I am very disapointed in Jeb. I understand he has no interest in any elected office after his term of governor is over. Good, because his poltical carreer is over. As usual, republicans talk a good game but NEVER EVER have the courage of thier convictions.
May I comment on your words .....
The 'old media' regrettably is still greatly influential, still effective in molding and creating the opinions of the majority of Americans. For instance, look at the distorted and neatly fashioned polls on the Schiavo issue (ABC's for instance.) The questions were slanted, they were outright fraudulent polls and results. Terri's real condition was consciously misrepresented in the questions of these polls. Then there was the media not presenting Terri's condition from 1990 on, ill-treatment in the hospice, and the rest of the truth of the entire matter.
I've been studying media bias for close to 40 years and am quite aware of the evil power of that bias and the way, in the end, it can destroy a free nation. But media bias and the effectiveness of that bias has never been so clear and obvious than in the (non)coverage of the Terri Schiavo case. Never have I seen a citizenry more ignorant of the facts of a story -- never so incorrectly informed, and never has that bias been so maddening! Not even the citizens' recent ignorance of the real John Kerry or the realities of Rathergate could match this. No news story has made the power of bias more clear than this one.
What I'm trying to say (but saying poorly) is that the American people are so ignorant of the facts of this case, so disinformed that if it were true that Jeb were actually afraid of political ramifications from his actions, it would be easy to see why he were.
But "courage of convictions", as you mention, is another thing. In politics these days "courage of convictions" is nearly an impossibility, especially with a media constituted in the way that it still is today. With a continuing extremely influential left/liberal/socialist/anti-American old media still in place and keeping most of the people ignorant, any courageous act by a conservative to try to rescue Terri is tough to do. Because the media has so very effectively continually distorted Republicans' and others' motives to come to this girl's rescue, every courageous act will be colored in a political way. But that courageous act should be performed anyway, imo.
I think Jeb and the Republicans would win politically in the end if they did the moral thing.
But, is 'winning in the end' the most important thing today? Well, sadly I guess it is. 'Doing the right thing' may not be.
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Have a meaningful Good Friday.