Posted 9:22 AM by steve

Some thoughts on Obama kicking reporters from papers which endorsed McCain off the campaign plane...

We won't be hearing cries from the rest of the MSM about how Obama is trying to censor the news or how he is punishing those who disagree with him as whatever loyalty other reporters might have once had to the abstract idea of an independent and professional media has long been subjugated to their desire to see Obama win. Add to that the competition that exists among campaign reporters (most of them would be thrilled if they were the only ones on the plane and kicking off a handful of reporters means more access and time for them) and you can be assured that this story will get little attention, if indeed any at all.

Knowing that he won't face any widespread media criticism, it makes sense for Obama to do this. In the short term, it keeps critical reporters away from him, reducing the chance that any last-minute gaffes will be broadcast. Two, it sends an impossible to miss message to the media that they'll pay a price for not getting with the program. Not that the media has challenged him in any way so far this campaign, but this move ensures that an already passive media will be even less willing to risk exile if they dare to cover the Obama Administration too aggressively for Obama's taste.

This is something I've long argued that Republicans should be doing. They know the media as a whole is biased, they know the media as a whole wants nothing more than to twist stories to make Republicans look bad, and yet they continue to provide openly hostile reporters with the access those reporters use to screw them.

Denying critical reporters access is not the 'right' thing to do, but the Democrats have demonstrated that they're willing to do anything to win and exercise power and the Republicans have yet to accept the fact that the dynamics of the battlefield have changed. Republicans need to decide whether they want to win enough to fight using the same tactics their opponents are using... or whether they'd rather keep going down to defeat.

UPDATE: as of 2PM EDT, other than Fox, I'm hearing crickets. Nothing on CNN, the Washington Post, MSNBC, AP. I guess 'brotherhood' only matters when it is a Republican not treating the media well.