(click on image to enlarge)
(Jim Morin, Miami Herald - from 2013!)
Steve Benen does a good job of once again identifying and deconstructing the corporate media narrative that if only President Obama had schmoozed more with Congressional Republicans over the past 7 years, gosh, he would've accomplished so much! The latest purveyor of this tripe is Norah O'Donnell, who repeatedly pressed the thesis on Presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett on "60 Minutes" this past Sunday:
“Valerie, this is probably one of the last big fights of the president’s term in office. And he can’t even get Senate Republicans to give him a hearing. Most Republicans won’t even meet with Judge Garland. Does that say something about President Obama’s inability to reach across the aisle? To have friends on the other side?” (our emphasis)This was followed by eight other questions in a row in the same vein. (Does O'Donnell have a fishing license?) It's not exactly a new narrative for the lazy and/ or agenda- driven corporate media. Even some in the media have noticed. But, as Benen notes, it's most harmful for the media to continue to be wedded to this narrative:
... The schmoozing thesis creates a misguided set of priorities: members of Congress who refuse to consider compromise, and who reject the very idea of cooperative policymaking, can act with impunity, knowing that the media won’t hold them responsible, preferring instead to blame the president for not making the White House the Friendliest Place on Earth.
As regular readers know, the notion that schmoozing will lead to progress rests upon the assumption that congressional Republicans are responsible officials, willing to negotiate and work in good faith, fully prepared to find common ground with Obama. All they need is some face-time and presidential hand-holding. Once they can get along on a personal level, a constructive process will follow.Any observant, sentient person has seen that Republicans have been dedicated, not only with this Administration but with every Democratic Administration since Jimmy Carter's, to undercutting and de-legitimatizing Democratic governance. It doesn't take a particular level of sophistication or insight to see this, simply some clear- eyed honesty and a little courage. Ah, there's the problem!
Meanwhile, a cancer metastasizes under media noses. Sic transit gloria, America.
