Media: This ACORN Too Hot to Handle

Everyone in the Media has some political bias. Even if not a favorite candidate, at least strong preferences on some issues. It’s part of being human. Even the most unbiased reporter will be biased to some extent on some issues. It’s going to happen. The question is how much and to what extent it will be admitted.

During this election we’ve seen what is perhaps an unprecedented level bias and of kid gloves treatment of a candidate - Barack Obama. From an overtly racist, hate-filled, and conspiracy theory worshiping pastor to a close friend who to this day has no qualms about bombing innocent judges homes or even the Pentagon. From questions about his citizenship to an unusually very high number of illegal and questionable campaign contributions, many in the liberal side of the media have soldiered on. They’ve ignored or soft-pedaled issues and helped cover flip-flops on everything from accepting public financing to meeting with terrorists with no pre-conditions.

ACORN is apparently proving too much. Whether too much in itself or just the straw that broke the camels back, some in the normally liberal leaning media are backing off on their preferential treatment of Obama. The cost has risen too high. Individually each of the other issues could be explained away. Obama didn’t know Bill Ayers had been a terrorist and still harbored terrorist views. Obama only heard good sermons from Rev. Wright, never any of the hate filled racist diatribes he was so well-known for. Obama had no idea the church’s mission statement was racist. Questions about Obama’s having been born in Kenya and receiving Kenyan citizenship or having later become an Indonesian citizen are just the rantings of a crazed lunatic (and they may well be), nothing for serious media folks to be concerned with or investigate.

ACORN can’t be explained away so easily. Questions of voter fraud have trailed them for several years and across several states. They’ve had a reputation. Obama was an attorney for them. His campaign gave their associated organization nearly a million dollars this spring for get out the vote efforts. There is no way Obama couldn’t have known their history. No plausible deniability here. At a minimum they were a known very questionable organization for a presidential candidate to be involved with and give so much money to. The very best that can come out of this one is some extremely poor decisions on Obama’s part. Decisions that question both his decision-making and integrity. But this time, the best case is unlikely.

Expect a lot less soft-pedaling on this one after today.