RUSH: More and more people ask me, “Why did the press get constitutional protection? Why is there freedom of the press? What were the founders thinking?” I’ll tell you what I think they were thinking. Because the media back in the days of the founding and in the ensuing years, the media back then was just as bad. In fact, in some cases you could say it was worse, particularly the political press. I mean it was despicable.
But the one thing that the founders knew, the examination of history and in their own experiences, was that the press was always going to be suspicious of power, and so were the founders. The founders limited government. They’d had enough of King George. Read Levin’s book, Ameritopia. It’s the best historical explanation for how the founders decided and were influenced, were educated, and put the Constitution together based on who and what. They really expected that for all of the ignorance and stupidity and all the other failings of the media, that the one thing they would always do would be suspicious of power and hold it accountable.
For the longest time the press was. But as you and I both know, the vast majority of members of the media are liberal, and therefore sympathetic to liberals in power, and that’s why it’s broken down. What is the phrase they love to throw around? Holding truth to power, or whatever. But there is no suspicion of Democrat Party power. There’s no suspicion. Powerful Democrats are not suspects as are Republicans. As I say, if the press treated powerful Democrats like they treat Republicans, we’d have an entirely different country in terms of national mood. It would be profound. But it is what it is. I’m not whining about it, I’m just explaining. I get more and more people asking me.