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The Political Press: Let’s Save Them!

Among the casualties of this election, the voters have rejected the mainstream media, the political press, with their “managed news” bias, designed to elect Clinton and destroy the Trump candidacy.  We the voters, positioned at the receiving end of the media megaphone, were told daily that Clinton was the eventual winner.  But we pushed back on the elites, the political press and all of our “betters” and elected Trump.  Polls show that the public (67%) believe the media reports on candidates are not accurate, only 25% trust same (IBD/TIPP Poll).   Per a Gallup poll, 32% of the public trust the media, but 67% do not.

In the past two weeks, the media has engaged in some reflection over its rejection by the voters, but apparently not enough. It appears to have concluded that the way to restore their power over public opinion is to double down on their opposition to Trump.  Good grief!   They really do not grasp what has happened to their credibility.  So let’s help them out.  Here’s a path to dealing with the double standard of “hearts and flowers,” fawning journalism of the left and blowtorch journalism of the right, potentially leading to restoring some degree of public trust in the media:

When a Democrat says something stupid or offensive…

On November 2nd, President Obama stated that “If you accept the support of Klan sympathizers — the Klan — and hesitate when asked about that support, then you’ll tolerate that support when you’re in office.”   A genuine journalist would go to every Democrat available, such as Clinton or Kaine, and ask: “Do you agree with the president that Trump accepts the support of the KKK?”   But that never happened.  No Democrat ever has to deal with comments of other Democrats. However, if any Republican says anything controversial about this president or issues of the day, every other Republican is asked to refute or defend such comments.   As in: Hey Republican…Ms. so and so looked cross-eyed at the president, do you agree with that action?”

During the primary campaign, whether its comments about Mexican immigration, Muslims, etc., by Trump, other Republicans were pressed to respond.   Hard follow up with Democrats to defend offensive comments (insert anything said by Harry Reid) made by their leadership would be a positive step.   Hold Democrats accountable for their stupid, offensive comments!

When the Media Manages the News Cycle…

We really do live in a 24/7 news cycle, or at least the high information crowd does.  One tactic used continually by the left media is to raise an issue, then keep the issue active in the 24/7 news cycle by asking follow up questions.  Case in point is Wolf Blitzer on CNN, March 2016, referring to the KKK matter yet again, asked Trump “why do these white supremacist groups support your campaign?”   Trump had already denounced any support from such groups in multiple interviews, but, by asking the question, Blitzer breathes new life into the smear and the story runs for another 24 hours.

But the media should be an equal opportunity smear source, right?  Here’s an example of how this could apply to the left.  In March, 2015, the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) issued a final report on the Ferguson shooting.  Per six black eyewitnesses, the entire “hands up, don’t shoot” meme was a lie, did not happen.  Their testimony matched the explanation of events reported by the police officer, resulting in his complete vindication in the final report by the DOJ.

No Democrat has ever been asked to denounce the “hands up, don’t shoot” meme of the Black Lives Matter movement.  At the Democrat convention in Philadelphia, there was a perfect opportunity to set the record straight, educate the voters about the lie of “hands up, don’t shoot.”  But the party chose to pander to the BLM crowd.  And the media was silent.  The media failed to question the Democrats about allowing a lie to be validated at their convention, instead of denouncing it.  The news cycle that such questions would have created never happened, and instead died quietly, unknown to the voters.  The political press is complicit in protecting the Democrat left, liberal agenda.

When policy failures happen, we need a political press willing to act and lead…

Let’s review some policy opportunities for the political press to restore its credibility with the voters:

In 2011, President Obama decided to remove US force presence in Iraq, drastically reducing US force levels.  That created a force vacuum, quickly filled by ISIS, leading to expansion of Iraqi territory under control of terrorists, and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives lost.  Will the political press ever ask questions such as “Does the president have any regrets about his withdrawal from Iraq and the thousands of Iraqi lives lost?

The removal of Khadafy in Libya, the rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the continued rule of Assad in Syria plus mass migrations of Muslims seeking refuge from the conflicts of the middle east have turned the region into chaos.  Will a political press ask questions about the policy decisions made by the Obama administration that have proven to be major drivers of the chaos?

The signature foreign policy achievement cited by the administration is the treaty with Iran.  Over a period of a year+, disclosures such as the “ransom” paid to release prisoners, bribery of Iran to sign the agreement, the lifting of sanctions with no tangible gain for US interests, and more, all raise serious questions about the integrity of the deal and the safety of America.   Will the political press continue to “see nothing, say nothing” about the deal, or seek answers to any aspect of the Iran deal?

The ACA (Affordable Care Act) is considered to be a signature legislative success by the Obama administration, and a disastrous policy failure by the voters.  Will the political press urge the Democrats in congress to reach across the aisle, work with Republicans to repeal and replace the ACA?

Under Obama, the national debt has doubled, adding $9T+ to a debt load considered dangerous to the economy and the value of the dollar.   Will the political press hold the administration and Democrats accountable when interest rates rise, debt servicing demands more budget $ for interest payments, and there are fewer funds for every federal budget program?

Under Obama, the number of black citizens of working age who receive food stamps has doubled, from 5.5 million to 11 million+.   Black home ownership is down 10%- more blacks have lost their homes than acquired homes under Obama. Black unemployment in our inner cities is at record levels.   Will the political press hold the Obama administration accountable for the declining state of our black communities?

The Political Press controls its own destiny…

If the political press is intent on restoring its credibility, the above agenda is a good place to start.  But if initial reactions in the political press are correct, and they really believe their best path forward is more opposition to Trump and his agenda, than the voters must continue to seek alternate sources of information, starve the political press of audiences, isolate and marginalize them, then send them to the ash heap of history.  Mainstream media indeed!

 

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iPatriot Contributers

 

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