Why I had to scold NPR.

[Career Prole]

Long story short, here's the e-mail I just sent to "All Things Considered"...

During your show on September 10th after President Obama's healthcare reform speech Mara Liasson characterized Obama's
now apparent willingness to eliminate the public option from the legislation as "a move towards the middle".

I beg to differ.

As a liberal, I and many others wanted a single-payer system for all. On the right, allowing insurance companies to set their own rules was the desire.
The "move towards the middle" has always been the public option, and it was called that from the day it was first proposed.
The elimination of the public option if it happens is most certainly a rightward shift. Please stop trying to shift the center.

Are there no more honest brokers anywhere?

[barbtries]

1. it doesn't seem like it

sometimes i feel so discouraged.

[RufusTFirefly]

2. Surely you're not clinging to the antiquated notion that NPR is somehow left of center?

If so, that hasn't been even remotely true for at least 15 years.

A June 8, 2004, survey (by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press) found that 30% of National Public Radio listeners identified themselves as liberal, 31% as conservative and 33% as moderates.

Journalism.org

But that doesn't stop the Right from characterizing it as such and heavily corporate-underwritten NPR from cowering even further in response.

There are almost no real left-of-center major media sources left, except Pacifica, which has very limited reach.

[Career Prole]

5. No, not at all.

I was just hoping for plain old facts.
Hey, Brother Rufus. That poll's only five years old...not fifteen. Or did I oversleep again? :)

[humblhumn]

9. wow, i had no idea

Those numbers came as a big surprise to me

[bvar22]

3. Excellent Post!

:patriot:

[nashville_brook]

4. i heard that and yelled at the radio. glad someone emailed.

[Career Prole]

6. Did you hear when they played all those jerks

who agreed with Jackass Joe Wilson's outburst? They actually allowed one of them airtime to say "He's just calling a spade a spade".
No way they didn't realize the offensiveness and the intention of that. That cracker's probably still laughing about it.

[nashville_brook]

8. yeah -- i couldn't believe they gave them the mic for that crap -- NPR has gone way downhill.

[Festivito]

7. Mara Liasson is a bad joke. /nt