One of the major reasons for the "successes" of the Bush Administration, and the difficulty facing Democrats, is the disparate treatment they receive from the media.
Republican's have been able to institute policies, which a majority of Americans don't support, without serious questioning by the media while anytime a Democrat says anything questionable a full front attack is undertaken by the media.
One only has to look at the latest Beat The Press incident on Sunday, June 5, to see how host Tim Russert and his lack of follow-up allowed RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman to escape serious questioning.
But when Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post commented that host Tim Russert is fast becoming journalism’s answer to the “E-ZPass,” those electronic tags that allow drivers to go through toll booths without having to stop, Media Critic Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post snidely commented How dare Russert not act as a Democratic debater!
Kurtz apparently believes in the E-ZPass treatment for GOP guests, however when journalists actually do their job and ask intelligent questions of Democrats and liberals, he thinks that's just great. On Wednesday Kurtz highlighted the thorough questioning on "Fox News Sunday" by Chris Wallace of Amnesty's U.S. chief, William Schulz and called the resulting answers "quite revealing."
See Wallace kept asking Schulz questions until he got to the bottom of the story, providing comments that were "quite revealing." This is the very type of journalism liberals are begging people like Russert and Kurtz to engage in. Instead Russert, just like he gives his GOP guests, received the E-ZPass treatment from Kurtz.
Apparently asking pointed follow-up questions of Democrats is expected but to do so with Republicans means you are a "Democratic debater."
Is it really any wonder with this type of double standard that Democrats face obstacles in getting their message out while the GOP gets an E-ZPass on questioning on their policies.
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