Opinion

Media comes to the rescue for Democrats

Ashley Stinnett Contributor
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According to mainstream media outlets such as ABC, CBS and NBC, voters who are outraged at the nation’s current out-of control spending and ever-growing debt are just too dumb to understand the vast intelligence of Obama and his Washington economic team.

Yeah right, that’s it.

So in other words, if you are a voter who is planning on not voting for a Democrat in next month’s midterm elections, then you are simply an “irritated” little brat throwing a temper-tantrum.

This is the same argument media outlets made during the 1994 midterm elections, when ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings compared voters to two-year-olds.

Flash forward sixteen years later and, voila, it’s the same tired, worn-out strategy all over again being spewed forth by the same worn-out and tired media talking heads.

Never mind the fact that Barack Obama has spent more money on government entitlement programs than any president who preceded him. Who cares that the Democratic-controlled Congress passed a radical health care reform bill without the consent of the American people? Forget the fact that Obama and his Democrat allies in Congress continue to waste taxpayer money while looking the other way. How about the fact that most of the Democrats’ big legislative deals were brokered behind the scenes in smoke-filled rooms?

Obviously these are not genuine reasons to vote out Democrats.

Even NBC’s Brian Williams is starting to echo the idea that voter outrage has nothing to do with Democrats in Washington, but everything to do with a bad-mannered electorate.

To hear mainstream media outlets tell it, an ever-growing debt, a poor economy and the risk of higher taxes are not actual reasons to vote against the party in power but merely childish excuses from misinformed voters.

So how does the media plan to help Democrats get reelected?

First, the American people will see a string of precarious and misleading polling data that will show Democrats “closing the gap” in most races. This scripted tactic was actually launched last week when several media outlets reported that Democrats in toss-up districts were gaining on their respected GOP challengers. In fact, some of the bogus polling data showed Democrats actually overtaking their Republican opponents.

For example, last week Marshall University dishonorably took sides in the tight West Virginia U.S. Senate race by publishing a phony poll conducted by a Democratic campaign boss. Even though the results were completely out of step with previous polls conducted by non-partisan groups, the university decided to sanction the unscrupulous act. Needless to say, this bizarre strategy backfired, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many of West Virginia’s voters.

This week alone, two polls have shown Republican Pat Toomey trailing in the Pennsylvania Senate race. Never mind the fact that, for nearly an entire year, his opponent, Democrat Joe Sestak, has been trailing.

Are Democrats really closing the gap?

Most political pundits agree that some Democratic base voters are getting behind their party’s candidates. However, if Democrats believe they can retain control of the House with just the support of young people and minorities, they are sadly mistaken.

Both aforementioned groups have registered low enthusiasm numbers in recent polling, especially compared to their enthusiasm levels two years ago, when Obama was on the ballot.

Nevertheless, the media’s tactic is simple: drive potential GOP voters back home and away from the polls by deceiving them into believing that their candidates are getting squashed in the final stretch of the campaign.

As Democrats become increasingly worried about the prospect of losing the Senate along with the House, you can bet the far-left media, spearheaded by NBC, will be doing all they can to ensure that some Democrats make it out alive after November 2.

Ashley Stinnett lives in West Virginia, where he serves as an adjunct college instructor, writer, media and public relations consultant, public speaker and political commentator. He is a registered member of the West Virginia Associated Press, and is a nationally syndicated columnist. He is the author of the new book, “Grasping Appalachian Conservatism: How Not To Be Mistaken For A Latte Liberal.”