Joe Biden's insulting remark about Indian-Americans and Dunkin' Donuts franchises didn't indelibly taint the Delaware senator not because the media don't hype Democratic race gaffes but because "no one ever accused Biden of being a racist."
That according to Newsweek's Jonathan Alter in an August 23 column exploring why some politicians' gaffes stick and go on to practically define them -- Dan Quayle's misspelling of "potato" for example.
Argued Alter, "[t]he most common standard for [a meme's] stickiness is whether it fits into a pre-existing impression."
Yet nowhere in "I'm Rubber, You're Glue" did the Newsweek Conventional Wisdom editor admit that the media's liberal political slant has a heavy role in burning impressions into the political consciousness of the body politic, such as holding Republicans to higher scrutiny on race than it does Democrats and hence explaining why the notion of Biden having racial prejudices is unthinkable to the mainstream media.
Alter also came to the defense of liberal Democrats by insisting their gaffes were unfairly blown out of proportion:
After Obama's gaffe about "bitter" voters "clinging" to guns and religion, McCain operatives worked overtime trying to tag the Democratic candidate as an elitist, down to the brand of iced tea he drinks. This despite the fact that Obama was raised by a single mother (who sometimes relied on food stamps) and attended top universities on scholarships and loans. The most persistent meme of this campaign season, that Obama is a Muslim, is a lie based on his foreign-sounding name and brief attendance at a public elementary school in Indonesia.
[...]
Truly harmful memes work more insidiously. Gore's Internet misquote was never a headline; it never sucked up all the media oxygen. But it ate away at his credibility because it played on an impression that he sometimes inflated his own importance.
By contrast, Alter doesn't take former President George H.W. Bush that his supermarket scanner gaffe was blown out of proportion:
To his dying day, George H.W. Bush will insist that in 1992 he knew perfectly well what a supermarket scanner was; he was just commenting about some new technology. But the image helped sink him.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
All in the semantics
August 25, 2008 - 10:49 ET by zhombre"pre-existing impression" in plain speak means, compatible with the image the media wishes to convey to the public.
Contrasts..
August 25, 2008 - 10:55 ET by Sergeant ROCKNow contrast that with that story of a few years ago where they tar'd and feather'd that politician for using the word: niggardly!
Liberals are morons.
Democracy
August 25, 2008 - 10:59 ET by cvgbuckeye"Once a nation's public information system has morphed into a propaganda wing of one of the established political parties, any semblances of democracy are placed upon life support"
P W Vance, Ohio State University
Pre-existing impressions
August 25, 2008 - 11:49 ET by KC MulvilleArgued Alter, "[t]he most common standard for [a meme's] stickiness is whether it fits into a pre-existing impression."
What's the difference between:
There is none. They all mean exactly the same thing. The only difference is whether you approve of it. Alter's comment is nothing other than an open admission of pro-Democrat, anti-GOP prejudice.
Robert Byrd
August 25, 2008 - 15:12 ET by 911isbusyI wonder just how long a political career Robert Byrd would have had had he been a Republican.
Those who have not swords can still die upon them.
Byrd...
August 25, 2008 - 15:15 ET by Clear thinkerHe would have been gunned down before his first term was up.
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
45 Communist Goals for America http://www.nationmakers.com/com_goal
Pravda Redux
August 25, 2008 - 19:26 ET by needleIn years past when Pravda was spinning its tapestry of lies, distortions and disinformation, I used to wonder if Pravda’s editors were fully aware of their evildoings. In general I concluded that of course they knew, but it was great sport and they figured it was for the general good, or at least it was for the good of the generals they were serving, and thus for their own good.
I think the same applies for Newsweek nowadays. Newsweek’s distortions scream out for critical examinations; and it is hard believe that someone who has the ability to produce such sophisticated manipulations is incapable of much simpler processes of self-examination.
Whether one worked for Pravda, or works for Newsweek, it sure helps to be an atheist. If one has a conscience that recognizes the likelihood of judgment for deliberately “bearing false witness,” it would be difficult to write such mendacious garbage.
BTW, Alter writes “No One Ever Accused Biden of Racism.” But can one really imagine an Al Sharpton or a Jesse Jackson actually letting Biden’s gaffes go entirely unremarked?
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.