{mosads}On the GOP stage, you have a grieving mother, Pat Smith, angry with Hillary Clinton over her handling and explanation to her over the 2012 Benghazi terror attack that left her son dead along with three other Americans.
At the Democratic event, there’s a grieving father, Khizr Khan, angry with Donald Trump over his immigration proposal that includes enhanced vetting and screening of those coming to the U.S. from Muslim countries.
After Smith’s remarks, the reaction — particularly from the left — is one of outrage.
Here’s what MSNBC’s Steve Benen said of Smith’s remarks in writing for Rachel Maddow’s blog on July 19:
Benen’s close: “Imagine if the Democratic National Convention invited several people, including grieving family members, to spread obvious falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the Republican administrations? Democrats would be seen as fanatics lacking in the seriousness of purpose necessary to govern.”
Benen’s lead: “The timing was almost certainly coincidental, and yet, somehow perfect. Last night, Donald Trump campaigned in Iowa, where he assured voters he’s right about bringing back torture and blocking refugees fleeing terrorist violence. And right around the time those remarks were uttered, a 1,000 miles to the east, the exact opposite message was emanating from the floor of the Democratic National Convention.”
Benen’s close: “Americans heard from quite a few high-profile speakers at the two major-party conventions, but when it comes to sheer emotional weight and resonance, no one topped Khizr Khan.”
If that isn’t the most blatant illustration of how two similar stories can be presented in two entirely different ways when seen through a blindly partisan lens, I don’t know what is.
As for overall reaction, here’s an eye-popping stat via the conservative Media Research Center on network coverage of the Smith and Khan speeches:
We’ve seen this movie before more than a decade ago in 2005. Cindy Sheehan — who, like Khan, lost her son in Iraq — camped outside President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanding a meeting with the then-commander in chief. Her protest lasted a full month and gained national attention, with prominent media members even dispatched to Crawford for interviews.
Three years later in 2008, Sheehan spoke at the Democratic National Convention, blasting Bush as a war criminal responsible for the death of her son.
These parents all have every right to grieve, to mourn, to vent. But when “journalists” like the hopelessly biased Steve Benen and Josh Rogin slam one party for featuring one and cheer another for offering the same exact stage, it tells you why almost nobody respects or trusts the media anymore.