A recent Pew Research Center study showed a wide partisan gap in President Obama's approval ratings. The news media immediately seized upon this, declaring Obama the most divisive president ever. Hyperbole aside, is this really a logical conclusion based on this data?
I disagree with this line of thinking. Rather, I think the polls better reflect what's been happening to the American electorate: right or wrong, this is the most polarized and partisan electorate in memory, and there may not be much President Obama can do about it. This is most clearly reflected by the shift in news media coverage in the last decade or so.
I grew up watching CNN, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, and other network news programs which all covered the news in a neutral manner (truly "fair and balanced"). In the last decade or so, there has been a marked shift in coverage: many news programs have opted to lean politically left or right. This isn't some media conspiracy to get you to pick a side; you want this coverage, and this is bourne out in the ratings: MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Fox's Bill O'Reilly host the most popular news programs in their time-slot, shows which offer clear opinions in one political direction.
(By the way, is anyone else disturbed by this report? There are way too many people buying into the factually dubious bilge propagated by Fox. And yes, this blog leans a particular direction too!)
TV news isn't the only indicator: conservative radio is wildly popular across the country, while liberal radio continues to make in-roads in this market. Even newspapers have adopted such ideology (e.g. the New York Times versus the Chicago Tribune). People no longer want to hear all the news, presented in an even and unbiased manner, or all the sides of an opinion; they want affirmation of their opinions.
Whether this is a good thing remains to be seen, but it may better account for the polarization of the American electorate. There's no doubt some of Obama's ideas may not appeal to conservatives, but at least he more faithfully subscribes to his political principles than the Bush administration (an exercise in political versus ideological contradictions). The bottom line in all this: the Obama administration won the election, and at the very least the majority supports his ideas to bring a new direction to American legislative policies. We should remember that all of us stand to benefit should he succeed.
UPDATE: This article is along similar lines, published in yesterday's NYTimes.
I disagree with this line of thinking. Rather, I think the polls better reflect what's been happening to the American electorate: right or wrong, this is the most polarized and partisan electorate in memory, and there may not be much President Obama can do about it. This is most clearly reflected by the shift in news media coverage in the last decade or so.
I grew up watching CNN, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, and other network news programs which all covered the news in a neutral manner (truly "fair and balanced"). In the last decade or so, there has been a marked shift in coverage: many news programs have opted to lean politically left or right. This isn't some media conspiracy to get you to pick a side; you want this coverage, and this is bourne out in the ratings: MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Fox's Bill O'Reilly host the most popular news programs in their time-slot, shows which offer clear opinions in one political direction.
(By the way, is anyone else disturbed by this report? There are way too many people buying into the factually dubious bilge propagated by Fox. And yes, this blog leans a particular direction too!)
TV news isn't the only indicator: conservative radio is wildly popular across the country, while liberal radio continues to make in-roads in this market. Even newspapers have adopted such ideology (e.g. the New York Times versus the Chicago Tribune). People no longer want to hear all the news, presented in an even and unbiased manner, or all the sides of an opinion; they want affirmation of their opinions.
Whether this is a good thing remains to be seen, but it may better account for the polarization of the American electorate. There's no doubt some of Obama's ideas may not appeal to conservatives, but at least he more faithfully subscribes to his political principles than the Bush administration (an exercise in political versus ideological contradictions). The bottom line in all this: the Obama administration won the election, and at the very least the majority supports his ideas to bring a new direction to American legislative policies. We should remember that all of us stand to benefit should he succeed.
UPDATE: This article is along similar lines, published in yesterday's NYTimes.
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