Has the Media Lost Its Collective Mind in Trying to Force Clinton Out?

Photo credits: AP

You have to wonder if the media – the MSM and the blogosphere combined – has lost its collective mind.

Here’s the non-story in a nutshell for those who have been on another planet for the past two days: in her comments during an interview Friday with the editorial board of the Argus Leader in South Dakota, Hillary Clinton mentioned two prior Democratic campaigns that went on until June: RFK’s in 1968 and Bill Clinton’s in 1992. Her point, as I’ve now posted three times here at Katalusis, was that a Democratic primary running into June was not unprecedented.

The uproar has since been unabated. One expects the Huffington Post to jump on every word Clinton says, twist it beyond recognition, and spread it in 3-inch red letters in a banner headline on the homepage, accompanied by the most garish photo of Clinton its editorial staff can find.

But the Washington Post, the NY Times, the LA Times, The Associated Press… all trying to outdo one another with warmed over analyses of yesterday’s shabby tabloid reports?

What does it take to jar the media into responsible journalism?

So far the Clinton campaign has published a clarification in response to the Obama camp’s immediate farfetched interpretation of her remarks; Clinton followed up the earlier clarification with a personal statement, including an apology; a member of the Argus Leader editorial board in South Dakota supported Clinton by putting her remarks in context; and RFK’s son, Robert Kennedy, Jr., has spoken out on her behalf.

Still the boys in the press, along with their codependent female allies, keep pouring gasoline on the flames. You have to conclude that even though they’ve declared Obama the presumptuous nominee for weeks now, his devoted supporters are so threatened by Clinton’s presence in the campaign, they compulsively do whatever they believe it will take to force her out.

But despite their best efforts, the uppity Hillary has had the gall, not only to keep running, but to keep winning. Since March, she’s won Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Indiana with blowouts in West Virginia, and Kentucky; Obama has won North Carolina and Oregon.

At the moment, she’s campaigning in Puerto Rico where she’s expected to score another major victory. Rumor has it she’s getting her message out with batucada percussion ensembles and mobile loudspeakers playing reggaeton chants.

Go Hillary!