ACTION ITEM: Keep track of the media’s attacks on Rick Perry…a perfect case study in how the media works overtime to help Democrats
Here’s something it didn’t occur to me to do back in 2008 when Governor Sarah Palin first emerged on the national scene, by way of Dayton, Ohio, when John McCain announced her as his vice presidential running mate.
Previous to her Dayton speech, Governor Palin was largely unknown to most Americans. As a result, she was almost completely ignored by the media, and completely unattacked until moments after her first campaign speech aired.
And then it all began.
One of the reasons I deeply support Governor Palin is how well she’s handled herself in the three years she’s been brutally assailed by the media; this can’t be easy to deal with, but she almost makes it appear that it is. She’s just that tough, smart, and resilient.
Texas Governor Rick Perry emerged this weekend on the national scene himself, though he had a higher pre-debut profile than Governor Palin did. I can’t say that Perry generated all that much attention before Saturday, though. There were occasional rumors about him being gay (he’s not), and attacks on him for the Gardasil decision (see here for a great account of all that)…and the conspiracy crowd’s fears about him being part of “The Bilderberg Group” (he has gone to meetings). But, aside from this, the most the media’s really said about Perry is that he replaced George W. Bush as Governor of Texas, he tried pushing that Mexico to Canada railway through the heart of Texas, and that he’s soft on illegal immigration.
None of the above really ever registered with most Americans, though, since people still largely have no idea who Perry is or what to make of him.
This presents us with a great opportunity to chronicle exactly how the media works in concert against a Republican, to slash at him with a hundred thousand tiny cuts, reporters seemingly working together to push memes and narratives that destroy a person’s credibility (and often their life) to best serve Democrats.
We know full well no university will ever study a phenomenon like this, so it’s up to grassroots researchers and armchair scholars to make this a personal hobby of theirs.
There should be a Timeline created, added to daily, registering the main attacks made on Perry and noting where specifically they come from.
I bet a pattern will quickly emerge, where the Left uses smaller papers and online sources to push ridiculous charges against Perry, which larger papers will then pick up, followed by the TV networks reporting all of this as fact, since it was carried so often in the Lefty press.
This SEEMS to be what happens to Republican candidates running for office.
It’s definitely what happened to Governor Palin, though I never invested the time to record how it unfolded back in 2008.
With Perry, we have a new chance to document definitively how exactly the Left moves in complete concert to decimate a conservative politician who poses a threat to Democrats.
For those of you who are good at organizing, please chime in below with your thoughts on how something like this can be accomplished. I think it’s an important resource we can all learn from, so that ultimately we can prevent this thing from happening to the political figures that have not yet emerged on the national scene.
It’s all about systematically taking the Left’s best weapons away from them, since the Left rarely learns new tricks.
Too bad the Cocktail Party GOP establishment never thinks to do anything like this, and instead just seems perpetually surprised that the same things keep being done to conservatives, over and over again.
© 2011, Kevin DuJan. All rights reserved.
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I think this is a great idea. Is there any way to keep this thread on the front page so it can be updated daily? It could turn into one-stop shopping and proof of media bias.
For starters, Breitbart shamed Ed Shultz into giving a half-arse apology for calling Perry a racist after having MSNBC intentionally edit the actual video coverage to support his assertion. RedState has the story here with its "Citizen Journalism Stops a Liberal Meme in Its Tracks":
http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2011/08/16/ci…
Kevin – As always, your crystal ball proves to be accurate From Gateway –
"FOX contributor Tamara Holder told the Hannity panel tonight that Governor Rick Perry was “suggesting violence” in his critique of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Then she went on to say that Perry “wants to probably kill illegals on the border.” She ended her attacks calling Governor Perry “Scary Perry.”
And, just think, this is the so-called conservative channel."
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/08/new-tone-…
Right Scoop has been doing good work providing info on candidates, here's post on Perry http://www.therightscoop.com/rick-perry-and-the-t…
"Pesky Truth, who is a retired business owner and veteran who lives in dallas, has a great write-up called “Seventeen (17) things that critics are saying about Rick Perry” and it seems to be a very objective take on the criticisms people are leveling at Rick Perry. Some are true, and some are not. You can jump over via the link above and read all 17 of them, but I plan on posting most of them here, one per night, to give you guys a chance to discuss them at length. Tonight’s topic is the Trans-Texas Corridor and here’s Pesky’s write-up"
another from RS http://www.therightscoop.com/karl-rove-mischaract…
"Also, did you happen to notice the Fox News chyron in that segment stating Perry threatened Bernanke? He did no such thing! What is wrong with Greta?"
I'd like to first say how truly happy I am that you're back, Kevin.
One way of following the LSM in their vicious attacks is to simply come up with a search string to include "Rick+Perry" then any other words that would ultimately show up in an article on him, then create a google alert.
Obviously, your inbox will fill up right quick but you'll get a good visual of every place that's going at him. For example, you may see in a day's worth of feed that certain organizations were particularly busy. Also, the feed can be filtered as to type and frequency.
