Political commentary from last year

World magazine had an article at the end of the year by Marvin Olasky, who apparently is a judge for the Media Research Center awards given to the worst mainstream journalism of 2011. Wow, these were pretty amazing statements by people who claim to be giving us the straight news.

How was President Obama portrayed? It's really not much of a question. We all know the answer. For example, ABC's Christiane Amanpour called him "full of sunny optimism, very Reaganesque." Lara Spencer on the same network asked, "Is President Obama a baby whisperer? Watch as the First Lady tries to quiet down the fussy little friend. She then hands the bawling baby to the big man, and, presto, the tot is simply transfixed."

How was the Tea Party portrayed? Again, not much of a question, considering the political beliefs of so many in the mainstream media. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman equated Tea Party people with Hezbollah. Another New York Times columnist (see a pattern here?) wrote this: "Tea Party Republicans have waged jihad on the American people." MSNBC's Chris Matthews, whom I despise for his past pretense of fairness, said that the "GOP has become the Wahhabis of American government."

Here's one more statement by Matthews to give you an idea of his demented beliefs. Last month he commented on Republican voters: "They hate.… Their brains, racked as they are by hatred, they lack the 'like' mode."

Another New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, gives Matthews a run for his money. She said GOP budget-cutters were "cannibals… vampires… zombies… the metallic beasts in Alien."

Of course, these are the same people that call plaintively for a return to kindness and gentility in politics. Remember, they blamed the shooting of an Arizona Congresswoman on mean-spirited Republican political comments. Don't you love the hypocrisy of that?