AP's Labeling: Obama the 'Populist Crusader' vs. 'Hardline Conservatives'

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AP political writer Charles Babington underlined how President Obama hoped to "divide and conquer" Republicans as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will "embrace" Obama's alleged stimulus on Thursday. Obama's opponents are hardliners, but his GOP friends have no label:

Republican governors have had mixed reactions to the massive measure. Some hardline conservatives, such as Mark Sanford of South Carolina, have rejected portions of the economic bounty.

Other GOP governors, including Charlie Crist of Florida, have welcomed Obama and the stimulus money. Schwarzenegger is casting his lot with that group.

No "hardline conservatives" were allowed to speak against Obama in the Babington piece. But he suggests Obama will be playing a dashing political role:

Throughout the trip, Obama is playing the role of the embattled populist crusader, helping average Americans fight entrenched interests on Capitol Hill and Wall Street.

He said Southern California's weather and conversations are much nicer than in Washington. The conversation Wednesday was more one-sided, to be sure, as the Costa Mesa crowd cheered, 2,500 miles from the Capitol's shadow.

He defended his ambitious plan to overhaul health care, energy, education, taxes and spending policies in the coming months, against unidentified forces aligned against him.

Following the usual media template, Babington described Obama's plans as "ambitious" rather than "liberal," let alone "hardline liberal." It's also sneaky to suggest Obama will "overhaul" taxes, not raise them.

Babington was willing to acknowledge Obama's town meeting was a little one-sided, but when President Bush held town meetings, reporters often emphasized that "dissent" was screened out at the door. That suggests that liberal reporters don't like it when liberals can't get in. They don't have the same ardor when conservatives are not allowed. They do the same thing in their news stories all the time -- like this one.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


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I can identify

I can identify those "unidentified forces aligned against him."

...anyone with an IQ above 90. 

And another thing....

Notice, too, how the "stimulus" money is now described as the economic bounty, as if printing money is now the same as making it.

Divide? Yes.

Conquer? Ha! Hardly. I don't sphinct so. Homey don't play dat.

Advice for Obama

Here's some good advice to Obama from Duke's Coach K:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/19/duke-coach-obama-worry-economy-ncaa-picks/

 

Idiot-tards!

I like the line "playing the role." Playing is right! AP is just now getting around to acknowledging that Obama is a populist. Since they're calling a spade a spade could they add socialist and communist too?

So the poster boy with ZERO executive experience (and it shows) is off to Hollywood to pitch his latest "project" in the land of smoke and mirrors. Now that's what I call a populist without a clue!

Yo Barry, perform the following executive duties and our economy & morale will improve:

1. Fire Timmy Geitner

2. Repeal Mark to Market

3. Reinstate The Glass-Steagall Act

4. Investigate our corrupt DNC led congress. 

After that Obama can sail into a second term with some real executive experience. Now that would be a real historic achievement! 

Populist?

Populist, my ass!

Obama is a damned communist.

So if a governor accepts the

So if a governor accepts Federal funds are they a hard line liberal?  The partisan media doesn't think so.  That's why they're called the partisan media.

Don't use that word here. You cannot use that word here.

Jackie Mason got in trouble for using that word.

 Schwarzenegger

 That means black plowman, remember?

 Also please do not translate the word black into any other language. most especially spanish.

 As a matter of fact, please refrain from speaking any words in any other language so as not to offend the easily offended.

Sincerely,

a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.