Let The Vitriol Begin
For those of you without a Blackberry, TV set, radio, tin can on a string or acquaintance with any other humans - the Veepstakes winner for the Democrats is Joe Biden, Senator of Delaware, and the punditry so far has been from caustic to toxic. It makes one wonder why Obama wanted to run in the first place...
You will see the sound bites - "For an agent of change, not much change here", "Change you can believe in (delivered by a Washington Insider career politician", "Not your Granddad's kind of change". It's bad in punditland, and before the news cycle switches (probably when McCain announces the exact amount of houses that he owns...) it will get worse.
This is not an endorsement of Obama or Biden. This is an indictment of the shark-like feeding frenzy of the mainstream media which has a need to sensationalize and magnify every trivial thing in the worst possible light. This is not journalists reporting news - it's a bunch of hacks competing with each other for advertiser dollars, by presenting news as a soap opera. This is infotainment at it's worst.
Why would Obama choose this old Washington insider? Could it be simply that he wants to win? Joe Biden is experienced, has solid foreign policy cred, and doesn't walk away from a fight - all offsetting the negatives that Obama displays. Biden polls well among working class and women - groups that Obama needs. This choice also ups the ante to McCain because Biden is a fierce debater who can bury just about anyone. That was on display during the primary debates he participated in - and he buries with facts, not with name-calling.
Yet the media feels betrayed - why not a woman? or a person of color? Why not Michael Jackson? - he's a little of both. Well... there's a good reason, and the reason is that this is not entertainment, this is government. This is not for novelty or shock value or even being interesting. This is about moving this country forward in a sober, thoughtful and principled way. So Joe Biden is an old white man - so has been every candidate to face off in November except Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 (A bold choice for the loser of that election). The top of the ticket is the first African American to have a good shot at winning the election. How much history do we need at once? Why should Obama risk being President to keep the talking heads happy?
If nothing else this decision should put to rest questions about his naiveté about how the world works. Let's hope John McCain chooses just as well.
RLB
You will see the sound bites - "For an agent of change, not much change here", "Change you can believe in (delivered by a Washington Insider career politician", "Not your Granddad's kind of change". It's bad in punditland, and before the news cycle switches (probably when McCain announces the exact amount of houses that he owns...) it will get worse.
This is not an endorsement of Obama or Biden. This is an indictment of the shark-like feeding frenzy of the mainstream media which has a need to sensationalize and magnify every trivial thing in the worst possible light. This is not journalists reporting news - it's a bunch of hacks competing with each other for advertiser dollars, by presenting news as a soap opera. This is infotainment at it's worst.
Why would Obama choose this old Washington insider? Could it be simply that he wants to win? Joe Biden is experienced, has solid foreign policy cred, and doesn't walk away from a fight - all offsetting the negatives that Obama displays. Biden polls well among working class and women - groups that Obama needs. This choice also ups the ante to McCain because Biden is a fierce debater who can bury just about anyone. That was on display during the primary debates he participated in - and he buries with facts, not with name-calling.
Yet the media feels betrayed - why not a woman? or a person of color? Why not Michael Jackson? - he's a little of both. Well... there's a good reason, and the reason is that this is not entertainment, this is government. This is not for novelty or shock value or even being interesting. This is about moving this country forward in a sober, thoughtful and principled way. So Joe Biden is an old white man - so has been every candidate to face off in November except Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 (A bold choice for the loser of that election). The top of the ticket is the first African American to have a good shot at winning the election. How much history do we need at once? Why should Obama risk being President to keep the talking heads happy?
If nothing else this decision should put to rest questions about his naiveté about how the world works. Let's hope John McCain chooses just as well.
RLB
Posted by The Thomas Paine Project at 8/23/2008 8:45 AM 
Categories: Partisan Politics
Tags: presidential campaign 2008
Categories: Partisan Politics
Tags: presidential campaign 2008
RLB, you are so right on the infotainment bit. In the days leading up to Obama's choice, all the pundits were gushing over how Senator Biden would be his best choice. Now let the "politics of personal destruction" begin. Too bad we can't get the real news we need to make informed decisions about candidates for political office in this country. Even though I'm a journalism teacher, I do not have faith in the integrity of journalists in this country. It is all about breaking a story, grabbing the headline, or recording the soundbite rather than substance. This continued dumbing down of the debate is downright disastrous for this country. While it is okay to look at the candidates, warts and all, it is not okay to create stories just because you have to stay on the air 24/7. Nine tenths of the stories about Obama and Biden in the past week have had very little to do with fact or intellegent analysis. It has all been about conjecture and assumptions. We all know what happens when one assumes something -- it makes an ass (out of) u (and) me.
Too bad journalists live by the dollar and not their creed.
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Hi Jules-
Well that's what we're trying to address here - if we can flag the excess, turn down the volume and promote issues and solutions many of the people turned off with the current state of politics in America will become interested again. With more people engaged and educated on the actual facts behind the issues, perhaps some important questions will start to be asked - really... boxers or briefs?... It would be a wonderful thing to hear as a followup question for Senators Obama, McCain, Biden and whomever number 4 is " I'm sorry sir, your sound byte does not answer my question - would you like to try your answer again and give me your actual view?" It would be a true victory to go from the Rush Limbaugh / Al Franken screamfests to walter Cronkite / Tim Russert dialogues. Even Rick Warren's forum was a breath of fresh air - open ended questions that allow us to appreciate a candidate's thought process and belief system. A well informed electorate is a discerning electorate. A discening electorate is one that draws out the high caliber leadership it deserves. Unfortunately, with the current state of affairs, we have more often than not also gotten what we deserved. It's time to reverse that trend.
RLB
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