liberal, online netroots movement accomplished was to help Ned Lamont win a Connecticut primary. But Joe Lieberman won the general election anyway, and after Obama became president the netroots were muted. 

Right, except that there's a slight gap in Sidoti's rewirting of history -- the 2006 and 2008 election cycles in which the netroots helped Democrats recapture the House and the White House with sweeping wins.

But yeah, other than that, the netroots didn't really accomplish much. 

Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by mk3872 (February 08, 2010 3:05 pm ET)
      3  
      Well, it was Liz Sidoti. Buy her a box of donuts and she'll be happy to write a glowing piece for you.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mustardman (February 08, 2010 4:35 pm ET)
      1  
      I read that AP story yesterday on Google news and was just shaking my head. AP is dead to me now. This is about the 3rd or 4th horribly wrong on facts story in just the past week or so. Reuters isn't much better (ie. their retraction last week after the white wing noise machine already ran with it and accepted as fact)
      Report Abuse
      • Author by MickD (February 08, 2010 6:49 pm ET)
        1  
        Mustard, the AP also infuriates me. Their objective slant, if it ever existed, is gone with the wind. And other news outlets, like the ever increasingly annoying Yahoo News! treats their stuff like gospel. Weak!
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Tbone Slickens (February 08, 2010 7:29 pm ET)
        1
      Well Netroots, we'll see how your track record stands up in Nov 10. I'm betting there will not be any cheer leading for the upcoming losses.

      Better get to blog'n!
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

About the Blog

Feed Icon
  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.