Media Criticism

As you have probably noticed, I run a bit behind on my news.  Basically I sit down and right when I have the urge.  And, sometimes that means I have plenty of posts built up going into the next week and others, I have to just get it and go as the days progress.  And, of course, when I write a lot and post-date them, I sometimes forget how far out I have written and I have to go back and then I realize, oops, I’m behind.

So, here’s my two big scoops for today.

1.  First of all, I did not hear either of these as they happened live.  I had the privilege of hindsight and sometimes, hindsight is pretty doggone funny.  My first victim today is Joe Biden.  Yes, that’s our Vice President was in a state of seriously showing his age as he was on the CBS Early Show (wait, maybe it was the fact that it was so early, eh…probably not, old people like to get up early I think).  Anyway, he was on the Early Show, have I mentioned that? 

Biden was attempting to send the viewers to a site where they could view the stimulus spending, but realized he didn’t know the website address “recovery.org” but Biden, who, you have to admit is not of the technological age was embarrassed because he couldn’t remember the site’s "number."

Here’s the clip:

And what you are listening for is for VP Biden to say: 

"You know, I’m embarrassed. Do you know the Web site number?" he asked an aide standing out of view. "I should have it in front of me and I don’t. I’m actually embarrassed."

Now, onward, the number mouthy issue of the week came when Bobby Jindal who is the Governor of Louisiania and he spoke after President Obama.  This was really boring, boring boring boring.  However, as they were introducing him, the backstage folks apparently forgot that they were wearing mic’s because Chris Matthews is heard in the background saying, “Oh God!”

So, ok, I get it, Obama went to Canada for his first international trip.  Is that really considered an international trip?  I mean, let’s be safe and all, guard our ol’ Pres because he’s cool and hey, Canada, it’s just a hop, skip and jump over there. 

So, with that said, Michelle was busy in Washington, detailing her new duties.  I just have to say that it was kind of neat that we all gave her (and the rest of the First Family) to grow accustom to their surroundings before we started beating the living daylights out of their every move.  I mean, c’mon, be for real.  Do we have to know every time the royal toilet flushes?

I think not.  And, with that, we shall let the ol’ Pres take his journey to Canada and if they are kind enough to return him to us, safe and sound, we might considering allowing him to take a trip a little further next time around.  But, for now, how ‘bout you stay in the good ol’ USA their Pres?

And, you Michelle, you rock and we don’t care what kind of titles they try to throw on you, just get busy, do what ever it is that First Lady’s do and look good doing it because…we totally know you are going to look good doing it! 

Ok, so I’m watching the whole thing unfold on my TV at home, listening to my four-year-old in the background dancing to “Obama Doodle Bop” and other made up phrases that he can conquer.  When this man…

This man is announced as the person who will do the Benediction for the Ceremony.  Ok, I get it…Brother Joseph Lowery

He has pretty credentials…

….preached old wisdom that made church folks laugh and hit them upside the head at the same time…

…tells the Black community in 1987 that they still have a slave mentality…

said, “"They have made Martin a glorified social worker, and they have almost made our young folks believe that all Martin did was go around dreaming," Lowery says. "He was a nonviolent militant. He was a Christian radical."

..he said to be “a breathing testament to the nation’s journey from the rule of Jim Crowe to the presidency of Barack Obama”..

Born in Huntsville Alabama, he grew up in a Methodist Church across from where his mother taught school part-time. 

"One night in 1963, only a last-minute decision to take the late-night train home to see his wife in Nashville saved Lowery’s life when the Birmingham hotel room that King had offered him for the night was bombed. In 1965, King named Lowery chairman of the committee appointed to take protesters’ demands to segregationist Gov. George Wallace at the end of the "Bloody Sunday" march from Selma to Montgomery.”

And, then, without warning……he says this…

“Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around … when yellow will be mellow … when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.”

WHAT IN THE HECK?

Have you watched the coverage on CNN of what’s called the Obama Express as they take a train ride through Baltimore, stopping at City Hall to speak, and then into D.C. for the Inauguration.

Honestly, as one of the guys just pointed out, the Obama’s and the Biden’s are down in the crowd and you can basically see the fear on the faces of the Secret Service folks surrounding him.  But, as the guy also pointed out, Obama looks happy in the middle of the crowd.  He looks pleased to be in the crowd shaking hands. 

He came on the stage holding hands with his wife with Joe and Jill Biden by his side as well.  Obama spoke and as many have mentioned, he is great with the teleprompter and his speeches seem to roll from his tongue with ease. 

Let’s just say, I kind of like the guy.

I have a distinct memory of former Black Flag lead man Henry Rollins from my teenage years. I was not a punk fan but I remember seeing him on MTV stomping around in black shirts and shorts. The comical image of Rollins I held in my adolescence has been replaced by admiration for the man in my adulthood.

Rollins proves that musicians can be well-read, engaging and thoughtful about the world around them. His visits to the troops throughout the Iraq War (detailed in a July 2007 Mother Jones interview) show the difficult balance between hating an institution and loving the humans within that institution. His commitment to equal rights may be astonishing to mainstream music fans who assume that punk rockers are anarchists, hate mongers and freaks who care little about other people.

