Media Bias and why it Threatens Democracy

Mainstream Media Bias is the biggest threat to Democracy. Over time it has slowly increased to a point now that the Mainstream sources are becoming little more than cheerleaders rather than actual journalists in the traditional definition of the occupation.  

Now that the election is finally over, although the gushing Mainstream Media (MM) is still glowing with praise for President-elect Obama it is becoming an embarrassing reflection of a degenerating occupation and more importantly a vacuum in the both the practical and theoretical realization of our democracy.

First off lets face the fact that it is impossible for perfect neutrality in media, bias will always exist but it is the DEGREE of bias that is the issue.  

Just as Doctor’s have a Hippocratic oath, journalists should have a similar oath for striving for neutrality. It is all easier said than done though. Media exists in a competitive market and it dictates that the rapid fire delivery of dubious but entertaining content is the way to go for ratings.

I physically gagged on election night as CNN illustrated its fancy dancy ‘hologram’ technology. What really was the point of this? How does it have value from a journalist’s point of view? She could have been in the room next door or in London, England. I guess we will just take CNN’s word for it that she was in Chicago. There was very little value in her content and it was again just another layer of icing on what is becoming a smaller and smaller cake of actual relevant content. 

It has always been my view that the media’s coverage of politics should be the advanced cerebral sphere of the news. In a traditional dialectical style presenting the pro and con of an issue. The ‘for’ and the ‘against’. Like a legal trial the journalist should be lawyer putting the issue on trial and both prosecuting and defending the issue before the jury of the American people. In politics it should not be about the messenger but about the policy of the politician. The habit of bringing up cheerleaders or pundits to cheer for the DNC or the GOP a sad excuse for professional journalism. 

In the news weather is for everyone, Entertainment and Sports for the less cerebral and Politics for the more cerebral. What we have been seeing is a degeneration or dumbing down of Politics. Unbelievably Sports commentators are more neutral in calling a football game than political commentators in calling an election. Take a stroll through the wonderful catalogue of video evidence on youtube from the last election and cringe at the talking heads parrot their bias to the people. Where is the real journalist today ?

I think the first comment one has to raise is so what ? The media is biased so what ? Everyone knows FOX is on the right, CNN is on the left. FOX news was created in response to what I think was a consistent slide in the media to the left. If the media had stayed neutral I don’t believe that FOX news would exist in its current form today with its right wing bias. It is cause and effect and for every cause there is an equal and opposing reaction. 

The Left is not a place that the majority of Americans want to be and although many highly educated Americans may simply be able to state that their fellow citizens are “dumb” and if only they were more educated they would see the truth. This a comment about the education system and also one that goes to the heart of democracy so we should proceed with great caution. 

Lets assume that highly educated liberal Americans are correct, if you have had the opportunity to travel this world, to see Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand you will realize quite quickly that America and the quality of life for tens of millions of working Americans is far below that of the rest of the free world it not only belongs to but leads.

So there is a case to be made here for the victory of the Democrats and the support of the elite of Liberal Americans. There is a case to be made that the “bad” word of American politics “Socialism” is really just an attempt to have the overall standard of living of millions of Americans raised to a level that is at least comparable to western europe, Canada, Japan etc…

But in a democracy the point is the will of the majority. If the majority of Americans are too narrow minded or simply prefer the struggle of the American dream. If they would prefer a society of social roulette where you will win big but with lower odds to a wining smaller with greater odds that is the American society. The media or the liberal elite should not feel obligated to pass judgement on this culture and impose itself on the rest of America.

It really goes to the heart of democracy itself and there is something to be said on the topic. We still have a political system created over 200 years ago in a much different world. In fact our political system is one of the most antiquated systems in our society. What the media by virtue of itself is starting to reveal is the limits of it.

The founders could not have conceived of the world that was coming. They certainly did not conceive that their young nation would rule it as a lone super-power. These ideas never entered their minds yet today we have a political system of the 18th century which rules over a 21st century technology, media, economics and the environment. 

