During past scandals of the Obama administration, the president and his people were protected by a two part defensive formation. First, the mainstream media did what it could to ignore the story or to change the narrative to how the Republicans were in the wrong. Second, the Democrats in Congress used their positions to reinforce the media narrative and to shield the president and his people. Both of these defenses are crumbling.
First, let's look at the media. It may just be a coincidence, but the IRS scandal broke at almost the same time that Washington learned that the Department of Justice had secretly obtained the phone records of three AP offices. To say the least, this alarmed the press corps; after all, if the AP were under surveillance, then other reporters might be having the same treatment from DOJ. Then the media learned that James Rosen, a highly respected national correspondent for Fox News has been named by the government as a co conspirator in a criminal activity so that his email, phone, and other data accounts could be reviewed secretly by the government. All Rosen had done was to try to gather news from his contacts; in other words, Rosen just did his job as a reporter. Almost at the same time, Washington heard that Sharyl Attkisson of CBS has learned that he work and home computers were hacked by people looking for information. Attkisson is a very hard driving CBS News reporter who delved deeply into the Fast and Furious scandal as well as the Benghazi scandal. We do not know yet who hacked into her computers, but the indications are that it was the government.
It is hard to imagine just how hard all this has hit the media. Even the liberals in the press corps realize that the Obama administration is attacking the press indiscriminately. After all, the AP is one of the strongest supporters of the Obama administration in all media. CBS News is hardly a right wing group. The reporters are angry and annoyed.
On top of this, the White House keeps changing its story on all these scandals. Reporters who put out stories about what happened are having to explain why they were taken in for some rather obvious White House lies.
In short, the folks in the media who are willing to provide cover for Obama are now many fewer than before. The truth is getting out and that is putting additional pressure on the liberals who are still following the Obama party line.
Then you have the Democrats in Congress. They too are turning. Senator Baucus of Montana made clear yesterday in hearings that he chaired about the IRS scandal that there was wrongdoing and a very poor response from the Administration. The Mail On Line quotes Steven Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat as saying at today's hearings that if witnesses stonewalled the committee there would be legal consequences. "If you refuse to answer," Lynch said, "you will leave us no choice but to ask for a special counsel or the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this. I hope that’s not the approach of the IRS going forward,because there will be hell to pay."
Remember, Lynch is a Democrat.
Last night there was a poll released in which just under 70% of Americans said that the government was out of control and threatening the freedoms of the people. You can be sure that everyone in Congress knows full well that sentiment. That includes the Democrats who are going to have to run for re-election in 2014. Another poll just out shows that in the generic Congressional vote, Republicans lead Democrats, something that has not been the case for a while.
If the two Obama defensive formations of the media and the Congressional Democrats fail to hold off the scandal, America may actually get to learn the truth about what happened.
First, let's look at the media. It may just be a coincidence, but the IRS scandal broke at almost the same time that Washington learned that the Department of Justice had secretly obtained the phone records of three AP offices. To say the least, this alarmed the press corps; after all, if the AP were under surveillance, then other reporters might be having the same treatment from DOJ. Then the media learned that James Rosen, a highly respected national correspondent for Fox News has been named by the government as a co conspirator in a criminal activity so that his email, phone, and other data accounts could be reviewed secretly by the government. All Rosen had done was to try to gather news from his contacts; in other words, Rosen just did his job as a reporter. Almost at the same time, Washington heard that Sharyl Attkisson of CBS has learned that he work and home computers were hacked by people looking for information. Attkisson is a very hard driving CBS News reporter who delved deeply into the Fast and Furious scandal as well as the Benghazi scandal. We do not know yet who hacked into her computers, but the indications are that it was the government.
It is hard to imagine just how hard all this has hit the media. Even the liberals in the press corps realize that the Obama administration is attacking the press indiscriminately. After all, the AP is one of the strongest supporters of the Obama administration in all media. CBS News is hardly a right wing group. The reporters are angry and annoyed.
On top of this, the White House keeps changing its story on all these scandals. Reporters who put out stories about what happened are having to explain why they were taken in for some rather obvious White House lies.
In short, the folks in the media who are willing to provide cover for Obama are now many fewer than before. The truth is getting out and that is putting additional pressure on the liberals who are still following the Obama party line.
Then you have the Democrats in Congress. They too are turning. Senator Baucus of Montana made clear yesterday in hearings that he chaired about the IRS scandal that there was wrongdoing and a very poor response from the Administration. The Mail On Line quotes Steven Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat as saying at today's hearings that if witnesses stonewalled the committee there would be legal consequences. "If you refuse to answer," Lynch said, "you will leave us no choice but to ask for a special counsel or the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this. I hope that’s not the approach of the IRS going forward,because there will be hell to pay."
Remember, Lynch is a Democrat.
Last night there was a poll released in which just under 70% of Americans said that the government was out of control and threatening the freedoms of the people. You can be sure that everyone in Congress knows full well that sentiment. That includes the Democrats who are going to have to run for re-election in 2014. Another poll just out shows that in the generic Congressional vote, Republicans lead Democrats, something that has not been the case for a while.
If the two Obama defensive formations of the media and the Congressional Democrats fail to hold off the scandal, America may actually get to learn the truth about what happened.
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