89 Comments

1. David Thomson:

“…and he is about to become President of the United States.”

Nope, this is not exactly accurate. It should be slightly altered to read: and he may become President of the United States.

This election is not over. I remain convinced that John McCain is going to win this contest. The independents are breaking toward him. Obama makes them feel ill at ease. It’s going to depend on turn out. Every McCain supporter must vote and ignore the culturally left-wing pollsters.

Nov 1, 2008 - 11:18 am 2. Minerva:

Roger: Right on! But I don’t want to read exposes about Rama AFTER the election. The voters and MSM/Press made their leap of faith, let them deal with it — although the MSM/Press has dug its own grave. That doesn’t mean Rama or his policies shouldn’t be opposed. Finally, I don’t want to hear how the handful of Republicans left in Sacramento and Washington are the cause of California and the country’s problems and how they keep things from getting done in this almost-one-party system.

Nov 1, 2008 - 11:24 am 3. Roger L Simon:

David Thomson, you are right. I stand corrected. It’s not over.

Nov 1, 2008 - 11:30 am 4. Anita Hope:

I am not sure I heard right last evening, but did anyone hear Sen. Obama answer a question in Nev. that when he is in office of course he would offer John McCain a job on his staff ? If so, what was he trying to convince people of regarding the difference between himself & John McCain, I see it as his
arrogance and use of “WORDS” to try and confuse voters still on decided. This election will be over when it is over and the black & white newspapers that
have been a traitor not only to their readers but to themselves for being unfaithful , “FREEDOM OF THE PRESS”, use to be “THERE CREED”.

Nov 1, 2008 - 11:52 am 5. Minerva:

Sarah, as usual, is being covered live now on the cable networks. She does seem to be having a blast! Doesn’t seem to be afraid to speak, as did Quayle.

Where’s Biden?

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:19 pm 6. Barack Obama On Best Political Blogs » Obama and the media: it’s not the bias; it’s the dishonesty:

[...] Obama and the media: it’s not the bias; it’s the dishonesty …who thinks unlawful donations like those from Barack Obama’s illegal … for some time: extreme media bias in favor of Obama.  It’s even… [...]

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:23 pm 7. Eric R.:

Roger,

The MSM (aka The Obama Propaganda Ministry) will never, ever admit its bias. It would rather die than ever give one ounce of respect to Republicans or ever say a bad word about their fellow leftist travelers. They just couldn’t do it; they are so fanatic in their (Marxist) faith, that it is pathologically impossible for them to abandon the cause at ANY price.

That is probably why they are, in a way, sympathetic to Islamist terrorists. The Jihadists are willing to commit physical suicide for their cause, while the not-so-MSM is willing commit economic suicide for theirs.

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:27 pm 8. bogie wheel:

What is so difficult about the concept of, “Put all the information on the table and let people decide for themselves”?

Can you imagine where we would be at this point in the campaign if the new media did not exist?

Okay, those are rhetorical questions. Now for some non-rhetorical ones:

Is it more likely that Obama’s dirty laundry will get aired in a widespread fashion (I’d even settle for semi-widespread, at this point) if he wins, or if he loses?

What would it take to motivate big media to go through the proverbial Dumpsters in Chicago like they did in Wasilla?

To what extent are big media like the Arab street, with a tendency to back the strong horse?

What explains the alacrity with which Hillary was jilted by big media in the primaries? Do you think the policy differences (such as they were) between Hillary and Obama made a difference to the media, or was it the “shiny new” (and largely unknown) aspect of Obama that got them excited esp. in comparison with Hillary being a very well known quantity with high negatives?

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:33 pm 9. » Obama and the media: it’s not the bias; it’s the dishonesty Barrack Obama On Best Political Blogs: News And Info On Barrack Obama:

[...] Obama and the media: it’s not the bias; it’s the dishonesty …who thinks unlawful donations like those from Barack Obama’s illegal … for some time: extreme media bias in favor of Obama.  It’s even… [...]

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:48 pm 10. Insufficiently Sensitive:

The MSM, after turning public opinion against the Vietnam war and succeeding in promoting the most leftist Congress in history at the time, was so energized that it revised its mission from informing the public of current events to deliberately bulldozing public opinion. Its entering cohorts since the 60s have been increasingly devoted to what the students of that era called “the revolution” – or generally PC causes which overturn many of the checks and balances provided by our ever-more-battered Constitution.

Although it enthusiastically promoted the legend that GWB stole the 2000 election, and gained much traction among certain audiences, it failed in its most blatant attempt to rig the 2004 election, largely due to alternate information on the GWB TANG ambush story provided by blogs.

It has, however, succeeded in paving the way for one last political success, perhaps its greatest: the return to the extreme leftist government attempted by the McGovern campaign. Six years of relentless Bush-hatred and Iraq defeatism have apparently prepared much of the public to adopt an ill-defined radical “change” from the current trends in government. It enhances the probability of an Alinskyite, super-organized movement to turn loose thousands of taxpayer-funded activists in a final tipping-point effort to permanently emplace a monster government with expanded powers to rule, rather than represent, its citizens, and to curtail certain freedoms such as free speech, education separate from political indoctrination, economic entrepreneurism and personal choice in many economic fields. Much of the strength of this movement has come from the deliberate refusal of MSM to exert anywhere near the effort to detail the history and political acts of one B.H. Obama in the last four years, as it has to its desperate efforts to destroy Governor Palin in the last two months.

Perhaps the moguls of the financially-failing MSM have heard on the grapevine that an Obama administration will divert some of its spread-the-wealth slush funds to the maintenance of their loyal selves is fonctionnaires of the new Ministry of Truth?

