|
Novemeber 21, 2003 - We need to
“re-regulate” things.
That, in essence, is what Democratic
Presidential hopeful, Howard Dean, said during a midnight press
conference two days ago. The idea is that lax regulations, or
under-regulation of industry, has led to disaster after disaster:
the Enron scandal, the Worldcom scandal, rolling blackouts in
Illinois and California, disasters in the airline industry, tons of
extra pollution in our air, people working more hours for less pay.
The evidence for those who take this
view is substantial and any truly non-biased media source would
simply report Dean’s call to fix things through “re-regulation” as a
bold policy initiative.
But not the American media, which once
again has shown itself to be nothing but right-wing puppet.
Look at this rant from The Washington
Posts’ media correspondent Howard Kurtz. He titled his column
today, “Dean’s dangerous word.” He writes, in a clear right-wing
biased manner:
“Howard Dean needs a better
phrase-maker. He has just declared himself a champion of
‘re-regulation.’ Not exactly a stirring call to arms.”
Wow, look at the ‘liberal’ bias of the
media, as the right-wing like to pretend. Here you have what they
consider one of the most liberal papers in the country, and their
main media analyst doesn’t even allow for the possibility that
Dean’s position might be rousing to some Americans – never mind that
many, if not most, Americans, might really like the idea once they
get wind of it.
No, Howard has to follow in the way he
and the rest of the American media has been trained by the bullying
right-wing, by assailing instantly and absolutely anyone who says
anything not in line with the right-wing platform. And of course
pundit after pundit has joined in assailing Dean, saying this is
further proof of why he is unelectable.
We at The Moderate Independent have some
news for him: his boldly speaking like this about issues the media
says are untouchable is what makes him so popular. It is a trait
called “bold independence.” Howard Dean does not cower and serve
the right-wing like so many Democratic politicians have come to do
and all of the press has fallen in line with. He does not worry or
calculate or fear criticism from the likes of Howard Kurtz or ABC
News or MSNBC or FOX or anyone. He understands – and acts upon –
the basic premise of being a leader: setting which terms will be
popular or unpopular, not responding to the limitations others have
attempted to put out there.
The media has grown accustomed to wimpy
moderates and left-wingers carefully tiptoeing around ideas and
terms that have been made anathema, like “liberal,” “regulation,”
“increasing taxes on the wealthy,” “put conditions on free trade.”
Al Gore’s 2000 campaign was the ultimate pinnacle of this
mealy-mouthed cowardice.
Howard Dean’s stand against the war made
him so popular not just because he stood against the invasion, but
because he showed he was a man who had the courage to say what he
was being told by the bullying right-wing and the America media –
acting, as usual, as the right-wing’s puppet henchmen – was
absolutely unsayable.
John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, would have
liked a different war resolution, but feared what the media told
them, that if they hedged or didn’t vote ‘yes’ on the proposed war
resolution immediately, the people of the nation would universally
hate them. If any Democrat dared to take a different stand – such
as the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) did – that they would be
committing political suicide taking the stand he did.
But in the middle of this, a man named
Howard Dean stood up and flipped the media and its right-wing bias
the bird. More than just taking a stand on an issue that many
people agreed with, he took that stand in the middle of a media and
right-wing bully storm that said directly no man better dare take a
stand against the war or risk being lynched and destroyed by his
fellow Americans.
And now Dean, once again, has shown that
he is the solution to moderate and left-wing cowardice. He knew the
media is in love with the right-wing idea of de-regulation. He knew
he could have tiptoed around the issue, saying something like, “I
don’t want to overburden businesses with excessive regulations, but
some thins need to be fixed.” That is what the other Democratic
hopefuls say, that is what the media says is acceptable, that is
what the right-wing has dictated is acceptable. No one better
challenge the basic assumption that deregulation in general is a
good idea, the intimidate.
Once again, Howard Dean stood boldly up,
under the darkness on a moonlit midnight, and flipped the right-wing
controlled media pansies the bird. “Re-regulation,” he said.
No, Mr. Kurtz and other media cowards,
he does not need a new phrase-maker. And no, Mr. Kurtz, you are
completely wrong when you say sarcastically that his comments were,
“not exactly a rousing call to arms.”
A rousing call to arms was exactly what
he launched, and you, Mr. Kurtz, and the rest of the media know it.
He smartly chose the boldest way to make his stand – to say what he
had been told, yet again, was unsayable.
He was not too stupid to say it in a
gentler way. He was not to inept to come up with a phrase that the
right-wing dominated American media would better approve of.
No, Howard dean once again showed
something that the Democratic Party – and indeed the country – has
been craving for well over a decade now: bold independence. And,
dear media, even you must know there is no more clearly American
trait than that.
So catch up, American media, Howard is
making no bones about what he is up to. It is the Boston Tea Party,
a thumb in the establishments eye, a kick in the lifeless, cowardly
media’s balls. There were many men who signed our Declaration of
Independence back in 1776, but one signature sticks out for all to
see. It was the writing of the man who wanted to make sure the
British knew he had no fear, that he wasn’t going to cower or shrink
a single inch from his finger in the eye of the British royal
regime.
Like John Hancock, Howard Dean is going
to make sure the message is clear: none of these Redcoat
Republicans nor anyone of their Tory media legions will tread on
him. Indeed, a stirring call to arms as he campaigns in a land
where the license plates declare, “Live Free Or Die!”
|
