When is a Win Not a Win? When It's Democratic

[springhill]

When is a Win Not a Win? When It's Democratic
by Ted Rall

<snip>

It helps to enjoy the complicity of the media. Whenever Republicans win an election, mainstream pundits cite the results as prima facie proof that the American people have handed them a mandate to do whatever they want.

When Reagan won in 1980, Newsweek hailed his triumph as "an idea whose time had come," "a rousing vote of confidence in him and his politics," and posited that the results spelled "nearly certain death for liberal causes." When Republicans picked up seats in the 1994 midterm elections, House Speaker Newt Gingrich drew upon media support to stampede Clinton into a year-long "copresidency," resulting in welfare reform and free-trade pacts.

When is a win not a win? When it's Democratic. When a majority of Americans cast votes for the Dems, the results are invariably interpreted by the media as a public desire for moderation and bipartisanship rather than some "radical left-wing agenda." Democrats are told to abandon their campaign promises and ignore their liberal base. The pain and divisiveness of the (Republican-ruled) past must be healed by big-hearted (and soft-headed) Democrats. Democrats don't get mandates.

The double standard isn't new. "For all the records it broke," Time editorialized in 1996, " was a victory for studied modesty; for a willingness to swallow his pride to preserve his power, embrace his enemies to steal their ideas and march into history as the first two-term Democrat since F.D.R., not with great leaps forward but one baby step at a time. It couldn't be clearer if they had spelled it out letter for letter: voters elected a moderate Democratic President to carry out a moderate Republican agenda."

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/3055

[texpatriot2004]

1. I repeat, The Corporate Media is NOT our friend. nm

[electropop]

2. It's even worse when Dems play right into their hands.

I saw Rahm Emmanuel saying that the massive left-wing victory means that Dems should move to the center. I'd be happy if he'd move to the center (he's currently rather right of center). What we voted for is a massive shift to the left.

[Alcibiades]

3. Of course

but just about anything would be a massive shift to the left compared to what we have now.

[chaska]

4. I read that yesterday. Excellent article....

We seriously need to kick some ass, within and without our party.