><http://www.truthout.org/030109Y>Obama's War with the Right (& Media) >Saturday 28 February 2009 ><http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/022809.html>ยป > ><http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/022809.html>by: >Robert Parry, Consortium News > > > In a startling ambitious budget message, >President Barack Obama has thrown down the >gauntlet to the American Right not only by tying >the current economic crisis to the recklessness >of the past eight years under George W. Bush but >by tracing it back further to the >anti-regulatory, anti-labor and anti-government >policies of Ronald Reagan. > > "For the better part of three decades, a >disproportionate share of the nation's wealth >has been accumulated by the very wealthy," ><http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/fy2010_new_era/A_New_Era_of_Responsibility2.pdf>the > >142-page budget message states. "Technological >advances and growing global competition, while >transforming whole industries - and birthing new >ones - has accentuated the trend toward rising >inequality." > > Though Obama lays the bulk of what he calls >"a legacy of mismanagement and misplaced >priorities" at the feet of the Bush >administration, there is no mistaking his larger >message - that the problems which were >"exacerbated" by Bush's tax cuts and other >pro-rich policies have been building since >Reagan's 1981 inaugural declaration that >"government is the problem." > > Obama even made a glancing reference to that >formulation in his preamble to the budget >message. "We need to put tired ideologies aside, >and ask not whether our government is too big or >too small, or whether it is the problem or the >solution, but whether it is working for the >American people," Obama said. > > To the American Right, those are fighting >words, and leading right-wingers have already >trotted out their curious charge of "class >warfare," an ironic message given the fact that >the growing disparity in American wealth reveals >that "class warfare" has long been at the heart >of Reagan-Bush policies - and the rich are >winning. > > Yet, while it may be audacious for the young >President to take on the well-entrenched forces >of reaction in Washington, there is another >reason for Obama and his supporters to worry. >The national news media remains largely >enthralled by ><http://consortiumnews.com/2009/022709.html>the >pro-Republican rules of the past three decades. > > In both right-wing and mainstream news >organizations, stories continue to be structured >as faulting Obama and largely absolving Bush >(not to mention the iconic Reagan). > > Look for example at the lead stories in ><http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/business/economy/28recession.html?_r=1&hp>the > >New York Times and the Washington Post on >Saturday. Both describe the stomach-turning 6.2 >percent drop in the gross domestic product >during the last quarter of 2008. Though that was >the last economic quarter of the Bush >administration, the stories instead were framed >around Obama's failures. > > The New York Times cites "a sense of >disconnect between the projections of the >[Obama] White House and the grim realities of >everyday American life." The Washington Post >says "the worse-than-expected data fueled doubts >about whether the Obama administration had >adequately sized up the challenges it faces." > > What is remarkable about the two stories - >and similar ones at other leading newspapers - >is that the name "Bush" is nowhere to be found. >Instead of a negative slant against Obama, the >stories might reasonably have read that George >W. Bush left behind an even worse economic mess >than previously understood. > > The newspapers could have explained how >Bush's policy prescriptions - such as large tax >cuts for the wealthy, a neglect of regulation >and the declining living standards of the middle >class - had pushed the United States to the >brink of economic catastrophe. There might have >been at least one reference to how Bush >contributed to "the grim realities of everyday >American life." > > Or some of the commentators who have been >criticizing Obama's dire warnings about the >state of the U.S. economy - accusing him of >"talking down" the economy - might have extended >an apology, admitting that the President was >more correct than they were. They might even >have noted that Bush actually had "taken down" >the economy. > > But that would require a break from the >media paradigm of the past few decades - and >there is no sign that the powerful right-wing >news media has any intention of changing its >ideological ways, nor that the mainstream news >media will stop its endless attempts to prove >it's not "liberal." > > The only times Bush gets mentioned these >days, it seems to be in the most favorable light. > > For instance, while forgetting to mention >that the fourth quarter of 2008 fell during >Bush's presidency, the U.S. news media gave Bush >lots of credit for Obama's announcement that he >will withdraw all U.S. combat forces by Aug. 31, >2010. CNN and other news outlets cited Bush's >Iraq War "surge" as the reason Obama could pull >out troops. > > In other words, Bush gets credit for Obama >ending an unnecessary war that Bush launched >almost six years ago, while Obama is faulted for >the 6.2 percent drop in the GDP under Bush. > > As Obama sets off on a hazardous political >journey - seeking national health insurance, a >"greener" economy, educational and >infrastructure investments, and higher taxes on >the rich - he can expect continued hostility >from most of the American news media, both on >the right and in the mainstream. > > That may be a structural problem that could >prove fatal for the President's goals. > > ------- > > Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra >stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press >and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The >Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, was >written with two of his sons, Sam and Nat, and >can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His two >previous books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise of >the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq and Lost >History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project >Truth' are also available there. Or go to >Amazon.com. >
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