So what exactly are these left wing smears when they say "both sides do it"?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Dan Rather was not trying to smear W - he was investigating a prominent news story and was set-up by a phony source ( I guess this is how the story finally shook out). I also think Gary Condit was the victim of a media witch hunt, but that one seemed to be not politically based, but tabloid sex/murder based.

Anyway, when has the supposed left wing MSM gone after someone from the right in an outright smear?

I can think of plenty of times those from the left have been smeared - John Kerry being the best example of the MSM gone disgusting crazy with the Swiftboat smear. I don't think that has ever been topped. I still can't look at Chris Mathews without disgust for his All Swiftboats All the Time coverage. I hold him responsible as an indirect cause of the Iraq War because of it.

(I will say that both the left and the right feel perfectly comfortable in the blogosphere at floating unconfirmed rumors and theories that may or may not be picked up by the MSM. I can think of some that I wish HAD been picked up by the MSM because there was definitely there there: the MSM did a completely inadequate job investigating and writing about the various threads of Attorneygate for example. Same with election fraud.)

But I digress since the topic is SMEARS.

[abluelady]

1. I Agree Wth You

Where are they? But even if they are out there, so what? Do two wrongs make a right? Why not call out the smears for exactly what they are and end the conversation on that note?

[KharmaTrain]

2. Working The Refs...

It's the long time GOOP false equivelency game. It's simple to play...anytime you are attacked you find someone on the other side and say "they did it, too"...doesn't matter if its not true or if there's no proportion to the charges, it's just having them for the sake of doing so and then screaming at the corporate media to be "fair and balanced".

This Slimebreit episode is a textbook example as their libelous attacks on Ms. Sherrod was no fluke...this was a deliberate sliming that was intended to mute the racist criticisms against the GOOP and the teabaggers and play the "both sides do it". While Ms. Sherrod has been vindicatated in the right wing hellholes she's still guilty as sin and this allows the right wing enablers to turn the situation around, which they did, to make it this administration that created this mess.

The corporate media plays along...always have...so fearful of being labeled "liberal" if they dare to put things in perspective.

[pinboy3niner]

4. +100

And their knives are out now for Shirley Sherrod. She wasn't the original target--that was the NAACP, dems, the President and the Administration. Now, they'll try to discredit Sherrod in an effort to salvage whatever they can from this episode.

[okieinpain]

3. i was thinking the same thing, forget who's show was on

but that's all they kept saying, "both sides do it". I was thinking examples please.

[chillspike]

5. They pounce on our people

But we are sometimes forgiving of them. If the Right smells blood, they immediately pounce and don't let up.

But we sometimes, won't go for the jugular. Case in point:

Right wing nut job Mel Gibson has a severe racist and misogynist meltdown and, ultra left winger, Whoopi Goldberg, wants to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We could easily hang this guy and here is one of our unofficial representatives trying to soften people's responses to Gibson's tyraid. Hmmm...But according to the right, I thought liberals were constant race card players?

WE ARE NOT PARTISAN. THAT'S BULLSHIT. People saying both sides do it is bull. One side does it.

When do conservatives show us tolerance when one of ours is down? You think they'll go easy on Rangal? I doubt it. Did they go easy on the Dixie Chicks? David Letterman? No.

They go for the jugular every time.

We should remind them that, the next time one of their's screws up.

[pinboy3niner]

6. EFerrari wrote a great essay on this for GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8797382

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. That was a great OP. Happy to K&R it. nt