Despite historic animosity toward the press in our state, I was still amazed that the audience in Charleston last night was simple enough to swallow Newt Gingrich’s claim that the ex-wife story was brought up by the media because, being the wicked liberals they are, they’re trying to hurt him because they want President Obama to be re-elected.
That was simple-minded on several levels. But let’s just consider one of them. Note my last post, which demonstrates conclusively that the Democratic Party has been and continues to devote all of its firepower attacking Mitt Romney, not Newt Gingrich. So if the media are in cahoots with the Dems, they must not have gotten the memo.
Here’s a modest proposal (meaning it the way Swift did, not the way Ron Paul does): Perhaps there is a deep, dark media plot regarding Gingrich. But if there is, there is only one credible motivation: The media would love, would absolutely adore, covering a campaign between Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama. Whereas they want to bang their hard little heads against a wall at the thought of months more of covering the astronomically boring Mitt Romney.
So it is that the media are working in cahoots with the Democratic Party and Gingrich himself (who would seem to a casual observer to have stolen the Democrats’ playbook on these issues) in covering the heck out of the “vulture capitalist” angle and Mitt’s invisible tax returns.
Under this supposition, rather than being a plot to deny him the nomination, that ex-wife story was just a case of one of the networks jumping the gun. The prospect of reporting on Newt’s history, not to mention all the wonderfully careless, explosive, politically suicidal things he will say several times a week on the trail, has the media hugging themselves in delightful anticipation.
But some idiot at ABC just couldn’t wait. The media have never been strong on delaying gratification.
Related Posts
You do realize that were I the sort who uses emoticons, every period above would be a winking smiley face, right?
Because the notion that the media are going all-out to protect Obama by tearing down NEWT, of all people, is so laughable that the only way to write about it is satirically.
Anyone who buys that this is a democratic party media attack on Gingrich deserves what they get.
I laughed at Newt’s counterattack but it wasn’t so funny after the Obama/media part when he called the reporting despicable. That was too strong of a word for the situation.
However, it most assuredly was a bone-headed mistake by ABC to play the issue as they did (and for CNN to pick up on it in the debate).
“Despicable” is always the word to deploy in a staged show of force.
Let me repeat that.
Staged.show.of.force.
“Despicable” usually is deployed to deflect.
It was a “red meat” opportunity and Newt fed the audience so much red meat with his onslaught, I am surprised everyone in attendence didn’t come away with clogged arteries.
When he said “despicable,” I thought he was channeling Sylvester. You know, the cartoon cat. Thuffering Thuccotath!
[OOPS! I meant Daffy Duck, obviously!]
Newt was prepared and played the “liberal media” card. And he did it well. This was red meat for the koolaid drinking masses who sop up this crap like some sort of drunk on muscatel. Newt Gingrich comes across as an angry victim of a liberal conspiracy in their narrow eyes. How can people in this state be so gullible? This was his ex-wife, both a perpetrator and victim of the infidelity game, blasting away at Newt’s quite obvious lack of character. But if you can get away with these kinds of phoney-baloney attacks knock yourself out.
Romney is in big trouble now and Gingrich knows how to twist the knife. But the GOP will be the ultimate victim because the electorate at large, especially moderate woman, are just not going to buy Newt as the scorned victim.
Sports writers love a real battle, and Newt vs. Barack would be a Battle Royale between the left brain and the right brain, between the conscious and the subconscious, bewteen instinct and ego.
Barack vs. Mittens? Snore.
Journalists root for the story, not the candidate.
You know what would be really fun? Mitt vs. Kerry.
Wow. Pompous and Hostile vs. Pompous and Supercilious.
So what is Obama? “Pompous and….”
A good reader? A poor golfer? A lousy singer? Not a stand up comic? A travel agent’s best friend? A mother-in-law’s provider of a the best Section 8 housing taxpayers can buy?
Actually, he does comedy fairly well. Which is surprising. He’s not as good as Bush, though. Bush was especially good at taking a joke at his expense.
Maybe, if you enjoy a dry sense of humor.
I predict that Newt will upgrade his wife to a newer model once Calista Flockhart comes down with a serious disease. It’s happened in the past. Why should tomorrow be different?