The absurdities of the media's Obama slobberfest

[Monkeyleg]

The media's infatuation with and providing cover for President Obama is old, old news. Whether the MSM is ignoring the illegalities of the automaker bailouts, the cost of the proposed health care bill, or any of the other serious Obama stories, it's been covered on some website somewhere.

What I find interesting are the almost daily news snippets about nothing. I don't know if your local rag has similar stories, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been running small stories almost daily since the swearing-in.

Among some of the recent hard new stories about Obama are:

1. Obama's kids have to do chores (in today's paper).

2. Obama ate a hamburger (this was a story a few days ago).

3. Obama went swimming.

4. Obama played basketball.

5. Barack and Michelle like to snuggle.

As I said, the paper has been running these little fluff stories since January 20th. Certainly there are other more newsworthy events, yet the editors choose to devote precious column space (especially considering that the paper is now just a few pages long) to the most trivial events in Obama's day.

Even Elvis or the Beatles didn't get this kind of press. It's more than disgusting, it's weird. I'd like to sit an editor down and have him explain the decision to run a story about Obama going out for a hamburger.

Or maybe I wouldn't want to hear the explanation.

[Boomhauer]

Every damn day it's something about Obama.

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about what Michelle Obama wore today or whatever. Sick and damned tired. I DON'T CARE what she wore.

It's worshiping Obama, IMHO. And it's scary. The press should always be looking to dig up dirt on politicians, not groveling at their feet.

[Perd Hapley]

Even Bill Maher has managed to be less than completely useless, by ridiculing the media about this. 

[taurusowner]

Well not too long ago one of the talking heads in the state-run media did outright call BHO a God.  So this kind of fluff is not surprising.

[FTA84]

FoxNews had some comments about this -- to the tune that he was elected because of his "rock star" aura and not his political policies.  Thus the MSM is reporting on him in an according fashion, turning the major news outlet in mini-versions of US weekly.  If it is good enough to get him elected, it is good enough to sell news.

Slightly offtopic:  Fox claims that they have increased market share greatly since the the other channels fell in love with Obama. Is there data available to confirm this?

[LadySmith]

I saw, but did not read, a blurb about him swatting a fly.  :|
Talk about ridiculous. 

[Viking]

The similarities to the "news" from North Korea, especially those about the so-called/claimed achievements of that midget Elvis-lookalike leader of theirs, is rather striking...

[restorer]

The same blurb had a sub-blurb of him taking another shot at Fox News for not sucking up to him and agreeing with everything he says. Metaphor? I know he would like to swat Fox News like he squashed that fly. Maybe somebody could do an edit to dub the audio of his comments about Fox over the video of His Nibs swatting the fly.

What I don't understand is how the other media outlets can condone his repeated shots at Fox. A President complaining about a dissenting media outlet? Can anyone there say "Hugo Chavez"? Can anyone there say "First Amendment Rights"? Obviously not.

I've got a new oxymoron...."Journalistic standards."

[longeyes]

The alternative to the slobber would be to seriously examine the weighty political issues of our day--and that is the LAST thing the MSM (or liberals) wish to do.  The personality cult of Obama is the Hamburger Helper of what passes for serious political discussion in this age of deliberate obfuscation and disinformation.  Some of the journalists are pepetual adolescents but many know what they are about in clouding the truth.

[El Tejon]

The similarities to the "news" from North Korea, especially those about the so-called/claimed achievements of that midget Elvis-lookalike leader of theirs, is rather striking...

You mean how the U.S. Media is now claiming that Obama invented the steam engine and the helicopter.

[Viking]

You mean how the U.S. Media is now claiming that Obama invented the steam engine and the helicopter.

Hey, they claim he's going to fix the financial crisis. Compared to that, Kim Jong's perfect golf round seems rather petty.
Besides, everyone knows that Big Brother invented the steam engine, the helicopter, the airplane and all that.

[grampster]

I say let the MSM continue to do what they have been doing.  There is an economic law, The Law of Diminishing Returns, that will begin to assert itself in this instance. 

Using a candy bar for an example for those of you on the east and west coasts:  The first bite tastes wonderful.  The second and third may also taste good.  After the 4th the taste begins to diminish; after the fifth, one may begin to pay less attention except that there is something in one's mouth;  the sixth might start to become a chore to swallow; by the seventh and eighth..........one begins to feel satiated to the point where nausea overcomes delightfulness....and so on and so on.

[Monkeyleg]

I saw, but did not read, a blurb about him swatting a fly.

I read that piece. PETA was actually quoted, something about respecting all life. 

I'm not talking about softball editorials on policy issues. God knows there's enough of those. I'm talking about articles of absolutely no substance or consequence that are obviously put there to simply put forth the human side of Obama, day in and day out. I'm expecting to see a headline any day now that reads, "Obama Farts".

[freakazoid]

I saw, but did not read, a blurb about him swatting a fly.

I read that piece. PETA was actually quoted, something about respecting all life.  rolleyes

PETA was apparently freaking out about him swatting that fly.

