Went to bed last night nodding off to an incredibly boring CNN broadcast of full live coverage of McCain speaking to a rally of supporters. Not just a clip... it went on and on and on (at least 15 minutes of McCain live before I fell asleep)... and I was listening, thinking... this guy is going on and on about helping the middle class with a tax cut and the importance of regulation... how is one of the greatest 'deregulators' of all time allowed to get away with this sudden shift to a laundry-list of OBAMA's proposals? Since when did CNN become "The mcCain News Network"?
Woke up this morning to the BBC - playing the theme from "Rocky" and talking about McCain. In about 30 minute of news I heard about McCain the fighter, the kinder-gentler Sarah Palin (though she's still a tough, "pit-bull"), and an interview with a woman who claimed to have been a Democratic primary supporter of Hillary Clinton... (Woman: "I'm just glad to see another girl on the ticket"... BBC Interviewer: "And if Hillary Clinton had won the nomination, who would you be voting for?"... Woman: "I like Sarah more. She's more like me." ... Me: ... grinding, gut-wrenching sensation... isn't that EXACTLY the sentiment that gave us eight years of "W"? The one "you'd want to go out and have a beer with"... Help!)The last 24-48 hours at least have been all McCain all the time.
Guess what - well, gee, golly shucks - the next 24-48 hours are going to be about McCain's sudden, inexplicable (yeah, right!) 'surgre' in the polls; the "fighter" the new "come-back kid"... what a story - greatest comeback in the polls since the last-minute Carter-Reagan debate (not to mention the debacle in the dessert) allowed the actor a last minute surge to victory (and with it "Mourning in America"). At least that was somewhat driven by "real" events (the debate, a botched hostage rescue). If McCain 'surges' why will it be? Purely MEDIA driven ("left-wing liberal media..." give me a break!!).
As soon as American's attention to REAL issues (the Economy, stupid) started to seriously sink McCain, the media seems to have gone into overdrive in a desparate attempt to keep the horse-race going... Their (media's) self-interest in the horse-race (and advertising dollars in brings) may yet propel McCain (and heaven forbid... Palin) into the Presidency!For the first time in a long time, I'm getting a bad feeling. I hope Obama's ability to BUY time on TV in the US can short-cut this danger. I'm not seeing that overseas. On the news it's All McCain, All the Time.
Another blogger here asked: Why is this election even close?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/ne49/gGgmbL
The answer is simple. It is in the vested interest of the media to keep it close. Not because the media is pro-McCain, but because they are deeply invested in a close "Horse race". If the polls were 60% Obama, 40% McCain, everyone would tune out and start watching the World Series playoffs. The news media is run on advertising dollars. Advertising dollars are dependent on viewership. Presidential races are one of the few things that the media has direct control over - in so far as they can control the closeness of the race - by being generous to whoever is down at any given moment and harsh on whoever is up. It keeps people watching and keeps the advertising dollars flowing in. I'm not suggesting this as some sort of deep, dark conspiracy. It is a simple analysis of how the incentives of the system are structured. The question is whether this is actually good for democracy in America? And if not, what can be done about it?
To all Democrats:
We need to reach out to Sarah Palin. What does the Democratic party stand for? We are the party of the big tent. We are the party that fights for those to whom injustices are done.
Most of us will not agree with Sarah and many of her views. But we need to reach out to her none the less. Let's face it - she is a bright, extraordinarily capable woman. She's been the mayor of a town (I don't care the size - SHE ran it). She is now governer of one of the fifty states of the United States of America. AND she is managing her family - women especially should be able to value just how much talent all that takes (men too!).
The Republicans are using her. It was very unfair of John McCain to nominate her as Vice President. If he wanted a woman, he should have gone to Secretary of State Rice, or one of many other capable Republican women who do have the experience and standing to be a "heart beat away from the Presidency". (Does ANYONE seriously doubt this about Joe Biden? And what does that say of Barack and John McCain in terms of decision making?) Nominating Sarah Palin was a ploy, and it will do her just as much good as Dan Quayle's unfortunate nomination to VP did for him.
Sarah Palin exemplifies the hard working, middle class American that my Democractic Party MOST needs to look after. Sarah Palin exemplifies the hard working people of America that Barack's policies are aimed to help and protect.
At best, reach out to her. See how we can work positively with her across the differences we have.
At the very least, DO NOT BASH HER. Criticize her ideas. Do not criticize her. She accepted this nomination. (Seriously, how could someone in her position refuse?) But she did not make this choice. John McCain did. He is the one who should be held accountable.
