.png)
By Larry Elder
When former long-time Los
Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, and his wife, were found guilty on voter
fraud and perjury charges, local publications, of course, were all over the story.
After all, the one-time assistant
to five-term Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Alarcon served for years in the California
State Senate, the State Assembly, and Los Angeles City Council. But the one-time
L.A. mayoral candidate was charged with voter fraud and perjury, accused of illegally
living outside of his district and lying about his true residence.
The Los Angeles Times, the
Daily News and the Los Angeles Business Journal all reported on his conviction.
But none -- not one -- of the three publications, at least in their online editions,
noted Alarcon's party affiliation: Democrat.
Look at the L.A. Times. Its headline
reads: "Former
councilman Richard Alarcon, wife guilty of voter fraud, perjury." In an article with 11 paragraphs, the paper could not
find the space to squeeze in even a tiny little reference to his party.
Now contrast this with an
L.A. Times article about the conviction of former House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican. The headline
and sub-headline refer to Delay's Republican affiliation -- twice. "Former House Majority
Leader Tom Delay convicted of money laundering: The Republican
was accused of conspiring to funnel $190,000 in donations to GOP candidates in Texas in 2002 elections. He faces five
to 99 years in prison, plus two to 20 years for a conspiracy count.”
The short, 12-paragraph body of the
article manages to mention Delay’s
“Republican” affiliation:
“Republican
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay … was accused of conspiring to illegally
funnel $190,000 in corporate campaign donations to Republican
candidates. …
“In 1994, DeLay was part of the "Republican revolution" that won control of the House for the
first time in 40 years. He then got the job of House majority whip, making him
the chamber's third-ranking Republican. …
“DeLay resigned from
the House in 2006 after being linked to Jack Abramoff, a former Republican lobbyist snared in a federal investigation of
influence peddling on Capitol Hill. Two of DeLay's former aides pleaded guilty
to corruption. DeLay denied any wrongdoing. …
“During the 2006
congressional election, Democrats criticized DeLay's actions, saying that they
illustrated a pattern of corruption in the Republican-led
Congress. Democrats won the 2006 election and took back control of Congress.”
Count them.
In addition to the two headline
references to the Republican Party, the article cites DeLay's party or his
interaction with another "Republican" six additional times.
The most charitable Alarcon
explanation is this. California has so few Republicans, none elected statewide,
that Democrats are the only ones left around here to corrupt.
Follow Larry Elder on Twitter
"Like" Larry Elder on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Policy:
The author of this blog will attempt to engage in conversation via the comments section whenever possible and recognize the 24/7 nature of the internet. Moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular operational hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible, however admins and/or the author is unable to commit to replying to every comment posted.
This is a moderated blog. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, it is expected that participants will treat each other, as well as the author and admin, with respect. Comments that contain vulgar or abusive language; personal attacks of any kind will not be posted. Comments that are spam or that promote services or products will not be posted. It is requested that all comments remain on topic.
The Elder Statement blog does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this blog is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. The Elder Statement blog may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. The Elder Statement blog does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those Web sites that may be reached through links on our Web site.
To protect individual privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include phone numbers, addresses or email details in the body of a comment. Such information will result in removal of a comment.
Thank you for your attention.
The Elder Statement