What if there was an economic recovery and nobody noticed?
I know, I know. Polls can be slanted and really mean nothing and the media is biased and unashamed of it. But there were two items that I came across in the last two days that point out what is at play (again) and how it seems to be working. On Rush Limbaugh's show yesterday he played a clip from CNN (gee, big surprise there!) in which Bill Schneider says the following: "Here's a little secret: the nation's economy is actually doing very well. President Bush has been trying to spread the word." A secret? Why is it a secret? Because the Democratic candidate for president needs a struggling economy to win and the press is willing to help him by not reporting the news. Has this been the lead story on the evening news? (No really, has it? I don't watch that crap.) I doubt it. But I know how it would be reported if it was. There would be a bit "but". There always is when there is a positive story that could help the president. The economy is growing, but not everyone is doing better. The jobs growth numbers have greatly improved, but there are still people without jobs. You know the drill. Mr. Schneider even tips you off after his pre-recorded piece is over. "Here's another reason why the good economic news may not be having much impact. It's not being reported. A study by Media Tenor, an independent media analysis institute, reveals that news coverage of President Bush's economic policy has practically vanished from the major broadcast networks since the beginning of the year. It's all been Iraq. The improving economy is a secret." It's amazing that CNN is coming right out and saying that they are not covering the news. Is there any doubt why people have stopped watching CNN and their broadcast network comrades? While Iraq has been the big story, and only if they can report the bad news, that's not the reason coverage has vanished. Remember 1992? The economy was improving while George H.W. Bush was running for re-election. The message did not get out. Bill Clinton was able to convince people that it was the worst economy since creation. Bill Clinton was elected. Remember 1996? Let Bill Schneider tell you. "In May, 1996, the public's view of the economy was actually worse than it is now. But things picked up very fast. By the fall, nearly half thought times were good. Good enough for President Clinton to get comfortably reelected." Things picked up, eh? Guess the news got out somehow. So let's look at the record. Under Republican presidents, improving economies are unreported to help the challenger. Under Democrat presidents, improving economies are reported to help the incumbent. As long as we all know what the ground rules are, we can compensate for it. The Bush campaign will have to work twice as hard to report the good news that the media refuses to do. Hopefully they will take a tip from Bush the Elder's re-election campaign and actually try.
Which brings me to the second item that caught my eye. On the Neal Boortz website he cites a new Associated Press poll that states that 57% of those polled thing that the U.S. economy has lost jobs in the last six months. This is just plain wrong. The jobs gains so far this year number 1.2 million. Yet 57% of the mental midgets in the AP poll think completely the opposite. Why is that, you ask? You know why. I've already told you. Actually Bill Schneider has. It's a secret. Of course this is a poll. We don't know how the questions were worded. We don't know who the sample was. But that doesn't matter. As I have mentioned before, polls have replaced news. Repeat a story long enough and people will believe it. In a close election, they just need to convince enough voters to turn the electoral tide. It's almost like hypnosis. Repeat after me. The economy is bad. The economy is bad. The war in Iraq is a failure. The war in Iraq is a failure. You are getting sleeeeeepy.
And another thing...
Al-Qaeda is absolutely brilliant. They are no dummies. They play us like a fine Stradivarius, exploiting our inherent goodness and freedom for their evil purposes. Case in point: the kidnapping of Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabia. They know full well that the American media will cover the story as front page news because they always run the bad news first. They also know that the media will then go to a relative of the hostage for an impassioned plea for his release that is meant to weaken our will and question our resolve. I just heard a clip from Mr. Johnson's son pleading for his father's life. It's supposed to tug at our hearts. Now will follow the commentators bemoaning this tragedy and blaming Bush for it. If only we hadn't invaded Iraq, Paul Johnson would be safe. Never mind that these are terrorists who hate us. This is what they do for a living. I'm sorry for the hostage's family and friends, but the proper way to look at this is that he is a casualty. He is dead. If he is released, that's great. But kidnapping is only effective if the people being leveraged give up. We've seen it happen already. It is the current tactic. Kidnap foreign workers and release them in exchange for their departure from Iraq. When they capitulate, the method is deemed successful and therefore continued. In this instance, Al-Qaeda wants Saudi Arabia to release prisoners. Not that I wish for the death of Paul Johnson, but I hope they refuse. Once they realize that kidnapping is not an effective tool, it should lessen. But right now they are testing us. They are testing our resolve. Paul Johnson is dead to me. It would be difficult, but if it were a member of my family I would think the same. I'd be very angry and desirous of vengeance. I doubt I would get on television and cry. I might start cursing and swearing to God and everyone that I'd personally go over there and chop some heads off, but I wouldn't give them what they want. But they know us too well. They know that kidnappings create prolonged news coverage. They know that we are willing to fault ourselves more than the terrorists for everything that happens. So stay tuned to your telly, folks. It's Extreme Kidnapping, the newest reality show on all networks all the time.
And another thing...