There has been a lot written lately by jounalists outside the Beltway about jounalists inside the Beltway basically being in a GOP dominant mindset. The so-called "fourth estate," as it applies to DC political reporting, is very much part of the insiders' game in the national political arena. Journalists see themselves as savy insiders and their connections, both to people and to the current power structures, are what keep them relevant. A change in this dynamic affects them every bit as much as it does those in political power within the government itself. And that is why the political press within DC, whether it be NPR, Newsweek, the New York Times, or Fox News is both fighting the idea of change within Washington and failing to see the raging torrent of antagonism to pre-Obama ideas and methodology that is sweeping the country as a whole.
Josh Marshall at TPM had a short piece on this idea today. Monday, Jane Hamsher had an even more pointed look at the issue on HuffingtonPost.com, which included recent polling data that is squarely at odds with the "news" out of DC. The latter article paints a clear portrait of the problem.
It is an interesting dynamic. Obama has to fight a lot to get through the muck, and the political press as an institution -- for all the pablum spewed on the right -- is very much against any changes he's hoping to make. It will take a critical mass in the general population to overcome that bottleneck. Whether it will surmount that hurdle is anyone's guess right now.
19 February 2009
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