Duncan Black nails this one and it's so frustrating on so many levels. Hey, Someone Noticed: EJ Dionne discovers the power of President Gingrich and Chief of Staff Limbaugh. A media environment that tilts to the right is obscuring what President
June 4, 2009

Duncan Black nails this one and it's so frustrating on so many levels.

Hey, Someone Noticed: EJ Dionne discovers the power of President Gingrich and Chief of Staff Limbaugh.

A media environment that tilts to the right is obscuring what President Obama stands for and closing off political options that should be part of the public discussion.

Yes, you read that correctly: If you doubt that there is a conservative inclination in the media, consider which arguments you hear regularly and which you don't. When Rush Limbaugh sneezes or Newt Gingrich tweets, their views ricochet from the Internet to cable television and into the traditional media. It is remarkable how successful they are in setting what passes for the news agenda.

...

Her point has broader application. For all the talk of a media love affair with Obama, there is a deep and largely unconscious conservative bias in the media's discussion of policy. The range of acceptable opinion runs from the moderate left to the far right and cuts off more vigorous progressive perspectives.

We witnessed a complete bias towards the losing party in the last election by the media when studies showed that cable news was putting on more than two Republicans for every Democrat during the stimulus debate.

To fill out Newt's cabinet, I'd say Dick Cheney is the Secretary of Defense and Liz Cheney is the Vice President with Pat Buchanan as the head of the Dept. of Homeland Security and Tom Tancredo is his Deputy.

And when do you ever see good progressive or liberal Reps on TV?

While the right wing's rants get wall-to-wall airtime, you almost never hear from the sort of progressive members of Congress who were on an America's Future panel on Tuesday. Reps. Jared Polis of Colorado, Donna Edwards of Maryland and Raul Grijalva of Arizona all said warm things about the president -- they are Democrats, after all -- but also took issue with some of his policies.

Please list all the liberal/progressive Reps and leaders you'd like to see on TV and know you never will. I was talking to Howie Klein about this and we came up with a few names we'd like to see much more of on the networks.

Alan Grayson (FL), Jan Schakwsky (IL), Linda Sanchez, who's a CA congresswomen, Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Jerry Nadler are also quite good.

Sherrod Brown (OH), Jeff Merkley (OR) Bernie Sanders (VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) are very good from the Senate side. The only time you ever see Alan Grayson on TV is when FOX is trying to destroy one of his good positions that help the American workers. Things like paid vacations, you know, stuff like that.

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Just yesterday Chris Matthews had on Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Illinois, and Chris tried to turn him into Abe Lincoln -- that is, until he started to open his mouth. (And President Obama was not the most liberal member of Congress. That's another lie told repeatedly by conservatives.)

SCHOCK: And, Chris, let‘s look at who the Democrats used to—to come back to the majority. They nominated the most liberal guy in the United States Senate, not Hillary Clinton, but Barack Obama. And he‘s ultimately the one that led them to victory.

MATTHEWS: Yes, OK. I guess that was a shot at him, right?

SCHOCK: Well, no, it's just the point that, just because you—you elect someone or nominate someone who is ideologically to the right or the left doesn't mean that they can't carry the day in the general election. A lot of it comes down to personality and ability to carry the message forward. Obviously, George W. Bush did a better job than Al Gore did in the 2000 elections. And, obviously, John...(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Why do you say that? He got fewer votes.

KING: But he won the election. (LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: But he got fewer votes.

SCHOCK: OK.

I've been writing since Obama was elected that the Democratic Party has terrible spokesmen to go on and represent. Maybe one of the reason it appears this way is because we are only allowed to view the same tired old Beltway pols like Chuck Schumer. Will the media treat America to our new young guns? Please let us know who you'd like to hear more of...

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