Beating a dead horse
I didn't expect the Ann Coulter thing to become a big debate and I admit I got a little tired of it a few days ago. But, sometimes I just can't step away from a good argument. Blevins Blog writes a good post about the issue and gives a greatest hits of offensive comments from Coulter.
Since the editors of the State Journal-Register are committed to presenting a balanced presentation of all viewpoints, then there's nothing wrong with evaluating the job they're doing.
On today's page we have the conservative standbys George Will and Robert Novak. Novak at least showed why he has a little more credibility than Ann Coulter by printing a correction of a mistake he made in a previous column. Coulter would have to release a new series of books to have enough room to correct all the false assertions in her writings.
Two conservatives are balanced by Ellen Goodman who praises Hillary Clinton for becoming the establishment, centrist candidate. She writes, "Not even the most calculating strategist could have planned this. She didn't choose her status as establishment candidate anymore than she chose being attacked from the left by Hollywood mogul David Geffen."
Actually, anyone who has watched Clinton's Senate voting record shouldn't be the least bit surprised that she's running as a centrist. That's exactly the image she has craftily managed to create and it's probably what she would continue to do if she were elected President.
It's also why she will never win the Democratic nomination. People are tired of politicians who only find their conviction when 60% of the public agree with them. Right now, this is a race between Barack Obama and John Edwards.
Goodman is demonstrating what I think is the most dominant media bias in favor of the establishment, "conventional wisdom," which is one reason why both liberals and conservatives frequently complain about their ideas being excluded.
Perhaps the SJ-R feels that their cartoonist provides balance since he usually presents a liberal viewpoint. But, as far as columnists go, we have two conservatives to one center-left viewpoint today.
Elsewhere in the opinion section, I'm surprised to see myself agreeing with their editorial today because they usually voice a pretty conservative, business-establishment viewpoint. The editors argue for an increase in the state Earned Income Tax Credit.
When I heard Blagojevich give his budget address I got the impression that he was going to cut taxes somewhere to offset the increases and make the tax system more equitable. I was surprised to find that wasn't the case. An income tax cut for lower-middle class workers could help offset some of the negative effects the Gross Receipts Tax might have on the marketplace. That's something I would have proposed from the start.