In the midst of a speech outlining his first term, McCain briefly took on the media:
While calling for Congress to drop mindless partisanship, McCain also chided the media – with whom he has enjoyed a generally positive relationship – for fueling contention with its campaign coverage.
“Campaigns and the media collaborated as architects of the modern presidential campaign, and we deserve equal blame for the regret we feel from time to time over its less-than-inspirational features,” he said.
Of course.
But who is to blame in this? Is it the obvious partisans-veering-toward-cheerleaders like Sean Hannity and Chris Matthews? Only the brain dead wouldn’t see what they are up to. No, the danger to our system comes from the media of illusory fairness like The New York Times, those who hide their extreme partisanship under a veneer of “journalistic professionalism,” whatever that may mean. If partisanship were upfront and stated, it wouldn’t be such a problem.
There is only one problem group. One responsible party for the BS politics of today.
The US citizen.
We are the ones that eat up spewed nonsense as ‘news’, be it from the Grey Lady or Faux News. Only the brain dead would trust any media outlet, more especially since most media outlets have proven to be more sewage outlets than anything else. We are the ones that jump behind “our guy” even if his is pulling jerkoff stunts in Congress, engaging in questionable activity, keeping cold cash in his deep freeze or playing “with us or against us” politics.
We are the ones that think Our Party is gonna fix *insert problem here* even though neither party has fixed much of anything… ever. At best, both parties occasionally happen to be in power when the rest of reality drops something useful into their laps.
Now, we have had politicians, individuals filled with patriotism and good will, who have accomplished wonderful things. We’ve had politicians that have gotten over the party’s madness long enough to enact something good.
But, on the whole, we are responsible for tolerating the media and the parties that have consistently failed to do anything that wasn’t focused on boosting their ratings (be it Nielsen or Gallup).
McCain also chided the media… for fueling contention with its campaign coverage.
I don’t think “the media” had anything to do with moving the primaries to a near interminable rut. They do have to get ratings and the bottom line is… the bottom line.
In general……
The consumers of media are, at bottom, at fault. However, this can be viewed as a chicken and the egg scenario. Did the consumer demand this kind of coverage, or did the consumer pretty much just accept what was pushed on them by the very limited selections of the time?
The least blameworthy group (they own some but not the majority) is the politicians.
The politicians are as much at the mercy of the media, if not more, as the consumer.
Think about this……
Q. Why do politicians speak in sound bites?
A. Because that’s all the media will report. So, rather than let the media pull a sound bite out of a long and cogent(?) statement, the pols put out their own sound bites to try and control their message.
The politicians are the small source to the media’s gigantic wholesaler. So, in the relationship between the two the media has the lion’s share of the clout. The Pols have to live with that and manage it as best they can.
I keep saying (and will again, I am sure, because I LOVE to say I told-ya-so: McCain is STUPID.
(OK, the obligatory and sincere recognition that he is a very strong person) However, unlike Obama he loves the US, which, my friends, is very important.
Canada had a prime minister who despised most Canadians: Pierre Elliott Trudeau. It was not a pleasant experience for Canada.
So, when it comes down to it, I guess I would go for the stupid guy who loves his country, rather than the smart cookie who despises it.
I forgot “brave.” McCain is stupid but brave, he loves his country…
Obama is smart and educated and he does not love the USA.. but, is he brave??? He seems to lose his ‘slick’ whenever anyone questions him.
Re the MSM: just wait til all the close-ups with vivid shadows, of McCain’s face. And some more of that glorious soft glow of Obama in front of a cross..
I don’t know Heather, there’s nothing in here that makes me question McCain’s intelligence. For what it’s worth, Christopher Hitchens called McCain “a very intelligent guy” on Tim Russert’s show. If Hitch thought he was a fool, he’d have said so.
Though on the whole I agree with you that I’m not that concerned about the intelligence of a candidate, so much as their views and leadership qualities.
Harry Truman was neither well-educated nor particularly brilliant, but he had a very strong understanding of himself and his fellow citizens. He also was a student of human nature, and had a highly developed sense of personal responsibility. He seldom passed the buck or blamed others.
He was often most undiplomatic, and the direct opposite of “subtle” or “nuanced”.
Give me guys and gals like that every time over the Adlai Stephenson type of “intellectual” politician.
The whole attempt to control the huge amounts of money rolling through the political system: McCain thinks the way to stop that is to control the amount of money by yet more rules.
It is like: a pot of boiling water is on the stove, heat turned up high. We object to all the steam arising therefrom. So, McCain puts a heavy lid on the pot, thinking that will solve the problem.
That is why I believe he is a number of IQ points short of ideal.
However, it is really important to know that McCain loves the US of A. Barak the slick wants to change the USA into something of which he and Michelle can approve (of). You don’t want that kind of president!
heather:
McCain is not stupid. A stupid man could have survived the things he has.
McCain was responding to complaints by the American people that there was too much money in politics. Too much influence from people with money.
Now, I know there are people who think that money is just another part of freedom of speech, but most Americans really do not see it that way, they just see it as powerful people buying influence and it bothers them.
It is probably true that it can not be changed, but McCain was trying to respond to what he saw as corruption. And what most Americans still see as a form of corruption.
However, I don’t just blame the American people. Sure, they can be lazy, but they are busy, they have families to raise and jobs…they do not have the time and energy to try and decide who is and who is not lying to them. That might be one reason so many people just do not want to deal with all this.
I should have said a stupid man could NOT have survived….ah, I just have preview but sometimes I should use it.
“Obama is smart and educated and he does not love the USA..”
For a “smart” guy, Obama says a lot of really really dumb things.
it is so important to elect someone who loves his country. This is such an obvious thing to say, but really, a lot of leaders look upon the other people in their country as problems to be solved, as pathetic wretches who need to be ‘improved’.
Putin, for example, sees his fellow Russians as things to be controlled. Obama sees his fellow Americans as people who are racists, ie, loser ignoramuses who judge him and his family according to his skin color; Hillary thinks that Americans should be “Improved” so they can become a Better Kinder People.
I keep mentioning Trudeau. He managed to do terrible things to a fairly good country, because he judged the Canadian Citizen as ‘wanting’, waiting to be ‘improved’ by his great plans.
I still think McCain is a stupid person, but he is much better than the alternatives: he is brave, he loves the USof A.
Also, McCain will be the kind of leader the USofA needs in a very dangerous world.
Obama comes from a world where meetings in seminar roome and boardrooms are the accepted way of doing things, solving problems. With a power point outline.
I challenge anyone to make the case that Obama is smart. He makes a good and sonorous sermon or lecture about absolutely nothing – NOTHING – but when he has to answer tough questions off-the-cuff he is as naive, intellectually incoherent, ignorant and inarticulate as it is possible to be. He is well-spoken, well-educated and a box of rocks.
I have never seen a greater charlatan or con artist. I thought for years it was the Clintons; they aren’t even close. (And she is far from smart herself.) And by the way, “educated” and “smart” not only are not equal, they frequently are mutually exclusive.