Guardian contributor Jeff Jarvis published an article on Thursday entitled “As a Democrat, I am Disgusted with President Obama.” Check it out, it’s fantastic.
No, not just because he is “disgusted” with Obama…
It is a rarity these days to find a left-leaning journalist who will judge President Obama’s policies based on his or her principles rather than his or her political affiliation. Yes, Jarvis is a left-leaning journalist who supports many of the president’s policies, but he also believes in moral and constitutional principles such as democratic choice, transparency, honesty and rights to privacy, all of which the President has brutally waged war upon.
In Jarvis’ analysis of the Barack Obama’s presidency thus far, his conclusions are in harmony with his principles, not his vote. Take a look:
“What are you thinking, Mr President?
Is this really the legacy you want for yourself: the chief executive who trampled rights, destroyed privacy, heightened secrecy, ruined trust, and worst of all, did not defend but instead detoured around so many of the fundamental principles on which this country is founded?
…
Never did I imagine that you would instead become another Richard Nixon: imperial, secretive, vindictive, untrustworthy, inexplicable.
…
In a democracy, secrecy is not the foundation of authority; that is the basis of dictatorships. Principles and their defense is what underpins your office.
First among those principles is the defense of our freedom. Security is only a subset of that, for if we are not secure we are not free. Freedom demands the confidence that we are not under attack, yes, but also that we are not being surveilled without our knowledge and consent. The balance, which we are supposedly debating, must go to freedom.
Transparency is another principle you promised to uphold but have trammeled instead. The only way to assure trust in your actions is if they are overseen by open courts, by informed legislators, by an uninhibited press, and most importantly by an informed citizenry.”
Here is a left-leaning journalist, writing for what he calls the “great international voice of liberalism, the Guardian,” defending principles that are deeply entrenched in the left’s ideology—and the news isn’t good for President Obama.
The ‘liberal media’ is convinced conservatives are critical of their reporting tactics simply because they don’t like liberalism; but nothing could be further from the truth. Conservatives are constantly attacking the ‘liberal media bias’ because it has become so obvious that they have abandoned their principles in defense of the president. Though liberals once stood strong in their opinions against the Patriot Act, drone strikes, and Guantanamo, they have turn a blind eye to President Obama’s development of these programs; not because their principles have suddenly changed, but because President Obama’s 'success' matters more to them than actually implementing good policies.But slowly, liberals are beginning to denounce their leader, as he continues to break the federal and constitutional laws that protect the principles they once defended.
Thank goodness for articles like Jarvis’; here’s hoping for a few more.