By Brent Bozell
Everyone knows that the quickest way to become a popular Republican in the medias eyes is to denounce the Republicans as too extreme and conservative. The latest example is Florida Gov. Charlie Crist who became an instant media sensation when he abandoned his dreadfully losing GOP campaign for the U.S. Senate to run as an independent.
Chris Matthews pushed the story line as a Stalinesque purge of moderates.
Obama strategist David Axelrod crowed about how great the Democrats looked as a result: We have a big tent. They have a lean-to now. This from the party that hasnt tolerated a pro-life presidential or vice presidential nominee since Jimmy Carter tried to straddle the fence in 1976. This from the liberals who are presently trying to purge Sen. Blanche Lincoln in a Democratic primary in Arkansas.
This from the party that successfully purged Sen. Joe Lieberman from its ranks.
Media liberals even blatantly declared the sky was green and the grass was blue by calling Crist a rising star of the Republican Party. Its quite obvious that Crists star had left a big crater in the dirt. Still before Crist announced he was leaving the party ABCs George Stephanopoulos warned: A GOP star set to announce hes abandoning the Party to run as an independent. T
hats because the rising star went virtually overnight from 30 points ahead to 30 points behind.
The story writes itself.
The key word for conservatives on NBCs Today show was -- yep -- intolerant. Co-host Meredith Vieira asked Crist: Did you desert the party or is this a case where the party has become so intolerant it no longer has room for a moderate voice?
She put the same question to Republican candidate Marco Rubio: Is this a case where he has deserted the party or once again has your party become so intolerant that it doesnt have room for moderate voices?
These journalists are either totally naive or dishonest.
Either way they are creating a false impression.
Theres a difference between a purge and the popular will. Stand for election and then accept the results.
Crist pledged to do that just weeks ago to campaign for Rubio if he lost the primary. But he quit instead and enabled the media to suggest theres a purge that conservatives forced him out. Just a few days ago Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank was still suggesting conservatives forced out Sen. Arlen Specter when he also looked dreadful polls in the face and switched parties.
Its absolutely fascinating to see all the people who throw quitter mud at Sarah Palin for resigning her office in Alaska have absolutely no contempt for the cravenness and cowardice of Crist and Specter refusing to stand in a primary election. If you really thought an allegedly tolerant Obama-hugging Republican Party was worth fighting for then why quit the party when your polls go south?
The media spin was much different when Lieberman chose to remain in his primary election in 2006 and he lost by just 4 points to Ned Lamont. When he subsequently decided to run as an independent the media werent asking if the Democrats were too intolerant for moderates like Lieberman.
They treated Lieberman like a selfish traitor.
On ABC Diane Sawyer scolded Senator I heard you say Im a Democrat. But youre talking about running as an independent and there are members of the party whove already said commentators that this is a selfish decision. How can you run against the party? ... Youre going to be all alone out there.
He beat Lamont in the general election 49 percent to 40.
The media never saw in Lamonts primary win a dangerous sign of growing extremism on the Democratic side that crazy socialist bloggers and Iraq protesters were forcing a purge of the careerist moderates. They antiseptically called Lamont antiwar and even presented him as a fiscal conservative and a foreign-policy moderate.
Four years ago Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne described Liebermans problem on National Public Radio:
I think he misread that for a lot of Democrats the moral issue of this time is where you stand on George Bush.
