How disappointing.  When Time magazine put Barack Obama on the cover a few months ago, few if any actually thought that the old media would actively neglect is role, and treat President Obama like a second FDR. Unfortunately, recent events have shown this to be the case.

In recent weeks, NBC ran television specials on the topic of how the White House works. Instead of facing criticism from other ”news” operations for being uncritical of a politically  ambitious administration facing mounting ethical issues, NBC seems to have started a trend. ABC in the United States intends to air a “national conversation” on health care, but has inconspicuously denied opponents of the administration’s proposals the chance to run a paid advertisement before the broadcast expressing their point of view. Not to be outdone, CBS will grant President Obama an infomercial free of charge on Father’s Day later this month. The trumpeting of folly by various media outlets justifiably has irritated the leadership in the GOP.

Fortunately, the American people may be seeing past this reckless and obscene media conduct.  The wasteful spending carried out by this administration is no longer just alienating foreign governments. It seems now that the New Deal way of doing things, of increasing bureaucracy and governmental intervention are among the worst ways to fix a slowed economy in times of relative peace. As President Obama and his administration push left in the name of progress, the allies his predecessor is said to have alienated have moved right. To be fair, the President of the United States is not alone in his approach; the British Prime Minister is also spending his nation into oblivion. As a result, the British people seem inclined to back the Conservative Party in their next election.

While the old media in the United States continues to neglect its proper function,  however, the significance of new media becomes clearer. Be it in the health care reform debate, or in sustaining a political calamity in the Shiite theocracy that is Iran, new media is relevant. Presumably, the slowing down of President Obama’s great forward leap towards irresponsible California-like spending practices has happened in part due to the efforts of new media. As with the (first) New Deal, those skeptical of higher degrees of governmental control may be able to lessen the excess desired by individuals leftward in orientation. Nonetheless, any probable change in the U.S. health care system will fail to address the excessive role played by the federal government in the daily lives of average Americans.

Doctors understand that a state-centric reform of health policy is bad for the country, and other reforms respectful of liberty have been iterated. Among the populace, however, the present debate seems lacking. Those who are intellectually consistent, and believe in a fundamental right to privacy should oppose government-run health care. Those who feel that the government should not dictate to consenting adults what they do in the privacy of their own homes should, if consistent, oppose the government dictating health care decisons to individuals. Those who advocate for personal choice cannot consistently also support governmental tax penalties on private insurers to fund a public system. Indeed, those who believe that the government does not belong between a patient and a physician cannot, if consistent, advocate for greater governmental interference in health care. The fear-mongering tactics in use by the present administration are nothing short of disappointing. 

Knowing that new media exists and could be making a difference is not enough. The role played by technology in the so-called “Green Revolution” engineered by supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi in Iran will be analyzed for years to come. However, little doubt can exist that technology will have impacted its longevity and its ultimate consequences. But, the tensions in Iran do not exist because the technology exists. Rather, the tensions in Iran exist due to the utilization of technology by those seeking to redress the excesses of the ruling regime there. New media tools can check the excesses produced by the current administration and broaden the public debate on important issues facing the country, but only if utilized.

Last 5 posts by James Kane

• A November to Remember - November 8th, 2010
• On hope and fear - October 18th, 2010
• Expecting Different Results - September 12th, 2010
• A glaring omission on Iraq - August 31st, 2010
• Employing a losing strategy - August 7th, 2010