I’m not sure I buy it.
Lefty blogosphere is agog over Peter Daou’s latest assessment of Democratic woes. And while I absolutely agree with Daou’s description of the predominance of a Republican narrative…
Matthews, Moore, Murtha, and the Media:What’s the common thread running through the past half-decade of Bush’spresidency? What’s the nexus between the Swift-boating of Kerry, theSwift-boating of Murtha, and the guilt-by-association between Democratsand terrorists? Why has a seemingly endless string of administrationscandals faded into oblivion? Why do Democrats keep losing elections? It’s this: thetraditional media, the trusted media, the "neutral" media, have becomethe chief delivery mechanism of potent anti-Democratic and pro-Bushstorylines. And the Democratic establishment appears to be either ignorant of this political quandary or unwilling to fight it.
There’s a critical distinction to be made here: individual reporters may lean left, isolatednews stories may be slanted against the administration. What I’mdescribing is the wholesale peddling by the "neutral" press ofdeep-seated narratives, memes, and soundbites: simple, targeted talkingpoints that paint a picture of reality for the American public thatfavors the right and tarnishes the left.
…I don’t buy the picture of media responsibility Daou paints.