AIM Report
While the media largely continue to do their best to protect and defend the administration of President Barack Obama, there have been a number of recent examples indicating that such support can no longer be taken for granted. However, criticism remains the exception to the overall coverage, which has shown a reluctance to acknowledge any scandals by this administration, or any policy blunders.
If you go to WhiteHouse.gov, you will see “We Can’t Wait” as one of the main features. Until recently, it said, “We Can’t Wait on Congress. The Time to Act is Now.” The message from the Obama administration is that they are trying to promote their jobs bill, and the Republican-led House is refusing to cooperate. So damn the separation of powers, they’re going to enact their legislative priorities through executive orders and arbitrary actions. The liberal media are perfectly fine with this, because they largely support the Obama agenda. If not in every detail, at least they support the re-election of Barack Obama, so they’re not going to make a fuss.
Obama Running Against Congress, Not on his Record
But the reality is that instead of running on his record as President, Obama is trying to run against what he is in essence calling “a do-nothing Congress.” From January 2009 until January 2011, Obama had large majorities in the House and Senate, got his stimulus bill passed, ObamaCare, and a host of other bills that he brags about. What he failed to do, however, much of which upset his base, included passing or even pushing for comprehensive immigration reform and “Cap and Trade,” closing Guantanamo, and ending the Bush tax cuts. In some cases it was because he didn’t want the political heat, in others it was because he couldn’t get enough Democrats to go along.
In the meantime, the House passed a budget in April that the Senate voted down in May, and the House has passed 15 bills that they call jobs bills, and the Senate hasn’t voted on any of them. But it is in fact the Senate, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid, which has failed to fulfill its constitutional requirement of passing a budget, since April of 2009. So which chamber is the do-nothing Congress? If the Republican bills are so bad, the Senate should take pride in bringing them up for a vote and voting against them. That’s how the process is supposed to work.
President Obama called Congress into session for his address to the joint session right after Labor Day, and introduced his so-called Jobs bill, which he knew had no chance of passing because it was full of tax hikes that Republicans believe will damage any economic recovery. It went down to defeat, including several Democrats and Independents who failed to vote for it. That is when Obama virtually announced his imperial presidency, outlining plans to circumvent Congress at every opportunity. He already had established his go-it-alone attitude by attempting to run much of his agenda through mostly unconfirmed and unaccountable “czars,” of which there are now 45, according to a recent report by Judicial Watch.
Obama’s demagoguing this issue while America and the world are on the brink of a catastrophic economic downfall is nothing short of deceitful, for the sake of short- term political gain.
While the media have been obsessing over the Republican presidential field and the Penn State sex scandal, they have largely ignored or completely downplayed numerous stories that reflect quite negatively on the Obama administration. These stories include serious scandals, and outrageous political decisions meant to help ensure his re-election. They are stories that deserve frequent coverage and discussion, rather than to be framed as partisan bickering, when they are covered at all. For the most part, they receive instead just a smattering of coverage, mostly excluding the sense of urgency and disdain they deserve. Here are a few examples.