This "birther" movement is wacky at best, and dangerous at worst. The fact that it has gained any traction at all as a matter of public discourse is a source of national shame. We are flirting with a new low. But could this insanity actually provide us with an opportunity to build some common ground between liberals and conservatives of good will? I'll return to that notion in a moment.
I've had a running debate with a number of my fellow journalists over the years about the idea of journalistic balance, particularly as it relates to political reporting. Too often, and this is certainly true in the world of cable news, we feature a couple partisans exchanging talking points and pat ourselves on the back for being fair and balanced.
Perceptions of our biases, or lack thereof, are often based on judgments by viewers concerning whether we treated bickering partisans equally. The assumption seems to be, that no matter the quality of the arguments and evidence presented, our job is to be fair to both sides by allowing each to make their case on a roughly level playing field. And if we challenge one combatant, we must provide equal scrutiny to the other's arguments.
Sounds good to a point, but here's the problem. Not all arguments are created or presented equally. Some are nothing more than unsupported assertions built on lies or distortions masquerading as arguments while others are coherent, logical, and heavily backed by facts.
When this type of imbalance is the case, what is the responsibility of the journalist/host/interviewer? Should she pretend that it's a 50-50 split for fear of being charged with a liberal or conservative bias?
What if one position ("President Obama was not born in the United States") is demonstrably untrue while the counter argument ("Uh, yes he was") is proven to be true? In this case, is someone guilty of that old demon "liberal media bias" if they call a crackpot a crackpot because that would be the pro Obama position? Do we really need to be respectful of the views of the scarily unhinged, tragically misinformed, or strategically dishonest?
Is there a point where men and women of good will and sound intellect, liberals and conservatives alike, can say enough is enough and agree that it's time for a better standard? Can we cast aside the knee jerk charges of liberal or conservative bias for once and agree that encouraging this silliness in any way is beneath the dignity and interests of a great nation? Is there no line that can't be crossed when attempting to score political points?
Barack Obama is the legitimately and legally elected president of the United States. And that's true whether you like his policies or not. There is no evidence to support the "birther" movement's paranoid conspiracy theories. What is Lou Dobbs talking about when he says, "I'm starting to believe we have a document issue?" Why wouldn't every member of Congress, when given an opportunity to do so, make a definitive statement denouncing this craziness once and for all? Why are we talking about this at all considering the many real and very serious challenges we face? Is there no too low when it comes to ratings and politics?
This is not a liberal versus conservative or Democrat versus Republican debate. Those battles should be waged over health care policy or other matters of real import. This "birther" thing is about responsible adults with integrity and the ability to reason firmly saying "no" to a group comprised of the delusional and the devious.
Maybe, just maybe, this is an opportunity for liberals and conservatives to come together and say, "We're better than this."
We are, aren't we?
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I'm not a reporter anymore but every time I get a so-called factual email with a plea to pass it on to as many people as possible, I spend a few minutes checking it out and sending the correct information the person who sent it to me, with a request that they send a correction to everybody.
Ninety percent of the false information emails are also racist and/or right-wing religious.
Answer: never. Heck, they can't even follow the perfectly appropriate grammar in my last-but-one sentence, much less ever admit that they saw sense past Limbaugh's sick ravings. These people are programmed minions.
Yes YOU, troll, are a programmed minion, working against yourself. If the Big-Business-funded Republicans and Blue Dogs win, by shutting down the healthcare debate, YOU will be the loser, when your insurance cancels your expensive coverage when you come up positive on a cancer biopsy.
But guess what? It'll be too late for do-overs.
I know how many of the energized conservatives feel. I FEEL the hatred, too. Deeply. Down in my bones. There are many instances when I genuinely, unequivocally hate the birthers, the GOP, the loudmouthed idiots who, having been fed the concentrated desire of the obscenely wealthy, are somehow convinced that said desire is really their own - a notion born of their longing for a capitalist and theocratic Golden-Age(tm) that simply never was. Yes, the anger, the fear, the pure and sanguine pulse of political mojo that comes from deep in the gut - I have all of these things.
But...I also have that. I have a "But..."
But...I'm an educated person, awake in class the day they mentioned constructing an argument from the best analysis available from the best evidence at hand. I remember reading about Plato and the Sophists. At some point, I recollect hearing of a Fourth Estate centered upon classical ideals which may never be achieved yet must always be a goal.
Hmm, perhaps we just need more funding for schools. But...
And here we are calmly explaining, over and over, about the birth certificate and the newspaper stories to these moonbats.
Time to leave the room and let them howl. Or do what Buzz Aldrin did when confronted by some jerk who said the moon landings were fake and Aldrin was part of the deception, blah, blah, blah. Buzz punched him out. Now I understand why.
Conservatives need to reach the low end for votes, and FoxPropaganda speaks their language -- unga bunga.
they have a coalition between Ivy League country clubbers, and bubbas in rural America.
(i toned this thing done hoping it passes inspection).
CNN is definitely better than Fox but they may want to have a conversation with Lou Dobbs.
Too many "news" channels are racing to the bottom to compete with Fox Propaganda.
But sadly nothing seems to affect the news moguls or the the news anchors. The producers regale in depravity and tabloid journalism. After all it is only less than 1% of the populace who even care what the truth is, everybody else just wants the made up version.
People got used to being told "Made up stories" about WMD's and rescuing the Iraqi people.
There was no one people could trust to just give them the facts, so, grab a beer and turn on the ball game, what the heck.
I just hope that some good comes out of this birther movement.
The more they tell "Stupid" lies the more people who know basic things, like you parent being a citizen makes you a citizen, will realize that the Republicans will lie whenever it is convenient.
And the majority of people IMHO do not like liars and will choose not to elect them..