This started out as a comment, but I've instead decided to make it more of a companion piece to Mustang Bobby's "Your Most Obsequious Servant."
Because when MB writes "I would love to be proven wrong, but the sad fact is that the reporters will go along with this," in regards to how the media will react to the McCain campaign's all-out thermonuclear war on the media, it's kind of hard to disagree with him. After all, much like Congress has done the past eight years, the mainstream media seems to be working as hard as it can to become completely and totally irrelevant.
Of course, I disagree with my fellow hirsute colleague. At least tentatively for now.
Because having just watched the interview MB was referring to in his post, I can report this: Wallace refused to give Davis a free ride, especially when it came to Palin. Wading through a non-stop barrage of Davis attacks on his profession, Wallace calmly hit him on the earmarks Alaska has received under Palin's watch, the infamous bridge to nowhere and the fact that Palin aggressively pursued it, as well as why they won't allow Palin to talk with the media. Wallace, dare I say, was acting fair and balanced.
And Davis had nothing. Zilch. He came off like a bully with excuses and an endless litany of "shoot the messenger" insults, even when Wallace pointed out that Fox had put together a pretty glowing video tribute of Palin the day before. And Davis's oft-repeated line of "we'll decide when and if we'll let her talk to the media," screamed sexism and disrespect for their own VP candidate.
And guess what happened later in the day?Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has agreed to sit down with ABC's Charles Gibson later this week for her first television interview since John McCain chose her as his running mate more than a week ago.
You know what, I'm just going to come right out and say it: Chris Wallace is showing disturbing signs of being a journalist occasionally these days. Hell, even Britt Hume has taken his role as GOP waterboy much less seriously of late.
Personally, I think the McCain camp has gone too far in their all-out attack on the mainstream media. The myth of the liberal media has been such a standard attack on journalists by the right-wing that outside of Fox, few give it any credence or thought whatsoever. But McCain has decided to go after the media's integrity with a vengeance, and at this moment, the big players in the MSM seem truly offended.
At least in a small way, it very well be that John McCain may have resuscitated the media. While drowning his own campaign.
It will be quite interesting to see how things play out. Having already capitulated on their original plan of just never having Palin talk to a reporter, the McCain campaign may have already seen that they've gone too far and will reign it in and try to let big network journalists go back to their POW-induced slumber. But if the McCain team of lobbyists continue their assault, they're going to leave themselves with their worst possible nightmare - journalists who refuse to take talking points for an answer and keep the focus on actual issues.
--WKW
Because when MB writes "I would love to be proven wrong, but the sad fact is that the reporters will go along with this," in regards to how the media will react to the McCain campaign's all-out thermonuclear war on the media, it's kind of hard to disagree with him. After all, much like Congress has done the past eight years, the mainstream media seems to be working as hard as it can to become completely and totally irrelevant.
Of course, I disagree with my fellow hirsute colleague. At least tentatively for now.
Because having just watched the interview MB was referring to in his post, I can report this: Wallace refused to give Davis a free ride, especially when it came to Palin. Wading through a non-stop barrage of Davis attacks on his profession, Wallace calmly hit him on the earmarks Alaska has received under Palin's watch, the infamous bridge to nowhere and the fact that Palin aggressively pursued it, as well as why they won't allow Palin to talk with the media. Wallace, dare I say, was acting fair and balanced.
And Davis had nothing. Zilch. He came off like a bully with excuses and an endless litany of "shoot the messenger" insults, even when Wallace pointed out that Fox had put together a pretty glowing video tribute of Palin the day before. And Davis's oft-repeated line of "we'll decide when and if we'll let her talk to the media," screamed sexism and disrespect for their own VP candidate.
And guess what happened later in the day?
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has agreed to sit down with ABC's Charles Gibson later this week for her first television interview since John McCain chose her as his running mate more than a week ago.
You know what, I'm just going to come right out and say it: Chris Wallace is showing disturbing signs of being a journalist occasionally these days. Hell, even Britt Hume has taken his role as GOP waterboy much less seriously of late.
Personally, I think the McCain camp has gone too far in their all-out attack on the mainstream media. The myth of the liberal media has been such a standard attack on journalists by the right-wing that outside of Fox, few give it any credence or thought whatsoever. But McCain has decided to go after the media's integrity with a vengeance, and at this moment, the big players in the MSM seem truly offended.
At least in a small way, it very well be that John McCain may have resuscitated the media. While drowning his own campaign.
It will be quite interesting to see how things play out. Having already capitulated on their original plan of just never having Palin talk to a reporter, the McCain campaign may have already seen that they've gone too far and will reign it in and try to let big network journalists go back to their POW-induced slumber. But if the McCain team of lobbyists continue their assault, they're going to leave themselves with their worst possible nightmare - journalists who refuse to take talking points for an answer and keep the focus on actual issues.
--WKW
