By Dan Holler
Monday, April 29, 2013
It doesn’t matter whether you’re on the far left, far
right or somewhere in the middle, there is absolutely no denying the rise of
the tea party has altered America’s political landscape. And the elite media is
making clear, in no uncertain terms, they despise this type of change.
Last week, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) voted against
the Schumer-Toomey gun bill because her constituents were opposed to the bill.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, former lawmaker Joe Scarborough and his sidekick Mika
Brzezinski lit into her:
MIKA: She is defending her vote saying her office was
flooded with calls from constituents who opposed background checks by a 7-1
ratio.
JOE: You can’t handle that?
The implication is that Heitkamp, who is not
conservative, is supposed to ignore the citizens of her state because the elite
media in New York City say the “overwhelming majority of people want to go the
other way.”
In fact, a Pew Research-Washington Post poll found 47
percent of those closely following the gun debate were “happy” or “relieved”
the bill failed. It would be logical to conclude folks in North Dakota, the
state with the 8th highest gun ownership in the country, were even more
relieved.
The cascade of righteous indignation continued, though:
JOE: Heidi Heitkamp wants to be a United States Senator
but she is not tough enough to handle 4% of her constituents calling into her
office a lot. She’s not even taking the phone calls!
MIKA: That’s what they do.
JOE: … This is one of the saddest most pathetic votes I
think I’ve ever seen in Washington, DC. What Heidi Heitkamp has done. Cowarding
[sic] in the corner because 4% maybe 5% of the people in her state were making
phone calls that her staff had to answer.
MIKA: What about her own opinion? Does she have one?
The coastal elites regularly dismiss people in fly over
country. The difference with this tantrum is that the elites are dismissing a
fundamental constitutional right. The 1st Amendment guarantees citizens the
right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
If it seems as though they’re advocating for a callous
disregard of their constituents, you’re right:
JOE: They are really vocal. Oh, my gosh. When she has to
walk past her staff and saying a lot people are calling. I’ve done that. They
are calling! I said, “that’s great. I’ll be back.”
When you consider this for standard operating procedure
for the political and media elites, it should come as no surprise the vast
majority of Americans are dissatisfied with Washington and the media.
It goes beyond just demeaning commentary, though.
The Washington Post reported this weekend’s White House
Correspondents’ Association Dinner “will raise about $150,000 for journalism
scholarships, according to the WHCA, a nonprofit group.” The piece then went on
to report “some media organizations will drop as much as $200,000 each to
entertain an elite list of guests” at after parties.
Ultimately, the money raised for scholarships is “small
change.” The Post concludes “The real targets are a few hundred elite and
influential guests. The parties help news organizations court would-be
advertisers and reward existing ones by putting them in proximity to power and
the Hollywood figures who will be transported and pampered at the media’s
expense this weekend.”
Of all people, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw has the
self-awareness to realize this type of display is just “another separation
between what [journalists are] supposed to be doing and what the people expect
us to be doing.”
Whether talking heads are dismissing the beliefs and
opinions of one segment of the country or engaging in a schmooze-a-palooza with
another, there is no doubt a massive disconnect exists between the elites and
the rest of America. And politicians, elected by a ridiculed constituency,
should remember who they represent.
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