Letters to the Editor
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A Sincere Attempt at Communication
I would like to step back and attempt to communicate with both of you (Mr. O'Hehir and Ms. Walsh) in the civil, respectful tone deserved. In that spirit, I offer something of a syllogism for context:
1. The MSM in 2000 hated Al Gore for apolitical reasons. To my knowledge, no American candidate has ever received treatment so decisively negative and mischaracterizing. That coverage, which was replete with fabrication, caricature and spin, was held out as legitimate journalism, yet served as a practically unrelenting character assassination.
2. This culture of animus resulted, effectively, in a de facto collusion (albeit without partisan intent) with the Bush campaign. This collusion was the sine qua non of Bush’s inauguration in 2001.
3. Bush’s inauguration in 2001 unleashed great evil in the world, including death, endangering our national security and ecological catastrophe, for which the American MSM holds attenuated, yet real, blame.
First, I freely concede that it wasn’t a hit piece by any stretch. I sensed perhaps even the beginning of some affection on the part of the author. But I feel that the criticism (referencing cliché adjectives in describing Gore) is valid not because it merely echoes the spin from 2000, but because it has potential consequences for 2008. Furthermore, the unrecalcitrant, such as Joe Klein in his recent ludicrous, revisionist book, would deny the MSM scandal that occurred in campaign 2000. In my view, an intellectually honest response by either of you is not possible unless you admit the outrageous behavior of the MSM in 2000. Can you appreciate my point of view?
Let me offer this radical assessment. Given the distorted prism through which virtually every MSM consumer views Vice President Gore, it is difficult to assess the real man, to divorce reality from the cartoonish figure created from a culture of MSM animus. Is he stiff, awkward, nerdy, lacking a core identity? I honestly don’t think so.
One quick political point and then I will close. Gore v. McCain in 2008 is an incalculable yet real possibility. If the themes of 2000 are re-played in 2008 (McCain, the “authentic” maverick with integrity while Gore is the stiff dissembler with no core identity), the outcome is almost assured. Let me offer views of these two from an alternate universe in 2008, where McCain is disliked by the MSM and Gore is liked.
John McCain is viewed as inauthentic, having dumped his faithful wife for the daughter of a powerful Arizona bootlegger. When corruption caught up with him in the Keating Five Scandal, he was miraculously reformed, seizing the McCain-Feingold bill as a platform to launch his New Hampshire strategy in 2000, yet reneging on his support for fully federally funded campaigns after his failure. In between cycles he sucked up to Bush relentlessly to rehabilitate himself with the right. Courting Jerry Falwell in order to run on an Iowa/South Carolina strategy in 2008, was seen as yet more pandering. He is viewed as a psychologically scarred man, having a weird, somewhat slurred speech pattern, devoid of charisma. A pathetic figure lacking core values except lust for the presidency.
Gore is seen as a graceful man (college athlete, Harvard basketball), with grassroots support due to his charisma and devotion to the public good. His family is seen as full of quintessential American role models. Attractive, bright and altruistic. Yet Gore’s brilliance is tempered by his agrarian roots. A man of conviction, in contrast to McCain.
Crazy, isn’t it?
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All we want is a little truth
Giving Salon the Deborah Howell treatment may be going a bit too far. They have presented us with a fine review of an important film, and it’s sadly true that that review contained a cockroach (or maybe a turd). But we should consider their record for context, after all most of us come here because the point of view is a friendly and agreeable one for people of our ilk. Is this review a deliberate provocation? Hardly. Bob Sommersby, of the incomparable Daily Howler who has been chronicling the War on Gore since 1999, puts it this way in yesterday’s post (which contains an examination of a similar review): “To a large extent, on many different matters, we libs have been scripted by the Broders—and we don’t even know it.” (http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh052506.shtml). When he speaks of the reviewer he says “We hate to pick on John Heilemann again; he seemed like a perfectly decent guy in several TV outings last night. ….But [he] channeled Broder perfectly as he described what he’d seen in Gore’s film.” That seems to be the case here as well.
But still, never again! The stakes are too high for this kind of B.S. Count me in with the righteously angry.
In sum, stealing a phrase from our favorite wingnut:
We like you Salon, but you’re on notice!
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It's not just Salon
On Huffington Post, Eric Boehlert documents how the press just can't help themselves and continue to wage a contemptuous war on Gore. Liberal Media such as MSNBC talks about Gore being "one slice short of a loaf" and other bullcrap. As if a wonk like Al deserves that and not our commander in chief? It's utterly ridiculous. O'Hehir's turd of a sentence lies in that dogpile. Why even go there? That's what the outraged readers are wondering? When can Al Gore get written about without any derision or character attack when he is taking his time and money educating the public about the most important issue facing our world?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/why-is-the-press-still-_b_21652.html
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saw the film last nite...
My God... I don't give a shit about accents or any of the crap O'heir's going on about. The freaking glaciers are melting! The earth is heating up like a microwave and we are the popcorn! I knew it was bad...but not like this. I am not a fan of American "democracy." The liars of the world spend lots of money, make shit up and repeat it ad naseum. That aint democracy. But I will tell you what...I will (gulp) vote for Gore should he run and I will even bust my ass to get him in there (double gulp) with the hopes that he will help pull this country out of the environmental nose dive we are dragging the world into. Meantime, am gonna find out what the hell I can do to help the planet and her peoples. I ride a bike in los angeles and while death defying, still aint enough.
PS Maybe it's just the salon style but can't we get good coverage that is insightful and witty without boring, cheap shots? Is there another online magazine folks can recommend to me? Thanks.