[Standing Wolf]

[sincerity] Yes, but the commoners would be unhappy if they didn't have someone to look up to. Their lives would feel empty, meaningless. [/sincerity]

[eyebrows]

I saw, but did not read, a blurb about him swatting a fly.

I read that piece. PETA was actually quoted, something about respecting all life.  rolleyes

The other day I read a story about him swatting the fly. They actually compared him to Lincoln... for swatting a fly.
See apparently Lincoln had a photo taken and in that photo there is also a fly. Of course that means Obama is Lincoln reborn and we should all support everything he does. At least thats what I got out of it.  :rolleyes:

[Balog]

Well not too long ago one of the talking heads in the state-run media did outright call BHO a God.  So this kind of fluff is not surprising.

O rly? When/where was this? I hadn't heard.

[makattak]

O rly? When/where was this? I hadn't heard.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/06/05/newsweek-s-evan-thomas-obama-sort-god

[MattC]

Dick, I think part of what you're seeing an a shift in published content as a reaction to economic pressures.  The print media had been a bit of a hold-out against what you saw happening with the vulgarization of television news.  The publishing of "fluff," or emotive, content may be a business decision to combat market perceptions of the print media--i.e. that it is an old or boring medium that's for Grandpa.  They've been losing readership for decades without really changing their business model.

Grumpy people like us now have to take the initiative to find multiple credible niche news sources to check online rather than going to the doorstep for the daily news.  On a somewhat related note, it surprises and impresses me how relatively unbiased and fact-oriented NPR is compared to most commercial news sources.  At least when they make a mistake or show bias, they'll read comments from their website that disagree with them the next day.

[Jocassee]

Dick, I think part of what you're seeing an a shift in published content as a reaction to economic pressures.  The print media had been a bit of a hold-out against what you saw happening with the vulgarization of television news.  The publishing of "fluff," or emotive, content may be a business decision to combat market perceptions of the print media--i.e. that it is an old or boring medium that's for Grandpa.  They've been losing readership for decades without really changing their business model.

Grumpy people like us now have to take the initiative to find multiple credible niche news sources to check online rather than going to the doorstep for the daily news.  On a somewhat related note, it surprises and impresses me how relatively unbiased and fact-oriented NPR is compared to most commercial news sources.  At least when they make a mistake or show bias, they'll read comments from their website that disagree with them the next day.

One reason I continue to listen to NPR is because even though they have a distinct liberal bias, they do actually research, do good, probing interviews, and try to give a picture of a given situation that is clear to those who follow the news. They are liberal, but obviously there is no conservative equivalent, and they are still the best.

[MechAg94]

The same blurb had a sub-blurb of him taking another shot at Fox News for not sucking up to him and agreeing with everything he says. Metaphor? I know he would like to swat Fox News like he squashed that fly. Maybe somebody could do an edit to dub the audio of his comments about Fox over the video of His Nibs swatting the fly.

What I don't understand is how the other media outlets can condone his repeated shots at Fox. A President complaining about a dissenting media outlet? Can anyone there say "Hugo Chavez"? Can anyone there say "First Amendment Rights"? Obviously not.

I've got a new oxymoron...."Journalistic standards."

What happened to the journalist who would take it as a badge of honor if a President or politician complained about them? 

[Monkeyleg]

What happened to the journalist who would take it as a badge of honor if a President or politician complained about them?

Bob Woodward was a Republican, but that didn't stop him from going after Nixon like a pit bull. I guess Obama is more of a threat than Nixon was.

[Boomhauer]

What I don't understand is how the other media outlets can condone his repeated shots at Fox. A President complaining about a dissenting media outlet? Can anyone there say "Hugo Chavez"? Can anyone there say "First Amendment Rights"? Obviously not.

First amendment rights only apply to leftists. Dissent is only patriotic if practiced by leftists. Conservatives and libertarians are subhuman scum who ought to be killed off.

And that has been stated by many leftists.
 

[Perd Hapley]

Using a candy bar for an example for those of you on the east and west coasts:  The first bite tastes wonderful.  The second and third may also taste good.  After the 4th the taste begins to diminish; after the fifth, one may begin to pay less attention except that there is something in one's mouth;  the sixth might start to become a chore to swallow; by the seventh and eighth..........one begins to feel satiated to the point where nausea overcomes delightfulness....and so on and so on.

You need to have that checked out.  Candy bars are good all the way through, and the last bite is supposed to make you want to start on another one, only King-sized next time.  You may need a higher quality of candy bar.  I suggest Snickers, Zagnut or Payday.


And fifty demerits to the guy who suggested that Obama passes gas.  You know he only exudes charm, good will and deep, world-changing intellect. 

[LadySmith]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/06/05/newsweek-s-evan-thomas-obama-sort-god

Well, that was downright creepifying. 

This is the same Evan Thomas, the Editor for Newsweek, who in Feb. 2007 said, "Our job is to bash the President."

If I wore a tinfoil hat, I'd start wondering if the media has suffered a sudden influx of pod people.