. . . bad old biased journalism, of which we have no shortage, locally or nationally. But knocking him . . .
. . . righteously -- for his outrageous house lease, his extravagant travel expenses, his sometimes questionable policies, his having become wealthy while on a state payroll, and the persistent odor of mild corruption emitting from some of his transactions with public money . . . well, that's what investigative reporters are for.
When Mr. Perry, a putative conservative, offered himself for the presidency, he signed up for the intrusive peronsal examination that the mainstream press regularly administers to conservatives. All aspects of his personal history, competence, and character are fair game. And, sadly, all appear to offer target-rich environments for reporters.
More problematic are journalists' efforts to debunk the Texas Miracle or prove that Mr. Perry had nothing to do with it. Local journalists ignored the strong Texas economy as long as possible, then set out to debunk it, however ineptly. The real stories on the Texas economy and Mr. Perry's role, if any, have yet to be written.
Still, what of the fact, all but undeniable, that the press never gave candidate Barack H. Obama the same hard treatment in '08 as it is giving Mr. Perry now?
That was journalistic malpractice, pure and simple, and worthy of loud complaint. But that's a separate issue. We get nowhere -- at least nowhere worth getting -- by demanding that the spotlight be turned off our candidates just because it never shined equally brightly on the other guy. Conservatives are right to expect equally hard treatment, not equally soft treatment.
Still, it's annoying, is it not, to endure the journalistic smugness and self-righteousness that accompany the investigations of our side, and the blinky-eyed incomprehension that greets complaints about the mainstream media's kid-gloves handling of Mr. Obama?
Oh, and one more thing: While we should not complain about righteous takedowns of candidates on our side, unjustified takedowns are quite another matter. That's why the Washington Post is crawfishing on the story about Mr. Perry's alleged connection to the now-famous racist rock. And that's why the press's ragged and incompetent efforts to debunk the Texas Miracle deserve scorn.
Comments