By John Geluardi
While Sen. Bernie Sanders’ thrilling primary bid has exceeded all expectations, it has also drawn out the mainstream media’s resistance to change. For decades, the default mode for political coverage by large, corporate media outlets has been to protect the political status quo, and perhaps its own interests, no matter how corrupt, dysfunctional or apathetic the ruling political parties become.
It’s certainly true that Sanders has received a great deal of positive press and he is beloved on the internet, but there is still a prominent reactionary thread that is constant in its mission to undermine the independent minded Sanders’ message of economic fairness, Wall Street reform, ending corporate influence in politics and climate change. In fact, the more Sanders excites the Democratic base, the more plaintive these media forces become and one doesn’t have to do much Googling to find media dismissals of Sanders as a viable candidate.
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times unabashedly compared Sanders, a respected elected official with a political record that stretches back to 1981, to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a wealthy real estate investor and flamboyant television personality with no political experience whatever. In a subtler approach, the Chicago Tribune assured Sanders’ supporters that they are not “delusional,” and that they should have fun while his campaign lasts, but then reminded them that “it’s still pretty clear that Sanders has no real chance of defeating Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.”
The Braying Dog 