Media bias and the ‘subprime six’
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The editorial page at Investor’s Business Daily today joins with the Wall Street Journal in asking for a full investigation of the ‘sub-prime six’ -- the six named movers and shakers, among them two Senate Democrats, who received special attention from Countrywide Financial because of their VIP status.
For the record, those named in media reports as ‘Friends of Angelo’ -- Countrywide Chairman Angelo Mozilo -- are Democratic insider James Johnson, formerly an advisor to the Obama campaign; Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Kent Conrad of North Dakota (pictured); former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala; former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke; and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson. If you are keeping track, five of the six are Democrats.
IBD: ‘The Democrats’ initial response has been to stall. They hope the problem will disappear until after the election. Given the media’s lack of curiosity so far — a small handful of news organizations, including our competitor, the Wall Street Journal, have pushed this story ahead — it looks like the Democrats might get their wish.... These revelations suggest that, at the very least, the Democratic Party is afflicted with a kind of corruption that taints all recent decisions on the sub-prime crisis. They need to investigate it fully, immediately and without prejudice — or risk having it blow up in their faces.’
Bloviation: Why the lack of media curiosity? My gut tells me the mainstream news media would have much more enthusiasm for the story if it had been broken by The New York Times and had begun with a sweetheart deal for a top campaign advisor to John McCain and had then spread to two Republican U.S. senators. That’s just my two cents.
Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Hat tip: Pseudo 100, via e-mail