Sorry for the late entry and the short diary but I finally got a chance to sit behind the computer and get some extra stuff done.
During the past holidays, like many Americans I'd watch some of the special television programming related to the new year. While I don't usually watch MSNBC's "Morning Joe", I came across a special they had running entitled, The Most Influential American of the 21st Century. Being that the century is just 10% through, I was naturally curious as to what (and why) this program was covering.
Well, I managed to watch through the entire hour and I saw something quite telling of a certain media personality, Willie Geist.
The program conducted a poll inquiring who Americans think the top ten most influential person of the 21st century is. At the end of the show, each host would reveal their personal top ten. Well, Barack Obama topped the list for Americans and Geist explained his rationale for why Obama would not be his personal pick (starting 1 minute 20 seconds with the following clip).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
[SORRY - I was unable to embed the video clip]
With due respect to the people we polled, George Bush is the most influential. Now Barack Obama could become the most influential. We'll see what happens with healthcare reform - if it turns out the way he hopes it will; what happens in Afghanistan [and] Iraq. He could become the most influential but he's not right now.
Ok fine. That's his reasoning. But if you look closely at his actual top ten (3 minutes 5 seconds in), you'll notice at number 5 is none other than Sarah Palin. Obama didn't even make his list at all.
Of course I have no idea why Sarah Palin would make the list over Obama in his mind but if we go by what Geist actually stated, we can assume that he feels that Obama doesn't have enough tenure to be considered influential. Never mind any of the legislative victories that made history already in two years. But, more importantly, following his line of thinking, Sarah Palin should fall under the same logic.
I think it's subtle but nonetheless revealing of a bias that, contrary to the conservative cry that there's a left leaning media bias, if Obama is considered on the left, the bias actually against him.
Friggin SNOOKI made his list over Obama for crying out loud.