Confusing Voters and Manipulating Emotions

If the press is so liberal, why was DeLay allowed to stay on as long as he did, with very few news outlets calling out the Republican leadership? Where are investigative reporters today? Why is there only one Helen Thomas? Where are the truth seekers of today?

Written by: OhioDem1 & REB 84

QuestionItNow

posted by REB 84 | 6/21/2006 10:47:00 PM
3 Comments:
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Steve said...

I'm back.

In the 40 years of Democratic control of Congress, the Democrats never did this ever because they are so upstanding and pure. Uh-huh.

"If the press is so liberal, why was DeLay allowed to stay on as long as he did, with very few news outlets calling out the Republican leadership."

I don't know which news outlets you're referring to, but most news outlets (New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, the dinosaur alphabet networks) were vilifying DeLay on a regular basis. And as far as him staying in the House as long as he did because of the press, the press is not a political entity with the power to fire an elected official.

"By rights, DeLay should have been expelled from the House in disgrace,..."

Need I remind you that DeLay hasn't been convicted of a crime. But if that's the criteria, what about Allan Mollohan, William Jefferson, Harry Reid, Cynthia McKinney, Patrick Kennedy, or Jim McDermott (who was on the losing end of a lawsuit due to the leaking an illegally recorded phone call, and who has not yet resigned from the House for this disgraceful act)? None has been convicted of a crime (except Kennedy), yet all are under investigation for one thing or another (McDermott's filed another appeal in his case) and have made a mockery of the phrase "Republican culture of corruption". I mean, the assertion that DeLay should have resigned because he was being investigated and indicted is ludicrous, especially since the courts and the government are supposed to work from a presumption of innocence and must prove guilt, not the other way around like Jack Murtha is doing with his own Marines. HE DAMNS HIS OWN MARINES BEFORE CHARGES ARE EVEN FILED!!! And the leftist, liberal press has been using Murtha's words to describe these "incidents", based solely on the word of questionable sources; even Time had to do a retraction of their original article on Haditha. And Murtha's activities could easily be called into question based on information outlined in yesterday's lead editorial in the Washington Times.

Accusing Republicans of "confusing voters and manipulating emotions" is ridiculous when Democrats do worse by convicting others before there is a trial, or even an indictment.
7:04 AM, June 22, 2006
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Steve said...

A couple of other points about Murtha. He and John Conyers (in a recent post) tried to "swift-boat" Louie Gohmert (R-TX). Gohmert was an officer in the US Army (a JAG officer, but still a soldier) nearly 30 years ago.

Murtha was also an unindicted co-conspirator (per the FBI) in the Abscam investigation of 1980. Did he resign? I don't know any Democrat who ever resigns. They have succumbed to the seduction of power and the money it brings in.

And DeLay is the bad guy?
7:52 AM, June 22, 2006
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REB 84 said...

Welcome back Steve,

Sorry I haven’t responded sooner. Life has a way of interfering with blogging.

Interesting debating style you have. I have noticed that in most of your comments you take just enough of an argument to bring it into your home turf and then turn it towards a recitation of all Dem misdeeds (real and asserted) while ignoring the abuses of power that are currently on display all around us.

We both agree that those in power tend towards corruption. I have never suggested that any politician is "upstanding and pure." Public servants need to be firmly reminded to serve the public at least as much as they serve themselves. This is why OhioDem1 and I have consistently called for greater oversight and a stronger separation of powers. As you know, I am also a supporter of much stronger whistleblower protections, particularly in the area of homeland security and the environment.

In our present post, OhioDem1 and I attempt to expose one of the more common techniques for deflecting accountability used by those in power. Therefore, I find your "40 years of Democratic control" irrelevant . I don't know enough about the other examples you cited to comment at this point. Still, that is not the point of discussion here.

As far as media coverage is concerned, I remember several assaults on the character of the prosecutor, Ronnie Earl shortly after he announced DeLay’s indictment. Most of these attacks began in the red-meat right-wing spin-machine and then got regurgitated by our so called "liberal media."

Now that Delay has resigned and is preparing himself for trial, the media silence is deafening. Following is the only hit I got from a Google News search this evening.
The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress - Review

As far as "swift-boating" is concerned, nobody does it better than the "right wing scheme machine" (phrase borrowed from Rachel Madow). Do you recall the Clinton impeachment?
2:06 AM, June 25, 2006