Brandon

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Two Examples of How Media Accountability for the Obama Administration Will Be 180 Degrees Opposite That for Republicans

There are two sets of rules!

El Rushbo, America's anchorman put together this montage of "news" reporters and Democrat leaders knocking themselves out to excuse the failure to pay taxes by Obama's Treasury Secretary Designate, Timothy Geithner. Once the script had been delivered by Obama's aides, they all danced to the same tune:

KERRY: It is possible to make an innocent mistake. I think this is an honest mistake.

CROWLEY: The transition team put out a lengthy list of reasons why this was just an honest mistake.

BORGER: ... I would not describe as a huge mistake.

HENRY: It is a common mistake.

KING: Maybe an honest mistake.

ALTER: It does seem to be a honest mistake.

SHUSTER: He made a common mistake on his taxes.

BARNES: Yes, it is a common mistake.

STODDARD: The Obama administration is saying it's a common mistake.

HARWOOD: It is being described as an honest mistake.

VIEIRA: ...Geithner's tax problems, honest mistake...

BROKAW: This does look like an honest mistake.

MITCHELL: An honest mistake...

STEPHANOPOULOS: This was an honest mistake, fairly common. Geithner himself is embarrassed by this and he's sorry.

He's embarrassed and he's sorry so I guess it's ok! During the Clinton years, "everybody does it" was the common refrain for excusing X,Y, or Z. Now we add "honest mistake" to the list.

Meanwhile, incoming White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is presumed innocent of any wrongdoing in the Blago scandal because Obama says so. And Charlie Rangel (DEMOCRAT-NY) the Chairman of the tax writing House Ways and Means Committee still sits in that chair after admitting failure to pay his taxes on income from vacation property he owns. The man who writes the rules claims he didn't know... Another "honest mistake?"

Imagine if this was a Republican nominee. Can you hear the refrain "an ethical cloud hangs over this nominee....how long will he last?" repeated over and over and over.

Example Two: Obama's Inaugural: Record Spending And Not A Peep From the Usual Suspects

Change is all any of us will have left after paying for this!

Yesterday, Scott clued us into the news that Obama's inauguration would be the most expensive in history. And it's not just the logistics and security that are making records. It's Democrats partying like it's 1999 that will set a record. The total may top $150 million dollars!

Scott points out how four years ago Democrats were suggesting such a celebration during a time of war was inappropriate with the money better spent on supporting our troops or domestic concerns.

The Grapevine on Special Report summarized the handwringing thusly:

Salon.com described the event, in an piece by Eric Boehlert on Jan. 20, 2005, as "Bush's overblown celebration," the think tank Center for American Progress called it "lifestyles of the rich and heartless," and an article in the London Guardian by Paul Harri on January 9, 2005, said it was "an unashamed celebration of red America's victory over blue America."
Should we view Obama's lavish spectacle as an in your face celebration of blue state 's victory over the rest of us?

And what of the Center for American Progresses charge that the Bush Inauguration was a demonstration of the "lifestyles of the rich and heartless?" I visited their web site and found that this time around they are touting how eco-friendly Obama's party will be. Do they REALLY want us to compare the carbon footprint of Obama's monstrosity to that of Bush's in 2005?

And speaking of "lifestyles of the rich and heartless" here's what one chirpy AP/Obama reporter had to say about spending and frugality this time around:

For inaugural balls, go for glitz, forget economy
By KELLMAN
Associated Press
January 13, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — So you're attending an inaugural ball saluting the historic election of Barack Obama in the worst economic climate in three generations. Can you get away with glitzing it up and still be appropriate, not to mention comfortable and financially viable?

To quote the man of the hour: Yes, you can. Veteran ballgoers say you should. And fashionistas insist that you must.

"This is a time to celebrate. This is a great moment. Do not dress down. Do not wear the Washington uniform," said Tim Gunn, a native Washingtonian and Chief Creative Officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc.

"Just because the economy is in a downturn, it doesn't mean that style is going to be in a downturn," agreed Ken Downing, fashion director for Neiman Marcus.

And if anyone does raise an eyebrow at those sequins, remind them that optimism is good for times like these. "Just say you're doing it to help the economy," chuckled good manners guru Letitia Baldridge.
That's right. If any of those pesky peons who have lost their jobs and their homes shout insults at you tell them you are doing it all to help! But I doubt you will have to worry much about protesters showing up. That's something else that only happens when Republicans are in charge and this time around we can count on those extra tens of millions in spending for security to see to it that the average Joe won't get within a thousand feet of partygoers. After all, who wants to be reminded that the nation is suffering an economic downturn while you are blowing wads of cash that could be better spent helping people?

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