The flaws of our Presidential election are revealed in what has become an almost unbearable circus of media political blitz and glitz with no substance. Is that what democracy is today? Is democracy not the will of the people in issues that impact their lives or is it a sort of beauty contest where we elect a personification of ourselves every 4 years.

Our technology, especially in communications over the internet, has vastly increased since 1776, is it not time to look at the entire structure of democracy after this election? The fundamental question really is what is democracy today?

Nov 5 – The day after, A day without Racism in America…

The election of President Obama is a good, it is a pure good in itself. It will always stand as not only a historic election but a turning point in American history. He may, in time, prove himself the worst president in history but it won’t matter because his election stands as a powerful blow to racist sentiments both in white and black Americans, perhaps even to racism in the world itself and that is a greater good… 

Walking through the crowds in Times Square and Rockefeller Centre on election night it amazed me the outpouring of celebration. Jubliant cheers, smiles everywhere and tears of joy, I hadn’t really thought about how people would react to a victory. I didn’t think it would surpass the Superbowl party last year for the NY Giants win but it did. 

I am a politico and have a passion for politics all the while though I am very aware that most people don’t share my interest or if they do, it is not to the same degree. I now enjoy more than anything analyzing how the mainstream media manipulates the political message for the masses. An interesting dance of back and forth and the increasing role of the internet in politics.

Race relations in the United States is something we all abhor, black and white. For blacks it is or was a crutch for their current circumstances, whatever they may be, in their mind is the thought that whatever they have accomplished in their life the hidden notion, if they were white it would be better. For whites and I am white, it is one of the very few issues I am generally uncomfortable discussing. I absolutely abhor the topic and have for my life.

I have caught myself in my life falling into the same trap of racial generalization in a discussion I catch myself thinking is he saying that because it has a rational basis or is he saying it because he is black and has a perspective to say it on that basis alone even if it makes no sense? Is there something I am missing because I am white ? A very frustrating position to be in because there was two tables for discussion of politics in America, black politics and white politics. I hope that is gone and I hope Al Sharpton is put out of work. 

I once (and only once) long ago had a very brief discussion on free speech and the N-word. I began to rattle off quotes from John Stuart Milll, Voltaire  “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” and other philosophical quotes on free speech. To me, at the time, it was a slippery slope argument, if we give into the N-word, then it will be the F-word, the C-word and the list will just keep growing until freedom of speech is simply lost. Defending hateful idiots and their right to say whatever their pea brains come up with is an important part of our constitutional right to free speech but I was discussing this with a black guy and the conversation imploded immediately.

I backed down and it went something like the word belongs to black people now, if I could ask President elect Obama a question today, that would likely be it. Does this word belong to black people and are only they allowed to say it, what if they are like you and half black and half white can they say it ? How about people who are 3/4 black etc… I know the word is hurtful and I am not going to pretend I can understand what I would feel if I was black and someone called me it but this is about a political constitutional right now. I would really like to know what a black President Obama would say… 

As a white person I feel a great sense of relief that Obama has been elected. I feel that I can write about a conversation on race that I had 7 years ago. I feel something changed on Nov 5th as I rode the subway through the south Bronx, the lingering smiles were still there from the night before and I smiled too. The Obama buttons were still there. The eyes were tired but softer all around and coming up from the subway into Manhattan as the gentle rain came down, I had to reflect that it was a different America today (Nov 5th) and that this was a good in more ways then my mind could imagine all at once in that moment. 

Our nation is far from perfect, our white house was built by black slaves. I am not for a second going to pretend I know what it is like to be black in America, I don’t know, I can’t know and I never will know but I do know that something changed on Nov 5th. I know I will never use the N-word in my life any more than I will use the F word for gays or any other word that insults a race or religion but for the first time I feel that I can ask questions I never could before. 

I feel like doors in my mind that were firmly shut have been opened…

Why the Obamamercial is a knockout blow

I started watching the Obamamercial with the highest degree of skepticism. Being familiar with media tactics, media spin and sound bite rhetoric, if anything I thought the infomercial had a reasonable risk of being too much and blowing back on the DNC. That was far from the case and I am a little surprised in reporting that this is a flawless piece of political rhetoric, an utterly professional media production and precisely focused (as it should be) on the few remaining independent/swing voters out there.

