MSDNC Pres: Criticism of Obama 'racist'

MSDNC President Phil Griffin has accused anyone who doubts Barack Obama's claim to U.S. citizenship of being a racist.

"It’s racist,” said Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC. “It’s racist. Just call it for what it is."

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If the Big O stumbles, will his press corps notice?

Warner Todd Huston, writing at Newsbusters, points out that Barack Obama recently told ABC News that victory is not his goal in Afghanistan.

I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur.

That must be reassuring to the additional 20,000 troops he has dispatched to Afghanistan to achieve....? What, then?

Further, Huston points out:

But that isn’t even the worst of it. Once again we see another example of Obama’s ignorance of history, even American history. In fact, Emperor Hirohito didn’t even sign the document that finalized the surrender of Japan to General MacArthur. That duty was performed by Japan’s Foreign Minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, and one of its generals, Yoshijir Mumezu.

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Sarah 'Barracuda' Palin and the Piranhas of the Press -- Politics Daily

Carl Cannon has a cogent and remarkably candid assessment of the media's treatment of Sarah Palin at Politics Daily, Sarah 'Barracuda' Palin and the Piranhas of the Press -- Politics Daily

Cannon writes:

"Democrats scoffed at her "politics of personal destruction" line, but it's a maxim they originally popularized, and one they will undoubtedly trot out again the next time it happens to one of their own. But the true villains in this political morality play may have been the press...

(T)he entire Sarah saga revealed that it wasn't only the traditional media's business model that is broken. Our journalism model is busted, too.

In the 2008 election, we took sides, straight and simple, particularly with regard to the vice presidential race. I don't know that we played a decisive role in that campaign, and I'm not saying the better side lost. What I am saying is that we simply didn't hold Joe Biden to the same standard as Sarah Palin, and for me, the real loser in this sordid tale is my chosen profession."

Well put.

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Joe 'Foot in Mouth' Biden: No private meetings, just meetings closed to the press

From the LA Times Top of the Ticket:

Joe Biden update: No 'private meetings,' just meetings closed to the press | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

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A big step toward a fed bailout of the MSM?

CNSNews.com reports* that the FCC is examining the future of journalism.

"Michael Copps, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission and its former acting chairman, has circulated an internal report examining the state of media journalism in America and discussing ways to address issues such as the rise of media conglomerates and the prevalence of opinion journalism."

Anyone with access to the internet has to admit that these are troubling days for both print and broadcast journalism, and an examination of the causes would, on the surface, seem harmless.

However there are a number of problematic issues related to the CNS report. One is that the report will address "journalistic quality," which, to this observer, presents serious first amendment issues. Also:

"Among the ideas discussed in the report are things like a potential government response to the decline of older media outlets. Another idea examined in the report is whether the federal government could possibly use the tax code to aid struggling outlets, giving them tax breaks to help them survive."

In other words, another federal bailout of a failing industry.

*CNSNews.com - FCC Commissioner Circulates Document on ‘The State of Media Journalism’

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Gallup: Majority say media treats Palin unfairly

According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, a majority of Americans believe that Sarah Palin has been treated unfairly by the media. Palin's announcement last week that she was resigning as Alaska's governor brought her once again into the media spotlight.

According to Gallup, 53% of those surveyed describe the news media's coverage of Palin as "unfairly negative," a miniscule 9% say that it has been unfairly positive, while 28% say it has been "about right."

As to Palin's political future, Gallup concludes that Palin's resignation:

"has apparently not affected Americans' basic opinions of her to a large degree. As political observers eagerly await her next career move, roughly 19% of U.S. voters say they would be very likely to vote for her should she run for president in 2012, and another 24% say they would be somewhat likely to do so. While still the minority of all voters, it is perhaps not a bad start for an election still three years away, and arguably could put Palin in a better starting position than some of the lesser-known GOP candidates who may also seek the party's presidential nomination."

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Obama coverage stinks

Think the coverage from the current White House press corps sometimes stinks?

You're right.

From Eve Zibel at Fox' White House coverage blog:

The White House press corps "work area in L'Aquila (is) actually a converted volleyball court and we are sectioned off from the overall press corps. All of a sudden there was an awful smell! We just learned, it's a sewage problem for the entire G8 site and the organizers are 'working on it'."

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