Why Republicans Cheered When McCain Lost
by Larry Elder
 
Senator John McCain lost his bid to become his party's nominee, and "core" Republicans cheered. 

No, not because of McCain's alleged fiery temper, or his Gore-like economic plan, or his silly crusade against Big Tobacco--an industry both lawful and subsidized by the government.

No, the real reason for the Republican's sigh of relief at McCain's defeat--his campaign finance reform crusade. For, here's the dirty little secret. The mainstream media dislike the Republican message of individual responsibility, pro-life, limited government, low taxes, defense of the Second Amendment, and opposition to affirmative action.

How do the media help Democrats and their cause of Big Government liberalism? President Clinton's favorite writer, Walter Mosley put it this way, "The most important form of news-lying is simply leaving things out..." Yes, that and failing to check assertions or to expose inconsistencies.
Just a few examples. 

The Clinton Administration endorses "hate crime" (not to be confused with love crime) legislation. This followed Clinton's traveling Advisory Board on Race, in which he encouraged Americans to understand, accept and love one another. Yet during the height of the independent counsel's investigation, Clinton hatchet man James Carville appeared on Sunday morning talk shows, flatly stated that he "hated" independent counsel Ken Starr. "This is America," said Carville, and you don't "have to" like somebody if you don't want to.

Proponents of affirmative action point to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, a principal supporter of the bill, explicitly argued that the law does not allow race-based preferences. During the Senate debate, Humphrey said that if anyone could find a clause calling for quotas, preferences, or racial balance in jobs or education racial preferences, "I will start eating the pages one after another, because it is not in there." Oh.

Clinton attempted, through government control of healthcare, to take over nearly one-seventh of the nation's economy. But did you know that 560 economists wrote an open letter to the President urging him to drop his plans? "Price controls don't control the true cost of goods. People pay in other ways," said an economist who helped gather the signatures. But the letter became a mere blip on the mainstream media's radar.

The mainstream media thank the Good Lord for FDR, the New Deal, and the welfare state. After all, programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare provide the critical "social safety net." Nevermind the argument that handing out a no-questions-asked-check creates dependency. But FDR feared welfare's trap, envisioning a limited Social Security program for widows and orphans. "The lessons of history," said Roosevelt, "confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers. The federal government must and shall quit this business of relief."

The media swoon over JFK, you know, Camelot and all. But the media seldom quote the Reagan-esque, anti-tax, supply-side nature of the former, popular President. "It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today," said Kennedy during a speech at the Economic Club of New York, "and tax revenues are too low--and the soundest way to raise revenues in the long run is to cut rates now."

During the Brady Bill debate, the media revealed themselves as staunchly anti-gun. The networks devoted far more minutes to the "anti-gun" argument as to the "pro-gun" position. But did you know that "good-guy" liberal attorney Alan Dershowitz said, "Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out of the Constitution by claiming that it's not an individual right or that it's too much of a safety hazard don't see the danger of the big picture. They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use the same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like." 
Which brings us back to McCain. 
 
Most Americans get their news from network television. This means most Americans remain ignorant about the "other side."

Boxing referees tell fighters to protect themselves at all times. When it comes to seeking information about important issues, you must protect yourself by leaving the track and reading and listening to other sources. The mainstreamers won't give you the truth, so you have to go out and find it. Through the like-minded media, the Democratic message gets aired--for free. Republicans must fight to get out the other side. This often means purchasing airtime to make the case. 

This costs money. And Senator McCain just doesn't get it.

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