The New York Times‘ first reaction to Democrat William Jefferson’s electoral defeat in New Orlreans on Saturday was shock that a black man could lose, even after thousands of dollars in bribe and kickback money was found in the man’s freezer. After all, Jefferson had won easily in 2006 after the frozen money was discovered. True to NYT traditions, they blamed white voters for Jefferson’s loss.
The story from the beginning should have been an uplifting recount of a historic first for Vietnamese Americans. It should have been a David vs. Goliath story, in which a mild-mannered young lawyer who came to this country from Vietnam knocked off a previously untouchable Democrat incumbent. But that’s not the way the Times works. The story is never about a Republican win. It’s always about a Democrat loss.
Today, the Times begrudgingly publishes a pro forma story that includes a mention of the historic nature of Anh Cao’s win, though in the fifth paragraph of its follow-up story.
