Lamont's victory - A Media defeat.

[marmar]

Published on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 by CommonDreams.org
Lamont's Victory -- A Media Defeat
by Jeff Cohen

Besides defeating Sen. Joe Lieberman, challenger Ned Lamont has also registered a triumph over much of the Washington press corps that had rallied so ridiculously to Lieberman’s defense.

A victory over the old-guard incumbents of the D.C. media elite is one that all progressives should savor.

Lieberman is not just the favorite Democrat of the White House and corporate interests; he’s also a favorite of conservative pundits and Fox News and Sean Hannity, who proposed “Conservatives for Lieberman” and has volunteered to campaign and fundraise for Joe in Connecticut.

Election coverage saw conservative columnists feverishly denouncing a “liberal inquisition” against Lieberman; they attacked “Ned’s nutcases” and “crazies.” Given the invective aimed at Lamont’s grassroots and Netroots supporters, it was fun to see Fox News pundit Mort Kondracke whining that Lieberman’s defeat could mean the end of “civility in American politics” and a victory for “hatred politics” and “savage Internet-based attacks.” Persecuted Lieberman was “The Last Honest Man,” according to the headline of a Washington Post column.

Mainstream media reports during the campaign talked routinely about a party “purge” of Lieberman -- confusing a free and open democratic contest with a backroom expulsion

Many reports evoked fears of progressive bloggers raising out-of-state money for Lamont -- a wealthy cable TV entrepreneur who matched the donations out of his own pocket. Only a few articles mentioned that Lieberman is a top recipient of out-of-state cash in the form of corporate PAC donations; Matt Taibbi’s brilliant Rolling Stone piece was one of the few that chronicled the favors Lieberman has bestowed on corporate America.

The prospect of a Lamont victory had some Beltway pundits in a frenzy. On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Cokie Roberts waxed on about how a Lamont victory would be a “disaster” for Democrats, especially with “liberal blogs and all that taking over the party.” And all that?

In the Washington Post, David Broder – the “dean” of political journalists -- denigrated Lamont’s “elitist insurgents” and argued that a Lieberman primary defeat could push Democrats “toward a stronger antiwar stand” and troubles in general elections. Broder didn’t mention the latest polling that shows 63% of Americans saying the war isn’t worth the cost, with only 30% saying it is. Similarly, Jonathan Alter wrote in Newsweek that bloggers had “noisily intervened” in Connecticut’s primary because they “brook no dissent” on Iraq; he warned of “a cannabilistic distraction” among Democrats.

The rest is at: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0809-24.htm

[sallyseven]

1. David Broder is a senile old coot

He needs to keep his mouth closed. H hasn't had a decent thought for the last 18 years.

[AX10]

2. The media in this country is on par with that of the USSR.

[joemurphy]

3. If Kondracke wants civility he might better focus on Bill Thomas

or Jeff Sessions. Perhaps Mort himself might profit from reading Emily Post.

[tularetom]

4. Their "concern" for the Dems would be touching

if it weren't such a total crock of shit. David Broder needs to pull his pants up to his armpits and sit on his front porch and drool, Cokie Roberts should go back to fantasizing about gettin it on with Clinton, and Morton Kondracke needs to quit trying to be more ignorant than that other dipshit he's on with. They would all be orgasmic if the Dems self destructed over Loserman or any other issue so they may as well just STFU because they aren't convincing anyone. And you know what's really hilarious. Most wingnuts think these three are members of the "librul media".

[eccles12]

5. The change will come slowly but it will come. One day we may yet have

a Congress and administration of which to be proud.