The reason why Rollins is an exception to the rule in the music world is his origins. He rose through the punk rock ranks through hard work and a commitment to educating himself. There was no entitlement to wealth and fame within his work as a roadie, delivery driver and indie musician. He did not attend the finest schools in an effort to grease the wheels for a better lot in life. Rollins may have taken a path similar to millions of others in the past that had aspirations for something greater but he also possessed an unrelenting spirit.

Why is Henry Rollins an important figure in the world of independent music and politics? He has bucked multiple trends with his spoken-word albums and tour diaries. Rollins observed and analyzed the human condition and the need for equal rights through experience. His self-made image is matched by substance that is impossible to find in other artists. I may sound like a liberal arts major pining for a simpler life because I have a good life myself.

The fact is that I recognize that the journey made Henry Rollins believe strongly in his personal politics. I agree with Rollins in terms of core beliefs even though we took two different paths. We need to realize that the only divisions in our society are artificial. Record companies, media outlets and political leaders divide our country into separate pens. These pens are opened occasionally to allow groups to struggle for power that cannot be attained. Henry Rollins is trying to break down these pens through music , books and the spoken word.

Before I provide my thoughts on tonight’s MSNBC Democratic debate, I need to point out the injustice of keeping Representative Kucinich out of the event. NBC invited Kucinich ahead of the New Hampshire primary only to rescind the invitation based on an arbitrary change in the network’s rules. I know Kucinich is a pipe dream for diehard liberals but his presence would not have hurt this debate.

The reason why Kucinich would not have harmed the discourse of the MSNBC event was that the three attendees were acting cordial. I know that most Americans yearn for civil discourse that is devoid of the rancor of two-party politics. The three candidates joked, called each other by their first names and seemed to adhere to the wishes of party operatives to save bile for the Republicans. I like the tone though it got in the way of the real purpose of the program which was to DEBATE THE ISSUES.

I have criticized every media outlet who has hosted a debate in this election cycle. NPR got a favorable review for the Democratic forum though failed to get a Republican forum going. MSNBC joins the ranks of Fox News, CNN and ABC in hosting a farce of public debate. The first portion of the debate proved why the mainstream media is incapable of acting as a lens to American society. Just as the candidates are getting past contentious comments about race, Brian Williams and Tim Russert reopen the wounds with questions about the race issue. Racial disparity in education, the military and other aspects of American life are important topics. A comment about who was responsible for civil rights legislation (both MLK and LBJ were responsible, by the way) has led to a firestorm that MSNBC felt the need to fan.

The three candidates did nothing to stand out from one another this evening. Clinton and Obama did a good job of playing the part of uncomfortable politicians trying to maintain a temporary alliance. Edwards stuck to his guns though seemed to be losing some steam as his candidacy seemed an afterthought to the debate moderators. I look forward to the Nevada caucuses for a number of reasons including the relative diversity of the state compared to snow-white Iowa and New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire primary is over and the candidates have dispersed quickly to their various last stands. Mitt Romney has scampered to Michigan, John Edwards has gone back to South Carolina and Bill Richardson is heading home with two fourth place finishes. I think there are a number of lessons that can be learned from the shocking primary results for the Democrats and Republicans.

I think that internal polling and exit polling is becoming a dinosaur in modern politics. There were complaints by polling companies that the criticisms of poll results in favor of Barack Obama were unfair because telephone polls take time. My response is that pollsters need to get ahead of the tech game or go home. I don’t feel bad at all for pollsters since they cause more problems than they solve.

New Hampshire proved that John Edwards is going to be in third place permanently in every state. Hillary Clinton will get institutional support, Barack Obama will get “change�? voters and the two will split the rest. I admire the Edwards campaign’s “2 down, 48 to go�? mentality but the Democratic base seems to be mobilizing into the Obama and Clinton camps. Edwards will be left with the role of kingmaker since he is just popular enough to carry some delegates in a tight race if he stays in the race through Super Tuesday.

The success of candidates like Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama as well as the resurgence of John McCain has thrown the logic of an accelerated primary schedule on its ear. I am not a Mitt Romney fan but I don’t think Michigan should be his last stand like it appears to be. I think that Rudy Giuliani’s Super Tuesday strategy may pay off in the current atmosphere. Bill Richardson was right to get out of the race but I don’t think anyone on the Republican side outside of Duncan Hunter should budget before February 5th.

This brings me to my last lesson which is that the media needs to stop declaring things over. Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were given the nominations by CNN, MSNBC and others by the virtue of the Iowa caucuses. I commend Tom Brokaw and Lou Dobbs for pointing out that the media needs to stop declaring the primaries over with 99% of the voters unrepresented. I know that both parties would like a tidy primary season but there is virtue in slugging it out across the country. The parties can find their identities as they head from New Hampshire to South Carolina, Michigan to Nevada, Florida to California.

After a year of active campaigning and endless hours spent on my part watching stump speeches, we have finally reached the end of the Iowa caucuses. The lesson I learned from the 2008 Iowa caucuses was that I should have paced my excitement about politics of change. The Iowa caucuses, after all, represent a few hundred thousand individuals who were able to convince one another to side with a few top tier candidates. I have little energy left for New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and beyond.