If you haven’t seen it yet and have an extra 30 minutes on your hands I highly recommend watching it, if for nothing else, for the lessons it teaches on mass media techniques. 

Full Obamamerical 

I have seen a number of these over the decades and I have seen them waffle from the bad to the truly bad but this one worked and it worked very well. Why ? It is probably best to break it down the same way you would any hollywood production. 

(1) It had solid star power. No matter what criticism you may have of Obama you can not deny his ability to orate a message and deliver what I will call a stage presence for the purpose of this post. Many a professional political production waffles with the candidate who just can’t bring the star power or the special ‘it’ factor to the production. Say what you will about Obama he brings this innate something else on film and he always has. The camera likes him.

(2) Tone was hopeful and neutral to the point of soothing: This was achieved with an excellent choice of subtle background music. You may notice it at first but by the end it is subliminal, it comes in and out appropriately and is a soothing sound for the viewer. The end of a campaign is usually when the rhetoric intensifies to the most negative and the Obamamerical avoids this trap by a country mile. To bring those last swing voters who are hesitating out of fear of voting for him, this soothing music is a direct psychological technique.  

(3) Excellent personal narrative choices interwoven: You could almost anticipate the personal narratives based on important voter demographics. Lets go through them in order of appearance:

(A) White female vote (check). This is all about the white female voter as head of the house, Obama is not targeting the white male voter so the narrative will exclude the man, which it does by mentioning him only as being sick or unable to fully provide for his family highlighting the role of the white female in voting for Obama for the good of her family. 

(B) Elderly couple vote (check). The black vote is locked up but the seniors vote is what this narrative is really about. Most retired white seniors in America likely have their house paid off, so this narrative fits perfectly for white seniors. By using blacks instead of whites the production sidesteps what could have come off as preachy to the skeptical elderly white voter. 

(C) Hispanic and single mom (check). The Hispanic vote was a slight question mark for Obama and he had to tighten this one up, two birds with one stone works for him here. The single mom and the hispanic community with a large family is the starting theme narrowing to the struggles of the working mother. All put together perfectly and transitioning from the large supportive Hispanic family at the dinner table to the Hispanic woman all alone struggling to feed her children as a single mom at the closing.

(D) Blue white working class (check) . This is the other big voting demographic Obama wants and this one works with a slight tone of nostalgia and the union vote. This is a harder demographic for Obama to win and likely the weakest narrative of the 4 but it is interwoven now with Obama’s own personal story to empower it more. 

(4) Last, but certainly not least, is the production’s closing narrative on Obama himself for the last 10 minutes. I don’t want to call it a infomercial anymore because of how well done it is; the soft textually interwoven message and video image overlays of Obama’s personal story are done flawlessly. Those of us who follow politics know Obama’s story and have for some time but politicos and politically active people are not the target market of the Obamamerical. The closing telling of the story through spoken text and video image overlay is really a piece of perfect political rhetoric.  

In closing the Obamamerical stands as a sort of media oasis experience after the usual harsh desert of negative campaign ads. This is a Home Run for the DNC and it is out of the park. It does not speak to the converted, it targets who it should for votes. It is professionally done, it has the star and the star power to carry it and as I predicted over a month ago Obama will be president, lets get on with it. 

Sarah Palin may have had equal or greater star power than Obama but at the end of the day he had 5 times the money and 4 times the main stream media endorsement of McCain. Lets get election day over with and move on with things. I still think the smear job on Palin is almost as historical as the win for Obama. There is a new porn film called “Nailin Palin”, sexist comments on her 150,000 wardrobe while the DNC raised and spent 3 billion to get Obama elected? Think we will get any reports on the cost of the Obamamercial, some hung her in effigy and the converse certainly could not have been done to Obama.

