Under the headline of "The Reporters Who Didn't Bark", Hugh Hewitt notes a gap in coverage of California's bill which would allow same-sex marriages. He's been unable to find any Democratic leader who's been quoted on the bill.
National news media accounts of the votes and the vetoes quoted the backers of the proposal as well as the governor's spokespeople, and advocates and opponents on both sides of the debate. But in no story that I can find did a reporter think to ask a national Democratic leader for their opinion on the vote by their California colleagues. Google News cannot even find San Francisco Democrat and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi's name in the same story as same-sex marriage. Neither can the San Francisco Chronicle over the past 30 days.
Maybe they don't care about it.
Or, if you're of a conspiratorial turn of mind, maybe reporters don't want certain questions, and their answers, on the record.
How to explain the media's collective pass issued to big-name Dems? Simple enough: They are sparing them a series of questions that would embarrass them. Such as: "Senator Clinton, the California Democrats have pushed through a same-sex marriage bill. Should Governor Schwarzenegger sign it?" "I need to follow up on that senator. I realize it is a local issue, but it has national implications, senator. Does it make sense to you?" "If the bill is signed and the Defense of Marriage Act fails to prevent mandatory recognition of California marriages in states that have rejected the idea, should the Constitution be amended to provide for a state option or even a total ban?" "Isn't the California Democratic party really reflecting the true feelings of the Democrats, feelings which a number of your colleagues share but which come with too high a political penalty?"
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