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February 14, 2006

Signs People Need to Take a Day Away From Politics

In the wake of Vice President Cheney's hunting accident, some people are getting upset about a Dana Milbank appearance on the Keith Olbermann show in which Milbank wears a bright orange cap and reflective vest to talk about the shooting. This is used to demonstrate Milbank's liberal bias, and Michelle Malkin is comparing Milbank's act with a reporter appearing in an interview with a bumper sticker reading "I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy." I may lose my VRWC credentials for this act of heresy, but I think people need to take a deep breath and relax about this.

The Vice President went on a hunting trip and shot somebody. Like it or not, that's pretty funny, since the injured party will be fine. Poking a little fun at the people in power is an American tradition, and I see no reason why reporters shouldn't have a chance to get into the act when they're not reporting. I mean, seriously, who watches Keith Olbermann for news? The guy's shtick is being obnoxious about current events. That's not news. (It's arguably not humor either, but that's a judgement call.) Yes, Milbank leans pretty hard to the left, and it's reasonable to assume he might not have taken the chance to poke fun at a Democratic politician. So what? Have we come to such a point that reporters are expected to be equal opportunity in their jokes? I thought the right was the side that just wanted reporters to admit that objectivitiy is a myth.

As for Malkin's bumper sticker, yes the reaction to the two would be different, and for good reason. Chappaquidick involved the death of a young woman. Cheney's accident involved some pain but no permanent damage to his victim. I don't think I should have to explain to conservatives that joking about a tragedy tends to be in poor taste.

Is it sometimes annoying that so many mainstream reporters lean left in their coverage? Sure. (Unless you're on the left, in which case the problem with the media is that it leans to the right.) But getting worked up about an incident that was pretty darn humorous just allows people to invalidate more reasonable criticism by pointing to incidences of overreaction.