The Abramoff Scandal: Three-way tie of losers
Eric, over at Viking Pundit comments on the update to the Abramoff Scandal.
The latest news is that Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid is also tightly connected to Abramoff. Imagine that. You mean it's not just the Republicans who did favors for their financial supporters? The next thing you know, we'll find out that the earth is round.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the average guy on the street is fully aware that politicians from every party are a little extra nice to the interests represented by lobbyists. Take my own esteemed *cough* governor, 'Diamond' Jim Doyle, for example. Okay, maybe he's an extreme case. Not every politician is as arrogant and self-serving as he is. But it's well known that national-level politicians know which side of their bread is buttered, and they rarely, if ever, bite the hand that feeds them. I could go on about them not looking gift horses in the mouth, but I think I've already mixed enough metaphors.
But here's where the media plays along. Like the politicians themselves, they have their agenda, as well. The story begins that the Republicans are on the take. Those evil bastards! This has to be the "most corrupt administration" in history! The Democrats milk the news, and subsequent publicity, for all its worth.
But slowly (a bit too slowly, in fact) more information comes in. After weeks of accusing the Republicans of being on the take, the public starts to get tired of the story. After all, Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson aren't involved. It's just another story about politicians and money. After all the immediate sensation has died down, Joe Average tunes out and changes the channel. That's when some additional information comes out.
Buried on page 7, you'll see the part about the Democrats being equally entangled in the money. Sure, they're involved, too. But it's old news by then. And the story becomes a 'he said, she said' argument. Nothing to see here. Move along.
This is clearly not a case where the media is trying to enact a change and clean up politics in general. If the media actually cared about the situation, they would release all the facts at once. As this is a situation where all the information is a matter of public record, it was certainly known weeks ago that the Democrats were involved as much as the Republicans. Instead, the politicians have been able, once again, to point fingers and make blustery statements all for the sake of their public image. It wouldn't surprise me if Harry Reid and Bill Frist met in a private lounge in Virginia and laughed about it the following weekend.
When the media confronts both parties at once regarding the obvious and detrimental influence of special interest money, I'll start to take the media seriously. And I suspect the media will respond to my criticism as quickly as the politicians do.
The latest news is that Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid is also tightly connected to Abramoff. Imagine that. You mean it's not just the Republicans who did favors for their financial supporters? The next thing you know, we'll find out that the earth is round.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the average guy on the street is fully aware that politicians from every party are a little extra nice to the interests represented by lobbyists. Take my own esteemed *cough* governor, 'Diamond' Jim Doyle, for example. Okay, maybe he's an extreme case. Not every politician is as arrogant and self-serving as he is. But it's well known that national-level politicians know which side of their bread is buttered, and they rarely, if ever, bite the hand that feeds them. I could go on about them not looking gift horses in the mouth, but I think I've already mixed enough metaphors.
But here's where the media plays along. Like the politicians themselves, they have their agenda, as well. The story begins that the Republicans are on the take. Those evil bastards! This has to be the "most corrupt administration" in history! The Democrats milk the news, and subsequent publicity, for all its worth.
But slowly (a bit too slowly, in fact) more information comes in. After weeks of accusing the Republicans of being on the take, the public starts to get tired of the story. After all, Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson aren't involved. It's just another story about politicians and money. After all the immediate sensation has died down, Joe Average tunes out and changes the channel. That's when some additional information comes out.
Buried on page 7, you'll see the part about the Democrats being equally entangled in the money. Sure, they're involved, too. But it's old news by then. And the story becomes a 'he said, she said' argument. Nothing to see here. Move along.
This is clearly not a case where the media is trying to enact a change and clean up politics in general. If the media actually cared about the situation, they would release all the facts at once. As this is a situation where all the information is a matter of public record, it was certainly known weeks ago that the Democrats were involved as much as the Republicans. Instead, the politicians have been able, once again, to point fingers and make blustery statements all for the sake of their public image. It wouldn't surprise me if Harry Reid and Bill Frist met in a private lounge in Virginia and laughed about it the following weekend.
When the media confronts both parties at once regarding the obvious and detrimental influence of special interest money, I'll start to take the media seriously. And I suspect the media will respond to my criticism as quickly as the politicians do.
posted by JoeFriday at 8:25 AM
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