If and when someone makes a statement critical of President Obama, or any protected class (but I repeat myself), the media swarms every Republican and demands they refute the statement. The person uttering the offending statement is made out to be the leader of the Republican Party. Rush Limbaugh, the leader of the Republican Party. Rudy Giuliani, leader of the Republican Party.
The behavior of the media reminds me of the way white blood cells attack foreign invaders. Protect the host! Form pus and ooze! It is noteworthy that an elevated white blood cell count is a possible sign of cancer. I will say it: The mainstream media is a cancer on the body politic.
The latest media swarm occurred in the wake of Rudy Giuliani's remarks about President Obama, saying "I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the President loves America." Rudy, may I quote a line from Glengarry Glen Ross? You're supposed to help us, not to fuck us up.
CNN called the remarks "ugly, thoughtless and divisive." In other words, just what they need! Now they can roll out their most dependable fallacy: The Fallacy of Composition. They will convince Americans that what is true of Rudy Giuliani is true of every single Republican.
Scott Walker has been tarred with the same brush. A typical headline reads Scott Walker insists he has no idea whether Obama is a Christian or not just hours after saying he doesn't know if Obama loves his country. ABC's George Stephanopoulos couldn't wipe the smirk off his face when he reported that Walker "said he doesn't know if Obama is a Christian."
The phrasing of these remarks is purposeful. "Doesn't know" equals "doubts." Walker's remarks were totally taken out of context.
Walker was repeatedly asked by the media to affirm or deny Giuliani's remarks. After laying siege for days, the most damning statement the media got from Walker was "You should ask the president what he thinks about America. I've never asked him so I don't know." Walker should have answered that he wouldn't comment on an irrelevant question. He left an opening. He'll get better.
The media legions also pestered Walker to answer whether he thought Obama was a Christian. Walker said, "You've asked me to make statements about people that I haven't had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?" Thus, "how would I know?" straw can be spun into "doubts President is a Christian" gold.
Meanwhile mainstream outlets have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to report on Clinton Global Initiative accepting millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments. The body politic appears immune to conflicts of interest, and allows Clinton to defend the contributions on the grounds that she hasn't openly declared whether she's running. "Should Secretary Clinton decide to run for office, we will continue to ensure the Foundation's policies and practices regarding support from international partners are appropriate."
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