Much has been made of the media’s bias, both in favor of liberal incumbents and candidates for office and against conservative incumbents and candidates for office.  Much also has been made of why the bias exists—to preserve access to Power, to sell articles and newspapers and gain/preserve viewership, even to support heartfelt beliefs.

Here are a couple of examples of misbehavior and the reactions to them.  Missouri Republican candidate for Senator Todd Akin said some completely reprehensible things concerning rape and pregnancy few days ago, and Republicans and conservatives are, en masse demanding he withdraw from the race, even though this is a critical race in the coming struggle for control of the Senate.

Minnesota State Congressman Kerry Gauthier (D) was caught at a truck stop engaging in a sex act with a 17-year-old boy.  Even the local papers, including Minnesota’s largest, the Star-Tribune, are largely ignoring it.  The Star-Tribune has a single, pro forma article, and that’s it.

I’d like to offer a different reason for the bias in the media.  Maybe the reason is that conservatives simply believe in their fellow Americans and in the inherent goodness and wisdom of Americans, both individually, and collectively.  From that, conservatives expect more from their fellow Americans and especially from those they elect to represent them or who are asking for that privilege.  Conservatives simply have higher standards.

When a Republican or a conservative politician misbehaves, then, it’s news.  When a Democrat or a liberal politician misbehaves, it isn’t news; it’s business as usual.

Update: Fox News reported Wednesday that Minnesota’s state Democratic Party leaders are asking for Gauthier to withdraw from re-election–but not to resign from the state’s legislature before the end of his term.  The National Democratic Party leadership remains silent.  Hmm….

Up-Update: Yesterday, after discussions with state party leaders, Gauthier decided not to run for re-election, after all.  This was reported by Fox News; I saw little to no reporting by members of the NLMSM like CNN or MSNBC.