While I wouldn’t say that I am bitter about the outcome of the election, I am a little bitter about the media’s role in this election. They shirked their responsibility, not just to be objective, but at least to try to be objective. President Bush’s unpopularity gave them a convenient excuse to vilify all conservatives. Themes repeatedly popped up: McCain supporters were ‘down scale’ and uneducated; people who want lower taxes are greedy and selfish; people who believe in a strong national defense are ‘playing the politics of fear.’ My bitterness isn’t just that they affected an election, and supported the other candidate, it’s that they aren’t held accountable for their shoddy work, and that they often pigeon-holed people they clearly knew nothing about.
It was completely acceptable to look down upon, or talk down to conservatives/Republicans this election. For some, anger with the Bush administration prevented rational thinking, and it kept a lot of people from really listening, especially the media. This isn’t to say that the Bush administration shouldn’t be criticized, and that some anger isn’t justified. The real problem is if you are a member of the media, who is claiming impartiality, but are incapable of seeing beyond your own personal anger and resentment.
One of the primary complaints I received on my blog was that people would
accuse me of not being an Independent, as the title PurplePeopleVote.com indicated
I was. Instead, I was accused of actually being a covert Republican and
their proof was that I was supporting Senator McCain. I’d tell them that I’ve
been an Independent for more than 10 years, and that I attended the events
of both Republicans and Democrats in the primaries, and that I voted Democrat
in the last two presidential elections. I’d explain that I lean right
on fiscal issues and left on social issues, and that Senator McCain’s
experience, particularly in foreign policy matters, I believed was important
and needed at this time. They were unconvinced, and their angry cries of ‘Republican’ were
clearly meant as a slight. After this occurred several times I had to refrain
from replying to cries of ‘Republican!’ with, ‘What, you
can see my horns?’