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Audacity of Truth
Gaffetastic:
Vice President Joe Biden had his “oops” moment Wednesday speaking in a 49er-crazed SF when he told a crowd at a city political fundraiser that “the Giants are on their way to the Super Bowl.” - SF Chronicle, 1-18-12
AP dropping any pretense of objectivity
Did you happen to catch this AP headline and story earlier today?
Bush Using Straw-Man Arguments in Speeches
Story:
WASHINGTON – “Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the war is lost and not worth another dime or another day,” President Bush said recently.
Another time he said, “Some say that if you’re Muslim you can’t be free.”
“There are some really decent people,” the president said earlier this year, “who believe that the federal government ought to be the decider of health care … for all people.”
Of course, hardly anyone in mainstream political debate has made such assertions.
When the president starts a sentence with “some say” or offers up what “some in Washington” believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows.
The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position.
He typically then says he “strongly disagrees” — conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making.
Dave Price blogging over at Dean Esmay’s points out that the reporter (Jennifer Loven) is incorrect:
Sheesh. First off, Loven’s “of course” notwithstanding, anyone who follows the news knows what she wrote isn’t true, unless someone is going to claim Howard Dean and John Murtha are outside “mainstream political debate” or didn’t say we weren’t going to win the war and advocate immediate withdrawal. And Dems certainly debate the same way, but there’s no mention of that in the article.
This is straight reporting? It sounds more like a DNC press release.
Yep. Exactly how many articles have you seen out there about the number of Democratic politicians who really DO set up straw men arguments to knock down? Like the arguments where Dems claim they “have the right” to criticize the administration when it’s not about the right to criticize the administration but instead about whether or not what they are saying is right to say?
A commenter in Price’s thread points to an interesting September 2004 post about Jennifer Loven at Powerline:
Jennifer Loven, the AP reporter who wrote the absurd “President Bush Twists Kerry’s Words on Iraq” story dissected below, has a history of writing hit pieces on behalf of the Democratic National Committee. Such as this July 2003 outrage, a “news story” titled “White House can’t make the questions go away”. Here is how Ms. Loven begins her “news story” on the famous “sixteen words” controversy:
The White House defense of President Bush’s now-disavowed claim that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa has evolved over the last two weeks: blame others, stonewall, bury questions in irrelevant information and, above all, hope it will go away.
So far, none has worked.
Now, that’s not a bad beginning for a DNC press release. But for a wire service news report, it’s ridiculous.
Read the whole thing.
It used to be that liberal media bias was subtle, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Nowadays it’s so overt in some stories that it’s surprising they even made it past the editors. Or maybe it’s not so surprising.
Others blogging about this: Jeff Goldstein, Cold Fury, Riehl World View
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Well, it isn’t as if the AP has been objective, anyway. They’ve been hewing to the Dem line for a long time.
I can’t think of a traditional press organization that has been truly independant. Can you?
Another reason why the MSM is losing readers/viewers/listeners.
This is all part of bad card players overplaying their hand. Time is short for them and they can sense it. In their desperation they are overplaying their pair of deuces against our full house aces over kings. It reminds me of all the blah blah blah the day Baghdad fell. When the people came out cheering to meet our troops the MSM was shut up. I was cheering as Dan Rather stumbled over the words trying to describe the event. Surprise Dan the people of Baghdad didn’t like their tyranical leader. Idiot. These people just amaze me. They still hope that Iraq fails, that these poor people go thru a civil war, just so they can rub it into GW’s face. And you can tell me I am wrong but just look at the amount of news stories, even after it seemed the civil war wasn’t going to happen. Talk about wishful thinking. – Lorica
My favorite is the one she recycles from 2004:
Running for re-election against Sen. John Kerry in 2004, Bush frequently used some version of this line to paint his Democratic opponent as weaker in the fight against terrorism: “My opponent and others believe this matter is a matter of intelligence and law enforcement.”
From a April 2004 Meet The Press interview with Nuancy Boy:
MR. RUSSERT: But the Republicans, Vice President Cheney included, have pointed out to a comment that you made during a Democratic debate which they think undercuts your support of the war on terrorism. “The war on terror is…occasionally military. … But it’s primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation that requires cooperation around the world.”
SEN. KERRY: Yes.
When I read that piece by AP, it clearly stated in big bold letters that it was an ANALYSIS. To me that means someone views what facts they have and then extrapolates. Have I missed something? Peace
- Off the mark as usual Steve-oh. Both thr piece utself, and the way its presented, and the whole point of ST’s post zipps over your pointed little head like bong smoke in a hurricane.
I’ll spell it out for you, since anything more complex than the comic section seems to challenge you on a regular basis.
- If its “analysis”, which in this case it most certainly is, it DOESN’T belong in the main news section under a heaadline. It belongs in the OpED section. Got that so far?
- A good journalist does not try to pass off personal opinions and idelogical positions as “Facts and News”.
- But its sells to the hard left base, about the only audience they have left at this point.
- Ok. You can go bsck to your Huakah now.
- Bang’s fangs
“AP dropping any pretense of objectivity”
The facts speak for themselves.
Steve, I’ve been unable to locate where exactly this article is labeled “analysis”. I’ve searched for it on the AP site and every link is to a newspaper or a radio/TV station printing the article as it appears on Yahoo news, with no label.
Brainster, I checked as well and saw no BOLD print of the word analysis. It seems that if your only distorted sources, as the magic wand waving st.eves continue to highlight, are the clueless America hating sites, facts be damned and print out what suits todays agenda.
andrew, would it were so, that “The facts speak for themselves.”
Try the Daily Commercial, I believe that’s in Florida, Saturday’s edition. Peace
Andrew.
Facts can’t be argued. Just because you agree with the opinions doesn’t mean that they weren’t opinion. It’d do you well to admit when something is opinion versus fact. It only shows arrogance on your part otherwise.
You talking about this small town paper, the Daily Commercial steve?
I searched this paper, includig sections on the weekend and saw no mention of what your talking about.
Though they do seem to have quite a few soldier stories of support, and support for the war and what they are doing.
Thanks for pointing out another place to find soldier support.
First section, page A2, above the fold. Peace