Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Anchoress

Home
Catholic
ACORN, Media & the Angry Right

ACORN, Media & the Angry Right

Last updated on: March 16, 2017 at 4:56 pm by Elizabeth Scalia

ACORN, Media & the Angry Right 2017-03-16T16:56:36+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We’re watching the press out-and-out lie in its reportage. We’re watching YouTube censor what may negatively impact their man. Networks will sell 1/2 chunks of airtime to the Obama campaign, but will not run an ad by his critics. Ann Althouse notes that basic accurate transcription appears to be beyond the press’ capability.

No wonder the GOP rank-and-file are edgy, and angry. They know what “free speech” is. They’ve been gritting their teeth and respecting the first amendment for the last 8 years, watching the opposition say outrageous, hateful, incite-ful things with impunity. They’ve watched and tolerated it because it is the right of every American to say what they want, and that right is paramount. The rank-and-file (for all they’re derided as “nazis”) tend to respect that.

The GOP base is watching the left declare, “free speech for me, but not for thee,” and now, they are getting pissed off.

My Li’l Bro Thom and I were discussing the strange events of the last week, with GOP crowds expressing their anger, and members of the press – who one would think appreciate the first amendment more than anyone else – calling for censure-ship. I’m not entirely sure if Mary Mitchell means “censured”, there, or “censored.” To censure is to “officially rebuke,” and to censor is to completely shut down. I suspect Mitchell – who famously wrote just last month, “Sarah Palin makes me sick. I hate that she was able to steal Barack Obama’s mojo just by showing up wearing rimless glasses and a skirt…” would like to see both.

Imagine that. A mojo so fragile it can be stolen by rimless glasses and a skirt.

Anyway, so Thom, who is still susceptible to media spin once in a while – remember, he’s center-left – was beginning to buy the “oh, no, the GOP crowds are out of control; they’re all a bunch of hot-heads calling for blood,” narrative that the press – feeling unloved – has latched on to this week, quite ignoring the fact that things are pretty ugly in the Canada elections, too, which surely has nothing to do with McCain/Palin.

I reminded him that a few random stupid idiots are no more representative of the GOP than are random idiots on the left – who broadcast the sound of gunfire when discussing the American President – representative of Democrats as a whole.

I agree with him that the GOP does not help itself when the crowds get unruly. These are pictures and soundbites the press will gobble up and spin, and the GOP – who has watched the press control the national narrative for 8 years – should know that.

But I also understand that the folks attending these McCain/Palin are finding some release after 8 years of frustration, watching the press spin any good news badly (think back to all of the times you read articles approximating the following: “Unemployment is 4.6% and the economy grew by 3% last quarter, but experts warn…” Or, “Experts expressed surprised at the good economic numbers…” Good news from Iraq has been embargoed; if the press could not report on American deaths and a gloomy outlook, they preferred not to write at all about the efforts of our troops – can you name a single Medal of Honor winner out of Iraq or Afghanistan? There have been stunning stories of real heroism coming out of these war fronts – mostly about young men and women from “heartland” America, but they’ve been all-but-ignored, rather than celebrated, because America was not supposed to feel good about any of it. And the fact that our shores have been safe for 7 years? Well, if the president had a D after his name, that might be laudable, but he doesn’t, so cares?

Now, the GOP is trying to shed some light on the clear and important connection between Barack Obama and the corrupt ACORN – whose activities are on the verge of discrediting the election in 11, or perhaps as many as 14 states – and even Thom notices that their effort is “seen mostly as ‘another right wing attempt to smear Obama.'” Because you know, when the truth is uncomfortable, it becomes a “smear.”

Well, of course it is being “seen as a smear” by the press and the Democrats. Just like protesters carrying pictures of a beheaded Dubya, or Keith Olbermann’s screaming are seen as acceptable expressions of free speech (which they are) while GOP anger is seen as “scary” and “inciteful” – which it is not.

Obama himself admits his links to ACORN:

“Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drives in Illinois, Acorn was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.”

The ACORN disgrace is not being “covered” right now. It’s being “spun.” The press – whose charge it is to report on events without prejudice – cannot bring itself to seriously look at the fact that ACORN has utterly corrupted voter registration in some states – in Pennsylvania, a former State Supreme Court Justice says she is “not confident we can get a fair election” in the state come November.”

I don’t know about you, but I find that pretty chilling. There is some indication that we’ve come to an end of our long and admirable history of peaceful transitions, decided by the electorate of the nation. What is happening, state-by-state in this election (and has been happening more and more each election cycle) is the gradual dissolution that right which we hold most dear: our right to self-determination. And it is happening, “from the inside,” as we see in Ohio, which – as I write this – has just received permission from the sixth circuit court of appeals to make voter fraud easier, instead of more difficult. There goes Ohio.

