Just how much does the Associated Press love the Democrats?

Astounded is a great word to describe my reaction to an Associated Press story about pharmaceutical companies pushing large amounts of cash towards Democrats. I've often critted AP stories about global warming AKA climate change AKA the little ice age. But the story, 'Obama's health care plan helped by drug industry' contains a remark so misleading I felt compelled to speak up. Here's the sentence in question: "The White House and allies in Congress are well aware of the effort by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a somewhat surprising political alliance, given the industry's recent history of siding with Republicans and the Democrats' disdain for special interests."

What astounds about that statement?

For starters, 'Democrats' disdain for special interests.' Is the writer of the story so naive s/he really believes Democrats have disdain for special interests? If you believe that is a true statement, I've got a car that runs on bubble gum I can sell you.

The other "astoundment" is the writer's self-contradiction. Further along in the story, s/he notes: "Drugmakers have also funneled more money to Democrats in recent years, a trend that began soon after they gained control of Congress."

Maybe the AP should take a look at this story in National Journal. Here's an excerpt:

"That's not to say that the traditional order of the influence industry is likely to remain the same. On the question of who would emerge as the big winner among a dozen top interest groups during President Obama's first term in office, 78 percent of the Democratic Insiders picked the wind and solar power associations, representing alternative-energy industries. The runner-up among Democrats was the Environmental Defense Fund of the green lobby, selected by 45 percent, with the AFL-CIO, standing for organized labor, coming in third at 43 percent. (The Insiders were asked to choose three groups from a list of 12 and could volunteer others.)...Conversely, an even larger share of Republican Insiders -- 84 percent -- said that the AFL-CIO (labor) was likely to get the biggest boost under Obama. The runner-up was a tie between the wind and solar power associations and the American Association for Justice, representing trial lawyers; each was picked by 40 percent of the Republicans."

Democrats have held Congress for almost 3 years. They have yet to take ownership of what they did before and after.

Media sinks lower and lower. Pretty soon we're going to need a submarine to find them.