MyDD :: Straight Outta the West Wing

Straight Outta the West Wing

by Chris Bowers, Sat Aug 28, 2004 at 03:01:43 PM EST

Eleanor Clift writes about Rove, the media and the attacks on Kerry:

The Kerry campaign thinks it has succeeded in discrediting the scurrilous attack on Kerry's military service, but Rove got what he wanted. Instead of talking about a failed war in Iraq and a new report that shows 1.3 million more Americans living in poverty, we're debating what happened in the Mekong Delta in 1968. The strategy "came straight from the West Wing," says the GOP staffer. "Nobody should be confused." Asked to explain, this Republican says Rove is smart enough to keep technical distance. But all it takes is a well-placed wink to activate a web of Bush family hit men, confidantes and deep-pocket donors. "They know what to do--it's like sleeper cells that get activated," he says, likening the players to "political terrorists."

Actually, Clift is wrong. This strategy is straight out of the precursor to the West Wing, Aaron Sorkin's The American President:

INT. THE LIBRARY - NIGHT

The look and feel of old money. Rumson is holding court with a half-dozen political insiders. Some smoke cigars; others sip their drinks.

RUMSON (continuing) Voters aren't interested in how to achieve economic growth, and they don't want to hear our plans to strengthen foreign policy.

STAFFER #1 So it comes down to character.

STAFFER #2 The press like him, Senator. The networks, the newspapers, they're--

RUMSON Reporters like him. Networks and newspapers like ratings and circulation. For all the bitching we do about liberal bias in the press when it comes down to a character debate...

STAFFER #3 The press is an unwitting accomplice.

This works because the press is a failed institution. To demonstrate this, I just did a few Google News searches, always restricting my search to news sources from the United States:

"Scott Peterson": 6,690
Darfur: 6,330

Genocide is taking place in Sudan, and the American media gives more coverage to the Scott Peterson trial. Sudan is not a partisan issue, as prominent Democrats and Republicans have called for intervention in Sudan. Instead of ideology or party bias, this instead demonstrates how the "news" media in America is actually more interested in character driven, real-time, "reality" TV narratives than actually reporting news.

How can it ever be justifiable for an editor or news director to give more time to Scott Peterson than ongoing genocide? How is can it ever be justifiable to even give close to the same amount of time to these two stories? How can it ever be justifiable to focus on what a bunch of guys who hate John Kerry have to say / lie about his military record when the poverty rate is rising in America and overtime rights are being slashed?

Tags: Media (all tags)

Permalink :: 4 Comments :: Post a Comment

It may e too late-Not! (none / 0)

As an enthusiatic Deaniac, I attended a rally with Joe Trippi at UCLA. His concerned commment to basicvally the same question was that "It may be too late", with our atrociously dummed down public and every branch of the government and media in right-wing hands. He was proven right as far as Dean was concerned. However, we still have two months to go and I am grasping hope that Kerrys true record of being tough as hell when he is fighting for his life, physically or politically, will kick in. We HAVE to keep up the fight-The alternative of 4 more years of Bush is unbearable to contemplate. We owe it to our children and the world.

by Anonymous Citizen on Sat Aug 28, 2004 at 03:18:16 PM EST

Re: It may e too late-Not! (none / 0)

It's why we nominated him. Kerry has been under the gun in 2003, 2004 and in a number of senate races. Have faith. It's about picking your spot. Kerry will not Dukakis the election. He may win, he may lose, but he will fight.

by Anonymous Citizen on Sat Aug 28, 2004 at 05:24:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

media (none / 0)

If I have learned anything while hanging around in the blogosphere over the past couple years, it is that the Media Is The Problem. IMHO, our lazyass, corrupt and incompetent mainstream media are a more serious threat to democracy than the Bush administration. Given a level playing field, we can get rid of BushCo; but it's a much tougher job because of the spin (and the omissions) provided by the media. Pissing and moaning about the current state of affairs won't get us very far-- I figure the only solution is to build brand new media from the ground up, as Al Franken and others are doing. I'm hoping that Soros and other progressive capitalists start putting their money into major new media.

by global yokel on Sat Aug 28, 2004 at 05:29:46 PM EST

Re: Straight Outta the West Wing (none / 0)

The staffer in question said that the strategy "came straight from the West Wing," not "straight from 'The West Wing.'" I.e. she didn't mean it was reminiscent of Sorkin's wonderful show, but rather that it was devised in the Bush White House by Rove and Company. The movie reference is apt, though.
Later,
Alex

by Anonymous Citizen on Sun Aug 29, 2004 at 06:09:26 PM EST

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