MSNBC and CNN have assisted in this political fatigue. I turned on MSNBC this morning and there was a caucus ticker with nearly 10 hours left until the first caucuses started. My addiction to coverage of presidential politics led me to watch talking heads like Joe Scarborough, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews speak at length about the same topics for half a day. Aside from siding with Pat Buchanan on his projection of the caucus results, I got little out of this all-day coverage.

There was a beacon of hope in media coverage about the Iowa caucuses. I know dozens of people watch C-SPAN on a daily basis but I have to believe a greater number who were interested in the caucuses watched this evening. The C-SPAN coverage began in earnest at 6:00pm Central time with a live feed of coverage by one of Iowa’s local stations. I watched a bit of the coverage of an Iowa Democratic caucus as well as the straightforward polling process on the Republican side. There weren’t aging commentators telling me what to think like the other networks. If you ever want a raw feed into politics, check out C-SPAN.

My last thought on the Iowa primaries is that these results may not matter by next Tuesday. Mike Huckabee will find it difficult to win in New Hampshire. Barack Obama has done well in New Hampshire but you better believe Clinton and Edwards will be doing a full court press to challenge him at every turn. The mainstream media may think that Obama has the overwhelming momentum and the surprising turn of Huckabee’s campaign make the next few primaries a foregone conclusion. I think that this race goes until February 5th and beyond because the momentum from one primary to the next may seem overwhelming but voters have had eight years of George W. Bush. People in the Super Tuesday states want to kick the tires a bit before they make their selection.

The Columbia Journalism Review has devoted a few Internet articles on hypothetical questions to Senator Barack Obama and former governor Mike Huckabee. These questions are designed to show the weak spots in the primary debates and media coverage while addressing legitimate concerns about each candidate’s statements. I recently read through the questions by CJR for Barack Obama and felt that the questions were ones that needed to be asked to all candidates, not just the front runners.

The first question deals with Obama changing his mind on withdrawal from Iraq. The importance of Iraq cannot be overstated though most voters in Iowa and New Hampshire consider it a given, moving onto other issues. Every candidate except Dennis Kucinich has some inconsistency when it comes to the Iraq War. Why pinpoint Obama aside from the fact that he is surging at the right time? I think every debate should feature questions for candidates from the top tier to the fringe about questionable statements on Iraq, Iran and other foreign policy issues?

There are procedural questions in CJR’s hypothetical press conference with Barack Obama that have probably been asked in Iowa without getting much coverage. The third question deals with arms limitations and the problems of getting a two-thirds majority in the Senate to approve an international treaty. The seventh question deals with voter fraud which is a state issue outside of the purview of the President of the United States. These questions should not be directed at Obama, Huckabee or any of the candidates without being asked to ALL of the candidates. A procedural question on state voter IDs could really help us figure out who knows the Constitution and who assumes that federal power extends to all parts of American life.

I admire CJR for placing their venerable name on this line of questioning. The problem comes when reporters ask questions of this nature and get an answer without much juice. Reporters are concerned about getting material that can stand out to producers who have 24 hours to fill but need to make each piece of news bite-sized for a public unaccustomed to complex answers. If Americans are concerned about getting the full story on each candidate, a review of YouTube and other video websites for unedited film of campaign stops can help circumvent the echo chamber that is the American mainstream media.

I share a common affliction with the mainstream media these days that makes me a bit concerned. I cannot stop thinking, talking about and pondering the potential candidacy of Mayor Michael Bloomberg from New York. I know it is unlikely Bloomberg will get in and that Bloomberg would likely act as a spoiler in a tight presidential race. The possibility still excites my sense of hope in the political system.

I won’t get too deep into my interest in a Bloomberg candidacy. I can sum it up by saying that Bloomberg’s independence from partisan rancor, his substantial resources and frustration with both parties could lead to a historic campaign. A Bloomberg presidential campaign with the help of a nationwide effort at supporting independent candidates could lead to overwhelming support for the financial wizard-cum-politico.

The reason I am writing about Bloomberg today is that I came to the realization over the New Year’s weekend that the mayor cannot win the presidency. The numbers do not add up and the media LOVES the rat race of two-party politics too much to do Bloomberg any favors. The biggest obstacle is the constitutional roadblock to multiparty challenges that is the Electoral College.

We should look at places outside of New York to see how the electoral math does not add up for any third party candidate much less a billionaire with a maverick streak. We can write off Bloomberg in the South with the exception of some votes in Florida where there are plenty of retired New Yorkers. Bloomberg would be able to win some votes in California, Oregon and Washington as well as Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin where independents stand a good chance. The mayor would be able to pull votes in Vermont and New Hampshire but a candidate like Hillary Clinton or John McCain would win the day in those states.

If Michael Bloomberg had joined the rest of the candidates in running an early campaign, I could envision the success of his independent campaign. As it is, the reinforcement of the two party system by months of debates and campaign stops makes a 2008 surprise for Michael Bloomberg impossible.