Liberal Media can't contain their disrespect
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:45 am
A great column by Mike Gallagher:
Watching the nation say farewell to one of our greatest American presidents ever has been a fairly astounding thing. For one brief week, it feels as if much of the bitter, divisive spirit of politics has been put aside as Republicans and Democrats alike are mourning the death of Ronald Wilson Reagan.
It'll all gear up again soon enough. The Democrats will resume their mean-spirited assault on President Bush, Republicans will do their best to prove to the voters that the economic recovery and the successful war on terror are no flukes. But until the fur flies, it's been fairly liberating to recognize the unified and heartfelt goodbye that most Americans of all political stripes have been saying.
It's driving the liberal media elite nuts.
NewsMax has already reported on the sniping and whining done by a couple of the grumpy old men who make millions reading the evening news off a TelePrompTer each night. Apparently, Dan Rather thinks that the coverage of America's farewell to President Reagan is "overkill" and he just can't wait to get back to reporting on the various blunders and obstacles of the war on terror, such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
But if anybody needs proof positive of the liberal bias that pollutes the network airwaves, one only had to tune in to NBC and hear what anchorman Tom Brokaw said immediately after the memorial at the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
As with the rest of the events of the week, the memorial was a touching, moving tribute to this great man. Vice President Dick Cheney delivered one of the most eloquent and beautiful eulogies I've ever heard. Mrs. Reagan and the family were clearly moved.
But as the camera shots faded from the Capitol and went to Brokaw in the NBC studios, the man couldn't contain himself from taking a potshot at President Reagan's legacy.
"Lots of references in the last day or so to the president's favorite expression about America, 'It's a city shining on a hill," began Brokaw. He then briefly explained the origin of the quote, attributed to an early Puritan leader named Shawn Winthrop.
But then he continued: "There have been speeches by critics and political opponents of Ronald Reagan saying 'that city shining on a hill does not apply to everyone in America. There are disenfranchised people as well. People of color who are not the beneficiaries of Ronald Reagan's administration.'"
What??? THAT'S what Tom Brokaw decides to say a few seconds after the conclusion of a dramatic, emotional ceremony at the U.S. Capitol over the flag-draped casket of the 40th president of the United States? That there were "disenfranchised people of color" during Reagan's term who didn't think of America as a city shining on a hill?
This was a blatant, ugly example of a millionaire news reader trying to make an attempt to deflate and erase the pride and respect that was being paid to a president lying in state.
I will always wonder if this disgraceful and inappropriately timed comment was ad-libbed by Brokaw or was a piece of venom that was already scripted, with Brokaw just waiting for a chance to release it.
Either way, it was a shocking display of bias that was heard by millions of people, one of whom was me, a guy who made the unfortunate choice to channel surf to see what various analysts were saying.
Maybe the day will come when the TV news anchors of the three major networks will come clean. Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw will just come right out and admit it: They despise conservative Republicans and do everything they can to influence elections with their not-too-subtle agenda. At least we could try and respect them for telling the truth instead of hiding behind their wall of journalistic duplicity, and we could take their nightly propaganda with a grain of salt.
Until that time comes, at least we've got the Fox News Channel.
Watching the nation say farewell to one of our greatest American presidents ever has been a fairly astounding thing. For one brief week, it feels as if much of the bitter, divisive spirit of politics has been put aside as Republicans and Democrats alike are mourning the death of Ronald Wilson Reagan.
It'll all gear up again soon enough. The Democrats will resume their mean-spirited assault on President Bush, Republicans will do their best to prove to the voters that the economic recovery and the successful war on terror are no flukes. But until the fur flies, it's been fairly liberating to recognize the unified and heartfelt goodbye that most Americans of all political stripes have been saying.
It's driving the liberal media elite nuts.
NewsMax has already reported on the sniping and whining done by a couple of the grumpy old men who make millions reading the evening news off a TelePrompTer each night. Apparently, Dan Rather thinks that the coverage of America's farewell to President Reagan is "overkill" and he just can't wait to get back to reporting on the various blunders and obstacles of the war on terror, such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
But if anybody needs proof positive of the liberal bias that pollutes the network airwaves, one only had to tune in to NBC and hear what anchorman Tom Brokaw said immediately after the memorial at the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
As with the rest of the events of the week, the memorial was a touching, moving tribute to this great man. Vice President Dick Cheney delivered one of the most eloquent and beautiful eulogies I've ever heard. Mrs. Reagan and the family were clearly moved.
But as the camera shots faded from the Capitol and went to Brokaw in the NBC studios, the man couldn't contain himself from taking a potshot at President Reagan's legacy.
"Lots of references in the last day or so to the president's favorite expression about America, 'It's a city shining on a hill," began Brokaw. He then briefly explained the origin of the quote, attributed to an early Puritan leader named Shawn Winthrop.
But then he continued: "There have been speeches by critics and political opponents of Ronald Reagan saying 'that city shining on a hill does not apply to everyone in America. There are disenfranchised people as well. People of color who are not the beneficiaries of Ronald Reagan's administration.'"
What??? THAT'S what Tom Brokaw decides to say a few seconds after the conclusion of a dramatic, emotional ceremony at the U.S. Capitol over the flag-draped casket of the 40th president of the United States? That there were "disenfranchised people of color" during Reagan's term who didn't think of America as a city shining on a hill?
This was a blatant, ugly example of a millionaire news reader trying to make an attempt to deflate and erase the pride and respect that was being paid to a president lying in state.
I will always wonder if this disgraceful and inappropriately timed comment was ad-libbed by Brokaw or was a piece of venom that was already scripted, with Brokaw just waiting for a chance to release it.
Either way, it was a shocking display of bias that was heard by millions of people, one of whom was me, a guy who made the unfortunate choice to channel surf to see what various analysts were saying.
Maybe the day will come when the TV news anchors of the three major networks will come clean. Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw will just come right out and admit it: They despise conservative Republicans and do everything they can to influence elections with their not-too-subtle agenda. At least we could try and respect them for telling the truth instead of hiding behind their wall of journalistic duplicity, and we could take their nightly propaganda with a grain of salt.
Until that time comes, at least we've got the Fox News Channel.