Nov 1, 2008 - 12:58 pm 11. dougf:

“It will be interesting to see if there is a shift in their coverage in the aftermath of the election.”

Who cares ?
What would it matter if there was such a ’shift’? Why would anyone even bother to note it ? It wouldn’t by definition mean anything meaningful at all. Once the desired result has been achieved what purpose is served by ‘fair coverage’ then?
Would it not be merely a ‘tactical’ technique designed to ‘enhance’ the reputation of the ‘information’ machine so that it could operate more effectively in the future? They are ALL merely liars and propagandists. Nothing the MSM produces is worth the paper or bandwidth it costs to display it. Only by accepting this does their activity make sense.

I hope they all go bankrupt S-L-O-W-L-Y. Very very slowly. It’s a horrible corporate death. The demise of 1000 cuts. Especially for the agit-prop driven drones within. You can see it coming for you from a great distance, but you can’t run and you can’t hide.

See— there really IS a silver lining to even the darkest cloud.

Nov 1, 2008 - 3:10 pm 12. DonAZ:

There’s been a spate of stories very recently on Obama. My belief is the MSM will use those stories as part of a public relations campaign post-election that will attempt to deny dishonesty and bias and shore up its reputation.

It won’t work completely, but it may work just enough for the MSM to stay potent into the 2010 and 2012 cycles.

The financial woes of the print media is not related to this bias; it’s related to a fundamental shift in the way advertising — corporate and personal classified — is done.

Still, I will be glad to see them all go belly up. Honestly. No more Washington Post? We won’t miss it.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:06 pm 13. Tantor:

So what if the media lies when they operate a near monopoly of the main networks of mass communication. William Shirer wrote that even intelligent and educated people in 1930s Germany repeated the nonsense carried by Nazi propaganda. As Lenin said, a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. The mainstream media may be failing as a purveyor of the news but they are succeeding as a propanda organ for the Left.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:08 pm 14. Arizona Senora:

What this is seems to be a November surprise. The leaks had to be from a federal agency; it’s highly suspect that information regarding an immigration case would “out” in the last 72 hours of a presidential campaign. The last 72 hours is traditionally the strongest campaign stretch in GOP campaigns. Bush administration has tried on every front to aid Gop-ers, from voter investigation re fraud and now this

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:17 pm 15. Thomass:

Anita Hope:

“I am not sure I heard right last evening, but did anyone hear Sen. Obama answer a question in Nev. that when he is in office of course he would offer John McCain a job on his staff ?”

Big deal, if I were McCain I’d offer Obama a job too. With oversight (a lot, to keep him from giving more money to Moaists and such), there are plenty of things he could do in a McCain admin.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:20 pm 16. Drew:

Remember, in an Orwellian future, the truth is the last thing you will hear from the Ministry of Truth.

Move along now, nothing to see here!

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:23 pm 17. Thomass:

“It will be interesting to see if there is a shift in their coverage in the aftermath of the election.”

I think they already have. The AP and CBS ripped Obama’s infomercial in their fact checks which were resent out as news stories.

Still, only starting to their job with less than a week before the election does not cut it.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:24 pm 18. MarkJ:

I’m still trying to understand why millions of Americans will be voting for Obama and Democrats in the hope and expectation that they’re…lying. Go figure that one out.

Both of my aged parents, whom I love dearly, are voting for Obama this year. If Obama wins, I’m sad to say that I’ve already prepared my retort for the inevitable day next year when my folks start whining, “Obama lied to us about taxes!”

“Obama lied to you? How did he lie to you? Obama repeatedly told you what he was going to do if he was elected. However, you didn’t believe him and put him in office anyway. I have no sympathy for you, because you got exactly what you demanded. Deal with it.”

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:33 pm 19. Dick Stanley:

They have certainly outdone themselves on dishonesty so far. But it would be more than a little unnerving if, indeed, they suddenly got an honesty-attack after the horse had left the barn. Any dirt they dug up would cover themselves as much as Barry.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:33 pm 20. Paul from Florida:

I’m not sure of the terms, but I suppose that the MSM will refuse to believe their eyes if Obama goes wacky. They are too invested. He’s their baby, their golden boy.

The MSM is sickly attached, and financially weak and getting weaker. The quality of the reporters is poor.

If ever the blinders come off, will anyone be reading them? I used to buy three to five a day, more when I was driving. Now? Maybe five a week, and sometimes I don’t even read them.

I’m fifty. I hardly see anyone under forty buy a paper.

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:37 pm 21. Media Dishonesty Destroying Their Credibility « What Bias?:

[...] via Roger L. Simon » Obama and the media: it’s not the bias; it’s the dishonesty [...]

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:04 pm 22. TedM:

Please read this if you haven’t already, Kurtz has done a magnificent job
of delving into the past and answering the question “Who is Obama?”.
I have recently described Obama as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That is a less
fancy way of describing him than Kurtz, but it is his essence and falls
right into the impression I got when reading the Audacity book.. He has a
style which is the exact opposite of Jesse Jackson’s “in your face”
Obama sounds reasonable. He makes the case for the opposition and
“understands” where they are coming from, but always comes down on the
opposite side because of “fairness”. And that “fairness” is his agenda.
Call it socialism, communism, collectivism. Call it what you will but it
comes out the same way it has for centuries and has failed each and
every time.
Kurtz is right in calling him Senator Stealth. gradually, little by little, we
will be eased into a collective society under Obama’s world view. How far
he can get in four years is the question.
The sole remaining defense is the Senatorial filibuster. 60 is the key number.
Right now the Senate is 51 or 52 Democrat… We shall see how close they can
get to the magic number of 60. The House will be in the vanguard of passing new
laws embracing old unworkable ideas.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjdjY2Y2YWU5YjQ1Y2Y5Mzg0MGRlNDQ4YTkwYmI2ZDE

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:11 pm 23. Pat:

What is so difficult about the concept of, “Put all the information on the table and let people decide for themselves”?

