New York Times health care cheerleader-reporter David Herszenhorn seems unhappy that Republicans continue to oppose Obama-care -- especially John McCain, who Obama beat in the 2008 election.
Herszenhorn really “cranked” up the melodrama (and old man insults?) in his Monday morning post on the Times's “Prescriptions” blog, “The Crankiness of the Defeated," turning a hum-drum event -- the 73-year-old Sen. John McCain challenging Obama on health care -- into a strange anti-Republican hit piece.
As political opera goes, the libretto seemed to be the vengeance of the vanquished.
With President Obama at the Capitol on Sunday for a meeting with the Democratic caucus, his nemesis from last year’s presidential race, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, stood in a corridor just a few steps away facing a gaggle of reporters and television cameras.
....
It was less aria than huff-and-puff. He and Mr. McConnell suggested that the fact that Mr. Obama was meeting alone with Democrats was evidence that hyper-partisanship continues in Washington and that the president had been powerless to stop it.
(Of course, Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCain and their Republican colleagues do their own part to contribute to the continuing acrimony, but that went unspoken.)
As if he really expected Republicans to issue a mea culpa at a partisan press conference.
Herszenhorn juxtaposed two unrelated events to set the “cranky” McCain up as a hypocritical bad guy:
Mr. McCain added: “We are always glad to see the president back where he once worked and we stand ready to sit down and meet with the president if he has time as well. And we’d like to have the C-Span cameras in when we do so.”Back in January, Mr. Obama met separately with both the House Republican and Senate Republican caucuses to ask for their support on the economic stimulus plan. Not a single House Republican voted in favor of it. Three Senate Republicans did: Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Mr. Specter has since become a Democrat.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter here
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Take a side dammit...
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 15:54 ET by CCsteelcityThe damn liberals cannot seem to figure out which way they want to sway the public's opinion... so let's just make up trash on someone to make us look good.
You play the race card, and now you play the defeat card. Come on people... get real. McCain is one of MILLIONS who don't want Obamacare.
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." - Will Rogers
McCain
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 16:10 ET by iveseenitallI have no sympathy for McCain, nor for the rest of the RINOS. Really, it is almost amusing to see him whine. He was told (and could see) what Obama was- time after time, by millions of Americans. Nonetheless, he steadfastly refused to take the gloves off with his "friends across the asile". I'll bet he regrets it now. And his gang mufffled Sarah. He and the rest of the RINOS bare blame for what our nation is going through. Too bad, because he is a true American hero (ironically for fighting the communists)----Maybe he was just too old to run.
P.S. Maybe now he would understand my tag line...
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
and I've got no sympathy for
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 00:33 ET by Bull Moose Progressiveand I've got no sympathy for those who sat out the election and helped to give us Obama while complaining about him. It is people who couldn't realize the difference between a McCain (not RINO) administration and an Obama (far left) administration who've gotten our country in this mess it is suffering from today.
Hi Bull Moose, I tend to agree with you, I voted for McCain, but
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 00:39 ET by pahuberam not convinced that he would not have divided our party further. Remember, he did run quite a crappy campaign which resembled that of Bob Dole, shot supporters from the git go, and just was not someone I really trusted to get the job done.
We are now free to continue building and retake the WH in '12.
I say this with a strong
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 16:11 ET by BKeyserI say this with a strong record of heterosexuality:
Herszenhorn? meow
Geez BK
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 18:15 ET by general companyThat got the dogs going, thanks
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Obama blaming Bush: "The
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 16:11 ET by mattmObama blaming Bush: "The crankiness of the incompetent"
MATT M...
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 18:46 ET by danybhoyNo $h!T, great post. Perfect response.
"...How blind can you be, don't you see...
...that the gambler lost all he does not have..."
Nightwish
Poke the Big Dog, Pull Back A Stump
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 17:04 ET by UtherpendPEBO knows better than to meet with Mitch McConnell and try to act a if he is non partian. That may fool someone like McCain but McConnell has seen too many bait ans switches by the Dems to fall for that trap.
"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security."
McCain was the liberal sweetheart
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 18:09 ET by TheHistorianI remember all of the media talking about the "maverick" McCain and how wonderful he was. If you remember, the crossover vote is what got McCain a bunch of his support.
What happened to your poster-boy, libs? Give me Sarah Palin any day.
As for opposition to your health care, boys, you own the Senate with 60 votes. Go for it and quit blaming the minority Republicans. Beat up your own and get them in line. MAYBE Bill Clinton was right; the 1994 debacle for Democrats was because they DIDN'T pass health care (he he he).
"What experience and history teach is this - that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it."
G. W. F. Hegel
He
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 11:01 ET by jessieHHe wasn't defeated, he just didn't use fraud & corruption like the dems did.