Thursday, January 27, 2005
How About Some Press Courage, While We're At It?
With apologies to the feminist movement of the 1970s, in Bush politics, the "private" is the "personal."
I'm referring to the White House edict banning the press from using the until recently perfectly fine and even used by Bush term "private accounts."
Apparently, the phrase "private accounts" is far too scarily reminiscent of the term "privatization." So the press now has its marching orders: Replace it with "personal accounts," or else.
And to judge from yesterday's Bush press conference and other instances cited by Talking Points Memo, many media members are caving in to this demand.
I raise this issue to suggest that while we're holding Democrats up to the Boxer courage meter, we should do the same for the press. After all, they helped get us into this fine mess.
And a cowardly press will certainly keep hurting our cause, no matter how much tenacity and grit Democrats manage to muster.
So let's call upon journalists to be a bit braver. And to not be intimidated by the Frank Luntzian assertion that any press member who keeps using the old Bush term must be deemed biased against Bush's Social Security plan.
In the meantime, I dedicate this limerick to press-weenies everywhere:
Saying "private" account proves we're biased,
Charge the wingnuts in tones oh so pious.
Dub's retired that phrase.
It was merely a phase.
Must say "personal." Else they'll deep fry us.
I'm referring to the White House edict banning the press from using the until recently perfectly fine and even used by Bush term "private accounts."
Apparently, the phrase "private accounts" is far too scarily reminiscent of the term "privatization." So the press now has its marching orders: Replace it with "personal accounts," or else.
And to judge from yesterday's Bush press conference and other instances cited by Talking Points Memo, many media members are caving in to this demand.
I raise this issue to suggest that while we're holding Democrats up to the Boxer courage meter, we should do the same for the press. After all, they helped get us into this fine mess.
And a cowardly press will certainly keep hurting our cause, no matter how much tenacity and grit Democrats manage to muster.
So let's call upon journalists to be a bit braver. And to not be intimidated by the Frank Luntzian assertion that any press member who keeps using the old Bush term must be deemed biased against Bush's Social Security plan.
In the meantime, I dedicate this limerick to press-weenies everywhere:
Saying "private" account proves we're biased,
Charge the wingnuts in tones oh so pious.
Dub's retired that phrase.
It was merely a phase.
Must say "personal." Else they'll deep fry us.
# posted by Mad Kane @ 4:25 PM 
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A commenter over at Atrios came up with the best name for Bush's Social Security plan:
Pirated Accounts
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Pirated Accounts
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