The press cannot bring itself to “call for censure” of Jennifer Brunner, the Secretary of State of Ohio who openly tried to disqualify many GOP absentee ballots on shifty grounds, and apparently enables voter fraud.

Judge George C. Smith of the U.S. District Court in Columbus said, “It is hard to imagine a public interest more compelling than safeguarding the legitimacy of the election of the president of the United States.”

Brunner, btw, is being advised by ACORN. Mary Mitchell is not calling for her “censure.”

Depend on it, if Brunner were a Republican, and if she were trying to insist on voter identification, and if a court were upholding her, you would know her name; the press would be calling for her head. Somehow, in the twisted logic of this diabolically disoriented age, asking people to prove their identity before they vote is a “suppressive” and “intimidating” thing.

The “scary” crowds at those GOP rallies are watching the fully untrustworthy press ignore or down-play activities that can shake the very foundation of our democratic freedoms; if the press is “afraid,” they should think about why the crowds are angry. As Rick Moran suggests, they should think about their culpability in the increasing ugliness we’re seeing on both sides. They should – perhaps – assuage the concerns of the right just a little, just a tad, by acting like real journalists instead of advocates and condemning thuggish electoral behavior, rather than ho-humming it.

But perhaps the press is too far gone in their hunger for the November Trifecta: the White House, the Congress, and (quickly) the SCOTUS all in the hands of the left. Not in the hands of normal, rational Democrats, mind you; in the hands of the speech-suppressing, infanticide-supporting, tax-raising, government-growing, no-drilling, no nuclear power far left, who – apparently – are disinterested in creating all those new jobs.

The GOP rank-and-file is watching the privileged and elite, rather comfortable and oh-so-sophisticated, “what is an outlet shop?” press – which does not even try to hide its disdain for middle America – do everything it can to advance an agenda that half the country is convinced will not serve it. They’re watching this same press – purportedly filled with smart, open-minded people – dismiss the reasoned reservations of half the nation over a spectacularly untried and ill-defined man of dubious association as either “ignorant” or “racist.”

The crowds know they are neither “ignorant” or “racist.” They know that you can tell a lot about a man by looking at his friends. They also know that the things they dislike in Barack Obama are the very things they disliked about the caucasian Al Gore and John Kerry: the philosophy of government solutions over marketplace, the elitist disdain for their own values, and the sense that too much power consolidated in one party and enabled by the complicit press is simply bad for the country.

The press tried to steamroller the American public into voting their man both in 2000, and again in 2004, but they were hobbled by Democrat candidates who were stiff and unlikeable. They finally have a candidate who is likable and they can’t believe that these stubborn people on the right are not falling in line and falling in love – as though the right might actually – gasp – have been voting its principles all this time.

But they’re determined to win, and so yes, they’re sacrificing their credibility to do so, because they know that if they get the November Trifecta, credibility won’t matter any more:

…with an Obama victory and a Democrat sweep, the press will – within a year or so – once again be “the only game in town.” And with no reason to do so, they will not even pay the barest lip-service to opposition opinion. Hell, they barely do, now. They will become the monolithic monopoly which acts as the trumpet for the Glorious Government of the People’s Republic of America – or, if you like, Pravda West.

Expect to see little actual reportage, but a lot of spin, about ACORN in the coming weeks. They’ll “spin” rather than report other stories as well. There is no way that – coming this close – the press is going is going to let this election slip through its fingers.

Quite honestly, I don’t know if either of these men is up to the challenges facing the next occupant of the White House. That’s enough doubt to carry going into this election. We should not have to also worry about whether the vote count in each state has been corrupted.

Meanwhile, AJ is looking at questions connected to Obama and Rezko that clearly won’t be answered before the election, and which the press will ignore, while they publish these bizarre polls. More here on Rezko and how he could hurt Obama if the press cared enough.

Glenn Reynolds has a little roundup of other bloggers who are writing about this curious doublestandard that finds lefty assassination fantasies unremarkable but righty anger “frightening.” Drama queens. And plants?

More: Angry left boos Sarah Palin and her 7 year old daughter, Piper

Related:
Gateway Pundit has been following ACORN for years: Obama’s legal career consisted of advising ACORN, more here.
2007: ACORN defendants plead guilty to voter registration fraud
2006: ACORN in Missouri

Alternative Media

America

Barack Obama

Culture of Life/Death

The Perpetual Adolescents

TV/Pop Culture/Music

Voter Fraud

War on Terror

Why can't weeee be ...

