THE MEDIA VS. THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT….Gregg Easterbrook complained yesterday about the media’s treatment of Alabama’s Christians:
Why does the crackpot judge get 24-7 coverage when the noble governor gets almost none? Because the snarling judge and his intolerant followers show Christianity in a bad light; by granting them attention, the media make Christianity look bad. Gov. Riley’s crusade to help the poor shows Christianity at its luminous best. Therefore the media ignore Riley.
Needless to say, this is a transparently disingenuous criticism and the media-savvy Easterbrook knows it. The media covered the Ten Commandments story because there was a lot of action, a lot of fast changing news, and lots of photo opportunites. Tax policy, on the other hand, is boring, and there’s nothing more guaranteed to kill media coverage then being boring.
Still, let’s take Easterbrook at his word and see how Alabama’s conservative Christians are doing. Here’s the box score:
-
If the issue is keeping a Biblical monument in the courthouse vs. having a judge obey the law, Alabama’s Christians show how much their religion means to them by taking to the streets to support the monument and their law-defying judge.
-
If the issue is a Biblical appeal for fairer taxes vs. lower taxes for the wealthy, Alabama’s Christians show how much their religion means to them by delivering a massive vote for lower taxes for the wealthy.
The Christian Coalition and other Christian right groups in Alabama fought Governor Riley’s crusade to help the poor from the first day. So tell me again, which one of these two stories makes Christianity look bad and which one shows it at its luminous best? I’m having a hard time deciding.
