Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Today In "Both Sides Don't": James Fallows



Noted reasonable, even-tempered dude, James Fallows, breaks out the Driftglass Hammer:
How the Press Can Deal With the Benghazi Committee
When a congressional investigation turns into a partisan operation, the media need to treat it as such.

...The point is: Only now, a year after Eric Cantor was driven out of his House seat by a challenger not closer to the middle but further to the right; a month after John Boehner decided to leave one of the theoretically most-powerful jobs in American governance; when possible savior-successor Paul Ryan is being attacked as too liberal; and during a GOP presidential primary campaign whose “center” is further to the right than any in memory—only in these circumstances have reporters begun to talk directly about the Republican party’s move toward the fringe. We’d all still really prefer to warn against “extremists on both sides.” If you listen you’ll still hear that on talk shows.

...
We in the press are so much more comfortable talking about “congressional dysfunction” than “the GOP’s abandonment of governance.” It becomes easier only when another Republican says so. Update: or when a conservative-friendly writer like David Brooks says so...

...
It has taken mainstream journalism too long a time to catch up with the reality of the “Benghazi Committee,” run by Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina. (He is from our beloved Greenville, in fact.) The reality is that the Republican staff and majority of the committee have made it function as an oppo-research arm of the Republican National Committee, far more interested in whatever it might dig up about or against Hillary Clinton than any remaining mysteries on the four Americans killed in Benghazi.

...
The latest Times article makes clear in retrospect what I thought was evident all along: that the steady stream of leaks was coming either from Republican staffers or Republican committee members. But while these stories were dribbling out, most notably with the completely false report that Hillary Clinton was the object of a criminal investigation, a claim the Times trumpeted on its front page, reporters added no shading to suggest that these allegations were coming essentially from a partisan oppo-research group. To do so would have been to “take sides.” Yet as Kevin McCarthy inconveniently blurted out, through their commitment to “neutrality,” reporters had been taking sides all along.
...
Keep pounding, kids.

Keep pounding.

6 comments:

dinthebeast said...

"...a conservative-friendly typist like David Brooks..."
There. I fixed it for you.

-Doug in Oakland

Lawrence said...

Hopefully it will turn into the Battle of Khitomer: "Target that explosion and fire."

Bob Harrison said...

The Panthers also say "Keep Pounding."

Robt said...

Between a few clouds I see far enough back when Radio was not used a s a corporate driven ideological groping of ones mental health. As the propaganda bend became a hiring standard.
It seems it was the same time the TV Networks began presenting Bill ORielly as a news anchor. The republican corporate gold standard. The hybrids as Beck, Hannity.
The left became undesirables in the unemployment line of media. Anyone with talent on the left who were able to linger on in the Neo Conservative world view had to muffle if not hit the mute button if they wanted the paycheck to pay the bills. During a same coincidental time when the GOP colluded with Corporations. Even pulling many Dems to the anal side of corporations are people and people are not.

So we get little challenges from the well fed journalist today.

It may explalin how American news viewers are slipped a puff of smoke from a longated Benghazi Select Committee and run and pull the fire alarm.

Jeb! : What do you think about the latest over the Benghazi select investigations?
" Well 4 people did die. If I am president I will get the answers to the loved ones"

How about hey Jeb!,
How many Americans died in the Afghanistan war? The Iraq War? How many Americans survived with serious disabilities? How many suffered or died waiting to receive the medical needs ? How many vets commit suicide each year?
What about a congressional committee that lasts as long as the Benghazi Select committee and stay with it until it is right?
But I guess stuff happens.......

How about Congressional hearings on all the mass gun shooting (mass murders) being committed across the nation? how many died in Oregon? Sandyhook? Colorado theater" The church in Carolina? Columbine high ?
No need to jump into action and do something, Stuff happens.........

So here we are on the internet system of tubes.

Empy said...

The NY Times could tell us who supplied them the false information about Clinton being the focus of a criminal investigation. The source is a liar and caused them great harm. Why the need to protect that source?

driftglass said...

Empy,

I can only assume because the source gives excellent blowjobs.
And while this blowjob might have ended poorly, at some point in the future the Times might be in dire need of another one.