Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The Washington Post’s Robert Costa and Dan Balz interviewed Scott Walker yesterday. Of everything they had opportunity to ask, they chose to ask Walker whether he thought Obama was a Christian.
How Walker’s opinion on the matter is remotely relevant or newsworthy is unclear to normal people, who expect the press to do that whole “truth to power” thing.
Walker, seemingly unamused by the obscure religion question, responded appropriately, saying he “didn’t know.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott K. Walker, a prospective Republican presidential contender, said Saturday he does not know whether President Obama is a Christian.“I don’t know,” Walker said in an interview at the JW Marriott hotel in Washington, where he was attending the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.Told that Obama has frequently spoken publicly about his Christian faith, Walker maintained that he was not aware of the president’s religion.“I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that,” Walker said, his voice calm and firm. “I’ve never asked him that,” he added. “You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?”
What followed was completely lost on the WaPo Inquisition:
Walker said such questions from reporters are reflective of a broader problem in the nation’s political-media culture, which he described as fixated on issues that are not relevant to most Americans.“To me, this is a classic example of why people hate Washington and, increasingly, they dislike the press,” he said. “The things they care about don’t even remotely come close to what you’re asking about.”Walker said he did not believe that most Americans care about such matters.“People in the media will [judge], not everyday people,” he said. “I would defy you to come to Wisconsin. You could ask 100 people, and not one of them would say that this is a significant issue.”
Thusly shamed, the dynamic Costa/Balz duo shifted tactics to another left-wing favorite — guilt by association.
Last week, Rudy Giuliani committed the unforgivable sin of questioning President Obama’s patriotism. Given multiple opportunities to recant, Giuliani is sticking to his guns. The establishment media is relishing every last click with GiulianiGate — just look at how many articles they’ve written on the matter. How dare someone question the patriotism of a man who vowed to fundamentally transform what he claims he loves!
The estate once charged with speaking truth to power now vigilantly protects the one with the power. Guaranteed press protection of the executive only serves to justify perpetual overreach, further institutionalizing the unofficial state media we’ve come to know and loathe.
And so WaPo attempted to play guilt by association (emphasis mine):
Walker’s comments Saturday came after a week in which he was asked repeatedly whether he agreed or disagreed with former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani when he said at a private dinner last Wednesday that he was not sure whether Obama loves his country. Walker was a guest at the dinner.Walker again declined Saturday to weigh in on Giuliani’s characterization of the president’s patriotism and background.“I don’t know, I honestly don’t know, one way or the other,” Walker said.“I’ve said that 100 times, too.”
Walker refused to give them the answer they wanted. He did not laud Giuliani for bravely speaking truth, nor was he willing to demand Rudy’s head on a platter. It should’ve stopped there, right?
Some of Walker’s possible rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination have issued statements about Giuliani’s remarks.
Because Walker did not play by their rules, he was isolated (rhetorically isolated, anyway) from the pack of other Republican candidates who have issued official statements. It was a lame attempt to paint Walker as a less than adequate candidate, but an attempt nonetheless.
Vilifying those who question authority is a wildly successful headline generator and a fantastic way to create faux controversies that detract from actual controversies like, for example, Hillary Clinton’s foreign sugar daddy problem. Clinton, by the way, doesn’t believe the rumors that Obama is a Muslim, “as far as she knows.”
And so our national press falls yet another rung in their slow, sad, descent into irrelevance. There is a silver lining though: maddening as the interview was to read, it’s abundantly clear Scott Walker will not be presshandled.
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