Since the election, Democrats have been admonishing Republicans to “take a deep breath”.  In a condescending tone they add, “It will all be okay.”

 

This is an interesting turn of events, given that those on the left have been rageful since the 2000 election.  They have never been able to “take a deep breath”.  Even now, they hold on to their belief that the 2000 election was stolen, despite objective evidence to the contrary.  Some believe that the 2004 election was stolen.  In Minnesota, many members of the left continue to display Wellstone lawn signs and bumper stickers.  Many still believe that Senator Wellstone was murdered.  Their rage is still evident, all these years after Wellstone died in a plane crash.

 

After all those years of rage, the left tells Republicans and Conservatives to “take a deep breath”.  That strikes me as exceedingly hypocritical.

 

Conservatives have reason for anger but much more reason to be afraid.  The left has finally gotten what it has been working toward for decades.  The plan has been well crafted.  The steps are simple and obvious.

 

1. Gain control of the educational system to ensure that students think the “correct” thoughts.
2. Create individual dependency on government by promoting “victimhood” as a mindset.
3. Gradually etch away at individual rights, focusing on the collective.
4. Take control of the media, first through infiltration by leftist journalists and then through government fiat (e.g., the fairness doctrine).
5. Gradually redefine the Bill of Rights, eliminating Amendments that would allow Americans to defend (Second Amendment) and express (First Amendment) themselves.
6. Create corporate dependency on government.
7. Nationalize businesses that have become dependent on government.
8. Develop a national “citizens security force” which, if needed, can serve as a tool for the left in maintaining power.

 

If you re-read the list, two things are obvious.  First, the list is already well over half way complete.  Secondly, this list is very similar to one that must have guided Germany’s National Socialist Party under Adolf Hitler.  Because, whether or not you believe it, this is a list that will guarantee the defeat of America by liberal fascism.

 

So, we must be realistic about the risks that America will face in the coming years. 

 

But, we must also take the advice of the leftists.  We DO need to “take a deep breath”.  We cannot be as irrational as the left has been for the past eight years.  We can not let our feelings turn into despicable threats and actions.  We must retool Conservatism and we must retool the Republican Party.  Once we have returned to what we are really about, we will regain power in government.  And we will do it the RIGHT way.

 

The Presidential election is over.  Many of us are unhappy with the winner.  BUT, President-Elect Obama will be our new President and he will be the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.  As Americans it is our responsibility to treat the man and the position with respect.  The threats that are being thrown around on other blogs and around the internet are completely unacceptable.  I ask every America to do what we can to rid our nation of such hatred.  We will watch our new President as we have with all those who came before.  We will judge the man on his actions.  We will support those actions with which we agree, and we will call him on those actions with which we disagree.  But we will NOT stand for threats.  Period!

 

The left has figured out that they can gain ground against the right if only they are able to pathologize normalcy.  For example, if we are against higher taxation, we are “taxophobic”.  You will see that word nearly every day in the Minneapolis StarTribune as its columnists and letter writers attempt to turn the normal reaction against higher taxation into a psychological disorder.  You will also see the new phrase “oil addiction” almost every day in one or more of the elite media publications and in broadcast media reports.  Of course those of us who are NOT psychotic, addicted, or even neurotic know that our need for oil is not an addiction.  We need petroleum products to get to work, heat our homes, and carry on with our lives.  That is not an addiction.  That is reality.

 

It is time to stop pathologizing normalcy.  We have already redefined many common life situations as psychological disorder.  The so-called Wellstone parity bill has made it law that insurers have to pay for treatment for nearly every condition known to man.  All are defined as psychological disorders. 

 

Let’s not add distaste for more taxation and our need for oil to the list. 

Who says there is a liberal bias in the elite media?  Of course that is all just a rouse to support the Right in bad times.  Of course no one in the media, rather print or broadcast, would ever choose to report favorably about their preferred candidates and their preferred ideology and negatively about those with whom they disagree. 

 

Right?

 

Wrong. 

 

So who says there is a liberal bias in the elite media?  Deborah Howell, for one.  She is the Ombudsperson for one of the most liberal newspapers in America, the Washington Post.

