Video: Guess who’s out of favor now?
posted at 10:10 am on January 23, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Just a year ago, media outlets like CNN praised and courted independent voters, both explicitly and implicitly as they ran endless stories about partisan bickering and bipartisan outreach — that inevitably focused on getting Republicans to vote with Democrats in Congress instead of the other way around. Suddenly, independents are “feathers in the breeze,” drama queens with a constant need for attention fixes, people who have no idea what they want and can’t articulate any principles at all. Tony Harris compares independents to people who take the Fifth in Congressional hearings, and clips in a portion of Tareq Salahi’s appearance on Capitol Hill this week to emphasize how weaselly Harris believes independents to be:
When did CNN’s treatment of independents change? Why, right after they stopped voting for Democrats. Instead of being post-partisan, common-sense, salt-of-the-earth voters who rejected the partisan sniping, suddenly they’re vapid, inarticulate, cowardly voters who demand to be courted.
So, independents …. how does it feel to be treated like Republicans and conservatives by the media?
Update: Jazz Shaw wonders why CNN wants to alienate the people who will decide the 2010 midterms.
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This will only pi$$ off the independents.
becki51758 on January 23, 2010 at 10:13 AM
Welcome to the party, indies. When they equate you to a certain German socialist dictator-mass murderer, just shake your head and keep voting smartly.
Rational Thought on January 23, 2010 at 10:13 AM
That’s certainly a unique way to build audience share. Tools.
TXUS on January 23, 2010 at 10:15 AM
He was just “pushing the fun envelope.”/
Disturb the Universe on January 23, 2010 at 10:15 AM
You don’t think ol’ Tony has a point? How the hell do you think Obama got elected? Just because he’s snarky about it doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
CantCureStupid on January 23, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Hope you back it better today Ed.
Cindy Munford on January 23, 2010 at 10:16 AM
you = your
Cindy Munford on January 23, 2010 at 10:16 AM
If I was an independent and was just insulted by CNN, I’d switch to FNC.
Lets see if CNN ratings drop/FNC go up.
Rebar on January 23, 2010 at 10:17 AM
Scurrilous upstart knaves, those independents.
Fletch54 on January 23, 2010 at 10:17 AM
I know what they DON’t want… the crap sandwich healthcare deal !
stenwin77 on January 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM
GASP! How dare they be independent thinkers!!
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM
He sounds kinda like Rush when he’s talking about the “Moderates”.
But this guy used to an anchor on my local TV station and I was surprised when he moved on up. At the time, he was normal. Reporting on the news, not too much opinion mostly anchor banter. Now… I don’t know. That kool-aid must be something powerful.
xax on January 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Folks, there aren’t enough superlatives to describe the deliciousness of these week.
Go ahead, CNN, ostracize independents. I still have not forgotten Susan Roesgen, so I won’t feel too bad when you reap the “benefits” of such a strategy.
Grace_is_sufficient on January 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM
What does reality show wannabes have to do with independents?
vcferlita on January 23, 2010 at 10:19 AM
Considering their Tanking ratings, CNN had better apologize to the Independents as soon as possible. FNC had 5 times as many viewers during the Massachusetts election last week.
kingsjester on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
It’s just like their treatment of minorities or women….they love those groups as long as they vote DEMOCRAT. If they skew right, suddenly those groups are evil. Ridiculous.
search4truth on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
I don’t think we’re too far from the day when the Progressive Elitist Pr!cks on the Left will be bashing Democrats for not towing the communist/Marxist Saul Alinsky model of Government. And by then it may be too late… if it isn’t already.
ronnyraygun on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
I’m not a fan of the ‘independents’ but hopefully they are at least intelligent enough to figure out why they are being suddenly trashed by the media. And hopefully they will have an eleven month long attention span to take it these insults into the voting booth with them. Just think of all the votes the GOP will get because CNN made fun of the independents. Educated populace my left bum cheek.
myrenovations on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
The Democrats hope just flew out the window.
Disturb the Universe on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
I celebrated this weeks events again last night.
.
.
.
My poor head hurts.
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Independents – exercising their right to choose for themselves and show independence. Something the mediaweasels wouldn’t know anything about.
TinMan13 on January 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
You forgot open minded.
Dusty on January 23, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Which will first follow Air America into the dustbin of media history, CNN or MSNBC?
I’m betting the latter since Comcast, being bottomline oriented, won’t keep throwing money into the pit.
