Wednesday, April 05, 2006

That Matt Lauer

Dear Today Show and Matt Lauer,

I am a stay-at-home mom and an artist. I am floored at how biased your programming has become in support of the Bush administration and the Republican party. I have noticed very pro-Bush news stories on the Today show since I began watching it since my baby was born. The piece on Barbara Bush recently showed Bush working out in the gym twice, the same shot--and I can recall no mention of the current war, or Barbara's thoughts about it. Matt Lauer recently interviewed Ann Coulter like she was a respected journalist instead of the attack-dog partisan spin doctor that she is. I heard him hopefully suggest that Republicans might be able to distance themselves from President Bush's dishonesty and unpopularity during the next election in an interview with Tim Russert (Russert, friend to many Republicans, didn't think that Republicans could distance themselves from Bush since they've been so supportive of Bush's dishonesty and failures). This morning Lauer asked Pat Buchanan how the Democratic party would respond to the Delay scandal--implicit in Lauer's "question" was a republican talking-points attack on the Democratic party. He said something about Democrats having no agenda. How does he know? Has he checked the Democratic web site lately or talked to leading Democrats in Congress? Does the press even report what Democrats say anymore? You all seem to just listen and repeat what Republicans say about Democrats. Do you only listen to the party in power? In any case, this he said/she said kind of reporting isn't journalism (or at least, it is now, but journalism used to be something better). To top it all, the Today Show ran a fluff piece today discussing God and President Bush--it lacked any coherent criticism of how religion is used hypocritically by governments, including members of ours lately, to cajole and manipulate the people. In my opinion, you have seriously comprimised journalistic integrity and your responsibility to the American people to be objective in your reporting.

[P.S. I'm trying very hard to strip "I like" or "I don't like" he or she from my language because I don't want our son growing up thinking, "Does he or she like me?" It is very hard not to say, "I don't like that Matt Lauer."]

Why do Bush's conservatives want Presidential tyranny forever more?

"...No doubt the Bush Administration will fight Specter's bill - for the simple reason that it does not want to be tested by a court, for it wants neither checks nor balances, but simple the unilateral exercise of executive power. And even if Specter can get the bill through the Senate, Bush's soldiers in the monocratic House will kill it."

Is it ignorance over the issue that affects every American's civil rights? Is it a thirst for ABSOLUTE power for YOUR guy (nevermind that you're setting a precedent for THEIR guy later)?

John Dean on Bush's illegal wire tapping program--Bush is worse than Nixon, and he lies, lies, lies (far worse than Clinton when it comes to you and me!!!).