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Witness Ron Fournier, a longtime political reporter with the Associated Press and certainly no right-winger, who led his analysis of the choice of Joe Biden's selection as Democratic running-mate thus:
The candidate of change went with the status quo.OK, it's an analysis and, as such, is subject to dispute. Yet even those who praise Obama's choice of Biden do so because Biden brings to the Democratic ticket the exact same qualities Fournier named: His experience in Washington, his credibility on foreign policy, his ferocity as an attack dog.
In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness -- inexperience in office and on foreign policy -- rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.
He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate -- the ultimate insider -- rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't even make his short list.
The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden pick is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative -- a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image.
Yet the online Left cries foul. Why?
McCain campaign staffers are pushing [Fournier's story] fairly aggressively to other reporters, in large part because it mirrors the Republican line with minimal variation.In other words, any analysis that might reflect a GOP perspective is prima facie illegitimate. Kos calls Fournier "McCain's mole at the Associated Press." Another blogger goes after Fournier for his speaker's fees.
It is only a matter of time before Fournier is totally Malkinized, his personal phone number and home address published online, e-mailed death threats, the works. The purpose of Malkinization is not merely to intimidate the direct object of the attacks, but also (a) to discourage other journalists from quoting or citing the journalist suspected of Republican sympathies and (b) to terrorize into silence any other Republican sympathizers in the media.
I think it's very brave of you to call Michelle Malkin out on her personal attacks against her ideological opponents and particularly with regard to her attacks on the AP. The way she has repeatedly exposed people's contact information as a means to expose them to harassment is a blight on the Republican brand and on Conservatism as a movement.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I suspect she'll be publishing your contact information now.
well, he certainly deserves it for being idiot, MCCAin's shill corrupt not independent journalist
ReplyDeleteUh, isn't Malkin the one who put up other people's phone numbers and addresses? You are confusing the victim with the assailant, I think.
ReplyDeleteUh...you do know that Michelle Malkin's a conservative, right?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the left is bothered by Fournier's continued overt support for John McCain because he was offered a job by the McCain campaign and turned it down. The man is tried and true McCain Media.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12149.html
And no, the left is not going to "Malkinize" Fournier. That is something that only the right-wing hack, Michelle Malkin, and her other right-wing brethren do. What a wonderful concern troll you are.
cry me a fuckin river pal
ReplyDeleteIf you google "Fournier and Rove" you'll find out why there is such disgust with Fournier among those who are not right-wing fools.
ReplyDeleteGotta lay off the sauce when you're researching these things man.
ReplyDeleteMy my, are we seriously this clueless? You know "Malkinization" is a tactic of Michelle Malkin right? The one on your blogroll right? And that no one apart from her has indulged in it right?
ReplyDeleteI think the pattern is sort of important here. Fournier was offered a job by the McCain campaign, considered it for some time, then decided instead to become the AP's Washington Bureau Chief. Now, in his role with the AP, he's relying heavily on McCain/GOP talking points.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, this is the AP we're talking about. AP and Reuters belong in a separate niche from the rest of the media, because they're used to provide background information for many smaller papers. It is more important for the AP to be objective and neutral than for individual news sources.
Those considerations make the Fournier controversy a much bigger deal. He needs to be taken off the political beat, and the progressive netroots are right to apply pressure.
Michelle Malkin put the names and addresses of people who had their phone numbers and addresses online for contact info, who then took that info down (in order to make it look like she had collected something that was already published online)then screamed that she had published their info.
ReplyDeleteCry me a river!!!
It was in relation to the woman who was president of some college who knew in advance that a bunch of thugs were going to run military recruiters of her campus. And did nothing to prevent it.
The woman was a big "affirmative action" believer except when it came to interviewing people for a 100,000 dollar job she created just for her lesbian lover. No minorities need apply!!!
The woman offed herself after Michelle Malkin revealed the hypocrisy of her ways.
M. Watkins