May 1, 2006

More on Colbert's satire

The mainstream media, long accused of a liberal bias, seems to have little to say about Colbert's sendup of Bill O'Reilly. If they were truly liberal, they might cover this. Even if you think he bombed, and by comedic standards he did considering that his audience wasn't amused, then it is still news. Yet, most chose to avoid it or dismiss it.

What follows is the best explanation of this I have seen. And a reminder that in the middle of this non-event, we have the Boston Globe detailing 750 times where the President has asserted that he is above the law. That should be our main story.

Chris Durang: Ignoring Colbert, Part Two - Yahoo! News: "The media's ignoring Colbert's effect at the White House Correspondents Dinner is a very clear example of what others have called the media's penchant for buying into the conservative/rightwing 'narrative.'

In this instance, the 'narrative' is that President Bush, for all his missteps, has a darling sense of humor and is a real regular guy, able to poke delightful fun at himself and his penchant for mis-using and mispronouncing words.

Who cares if he lied to start a war? (Or chose to ignore all contrary opinion, which as far as war-starting goes, is pretty crummy.) Who cares if he declares he's above the law, and according to the Boston Globe yesterday there are something like 750 laws he's decided don't apply to him as 'Commander-in-Chief'?

The Globe article's first sentence: 'President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.'

If the President doesn't obey the law, what the heck is he? He's a dictator in a coup, I think -- but no matter, according to the media, he's A-DOR-ABLE!"


Update: A few more links:

Thank You Stephen Colbert.
Whiskey Bar: American Nightmarez
Crooks and Liars
SFGate: Culture Blog! : Stephen Colbert Has Brass Cojones

1 comment:

Wasp Jerky said...

Sort of reminds me of how the mainstream media responded to Fahrenheit 9/11. Apparently the President isn't the only person who can't take criticism.