In Big Media, Bipartisanship Beats Policy
02/02/2009 by Gabriel VoilesSometimes iconoclastic Washington pundit E. J. Dionne Jr. comes up with a winner (Washington Post, 2/2/09) in this description of the crucial media role in political chicanery on the national level:
If achieving bipartisanship takes priority over the actual content of policy, Republicans are handed a powerful weapon. In theory, they can keep moving the bipartisan bar indefinitely. And each concession to their sensibilities threatens the solidarity in the president's own camp.
That's why last week's unanimous House Republican opposition to the stimulus plan was so important. For the most part, the Republicans escaped attack for rank partisanship. Instead, what should have been hailed as an administration victory was cast in large parts of the media as a kind of defeat: Obama had placed a heavy emphasis on bipartisanship, and he failed to achieve it.
This week's FAIR radio show discusses how,
after several weeks of media debate, the House passed a nearly $900 billion economic stimulus package. White House efforts to reach out to Republicans resulted in exactly zero GOP voters, leaving some in the media to wonder if Obama was failing to deliver on his promises of bipartisanship.
Hear "what about the stimulus debate was entirely off the mark" on CounterSpin: "Dean Baker on Stimulus Package" (1/30/09)
Tags: bipartisanship, E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
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February 19th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
[...] the Beltway obsession with bipartisanship even in outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, it's no wonder that David Broder is upset (Washington Post, 2/19/09). He calls the idea that Obama [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 9:00 pm
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:11 am
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 am
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 4th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 11:05 am
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 10th, 2009 at 6:01 am
[...] Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of [...]
September 10th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
[...] Parteien diskutieren und fordern, doch auch die Anliegen der Republikaner zu berücksichtigen (s. http://www.fair.org/blog/ 2009/02/02/in-big-media-bipartisanship-beats-policy/ ). Können Sie sich das einfach einmal [...]