Of course it is. It wouldn’t be an election-year hurdle for Republicans, though you could write that story just as easily.Here, I’ll do it for you:
WASHINGTON – Add another election-year hurdle forDemocrats Republicans:
President Barack Obama’s forceful defense of the right of Muslims to
build a mosque near the World Trade Center site.His
comments are givingRepublicans Democrats a campaign-year cudgel and forcing
Democrats Republicans to address a divisive issue within weeks of midterm contests
that will decide the balance of power in Washington.SenateMajorityLeaderHarryReid, in a competitive re-election fight, was the highest profile Democrat to move away from Obama on the matter.“The
First Amendment protects freedom of religion,” Reid’s spokesman Jim
Manley said in a statement Monday. “Senator Reid respects that but
thinks that the mosque should be built some place else.”New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose constituents are actually affected by the issue, applauded the president’s remarks as the highest-profile Republican to break ranks with his own party on the issue.
“If we shut down a mosque two blocks away from where freedom was
attacked, I think it would be a sad day for America,” Bloombergtold ABC News.Democrats Republicans privately called some party members’ demagoging of the issue a distraction when the party should be laser-focused onkeeping comfortable gaining sizeable majorities inCongress.
The political climate already favorsRepublicans Democrats as economically
struggling voterslook to unleash their fury on the party in power.have a long history of trusting Democratic presidents to turn the country around.
Granted, it’s not as much fun as stringing together Tea Bag rage, a bunch of stuff “everybody knows” and a bunch of other stuff “some have said” into a narrative “we all know” so that you can get to the bar early tonight, but it would be just as valid as the flip side, which contains this bullshit:
Some Democratic candidates fear the political fallout that Republicans
suggest is coming against those who support building a mosque two
blocks from the lower Manhattan site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
And some Republicans are trying to walk a careful line in their
criticism, lest they be tagged religiously intolerant or be accused of
stoking fear.
Yes. Heaven forbid they be accused of EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE DOING. And of course the writer found some weak Democratic candidates who bitched that they had to address uncomfortable issues in an election year, but come on. This whole thing is a perfect illustration of the way laziness and stupidity infect political “analysis” journalism.
I say laziness instead of bias because: We all know the narrative. There’s no way the story would have run the way I edited it above. Why not? Because we all know how this works, right? Amirite? Heh heh heh? We all know how this works. Actual freedom is a losing issue electorally, those who defend it are weaklings who want us to bend over for Hitler, Republicans standing up for Freedom ™ always appeal to Real Americans ™ who anyway are pissed about the economy and wish everybody would stop talking about the mosque so much.
And this narrative exists all by itself, being in absolutely no way created or at the very least reinforced by thumbsucking pieces from the AP that we’re all supposed to pretend are Serious Journalism ™. This narrative is in no way reinforced by every reporter’s questions being framed as “So how big a wuss are you, Mr. President? Don’t you know Some Democrats ™ think you’re hurting their cause with your Black Muslim Identity Politics? What do you say to Republicans who talk about the mosque nonstop and blame you for not talking about the economy? Aren’t they right? I’ve been to those tea rallies. Lotsa anger out there.”
I really can’t wait until the AP sues all us lowly bloggers out of existence so they can get back to the critical thinking and gatekeeping they’re so good at.
A.