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Media Darling

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:21:31 PM EST
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Matt Taibbi:

[T]he reporters mostly all worshipped [Obama] [. . .] That part of the media-conspiracy narrative is definitely true. [. . .] Needless to say nothing like that went on in the Hillary press corps, or more especially in the McCain plane, where the more likely back-of-the-plane recreation was a reporter musing out loud about the benefits of hanging himself over continuing even one more minute on that assignment.

Told you so. Anyway, I am not a fan of Taibbi (his hit job on Wes Clark in 2003 shows he knows how to wield a hatchet himself), and I think he really misses the mark in this section:

That said, even back at the very beginning of the campaign, before the signal came down that it was okay to start giving Obama big sloppy b--wjobs on the air, when reporters were all slamming the one-term Illinois Senator for being a “lightweight” prone to “rookie mistakes” (those among us whose version of recent history imagines Obama being handed the 2008 election by the campaign press seem always to forget that part, but go back and look — the “Hillary is the presumptive frontrunner” period lasted a solid nine or ten months) [. . .]

First, the value of being called the "presumptive frontrunner" in the Summer of 2007 is tremendously overrated. Second, after the October 2007 NBC debate where Tim Russert and Brian Williams led an all out assault on Hillary absolutely changed that dynamic. From that debate on, Hillary was under constant assault by the Media and Obama became the Media Darling in full.

It's all old news of course, but, it will be fun to see who snaps at Taibbi for this.

Speaking for me only

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    Media Darling | 10 comments (10 topical)

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    I agree with you and (I think) Atrios, (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by andgarden on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:27:23 PM EST
    that this was a really inconsistent piece.

    While there was a period where the (5.00 / 5) (#4)
    by tigercourse on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:56:12 PM EST
    media called Clinton the "presumptive frontrunner", it was hardly ever in a particularly flattering light. Even from the begining, as far as the media was concerned she might as well have been Genghis Kahn. "And here's unlikable, cold, caluclating, do anything for your vote Hillary Clinton, still in the lead".

    The media frames the story (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Lora on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 07:23:44 PM EST
    Couldn't be clearer, the amount of manipulating the media does.

    It's amazing anyone thinks for her- or himself.

    Well (5.00 / 4) (#8)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 08:19:46 PM EST
    too bad it hasn't produced a sucessful presidency so far but it's what we get when we let the media pick our presidents. Remember these same media people are the ones that brought you Bush the disaster.

    I met him at Crawford (none / 0) (#2)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:33:44 PM EST
    and shared a shuttle with him.  He knew what story he wanted though before he even started.  When he jumped out of the van I introduced him to one of the founding members of IVAW but he didn't care.  He was there to talk to Code Pink and his article was what he wanted it to be.  It was funny though that he told the rude lady at the trinket store that Hannity was coming.  That rumor went everywhere that day, and a local news station film crew came and set up waiting for the Hannity that never came :)

    He does have sharp wit... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by kdog on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 04:52:30 PM EST
    I love how he totally tore the masters of the universe a new one at bail-out time...for that I'll always have a soft spot...and he speaks plainly in a language street people can relate too..the sloppy bj comment quoted above is a good example...thats how we talk around the water cooler and at the loading dock at work.  

    Parent
    There was this local radio DJ too (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 05:07:43 PM EST
    who claimed that we threw bottles of water at his car and called him names, this big slew of lies and he was saying all this on local radio.  On the shuttle we were all chapped about the lies until Taibbi borrowed a phone, called for the station number and then called the radio station.  He said that he was a Rolling Stone reporter needing to verify the story that the Crawford protesters had attacked one of their employees, and there was no verification made.  And that radio freak never said another word about it either.  I sort of liked him for that.  He knew how easy it was to "make news" when you report the news though.  It is hard to forgive him for the Clark job he did.  It was total crap too.

    Parent
    Mike Taibbi (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by BackFromOhio on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 07:58:06 PM EST
    to me, is just too young for his britches.  He's so enamored of himself.  He has talent, but to me, it's still unfinished and he, like much of the young, "hip" media, lacks a moral compass -- call it journalistic ethics if you will.

    Parent
    I take anything was Mr. Taibbi's mouth (none / 0) (#9)
    by AX10 on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 10:02:14 PM EST
    lightly.

    Naomi Klein was on Democracy Now discussing
    Obama's marketing campaign.

    http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/23/naomi_klein_on_climate_debt_why

    From Dove Bars to autographed fan-boiz photos (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ellie on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 11:58:55 PM EST
    Yet again, squalling, low attention-span media infants pick their must-have prezi-toy of the season.

    Sickening way to run a democracy. (In the case of this admin, literally sickening.)

    Media Darling | 10 comments (10 topical)

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