I told someone privately a couple of days ago that the American media has lost the ability to sway public opinion in any appreciable way.
CNN/USA TODAY POLL: Only 13% blame Bush
They failed when they called a win for Gore, failed in their predictions of an “inflamed Arab street” the run-up to the Afghan and Iraq wars, failed in the “quagmire” reporting of the Iraq invasion, failed to pin blame for 9-11 on the Bush administration, failed to win an election for John Kerry, and today, they’re failing to turn an act of nature into a White House plot to “let black folks drown”.
There’s no mystery as to why – the American public is onto them. You’d think the freefall in newspaper subscriptions and network ratings would be a clue. As usual, the last ones to see the “root cause” are the media themselves.
(Update: Things like this don’t help either. )
Update to update : Or maybe not – Geraldo smeared by NYT?
I enjoy almost anybodies commentary, sometimes for humour but mostly for different facets of the same basic facts. I am Canadian so have no partisan position to take on Brown and FEMA’s
reaction time to relieving New Orleans but am driven to distraction that the MSM should be
encouraging folk to believe that in the event of a widespread emergency that any land-based help could be expected to arrive sooner than 3-4
days.The more that they do to encourage people in this belief by calling for the scalps of Brown and other FEMA staff the more inane and untrustworthy this section of media becomes.
Specifically in the case of sending a convoy of trucks into a flood zone (a semi weighs up to 80,000 pounds:40 tons ,causes a lot of vibration and the more trucks in a short period of time the worse the potential for road/bridge failure); any possible route needs to be checked by civil engineers, especially the footings of bridges and the road beds so that the aid coming in does not end up in a ditch or ravine or washed away and that the driver lives to drive another day. This can only be done when waters receed and the ground dries out a bit, the media blaming Brown/FEMA for what seems a basic act of
prudence and hence an unavoidable delay does a potential disservice to us all when what we should instead be told (and this point
hammered home at the on-set of any emergency) is that we have a basic responsibility to provide initally for ourselves. To blame a beaurucrat for what seems to be unavoidable can only contribute to their ilk’s natural pusillamity/hesitation/buck-passing and ensure
that only the second class/Peter Principled would be interested in a senior position; those of competence and ability having better
things to do with their heads than watching them roll thru thoughtless and panicky political/media expediency (as opposed to
forethoughtful political expediency). Personally I would prefer someone of some clarity, reason and bottom; someone capable of deliberate measured effective action. Not someone flailing or paralysied and whose first and last concern is to deflect fault or the medias’ misplaced glare.
The same basic reasoning of unavoidable delay applies to emergency shipborne relief, would you
leave a relief ship/fleet anchored off a lee coast in a hurricanes’ path? or move it out of the immediate area ( and thusly a couple of
days steaming away) even if this delayed the initial rescue attempts for those foolish enough not to have made (or been ordered to make)
basic provision for themselves? How much better looking Pres. Bush might be today if he had said to those in Katrinas’ path not only to evacuate but also told them the harsh and unyeilding truth that if they could not evacuate; that no help would or could be forthcoming for days: bleeding hearts, heartfelt wishes, tears and the magicial thinking, unmoored mouthings of the media to the contrary be damned.
Sincerely,
Robert Albin
Calgary Alberta (Canada)
PS- By no means any sort of expert.
Not only do I almost completely agree with you, Robert, I also think you should get some sort of award for your magnificent use of the word pusillanimity (even if you did typo it, as I found out when I looked it up at answers.com 😉
Wow that troll Opie is poetic s/he’s really got a large vocabulary and can spell very well.
Same old stupid “You’re a rascist blah blah blah .”
No argument, nothing to add, ho hum.
Our circle will continue to get bigger.
Yours will, I’m sure get weirder.
Yeah, I know, but like I said, what else do we have?
Robert Albin, wordsmith from Calgary. Could I ask that you apply your obvious ability to what is currently about to cause some diruption to Canada?
Your views expressed above regarding Bush’s performance and how you would correct it, is after all very much after the fact and therefore not very practical.
What surprises do think Martin will spring upon us when the house is conviened September 19th? Do you think it will be the 19th?
Are you aware of the clampdown on 14 departments where 6,000 bureaucrats were sworn to secrecy for life?
Under the guise of terrorism security, do you suspect this is a librano ploy to defeat the freedom of information act?
What do you know of possible plans to have one time B.C. premiere Bill Vanderzalm take over CPC leadership should Harper become mired in MSM ooze?
What do you think would be a more effective insurance against the theft and laundering of our national revenues than say, a fortified Whistle-Blower Protection Bill C-11 ?
These are the kinds of questions that need answers and debate. Can you shed light on any of these things? Do you have any constuctive information that may affect the lives of Canadians? Hope so. 73s TG
Not to mention the hidden agenda of the Librofascists to track anyone they want without a warrant via their electronic property like cellphones, PDAs and notebook PCs. Orwell will be vindicated by such KGBism.
Funny the so-called civil-rights lobby is silent. They’re always there for the AQ terrorists but not for ordinary folk. Civil rights, my ass.
Shabbadoo:
“Nice try Dawg, with your use of quotes…it actually says that 42 percept described the federal government agencies’ response as “bad” or “terrible”.”
Nice try, S., with your deliberate misreading:
“While 42% of respondents characterized Bush’s response to the disaster as bad or terrible, 35% said it was good or great. Federal agencies got exactly the same marks.”
Source: http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055733
John Crittenden:
“Forty-two percent of respondents characterized President Bush’s response to the disaster as ‘bad’ or “terrible.'”
I guess that means that even some Democrats who voted against Bush in the last election don’t think it’s his fault aye?”
Well, no, I guess it doesn’t. Only 35% thought he did “great”. Guess a few Republicans are maybe sitting this one out?
The only thing Oppressed and White is oppressed by is her own left-wing world view.
The definition of a racist is anyone who disagrees with a liberal. LOL
Exactly, RA. That’s why Liberals are always making the “r” defamation whenever we oppose any of their ideas or policies or practices.
It’s worn transparently thin, however, and the tables are turning… it’s become like, look who’s talking…
A little time passes. The experts clearly demonstrate the delays and failings are all attributable to local and state authorities.
Just proves once agin that polls are useless. They make fools of those who embrace them when they reflect their views and nobody remebers how often polls are comppletely off the mark.
Acurate plus or minus 2% 19 times out of 20…Hogwash. 73s TG
Mr.TonyGuitar, Yes my musings as to what I think Bush should have said before the Hurricane (flood/blizzard/earthquake warnings) is after the fact and of no practical relevance to this situation; but, there is always going to be a next time. I believe that some of those who were inclined to fence sitting vis a vis evacuation might have actually been forced to wake up and think about their personal situation if presented by some robust language from their President. Not to mention what the cold shock of stern reality might have done for the jellyfish spirits of the Louisana nomenklatura who took far too long to come to grips with the fruits of their past grafts. As mentioned in Mark Steyn’s letters section, if New Orleans and Louisiana can regularly organize bus service for thousands of poor (and dead) every election in order to get them to the polls then surely they could have done something to evacuate folk given 3 days probable notice (unless of course an ulterior motive was to increase their own electoral base of impoverished deceased?). An old salesmans rule for repeat customers is to under-promise and over-deliver. I think that good advice for any leader faced with nature’s nature.
Sincerely,
Robert Albin
Calgary Alberta (Canada)
PS By no means any sort of expert
PPS thank you Tony for your kind words.
Only 13%? i guess micheal moore and sean penn must be sorly disapointed and so must kennedy and the rest of the liberal nit wits