Steven M. Warshawsky
2008-10-27 11:19:24 UTC
x-no-archive: yes
Despite there being an entire cottage industry devoted to exposing the
liberal bias of the mainstream media, Republicans and conservatives continue
to allow themselves to be unduly influenced, and even demoralized, by what
they read and hear in the big city newspapers and on network television.
What are they reading and hearing? That Barack Obama will be the next
President of the United States. It's inevitable. It's his election to
lose. What proof does the media offer? Public opinion polls that supposedly
show Obama "winning" the race. (But see here and here.) The thousands of
devoted supporters who attend Obama's rallies. The legions of blacks and
young people who are more "inspired" than ever to vote for a candidate who
understands their needs and interests. Etc. We all know the story by heart
by now.
This is the "narrative" that the mainstream media has been imposing on this
year's presidential campaign almost from the start. Remember how quickly
the MSM jumped off the Hillary Clinton bandwagon and onto Obama's? Remember
how annoyed and angry they became as Hillary refused to concede the
nomination? The MSM decided that electing the nation's first black,
socialist, anti-American president was politically and historically more
important (and, for them, more exciting) than electing the nation's first
female, socialist, patriotic president. And they are doing everything they
can to achieve this goal.
Well, there is another story out there that the MSM refuses to address. A
huge story. One that could, and I think will, significantly affect the
outcome of this race. I'm referring to the widespread phenomenon of
registered Democrats openly supporting John McCain. There are numerous
"Democrats for McCain" type organizations. There are numerous websites and
blogs written by Democrats touting McCain's candidacy. There are pro-McCain
grassroots efforts being led by Democrats. And we all know friends or
relatives who are Democrats, who voted for John Kerry in 2004, and who are
no fans of President Bush - but who are going to vote for John McCain this
year.
Yet, surprise surprise, the mainstream media is not talking about these
voters, not talking about the real rift that is occurring within the ranks
of the Democratic Party. Needless to say, if a similar rift were occurring
in the Republican Party, it would be treated as the major story that it is.
(Indeed, as such stories about the political fault lines in the Republican
Party have been treated in the recent past.)
Who are these pro-McCain Democratic voters? They overwhelmingly tend to be
former Hillary supporters. Perhaps the most well-known of these voters are
the "PUMAs" - which stands for Party Unity My Ass. These are Hillary
supporters who are adamantly opposed to Obama. Let's not forget that during
the Democratic primaries - real elections, not polls - Hillary crushed Obama
among white working-class and middle-class voters in such key states as
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. If a meaningful number of these
voters end up voting for McCain, as I predict they will, then Obama's
smooth road to the White House is going to run smack into a brick wall.
Earlier this week, I attended a John McCain campaign event in New York City.
There were several Democrats in attendance. Not only people who are
registered Democrats, but party leaders and workers who had been actively
involved in Hillary Clinton's campaign. Indeed, the gentlemen who
"keynoted" the event was a former publisher of the left-wing Village Voice
magazine and a veteran of the Robert Kennedy, George McGovern, and Jimmy
Carter campaigns. Hardly a right-wing conservative. He gave one of the
best stump speeches I have heard why Barack Obama should not be elected
president. (It comes down to not trusting Obama to keep the United States
safe and strong in a dangerous world and rejecting Obama's "government knows
best" attitude when it comes to domestic issues.) Another person I met at
the event was a sprightly elderly woman who manned telephones for Hillary
for five months, and now is supporting McCain.
There is nothing remotely similar to this taking place among Republicans.
(No, Christopher Buckley endorsing Obama is not the same thing at all.)
Some more anecdotal evidence of a lack of support for Obama among Democrats:
I live in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. You cannot
find too many places in the country that are more liberal than that.