They both need to significantly change or be thrown into the abyss.
TXUS on January 23, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Keep it coming, CNN. Keep it coming.
Key West Reader on January 23, 2010 at 10:22 AM
these week = this week. Not enough coffee this AM. :)
Grace_is_sufficient on January 23, 2010 at 10:24 AM
This fool doesn’t care what independents want. The answer to the question is quite easy, and even a liberal dummy like Chris Matthews has figured it out. This CNN fool is simply venting in that passive aggressive way that Obama specializes in and that some people think is so clever.
EMD on January 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM
This is great! Looks like the donks are going to implode without the Republicans having to fire a shot. Well I know Scott Brown was a big shot. But at least Chairman Steele has not had to go out out yet. Keep it up Donks!
Dire Straits on January 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Yeah, me too. If this good news keeps up, we may have to start the HA chapter of AA.
TXUS on January 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM
And that was with a huge number of us watching them so we could enjoy the meltdown!
anniekc on January 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Are you here, Mr. Salahi? Are you here right now?
You gotta get an answer from your attorney for dat?
OMG. Book this guy on Conan.
(nevermind . . .)
BigAlSouth on January 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Well I don’t know what they want today, Tony, but last Tuesday 75% of them wanted Scott Brown instead of Martha Coakley.
greggriffith on January 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM
“You independents need to stay on the Plantation with our black folk. Don’t you all go thinking for yourselves- thats what we’re here for.”
The best week evah rolls on.
jjshaka on January 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM
+1
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM
I’m no Indie. Pat Buchanan is too liberal for me. But to compare squishy indies to pathetic, broke and broken liars (aided in their contempt for national security by a certain WH social secretary) makes the analogy worthless – much like CNN.
Of course, I’m just a white guy and, by definition, a racist. So my views are even more contemptible than independents.
mr1216 on January 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM
DO AS I SAY!
Good time for conservatives to just be quiet and humble. Let these jackasses make fools of themselves.
JusDreamin on January 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM
CNN is among the worst of the left wing propaganda machines and one would expect nothing less from them. When the left is spurned it recoils and growls like a rabid hyena.
rplat on January 23, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Everybody on CNN is trying out for their next gig. Cafferty wants to go to FOX. Harris wants to go to NSNBC.
Ted Torgerson on January 23, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Bingo Annie.
JusDreamin on January 23, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Independents are just another group to be pandered to. Vote with us, and enjoy the benefits. Vote against us and take your place under the liberal bus. Beep Beep.
Note to independents. Do not forget.
ted c on January 23, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Driving more of Obama’s former backers to the right. Nice work CNN. The independent’s experiment, giving President Hopey-Changey a turn at the helm, blew up in their faces.
Lesson Learned: Never give a chemistry set to a child.
fogw on January 23, 2010 at 10:28 AM
People want to follow leaders … Like tea party people, no leader just a cause.
People want to align with people who share the same values and principles. Which is why the progressives try and take American values apart and vilify same.
tarpon on January 23, 2010 at 10:29 AM
The question in my mind, what are these tools going to do for an encore?
JusDreamin on January 23, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Until recently I was an “Unaffiliated” voter. I tend to shy away from joining any groups but my requirements of those idiots in D.C. have remained consistent my whole life. I realize that I am not really who he is talking about but I’ll bet there are more like me then his what he describes.
Cindy Munford on January 23, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Nice reporting Ed; once again exposing just how dishonest and harmful the old big media is for all Americans who simply want the facts, the truth in reporting rather than pure genda driven propaganda.
Nice work here Ed….
Keemo on January 23, 2010 at 10:31 AM
“I was for the independents before I was against them”
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:32 AM
If I were watching CNN I be pushing the channel button…
PatriotRider on January 23, 2010 at 10:32 AM
I simply cannot believe what an arrogant, manipulative, transparent, insulting ass this guy is. Oh, to see that smirk wiped off his ugly face. I think it is exactly right – this jerk is going to alienate an awful lot of indies.
paul1149 on January 23, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Yeah, independents are out of favor now. Just wait, though – the closer we get to November of this year, and 2012, the harder it’s gonna be to trivialize the independent voter. Then, the hiney kissin’ will resume in earnest.
uncivilized on January 23, 2010 at 10:34 AM
It turns out that even letters to the editor are now being run by ACORN. Can this qualify as dude?