Previous Post

October 10, 2008

A picture of Buster

Next Post

October 11, 2008 Vespers Podcast: Am I still fasting?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Remaking" Ourselves 'Remaking' America 9/10 Mindset 9/11 trials Abortion ACORN Adoration Advent Advent 2008 Advent 2009 Advent 2010 Alternative Energy Alternative Media America American Catholic Church American Church American Genius Ameridolatry ANCHORESS BOOKSHELF Anglican-Roman Reconciliation Answers & Questions Anti_Semitism Archbishop Hilarion Ayn Rand Bad Mass Barack Obama Baseball Benedict Benedict & Islam Benedict in UK Benedict XVI Benedictine Bill Whittle Birth Control Blogs and Blogging Blogs and Blogging Bloodless Coup Bobby Jindal Bookchat Breitbart Bride at every wedding... Bride at every wedding... Buckley Bullies Bush Bad? Bush Good Buster Capitalism Catholic Fiction Catholic Vocations Catholicism Celibacy Chaput Charitable Stuff Chesterton Chile Chris Christie Christians in Exile Christine O' Donnell Christmas Christmas Gift Ideas Church Hates Science? Church hates women Communion of Saints Compline Conclave 2013 Confession Constitutional Stuff Conversion Crisis & Opportunity Critical Thinking Crooks and Liars Crucible of Faith Cuba Culture of Life Culture of Life/Death Culture of Treason? Dancing Death Dialogue re Islam Dick Meyer Divorce and Remarriage DOJ Domestic Terrorism Dominican Order Don't try me too high Dowd Dumb Democrat moves Dumb GOP moves Economic woe Education Egregious Harry Reid Elder Son Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend Elderly Election '10 Election '12 Election '16 Election 2004 Election 2006 Election 2008 Election 2010 Election 2016 Elena Kagan Elitism Embryonic Stem Cell Research End Times? English language Enhanced Interrogation Erosion of Rights Eucharist Euthanasia Exorcism Extraordinary Synod Facebook Faith Faith and Reason Faith Friday Faith Perspective Faithful Friday Fascism Again Fascism in America Fatima FCC Feminism Film First Things Forgiveness Fr. James Martin Francis and Islam Francis in America Frassati Fred Thompson Free Speech? Freedom of Worship FutureChurch Global Pandemic GOP Congress Haiti Head Covering Health Care Here and Queer Hermits Heroes Hitchens Holy Spirit Holy Week '09 Holy Week '10 Hoo-Hah & BS Hoo-Hah & BS Icons Illegal Immigration In The Arena Interviews Interwebz Iran Uprising Iraqi Christians ISIL ISIS Islamic State Islamification/Islamofascism Islamification/Islamofascism Isra-El It's all about me! Me! ME! James Burke Jerry Lewis Jesus Christ Joblessness John Boehner John McCain John Paul II John XXIII Juan Williams Just Words Katrina/Rita King is a Fink Latin Mass Leadership Lectio Divina Lent Lent '08 Lent '09 Lent 2010 Lent 2011 Limbaugh Listen to Lizzie Litigious Society Liturgy Liturgy of the Hours Mainstream Media Manliness Marriage Mary Media Excess Medical Merton Michelle Obama Mighty John O' Connor Misc. Miss Ella Missionaries Mitt Romney Monasticism My brother S My Irish Aunties Mystic Monks Nanny Statism Nature NEA Neri New Media Newman Noonan Notre Dame NPR Stuff Nun News Obama Bad? Obama Good? Obama White House Oil Spill Online Retreat '08 Online Retreat Days Oratory Orthodoxy Our Hillary! Parenting Passionists Patheos Patheos Book Club Patrons Paul Ryan Penance Penn Jillette Philosophy PJTV Podcasts Poetry Politics-free zone Pop Culture Pope Emeritus Pope Francis Prayer Predictions Priesthood Pro-Life Public Sector Unions Purgatory Questions about Catholicism Quotes of the Day Quoting the News Race in America rants Recipes Remarried Catholics Reposts by request Retreat thoughts Rome Rudy Giuliani Russia Saints Sarah Palin Scandal Scott Brown SCOTUS Scriptural stuff Secularism Send in the clowns Serving up hot links Sexuality Sherrod Shroud of Turin Sisters and Nuns Social Entrepreneurship Social Media Social Security Socialism doesn't work Sports and Faith Stem Cells Strange Gods Suffering Synod Tea Parties Tea Party Terri Schiavo The 9/11 Commission The Catholic Answer The Constitution The Desert The Fourth Estate The Pelosi The Perpetual Adolescents The Rosary Third Party? Timothy Dolan Touch of evil TSA Tsunami TV/Pop Culture/Music TV/Pop Culture/Music Twitter Uncategorized Unemployment Unintended Consequences US Military Vaginal Musings Vatican Vespers video faves Vile Joe Biden Voter Fraud War by Litigation War on Terror War, What it good for? Why can't weeee be ... World Youth Days Year of Faith Year of the Priest

Select a Month August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, while six-winged beings called out 'Holy, holy, holy.' What were these creatures?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Seraphim Angels Cherubim Leviathan