In all the excitement over President Obama's remarkable smackdown of the Republicans, yesterday, the focus has been so intense on the president's remarkable smackdown that another remarkable moment has been discussed only in passing. Even corporate media commentators recognized yesterday for what it was, and we've seen the reports that even Republicans themselves know they got worked. All of this is good. But there was more.
Yesterday was a unique and remarkable moment in American politics. Many have noted that it's just not possible to imagine a Bush or a Palin similarly standing ground to take opposition questioning. Unless, perhaps, at a comedy club, where they would be revealed as the clowns, albeit dangerous clowns, that they were and are. But to anyone who genuinely cares about the workings of politics, yesterday was as good as it gets. It was riveting.
For any corporate media entity that has pretenses of being about news, that has pretenses of being fair and balanced, and that has pretenses of professional integrity, yesterday should have been a dream. High theater and real substance. Even people who don't often watch political speeches were mesmerized. People on the intertubes will be watching it and analyzing, endlessly. But one supposed news network didn't want its viewers to watch. One supposed news network didn't like what it was seeing. One supposed news network gutlessly turned and fled.
One supposed news network yesterday revealed itself for what it is: a right wing propaganda outfit. A gutless right wing propaganda outfit. Chickenhawks on war who can't even stand the heat of political debate. Turning away wasn't just unprofessional and partisan, it was gutless. And that needs emphasizing. Because it's time for others in the corporate media to stop defending a faux news outfit that clearly isn't about the news.
Yesterday said everything. Yesterday, because it was so afraid of what it was seeing, the right wing propaganda outfit posing as a news outfit turned away from the biggest political news story of the day, and essentially told its audience that if that audience wanted to see the biggest political news story of the day, it would have to turn to the competition. Fox "News" is not about news. It is not professional. And even more, it is utterly gutless. Never forget it.