You’re kidding, right?

The news media are elitists. The last thing they want is for the people to decide for themselves. They think the people are stupid, ignorant sheep who should be told what to do by their betters. If we are allowed to decide for ourselves, we might make the wrong choices. That cannot be permitted.

But we have a system in which the elite are not yet able to directly dictate our actions. They still have to pretend that we are free to choose, and they are only informing and advising us. So they resort to propaganda techniques. They suppress facts that don’t fit their narrative, distort the facts they do report, and tell outright lies where it serves their agenda. They do their best to brainwash us into doing what they want. It’s all for our own good, you see, because they know better than we do.

Don’t ever expect truth or fairness from the MSM. They are lying, manipulating propagandists who would make Goebbels and Stalin proud. Never trust anything they say.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:31 pm 24. Max:

About three days ago I read the account of the anonymous woman in the Obama team who told of their strategy to demoralize the Repubs, to claim the Repubs are negative, to create the illusion that the race is over.

I was very skeptical about the authenticity of that report. But watching these least three days I’ve noticed that’s exactly what the Dems are doing. Today Biden says he doesn’t know if he and John are friends anymore, he says the Repubs have taken the low road, etc. Bill Burton goes on a slash and burn attack on the negativity of McCain in discussing Obama’s comment in Iowa about patriotism.

And the polls — wildly divergent in my view — seem to pick up that echo.

I don’t fault the Dems for using a sophisticated strategy: we all want to win. But it’s a dark one and one that will (and has) alienate McCain supporters big time. I suspect there will be a huge rift in this country after the election no matter who wins.

The negativity cuts both ways. The Dems have just been more subtle about it.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:33 pm 25. pauldanish:

How much clout the MSM has in the 2010 and 2012 cycles will depend on what percentage of the population still relies on the MSM as its primary source of news. And that in turn will depend on whether the new media can become a consistent and reliable primary news source.

Currently, new media matches the MSN in punditry, and sometimes in analysis, but rarely in news coverage. Like everyone else in the country, new media relies on the MSN for news. The public knows the MSN is running a crooked game, but it accepts it, because for hard news it is still the only game in town. In some areas, like military coverage, this is beginning to change, but there is still a long, long way to go.

Hopefully, by the 2012 cycle there will be enough hard news coverage on the part of new media — particularly with regard to government and politics — to make it possible for the public to turn to new media as its primary source of news.

If that happens, I suspect mainstream papers and networks will find themselves in much the same position that newspapers found themselves in 1932 — when they were overwhelmingly in the tank for Hoover, and Roosevelt turned to radio to do an end-run around them.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:34 pm 26. Mwalimu Daudi:

Still, only starting to their job with less than a week before the election does not cut it.

I think that the MSM is engaged in a bit of CYA rather than an honest assessment (however late and incomplete) of the Chosen One. They will hold up this tiny handful of less-that-hagiographical stories as “proof” of their journalistic integrity.

There are only two things that will cause the MSM to turn on the Chosen One. The first is if He threatens their freedom to do as they please (by contrast, if He jails only conservatives the MSM will frantically applaud and egg Him on. “No Conservative Left Unpunished” will be the policy for at least the next two years.). The second is if He becomes such a liability to Democrats that He threatens the coming Democrat supermajorities in both houses of Congress.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:37 pm 27. dl652:

I sent the only message the MSM understands when I cancelled my Washington Post subscription 2 years ago in the wake of the George Allen macaca outrage. The Post almost singlehandedly made sure that Virginia has Jim Webb, a complete cypher, as one of our senators.

I do respond to every one of their subscription renewal letters. I mark them up with some suitably pithy comment, like “Burn in hell” and send them back in the pre-paid envelope they provide.

Juvenile I know, but it gives me a chance to send the message all over again.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:40 pm 28. OdysseusInRTP:

Last night I had to prove this to a friend of mine from San Francisco. I live in NC. I used my credit card with his address in CA. I used the phone number 666-666-6666. I used the name “Obama Cheats”.

Now I am out 5 bucks.

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:42 pm 29. nodak boy:

Mr. Simon: I am a fan of yours, but I have to take issue with your blaming the MSM’s dishonesty in its bias for Obama (the fact of which I don’t dispute) for the poor financial performance of newspapers of late.
While it probably doesn’t help, the bias and/or dishonesty of the press probably doesn’t have so much to do with falling circulation and advertising revenue as do the longer term trends in old-to-new media.
If bias was the issue, why doesn’t the NYPost make money? It hardly ever has, I think, and if it is now, just barely.
Does Fox TV news make money, compared to other cable TV news?
People are just moving away from the old media because they get it faster on radio, TV and online, including newspapers’ online editions; which, however, don’t make them much money. Ergo, the financial problems.
A better comparison would be lefty versus righty blogs or other Internet news-types sites: does it make any difference what your politics, policies or honesty are online, when it comes to the bottom line?
You should be an expert in these areas.
I’m open to being shown evidence that newspapers and TV news companies are losing customers because of perceived bias and dishonesty in news coverage.
But you haven’t really provided it, have you?

