Campaign 2012: Blatant Media Bias Moment #1

Actually it was probably "Moment #2" but I didn't write about the first one when it happened: The out-of-context blast over Romney saying "I like to be able to fire people" -- made even worse, when often misquoted as "I like to fire people."

But how many people know the full statement:

"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. You know, if someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say, 'You know, I'm going to get someone else to provide this service to me.' "

Don't we all agree with that? But of course, with the msm spin, it became more fodder for the "Romney-is-so-out-of-touch" meme.

Yesterday the Washington Post and other media had front page headlines "Romney : I'm not concerned about the very poor."

AOL featured The Huffington Post's unfair headline -- it was everywhere! 

 

Again, unfairly out of context. In case you didn't see the exchange with Soledad O'Brien, it was: 

Romney: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich.... I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

O'Brien: "There are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, 'That sounds odd.' "

Romney: "We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor.... You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus.... The middle income Americans, they're the folks that are really struggling right now and they need someone that can help get this economy going for them."

Soledad O'Brien is sticking to her beliefs about Romney's disconnect, even after he explained further.

So basically this is how I look at it: If I was at a girls' night out and I told everybody that one of my middle children was going through a troubling time -- that I wasn't worried about my oldest and I wasn't concerned about my youngest -- that my focus was currently on that middle child...

If one of those women turned around and gossiped to others that "Colette says she isn't concerned about her little boy."

Would that be fair?

Sure, charitable moms would hear it as "Colette feels that her little boy is doing ok right now." But what if that gossip framed me as being an out-of-touch mother who has a disconnect with her youngest child? Wouldn't even fair-minded folks potentially think ill of me?

And that's the current bias that the media is showing toward Mitt Romney. Sure, they try to make the argument that the poor are not ok. Romney -- and everyone else -- knows they have their challenges too, and he even declared he would make any necessary repairs to their safety net.

But they have no interest in being fair. Romney may not be the nominee yet, but the mainstream outlets are already circling the wagons to protect the POTUS. One can only hope the electorate will be smart enough to see through these tactics of mischaracterization.

 

 

Comments

[Allison]

There'll be no way out of this for "Meh" Romney. It's his McCain moment, as when McCain wanted to suspend his presidential campaign in order to race to DC for the bailout talks. Turns out, McCain didn't factor much into the outcome of all that. And he looked stupid, to boot.

Similarly, Romney is confessing, with this unfortunate turn of phrase, that he can't focus on more than one group of Americans. Republicans have been ignoring the needs of the middle class for years now. And now, many who WERE middle class are among the very poor. So he's probably lost many of those votes, if he even won them in the first place.

I'll give Romney this, he's unfairly judged for his wealth, and it's mind-boggling to see that judgment come from much of the right, who should be championing the fact that he exemplifies capitalist success. But Romney's got a knack for betraying his privileged nearsightedness, especially when such a perspective doesn't serve him well.

P.S. That media bias charge is so yesterday...I'll bet you'll be singing that song until a Republican is voted president.

[Colette Moran]

Thanks for your even-handed comments. Too bad you finished with an inaccurate assessment of the media.

My husband witnesses it on a daily basis, and saw it at its worst during the conventions in 2008.

And how do you account for the fact that 88% of campaign donations by journalists went to Democrats in 2008?

Unfortunately it isn't simply so yesterday -- it seems here to stay...

[Allison]

I don't know who your husband is, so the fact that he witnessed media bias doesn't really resonate. I witness it every time I watch Fox News. I witness it every time I read the WSJ. We're sensitive to bias that runs contrary to our own.

As for 88% of journalists donating to Democrats in 2008, I figure one could put that down to the abyssmal job GWB was doing. Who WASN'T ready for a change once his 8 years were finished?

[Peter in Whittier]

My co-worker's that are conservative and see Romney as their choice over Obama - yet none of them are homeowners and see him as speaking to them directly as if they are that middle-class he wants to help in their struggles. That's like a life-preserver being thrown only to Costa Concordia. I read Cleary Nebulous to be in touch and avoid the news media's tv and papers.