I don't think the media is going to find it that easy to demonize Perry in today's environment. For example, he told a reporter to "go ask Obama if he loves America", when that reporter tried to paint him into a tight corner about the President. The elite media is having the vapors for Perry's use of the terms "ugly" and "treasonous" when it comes to Bernake's and Geithner's fiscal policy — which are terms any informed American would use for the Administration's handling of this country's economics. I am a Palin fan, but am delighted to see Perry smack around the media and its memes so thoroughly.
I think you are already seeing one of he memes on Perry developing. Yesterday, Mr. "Acted Stupidly-57 State" Obama said Perry had to speak more carefully. I bust my gut laughing at that one.
Perry has a LOT to answer for, policy-wise: http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2011/08/texas-repub…
However, the only items he needs to address are those concerns by America's "Country Class" citizens. The more Perry gives the elite media the smack-down, the more he has to gain.
Actually, I've seen the media (especially right-leaning) breathlessly promote Perry for the most part. I do not trust the guy or believe that he is a genuine conservative. I will vote for him if I have to, but I am not excited about the idea. Just another Sarah-supported politician who has remained silent while she was savaged by the media.
I agree, jen….Michelle Malkin talks about *mistakes* Perry has made in the past: http://michellemalkin.com/2011/08/16/rick-perrys-…
Here's another blogger with info on Perry and crony capitalism
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conserv…
Riehl also linked to a WSJ article you may want to read as well
"Rick Perry's Crony Capitalism Problem" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304…
Yeah, I'm of two minds about this, too. Exactly where do we draw the line in determining what's "attack" and what's "examining the record" in order to determine who's the real deal and who's not? Because I gotta tell you, it's a big mixed deal out there right at the moment. A lot of establishment GOP people are jumping around like chicken with their heads cut off. Half of them are singing Perry's praises and the other half are squawking about how bad he is. And some of them are even starting to sing Palin's good points.
Which only makes the hair on the back of my neck rise up and my antenna start twitching. o.O
Attacks are easy to spot in my opinion….things like claiming Perry is a racist, claiming he is homophobic, making all sorts of other wild emotional assertions. Calling him “Scary Perry”, etc.
Anytime the media isn’t calming talking about his record as Governor, but instead is using these charged words and clearly working an agenda against him.
The easy answer seems to be they do this ALL the time, but Ed Schultz trying to invent the “black cloud racial slur” bit is a great example of “an attack”.
What I really want are examples of the media very clearly trying to make things up, tell lies, and twist facts to deliberately make Perry look bad…the way they have maligned Palin since August 29th, 2008.
Okay, let me try this again. Because, I do understand what you're talking about Kevin. The blatant stuff.
Except, let me say that as a conservative who sometimes actually has to take a break from even FoxNEWS because of the way they word things, it's not just the blatant stuff. And it's not just coming from the far left.
Classic example – over the last week or so, I've actually lost count of how many times I've seen people on various "conservative" sites whine, bitch and complain that it's way too late for Palin to get into the race. That window is closed. Then word comes that maybe, just maybe, Christie, Ryan or even Guiliani might be considering entering the race and, lo and behold, there's still time. Plenty of time. The more the merrier.
What the heck?!?
I mean, seriously, a sane person cannot listen to or read this stuff any more than necessary or it truly would drive them nuts. And they wonder why people aren't more informed about politics? Who can follow it when there is not rhyme or reason to it?
Most of us have lives and don't have time for that type of nonsense. We are quite literally tired of the bull at all levels.
Which brings me back to Perry, no pun intended. Really.
No, honestly, I don't know if he's going to implode or if he's going to be the next President but long experience has pretty much told me that when something seems too good to be true right out of the gate – it usually is. Case in point, the person sitting in the Oval Office right now.
That's what I'm seeing right now with Perry and the GOP. An extremely odd mix of… something. Every single person that posts says something completely different about him and I do not mean in the love/hate way that they talk about Palin.
So for me, this isn't simply about watching the left deconstruct another conservative. They'll do that either way. It's about sorting through some bull on our side, too, to get to the truth because political facades just don't do it for me.
God, no.
We don't have stars in our eyes when we look at Perry the way we do with Palin. I want Palin to run, badly, but if she doesn't Perry seems the next best choice. At least we know that Perry will give Palin the job of her choice!
We should definitely vet him, and make him answer challenging questions. Unlike Precious, he doesn't seem to have an inch of thin skin on him. I happen to think Bernanke may well be a traitor, and I loved how the left went all squealy about the Bernanke remark. The cream-cheese crowed, joined with Jeb Bush, don't seem to like him, and that makes me like Perry more. The Bushes wanted the Hitchcock Blonde Kay Bailey to be guv. I don't have anything against KBH except her sneaking around with EMILY's list and basically standing around looking like an ice princess instead of doing very much. KBH "phoned it in."
