The Obama administration can’t be center-right, right?
In his column, David Sirota takes journalists to task for presenting news reports with a conservative bias [“We’re left in the middle, right?, Opinion, Jan. 18). I guess he has no quarrel with all the liberal bias in the media.
He gave away his own bias when he referred to conservative talk-radio hosts as goons. Such name-calling is simply standard operating procedure for liberals, even those pretending to be objective members of the media.
But the comment that I could not believe was his description of the Obama administration as a center-right administration. That is as far from the truth as it would be to call the Clinton administration a right-wing conservative administration.
If the Obama administration was truly center-right — and not radically and revolutionary to the left — our center-right country would not be rising up in opposition to his policies as it has the past year and is continuing to do this year.
I do not understand how The Times can feature an article by a person who would make such an outrageous statement, even if he is a syndicated columnist.
— Jack Hurley, Bellevue
Political labeling diverts attention
In regards to David Sirota’s column, when someone labels an argument as liberal or conservative they immediately divert attention away from the issue. It is the quickest way to stop progress of a potentially illuminating dialogue. The details seem to matter less.
This labeling has become common for many media outlets and Internet blogs. They concentrate on pigeonholing issues as liberal or conservative.
How can we address the massive federal deficit, unfunded future federal liabilities, the significance of global warming or the complex issues of health care? One can so effortlessly eliminate any educational discussion that may be counter to their interest.
As we learn of the complexity of subjects, our emotional attachment to our opinions wanes. Humility and uncertainty take the place of arrogance and pervasive labeling guarantees a future laden with problems too long avoided.
— Steven Short, Mercer Island