NPR's Michel Martin Denounces Don Imus, Chris Wallace as Bullies

April 5th, 2010 11:17 PM

On the NPR talk show Tell Me More on Monday, host Michel Martin referred back to her joint declaration with Cokie Roberts last week that Don Imus and Chris Wallace mocked Sarah Palin as a "tool of social control."

That wasn't exactly how Martin remembered it: "I made the point that Palin is also a Fox contributor and a member of the Fox family, as it were, but that didnt spare her from being subjected to this sexist palaver. Cokie made the point that the lure of the boy's club often trumps ideology."

But what made Martin's commentary stand out was her bold declaration of how conservatives unfairly dominate the national conversation, and how Fox people mocking NPR doesn't mean they won't continue to champion the liberal point of view:  

Isn't it funny how people who bully people for a living get really annoyed when somebody takes issue with it? You're not only supposed to let them push you around, you're supposed to like it.

Well, can I just tell you? The great thing about America today is that Don Imus and Chris Wallace get to have their say but so do Cokie and I. The worrisome thing about America today is who is not being heard. We keep hearing a lot these days from members of certain groups who claim they are forced to scream at public officials at hearings and even spitting and name-calling because these officials aren't listening to them on matters like the deficit and health care reform and immigration.

But who was listening to the millions of people who didnt have health insurance at all these years and who were one heart attack or car accident or flu season away from bankruptcy? Who was listening as millions of people got risky mortgages they should not have had instead of safer ones for which they were actually eligible?

Who was listening when millions of people came into this country without authorization and then got jobs and got married and had kids and enrolled those kids in school and the entire country looked the other way until, of course, the economy turned sour and the country decided their services were no longer needed and now we want to disrupt those lives and ties in a brutal way? Who was listening when we began a war that much of the country did not support?

The fact is, that's what elections are for - its to figure out how to resolve conflicting points of view and values. I cannot help but think that what the fury is really about is the loss of entitlement. Just as it was the case that men with a shred of power could say whatever they wanted about women and women had to put up with it or get a man to duel for them or something, well, now women get to rock the mic too.

And it used to be and often is, that one set of values or perspectives dominates the way we look at issues and talk about them. And you can see where the people who share that particular perspective begin to feel that they are entitled to shape the conversation all the time. But things change. New voices rise, different people win elections, or dare we say it, get on the radio. Maybe some people have a problem with that. Tough. Because we're not going anywhere.

In other words, the point of National Public Radio is apparently to take taxpayer money and provide a liberal sandbox to oppose the Limbaugh-Hannity axis.