Obama Blagojevich Scandal Involvement Believed By 45% Of Voters: Poll

Blogger Matt Yglesias has been in Finland lately, studying up on their education policy, but all it took was a single viewing of Morning Joe to bring him up to speed with the new way the political press corps has been abusing their platform:

[T]his morning on MSNBC there was a lengthy discussion of Obama's involvement in Blagojevich's corruption. Of course, there was no evidence of any involvement on Obama's part. Nor, despite this being a news channel, was there any original reporting of any kind whatsoever. There was, however, a ton of time spent criticizing the Obama campaign's PR strategy with regard to this issue -- the suggestion being that had Obama adopted a better PR strategy, then people wouldn't be on television making evidence-free guilt-by-association accusations against him.

This strong me as odd. The people making the accusations kept acknowledging that they had no evidence. One might think that communicating to television personalities the fact that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on Obama's part would constitute a good PR strategy. Given that they knew there was no evidence of wrongdoing, they should have ceased implying that there was wrongdoing. But they didn't do that at all. Not, I would submit, because of any failings on Obama's part, but because Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, John Heileman, Mark Halperin, and Pat Buchanan don't care at all about the accuracy of the impression their coverage gives.

I really can't sum up the past week of coverage any better. What I can do, however, is relate the effects of this coverage. Via Rasmussen Reports:

Forty five percent (45%) of U.S. voters say it is likely President-elect Obama or one of his top campaign aides was involved in the unfolding Blagojevich scandal in Illinois, including 23% who say it is Very Likely.

Just 11% say it is not at all likely, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken Thursday and Friday nights.

A key finding, by the way? "Voters nationally are more skeptical than those in Illinois."

What can I say? THE SYSTEM WORKS.

Comments

[lafrance]

I think those of us who read and comment on blogs and are sick of the media and their constant trying to trash Obama like they have this past week need to band together and send, enmass, complaining emails to the msm. To CNN and MSNBC for example and tell them exactly what we, the people, think of their games.

[vjoseph]

I am IN. I was thinking of sending some messages to Mika, but I was too angry to do so without some expletives

[darleneslee]

Why not a flood of e-mails ? CC sponsors

[bygollymissmolly]

We better get used to it because this appears to be how they are going to operate for Obama's entire presidency. The only thing we can do is to not watch them. Every time you turn on Morning Joe or any of the other right leaning talking heads, you are encouraging this kind of behavior. If all we watch is Countdown and Rachel Maddow, it will be sending a very loud message that we don't want to hear their lies. Also, don't take a newspaper. You will find more truthful news here on the internet than you will ever get from your local newspaper.

[smark]

Must be the ignorant half--some of the ones that voted for the ignorant Palin.

[cgoodie]

My feelings exactly!

[Formeralaskangal]

I agree! Bleep them, bleep Blago, and bleep the bleeping scandal driven media trying to connect dots that aren't bleeping there!

[Mdazes]

Yes, you hit the nail on the head

[oldguru]

Half of Americans think there were WMDs. Half think Saddam was responsible for 911. Half think Obama is a Muslim. Half of America is too stiupid tio have the vote.

[lafrance]

Wasn't this what the media wanted. to trash Obama, raise suspicion about him and smear his character. All in the name of drama.
I guess the media feels they did their job. They just halfway destroyed the reputation of a good man.
Nice going.

[Syymone]

"Those that choose to be ignorant" will always believe anything negative about P.E.Obama,­it's just what they do.......

[Chapmanp2]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...
What is with the Huffington Post & their bogus headlines???
The headline says "1/2" of all voters but then it actually turns out that the story says 45% & that's not "of all voters" it's of what ever number were surveyed. I'm about ready after all these inflammatory headlines Huffpo seems so willing to exploit for extra clicks to just completely shut it out as a source...

[bygollymissmolly]

The do seem hell bent on being the NATIONAL INQUIRER of the internet, don't they.

[Chapmanp2]

Given all the media hype I'd like to know exactly what each & every one of them knew & when THEY knew it. Any failure on their part to answer completely & fully in a timely fashion should be interpreted as them having something to hide. The RNC would do well to answer the same questions in a timely fashion...

[nellpost]

I am with you!

[karinova]

If it weren't for the media hype, would you really care?
If it weren't for the media hype, would "any failure on their part to allow a full televised colonoscopy" be interpretable as hiding?

You don't have to allow yourself to be hyped.

Quote of the day:
"You know, just because somebody wants to hand you a big ol' piece of horsesht doesn't mean you have to TAKE it." --Henry Rollins

[Jessegirl]

INNUENDO uses up hours and hours of useless talking.
It also cuts the cheques for the rich and famous "journalists" and "reporters".

$crew us all...at least they have great healthcare coverage!!!!

[december30]

That group on Morning Joe, Joe, Mika, Pat, are the scums in scumbags. They are oh so jealous of Obama. They cannot believe America voted for this Black man to be President of this great nation. How far did Pat get when he ran? Joe's political pat, what a joke. He claims he quit because of family, please don't believe that. Mika needs to go home, be a wife and mother and, maybe hubby will not have a need to roam. Mika a disgrace to womanhood.

[lafrance]

Scarborough hates and is jealous of Obama. It has to be more then mere ideology. Joe has a real problem with Obama and doesn't even bother to try to be fair. I don't thnk he's ever said anything positive about him.

[vjoseph]

Yeah, I saw that when the whole Blago incident started. He won't get my viewership no more, that is for sure

[smark]

JS and Buchannan should hop over to Fixed News instead of trying to be their propaganda machine on a different channel.

[YR]

With the election I got proud of this country, thought finally it was beginning to think after 8 years of Bush and being duped into a war under false pretenses. But in times like these when I see so many citizens so easily manipulated by a false story in these hard economic times so that mass media can sell soap, I hate this country for its stupidity, its anti-intel­lectualism­, its crass consumerism.

[makeanimpact]

The media do not report the news, they sell entertainment. It is exciting only if there is controversy and a reason to tune in tomorrow.

[justwaitandsee]

Then the media needs to investigate its own entertainer JoeScarborugh and his mysteriious past

[karinova]

Dude.
That is genius.

How meta would THAT be?!! I'm falling into a right-wing self-referential black hole just thinking about it.

[Tericruz]

Obama spent 10 years in Chicago politics and if there was any "there" there, make no mistake, Clinton or McCain would have found it during the election. The press is trying so hard to connect him to this guy even though this guy was nowhere in sight during the campaign. It is amazing that the press could get away with this after letting Bush get away with call that crap for eight years.

[LKV]

Bush got away with all his crimes because he terrified people into believing that we would all die if he was not President.

[numbnuts]

The 45% is probably the same group that thinks he's a Muslim.
What a difference from Joe , Mika and their merry band of stooges to Rachel and Keith!

[ralph10]

What was the percentage of people that voted for Mccain?

[vjoseph]

Around 36%

[justwaitandsee]

I G N O R A N C E vs I N T E L L I G E N C E

It is just that simple

[LKV]

In the words of Bush "HUH"

[karinova]

Just a couple of weeks ago, right-leaning TV was all yammering on about "The patently obvious media bias during the election was a scandalous unspeakable tragedy, approximately equivalent to treason. Everyone involved should commit seppuku! Journalism is a sacred duty, and we are better than this!!!"

And yet, here they go.
Sigh.

[timbonotes]

MSM has adopted Fox News "logo" - WE DISTORT, YOU DECIDE