In all of the Meta that has been going on over the last few months especially, the argument has been made that if Obama or the senate really wanted to get things done they would force up or down votes on the major issues and make the republicans have to vote against the people's common interest. Those who blame the administration say that if we just made them vote only on the middle and lower class tax cuts, or if we made them vote only on unemployment extensions that we would win the argument and the people would see what the republicans are really standing for. I think that they miss the point that it doesn't matter what votes we have if nobody ever hears about them:
But not at ABC, CBS or NBC. Last night, all three evening newscasts failed to report on the fact that Republicans had voted down a previously bipartisan bill designed to provide medical coverage for Sept. 11 emergency workers. At the major networks, that development was not considered newsworthy.
Read that. Read it several times. Read it closely.
The republicans just voted against taking care of 911 emergency workers, and none of the networks said a fucking word. Nothing. Silence.
People who say that Obama isn't using his bully pulpit or arguing hard enough or loud enough are missing the point. People who are saying that we're letting the republicans off easy, letting them get what they want, are also missing the point. The point is that we just had what should have been a slam dunk vote for the people that were universally hailed as heroes and the republicans shot it down without suffering any consequences because the media doesn't care. They're too busy talking about Sarah Palin, blogger wars with the White House and anything else that allows them to get out the popcorn and play two sides against each other. And who is it that's getting played against each other?
Us.
WE are getting played against each other.
Obama has been far from perfect, yes, but to say that he isn't fighting hard enough, or holding the republicans responsible, or speaking loudly enough just aren't paying attention. The fact of the matter is he's out there speaking every day, and the media isn't covering it. The fact of the matter is it the republicans aren't being held responsible because the media isn't doing their job. The fact of the matter is we wouldn't even have to be DISCUSSING giving the wealthiest an extension on their tax breaks just to get the unemployment benefits done if the media was paying attention to how bad unemployment is and how the wealthiest are making their biggest profits ever and still not hiring.
But by all means. Blame Obama. Blame your fellow democrats. Do exactly what the media and the republican party want us to do: fight amongst ourselves.
I'm sure that I'm going to get tons of flames from one Meta group or another, but the fact is I don't give a shit. I haven't been a part of these Meta wars and I'm not entering them now. I'm not telling those who understandably criticize Obama or the party to shut up, and I'm not telling those who defend the president that they're always right. As I've said before, the fact of the matter is that Obama has done a helluva lot, and he also hasn't done nearly enough. To blame all of that on him, though, is just ridiculous.
Criticism always has its valid place. Dissent is patriotic. Anyone who can't see that this president and this party have their hands tied behind their backs by a media that let the republicans just VOTE AGAINST 911 RESPONDERS WITHOUT SAYING A FUCKING WORD needs to wake the fuck up. It seems to me that Obama is getting what he can out of the situation that he's been given and with the very limited tools that he has at his disposal. Is it perfect? No. Is it acceptable? No.
It's just the way that it is.
If you really want to get things done and change the way that all of this is happening, it's the media that we need to focus on. We need to get them to answer for why they can ignore this vote on 911 responders like it never happened. Why it is suddenly acceptable to pretend that the party that has been standing on the backs of our fallen heroes is now allowed to stomp on them and kick them while they're down. Why it is acceptable to take the extreme and pretend that it is anything but. We have one party in our country that has gone bugfuck insane and the media is pretending that they aren't drooling all over themselves and screaming incoherently like the crazy fucknuckles that they've become.
I'm telling you right now: as long as the media will not call out the republicans on a vote like this, they won't call them out on anything. We had up and down votes on the individual tax cuts and they got shot down individually, and the media said nothing. We have a report saying that it is time to end DADT, with uncounted military professionals backing it, and the republicans won't even let it come up for a vote and the media says nothing. Obama gives speeches every day, and the only things we hear about are the 'professional left' and 'sanctimonious liberals'. I wonder why that is?
If you want to know why the country is the way it is, and why it isn't getting fixed, just look at your television.
It's the media, stupid.