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March 13, 2006
Bias + Ignorance = The Need For One Very Large Mirror
Tim Graham writes today about New York Times writer David Sanger's ignorance of the conservative movement (Sanger cited William F. Buckley as an example of a "neoconservative"):
John, this sorry labeling episode by Sanger displays two problems of liberal bias at the NYT. First, as you describe, liberal reporters display their ignorance of distinctions of thought within the conservative movement, which also suggests they don't have any conservative friends, and have spent next to no time reading up on conservatism. They don't ask the question "Where is Buckley in relation to the rest of the movement?" They didn't read what Buckley said before the war for comparison, or anything else up to now. A reporter doesn't have to BE a conservative to know current conservatism. A reporter earns respect quickly on the right for knowing the fine distinctions. It shows they've been in contact, that they don't write from inside a liberal bubble. (This is especially funny for Sanger, whom Clay Waters has pounded repeatedly for loving the "Bush in the bubble" angle.)Sanger is narrow-mindedly looking for what liberal reporters are always looking for: signs of a "tipping point" against Bush's war. Anything that fits that tunnel vision is "news." Anything outside the tunnel are just neglected factoids.
Graham's second point, that their ignorance of conservatives is betrayed by their labeling bias, is summed up by Bernard Goldberg's observation about the MSM:
And it is this inability to see liberal views as liberal that is at the heart of the entire problem. This is why Phyllis Schlafly is the conservative woman who heads that conservative organization but Patricia Ireland is merely the head of NOW. No liberal labels necessary. Robert Bork is the conservative judge. Laurence Tribe is the noted Harvard law professor. Rush Limbaugh is the conservative talk show host. Rosie O'Donnell is simply Rosie O'Donnell, no matter how many liberal opinions she shares with her audience.And that's why the media stars can so easily talk about "right wing" Republicans and "right wing" Christians and "right wing" Miami Cubans and "right wing" radio talk-show hosts. But the only time they utter the words "left wing" is when they're talking about an airplane.
Just so. Confusing WFB with a neocon is on par with inviting Bill Gates to a conference of Linux programmers, or suggesting to Joe Lieberman that Markos Zuniga would be a good fit for his campaign manager.
To a liberal/Leftist, every "conservative" is a homophobic, Bible-quoting, sexually repressed cretin who is incapable of rational thought. It's astonishing how many well-educated and successful liberals make no effort to recognize the many variations present in conservative ideology; you'd think they'd at least have an interest from the standpoint of "knowing the enemy".
But when it comes to monolithic and intolerant dogma, it's clear that the liberal/Left wins hands down--witness the aforementioned Joe Lieberman and the treatment he received at the hands of the Kos Kids. Maybe the libs are simply incapable of imagining a conservative movement that's an ideological big tent sheltering healthy debate--because that's certainly not the case on their side.
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