I've finally stopped reading the Huffington Post. Sad. I used to rely on that site since its inception as a reliable source for news and opinion. It appeared to be a truly open forum of ideas. However, over time it has become a tabloid-like homage to the opinions and musing of Arianna Huffington and those who agree with her. I no longer do.
While Huffington has some good points to make, I have become increasingly weary of her methods. This morning, for example, she spent the better part of her time on ABC'S This Week criticizing the President and promoting her ideas, rather than taking a perfect opportunity to go after Roger Ailes, FOX News CEO and President, in what will surely be a one-off appearance on another network. What a waste!
For all Huffington's claims to have seen the light and become a Progressive, and her so-called political savvy, she did more to further the cause of Republicans this morning by not once pointing to anything positive that Obama has done or for that matter criticizing the opposition at all. In fact, it was only in the waning moments, with time running out, that she even bothered to question Ailes as to why Fox cut away from the smackdown Obama delivered on the GOP.
Even Paul Krugman found positive things to say about Obama, I believe realizing that any future of a progressive agenda would be lost with George Will and Arianna pompously promoting their own brilliance over that of the President, Ailes merely grinning and enjoying every Obama bashing moment.
Sadly, Democrats, Progressives, Liberals---whatever we want to label ourselves---have failed to realize that the Average Joe who might turn into these talking head festivals is likely to come away with the feeling that even those who are supposed to be on the side of the President don't think he is competent. The reason Republicans manage to stay in power so long (and are likely to regain it again) is because they tend to take the focus off themselves and attack the opposition. They follow Reagan's creed: Speak no ill of fellow Republicans. Those supposedly on our side are either raving egomaniacs like Huffington who race to the nearest camera to push their own policies (while never having successfully run for anything) and to ruminate with their pop psychology (though unlicensed) about what is wrong with Democrats.
Just meander over to HuffPo and have a look at the headlines sometime. Today, in blaring letters is AILES VS. ARIANNA, as if she is Rocky taking on Apollo creed. Funny thing is, I watched the entire "confrontation" and saw nothing that remotely resembled a prizefight (and certainly no takedown). What I did see looked more like Arianna applying for a job as a Fox pundit. Did she attack Republican policy(ies)---NO. Did she take on FOX bias---not really. Instead, she spent the bulk of the time trying to prove she was the smartest kid in the room and Obama was an idiot. Her attacking of all things Obama was so relentless it made even Paul Krugman step in by defending Tim Geithner!
I politely commented on HuffPo that I thought she was less than effective against Ailes and my comment was censored. I found this amusing given that the comments that made it onto the screen were often vulgar, including a repetitive reproduction of the graphic middle finger. They were, of course, rebukes of the Right, the Left, and Roger Ailes. However, notably missing was any criticism of Arianna.
Kind of says it all.
Am I totally satisfied by everything Obama has done. Nope. But do I believe we are better off than we were under Republican rule. You betcha! And do I believe we have room for improvement, of course. But if we don't support our man in office, and work with him, rather than against him, to get things done, then we will have no one but ourselves to blame if the country gets stuck with President Palin. I know that no matter how disappointed I may ever be in Obama it is nothing compared to how depressed I have been with the state of this country after years of Republican rule.