John Harwood’s Bait
12 October 2009 2:03 pm by Taylor Marsh
Harwood and his status quo cronies in traditional media must be really enjoying themselves today. The former staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal, now chief Washington correspondent of CNBC and a political writer for the New York Times, intended to cause a firestorm and did, at least in some quarters, which can be seen in the fulminating coverage listed over at Memeorandum.
There has never been a doubt in my mind that there are some quarters of the Obama administration that detest what activists do. The commercials against Blue Dog Dems, the rising up to challenge the agenda of the White House, the criticism, drives some White House advisers crazy, with Pres. Obama certainly not appreciating that the people who worked long hours to get him elected think he’s not delivering what he promised.
However, let’s get serious. If new media wasn’t a force to be reckoned with there wouldn’t be anonymous Obama “advisers” leaking kindergarten insults to friendly, traditional media sources they know delight in delivering them. I mean “internet left fringe” and “take off their pajamas, get dressed” lines are so retro as to conjure up the old days when establishment pols preferred denial, even as new media took down the political elite by proving their access had hopelessly corrupted their ability to tell the truth.
Harwood’s White House gossip went like this…
LESTER HOLT: John what we saw in that protest today, was it simply frustration or does it represent a serious problem the President is having with an important part of his base?
JOHN HARWOOD: As a practical matter Lester I don’t think it’s a serious problem. We’ve seen and certainly Bill Clinton learned that they Democratic President can get punished by the mainstream of the electorate for being too aggressive on social issues so for now I think the administration feels that if they take care of the big issues — health care, energy, the economy — he’s going to be just fine with this group.
HOLT: But in general when yo look at the left as a whole, have there been conversations about some things they thought would have been done but haven’t?
HARWOOD:Sure but If you look at the polling, Barack Obama is doing well with 90% or more of Democrats so the White House views this opposition as really part of the “internet left fringe” Lester. And for a sign of how seriously the White House does or doesn’t take this opposition, one adviser told me today those bloggers need to take off their pajamas, get dressed and realize that governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult.
The Obama White House released the obligatory statement through communications adviser Dan Pheiffer, former communications director for Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, via Greg Sargent:
“That sentiment does not reflect White House thinking at all, we’ve held easily a dozen calls with the progressive online community because we believe the online communities can often keep the focus on how policy will affect the American people rather than just the political back-and-forth.”
–insert laugh track here–
You decide what that one means.
But poor John got caught with his anonymous “adviser” hanging out.
Harwood’s bait was served up for one purpose: to separate Pres. Obama from people trying to hold him accountable, because some “adviser” somewhere inside the White House believes it’s still 1994 and that we are a closely divided country even with northeastern Republicans almost extinct, a Democratic majority and the country giving Republicans their worst rating in political history.
Though it’s not surprising in the least to me that a traditional media type like Mr. Harwood would have friends and allies that not only want to push the subject of gay rights back in the closet, whether it’s in the military or marriage, but also turn back to the days where Joe Lieberman could be nominated for vice president on the Democratic ticket.
Serving up conventional political wisdom as we approach 2010 will be the death of Democratic progression, yet people continue to push it, with traditional hacks like Harwood always willing to play the patsy.