Nov 1, 2008 - 5:48 pm 30. Rodger S.:

I will vote for McCain Tuesday. Regardless of who wins, the media has lost. Journalist is now synonymous with advocacy hack, with few exceptions. Obama may win, but if so I believe there will come a time when ODS will set in for them when they realize they voted for an idealistic image.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:03 pm 31. Concerned One:

History will remember this election for the following:
1. Illegal donations.
2. Voter fraud
3. Media dishonesty.
Perhaps a winning trifecta for Sen. Obama. If he loses he can look back and say “What else could I have done to steal this election from the American people?”
If elected, I hope America can survive as the great nation that it is, but personally I doubt it.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:06 pm 32. crosspatch:

I am discouraged not only by the erosion of integrity of the journalism trade, but by the apparent politicization of our law enforcement. Scooter Libby is convicted for not leaking information about Plame to Russert when he thought he had, but blatant voter and campaign donation fraud appears to slide by without any consequence. Democrats are caught with bribe money in their freezer and are returned to office, a Republican caught playing footsie is run out of town. The double standard extends well beyond the media. People turn a blind eye to Democrat crime and corruption. It is as if the mob has taken over a political party, our media, and our law enforcement. It seems to bring a whole new meaning to the phrase “the untouchables”.

I sincerely fear for the country my children will inherit soon. I believe the Democrats have become a force for evil in this world, and that isn’t based on a difference in policy. It is based on the amount of apparent criminal activity, deception, and cover up that seems to be going on.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:08 pm 33. Fran:

I have no idea how many of Obama’s contributions are from non-USA citizens or how many were given in parts with fake names in order to exceed the $2,300 limit. But I do know that it would be possible and that, if the law is not changed before the next election, it will happen. One of his spokesmen said that the traceability did not matter because Obama would not know who had given and, therefore, had not been bought. Unfortunately, it probably takes only one person sitting there day after day to give a fortune from someone or some country to his campaign.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:21 pm 34. John Moore:

Roger, nice distinction between bias and dishonesty. The media this year has been dishonest as hell (so what’s new).

However, I agree with nodak boy about the demise of the newspapers.

Online news sites, internet shopping and Craig’s list are the cause of their demise. Also, they haven’t figured out how to profit from their online sites.

It does leave us with an interesting problem… who is going to pay for, and who is going to provide reporting? Happy as we are as bloggers, we still rely on the MSM for most of our information.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:47 pm 35. Steve:

My concern is that the MSM won’t bother to attempt to redeem themselves, but will instead double-down and actually intensify the political role they’ve adopted. They’ll become an effective organ of the state, acting as the propaganda arm of a unitary government.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:49 pm 36. Javelin:

The people who whine about the MSM are paragons of irony, because they are the same small minds who swallow anything Rush or Fox says as established fact.

Face it, every bunch of fools and crackpots complain about press bias when the press doesn’t echo their biases as fact.

Obviouls Mr. Simon is singing the same old song that was worn out in the days of Spiro Agnew. Those that speak in huge generalities like this press crap don’t care too much about truth or precision.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:54 pm 37. david foster:

When there is a disruptive shift in technology, the companies that were dominant under the old technology rarely survive and thrive under the new technology. This only happens with genuinely brilliant management–and I’ve seen no sign of brilliant management in the MSM.

So, even without political bias, they’d be having a hard time. But the political bias has made it worse, and it seems to me that for public companies, there is a real question of fiduciary responsibiity to shareholders here.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:58 pm 38. heather:

As a foreigner, like the Senator’s Aunt, I have signed on at Obama hdqrters; will report if the $$ appears on my credit card.

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:58 pm 39. Roger Godby:

I know someone who reads the NYT and WaPo both, front to back, every day, for his work as an academic. I’ve heard him quote NYT columnists verbatim from memory. What will the poor fraud do when both papers fold and there’s nobody left to tell him what to think?

Nov 1, 2008 - 6:59 pm 40. memomachine:

Hmmmm.

“It will be interesting to see if there is a shift in their coverage in the aftermath of the election. My guess is that it will take some time for that ship to right itself, if it ever does. The embarrassment factor would be too great – even if it would satisfy some of their shareholders.”

It’s pretty clear that the MSM believes it can rebuild it’s credibility with relative ease -after- the election and that it can sustain this cycle of destroy/build in future elections.

IMO we shouldn’t agree to this.

Nov 1, 2008 - 7:20 pm 41. Javelin:

Wonder if this vague media Simon is refering too includes PJ Media, EIB and Fox?

Nov 1, 2008 - 7:29 pm 42. Ming the Merciless Siamese Cat:

“What this is seems to be a November surprise.”

The McCain campaign kidnapped poor Mrs. Onyango from her hut in Kenya, stashed her in government subsidized housing, stole her credit card, then planted the story in the press?

Arizona Senora, you’re an idiot.

Nov 1, 2008 - 7:53 pm 43. Stan in Sugar Land:

As I keep insisting the so called media is dishonest, incompetent and poorly educated.
The MSM no longer provides value for the time investment required to read or hear a report. Given the subject and a copy of the typical reporters work my reasonably bright 15 year-old grandson could write the story without research and be fairly close to the voice of the actual reporter. That is how predictable the MSM has become. It, the MSM, is now institutionally incompentent – as happens to all businesses that fail.

Nov 1, 2008 - 7:54 pm 44. Wayne:

Whatever happened to NY Times reporters who did report the truth about the left like Walter Duranty?

Nov 1, 2008 - 8:06 pm 45. Anita Hope:

AL Sharpton and Jerry Springer both on TV but different stations made the same statements and they are both for Obama, If in the next four years Obama
fails, he does not deserve another four and Rev. Sharpton went one step further saying, after all their struggles to reach this position in this country, they
do not deserve to be even considered if he fails. He was on Hugley’s show and Springer at Clinton’s School. Almost like the same writer sent the premise
to both.

