Enough already with the non-stop, 24-hour hyperventilating about every possible scenario and parsing of every word and "reporting" on every nutjob's latest rant regarding President Obama! I, for one, have had more than my fill of the over-the-top hysteria regarding speeches not yet delivered and diatribes based on comments by multiple and conflicting "unnamed White House sources" or "anonymous White House insiders".
C'mon, people, let's take a breather for a moment and reflect on all the garbage being thrown out there and just who is doing the pitching. I have learned from the campaign that until it comes from the man himself, it is just an increasingly lazy media's parroting of the pundits' made up crap. These people are paid to talk so they better have something to say. And if there is nothing of substance, then they better find something quick---rumor or fact.
There was a time when journalists and the organizations they worked for prided themselves on reporting only when they had at least two SOLID sources to back up a story. Look how long it took for the Washington Post to finally print the first articles on Watergate . But all that has changed since profits cometh before pride and budget cuts replaced actual reporters with spokesmodels.
The sad thing is, we all know this. We saw all this vividly with each hyperventilated "report" during the election cycle that provoked all the handwringing that then led to stories about all the handwringing (OBAMA'S LOSING HIS BASE!!!). Yet, here we are with the same people fallng for the same tactics and feeding into the same hysteria again. UGH!!!
The media pumped Sarah Palin's "crowds", failing to mention the buses of the faithful (and school kids) brought in to create that fantasy. While they pumped her numbers, they downplayed Obama's crowd sizes (despite pictures speaking a thousand words and all) just to make it appear the race was close. They made her a contender and, of course, when Sarah finally spoke, she ended that little charade---and then they took credit for that, too. But let's face it, someone was bound to actually ask the woman an unscripted question sooner or later that would have revealed the Empress had no clothes.
Still, the formula has worked so well that what incentive does the media have to change it? I mean, they stir the pot, and both sides line up, bowls in hand, to slop it up. Doesn't matter the issue. Stimulus---slurp. Healthcare--slurp, slurp. Education--slurp, slurp, slurp. Reporters, cameras in tow, search out the lowest common denominator (basically place a call to some Southern Republican HQ) and voila! they have their lead story for the next news cycle.
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass that Joe Bob Billy Ray doesn't want his kids to hear the President's speech about education. The truth unfortunately is his kids have already been indoctrinated with his ignorance and will likely either grow up as brain dead as he is or, if they're lucky, get the hell out of Swamplick and see the real world. But first, they need to learn to read. And as long as they are under daddy's roof, he ain't gonna let that happen. But in the meantime, the media tells us that Jim Bob loves Sarah Palin 'cuz she's regular folk like him and they continue to "report" every assinine thing she spews just to keep Jim Bob fired up. Enough said.
The media has discovered there are a lot of people out there just itchin' for a fight about something. So they have decided it is their job to provide with ammo. When the powder was running dry on the anti-health reform side, then out came the "unnamed" WH sources proclaiming Obama was killing the Public Option. And out then came the "raging Left" to batter the President. Jeesh, the guy hasn't given his speech and yet everyone already seems to know what he's going to say. Just like Old Jim Bob knows Obama's gonna sell some Socialist doctrine to the kiddies.
If you want to see how inane the catnip is they feed you, just look at the POLITICO website that so many in the media get their hyperbole from and see how they are now touting the likes of Joe Scarborough as a contender for President in 2012. A little old fashioned investigative reporting ( and maybe a look at some videotape archives) might have shown them that Mark Sanford has a better chance than Joe. I'm only surprised they haven't yet resurrected Pat Buchanan. But I guess it's still early.
Anyway, what I'm saying here is that I am a long time Kennedy Liberal who supports the Public Option as strongly as any on this board. But I am not about to through my Predident under any bus until I hear what he has to say. And I am not about to buy into (or even watch) any more of the "unnamed sources" and unsourced garbage that passes for "news" out there. It is clear these people don't know any more than any of us do about what will happen. They just want to rile us up worrying about it.
I, for one, won't take the bait.