Weighing in on Time's "Swampland" blog, journalist Joe Klein opined that the best question of last night's GOP primary debate was the infamous "What do you dislike most about America" question. Klein slammed the candidates' performances, but particularly picked on Romney, whom he mocked as overly optimistic:
I could imagine him doing the Reagan nice-guy, slightly-boggled head twitch, especially when he was asked the question of the night: What do you dislike most about America?
Romney's answer: I love America. Great. Good. Great Great. Creative. People. The American People. Love. Great....[...]
This is a basic DNA difference between the parties. Republicans see the American people as perfect; the American government as an alien import from France. You put America and Flawed in the same sentence, and any Republican will go all (faux) De Toqueville--great good great good etc.
Later in his blog posting, Klein complains that "Listening to the Republicans, you'd never guess this was a country 70% of the public thinks is heading in the wrong direction."
And reading Klein you'd think the media see themselves faultless in drumming up such pessimism.
After all, the Media Research Center has documented how the media have, for instance, persistently portrayed the stellar economy in a negative light, have consistently portrayed the war in Iraq in the most negative light, and consistently been a soap box for left-wing journalists and celebrities to whine about how flawed and backwards they think America is.
