Monday, June 29, 2009

Read My Lips Redux (Without the Media Scrutiny)

So the top advisor to the President of the United States refuses to rule out middle-class tax increases to pay for health care reform—in complete contradiction to the foundational argument behind his candidacy—and cable news chat shows respond with … silence?  Well, yeah, if you get your news from CNN or MSNBC. Let’s put it into terms we can all appreciate.  CNN and MSNBC gave more airtime to the demise of Billy Mays than to Davis Axelrod’s failure to recommit to no tax increases of any kind for any family making less than $250,000 a year. That is to say, neither cable network even mentioned it on Monday morning.

While he was a candidate for president, Barack Obama could not have been clearer on the matter. In fact, he openly ridiculed Republicans for claiming he would have to raise taxes under his plan. The pledge is looking a little less than sincere at this point and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos tried to hold Axelrod’s feet to the fire on Sunday’s “This Week.”

I should think a story such as this would get some play on the chat shows.  It would if the president were a Republican, of that I can assure you.

Topics: obama, health-care, axelrod, tax-increase