Star Bias For Carson All Too Apparent

Well, it's happening all over again. Just like the Star showed bias for the late Rep. Julia Carson in its coverage of her political career it is now using its bias to boost the political career of Andre Carson. How many times in recent months have you picked up the newspaper and found a large, smiling photograph of Andre accompanying a news story about him? In stark contrast, the 30-year-old photogenic Jon Elrod, who earned his place the old fashioned way by working for it, is lucky to earn a tiny photograph, if any, in what scant coverage the Star has given him since he announced his candidacy for the 7th congressional district last November. Today, the Star is at it again, displaying a large, color photo of a smiling Carson holding his daughter Salimah in its "Behind Closed Doors Column" to bring us the great news:

Andre Carson is getting fundraising help and strategic assistance from the national Democratic Party for the March 11 special election to fill the remainder of the term of his grandmother, the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who heads the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee, said Carson "will build on his grandmother's
accomplishments for the people of Indianapolis."

Democrats already have the advantage in the district, which presidential nominee John Kerry won with 58 percent of the vote in 2004.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has not announced any similar help for Rep. Jon Elrod, the GOP nominee.

The first disclosure reports showing how much Carson and Elrod have raised are due Feb. 28. In addition to helping to steer donations Carson's way, the campaign committee could decide to spend some of its own funds on the race.

The party, which has significantly more money in the bank than the Republicans, spent about $245,000 unsuccessfully trying to take over a GOP-leaning district in a special election in Ohio and spent about $80,000 to hang on to a Democratic-leaning district in a special election in Massachusetts.

Carson is one of 10 Democrats running in open seats or special elections this year that the campaign committee recently added to its assistance program.

The party last year started fundraising help for Democratic Reps. Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill.

Unlike the 7th District, those districts will all be represented by Republicans in the previous election.

The entire point of the story is to suggest that Carson will have help in raising money for his race from his party and that Elrod will have no help from his party. It's the same game the Star has been playing with us in race after race where it has already decided who should be elected to represent us and goes about covering a political race in a manner which makes its own choice become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Well, the blogs didn't let you get by with it in last year's mayoral race, and we'll be damned if you get by with it in this congressional race. Andre Carson is not qualified to hold this seat, and the blogs will make sure the public understands this in spite of the best efforts of the liberal, hand wringing Dennis Ryerson to hide this fact from the public. Andre Carson and his family brought to his grandmother's funeral the most divisive racist and anti-Semite in the country--a fact of which the Star has devoted zero coverage--to endorse Andre's candidacy. It was the defining moment for his congressional bid. He can run but he can't hide from it. We won't let him.