When I wake up in the morning, I sometimes like to read the Philadelphia Inquirer between breakfast and washing up. Often I turn immediately to the editorial page. I look at the various opinion articles and letters to the editor. I find this the most interesting part of the newspaper, especially since the Inquirer increasingly features less and less news.
This morning, I was particularly struck by a letter written by one C. T. Howes of Havertown, critiquing articles by the Washington Post writer E. J. Dionne. Howes argued that Dionne could not really be considered a columnist, as all of his essays were, in Howe's words, apologies for President Obama. As Howes wrote "His views are always consistent with the Democrats' and, as with President Obama, there is no room for compromise."
My Gut Reaction: Huh?
More below the fold....
First of all, Mr. Howes, an opinion columnist does just what his or her job title suggests, express an opinion. They are not required to supply balance, or be amenable to the other side. All opinion columnists are, in effect, apologists for a political party or cause. E. J. Dionne is an apologist for the Democrats, while George Will is an apologist for Republicans. Howes fails to understand one of the most basic aspects of journalism.
Even more laughable is his claim that President Obama refuses to compromise. If anything, the President compromises too much, on matters that endanger our economy and the integrity of our democracy. The most recent example is the attempt to avert a government shutdown, in which the President has expressed a willingness to sign a funding bill that, among other things, weakens the Dodd-Frank regulations on our financial markets and allows political contributors to make donations of up to $800,000, as if our political system wasn't corrupt enough. A government shutdown is bad, but what the President is agreeing to is arguably worse.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has been growing increasingly conservative since its change in ownership. However, I like to think that some editor saw this exercise in written idiocy and decided to give it the attention it so richly deserved.