To explain the partial shutdown of the federal government, the Associated Press is characterizing the issue as one between the noble Obama and the partisan Republicans. Further, as if they have no role here, the AP doesn’t mention Harry Reid and the Democrat Party at all.
President Obama is presented to readers as the hard-fighting, conscientious President “keeping up the appearance of a leader focused on the public’s priorities” and staying above it all while Republicans are “curtailing” things, “criticizing” people, losing support, “taking heat,” and “arguing amongst themselves.”
Author Julie Pace gives Obama all the positive adjectives, while only negatives are reserved for the GOP.
Pace also gives Obama’s “allies” the space to say that Obama shouldn’t negotiate with the GOP, giving him cover for refusing to meet with the several hundred representatives that millions of Americans voted into office to represent them.
The AP then mentions that polling on the shutdown “shows Republicans taking more of the heat,” again giving Obama the positive spin.
Next, the piece notes that Obama is meeting with business executives who, the AP says, are “traditionally a core Republican constituency,” as if to say that Republicans have lost the business sector to Obama.
Then we get a rundown of all the campaign trips and foreign travel that Obama might cancel, giving readers the impression that he is single-mindedly working exclusively on the shutdown.
Besides, the mean Republicans have furloughed Obama trip planners, anyway.
“Further complicating the president’s travel plans: Most of the staffers who help plan and manage the logistics of foreign trips have been furloughed because of the shutdown,” Pace laments.
The whole story is written with a positive light shined on the President and a negative one on the GOP.
Amusingly, not one word is said about the role Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has in this drama, nor is there a word about Obama’s party. The AP is making this a fight solely between Obama the light bringer and the “arguing,” contentious Republicans.