In essence though my real appreciation of Palin came from the fact that she turned the Presidential race upside down for a very brief moment, put the fear of God in the media elite and for a brief moment gave everyone pause that we have a real election here. I will always appreciate John McCain for doing that and also appreciate more than ever the utter power of the mainstream media…

It isn’t that Obama is not the better candidate, he very well may be for a variety of reasons but you have to win fair and square and if the better candidate loses in a election without the media pimping one over the other it says something about modern democracy itself. That is the real heart of the issue. The mainstream media is the biggest threat to true democracy, the subtle bias of CNN is the enemy of the average voter not the ally. In a new age of the internet, we have less and less need for mainstream political rhetoric for the masses from the big media entities with their claim to be neutral. Bring on the Obamamercials or the McCain infomercials, they very well may be the way of the future but both sides should be able to do them. 

Nov 4 is now more about showing the world the illusion of the changing of the guard and how America can conduct a democratic election in a orderly fashion. We’ll see though, but really is it not a amusing sidenote that those get out and vote ads have really dropped off now : ) Why ? Well, a country that has trouble handling a 60% voter turn out sure doesn’t want 90% to show up and stand there all day waiting to vote does it. How will that look to the world for the nation that promotes democracy to the world…

Congratulations President Obama, I’ll spend your entire term telling myself you would have won even without 5 times the money and 4 times the mainstream media support…

Analysis of the SNL Palin skits by Tina Fey

Who would have thought that Tina Fey (a white woman) and SNL (a old low-rated comedy show before the Palin skits) would have done more to help Obama than all the power of Oprah, Hollywood and the mainstream media combined. 

 

I (Tina Fey) crown you King Obama

I consider the SNL skits the tipping point in the election. They negated the Palin factor and were REQUIRED to reverse the momentum McCain/Palin had.

I did a brief analysis on the first one which was brilliant satire but as we are hitting SNL Palin skit 4 with Palin’s appearance, and we are sure to have more before the election, it is becoming clear that the SNL factor is something that Obama “required” to win this election. The SNL skits are a nice focal point of the media blitz against Palin which is vast and unprecedented in its bias. The original first skit even gives a shout-out to the media to “grow a pair” and attack Palin which all newspapers by a margin of 4-1 nationally have done. 

There is relatively little satire of Biden and Obama and when they do appear, they are rich with Palin commentary or juxtaposed with Fey playing Palin.

First, lets establish one fact, McCain would have no chance whatsoever without Palin. Media red herrings that suggest McCain should have picked someone else is simply a way of distracting the public from the media smear job on Palin. The media is trying to cover its own tracks at this point because of the absolute intense bias and unprecedented attacks on Palin as the VP candidate. Never before in history has the main stream media revealed its bias in such an extreme manner on a VP candidate. They have succeeded but now they need to cover their tracks or their ass as they back away from the car wreck they created by running Palin off the road in dramatic fashion.

“Oh a different driver would have had a different result etc”, Actually no elected politician in this day and age can survive a media blitzkrieg like the one Palin has been subjected to, it would end most political careers. (But I have a feeling she will be back because the bias is just too blatant, with time I think this woman will be back to “meet the press” in an era of the internet and citizen journalists) It is hard for the average person not to see the smear factor on Palin when compared to Biden’s free pass.  

Palin was by far the best choice for McCain not only because she energizied the Republican base but also for her ability to connect with people if given a chance to speak directly to them through television or on the stump without the media filter. For a brief few weeks she elevated McCain ahead of Obama in the polls, that is an amazing accomplishment against Obama who has 5 times as much money and 4-1 mainstream media endorsement. How is the election even close at all with that massive war chest for Obama and the media doing most of his dirty work by undermining and attacking Palin ? 

Biden with all of his 30 plus years of experience has actually made FAR more speaking misteps in the election than Palin. Imagine the SNL skit if Palin had asked a paralyzed man to stand up at a stump speech ? Imagine the SNL skit if Palin had said Romney or Huckabee would have been a better pick for VP as Biden did in saying Clinton would have been a better pick for VP than him ? Imagine the skit if Palin said McCain will be tested by an international crisis and implied doubt about his ability to handle it ? And that is only what we know about, I assure you given a little experience in politics, that Biden has likely said much more but only friendly ears have heard it and they have chosen to ignore it.  

