That question was answered in the affirmative by a Democrat, Patrick Caddell. Caddell has been a pollster for Jimmy Carter, Gary Hart, Joe Biden, and others. He is also a contributor at Fox News. Caddell raised this question on September 21 at Accuracy in Media’s Conference —Obamanation: A Day of Truth . Fox News has published Mr. Caddell’s entire speech at the Accuracy in Media conference. It is long and, in my opinion, it is the most honest description of media today that I have seen. This speech should be a must read for all conservatives. Mr. Caddell believes that the media has become a threat to America’s future. This was how he opened his speech:
I think we’re at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy or not. You know, when I first started in politics – and for a long time before that – everyone on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, despised the press commonly, because they were SOBs to everybody. Which is exactly what they should be. They were unrelenting. Whatever the biases were, they were essentially equal-opportunity people.
He is right, isn’t he? When Democrats and Republicans all hate the press, you know the press is doing its job. Caddell traces the change back to 1980. He laments in particular how many so-called journalist have come from backgrounds in politics or are married to people in politics.
But the overwhelming bias has become very real and very dangerous. We have a First Amendment for one reason. We have a First Amendment not because the Founding Fathers liked the press—they hated the press—but they believed, as [Thomas] Jefferson said, that in order to have a free country, in order to be a free people, we needed a free press. That was the job—so there was an implicit bargain in the First Amendment, the press being the only institution, at that time, which was in our process of which there was no checks and balances.
Caddell goes on to focus on the behavior of the press during this Obama administration. He names names and cites examples. He is less than impressed with the White House Press Corps today.
This press corps serves at the pleasure of this White House and president, led by people like Ezra Klein and JournoList, where they plot the stories together. The problem here is that no one will name names.
He spends a lot of time talking about the biased reporting of the last few weeks on the events in Libya as well as the biased poll results that are being pushed. Caddell claims that the old addage of “don’t get in a pissing contest with the press because you will lose” no longer applies. The media have taken sides. As a result, the voters are being misled. They are not hearing the truth. The media have become the enemy of the people and Caddell thinks it is time that Romney or his campaign made sure the voters know how they are being misled. He has some advise for Nr. Romney:
If I were the Romney campaign I would’ve been doing this for months! I’d have been looking at individual reporters! I would be telling the American people, “They’re not trying to stop me; they’re trying to stop you! And they are here to do this!” And I would have made the press themselves an issue because, until you do, what happens is, they are given the basic concession of authenticity and accuracy, or that they are credible, by not doing that. (Bold added)
Folks, I am in full agreement with Patrick Caddell. The media have become the enemy of the people. They are hell-bent on making this election turn out the way they want it to turn out. They are doing everything in their power to tear down Romney and prop up Obama. Lying and/or covering up the truth has become their modus operandi. It is time for Mitt to take off the mittens and let the public know how the media is trying to manipulate them.
We don’t know if this country can survive a Romney administration. The fiscal and monetary problems that weigh on this world may be insurmountable. However, we do know this country can not survive another four years of the Obama administration.
Well, now you know what I’m thinking. What are tour thoughts?
Asylum Watch 
I agree completely with Pat Caddell with only one minor difference: I would not have Romney himself do the criticizing. It would make him look like a whiner. But there should be a legion of GOP surrogates doing it every day.
Yes, it would be best if Romney’s surrogates led the campaign against the media.
Romney should hammer home that the enemedia are perverting the election process.
I definetely agree with Caddell that the media has become a threat to the American way of life. At least what once was the American way of life.
Romney could try that. It would be interesting. It would probably fail because then the press would double down on its efforts to portray him as a “meanie.” A “fat cat Republican” who wants to destroy the middle class. And would there be enough time for him to recover?
If enough of us supported exposing the media for what they have become, they would just dig themselves into a deeper hole by doubling down.
But if the media does not cover the criticisms, then the tree merely falls in the Forrest. But you raise an excellent point.
Campaign ads are the way to expose them. The people can’t escape the ads.
If I may quote from one John Galt that wrote as a ‘comment’ to one of your excellent posts a bit back:
“The precursor and warning sign of a breakdown of a free society usually comes when there is a breakdown in the 4th power – the press. The 4th power is an essential element of control and exposure of the other three powers of government. It is essential for keeping the people aware and informed. That is the power that has now broken down in America. There is nobody to expose and denounce the abuses of the other three powers. The Press has been corrupted and it has taken sides. It is no longer free.”
This same John Galt wrote in his blog: “We don’t need freedom of the press, what we need is freedom from the press.”
And added: “Our real oppressor is misinformation by the Press.”
I do remember those jewels of wisdom. Were they all from the same John Galt? 🙂
Without a diligent press watch dog, government can and will run amuck.
But a direct answer to your question is, no.
He should supplant the media and inform the people of the true actions and meaning of those actions of his contender, not of the press.
We will have to agree to disagree on this point, John. We like to think the MSM is dying and nobody listens. They do listen. Today’s media is a dangerous animal. Team Romney needs to expose them, IMO.
I was just writing this morning about an AP press release on Obamacare fining hospitals for re-admitting Medicare patients within 30 days. AP reports: “The penalties are part of a broader push under President Barack Obama’s health care law to improve quality while also trying to save taxpayers money.” Really? Obama is improving quality and saving taxpayers money? So Joe Blow from Kokomo reads that and believes Obama is “improving quality and saving money?” That is but a tiny example of what I see every day from the so-called press. My hometown newspaper is full of this. I quit taking the Charlotte Observer (disturber) to save my blood pressure and my head from exploding.
