Abstaining from the Facts

I just read this piece by Gloria Berger of CNN which asked the question "Is the GOP race turning into a circus?"

Excuse me? The GOP race turned into a circus as soon as the House of Representatives' resident psychopath Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll. This is the problem with the mainstream media; they refuse to point out the facts and instead portray themselves as independent arbiters in a world where no one is right and no one is wrong. Each side presents its arguments (even if they're accompanied by their own "facts") and the media simply repeats the message. What the hell happened to journalism?

Is the GOP race turning into a circus??? Now you ask that question? Why? Is it because of the Donald's emergence as a debate moderator? This doesn't even rank in the top three most absurd moments of the GOP race. If you think that now the GOP race is becoming a circus, you need to go back and look at what has happened since the Iowa straw poll.

Was it a circus when it emerged that Rick Perry had hosted events since the 1980's at ni***rhead ranch? Or how about when Michelle Bachmann asserted that the founding fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery? Maybe it became a circus when Herman Cain and his one-size-fits-all policy retort of "999" became the FUCKING FRONT RUNNER. To call the GOP race a circus is an insult to the hard working folks at Barnum and Bailey; at least those guys seem to have a cohesive grip on reality.

The trepidation on the mainstream media's part to call out politicians of all viewpoints on their "facts" stems from an irrational fear of being portrayed as biased. Since the days of Woodward and Bernstein, our media has gravitated from the defenders of truth to the gatekeepers of equal time. They are not interested in finding out the facts as much as they are in allowing both sides to make their bullshit arguments while distancing themselves from the conflict and claiming that their work is done. The mainstream media's failure to pursue the truth and their insistence on imposing a false equivalency in every debate is one of the main reasons for America's decline over the past quarter century.

While this pisses me off to no end, I really should be thanking CNN and the rest of the incompetent media. After all, my entire premise behind creating the Pollis is that the blogosphere is more willing to expose harsh truths than the oligarchy currently directing our news. Bloggers prioritize honesty above all else; after all, it is the only starting point for a legitimate argument. So thank you mainstream media. Your failure has opened the door for mine and the blogosphere's success.