It is a simple fact and no matter what your politics are, you have to admit the media has pretty much given Biden a free pass in this election. The media bias for Obama has been consistently in place since he won the Primary against Clinton. The election should “always” have been a landslide but it wasn’t and it won’t be because of Palin. Obama will win but that will be due to Fey and the media bias, the election very easily could have flipped if the media and SNL had gone after Biden and ignored Palin or even just ignored the both of them and let them deliver their own message without spin. 

Hmmmm, imagine an election where the media is not allowed to report it and only to present direct interviews and the debates ? Imagine an election where the voter is expected to research themselves the platforms of the candidate instead of having it spun for them by CNN or the media…

Bush is one of the least popular Republican presidents in history but STILL Obama needed a historical stock market collapse AND media bias for him AND unrelenting character attacks on Palin to win. Think about that for a moment, the real question in this election is WHY could Obama not seal the deal long ago and WHY is it even close at all ? A change candidate and different party, it should have a been a reflex election and a landslide, why wasn’t it ?

The Obama bots and blind supporters aside, Obama is not being passionately endorsed by the American people. Despite his victory it will be won on millions who will vote for him while they hold their nose or sigh sadly.

The media and SNL got those votes for him because now to vote for McCain/Palin means you are dumb, it means you aren’t with the cool kids, it means you don’t get the joke of Palin and it means that everyone should laugh at you, just like they laugh at Sarah Palin. That is the bottom line and that is what millions of voters will vote on when voting for Obama.   

Why was Fey and SNL required to win the election for Obama and act as the tipping point?

Well, even with the widespread media bias of the NY Times, CBS, ABC etc they were largely speaking to the converted. The media has been for Obama since he beat Clinton so nothing really changed on that front. What is amazing is that Obama failed in the pre-Palin time frame to build support against a GOP candidate that lacked support within his own party, was 72 years old and should hardly have given him any kind of fight for the white house. The fact that McCain did is really what is amazing.

Now without Palin and the SNL skits, Obama might still have won but I am confident that it would have been much closer. The SNL cheery was needed on top of the media cake to bake this election for Obama and to counter the Palin factor…

Congratulations President Obama but doesn’t it feel a little hollow to beat a 72 year old war vet and a woman this way ? Its kind of like you paid off the ref in the football game, it just doesn’t strike me as fair and I think you could have won without the paid off ref or press and if you couldn’t, well you didn’t deserve to win, that’s democracy…

The new President of the United States is…

Is it too early to do this? I don’t think so…

My fellow Americans I would like to announce the historical win of President Barrack Obama our first African American President (not that race has anything to do with his win of course). Drop the balloons, sound the cheers and hey to everyone else in the world, we may be a lot of things but we sure as heck aren’t racist, shucks, golly gee and my best Sarah Palin wink. We are a more hunky dory America now and we all punted some of those old white guys out the door, yes sir, come on over for tea and croissants Europe : ) Putin why don’t you send a few Russian Bombers over Alaska, we don’t care, not that many people up there anyway and it might keep that Palin chick awake at night, she sure doesn’t need any more beauty sleep…

You know I would be all good with President Obama’s win if it wasn’t SO FRIGGIN ARTIFICIAL AND CONTRIVED. I hate to be popping those celebration balloons before they even fall but man President Obama’s win was so pre-determined that I am 99% certain my prediction is accurate 30 days before the first person votes. How’s that for lame, does this race track still pump up the horses before the gate or what, YAWN.

Man what I wouldn’t give for a real Kennedy/Nixon election, boy I miss those…

Although I will give the McCain team a real nod, Sarah Palin threw the fear of God into every Democrat, canned journalist and liberal bot in America. That poll bump for McCain after she was announced had every Liberal leaner and every mainstream journalist twitching like a epileptic without their medication. They could see very clearly the possibility of a McCain win with her as VP and my they went to work like I have never seen before.