Nov 1, 2008 - 8:26 pm 46. PC14:

The single, driving focus of conservatives during the next few years should be to inflict financial pain upon the MSM, especially daily newspapers. Cancel your subscriptions and if you are in the position to influence media buys, keep those dollars away from buying ad space in the dailies. Don’t even think of using their pages for classified advertising—it’s free at Craig’s list. When asked the “where did you hear about us” type marketing survey, never mention the MSM—it’s always the internet or talk radio. There needs to be payback.

If Obama wins this election, we lost it because of the MSM. Time to take names and kick ass.

I suggest someone start a website dedicated to evil ways to financially attack the lame media. http://www.msmsucks.com is already taken.

Nov 1, 2008 - 8:27 pm 47. Grouchy Old Fart:

The good thing about this situation is that by the next presidential election cycle it’s entirely possible that one or more of the Democratic Party organs (NYT, WaPo, LAT, Boston Globe, etc) will cease to exist. I wouldn’t be surprised to see several major dailies go bankrupt in the next year. Who knows what will take their place? We can hope someone with vision will understand that you can’t make it in the news and information business without credibility. Market forces will kill off these sorry excuses for news organizations and I believe it will be soon. Someone with vision might realize you can’t get by in the business world by alienating 50% of your potential market. Add to that the fact that an untrustworthy news organization simply ceases to matter. Without credibility it has no reason to exist. It’s not like professional wrestling where people turn out to watch knowing it’s fake but find they’re drawn to the spectacle. Newspapers aren’t all that exciting to read. They do perform an invaluable service that for which there doesn’t seem be any alternative. Like I said, someone with vision could hire real journalists who REPORT, not editorialize and it would surely draw an audience. We’ll see.

Nov 1, 2008 - 9:23 pm 48. Paul:

The news media’s bias is real, but I think that in directing so much ire towards it conservatives sometimes lose sight of the larger picture–which is that the media is just one part of a left-wing consolidation of power over America’s institutions that has evolved over decades. The left-wing news media is only as effective as it is because of the fertile ground provided to it by public K-12 education, the universities, and entertainment media.

Countering the news media is by far the easiest part of a solution to this problem. Fox news, talk radio, and the internet are actually very potent counter-forces at one layer of the problem: before these had the influence they have now, even the stories and controversies we’re currently discussing about Obama, for instance, would simply not have seen the light of day.

The conservative message at least gets AIRED now, but the real problem is the rot that sunk into the very foundations of our civil society. Children who get basically no schooling on the Constitution, fundamental economics, or American history (apart from its various “legacies” of injustice), and are then inundated with movies, tv shows, music and literature, which ridicule and almost invariably cast as villains businessmen, soldiers, and anyone who holds traditional moral values, are not children who will grow up with the ability to reason against or even weigh the merits of what the news media tells them. By then, even a conservative media which tilted right wouldn’t make much difference.

The problem is a very deep one here, and countering it is a lot more difficult than simply adding balance to the news. Obama is probably right about one thing–it has to start at the community level, with “community organizing” of the kind that involves conservative parents getting involved with their local PTAs, and more conservative young people getting involved from the ground-up in professions like journalism, law, the arts, and above all else, education. Liberals have such an enormous head start in these fields that this is probably a decades-long enterprise.

The fact is, unfortunately, that the best and most talented conservatives who are not blue-collar workers have tended to gravitate into business. The reasons are obvious, but these are sectors that are highly prone to attack without broad-based conservative involvement in areas of society which are now almost totally controlled by liberals.

Nov 1, 2008 - 10:45 pm 49. Insatty:

The libeal media’s power is manifest. They have dishonestly convinced the American people that the Republicans are responsible for the Fannie-Freddie meltdown. The media ignores Democrat scandals and permits the Democrat crooks that profited from Fannie-Freddie (Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama) to act as inquisitors instead of being charged as conspirators. Obama and Congressional Democrats will strike out on the most audacious misuse of power to punish political adversaries, like talk radio and Fox News. And the media will cheer them on. Until the current media regime is defeated in public opinion as corrupt, Republicans can never win a national election or retake the Congressional majority.

Nov 1, 2008 - 10:46 pm 50. Gilligan:

There was a time when I thought stuff like this video was a bad thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QHYmLP6OE

Nov 2, 2008 - 2:13 am 51. Terrye:

I make no predictions about the election. The polls are volatile that obviously something is going on here beneath the surface.

The media has indeed worked hard for Obama. They have gone out of their way to terrorize the public, especially older people into believing they will starve without someone like Obama there to take care of them. I work for a health care agency and I see this all the time. The people paying the taxes are voting for McCain, the people wanting the free meds are voting for Obama.

Nov 2, 2008 - 4:33 am 52. Terrye:

Insatty:

I am not so sure about that. I have my doubts about polls, but I did read an interesting thing at Rasmussens. Only 15% believe that the President controls the economy, more than 47% think the Congress does and more and more people are coming to realize the Democrats have been in control of the Congress for the last couple of years. That might be why there has been a greater shift in recent weeks to Republican in the generic preference reported.

The truth is there is so much misinformation out there a lot of people just do not know what to think anymore. We can thank our lousy press corps for that.

Nov 2, 2008 - 4:37 am 53. Gears and Springs · Еще о прессе - ссылки на память:

[...] Roger L. Simon про то, как bias превращается в элементарную нечестность: But bias, bad as it may be, is not the real problem. Everybody has a bias. We all know that. It’s when bias creates dishonesty that the dry rot sets in. The media has been essentially dishonest in its non-investigation of Obama for what now is several years. With all their vast resources, they have given us virtually no reportage on his years at Harvard and Columbia and he is about to become President of the United States. [...]