Yes, I have been picking up rumors that he's gay, that he's been "caught" with his hot male staffers, etc. Many people say that Perry and his wife have had problems, that she seems sad. I don't know anything about this–I do know that sometimes introverted people don't project personality as well as extroverted people. I'd really hate to have to be FL, myself, since I don't much care to have to do all the things expected of a FL.
Exactly who is Precious, thin-skinned or has stars in their eyes about anyone?
Please be precise.
Kevin, I'm more interested in what you said about Perry.
")…and the conspiracy crowd’s fears about him being part of “The Bilderberg Group” (he has gone to meetings). But, aside from this, the most the media’s really said about Perry is that he replaced George W. Bush as Governor of Texas, he tried pushing that Mexico to Canada railway through the heart of Texas, and that he’s soft on illegal immigration."
If he's part of the Bilderburg group (and if he goes to meetings, he is) and he's for the NAFTA Super Highway that will destroy this country, and he's soft on illegals, what's to like about him? The Gardisil tragedy? If you want more about who he really is, it's out there. Look for the video where Vincente Fox thanked him for granting instate tuition to illegals. We don't have to look for 'crazy stuff'' from the left about Perry. He's left a verifiable trial behind him as wide as a football field. He's not getting my vote, and I'm a conservative – a Palin/Bachmann/West conservative.
Prime example, I just ran across this referencing a Pamela Gellar article of all things talking about him: Pamela Geller: “Perry’s Problematic Pals” (http://theconservativediva.net/pamela-geller-perrys-problematic-pals/)
Disclaimer, I haven't actually had a chance to read the source article so do your own research, but as we're saying that's what this is all about. We have to do our own research, people. No more shiny pennies.
The New York Times has started in all ready, right on schedule. Maureen Dowd has clocked in with a hit piece–and yes, I saw Tamara Holder on Fox last evening. She was "appalled that Perry had a stun gun on his person!! Gasp!!!!!
The New York Times, caught in the act of trying to slime Perry:
http://www.breitbart.tv/outrage-nbc-news-ed-schul…
The black cloud of debt suddenly tranforms into a raaacist rant against Obama.
RM link to the video is over at media blog on national review http://www.nationalreview.com/media-blog/274840/w…
"Here’s a clip (starts around the 5:42 mak) from her show last night where she says, quote, “ . . . Rick Perry today threatened to lynch baldy-beardy Ben Bernanke. . . .”
Rachel then goes on to show the video, where Perry says no such thing. What Perry did say about Bernanke, “we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” Whatever you think about what Perry said, to just make up words that Perry wants to lynch Bernanke is journalistic malpractice. There’s just no sane way to go from “we would treat him pretty ugly” to “lynch baldy-beardy Ben Bernake.”
Oh, and then after running what Perry actually said, Maddow doubles down on her lie and repeats that Perry wants to “lynch the Chairman of the Federal Reserve if he tries to help the economy.”
I’m thinking of how “ugly” the Texas would be. I believe we’d use the height of insults that would shame anyone from around here.
1) Not offer to refill an iced tea.
2) Tell Bernanke “That’s ok hun. You did the best you could do. We truly didn’t expect you to do any better.” The last sentence might be too over the top no matter how angry we are at the dollar becoming the new peso.
LOL…Bernanke, bless his heart!
"Ed Schultz: Rick Perry’s reference to a “big black cloud” was a racial crack at Obama, wasn’t it?"
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/08/16/ed-schultz-…
"NBC News Caught Red Handed ‘Selectively Editing’ & ‘ Doctoring’ Video to Smear Gov Perry as Racist."
http://www.breitbart.tv/outrage-nbc-news-ed-schul…
"Ed Schultz: "Sorry for deceptively editing that Rick Perry video"…
"…That’s why Schultz really is sorry, I’m sure, that he didn’t air the unedited clip in the first place. It would have done nothing to hurt his “argument” because his “argument” is really just an assertion predicated on stereotypes about southern conservatives.
"Perry’s a racist because he’s a Republican from Texas who doesn’t like Obama, ergo “big black cloud” is a veiled racial slur no matter what Perry was ostensibly talking about at the time. QED. Again: Fourteen more months of this. Day in, day out."
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/08/16/ed-schultz-…
Prediction: They will go after his economic record. They will claim that he just rode an oil boom and was just lucky. That he "inherited" the economy, if you will:
http://pajamasmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/08/15/th…
Paul Krugman, of course, is claiming that the Texas economic boom is, er, a myth:
http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/274695/pa…
http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2011/08/15/t…
Kevin, excellent point(s). Keep it up!
THEY can say what they want but I believe in the end America's eyes are opening. This won't be a blind election like the last one.
Gov. Rick Perry has been an excellant assest to the State of Texas and he will be the best President we have seen in a long time.
I don't believe Perry's much of a conservative. He's descended from a long line of Democrats and was Al Gore's Texas campaign manager. Another RINO, just better looking.
I'm with you, California Granny.