Isn't the MSM supposedly opposed to the coarsening of the political dialogue? We've all heard the hand-wringing about the mean ways those awful Tea Partiers and their ilk have depicted Pres. Obama and other Dems. So why, then, would MSNBC take money from MoveOn.org to air an ad portraying Republican leader Mitch McConnell as a criminal, right down to having him hold a mug-shot placard?
Yes, there I was, watching this evening's Ed Show for my sins, when the ad appeared . . .
As you'll see from the video, MoveOn strains to suggest that it was criminal of McConnell to meet with bankers, and—horrors!—to seek campaign contributions from them. You know, like candidate Obama, who took a cool million from Goldman Sachs alone. MoveOn might have also set a record in the closest close-up competition, designed to make their target look as scary as possible.
Imagine if Republicans had run such an ad, featuring Pres. Obama in a mug shot. Now imagine an outraged Rachel Maddow condemning the provocation as an incitement to violence. So which is it, MSNBC? Is it wrong for people to portray their political opponents as dangerous or criminal—or only when Dems are the target?
