Media Bias 

Conservatives know that media bias is a fact of life. But I often fear that we underestimate just how much of an obstacle it really is. For example, liberal journalists routinely play word games with the latest economic data in order to make the administration look good. Consider this headline about today's figures: "Jobless Claims Total 333,000 vs. 337,000 Estimate." 

Sounds good, right? Now, here's the bad news: Claims for jobless benefits were actually up 7,000. That would have been the headline if a conservative were in office today. But liberal reporters and editors can be very creative. 

When Reuters had to report last month's GDP figures, it came up with this headline: "U.S. Expands At Brisk Pace In 2nd Quarter, Defying Gloom." That "brisk pace" turned out to be just 1.7% growth, which is pretty weak by historical standards. During the peak of the Reagan recovery, GDP growth averaged 6%. 

And here's an egregious example of the media bending over backwards for Obama. During his appearance on Jay Leno's show this week, Obama made a really glaring gaffe. While discussing the need for more infrastructure spending, Obama said: 
 

• "The Panama Canal is being widened so that these big supertankers can come in. Now, that will be finished in 2015. If we don't deepen our ports all along the Gulf -- places like Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, or Jacksonville, Florida -- if we don't do that, those ships are going to go someplace else. And we'll lose jobs. Businesses won't locate here."

Last time I checked, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville were on the Atlantic Coast, not "along the Gulf." 

But the Associated Press edited Obama's quote to read: "'If we don't deepen our ports all along the Gulf -- (and in) places like Charleston, S.C., or Savannah, Ga., or Jacksonville, Fla. -- if we don't do that, these ships are going to go someplace else and we'll lose jobs,' Obama said." 

That little parenthetical edit -- (and in) -- completely glossed over Obama's gaffe, and maintains the left-wing media's narrative of Barack Obama as a super genius. If George W. Bush said that, the media and Hollywood elites would be hyperventilating about the "ignorant cowboy in the Oval Office." 

And if you think I'm exaggerating, Michelle Malkin reminded her readers about how much flak Dan Quayle took over "potatoe." 

Dangerous Disconnect 

America, as the saying goes, is a nation of immigrants. We have a long history of welcoming legal immigrants who come to this country seeking a better life, wanting to be Americans. 

But politically correct policies and the reckless tolerance for illegal immigration have led to considerable angst because so many immigrants are no longer assimilating. 

Politically, liberals approach the issue in terms of future votes, while the corporate wing of the GOP is looking for cheap labor. But who is looking out for America? 

As a result of the lack of assimilation, the country is being fundamentally transformed in many ways. For example, the Census Bureau reports that in 1980 there were 11 million Spanish-speaking households in the United States. In 2011, there were more than three times that number. 

According to Breitbart.com, "The bureau calculates that over three decades there was a 158% rise [in non-English speaking homes], while there was only a 38% increase in overall US population. " 

It is not racist to be concerned about such radical change. A common language is a great unifying characteristic for any country. Americans overwhelmingly support making English our official language. A May Rasmussen poll found that 84% of Americans believe English should be our official language. 

But getting legislation passed to do just that is often met by hysterical charges of xenophobia or worse. During the 2006 amnesty debate, Harry Reid condemned an amendment to make English our national language as "racist." This year, Reid didn't even allow a vote on similar legislation. 

It is hard to imagine our political elites being any more out-of-touch with grassroots America. But whether it is failing to support English as our national language or seeking exemptions from the very laws they impose on the rest of us, many of our elected representatives appear dangerously disconnected from reality.