Posted by
Psychdoc on Friday, March 14, 2008 7:14:19 PM
Well, I'd like to ensure that my first post is topical and up to date, so let's start here:
I think it should come as no surprise to most that the majority of the media across the major networks, CNN, and MSNBC, seem to be fixated on the idea of electing Senator Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America. Let's call it their worst kept secret. After all, how much of a secret can the support of a candidate be if you have so-called unbiased commentators who pride themselves on being even-handed like Chris Matthews of MSNBC making the comment that he gets "a sensation running up my leg" when he hears Sen. Obama speak?
Now let's pretend for the sake of a good argument that the majority of our media aren't defacto supporters of the Obama candidacy. Let's assume that they would like to prove themselves as unbiased reporters of the facts. The current controversy over Sen. Obama's pastor of 20 years and "spiritual advisor" (to use the Senator's own words), Rev. Jeremiah Wright of the Trinitry United Church of Christ, is a perfect example of how many of our political pundits, television news anchors, and newspaper and magazine writers can prove to us how unbiased they really are.
How long do you, the ordinary politically-minded citizen, believe that our media will cover the bigoted, anti-American, vitriolic, hate speech authored by Rev. Wright on numerous occasions? How much coverage will his trip with Louis Farrakhan in 1984 to worship at the feet of Col. Mu'amar Qadafi, the dictator of Libya, at the height of Qadafi's terror campaign against America and the rest of the western world, receive? Will Sen. Obama be asked how many of the sermons where documented hate rhetoric by Rev. Wright occurred did his family and he attend, and if he attended many of these sermons, then why did he not express public outrage at the statements made, or simply walk out? These issues are fair game. After all, our media has already firmly made the point that a presidential candidate's religion and their church are fundamentally important issues that must be dissected.
Lest we have forgotten, the media had been grilling former Governor Mitt Romney about his Mormon faith for years. When reports were coming out in 2005 that Gov. Romney was considering a run for the Republican nomination for the presidency, writers and pundits were filling the internet and print media with columns about whether the country was "ready for a Mormon president." Several research institutes administered surveys on this issue, with the results widely reported that "a third of the country is not ready to vote for a Mormon for president." Gov. Romney was made to answer for all of his church's past wrong-doings, particularly about their long and documented history of racism pre-dating the late 1960s. On December 6 of last year, the former Gov. gave by most accounts an eloquent speech reaffirming his belief in the first amendment of our constitution and explaining that although he was a devout believer in his faith, his faith and church would not run his policy; this speech was the product of months and months of prodding by pundits and writers declaring that it was imperative that Gov. Romney give a "Mormon speech" similar to JFK's "Catholic speech" in which he explained his religious beliefs.
Will Sen. Obama be made by these same pundits and writers to give a speech clarifying his religious beliefs? Gov. Romney was grilled on his church's past transgressions. Will Sen. Obama receive the same treatment regarding his church's current transgressions? After all, religion was an important test of merit for the presidency for Mitt Romney. Shouldn't the same test then be applied to Barack Obama? Will we continue to hear about the despicable things that Rev. Wright, the inspiration for Sen. Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope" (as professed by Sen. Obama himself) in June, or October, or even next week?
Judging by much of the media's reaction so far to the issue of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and how he relates to Sen. Barack Obama, I wouldn't get my hopes up that they are willing to accept the challenge of unbiased coverage of facts. For example, last night, on his eponymous CNN television show as he was about to introduce the subject of Rev. Wright, Anderson Cooper lamented that this topic (i.e. Rev. Wright), although deflecting attention from the "real issues" facing us, needed to be discussed because it was "now a fact of the campaign."
Look's like our trusty friends in the media are going to continue their feeble attempts at holding on to their worst kept secret.