maynila on January 23, 2010 at 10:34 AM
He’s got a point, but you know he’d drop it like a hot potato if the moderate swing voters would go back to voting Democratic. Someone like Rush, on the other hand, knocks swing voters for their lack of committment even when they’re swinging back to the Republican side (mainly, of course, since they tend not to swing very far and end up boosting the McCain wing of the Republican Party. Pople like Harris, in contrast, either thought the swing voters were going to swing all the way over to the left side of the Democratic Party, or that they would simply give Obama and the left their votes and then STFU for the next four years and do what they’re told by their media and political betters.)
jon1979 on January 23, 2010 at 10:35 AM
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye….
tatersalad on January 23, 2010 at 10:35 AM
I’m still trying to figure out what the Salahis have to do with being an independent voter.
Fallon on January 23, 2010 at 10:35 AM
Tony’s train of thought left the station without him and proceeded to derail when he had his “Chicago is out?” onscreen meltdown.
ya2daup on January 23, 2010 at 10:36 AM
It seems EVERYONE on the left is doubling down on stupid.
uknowmorethanme on January 23, 2010 at 10:38 AM
It’s a fair question. The American voter put all these people in power on purpose. What exactly did they expect Democrats to do…change their spots? When they started doing what they said they would do, people suddenly balked.
It’s like drinking several shots of tequila and then expressing surprise when you fall off your chair.
Asher on January 23, 2010 at 10:38 AM
CNN? Are they still broadcasting? WOW, that’s shocking, most places around here that Televisions on walls (restaurants/retailers) have Fox News on.
Hehe. :-)
PappyD61 on January 23, 2010 at 10:39 AM
I knew the left was going to over-reach after Obama got elected, but I am amazed at how quickly it has all fell apart for them. Obama is probably the best thing that has happened for conservatives in a long time.
The democrats are never going to be able to shut him up once he is out of office, just like carter. He is going to spend the next 20 years reminding the country how bad it is having liberals running the show.
Mord on January 23, 2010 at 10:39 AM
THRILL IS GONE
Headline at drudge.
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:40 AM
This is what happens when you are wooed by Communists… once you lose your usefulness… they will destroy you.
mankai on January 23, 2010 at 10:41 AM
OmahaConservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Independents want limited Gov’t and fiscal responsibility. So no, he doesn’t have a point, because that’s what Obama’s entire campaign was ran on so that’s what independents thought they were getting.
You forget that politicians lie, cheat, and steal in order to win the Independent vote. Independents vote the same principles every time. The politicians who makes them feel good about it will win their votes. Obama did it in 2008, Brown did in in MA, McDonnell did it in VA.
Politicians are feathers in the wind, not independents.
uknowmorethanme on January 23, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Apparently independents don’t want a “transformational President” hell bent on transforming us into a national socialist regime.
wildcat84 on January 23, 2010 at 10:44 AM
What’s “CNN”?
Del Dolemonte on January 23, 2010 at 10:45 AM
I am a Southerner by birth, now living in the Midwest. Southerners are used to being the whipping boys and girls of the media. I am somewhat bemused that for the time being, the honor of being marginalized has moved to the Independents of Massachusetts.
I’m thinking this will be fun to watch.
manateespirit on January 23, 2010 at 10:46 AM
I love watching the media and the dems continue to dig deeper holes for themselves! What a week this has been and now that Hayworth is going to challenge Mccain,it has gotten better:):)
ohiobabe on January 23, 2010 at 10:47 AM
Yeah, but thank god the Obama juice is wearing off the indies. Fools like Tony Harris will never quit drinking the dementing sh!t. Hopefully, they’ll keep drinking themselves into oblivion.
Gang-of-One on January 23, 2010 at 10:47 AM
The fickle middle finger of the feckless fxcks flips forever forward.
hillbillyjim on January 23, 2010 at 10:48 AM
I think Independents vote against the party that is spending too much money or shows themselves to be sleazy or who they perceive as having wrecked the economy, to wit:
Kennedy was elected in 1960 after Eisenhower spent billions on the Interstate highway system.
Nixon was elected in 1968 after Johnson’s Great Society with all its spending passed.
Carter was elected on the heels of the Watergate.
Reagan was elected after Carter botched the economy.
Clinton was elected after Bush I reneged on “Read my lips.”
The GOP was given control of Congress after Clinton tried to take over health care.