Nov 2, 2008 - 7:20 am 54. Cecil Turner:

The funny thing is how closely the press efforts (and Obama campaign) parallels the KGB playbook on political manipulation:

The demoralization process in United States is basically completed already. For the last 25 years, actually it’s over-fulfilled, because demoralization now reaches such areas where previously not even Comrade Andropov and all his experts would even dream of such a tremendous success. Most of it is done by Americans to Americans . . . thanks to a lack of moral standards. As I mentioned before, exposure to true information does not matter any more. A person who is demoralized is unable to assess true information . . . the facts tell nothing to him. Even if I shower him with authentic proof . . .

Or maybe it isn’t funny.

Nov 2, 2008 - 7:36 am 55. ggm:

Why would the MSM not also expect to be financially proped up by the government like all the other corrupt Corporate Welfare Queens ?

Nov 2, 2008 - 8:03 am 56. RCS:

How long to “right the ship”. Hell, the coverup for FDR and JFK continues to this day.

Nov 2, 2008 - 8:39 am 57. Paying attention:

My high school educated deceased mother’s words about this:
Nikita Kruschev, then leader of our avowed enemy, the Soviet Union declared:
“We will take America without firing a shot…….We will BURY YOU!”
and:”We do not have to invade the United States, we will destroy you from within”
have been brought to the forefront of my conscience this election. The MSM, Obama and his comrades…products of the university where the socialists came in and carried out Kruschev’s words. Destruction takes time, sometimes years.

Nov 2, 2008 - 8:47 am 58. J. H. Colter:

Mwalimu Daudi is absolutely right. This is late-term CYA, intended to be too late to matter but early enough to say they reported it before the election.

Nov 2, 2008 - 9:10 am 59. cfbleachers:

What does all this mean? I simply can’t piece together an answer that doesn’t give rise to more questions.

I don’t know what to believe, other than to say…I’m not convinced of anything I’m being told and am growing ever more suspicious of what I am not being told, what is being hidden and what is being done with the Left-handed Monkey Wrench that the Grass Curtain Plumbers are using on the truth.

Massive voter registration fraud, massive campaign financing…with serious and dangerous circumvention of safeguards?

Repeated, consistent and haunting connections with some of the most virulent haters of America; these haters attack on the salt of the earth small town folks and “flyover country” residents; an even more frontal assault on the Constitution; a “spread the wealth” economic distribution plan; an open suggestion that a “fairness doctrine” be imposed to shut down talk radio and possibly other dissenters; an outline to drastically curtail the military budget and reduce our ability to defend militarily against foreign enemies; replacing that role instead with a “private civilian army” not constrained by oversight of the military…instead reporting directly to the civilian Commander?

Drown out opposing or dissenting voices? Kick them off the plane and shut them down on the airwaves? Take the property of the dissenters and give it to the loyal party workers? Indoctrinate schoolchildren and have them chant slogans and sing songs to the leader? Paramilitary exercises and “calls to action”, orders to “get in their faces” and browbeat your own parents and grandparents?

The media suddenly and almost completely consumed by a lack of curiousity, it ceases to defend “the little guy”…but instead attacks them with a ferocity heretofore reserved for national politicians. They goosestep their way to salute the private seal, the absence of the flag, the Che Guevara poster.

Let me summarize:

1)Strip the military of funding and reduce its manpower and ability to defend;

2)Strip the access of dissenters by kicking them off the plane, refusing access via the airwaves if they ask tough questions, institute a “fairness doctrine” to eliminate their voice on radio, possibly more on the way with the Internet.

3)Strip the capital and property and begin to redistribute those funds and property to party loyalists;

4)Attack the constitution, insert judges not elected by the people as operatives in redrafting it to suit the policies and procedures which the people never voted to approve.

5)Build a civilian army of loyal party members, in a new revolutionary guard against enemies…whomever they may be.

6)Take away the 2nd amendment rights of the people, by force, if necessary…because they “cling to guns and religion”. Not sure if religion is going to be allowed to “cling” to at this point, or if religious theater and theopolitics will be advanced.

7)Replace traditional symbols with new ones…the flag is the “wrong” kind of patriotism…but personal seals, wall sized portraits, a personal flag for the Leader are the “right” kind. Posters of fellow revolutionaries appears to be ok as well.

8)Nationalized healthcare, nationalized banking and finance, nationalized insurance, nationalized 401k’s, nationalized homeownership, nationalized energy, nationalized education, nationalized agriculture and food production.

9)Elections rife with voter registration fraud and political operatives blocking investigation into the massive, overt and clear attempts to rig an election for one candidate with ties to the offending organizations. Jimmy Carter will be called in to announce that the elections are “fair”.

10) Massive evidence of campaign finance irregularities, foreign influence and laundered money, in order to buy more votes. Control from an outside agency or country is hidden and denied.

11) Louder and more vicious attacks on Jewish people popping up as a “gutter religion”, the “cause of massive suffering”, the “reason there is no peace”. A team is assembled to “reduce the Zionist influence”.

If I was going to start a revolution…I certainly couldn’t pick a better groundwork or foundation than this. I would only ask that you call me an agrarian reformer….although I suppose “community organizer” would work just as well.

I would do the organizing…it’s up to you to do the communing. I would ask you to simply quietly come along, join the “grassroots” movement for “change” and “hope” for our future…built in five year planning increments. Then a Grass Curtain would descend upon you, keeping you safe from those who dissent. Those 25 million will not be bothering you any longer.

I mean…if I intended to launch a revolution. Which I don’t. I’m a centrist. How about you?

Nov 2, 2008 - 9:10 am 60. No Coal Power in Obamaland | The Anchoress:

[...] Roger L. Simon said, “it’s not the bias, it’s the lying”. Actually, it’s the bias and the lying…and the plain-old covering up. The media has [...]

