How much does the Media Research Center so utterly despise President Obama? He’s not even allowed to innocuously comment on a movie without criticism.
Thus, we get the spectacle of Noel Sheppard using an April 8 NewsBusters post to rant about Obama providing an introduction to the USA Network’s broadcast of the classic film “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Sheppard rather vociferously insists his criticism isn’t about race or even the content of what Obama said, but the fact he was allowed to do it in the first place:
Let’s be clear: there’s absolutely nothing I disagree with concerning the content of the President’s introduction.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is my favorite film. Gregory Peck should win an Oscar every year for his remarkable performance, as should Horton Foote for writing a screenplay adaptation that is actually far better than the book. That’s a very rare feat.
Beyond this, despite the concern of many conservatives, there was absolutely nothing provocative in this introduction. Thankfully, there was no mention of how the film somehow relates to the Trayvon Martin shooting.
But did the USA Network have to give the President more free face time in front of the public during an election year?
We saw the President before the Super Bowl. Just last week he appeared during the NCAA college basketball Final Four, and got a lot of airtime prior giving his bracket selection.
With the Olympics coming up this summer, it seems a metaphysical certitude we’ll be seeing a lot of Mr. Obama during those Games. Likely the World Series just before the elections as well.
If Obama were a Republican, one envisions liberals shouting from the rooftops about such free face time, especially before a classic film revered by the Left for its treatment of racial prejudice.
With tongue in cheek, I daresay that for the 46 percent of the nation that doesn’t approve of the job he’s doing, having Obama introduce this film was “sort of like shooting a mockingbird.”
Is Sheppard really this small and petty? Apparently so.