The So-Called progressive Media

I am beginning to notice a troubling trend in so-called progressive media sites; particularly in the coverage of both the Republican and Democratic run-ups to their conventions. Some of the coverage seems to be parroting the same lines one comes to expect from the Main Line Media such as the Washington Post, New York Times, etc.

Much of their reporting seems to border on the sycophantic and fawning styles of the aforementioned major news outlets. Misleading headlines that seem to have been culled from the tabloids, poll numbers without any explanations of methodology, stories that on their face seem to contradict  reality, all leading to conclusions that if, in fact, Obama can walk on water it is because of his inability to swim.

Now, don't get me wrong, I can list a number of ways the President has fallen short in his first term, I strongly believe that the approach to health care was wrong-headed, he should have started with single-payer and negotiated from there instead of trying to reach across an aisle that stated their position at the time to be one of recalcitrance and obstruction.  I believe he relied entirely too much on the very folks who precipitated the 2008 great recession and their piecemeal approach to Wall Street reform. I agree with Ron Suskind's and Paul Krugman;s position that a more radical approach to stimulate the economy was sadly left off the table, but at the same time I also understand that it took a long time to get where we were in 2008 and it was not going to get fixed overnight. 

 I recall an article by Sam Stein at The Huffington Post bemoaning the "fact" that while Obama "promised" a new approach to politics, he is nonetheless doing much of the same.

That one man can, with a wave of a wand, erase the mire the country found itself after eight years of free tax cuts and wars paid for on the American Credit Card is ridiculous on its' face, but if one follows some of the progressive news outlets (their words, not mine) one would think we voted for a magician, not a President.

When sites like HP and TPM, run poll numbers without the requisite disclaimers they do more harm than even the Main Line News can do, because they do present themselves as talking truth to power, when in fact they foster more of the same.

The headline throughout progressive and main line media should read "Republicans promise to continue to obstruct if the President is re-elected", instead we see a misleading headline about how "Nafta increased the flow of drugs into the U.S." with a picture of Obama underneath the lede. Having read the article I came away with this conclusion; it was the Democrats, pure and simple, their fault Suzie and Johnny are hooked on Meth.

There must be some sort of endorphin rush that comes with hobnobbing with the so-called power elite, the White House Correspondence Dinner is testament to that, the Fourth Estate in a free society must be held to a higher standard. 

I.F Stone must be spinning in his grave at the antics of some of these so-called muckrakers...

'nuff said...