Meet the Press 10/9/2011 -- Republican-Obsessive Disorder

Why do I analyze political/news programs like Meet the Press, Morning Joe and, now, Up with Chris Hayes? They are basically useless as far as real issues facing Americans go, because their focus on politics reduces most of the analyses to political tactics, popularity contests, image-making, spin, the back and forth of the horse race, etc., but at least these shows give us a glimpse into the media mindset regarding politics, and it reveals who media favors in the political race -- also, the guests, intentionally and unintentionally, reveal what they really believe about the role of government. Finally, Hayes' show is funny.

David Gregory performed interviews with Rahm Emanual and Paul Ryan. The Emanual interview was a waste of time, because he merely parroted the administration's position that Obama is fighting for the middle class and poor while Republicans are obstructionists protecting the rich. Earlier on Chris Hayes' show, the same claims were made, and both shows played clips of Joe Biden saying the Republican Party has done nothing but say "no".

I've heard this same line throughout the major media outlets, but when Paul Ryan was interviewed, he gave a completely different account. One of the charges Obama and others on the Left made and is circulating in media states that Republicans have no jobs plan, yet Ryan claims that 12 bills related to job growth have been sent to the Senate from the Republican controlled House, and the Senate won't take up the bills and put them to a vote. Plus, Harry Reid is even blocking Obama's jobs bill from a vote, because Reid doesn't have enough Democrat votes.

Anyone reasonable watching the various political shows which repeat over and over Obama's claim that Republicans's have no plan also notice that the hosts of the shows don't question the claim -- they don't ask about the Republican bills stacked up in the Senate, and they don't challenge the political spin which frames Republicans as obstructionists. And when Gregory was confronted on the panel by a Republican representative making the same point as Ryan made, Gregory immediately framed this as a problem of disagreement in congress. A clip Gregory played that showed Biden making the claim Republican leaders are captured by an extreme base was the most revealing mindset revealed during the entire Meet the Press show, but Gregory didn't pick up on it -- no one picked up on it.

Biden said we need a strong Republican Party, one that, like in years before, would make deals. To paraphrase Biden, he said "We need Republican leaders we can present with the deal and they can sell it to their members". Biden wants a Centrist/Statist Republican leadership which will rubber-stamp the Democrat agenda. Since the new Republicans are attempting to put forward a real opposition to the progressive agenda, and because they present their own plans for job creation, they are labeled by the Left as obstructionists. You don't have to be a Republican, which I'm not, to see the arrogant reasoning here. The real issue is that there are two very different visions now regarding what will create economic growth and job creation.

It remains to be seen if Republicans will stick to their vision and not just sell the Democrat "deal", as Biden wants, but so far they're holding strong with their budget proposal and plans for economic expansion and job growth. The public will surely see through media spin and realize they actually have a choice to make -- does the public want more government intervention and stimulus, or does the public want to change the system, limit the power of government, create a free market and, thus, give businesses more confidence and incentives to invest in growth and hire more workers? Right now businesses are faced with the uncertainty of higher taxes and more regulations, so they aren't hiring because they have no way of knowing what their costs of doing business will be. Ryan said that if the planned tax increases go through, small businesses will pay an effective 50% tax rate, while other countries have business tax rates of 10-25%. Is there any wonder our economy is stagnant?

Gregory had a chance to explore Ryan's claims, but he chose to shift the issue back to the charge of obstructionism and the public's anger at Wall Street. Ryan also stated he's for removing all corporate welfare and closing all tax loopholes which favor the wealthy. What else can the Left ask for? I mean this ought to please the Occupying Wall Street protesters. Ryan also said he's not concerned with protecting those already rich, but rather with creating an environment where everyone has an opportunity to prosper - this is obstructionist? Fair is fair, and media is not treating these issues fairly. Let's have an honest debate.