A Daily Dose of Depression (DDD)

 – Edit – Moderate

Gene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Washington Post, MSNBC liberal, all round great man, came to Terre Haute last night. He spoke to the community and the students of Indiana State University about politics and the last election. Sadly, he didn't mention once the failure of the press to cover the issues in depth. Even Mr. Robinson has fallen into the insiders trap of seeing politics as "narrative," sensation, and up or down poll numbers.

How many Americans, after two years of fighting the Bush Depression, can tell you how the economics of the stimulus is/was supposed to work? How many understand what half/no truths went into the catch term "Death Panels"? How many know in a conversant manner about the distribution of income in this country?

It's easy to say (as Robinson seemed to be saying) that the president failed to get his message across on any of this. It's just as easy to say that the press failed to do this job. And unless the press is going to hide its failings behind the lame excuse "We only report what comes out of the White House," don't we all have to say "Thanks for nothing, press corps," that's what you've been giving the American public the past ten years.