Media Matters

Media Matters calls the mainstream media on their Bush Cheerleading

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Jamison Foser nails the mainstream media, who seem to always call in favor of Bush, even when the average person on the street strongly disapproves of him:

Logic BunnyThink about that for a moment: Lauer suggests that Bush’s low approval rating is a good thing for Republican candidates, because now, they can run away from him. We assume Lauer would agree that it would be a positive for Republican candidates if Bush had a high approval rating. What, then, is left? Can anything be bad news for Republicans?

How about this: the latest Pew poll, which found only a 33-percent approval rating for Bush, asked participants to describe their impression of him. The most frequently-used word? “Incompetent.” “Idiot” and “Liar” also came in near the top of the list. And tied for the 10th spot were “Leader” and “Ass,” just beating out “Jerk.” That’s right: as many people described Bush as an “ass” as called him a “leader.” Keep that in mind the next time some pundit (we’re looking at you, Matthews) praises Bush’s leadership abilities.

For some reason, no matter how many polls show that, to put it bluntly, people don’t like much of anything about George Bush, journalists can’t help overestimating his strength and support.

…

It’s about time media stop portraying every new controversy as a danger to Democrats, and start recognizing that these things are threats to Republicans: they’re the people in charge of a government widely seen as incompetent and corrupt; they’re the party led by a horribly unpopular president; and they’re the people who pushed a soundly rejected Social Security privatization scheme. And yet, media see everything as an opportunity for them, and a danger for Democrats. Osama bin Laden may be dead? Good news for Republicans: They got bin Laden! New tapes prove bin Laden is still alive? Good news for Republicans: It reminds people of the threat of terrorism! Democrats don’t criticize Bush? Good news for Republicans: Democrats are timid! Democrats do criticize Bush? Good news for Republicans: Democrats are shrill!

Enough.

Continue ReadingMedia Matters calls the mainstream media on their Bush Cheerleading

8 great lies the Bush Administration is telling

Media Matters examines the facts surrounding each of these bogus Republican claims.

1. Bush: “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees”

2. Chertoff strained credulity in defense of Bush, claimed levee breaks and massive flooding came as a surprise — more than 12 hours after local media reported them

3. Brown: “We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day”

4. Chertoff: “Apparently, some time on Wednesday, people started to go to the convention center spontaneously”

5. Chertoff pointed fingers: “New Orleans officials and the state officials … called for the Superdome to be the refuge of last resort”

6. Chertoff falsely minimized federal government’s role in Katrina response as subordinate to states

7. Wash. Post, Newsweek, Gingrich falsely claimed that Blanco did not declare a state of emergency

8. Gingrich falsely claimed that Nagin could “have kept water pumped out” of city had he ensured that pumps worked

Continue Reading8 great lies the Bush Administration is telling