Vladimir Lenin–the Karl Marx loving Russian communist revolutionary who ruled the Soviet Union under a one-party communist state–believed that “the press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses.”
Instead of a free press used to keep the government in check, the Soviet leader saw it as another tool for spreading his propaganda — an attitude shared by Barack Obama about the press in America.
During the first ever College Reporter Day at the White House, originally planned as an opportunity for journalism students to discuss campus-related issues with Josh Earnest, Obama made an unexpected appearance during the gathering of impressionable minds.
After allowing female students enough time to fully recover from their swooning to the point of near unconsciousness, Obama took his place on the small stage in the White House Briefing Room to lecture the captive audience on the importance of a constitutionally protected free press.
OK. Not really.
Actually, he lectured them about the collective role he expected them to play in reducing cynicism concerning government affairs; urging them to ask their editors to write stories about how government was working, instead of focusing on just the things that were going wrong:
“Don’t let the country down. You’re going to be delivering the message to your peer group. You, as journalists, are going to have a role to play in reducing cynicism. One of the things we have to start thinking about is how we tell a story about the things we do together that actually work so that people don’t feel so cynical overall.”
Lenin would be so proud.
Of course, the socio-Marxist community organizer already has a group-think media at his disposal, which is why his fundamental transformation of America has been so successful. Sadly, the captivated young minds in the room have already bought his lie.
Hugo Black, a Democrat–yeah, I’m shocked too–from Alabama who served in the U.S. Senate (1927-1937) before serving on the United States Supreme Court (1937-1971), was a proponent of a free press and the constitutional power to criticize and hold government accountable:
“Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the First Amendment. It is part of the right of free speech. It embraces freedom of the press.”
I guess Mr. Black wasn’t a student of Leninism like Obama is.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” David is also a contributor to RedState.com.
His daily commentary is nationally syndicated via Salem Radio Network.
