Indiana Senator Richard Lugar lost a Republican primary challenge last week by over 20 points to State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. Lugar, who’d been a U.S. Senator for six terms (36 years), was considered a moderate and Mourdock a conservative.
The predominate view in the mainstream press was that Lugar’s loss was a tragedy, a sign that the Tea Party was taking over the Republican Party, and that the world as we know it, is coming to an end.
The thing I find interesting is that only two weeks before the Indiana primary, Pennsylvania held its primary and two moderate Democratic members of Congress were ousted by far-left liberal Democrats, and the same press was virtually silent about any alleged Democrat Party march to the left.
First of all, in Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 12th Congressional District, the matchup was between the very liberal Democratic Congressman Mark Critz and moderate Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire. Altmire wasn’t considered liberal enough by many Democrats because he had voted against Obamacare and against Obama’s Cap and Trade legislation. The very liberal Critz defeated the moderate Altmire by four points.
And in Pennsylvania’s redrawn 17th Congressional District, the matchup was liberal trial lawyer Matt Cartwright vs the longest serving Democrat in Pennsylvania, moderate Tim Holden. Holden, like Altmire, had voted against Obamacare and against Cap and Trade, and was even pro-life to boot. He just wasn’t liberal enough. The far-left Cartwright crushed the moderate Holden by 14 points.
So where were all the stories about the Democratic Party being taken over by the Occupy Movement (allegedly the Left’s version of the Tea Party), or George Soros, or Bill Maher, or Michael Moore? Where were the articles about the Democratic party cleansing itself of its moderates, and marching lockstep to the tune of the Left?
The fact is, both parties are in transition. In general, the Republicans in Congress are getting more conservative (thank God). And Democrats in Congress are getting more liberal (they would say progressive – same thing).
How about some balance in the media’s coverage of this phenomena. I’m just saying.
