Cain Suspends Presidential Campaign
LEE’S SUMMIT, December 4, 2011 – Herman Cain announced yesterday what many knew was coming and the rest of hoped he would not do: Suspended his Presidential Campaign. The unceasing attacks on his sexual indiscretions whether true or not finally stopped the flow of campaign contributions and he was, in essence, forced out of the race.
Herman Cain with his oft quipped “9-9-9 Bold plan” was silenced but not till he changed the campaign discourse of those who are still in the race. MSNBC joked afterwards that his speech was nothing but a charade. I truly am disgusted by the trash commentary that passes as news in that network.
I come from a country that did not have the freedom of the press guaranteed by the constitution: A freedom that demands professionalism and responsibility; a freedom that is defended daily in these United States since the founding of this country. My parents were journalists in Argentina and often suffered for it. Freedom of the press has a moral standard and MSNBC is a complete failure and a slap on the face of every American.
You may be thinking that this is typical conservative rhetoric after hearing something I disagree with, on the contrary, conservative, liberal, or libertarian views have the constitutionally guaranteed right to be expressed. CNN is a relatively professional outfit that is so far upstream from the likes of MSNBC that MSNBC does not even belong in the same conversation. The New York Times, with its liberal bias still prints professional articles: The LA Times likewise.
The fact that the conservative media was typically best represented by a few newspapers is not the fault of liberal outlets. It is the responsibility of those conservative views to gain an audience and produce it profitably. Organizations like Fox News distinguish between editorial, commentary and news. They reach millions of viewers and are very successful. Others need to do the same and bring out the conservative viewpoint.
The point of my rant is that unprofessional behavior must be brought to light and eradicated. The MSNBC outlet will die its own natural death. What bothers me the most is that our military is defending our freedoms, yet outlets like MSNBC are spitting in their brave faces with their unprofessional bias and surly and cavalier attitudes. It is a shame that such outlets bring such shame onto a valued and honored profession.
Journalists are privileged to be where most of us are not. They observe events we cannot. They bring back the news. They even have the venue – the editorial page or commentary page – to express their opinions. They, however, don’t have the right to couch opinion with news reporting. I don’t like it when conservative media does it anymore than when the liberal media does it. It is wrong, and someone needs to start speaking out against it.
Whether Herman Cain would have been a good president or not is not the point. The point is that news and commentary should each have their place. Cain will or will not be remembered for his contribution to the 2012 campaign’s discourse, time will only tell; but journalists should cover the story professionally.
Respectfully submitted,
The Lee’s Summit Conservative.
