Welcome to The Now

That was quite a conservative hissy fit we saw this past weekend, huh? It's almost like these guys began to believe that their anti-health care push was really the beginnings of some major political revolution .

"...Yet despite his historically poor standing with the public, and despite the fact that his party had just been trounced in an electoral landslide, and despite the fact that former VPs were never considered to be newsworthy just two weeks after they packed their White House bags, there was the Politico brain trust in February 2009, sitting at Cheney's knee ("Suddenly a man of leisure ... his own mood was relaxed, even loquacious") and treating him like he was still vice president -- treating him like he was a popular vice president. Treating Cheney like a man with all the answers." -- Eric Boehlert , on how Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin are receiving unprecedented media treatment for their status (one being an ex-VP, the other a losing candidate). Good stuff. If this isn't proof that the myth of the "liberal media" is just that, I don't know what does.

Why, after attending BBQs with and being snubbed by John McCain , have the media bought into the meme that it's Barack Obama that the press is in love with, and (simultaneously) that Obama (and his camp) aren't press-friendly? According to Boehlert, it's because of the media's expectations : When Republican candidates turn on reporters, it's expected. When Democrats are accused of doing it, it's newsworthy. When Republican candidates schmooze the press, it shows their human touch. When Democrats schmooze, it reveals their dark side. In other words: The media has bought into the Republican Brand (the GOP are tough and don't get a fair shake from the "Liberal" Media; Democrats are ever-pleasing yet sneaky).