NY Times, Time Magazine, LA Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, Tina Fey gave the shout out to the Liberal media elite, grow a pair and go after her. Researching previous elections, this is a whole new world of media bias, unprecedented, remember she is THE VP CANDIDATE. It really has gone to a new level with her, remember she is just the friggin VP and the mainstream media has gone after her like a pack of wolves on a rabbit. Biden puts his foot in his mouth every other day and has 30+ years of political experience but a working woman and mom, screws up and she is done for and she is ONLY THE VP…  

I’ll admit personally to my own little affection for the woman, crush, I don’t know, just that identification that hmmm maybe there is Democracy in America, a regular person really could be president or at least VP. Not a Harvard lawyer or a Yale Lawyer, not a rich established old money family. I was like wow, maybe it isn’t a lie, maybe every American could aspire to the Presidency if they spoke to the American people directly, even if they were human and made speaking mistakes, even if they weren’t slick lawyers who can spin any question the way they want it with there smooth lawyer talk, even if they didn’t spend years in the political machines hearing the whispers from the special people and shaking the special hands…

Maybe America isn’t ruled by a invisible power elite that meets in Colorado and Texas and controls both parties (kidding, what’s a joke, without a conspiracy reference : )

The real race was in the Democratic Primary. Hillary vs Obama, thats when the undeniable historical presidency was up for grabs but lets face it the “powers that be” decided it was time to not just flip over the coin and show the  DNC side, they had to have a guaranteed ”historical candidate” (a woman or a african american). Its the same coin folks (DNC on one side, GOP on the other) but lets keep doing that slight of hand. I doubt we will ever again see in our lifetimes a ticket that does not include at least one woman or a minority ever again in America. (Hey I predict the Mexican American VP candidate once the millions of illegal Mexicans are legalized and it will be on the Republican ticket in 2012 or 2016 – any takers?) 

Lets face facts here, the Republicans threw this election like Mike Tyson hitting the mat KO’d after Mickey Mouse tapped him on the chin with his mouse tail in the first 10 seconds. Meanwhile he was opening his eye a little just to make sure that everyone bought it, it was pretty obvious though. The GOP hates John McCain, that guy really doesn’t play ball with the power brokers, lets face it and his own party hates him. Imagine the landslide election if McCain did not pick Palin and had some other old white guy, any old white guy? 

I think there was genuine fear though because Palin proved to be connecting better than they imagined with the people, if the media had not edited her interviews and targeted her with such savage preciseness it very well could have flipped the election. The main stream media took care of business though and that call came from Texas/Colorado and said “hey there, don’t like these polls, intensify on Palin…” Established billion dollar media conglomerate “But, she is only the VP, are you sure ?” – Yes call Tina Fey… 

Obama runs his high brow campaign and lets the main stream media do the dirty work for him…

One Example: Katie Couric pins down Palin by asking her what newspapers or newspaper magazines she reads. To the average person this seems like a simple and innocent question but you will never hear it asked of any other politican and I’ll tell you why.

Politicians don’t read any newspapers or media, they have a researcher who reads all of them each day and creates what they call clips or news briefs. That person is usually up at 3 or 4 in the morning and creating a briefing for the politician each day and they often read the brief to them over breakfast, takes about 10 minutes. Why ? Because the media is biased, all politicians know it so they don’t even read it. 

Now Palin is still a real person and has trouble answering that question but even the best politician would in trying to side step it, so she looks absolutely incompetent which was exactly the intent of Couric and what she wanted to capture on film.

A lawyer will get you by only asking you a question he knows the answer to but a journalist will get you by asking you a question they know you can not answer. I am hoping 2008 is their last hurrah as the internet continues to increase in ability and people continue to tune into media blogs and citizen journalists which cut the spin out and pull back the so-called “unbiased media” curtain.

