Politico: Emboldened Media to Push Obama Further Left

Politico: Emboldened Media to Push Obama Further Left

Politico’s Dylan Byers has an extensive write up today focusing on what he describes as the “left-wing media” and how its relationship might become more adversarial with Obama now that he’s been safely reelected and no longer needs protecting from Republican bogeymen. Included in Byers’ category of “left-wing media” is The New York Times, The Nation, MSNBC, and The New Yorker. Missing is Politico, The Washington Post, NPR, and most every news outlet not named Fox News.

Still, the message is the same: Emboldened by its 2012 electoral victory, the mainstream media intends to become “more critical” of Obama. That doesn’t mean Obama’s suddenly going to be held accountable for Libya, Fast and Furious, Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, a stagnant economy, increasing poverty, unacceptable job growth, a staggering deficit, artificially high energy prices, or the never-ending housing crisis — it means the media will only serve to make many of those problems worse by pushing Obama even further to the left:

For the better part of four years, progressive media has had President Barack Obama’s back.

Now that he’s won re-election, it is faced with a choice: Should the left continue always to play the loyal attack dog against the GOP, blaming the opposition at all hours of the news cycle for intransigence? Or, should it redirect some of that energy on the president, holding him to his promises and encouraging him to be a more outspoken champion of liberal causes?

Already, there are rumblings of change.

In the days and weeks following Obama’s victory, progressive voices, primarily in print media, have made efforts to push the president on key parts of the unfinished liberal agenda – including climate change, drone strikes, troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the closing of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, civil liberties and gun control.

According to Byers, the only stumbling block in the pursuit of this agenda is the fear that some (like MSNBC) might take their eyes off this prize because bashing Republicans is just too gosh-darned tempting.

 

*This story is part of the Big Journalism Live Blog, which you can bookmark here.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC

 

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