It's official: CNN spins away Boehner's Small Price remarks

If there was any question as to the bias in the media, when it comes to military matters and Democrats, there is no longer any doubt.  The media is blatantly furthering a narrative that Democrats are anti-military and weak on defense.  This is not the Right Wing I am talking about; this is CNN (which the Right laughably calls the Communist News Network for not going full out like the Fox News Pravda Network).  They are not simply repeating the talking points that there is a perception of Democrats being anti-military; they are actively carrying water for that meme.  This CNN "Political Ticker" leaves no doubt as to how little they care about Boehner's outrageous remarks.  But you know what?  I am tired of simply documenting the outrages.  That is not enough.  Instead, we need to go on the offensive, and dismantle this lie about Democrats, piece by piece.
First, let's review what was actually said, first broken by Greg Sargent:

Okay, if this isn't portrayed as a major gaffe, with wall-to-wall condemnations from the pundits, it'll be stunning. (Editor's note: That was meant to be bitterly ironic.)

I've just received some advance excerpts of an interview CNN's Wolf Blitzer has done with GOP House leader John Boehner. It's set to air this afternoon. Take a look at this chunk:

BLITZER: How much longer will U.S. taxpayers have to shell out $2 billion a week or $3 billion a week as some now are suggesting the cost is going to endure? The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?

BOEHNER: I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We're making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.

John Kerry was quick to pounce, as was Howard Dean, and the DCCC, and Joe Biden soon after.  Even John McCain was forced to weigh in when asked point blank.  Politico managed to get a statement from Boehner which was beyond lame:

"Wolf asked about the money spent in Iraq, and that's what Mr. Boehner was referring to when he said our troops' efforts are critical for the safety and security of our country. To attempt to put a dollar figure on what we are doing in Iraq does a disservice to the work our troops are doing to make our children and theirs safer."

Smith added: "There isn't a Member of Congress who appreciates the sacrifices of our troops more than Mr. Boehner. In fact, the reason he visited Iraq was to thank our troops for their service on behalf of our country and take a firsthand look at the progress on the ground that Democrats are so desperate to ignore. He had lunch with troops from Ohio today. Mr. Boehner is doing everything he can to ensure our troops come home after victory, not defeat, and General Petraeus has outlined a responsible strategy to do just that."

Wrong, Wolf asked about American lives, as is clearly documented above.  Unfortunately, the media was not making much of the remarks by Boehner at all as The Carpetbagger lamented:

I can never tell what's going to cause a media feeding frenzy. Sometimes a politician will make a dumb joke and the media will pounce. Othertimes, a pol will say something completely outrageous, which generates a collective yawn. House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Ohio) comments on CNN the other day seemed like the kind of story that could raise eyebrows.

...

Two things to consider here. One, the media doesn't have an excuse for ignoring this anymore. The DNC, DCCC, the last Democratic presidential nominee, a current Democratic presidential candidate, and a major Republican presidential candidate have all criticized Boehner's remark. If Kerry's botched joke drew blanket coverage, Boehner's "small price" comment should get equal treatment.

Two, it's worth considering why the media, so far, has been disinterested. Why would Kerry's botched joke be a huge story, whereas Boehner's comments were unimportant?

That is where we stood this weekend, when it appeared the story had gone nowhere.  To his credit, John Kerry wasn't going to let it go, and before going on Meet the Press, talked to reporters, including CNN (which is the only reason why this story was written).  Look at how CNN set it up in their article:

In an interview with Boehner this past Wednesday, CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Boehner how much longer U.S. taxpayers would have to endure the cost of the war, as well the loss of American soldiers. "We need to continue our effort here," the Republican from Ohio said, "because long term the investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop Al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East."

Wow, that was awfully kind to Mr. Boehner, now wasn't it?  First, they added the loss of American soldiers as an afterthought and they clipped off the fact that Boehner said small price twice.  They took an outrageous comment and reduced it by half!  I think we can all agree that CNN would not afford such accomodations to any Democrats, now would they?  The question I have is what the hell is going on here?  Carpetbagger had it right:

I think it plays into pre-existing media narratives - reporters/editors/producers assume that the left is hostile to the military. Kerry's joke offered "proof" that bolstered the media's worldview, so they ran with it. Conversely, reporters assume that the right loves the military. Boehner's dismissive attitude of thousands of U.S. deaths, therefore, are interpreted as little more than a poor choice of words.

Devastatingly true.  Well, I don't think we should have to sit here and take this, do we?  And the answer, quite frankly, is not always to react to the latest utterance by a Democrat or a Republican, even if that is one thing we can do well.  Instead, I suggest we go to the root of the problem -- the meme that Democrats are anti-military -- and fix it.  Every day.  We're not starting at zero here.  We have already started work on this; we just need to pound it every day.  Here are a few of my ideas:

1. First and foremost is our nation's national security.  I don't know about any of you, but I think the Republicans have deeply weakened the power and security of our nation with their misadventure in Iraq.  This article easily bolsters that case, as do so many nearly every day.  We need to pound the Republicans mercilessly that they have blundered our security so badly they can't be trusted with it.

2. Point out the fact that more and more members of our military are turning to the Democrats. Factual information like this continues to pour in:

Since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, members of the U.S. military have dramatically increased their political contributions to Democrats, marching sharply away from the party they've long supported. In the 2002 election cycle, the last full cycle before the war began, Democrats received a mere 23 percent of military members' contributions. So far this year, 40 percent of military money has gone to Democrats for Congress and president, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Anti-war presidential candidates Barack Obama and Ron Paul are the top recipients of military money.

3. Continue to put front and center our Fighting Dems.  Senator Jim Webb is really the best example, because he was a Reagan Democrat who served as Secretary of the Navy under Reagan.  He is now a Democrat, fighting for our side.  Other examples are guys like Rep. Joe Sestak and Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, and Jonathon Powers who is running for Congress in '08 in New York State.  And it goes without saying that VoteVets.org is great for our cause -- Brandon and Jon have been excellent -- keep up the great work!

4. Emphasize in digestible talking points how Democrats are veterans' friends when it comes to veterans' care.  It is the best kept secret that John Kerry has been a champion for veterans throughout his entire career including working for years to do right by veterans impacted by Agent Orange.  His op-ed over the weekend about getting rural veterans better care and the bill he proposed to do that is a great example.  But this needs to be prominently on the Democratic platform -- that those who served will never be left behind when they come home. 

5. Pound the Republicans for not using our military wisely and for giving vets the shaft more often than not.  We all remember the major shortfall the VA's budget had, we know about the horrible treatment outpatients at Walter Reed received, and we sure as hell know about the draconian practice of giving soldiers 15 month deployments while only allowing them 12 months rest at home between those deployments, something Senator Webb is trying to fix.  Remind the public of what they have done to veterans every day.  These remarks by John Kerry to CNN referring to Boehner's callous words do have an impact if uttered by many Democrats:

"Assure him that for any parent, it is not a small price for any community in America that's been attending those funerals, it is not a small price, and I'd like to see the Republicans show the same kind of outrage that they seem to reserve for partisan purposes for as outrageous a comment as that, that suggests dying in Iraq is a small price." He said.

To change the narrative that the so called "objective" media outlets like CNN continue to push, we need to be very patient and very persistent.  We are going to lose more battles than we win for a long time.  But there is one more ace in the hole we can play on that.  And that is history.  Back during World War Two, we had two Democratic presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman, who guided us through the greatest crisis of the 20th century.  And doing right by vets in the process, with acts like the GI Bill.  Let us remind the American people of that history so that the lie that we don't care about our brave men and women serving our country will finally be put to rest. 

Comments