Root Of Right Wing Media’s Hatred Of President Obama
The recent spat of right wing-spurred disruptions during political events and town halls have featured unhinged anger over issues such as Obama’s birth certificate and his plans for health care reform. It is all part of a concerted, coordinated effort to derail the Obama presidency in its first year – the same exact tactic that was used by conservatives to undermine the Clinton Presidency starting in 1993. The media must expose the true motivations, origins, and coordination of the birther and teabagger movements, along with similar extreme right-wing political groups, whose activism has been relentlessly promoted and encouraged by the conservative echo chamber.
Progressives need to act now. They need to push back immediately against figures such as Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, who are mainstreaming the Right’s extremist messages on national news networks. We need to send a message to the entire media that providing legitimacy to the racist conspiracy theories of the Right isn't news. If we don't act now, news outlets will get the opposite message: that anything the right-wing screams about Obama should be covered and taken seriously. And that will mean progressives, already at a media disadvantage, won't get a fair hearing in the nation's media on any issue.
Simon Rosenberg is President and founder of NDN, a leading, center-left think tank in Washington, DC. Rosenberg, a veteran of two presidential campaigns, got his start as a writer and producer in network television. He is a leading political thinker and commentator with a unique ability to identify important trends and decipher changes transforming American politics well before others.
Rosenberg is a member of the Aspen Institute’s 2001 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and served on the 2004 Democratic National Convention Platform Committee. In 2007, Rosenberg was named one of the 50 most powerful people in DC by GQ Magazine.
Ari Rabin-Havt is Vice President for Research and Communications at Media Matters. Previously, Rabin-Havt was the Managing Director of the Media Matters Action Network. In 2008 Rabin-Havt served as Deputy Director of Progressive Accountability, a joint project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Media Matters Action Network, where he was responsible for, among other things, producing a feature length documentary titled Third Term, focusing on the similarities between John McCain's and President Bush's policies. Throughout his career he has worked with numerous progressive politicians and organizations including former Vice President Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the ONE campaign, and the ACLU among others.
James Rucker is co-founder and executive director of ColorOfChange.org, an online activist organization of more than 600,000 members that aims to strengthen the voice of Black America. It was founded in 2005 by James and Van Jones in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. James also serves as co-director of Citizen Engagement Laboratory, which uses digital media and technology to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups, particularly people of color and youth. Prior, James served as Director of Grassroots Mobilization for MoveOn.org Political Action and Moveon.org Civic Action and was instrumental in developing and executing on fundraising, technology, and campaign strategies. Prior to joining MoveOn, James worked in various roles in the software industry in the San Francisco and has provided coaching and technology consulting for other start-up ventures. He grew up in Seaside, California and received a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University.
Paco Fabián is the Communications Director at America's Voice. His experience includes work on political advocacy, human rights, immigration and Latin American issues, including trade preferences; human rights for farm workers in the U.S.; universal health care for all; federal government whistle blowers and housing affordability.
He began his political career working on Capitol Hill and has worked as a journalist and communications professional for a number of high profile organizations. He holds an M.A. in International Relations and Political Theory from the University of Westminster in London and received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona.