I also in my sleep dream about a third party in America, like I dreamed about Ron Paul winning the Republican ticket. I dream about democracy in America, I also dream of Jeanie but whatever… 

Congratulations President Barrack Obama, forgive me, but many a lawyer has gone to Washington and you know, I just don’t care, you’re going to be a fall guy President overseeing one of the hardest economic periods in American history, America is going to blame you for everything, even if they stub their toe. Somewhere in America in 2010, on the way to the couch to watch TV, Owwww, my toe, that damn Obama if I didn’t have health care I would be walking more carefully and wouldn’t have stubbed my toe.

Just watch, President Obama, you also are going to realize that you can’t really do anything unless you have a two term presidency which you are not going to have, sorry. So all of your good intentions, all of your good policies, all of your “real” change, well it is all going to get flushed in 2012…

Oh you will get a few things through but certainly not the important ones…

So I kind of feel sorry for Mr. President Barrack Obama. I think the best thing would have been for McCain to win 2008 so that the GOP brand name would take the marketing hit it deserves on their brand name, after all they are responsible for the issues to a large degree. 

And for Democrats, it still isn’t too late to vote for McCain, now that you have had a look through the looking glass…

P.S. Hillary Clinton for President 2012…

2 terms guaranteed…

Palin (debate winner) puts the press on Biden

I have Palin as the winner against Biden in the debate. Not because I have a laundry list of fact checking points, not because I graded her against Biden’s command of the issues vs hers but for the simple reason that she has been attacked and is under much more pressure from the mainstream media than he is. I’ll admit it, it may be a lame reason to support her ticket but I am coming clean on the issue.

There is a part of me, I admit it, that really wants Palin to win although most rational parts of my brain scream out in protest. I have to admit that in my heart I want her to win. I want her to win because she has been so strongly attacked and undermined by the mainstream media. I’m rooting for her, for her challenges as a modern woman, for the unbelievable challenge put on her to stand up and in 5 weeks step in front of hundreds of millions and debate complex issues. I cheer for her and I feel nervous in my stomach for her, like before the start of last nights debate. Yes, I cheered for Bambi in the Disney movie and always dread the moment in the film when he loses his mom…

I want her to win because I am tired of having the New York Times, Times Magazine, ABC, CBS and NBC “TELL” me that she should not win. Tell me that she is a mentally incompetent woman. I am tired of the attacks on her and yes Matt Damon, it may be a Disney movie but it is one where I am cheering for the hollywood ending and yes Tina Fey I enjoy your satire but I am wondering now, how many more are coming. The first one was great, the second still good but if I see a third on SNL I will be wondering if your bank account has any recent deposits of cheques with Obama’s signature on it… 

If this election was just McCain against Obama, I wouldn’t vote. It is that simple. It isn’t that anything Obama has said is utterly offensive to me as much as it is another smug smart lawyer going to be President and yawn, I have seen that movie a dozen times before and didn’t like it. Oh yeah 24 was an Ok TV series but seriously, The Disney movie of Palin, I haven’t seen before and I do like it so far, the smart lawyer goes to Washington but oh now he is black, yawn, whatever…

I guess it will be good for Blacks in America and American culture and yes, that is nice and I guess we need the changes he advocates but really I already know that politicans are nothing more than the figure heads of power. The mouth pieces. The talking heads. They do not come up with the policy, they are the salesmen. They do not define America they personify it. They are largely hollow people who allow the real power brokers to put in their minds their visions of the future. No one person can have an expert command of all the political issues of the nation, the best any one person can do is bullshit very well… Again the humanity of Palin and because she can NOT do this as well, is in looking glass style drawing me to her ticket…

I know the election is likely already decided, in the upper ecehelons somewhere I get the feeling that the powers of America have decided  and the conversation went. “Ok, we let you steal election 2000 with Bush, you owe us, election 2008 is ours with our black president which is just more important than the woman’s vote. The other power is like yeah but just you remember we can steal an election just as easy as you but it is your turn I guess, we don’t really like McCain anyway. So it probably is a done deal but oh I would like to see Palin win just because I would love to see the fits of the NY Times editorial board.

