On the Journal Editorial Report today Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal remarked that the Republicans had their "B" team in the presidential race, and he was perplexed why, for example, Mitch Daniels wasn't running.
Henninger is usually level-headed, but this was boiler-plate. In every presidential election I've voted in except when the incumbent president was running the complaint was the poor candidates to choose from--even in 1980 when Reagan was running.
Further, apparently Henninger didn't listen to Governor Daniels' statement as to why he didn't run. Concerns for his family. Yes. He didn't want to be put through the same wringer Sarah Palin went through. Or that Newt Gingrich is going through. Daniels' wife left him for another man, and then came back. Imagine how that would play out in the press. Imagine the two hour Brian Ross interviews on the subject.
All the people yelling about how Gingrich can't win running against the press (including some on the Journal Editorial Report), apparently don't see what their wide open standards on what is okay for the serious press to do has an impact. The same people who don't refute* poor and biased reporting (like that of Brian Ross) have no clue that it is forcing good, even "A team", people out of the public square. People like Mitch Daniels.
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*The Wall Street Journal has a fig leaf on this because at least James Taranto in his opinion column pointed out some of Ross's fact problems. But, unfortunately, not the hard news or editorial divisions.
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2 comments:
The good news on the report card for the Republican candidates is that they are miles ahead of the Democrat candidates, and that has been the case year in and year out. John Edwards was a serious contender for the Democrat presidential nomination, and was the Vice Presidential nominee. He now is consulting with his legal team to see if he can stay out of jail. AL Gore, he of the inner chakra fame? The bore of Tennessee, who would actually have won the presidency (god help us) if he could have managed carrying his home state. John F Kerry? The arrogant Ivy league sophisticate who declared the sitting president was a dunce, then had to admit that the dunce had pulled better grades at his ivy league school then the fast saluting, veteran bashing Kerry. And those were the good ones. Howard Dean? Michael Dukakis? Best yet are the current candidates, Joe "Say it ain't so" Biden and the head of the ticket, the current sitting president who has tacked on a smothering 2.5 trillion in debt in just thee short years, your favorite and mine, Barrack Hussein Obama. If Joe Biden makes anyone standing near him look like a genius, the president makes anyone standing next to him look like a Rothschild. Tell Henninger he can relax already.
Good post.
Thanks, JN! As you point out, in hindsight it's amazing who the MSM is almost able to pull across the presidential finish line.
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