Walking around my neighborhood during the 2004 presidential campaign, I felt
"assaulted" on all sides by Kerry-Edwards buttons, bumper stickers, and
posters. This year, there clearly is not the same level of outward support
for Obama. It is remarkable (and welcome). Will most of the people in my
neighborhood vote for Obama on election day? Of course. Will Obama win New
York? Almost certainly. But the lack of enthusiasm for Obama among these
Democrats, who I'm sure would be going gaga for Hillary, speaks volumes
about Obama's true prospects for victory this year.
The point is simple: Don't believe the Obama hype coming out of the
mainstream media. If the media were truly objective and unbiased, they
would be covering the race much differently. Instead of trying to browbeat
the country into voting for Obama, they would be analyzing the issues and
factors that favor and disfavor both candidates. Instead of focusing on
college students and intellectuals, they would be focusing on working-class
and middle-class voters, especially "Hillary Democrats." These voters may
very well determine the election. Yet this huge story is being ignored by
the MSM.
Furthermore, the media would not so consistently confuse intensity of
support for breadth of support. Granted, Barack Obama's supporters tend to
be more enthusiastic about their candidate than John McCain's supporters are
about him. Leftists are always looking for their earthly messiah. But this
does not mean that Obama's supporters, come election day, will outnumber
McCain's. Whether in support of McCain or in opposition to Obama, I predict
these voters will go to the polls. Contrary to the wishful thinking of
Democratic pundits, they are not staying home. These voters may be
unexcited, but they are not apathetic. And 51% of "unexcited" voters will
defeat 49% of even the most "inspired" voters. Every time.
Of course, we all know what the mainstream media's "narrative" will be if (I
believe, when) John McCain wins the election: The American people refused
to vote for Obama because of the color of his skin (and not because of the
content of his politics). The "right-wing attack machine" scared voters
into voting for McCain, even against their own social and economic
self-interest. Black and poor voters were intimidated by Republican thugs
and prevented from voting. We know this story by heart as well.
So be prepared. In a few more weeks, the political environment in this
country is likely to become a heckuva lot nastier. For there are real signs
pointing to a McCain victory this year, whether or not the mainstream media
wants to acknowledge them.
http://www.americanthinker.com/steven_m_warshawsky/
Despite there being an entire cottage industry devoted to exposing the
liberal bias of the mainstream media, Republicans and conservatives continue
to allow themselves to be unduly influenced, and even demoralized, by what
they read and hear in the big city newspapers and on network television.
What are they reading and hearing? That Barack Obama will be the next
President of the United States. It's inevitable. It's his election to
lose. What proof does the media offer? Public opinion polls that supposedly
show Obama "winning" the race. (But see here and here.) The thousands of
devoted supporters who attend Obama's rallies. The legions of blacks and
young people who are more "inspired" than ever to vote for a candidate who
understands their needs and interests. Etc. We all know the story by heart
by now.
This is the "narrative" that the mainstream media has been imposing on this
year's presidential campaign almost from the start. Remember how quickly
the MSM jumped off the Hillary Clinton bandwagon and onto Obama's? Remember
how annoyed and angry they became as Hillary refused to concede the
nomination? The MSM decided that electing the nation's first black,
socialist, anti-American president was politically and historically more
important (and, for them, more exciting) than electing the nation's first
female, socialist, patriotic president. And they are doing everything they
can to achieve this goal.
Well, there is another story out there that the MSM refuses to address. A
huge story. One that could, and I think will, significantly affect the
outcome of this race. I'm referring to the widespread phenomenon of
registered Democrats openly supporting John McCain. There are numerous
"Democrats for McCain" type organizations. There are numerous websites and
blogs written by Democrats touting McCain's candidacy. There are pro-McCain
grassroots efforts being led by Democrats. And we all know friends or
relatives who are Democrats, who voted for John Kerry in 2004, and who are
no fans of President Bush - but who are going to vote for John McCain this
year.
Yet, surprise surprise, the mainstream media is not talking about these
voters, not talking about the real rift that is occurring within the ranks
of the Democratic Party. Needless to say, if a similar rift were occurring
in the Republican Party, it would be treated as the major story that it is.
