Suitably Flip

Tavis Smiley Has a Greater Responsibility Than We Can Possibly Fathom

On Friday's "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, Tavis Smiley of PBS proudly acknowledged his solemn duty as a journalist "to help make Obama a great president."

From NewsBusters:

Reacting to Harry Reid's claim last week that he doesn't work for Barack Obama, Smiley said Reid should "put down the crack pipe."  Smiley added "we're all working for Barack Obama." It soon became clear that was no passing quip, but a literal description of how he sees his role.

As forced idolatry for one's leaders is the highest form of patriotism, Smiley recognizes the terrible burden that falls on his journalistic shoulders.

At Hot Air, Ed Morrissey's first reaction was one of incredulity:

"Oh, come on — Tavis Smiley’s just making a harmless joke."  Unfortunately, as Smiley continues explaining that it’s up to the media to make Obama a "great President," it starts sounding a lot less like a joke than a rationalization for four years of hackery on the horizon.

NewsBusters posted an unedited clip of the interview.  I ran the footage through a couple of rhetorical filters and came up with the following...

Comments

Tavis Smiley Has a Greater Responsibility Than We Can Possibly Fathom

On Friday's "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, Tavis Smiley of PBS proudly acknowledged his solemn duty as a journalist "to help make Obama a great president."

From NewsBusters:

Reacting to Harry Reid's claim last week that he doesn't work for Barack Obama, Smiley said Reid should "put down the crack pipe."  Smiley added "we're all working for Barack Obama." It soon became clear that was no passing quip, but a literal description of how he sees his role.

As forced idolatry for one's leaders is the highest form of patriotism, Smiley recognizes the terrible burden that falls on his journalistic shoulders.

At Hot Air, Ed Morrissey's first reaction was one of incredulity:

"Oh, come on — Tavis Smiley’s just making a harmless joke."  Unfortunately, as Smiley continues explaining that it’s up to the media to make Obama a "great President," it starts sounding a lot less like a joke than a rationalization for four years of hackery on the horizon.

NewsBusters posted an unedited clip of the interview.  I ran the footage through a couple of rhetorical filters and came up with the following...