Nov 2, 2008 - 10:07 am 61. Anita Hope:

Paying Attention,
Your mother was so ON THE MARK, and the university to start the inside attach was “THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO”. back in the latter 40’s. There plan to organize through the steel workers union took hold in a plant in Gary, Ind… We today in this campaign have become aware of the connection of Ayers & his group and how they brought Sen & Michelle Obama into the fold of the “U of C”. We have always under estimated the cunning minds of communism in America, they take the most abused people in a country and use them to achieve their goals, once reached through mind control, they continue to use them, not really improving but continuing further abuse if they do not follow “PARTY ORDERS”. One only has to look into Communistic Russian History. In China when the Socialist Party came into power, first they rid the country of a Russian Lawyer who was the head of the Shanghi Press, then all lawyers that did not escape were beheaded, as were their famlies if caught. They used the newspapers to gain control then took control of the press, a goal that has again succeeded right here in our country. The Ayers group has had years of preparation and we in White America, a country that has preached ” EQUALITY TO ALL ” failled our Citizens of Color, just what they needed, to attain the control of a large group of voter’s along with the co-operation of the press. The Press is in for a rude awakening, one they will deserve, our Citizens of Color need our apology in a big way and Equal Democratii Education to all is the most important first step. TUESDAY will decide if we will be given a second chance to hold on to OUR
FREEDOM.

Nov 2, 2008 - 11:00 am 62. nferguso:

Why did the MSM reject Hillary? I put to you my Jungian conjecture. The MSM editors and their owners are all middle-aged males or their crypto-lesbian dopplegangers. In their unconscious they react to poor Hillary as an archetypal non-virgin. Politically and personally she has been around the block – she is spoiled goods. But Barack is, with respect to the national scene and his reputation, still a virgin. And he is black! To the good liberal he is forbidden to despoil. You must not besmirch the black person not matter how faulty is his character. But it would feel so good, so dirty.

The masters of the MSM crave to despoil. It is really why they are in the business. If they didn’t print newspapers they would be where depravity is unbridled, in Hollywood or producing rap music.

The MSM know that if Obama wins they will spend the next four years in agonies of unrequited, crapulent longings. They want so, so much to defile. So much. But mustn’t! He’s black! He’s a Marxist! He’s a democrat! Oh, how they want to! But mustn’t! Mustn’t! O ecstasy!

Nov 2, 2008 - 11:09 am 63. Guess What? Obama Wants to Bankrupt Coal Industry! « The Sassy Tn’T PoLITicallY InCorrect:

[...] Roger L. Simon said, “it’s not the bias, it’s the lying”. Actually, it’s the bias and the lying…and the plain-old covering up. The media has actively [...]

Nov 2, 2008 - 12:18 pm 64. Anita Hope:

To clarify my above regarding an apology to people of color is that we should have been more aware regarding how Communism & Socialism was rising
and in their neighborhood’s they were being used to bring about Civil Unrest , and we just did not “Pay Attention ” or realize they did not understand the
scheme, something in those times not in any books they read or used in schools they attended. We all have come a long way since then but still may face
some very dramatic changes, some good & some not so good, but we all must do it together as a Free People” working for indiviual and joint achievment.

Nov 2, 2008 - 2:30 pm 65. Coldwarkid:

It would seem the liberal elitist illuminati like to protect their own. The inconsistencies of the mainstream media make one wish that part of “free speech” meant rotating conservative anchors onto the nightly news!

Nov 2, 2008 - 3:08 pm 66. Bomb Run:

Just to be clear, when you wrote “unlawful donations like those from Barack Obama’s illegal alien aunt Zeituni Onyango (now being returned),” you meant her donations were being returned.

Onyango is not being returned to Kenya, the subsidies she has received from American taxpayers are not being returned, and the vast sea of other phony and illegal Obambi contributions aren’t being returned.

Nov 2, 2008 - 3:26 pm 67. ckh:

I do think the unlawful contributions are a large factor in this. There is a reason the Obama campaign will not shut that down. It pays too well. Look at his media and polling buys, ideology aside he has an obscene amount of money to buy positive coverage, and an equal ability to discourage negative. Shameful.

Nov 2, 2008 - 3:41 pm 68. Whispers: Thinking Straight » Blog Archive » It’s not the bias:

[...] Roger nails the point: But bias, bad as it may be, is not the real problem. Everybody has a bias. We all know that. It’s when bias creates dishonesty that the dry rot sets in. [...]

Nov 2, 2008 - 4:25 pm 69. Barry Dauphin:

Although my handicapping (personal and hardly accurate) suggests Obama would win, it is important to remember that the story line of a large Obama win benefits only Obama. It is a Democratic strategy at voter suppression. Very late in the game the Dems are complaining about evil GOP voter suppression tactics. When Dems complain about something like this, you can be sure there’s plenty of projection to be found. So remember to go vote.

Nov 2, 2008 - 4:37 pm 70. FS Tate:

After the 2000 election I thought that the elite news media would start correcting its extreme bias, but it only got worse and much worse and even more.

Even the financial failures of a number of newspapers (NY Times bonds reduced to junk status) seems to have no impact on the elite news media nor their owners.

For them political advocacy for the far left is FAR more important.

Long live King Barak The Good.

Nov 2, 2008 - 6:17 pm 71. Locomotive Breath:

“It will be interesting to see if there is a shift in their coverage in the aftermath of the election.”

Did Ahab change his attitude about trying to kill the great white whale? How did that turn out for him?

Nov 2, 2008 - 8:16 pm 72. Zorro:

Biden is now offering a bi-partisanship olive branch? To borrow a line from Galbraith’s The Triumph, “Piss on your Peace.”

