A public radio listener wrote to criticize the interview of Barack Obama on NPR’s All Things Considered. They thought the coverage too favorable, plus there was no equal time given to John McCain. I suspect this is the result when public radio courts the lower denominator of the American media audience. Did they hear the same broadcast as I? All six questions posed to Obama were loaded, disguised in the insufferable sucrose voice-of- concern of Michele Norris. Is she the half-wit she pretends if she composed this soft-pitch spit-ball: Democrats are generally regarded as the ‘tax and spend’ party. Are you prepared to tell us that tax-n-spend is good for America?

Actually I was paraphrasing. Here are the six questions, front-loaded with false characterization or innuendo.

1. “The GOP has used the same argument for decades, that tax and spend liberalism is bad for America. ‘Tax and spend’ is almost a hyphenated phrase that’s become equivalent a dirty word. Are tax and spend policies really bad for America or is that what you’re intending to do?”

2. “Its been said many times that the candidate who will win in November will be the one who can convey that they really feel their pain … How do you convey that message?”

3. “It’s said … you just didn’t seem to connect with white working class voters … How will you do that in the general election?”

4. “Do Americans perhaps need a reality check, high gas prices might be here to stay, and are you the person who perhaps is willing to deliver that unwelcome message?”

5. “Will gas prices stay high?”
Trying to force Obama to be the unwelcome messenger.

6. One last question: Lakers or Celtics?
Hoping he’d alienate one half of the listeners or the other. Naturally Obama handled all these questions with aplomb.