Pat Caddell is exactly correct on this…which is ironic, coming from a (former)Democrat operative. (I keep hoping he will denounce and renounce his former bosses and socialist comrades. Maybe he has and I just don’t know it.) The press, as conceived, doesn’t exist anymore. The press is bought and paid for by global socialists. All they report is through that prism. The American public is lost, truth is lost, and especially the Constitution is lost.
The best thing you, Jim, and all of our friends here, are doing is countering the corrupted press by trying to get the truth out there the best we can. Thankfully we can still get some of it out there. If the Feds get hold of the internet, we are truly done. Dark ages will arrive.
As for Romney…just waiting and wishing here.
As for Romney, we are all just waiting for him to take the offensive.
Obviously, I am not voting for Romney. I’ll let the bankers do that.
I am actually looking forward to the debates- mainly because I expect Romney to hold his own- but I actually expect him to kick Obama’s ass. (I may bring that “Kick Obama’s ass game back to my blogsite.)
This is a guy with no track record and no teleprompters to save him. Romney is no idiot. I’ve been listening to the left wing yak about how Obama is gonna have his way with Romney- I am betting it’s the other way around.
Good stuff.
It is one thing for the politicians to treet us like ignorant children; but for the media to do that is a real punch to the gut. I think Romney will do well in the debates. Sadly, only the engaged will watch.
There is only one way to fight the media: stop buying newspapers; stop buying products advertised in the liberal corrupt TV networks; stop watching and tuning into those networks.
Like the Chicago Herald Tribune, they will eventually go broke; or make their public eyes subservient to the interests of a foreign sugar-daddy, like the NYT with the Mexican Carlos Slim.
All the things you suggest are good. Still,, I think the media can and should be humiliatedby citing names and quotes.
Reblogged this on That Mr. G Guy's Blog.
Thanks for the reblog, Mike.
That’s amazing coming from Patrick Caddell. I have to believe there are a lot of the old school Dems out there that aren’t “Progresssives” (regressives) who are thinking, “Wait a second… This crap has gone too far!” There are those who understand that it’s one thing to be a soft-hearted liberal, and quite another to think that an elite can dictate the economy (they still understand that, fundamentally, our national wealth and prosperity is the result of capitalism), that the government should spend us into oblivion, and that all of this extra-constitutional power grabbing should continue.
I do fear the lies that Obama tells and the press allows him to get away with, or even repeats. The whole “Romney wants to go back to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place” lie is particularly bothersome to me. The most recent post at http://www.freemarketproject.com goes into it… An honest press would say, “Hey, did the share of taxes paid by the wealthy go up or down under Bush? (Up, for those of you who don’t already know). Was the deficit growing or shrinking prior to Reid/Pelosi? (Shrinking). Who signed the Budget for 2009, the “last” Bush budget that had the first trillion dollar deficit (hint, it wasn’t Bush… the Congress never gave it to him to sign, they waited until someone else was in the White House)? And how about this one: What was the cause of the housing bubble, and what made all of those mortgage backed securities vulnerable?
I will bet you that not one hard core Dem, or even a Dem with moderate interest in politics can answer any of those questions. A decent press would have that information at every American’s finger tips. We don’t have a decent press, so Dem candidates and Dems in the public can pass around falsehoods unimpeded.
I am not taking that bet, Pat. BTW, did you see this? I think you will like it.
https://conservativesonfire.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/creating-a-capitalist-paradise-in-honduras/
I posted this same speech over on http://www.America‘sWatchtower.com the other day, it was by far the best of Caddell. He is more conservative than he thinks he is. I am seeing a number of the Libs moving more to the right, lately. Even they are not in agreement with what is going on. I commend them for standing up for what is “right”, not what the party expects from them. It means that there are still people that know right from wrong and act accordingly. There is hope for us, if we can see that happening, Jim.
In spite of the media, there is hope that some people are catching on, Linda.
http://www.americaswatchtower.com Sorry about that Steve, it didn’t come out right, not at ALL.
I agree Jim, at this point the media has become part of the problem and I hope that Romney will take them to task. However, while this is red meat to Republican voters I wonder if it will be effective to the moderate voters. Still, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by this line of attack.
“Still, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by this line of attack.”
That is the way I see it too, Steve. They are going to try to destroy him in any case.
No, I think Mr. Romney needs to focus his full attention on the American voter.
Now seriously, does anyone honestly believe the media cares what Romney thinks, or what “we the people” think? I don’t think they do, nor do I think this will change unless, or until, the American people get so fed up with media BS that they stop buying papers and magazines, or when they stop watching NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC. The ONLY way to hurt the media is through economic means. The problem is, we have millions of morons in the US who eat out of Rachael Madcow’s hand. There isn’t much we can do about that.
Yo are not alone in your opinion, Mustang. It is not so much the media’s attention I want as it the attention of the voters who realize they are being lied to by the media.
Hey, Jim, for some reason Mustang’s point seems full of wisdom.
I wonder why that is? 🙂 My father was a Scot. Maybe that explains my stubbornness.
He should turn the tables (as he will have an opportunity to do, I’m sure) at the “moderators” of the debates, kind of like Newt did. Other than that, no. Stay on message.
You are in the majority on this, Edge. Could I possibly be wrong? 🙂