(Indeed, as such stories about the political fault lines in the Republican
Party have been treated in the recent past.)
Who are these pro-McCain Democratic voters? They overwhelmingly tend to be
former Hillary supporters. Perhaps the most well-known of these voters are
the "PUMAs" - which stands for Party Unity My Ass. These are Hillary
supporters who are adamantly opposed to Obama. Let's not forget that during
the Democratic primaries - real elections, not polls - Hillary crushed Obama
among white working-class and middle-class voters in such key states as
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. If a meaningful number of these
voters end up voting for McCain, as I predict they will, then Obama's
smooth road to the White House is going to run smack into a brick wall.
Earlier this week, I attended a John McCain campaign event in New York City.
There were several Democrats in attendance. Not only people who are
registered Democrats, but party leaders and workers who had been actively
involved in Hillary Clinton's campaign. Indeed, the gentlemen who
"keynoted" the event was a former publisher of the left-wing Village Voice
magazine and a veteran of the Robert Kennedy, George McGovern, and Jimmy
Carter campaigns. Hardly a right-wing conservative. He gave one of the
best stump speeches I have heard why Barack Obama should not be elected
president. (It comes down to not trusting Obama to keep the United States
safe and strong in a dangerous world and rejecting Obama's "government knows
best" attitude when it comes to domestic issues.) Another person I met at
the event was a sprightly elderly woman who manned telephones for Hillary
for five months, and now is supporting McCain.
There is nothing remotely similar to this taking place among Republicans.
(No, Christopher Buckley endorsing Obama is not the same thing at all.)
Some more anecdotal evidence of a lack of support for Obama among Democrats:
I live in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. You cannot
find too many places in the country that are more liberal than that.
Walking around my neighborhood during the 2004 presidential campaign, I felt
"assaulted" on all sides by Kerry-Edwards buttons, bumper stickers, and
posters. This year, there clearly is not the same level of outward support
for Obama. It is remarkable (and welcome). Will most of the people in my
neighborhood vote for Obama on election day? Of course. Will Obama win New
York? Almost certainly. But the lack of enthusiasm for Obama among these
Democrats, who I'm sure would be going gaga for Hillary, speaks volumes
about Obama's true prospects for victory this year.
The point is simple: Don't believe the Obama hype coming out of the
mainstream media. If the media were truly objective and unbiased, they
would be covering the race much differently. Instead of trying to browbeat
the country into voting for Obama, they would be analyzing the issues and
factors that favor and disfavor both candidates. Instead of focusing on
college students and intellectuals, they would be focusing on working-class
and middle-class voters, especially "Hillary Democrats." These voters may
very well determine the election. Yet this huge story is being ignored by
the MSM.
Furthermore, the media would not so consistently confuse intensity of
support for breadth of support. Granted, Barack Obama's supporters tend to
be more enthusiastic about their candidate than John McCain's supporters are
about him. Leftists are always looking for their earthly messiah. But this
does not mean that Obama's supporters, come election day, will outnumber
McCain's. Whether in support of McCain or in opposition to Obama, I predict
these voters will go to the polls. Contrary to the wishful thinking of
Democratic pundits, they are not staying home. These voters may be
unexcited, but they are not apathetic. And 51% of "unexcited" voters will
defeat 49% of even the most "inspired" voters. Every time.
Of course, we all know what the mainstream media's "narrative" will be if (I
believe, when) John McCain wins the election: The American people refused
to vote for Obama because of the color of his skin (and not because of the
content of his politics). The "right-wing attack machine" scared voters
into voting for McCain, even against their own social and economic
self-interest. Black and poor voters were intimidated by Republican thugs
and prevented from voting. We know this story by heart as well.
So be prepared. In a few more weeks, the political environment in this
country is likely to become a heckuva lot nastier. For there are real signs
pointing to a McCain victory this year, whether or not the mainstream media
wants to acknowledge them.
http://www.americanthinker.com/steven_m_warshawsky/