'Bitter' Gore; 'Principled' McCain

[babylonsister]

'Bitter' Gore; 'Principled' McCain

By Robert Parry
February 18, 2009


When we started Consortiumnews.com back in 1995, it was already apparent that the mainstream U.S. press corps was beyond reform. The corporate media had, in effect, merged with the growing right-wing media in overplaying the “Clinton scandals.”

The endless Clinton bashing was followed by a deep hostility toward the presidential candidacy of Al Gore and a fondness for the prospect that George W. Bush would put “the adults” back in charge. Then, under Bush, mainstream and right-wing news outlets marched pretty much in lockstep into the Iraq War.

Eventually, Bush’s disastrous policies – and his growing unpopularity with the American people – frayed this coalition of mainstream and right-wing media, but the dynamic has reemerged during the early weeks of Barack Obama’s presidency with much of the mainstream press again aligning with the Right.

This resurgent alliance is perhaps best seen in the media consensus about Obama’s supposed "failure" to achieve the bipartisanship he called for during the campaign; regarding the Republicans’ “principled” opposition to the $787 billion stimulus bill; and in media attacks on the bill’s wastefulness that read like they come straight from GOP talking points.

A case study in how this current media double standard is playing out can be seen in the divergent treatment in the major news media’s reaction to Al Gore’s criticism of President Bush’s policies in 2002 compared to John McCain’s high-profile attacks on President Obama today.

more...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/021809.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. McCain really gets a lot of freebies from the press. Still does.

My theory is draft era guys who did not serve, like Matthews, Russert, Fineman, etc. just are afraid to touch him for fear of having that stuff thrown back in their faces.

[liberal N proud]

2. No surprise from the corporate media who has played to the GOP

12 - 16 years of evidence should prove the media bias. Yet the right wingers will continue call it the liberal media.

[Robbie88]

3. But...But...But..

I thought the media was liberal?? :shrug:

[acmavm]

4. Do you think just maybe, maybe he REALLY doesn't KNOW that he lost?

[pansypoo53219]

5. he is still on that 'the one' kick.

he doesn't think it is fair that a BLACK upstart is president. he can't handle it. yosemite sam syndrome.

[acmavm]

6. 'yosemite sam syndrome'! That was great.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Double

[Uncle Joe]

8. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.

[EPIC1934]

9. Please See Consotium News Daily! I promise I dont work there!

Parry's Consortium News is always worth checking out. One of the things that makes it distintive is THE WAY IT CONNECTS CURRENT EVENTS TO THE RECENT AND MID LEVEL RECENT PAST, USUALLY GOING BACK ABOUT FORTY YEARS. So many of the so called progressive sites do this as consistently as Parrys.

So often it is this mid-level depth field that is ignored even on so called progressive sites. Also be on the lookout for article by Lisa Pease on Consortium. There are few better writers on CIA media disinformation and its history. Many so called progressive sites are funded PRECISELY TO IGNORE THIS LEVEL OF MEDIA ANALYSIS.

Parry himself was of course the Newsweek reporter who broke many of the Contra stories at the beginnning of the scandal. Later was fired for going down the Contra-Cocaine route-- alas it was the same exit from employment taken by Pulitzer Prize winner Gary Web before he was fired after a full court press by the CIA. (see Whiteout by Cockburn and St. Claire for this one on the CIA and the media, not that Mad Alex is exactly faultless on this front!???) Later these drug-Contra connetions were fully validated by the 1990 Kerry Report.

We need to cut and paste more of these stories also on big newspaper sites like STLTODAY of Post Dispatch. That way we refusing to relegated to niche sectors of the media spectrum and it becomes more dangerous to the professional marginalizers who run our government and economy.

[Uncle Joe]

11. I respect Parry's work and if you did work there,

I wouldn't think any less of your recommendation, EPIC.:thumbsup:

[road2000]

10. Al Gore is the most media-mained political figure in the U.S.

Another is Don Siegelman.