The Republican Party is making itself look more stupid than ever. Its childish protests at two broadcasters’ plans to produce dramatisations and a feature-length documentary about Hilary Clinton for airing next year have failed, resulting in the party resolving to boycott CNN and NBC for the next few years. The party will not allow debates between candidates for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election to be hosted by the networks, nor will it spend any of its vast political advertising budget on airtime on those channels during the election.
According to the Republicans, the mere act of making a documentary about Clinton is proof of bias (Ha! The party in the pocket of Fox News is accusing rival broadcasters of bias!). These documentaries, we are told, are no better than free advertising for the Democrats ‘just’ two years before a presidential election. I’m sorry, but I have to admit the Republicans have a point. American news channels carry hours of coverage about Democrat politicians such as Obama and Kerry, claiming the laughable excuse that they are “the government” of the United States. Really, the Republicans should boycott every media outlet which dares to even mention a Democrat- such free advertising must be unconstitutional!
But seriously, it says a lot that the Republicans are so scared of Hilary Clinton that they are trying to blackmail the media into blanking her. They have good reason to be scared: she’s very progressive, popular and charismatic. Polling suggests that she could beat a Republican presidential candidate even in Texas. Clinton has the potential to permanently reshape American politics; re-orientating it away from Reaganite conservatism.
I don’t think the party has done itself any favours by dismissing any media coverage of Clinton as biassed without even, as the broadcasters suggested, watching the finished production to test the claim. They have now committed themselves to not reaching a considerable chunk of the electorate- especially the Hispanic community who are served by a Spanish-language TV channel owned by NBC- and made themselves look completely hypocritical to boot.
My suggestion to you: sit back and look forward to the TV programmes next year!
