Two Parties, Two Standards

Now is the time at Ed Driscoll.com when we juxtapose:

In an exclusive interview with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday’s NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer played a clip of a woman attacking the Republican as hypocritical for sending his children to private school while cutting funding for public schools. Lauer agreed with her premise: “I thought it was a fair question.”

Lauer sympathized with the woman and argued: “…what she was asking you was – she clearly sends her kids to public schools and she’s saying, ‘Governor, I understand you send your kids to private schools, but is it possible, though, then you don’t understand how these cuts are going to affect families,’ like her’s on a daily basis. Why isn’t it a fair question?”

Let’s ask Michelle Obama:

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The long view, obviously, the bigger picture is what you’re talking about. You’re going on safari here. When you go back home, you’re going to walk into also a pretty dangerous environment, a political presidential campaign, a new presidential campaign. How is the family ready for this? It’s going to be quite vicious, isn’t it? How do you prepare for that?

M. OBAMA: You know, it’s — we’re — we’re ready. You know, our children, you know, could care less about what we’re doing. We work hard to do that. And…

CURNOW: How do you do it?

M. OBAMA: Well, we — fortunately we have help from the media. And I — I have to say this, that I’m very grateful for the support and kindness that we’ve gotten, and people have respected their privacy. And in that way, I think, you know, no matter what people may feel about my husband’s policies or what have you, they care about children. And that’s been good — good to see.

Curiously, Cindy McCain didn’t get that sort of help in 2008. I wonder why?

Actually, I don’t. As Bill Clinton said in 2006, (a couple of years before saying that “a few years ago” Michelle’s husband “would have been getting us coffee”), old media is a de facto ally:

…[Bill Clinton] said Democrats of his generation tend to be naive about new media realities. There is an expectation among Democrats that establishment old media organizations are de facto allies — and will rebut political accusations and serve as referees on new-media excesses.

“We’re all that way, and I think a part of it is we grew up in the ’60s and the press led us against the war and the press led us on civil rights and the press led us on Watergate,” Clinton said. “Those of us of a certain age grew up with this almost unrealistic set of expectations.”

Almost.

(Concept via SDA.)