Eric Boehlert: The Media: Dems Are Phony, GOP Authentic. Here We Go Again

[ProSense]

Opinion

Eric Boehlert: The Media: Dems Are Phony, GOP Authentic. Here We Go Again

Eric Boehlert Thu May 25, 8:42 AM ET

Who'd have thought a simple question posed to Sen. Hillary Clinton--What songs do you have on your iPod?--would be so revealing. Not about her, but about the Beltway pundit culture which still insists it can read the minds of prominent Democrats and pronounce them to be phonies. The New York Post posed the question to Clinton, Slate's Jacob Weisberg rushed in with the verdict.

Snip…

But what about President Bush's classic rock-heavy iPod playlist, dutifully chronicled last year by an industrious reporter? Wasn't that also a piece of swift calculation? Nope. Weisberg announced the president's playlist was likely authentic ("uncalculated") because, lest we ever forget, Bush "doesn't worry about being politically correct or care what other people think of him." (Honestly, doesn't that kind of recycled spin about Bush the rugged individualist not caring what people think about him make you nostalgic for Austin, 1999?)

Folks, consider yourselves warned. And in fact, the Daily Howler has been sounding the alarm for some time now that the press is ready and waiting to roll out its 2008 presidential narrative about Democrats being phony ("inauthentic," they "play it safe"--and they're "poll-tested") and the Republicans being genuine, comfortable in his own skin. Joe Klein fills up his new book with page-after-page of this Beltway-pleasing narrative; Democrats lose national elections because their candidates aren't real and voters can sense that. (Instinctive Republicans, apparently, eschew consultants and pollsters at any cost. No, seriously)

As a I noted during a book talk last night before a BlueWaveNJ crowd, anybody on the left who's crossing their fingers hoping the press puts down its RNC talking points long enough to come in from the cold for the 2008 campaign and finally treat Democrats fairly, is simply kidding themselves. They didn't do it with Gore, they didn't do it with Kerry. The press refuses to change willingly and the Slate piece proves it. Because there are prominent people within the Beltway pundit ranks who think what's on Hillary Clinton's iPod is a) revealing because b) it proves she's a phony.

Be afraid people. Be very afraid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060525/cm_huffpost/021591

[blm]

1. It's actually going to get WORSE -

we need a TEAM of real battlers prepared.

The DNC should put that team together NOW - current tough talking points repeated OVER AND OVER AGAIN. No more of the weak-ass spokespeople who were only schooled in defending Clinton's problems for so many years that they barely KNEW any of the other Dem leaders and their records.

Would love to see Sirota, Pitt and Daou out there for us.

[fooj]

2. The GOP is authentic alright...

Authentic, treasonous, filthy rat bastards. Crooks. Liars. Anyone else care to chime in?

[LSparkle]

5. They're fakes, through and through

"Whatever he's for, I'm against it."
"Hello," he lied.
Etc.

They are SNAKES, not to be believed on any level -- even even while they're selling the country on being "authentic," they're huddling with Frank Dunce to come up with just the right wording for their fall smear campaigns.

[MrModerate]

3. This could as easily be intellectual laziness . . .

As evidence of a coalescing media plot to hand the midterms to the 'Licans. The reporter doesn't need to think very deeply to paste up a cartoon of Hillary as a control freak and Schimpanski as an aging frat-boy rocker fan. Then he can toss the article together and still get away from the computer in time to catch the 3pm reruns of "I Dream of Jeannie."

Similarly with Klein. While I've only read "Primary Colors" and don't take news magazines any more, he's pretty much recycling his columns in this new book -- a Time-honored (pun intended) practice for a journalist in need of a little cash.

Which is not to say that the phony vs authentic theme won't be pumped out by your local front organization for the Ministry of Fear, or that once again the owners of the press are going to try to make the news.

But don't underestimate the power of laziness -- heck, it could kill us or cure us come November this year!

[Supersedeas]

4. where the nail meets the head of the hammer: $Media expo$ed again

[LostInAnomie]

6. How fucking lame is that?

Who the fuck cares what's on someone's ipod? How fucking inconsequential is that to how a person leads a country? Is this really the level of political debate we have in this country?

[MH1]

7. I'm starting to love Boehlert

but I'm sure the puditocracy will find a way to marginalize him before too many people start to love him.

[ProSense]

8. Missed a chance to hear him in person.

That book talk event linked to was in my area.

[blm]

13. Telling the truth about media will assure Boehlert is NOT BOOKED on any

corporate news program.

[AX10]

9. Where is our "echo chamber"?

[Supersedeas]

10. it's like one long tube

[blm]

11. This phony meme started in Nixon's White House.

They planted stories about Kerry as being a big phony and lied about the littlest things, even where he slept.

They have planted "reporters" at every main paper, especially in BLUE states. That way they can pretend the story didn't come from "them".

And note - the NYT's Clinton smear piece was by the same guy the Boston Globe depended on who wrote anti-Kerry articles for many years - Patrick Healy.

[zulchzulu]

12. I care about what's on Hillary's iPod as much as what...

...chihuahua shit tastes like...