According to Gallup, Bush's approval rating is the lowest of any president in March of their 2nd term - 45%.Good question.
A big part of the general deference the press gives this administration is based on this false notion that he's a popular president.
[…]
How low does Bush's approval have to go before WE STOP SAYING THAT.
Of course, the supposition that the press defers to popular presidents doesn’t quite explain their treatment of Clinton, who was extremely popular yet was shown little but contempt by the press in his second term. There was, clearly, something worth covering, but I would argue there’s plenty more and then some worth covering about Bush and his Congressional minions.
The conventional wisdom about the press laying off Bush because he’s popular may be just as flawed as the underlying notion that Bush is popular. Bush & Co. are ruthless media manipulators and vengeful toward members of the press who write anything unfavorable about them. The press is cowed by the fear of retribution, end of story.
Well, maybe not totally the end of the story. It also has to do with media ownership, and the fact that being kind to Bush is far more likely to result in relaxed rules governing the aforementioned than being kind to Clinton ever would have.
And it might also have the teensiest, tiniest bit to do with the fact that the media is probably none to eager to face their own complicity in concealing the truth about this administration from the American people for the past four+ years.
Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.
blog comments powered by Disqus