Hurry Up & Wait

It may seem like years, but it’s been 63 days since the Iowa caucuses on January 3

Think about all that’s happened in the race since then and then consider this: the next significant development in the democratic race isn’t until the Pennsylvania primary on April 22. That’s 47 days from now. That’s a long time for two candidates who agree on a vast majority of the issues to try to find ways to convince people to vote for them for more likely to vote against the other one.

So what can we expect between now and then?

-More negative campaigning. The “kitchen sink” strategy employed by the Hillary Clinton campaign of throwing every available charge at Obama was apparently successful. It was a legitimate question to raise, given Obama’s thin resume. Don’t be surprised if Obama is the Democratic nominee that you might well see McCain play the exact same ad. Even if you like Obama, that image of a huge problem with no time to consult advisors is cause for concern. If you are able to casually dismiss this, for Obama or Clinton or McCain, watch the scene in Fahrenheit 911 where President Bush continues to read along with “My Pet Goat” in a children's classroom for seven agonizing minutes after he's been told about the attacks on the World Trade Center.


-Hillary as the victim. “Golden Boy” Obama is getting a pass from the media. It looked a little pathetic to me when she invoked Saturday Night Live in the last debate, but it worked. There were a series of more invasive stories on Obama after that, which was a big plus for Clinton to co-opt the media as her partner. Maybe she’ll cry again. Whining doesn’t seem very presidential, but if it’s effective, don’t be surprised if it continues.


-Paralyzed super delegates. Georgia Congressman John Lewis switched his allegiance before the last round of voting under heavy pressure from African Americans since his district voted for Obama (not hat he thought Obama was coasting to victory). Now that it’s still a race, the supes are likely to sit on the sidelines waiting to see how this plays out, hoping their choice will be clear, which seems unlikely at this point.

-Rezko, Rezko, Rezko. Businessman Tony Reckon is going on trial. He’s a friend and contributor to Barack Obama. Obama has not been implicated in the case. In case you missed that, Obama has NOT been implicated in the case. Obama has distanced himself from Rezko, but a trial at this time between now and the Pennsylvania primary is the gift the keeps giving for Clinton. Accused of using his influence with politicians to generate illegal profit, Hillary just has to drop the name and it ramps up doubts about the politics of hope.


For political junkies it may seem to defy belief that some people actually haven’t made up their minds about who to vote for yet, but there’s still a lot of campaigning left.

Great theatre for those of us who enjoy it, but most likely a big benefit for John McCain, who can sit back and watch Hillary and Barack damage each other while he sends W out to raise money from the 30 percent of America that does not have a firm grasp of the obvious and realize what a mess the current president has made of the country.

McCain’s luck defies belief this year. Written off last summer, he’s now the nominee. If this continues, he may confound conventional wisdom and be the next president. If he’s campaigning near you, be sure to ask him for his favorite lotto numbers.

Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know

"Americans get the politicians they deserve."
Adlai Stevenson

Now admittedly, Adlai is a prime example of how sour grapes have a shelf life more akin to Twinkies than sushi, but he had a knack for making a point. The same could also be said of my former profession, the news media.

One of the main marching orders in today's media landscape is to belaboring the obvious. Captured eloquently by the Onion, once again demonstrating why fake news is often more informative than what currently passes for the real thing:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/poll_bullshit_is_most_important?utm_source=videomrss_72752

When I can look out my window and see you're lead story, you're not doing you're job. Yes, I know it's raining, but I don't need team smotherage with three reporters in different places telling me people are getting wet. Now if there's actual danger, then fine, but hyper-ventilating about routine events just shows me you're too lazy to find out what's really going on.

America gets the politicians it deserves partially as a result of the fact that we also get the media we deserve. For every article or story during this election I saw on how a presidential candidate would address a serious issue (hello health care, federal budget deficit?) I saw hundreds of granular analyses of the horse race. Don't get me wrong, I love full contact politics, but I don't give a damn about their body language during the debate or whether Hillary looks fat in that outfit.

Let me tell you as little secret about news. Content is just what they put in between the ads so they can sell them and make money. If the ratings went up when they put on a test pattern or a blank screen between the commercials, then that's what they would do.

Ever wonder why there's so much crime on local TV news?

Because it's cheap and easy to cover and has the semblance of actual news, what with the flashing lights and all. You listen to the police scanner and show up and 20 minutes later, you've got a story. Sorting through public records to find out how the government is squandering your hard earned tax dollars actually takes some heavy lifting, so the hell with that.

Demand more of your media and maybe it will improve.

"How do I do that, oh sage oracle?"

Write them. They actually do pay attention to that, believe it or not. Even better, write to their sponsors. Calling on the phone doesn't make any difference. They get some idiot unpaid intern to answer their phone who can't remember to take of his or her mittens before trying to transfer a call. Writing shows that you actually care about whatever the issue you are bitching about. The general formula is 1 letter = 100 phone calls.

I double dare you.

Or just continue to swill down the pabulum they feed you.