Nov 2, 2008 - 8:21 pm 73. newton:

Forget it. The MSM will never fix themselves, even if their very lives depended on it. Their Leftism is more important than anything else.

If I could cancel their channels from my cable, I would certainly do it. But I tell you, I would love to be the one who tells the guy who dares to ask me to subscribe to any of their newspapers, to “take your damn rag and shove it!”

Nov 3, 2008 - 12:17 am 74. Brent SoCal:

Settle down and hunker down,
We are all interconnected by commerce, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t live independently.

In the chance that either Mr. McCain or Mr. Obama is elected, we need to stand ready to support their good ideas and vigorously oppose their poor choices, but mostly ignore them both.

Washington DC only moves on the inertia of the rest of the country. The president is a figurehead. We are the ones who do the work and pay the taxes to keep them employed.

It’s interesting that the San Diego Union Tribune has been for sale for months and there are precious few takers. Darn bloggers speaking truth to power. If only the MSM truly controlled the content.

The people aren’t stupid. Certainly not the ones still making money these days.

May we all live in interesting times.

Nov 3, 2008 - 12:34 am 75. ricpic:

Zogby had McCain up by 1 % in its national tracking poll on Friday. This was reported in the NY Post. I don’t know if it was reported by the MSM. All the other polls have Obama ahead by at least 4%. Zogby doesn’t mean McCain will win it just means that this thing is still very much up in the air.

Nov 3, 2008 - 12:43 am 76. hermie:

As the MSM had whored itself out for Obama as a candidate, there is no reason to believe they will not whore themselves out with an Obama POTUS.

Nov 3, 2008 - 6:24 am 77. Just a thought? Renyolds is right on the money | Conservative247:

[...] worried about the other guys controlling the White House than anxious to win themselves. (Some are very worried). They’re right to be worried, of course, at least to a degree. The Presidency is an office [...]

Nov 3, 2008 - 7:56 am 78. Predictions for the next 24 hours… | The Anchoress:

[...] commenter here has a nice summary of what we may face unless you get out there and vote. by TheAnchoress @ 12:13 pm. Filed under America, Barack [...]

Nov 3, 2008 - 10:43 am 79. Predictions for the next 24 hours… | The Anchoress:

[...] commenter here has a nice summary of what we may face unless you get out there and vote. by TheAnchoress @ 12:13 pm. Filed under America, Barack [...]

Nov 3, 2008 - 10:43 am 80. Mambo Bananapatch:

“About three days ago I read the account of the anonymous woman in the Obama team who told of their strategy to demoralize the Repubs, to claim the Repubs are negative, to create the illusion that the race is over.

“I was very skeptical about the authenticity of that report…”

Why were you skeptical? I don’t mean to be snarky, but seriously, what did you think they were going to do?

Nov 3, 2008 - 10:44 am 81. Donna:

Insufficiently Sensative, your little essay is so beautifully stated and nicely condensed I’m copying and keeping where I can refer to it in future conversations. One thing great about the blogs are the comments! Thanks to all of you that offer more insight into a topic.

Nov 3, 2008 - 11:30 am 82. Bill Whittle:

CFBLEACHERS, could you possibly email me at bill@ejectejecteject.com if you read this?

Nov 3, 2008 - 11:50 am 83. Another Good Summary « HOWDY!:

[...] my full thoughts on the election, but here is another good summary.  This one comes to us from the comments section at Pajamas Media by cfbleachers: Let me [...]

Nov 3, 2008 - 12:53 pm 84. Grouchy Old Fart:

Yawn. If I never have to read another article about the bias in the press it’ll be too soon. Of course they’re biased. And by this time four years from now several major dailies will be out of business. They can’t go on trashing their own credibility while at the same time alienating 50% of their potential audience. Good riddance. What will take their place, who knows! Maybe someone with venture capital will come up with the brilliant idea of hiring reporters and requiring them to report the unvarnished facts without all the shading of the truth. That would be something.

Nov 3, 2008 - 1:15 pm 85. hermie:

There would be one blessing to an Obama win: Keith Olbermann’s having a breakdown because after January 20, 2009, he is unable to go into another out of control tirade against the President, since now his one true Messiah would be in charge of every failure that occurs with the economy, the war, taxes, education etc.

Nov 3, 2008 - 2:18 pm 86. Webrider:

Thank you CFBleachers for putting it out there so concisely and well. It’s all true and I can’t for the life of me see how the MSM in its entirety misses this story. Not every newspaper is that liberal, but I’m even beginning to wonder about that.

The local rag “Austin American Statesman” has been on the market for quite a while too. AFAIK, no offers. Wonder why? They are homebase to one of the looniest of left wing cartoonists out there (Ben Sargent), and never seem to fail to publish the droolings of Signe Wilkinson either.

Nov 3, 2008 - 2:30 pm 87. bobby b:

New stats are out:

Obama took in more than $650,000,000 in donations for his campaign.

$210,000,000 of that came from people proving, with their own credit cards, that they could enter nonsensical, made-up names and addresses and so get around legal contribution restrictions.

Nov 3, 2008 - 3:20 pm 88. Dinocrat » Blog Archive » The media’s failures in this political season:

[...] to rue the media’s decision not to vet the man as they should have over the last two years. Roger Simon and Glenn Reynolds both have useful reflections on this [...]

Nov 5, 2008 - 9:26 am 89. Just a thought? Reynolds is right on the money : Radio Vice Online:

[...] worried about the other guys controlling the White House than anxious to win themselves. (Some are very worried). They’re right to be worried, of course, at least to a degree. The Presidency is an office [...]

Dec 31, 2008 - 6:07 am

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