Television, Radio and the press let the people and the country down on the two most important legislative issues in the past several years. And our elected officials are the ones who moved those issues to the top of their list. The two issues are the republicans attempt to repeal and replace the ACA and immigration. The news media failed to explore what could be done about those issues and allowed our elected officials spin the myth that they had the answer by telling lies.
The news media had to know that Donald Trump and the republicans claim of having a health care plan to repeal and replace the ACA and at the same time lower cost and insure more people was a scheme and that they had no plan at all. What the news media failed to do was offer and make the case to the people that the best course of action would be to make the necessary changes to the ACA to make the program better. They should have devoted more time to that with democratic input and input from other groups that had ideas. The media itself had the resources to make the case that the republicans were lying thru their teeth and that input to the ACA would be the better way to make health care more affordable, less expensive and cover more people.
The republican controlled congress has kicked the immigration can down the road for the past three and half years they have been in control and did zero on the issue during the administrations of President's George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The news media also had to know the republicans never did and still don't have a immigration plan, only rhetoric. The media failed to point out that an option was and still is available on immigration. That is the comprehensive immigration reform bill that the democratic controlled senate passed in 2013 by a vote of 68-32. It was a bi-partisan bill with 52 democrats, 14 republicans and 2 independents voting for the bill. It was a good immigration reform bill that also secured the border and provided funds for a 700 mile fence among other measures.
The media should have pointed out the republicans had an option on immigration reform and should have done a series on the issue. The democratic bill that was passed could be used as a model and make necessary changes to make the bill better and use democratic input. After all, the 14 republicans who voted for the bill in 2013 were considered strong on immigration.
But the American people were given only spin on the two issues and not a real debate on the options available. Yet, the media spends 24 hours a day covering Trump' and his party's lies and divisive tactics. In the mean time, Trump and his party are slowly killing the ACA and still have no replacement and they do not plan to take up immigration until after the November elections. So the people are left with Trump and his party's rhetoric and lies on the issues.
Today, the news media in a political sense is a mouth piece for elected officials spin and mis-information for public consumption. They are not capable of or have no desire to challenge elected leaders remarks in a civil way to flush out truths, facts or other options on matters under discussion. The volume of the republicans rhetoric grows louder and louder with less and less accomplishments and the media has forgotten its commitment to the public and the country.
What might have been on immigration and health care could have been if all the options available were debated by the news media as a helping hand to fully understand legislation should not be a one way street and that various ideas have merit. With an unstable President in the White House, now is not the time for an unstable news media. Do we have a news media "host" capable of having a civil debate with those elected officials concerning issues that are deemed so important to the country. This writer has his doubts.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
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