Wisconsin Unions vs. The Tea Party: A Classic Double Standard

NewsBusters ^ | Rich Noyes

[RatherBiased.com]

Last March, as thousands protested on Capitol Hill in the days before the passage of ObamaCare, CBS’s Nancy Cordes slammed it as “a weekend filled with incivility,” while World News anchor Diane Sawyer painted the Tea Party as a violent gang, with “protesters roaming Washington, some of them increasingly emotional, yelling slurs and epithets.” In August 2009, ABC anchor Charles Gibson complained how “protesters brought pictures of President Obama with a Hitler-style mustache to a town hall meeting,” failing to mention that the signs were produced by Lyndon LaRouche’s wacky left- wing fringe movement.

Over the past several days, the liberal demonstrations in Wisconsin (bolstered by the national Democratic Party and President Obama’s Organizing for America group) have included signs just as inflammatory as the ones that bothered the networks during the health care debate, including several showing Governor Scott Walker as Adolph Hitler. Others have likened Walker to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (“Scott Stalin”) and recently deposed Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak (“Walker = Mubarak”).

Another protest sign drew a cross-hairs over a picture of Governor Walker’s head, with the caption “Don’t Retreat, Reload; Repeal Walker” — an obvious parallel to a Facebook map posted by Sarah Palin last year, although that much-criticized graphic placed the target sights on maps of congressional districts, not any politician’s face.

Yet none of these signs in the hands of liberal protesters have drawn the slightest complaint from network journalists. MRC analysts examined all 53 ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news stories, segments and anchor briefs on the Wisconsin protests from Thursday, February 17 (when they first drew major national coverage) through Monday, February 21. While eight of the 53 stories (15%) visually displayed one or more of the signs described above, none elicited a single remark from the network correspondents.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The Obama-voting public got what it wanted — until it became thoroughly sick of it.

[Wisconsinlady]

I hate the MSM. We don’t need them anymore, and shouldn’t even use them.

[chickadee]

This really fine article deserves more readership on FR.

Government workers have taken to the streets in Madison, Wis., to battle a series of reforms proposed by Gov. Scott Walker that include allowing workers to opt out of paying dues to unions. Everywhere that this "opt out" idea has been proposed, unions have battled it vigorously because the money they collect from dues is at the heart of their power.

Unions use that money not only to run their daily operations but to wage political campaigns in state capitals and city halls. Indeed, public-sector unions especially have become the nation's most aggressive advocates for higher taxes and spending. They sponsor tax-raising ballot initiatives and pay for advertising and lobbying campaigns to pressure politicians into voting for them. And they mount multimillion dollar campaigns to defeat efforts by governors and taxpayer groups to roll back taxes.

[Spok]

I’m sick of hearing the left dictate standards to its opposition that it routinely ignores.

[JPG]

The MSM is like that busted bank robber who was shocked that the police had ID'd him from surveillance video. He told the cops.."But I used the juice." (he had been somewhere led to believe that smearing his face with lemon juice would scramble his image on the tape).

The MSM also thinks that by "using the juice" the American people will not notice their rank rat partisanship. Uh-uh, BUSTED!!

[saintgermaine]

Perhaps some one can answer my question?

Where do the demonstrators in Wisconsin expect to get their money from? They are asked to contribute a slightly higher percentage to their retirement as well as their healthcare and they have a dizzy fit.

Do they expect it to get it from their neighbors who already have to tighten their belts or don’t they give a hoot where the money is coming from?

Help, just a question........as I don’t know!

[chickadee]

*** Where do the demonstrators in Wisconsin expect to get their money from? ***

Many of them don’t care where it comes from as long as they get it. Surprisingly, many of the teachers and state workers agree with Walker.

It doesn’t hurt to remember that there is a difference between the union and the union members. The members will still be doing all right under Walker’s proposal, but the Union will have been neutralized and see its income slashed. Many members will opt out of paying dues - especially if the union can only negotiate pre-set raises.

[A_Niceguy_in_CA]

Every on air reporter (tv & radio) is a card carrying member of a union, AFTRA, sister union of the Hollywood’s FAG (Film Actors Guild), err, I mean SAG (Screen Actors Guild).

[Henry Hnyellar]

Lila Diane Sawyer, aged 65. Lots of plastic surgery going on there.