 

I tip my hat to Ms. Howell.  She told the truth.

 

Here is the report from Ms. Hall.  It is entitled: "An Obama Tilt in Campaign Coverage".

 

“The Post provided a lot of good campaign coverage, but readers have been consistently critical of the lack of probing issues coverage and what they saw as a tilt toward Democrat Barack Obama. My surveys, which ended on Election Day, show that they are right on both counts.

 

“My assistant, Jean Hwang, and I have been examining Post coverage since Nov. 11 last year on issues, voters, fundraising, the candidates' backgrounds and horse-race stories on tactics, strategy and consultants. We also have looked at photos and Page 1 stories since Obama captured the nomination June 4. Numbers don't tell you everything, but they give you a sense of The Post's priorities.

 

“The count was lopsided, with 1,295 horse-race stories and 594 issues stories. The Post was deficient in stories that reported more than the two candidates trading jabs; readers needed articles, going back to the primaries, comparing their positions with outside experts' views. There were no broad stories on energy or science policy, and there were few on religion issues.

 

“Bill Hamilton, assistant managing editor for politics, said, ‘There are a lot of things I wish we'd been able to do in covering this campaign, but we had to make choices about what we felt we were uniquely able to provide our audiences both in Washington and on the Web. I don't at all discount the importance of issues, but we had a larger purpose, to convey and explain a campaign that our own David Broder described as the most exciting he has ever covered, a narrative that unfolded until the very end. I think our staff rose to the occasion.’”

 

Bill Hamilton is either a liar or stupid.

 

“The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, (32), than on Sen. John McCain, (13). There were far more negative pieces (58) about McCain than there were about Obama (32), and Obama got the editorial board's endorsement.

 

“The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain.  Stories and photos about Obama in the news pages outnumbered those devoted to McCain. Post reporters, photographers and editors -- like most of the national news media -- found the candidacy of Obama, the first African American major-party nominee, more newsworthy and historic. Journalists love the new; McCain, 25 years older than Obama, was already well known and had more scars from his longer career in politics.

 

"The number of Obama stories since Nov. 11 was 946, compared with McCain's 786. Both had hard-fought primary campaigns, but Obama's battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton was longer, and the numbers reflect that.

 

“McCain clinched the GOP nomination on March 4, and Obama won his on June 4. From then to Election Day, the tally was Obama, 626 stories, and McCain, 584. Obama was on the front page 176 times, McCain, 144 times; 41 stories featured both.

 

“Our survey results are comparable to figures for the national news media from a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism. It found that from June 9, when Clinton dropped out of the race, until Nov. 2, 66 percent of the campaign stories were about Obama compared with 53 percent for McCain; some stories featured both. The project also calculated that in that time, 57 percent of the stories were about the horse race and 13 percent were about issues.

 

“Counting from June 4, Obama was in 311 Post photos and McCain in 282. Obama led in most categories. Obama led 133 to 121 in pictures more than three columns wide, 178 to 161 in smaller pictures, and 164 to 133 in color photos. In black and white photos, the nominees were about even, with McCain at 149 and Obama at 147. On Page 1, they were even at 26 each. Post photo and news editors were surprised by my first count on Aug. 3, which showed a much wider disparity, and made a more conscious effort at balance afterward…

 

“…Obama deserved tougher scrutiny than he got, especially of his undergraduate years, his start in Chicago and his relationship with Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who was convicted this year of influence-peddling in Chicago. The Post did nothing on Obama's acknowledged drug use as a teenager…

 

“…One gaping hole in coverage involved Joe Biden, Obama's running mate. When Gov. Sarah Palin was nominated for vice president, reporters were booking the next flight to Alaska. Some readers thought The Post went over Palin with a fine-tooth comb and neglected Biden. They are right; it was a serious omission...” (all colors and bolding are mine.)

 

A longer column is online. Deborah Howell can be reached at 202-334-7582 or ombudsman@washpost.com.  By Deborah Howell Sunday, November 9, 2008; Page B06