Why the Liberal Media Voted Early
By Harry R. Jackson, Jr.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Over the last ten years, I have noticed that the pace of political races has changed. These “mini-wars” are strategically managed, media driven, and extremely well-financed. As the political stakes have risen to enormous proportions, the win-at-all-costs mentality has forced its way into the political arena. Republicans stand to lose the political control they have enjoyed for the last few years. Ironically, though, the party with the most to lose in this election is the democrats. This is a must win election.
If the Democrats do not gain significant traction in this mid-term election, they will be deemed so nationally impotent that no form of political Viagra will help them in 2008.
After all, they do not have a unifying doctrine or theme except for being against the war. Unfortunately for them, their anti-war statements are not backed up with clear plans. Beyond the important issue of how and when we bring our boys home, they don’t have much to say. Democratic solutions to the immigration crisis, the health care gap, the energy crisis, and America’s long term global competition problem seem to be muddled, ill formed, and without a clear internal party consensus.
So how is it that the Democrats seem to be leading in so many recent polls? They have recruited a new partner to help them fight for power--- the liberal media. The bias of the media sounds like such a trite excuse for conservative lack of campaign trail performance. Yet this time, I believe there is much truth to the concept that conservatives are fighting both the media and the Democrats.
Against the backdrop of the American public’s universal dissatisfaction of with the administration and the legislative branch of our government (both House and Senate), the media’s biased reporting almost seems objective. Unfortunately, there have been many stories written and broadcasted the last six weeks designed to demoralize the conservative base. The 2004 Republican victory was orchestrated by drawing 5 unique interest groups into the “big tent”. These voting blocks or interest groups are:
1. Evangelical Christians
2. Hispanics
3. African Americans
4. Economic Conservatives
5. Independents
The media has barraged us with testimonials and poll results that suggest that each one of these interest groups is fed up with the Republicans. In addition, they report that former conservative supporters from each of these groups want to “throw the bums” out of office. These stories seem to be saying “Why come out and vote? Everyone else with your values and interest has already abandoned ship! You can not possibly make a difference.” What makes the reporting biased is the omission of the historic reasons why these groups moved away from Democratic side of the room originally. Many of the Democratic Party’s limitations have not been addressed. Former values voters and conservatives have been given a “subliminal” message to stay home. In addition, the same articles, stories, and features predicting a land slide of Democratic victories in the House and Senate have at their root a clear agenda---to coax liberal voters to the polls on November 7, 2006.
Time will not allow me to speak in depth about each one of these strategies. The one group I would like to talk about briefly is African Americans. Let’s talk briefly about the fact that all four of the black candidates who ran for significant statewide offices as Republicans were minimized and painted as turn coats or traitors by the liberal press. Ken Blackwell of Ohio, Keith Butler of Michigan, Michael Steele of Maryland, and Lynn Swann of Pennsylvania all had to fight for both local and national press coverage of their historic candidacies. Their very presence as candidates in their respective races for U.S. Senate or Governor shows the dawning of a new day.
The most promising of these candidates (in terms of their ranking in the polls) is Michael Steele, running for the U.S. Senate. As the first black Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland, he has developed a major political resume’. Unfortunately, He has been called Oreo, Uncle Tom, and has recently been accused being a “slave” to the Republican at recent rally for his opponent. The press has not even denounced the use of such incendiary racial epitaphs directed at Steele for the last to years.
Instead of giving any major coverage to these four black Republican candidates, the liberal media has used a great deal of expensive airtime talking about Barrack Obama’s 2008 “potential” presidential candidacy and Harold Ford’s senatorial race in Tennessee. Both of these men’s faces have graced the covers of major news magazines this fall. The message that this sends to the black electorate is that the only legitimate black political voices that the media receives are Democrats.
Harry R. Jackson Jr. is founder and Chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition as well as author of The Warriors Heart: Rules of Engagement for the Spiritual War Zone.
