Shovel-ready “news”
The Washington Post attended a campaign rally and helped cheerlead:
Obama visited the dilapidated Brent Spence Bridge that connects the home states of House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Standing in a gravel pit in the shadow of the well-traveled bridge, Obama acknowledged that he chose the location because of its political symbolism. “Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell are the two most powerful Republicans in government. They can either kill this jobs bill, or they can help pass this jobs bill,” Obama told a feisty crowd of about 1,500. “Mr. Boehner, Mr. McConnell, help us rebuild this bridge”…
the pro-Obama crowd responded to his rallying cry, chanting “pass this bill.” When Obama told them that the federal government had declared the bridge “functionally obsolete,” someone shouted: “Sounds like Boehner”…
Only at the very end of the article is there a qualification:
The Brent Spence Bridge, built in 1963, carries more than 150,000 vehicles a day, well above the 85,000 it was designed to accommodate. Federal and state highway officials have developed a $2.4 billion renovation plan to improve the bridge and connecting highways. But the renovation is not expected to begin until 2015
Even with that qualification at the bottom of the piece, the WaPo fails to note some important facts. $2.4 billion is not to be spent on “rebuilding” the “dilapidated” and “obsolete” Brent Spence bridge, despite the political rhetoric. Rather, they’re planning on adding an additional bridge because traffic on that route has increased over the years. As for “shovel-ready.” the 2015 start date looks very optimistic, given all the government approvals that have yet to be obtained.
Why is it that only 55% of Americans have “little or no trust” in the media?