Bush II was elected as a result of the Lewinsky scandal but the economy was good, so it was a split decision.
The Dems were given control of Congress in 2006 after Medicare Part D and the attempt to spend billions reforming Social Security.
Obama was elected after the housing bubble burst and as a reaction to TARP.
VA, NJ, and MA are a result of ObamaCare and it ain’t over yet.
Kafir on January 23, 2010 at 10:48 AM
Chicago is out!?!?!?!?!?!??!
Joe Caps on January 23, 2010 at 10:50 AM
You keep using that word, Tony. I don’t think it means what you think it means. The word you are looking for is “moderates”, not “independents”. Completely different.
SKYFOX on January 23, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Your absolutely right. There are millions of conservatives and liberals and in-betweeners who simply don’t want to put an R or D after their names.
And there are even greater numbers out who aren’t political at all or who are just too darn busy working or taking care of families to give much thought to it.
But the polls consistently show that about 40% of voters describe themselves as “conservative” and 20% as “liberal”.
That’s what the CNNs and MSNBCs of the world just can’t fathom. They think if you’re independent or unaffiliated you’re just right in the middle.
Sadly, that thought is shared by too many in the Republican Party and so-called moderate conservative media types like Frum and Brooks.
TXUS on January 23, 2010 at 10:52 AM
I’ve never seen a political party use the strategy of dissing all of the voters but their tiny nutroots to win elections. How’s that working out for ya so far? Say in MA, VA, NJ!
Christian Conservative on January 23, 2010 at 10:54 AM
OT
Charles Krauthammer on C-Span now.
yoda on January 23, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Yes, he does have a point.
I’m not enamored with Independents either, but would CNN have run this if a Republican had been elected in 2008 and Independents changed direction and voted Democrat in 2009/10?
Hardly. As a matter of fact, the “independent voter” would have been named Time’s “Man Of The Year”.
David2.0 on January 23, 2010 at 10:55 AM
But why piss off people you’re going to need later? Oh wait! What am I thinking? I’m talking like CNN is actually part of the political establishment that gets voters for Obama. Uh, well, wait a second…. Never mind.
Oink on January 23, 2010 at 10:56 AM
From a legal, technical, standpoint, based on the SCOTUS decission this week, CNN has a Constitutional Right to demonstrate that they are a corporation of morons.
I respect that Right.
percysunshine on January 23, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Yeah I noticed the same thing. I used to watch him on the Baltimore news. He just kinda read the news and had a nice personality. Since he has been at CNN he has become a tool.
Joe Caps on January 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM
As usual, Cindy drives the nail with one shot. I am an independent, but frankly I have little use for the alphabet right now. I vote my values, which happen to be conservative-limited, EFFECTIVE government, fiscal responsibility. And indeed Cindy, plenty more just like us.
JusDreamin on January 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Dear Jazz Shaw, the answer is because they’re stupid. They believe by dissing everyone who disagrees with them, they can shut them up and make them get back in line. They are wrong.
Kissmygrits on January 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM
And thus CNN lashed itself to the mast of the sinking SS Obama.
AubieJon on January 23, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Let the media keep doing what they’re doing…they will help align this country against liberalism.
Seriously, why complain? Keep giving the left more rope to hang itself with. Encourage an ultra-left agenda in Congress now. Liberalism will destroy itself when “independents” realize what it’s all about. This is why socialism and communism revolutions have to suppress free speech and kill a lot of people to take over countries.
frode on January 23, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Keep it up! Keep it up! They’re showing the arrogance and “embrace of diversity” that will be their downfall in November.
GarandFan on January 23, 2010 at 11:01 AM
CNN? I thought they went under a few days ago. Oh, that was AirAmerica? I get them confused sometimes.
Vashta.Nerada on January 23, 2010 at 11:01 AM
As an independent, I really don’t care what or how the media spins things. I look for facts and figure out on my own how to vote. I’ve never changed my mind because of what some talking head has said.
bridgetown on January 23, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Why the left alienate the independent voter?
The left are an emotionally stunted people group. The same reason there are bullies in every grade school might be a good start.
When power takes precedent over reason.
katy on January 23, 2010 at 11:02 AM
This is great reporting. Nice job Ed.
Mark30339 on January 23, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Hope-N-Change is imploding.
Who is first to resign/get the boot from Obamaland?
albill on January 23, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Because I’m Canadian, I can’t actually be “classified” as anything but independent.
