Rasmussen, the pollster who doesn't work for Republicans except when he does, is out with a new poll which shockingly shows more Americans think “media bias” hurts our politics than the moneyed interests in our politics.
As Daniel Stone notes on the Newsweek blog, The Gaggle:
New numbers out this week show that a majority of voters (55 percent) lay the blame on media bias over money (32 percent)-suggesting that they're more frustrated with the pundits inside their TVs and newspapers (and, OK, magazines too) than the fat checkbooks in Washington.
Mediaite's Glenn Davis offers a little more clarity, breaking down those numbers and in the end I guess it isn't that shocking actually:
According to Rasmussen, 68 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of unaffiliated voters said media bias was a bigger problem than campaign contributions. However, just 37 percent of Democrats made the same choice.
Hmm... I wonder why Republicans would hold such views. Could it be that the 40+ year effort on the part of every conservative movement player -- from its presidential candidates to its own media heavyweights down to its lowly precinct captains -- have been regurgitating the tired myth that the media has a liberal bias?
More on that here and here. Oh, and if you want more on Rasmussen, get some popcorn and go here.