Look at the legs this Robert De Niro story has. Good heavens, we’re into day three now.
A stupid, harmless joke at a Obama fundraiser and three days of coverage all because the Left and their media allies once again got caught in their own ill-conceived Rush Limbaugh trap when it comes to what is and is not “offensive.”
My first reaction to the De Niro joke was to laugh. I got what he was saying. But in this toxic atmosphere created by the Left, Newt Gingrich brilliantly turned the tables on the White House, and so here we are once again in Apology-ville.
Another reason the De Niro story is getting so much play is because at the end of the day the corrupt media knows no sacred cow will get hurt. And by sacred cow, I of course mean Robert De Niro and Barack Obama. It’s an interesting story, but not the kind that damages reputations or reelection chances.
The Tom Hanks ‘Blackface, story, however, is a much bigger and better story. First off, there’s video from as recently as 2004. Secondly, it involves race. Finally, Hanks has close ties to the White House. These are three factors the media usually can’t turn away from — and yet they all but have.
The reason the corrupt media has apparently decided to ignore this story is because the corrupt media knows that this is the kind of story that could do real damage to Hanks, and the media simply can’t allow that to happen. Hanks is a huge, wealthy, left-wing movie star who finances and promotes the kind of left-wing causes the media loves (like Barack Obama). Plus, the media likes Tom Hanks, wants to bask in his approval, and are not going to do anything that might cost them his affection.
The story could also embarrass a White House that just used Hanks to narrate a reelection video, and any questions such as — “Do you condemn Mr. Hanks’ behavior, Mr. President?” or “Will the president remove Tom Hanks’ voice-over from his reelection video?” — would only cause the White House problems and knock them off message.
Moreover, Obama’s Media Palace Guards don’t want to put Obama in a catch-22 where he might have to publicly repudiate a major Hollywood fundraiser and ally. Hanks is well-liked in Tinseltown and were Obama to throw him under the bus, a lot of reelection money could dry up. The media’s simply not going to allow that to happen.
Turn the tables and think about how the media would’ve reacted had the exact same situation occurred with Charlton Heston being caught (like Hanks) joking and parading around with a fool wearing blackface and an afro wig as a bunch of rich folks laughed and cheered from the audience. You think George W. Bush would’ve been inundated by media demands that he distance himself from the actor.
That was a rhetorical question.
Furthermore, if that was a school Heston’s family attended, you can bet money the media would string the story out with story after story about an elite school where such things are allowed to happen.
Up till now, and quite predictably, what coverage there has been of the Hanks’ “blackface” video has been obligatory. The only effort going into the story is the kind that ensures it will not turn into a narrative. In other words, a two-time Oscar-winner who in 2004 already had 25 years of showbiz experience is probably going to get away with the excuse that he was trapped in an “offensive” situation and had no way out … other than to play along and crack jokes for over over five minutes.
You know what that video reminded me of? A scene you might see in a movie where a bunch of rich, white people are shown behind closed doors revealing their true selves under the mistaken impression no one will ever discover what they’re doing. Imagine the movie as the grainy video unspools and the ominous music swells over the sound of Tom Hanks’ cracking jokes as a wealthy and mostly Caucasian audience eats the racism up.
Yep, this is a great story. Which is exactly why the corrupt media won’t run with it.