I probably lean more towards conservative ideas and positions. That said, I don’t like being treated like an idiot.
My friends note that I am a contrarian by nature so whatever the “popular” opinion is, I take the other opinion just for the h*ll of it.
Therefore, the Dems have to watch themselves. Don’t piss off the people who will vote whatever way they feel like after seeing the facts. That’ll make the Dems lose. Badly.
mjk on January 23, 2010 at 11:05 AM
In fairness, Rush talks about independents or moderates this way all the time. And I think he’s right. They know what they want, and it usually involves fiscal discipline and no overreaching by politicians on social issues. But they refuse to call themselves conservative or liberal, so we’re stuck with a huge bloc of voters in the “middle”.
But CNN should be smart enough to know what it is they want. Just look at the poll numbers for God’s sake. They need to quit fixating on Obama’s personal popularity as if that’s any real indication of how the American people are feeling. They don’t like his agenda and want no part of it.
Doughboy on January 23, 2010 at 11:06 AM
As I say in any thread like this, I agree wholeheartedly with CNN. The difference is my ridiculously low opinion of independents (and most voters in general) applies whether they vote Republican or Democrat.
jarodea on January 23, 2010 at 11:09 AM
“The Most
TrBusted Name In News”Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm
/.
CaveatEmpty on January 23, 2010 at 11:10 AM
They’re not alienating independents because they want to, but because they can’t help it. They have no other emotional alternative to frustration and rejection. This is liberalism. This is how they roll. They don’t know how to persuade in good faith on the merits of their beliefs. You simply MUST believe what they believe or you’re morally or intelectually defective. It’s never about persuasion, winning you over; it’s about coercion and con, about sucking you in. Sure, they’ll go through the lip service of speeches and campaigns — all of which are shot through with dishonesty (out of necessity. No liberal/leftist in his right mind would ever tell you what he REALLY has in mind or REALLY wants to do). So the independents have seen through the empire of lies and now the emperors are enraged at the audacity of the independents’ independence. Surprise.
Look for more of it. You’re all just stupid and hateful for not paying homage to the wonder, brilliance and selfless majesty of liberalism in what should be its period of epic splendor.
rrpjr on January 23, 2010 at 11:10 AM
What the left don’t seem to understand is the days of TV propaganda and herding the masses one way or the other…are over!
Too many sources of info are available and the electorate are much more informed and won’t he herded anymore.
katy on January 23, 2010 at 11:12 AM
A long time ago, I was a registered Dem. That changed after I joined the real world and started supporting myself and learning. I became a Rep.
Then, I got so frustrated with how I felt like, since I was registered with a party, They just assumed I’d always vote that way. They stopped ‘hearing’ me.
Or so it seemed.
I switched to “I” and now, seems my concerns/letters/etc are being read and I get thoughtful responses instead of form letters begging for donations.
I am basically very conservative, but a few issues I’m liberal on. I don’t know anybody who is down the line one way or the other. Everyone is a little bit of both, are we not?
The media and the Washington “elites” who like to herd us like cattle and assign names to us are very stubborn. The election of Brown should have woken them up. They don’t want to see it.
They are like little children holding their hands over their ears and screaming LA LA LA LA…
Fine by me. November should prove to be delicious. :)
bridgetown on January 23, 2010 at 11:14 AM
Perhaps the problem here is that as independents, we are confusing Washington.
Hello DC, are you there? STOP SPENDING MY CHILDRENS FUTURE!
JusDreamin on January 23, 2010 at 11:17 AM
I guess independence is best demonstrated when droves of us switch from FNC to CNN or MSLSD like we did last Tuesday night. We just wanted to enjoy their predictable reaction to a foregone conclusion.
That’s what happens when it becomes obvious to us independents that what you’re peddlin’ ain’t news.
You’re welcome for the brief jump in your ratings. The shock, disbelief and tantrums were worth it.
ontherocks on January 23, 2010 at 11:19 AM
Well, it feels the same as when they referred to me as a Teabagger so about the same.
Dr Evil on January 23, 2010 at 11:20 AM
The idea that all Independents vote Democrat misses the point of “Independent” in the first place. CNN canned Lou Dobbs you know Mr Independent so what’s new about their stance on Independents again? They have been dissing Independents for awhile now. There isn’t much of a reason to watch CNN now that Lou Dobbs is gone.
Dr Evil on January 23, 2010 at 11:23 AM
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