I will miss her and I know she will not be back. There is a part of me that will cling to the hope of her winning right up until election day but with such unrestrained main stream media attacks I can’t see her winning and lets face it, McCain is simply too old and he is being handily dealt with by Obama in the debates. Standing Obama and McCain on the same stage and letting them talk is a clear signal. I don’t like Obama and his slick smooth lawyer talk and I dread having to listen to him for the next 4 years but compared to McCain he clearly outshines him…

I think about a real serious candidate for the Republican ticket, like Guilani who likely would have won NY state with Palin and I can just see it, it is just so close but with McCain. 2 more debates but if the old war horse does not put up some serious pep it is all over…

Hillraisers head for McCain Mountains

As the Obama team does spin control on the latest defections, I personally see it as an indication of a wave that is going to build to November. Both John Coale and Lynn Forester de Rothschild are serious Democrats. Fundraising over 100,000.00 each for the lost cause of Hillary Clinton.

Lynn Forester de Rothschild CNN Link

It is not that these defections in themselves are going to bring thousands of people along with them, as much as they must be sending a ominous message to the DNC. If these prominent party members are flipping, the individual thought process is likely the same with hundreds of thousands of other DNC members.

47 days to go and a virtual tie in key states, someone tell me how the Democrats are going to recover ?Obamania is last years fashion and Palin Power is all the political hipsters are talking about. I would hate to be a Democratic strategist because they just had a political tactical meltdown equivalent to Waterloo and seem paralyzed and unsure of even how to conduct the rest of the campaign…

Democracy – the Cynics

The bottom of the barrel, for me, far worse than Dembots or Republicanbots is the person who doesn’t vote. The person who has given up on politics altogether. And about 40% of Americans didn’t even bother to do just that, only about 55% voted in Election 2004.

It upsets me because millions died for the Democracy we have, millions of not only Americans but soldiers from all over the world. To me voting is about respect for them, acknowledging the political system that they died for, although far from perfect, it is still better than any other political structure in the world. Voting is a duty, a responsibility and an acknowledgment of the cause of Democracy itself. If there is only one time to vote each 4 years it is the Presidential election. 

Those who have given up in frustration over the Democrats and Republicans have third party candidates to choose from. There is always a choice. It is a small amount of time taken on election day to pull a lever, to cast a ballot and it should be out of respect for the millions who have died for you to have the freedom to do just that. 

“But it doesn’t matter!” the cynic responds, “nothing changes, there are no real choices.”

Why should I vote when right behind me is someone who is going to cancel my vote by voting for Sarah Palin because they like her eye glasses!” How ridiculous is that in canceling my vote which is a result of hundreds of hours of my own time carefully reading the policies of each side, analyzing them and making an informed vote on what I think is best for America. Why should I vote when this happens ?

The answer is that voting is not about you. When I vote it is not about me, in fact it has very little to do with me. I make the decision of course but I long ago realized like many others that who the President of the United States is or is not will have very little impact on my life. Maybe a little tiny bit but certainly not a lot. I will get up in the morning on Nov 5, 2008 no matter who is President, and I will still work, I will pay my bills, I will pray my family has good health, I will pursue my dream, I will pursue my happiness and every once in awhile I may stop and even realize that I am happy for a brief moment. 

I do not vote to pick someone to change my life or improve it dramatically, no ultimately, I think that is up to me and always has been but I do vote out of respect of those who have died for me to do so. To me election day is about freedom to pick our leaders who in my view are not much more than the personification of our nation to the rest of the world. I also do not think the American people have ever gotten it wrong. Even election 2000.

Many people forget how hollowed out and stiff Al Gore was compared to George Bush in Election 2000. This is of course long before his famous film. Many people forget that George Bush with all his numerous flaws and gaffes won votes largely because he listened to certain groups of Americans and spoke for them. Now we may not like those groups or be a part of them, Christians, the NRA, Pro-Life advocates but what did Gore do ? He essentially ran a safe campaign free of any blatant gaffes, aside from that claim to invent the internet. He didn’t take risks and I think he rightly lost for running such a bland campaign and America rightly decided that George Bush, although flawed, was still more of a representative of our nation than Al Gore because he was not as bland. America is a lot of things but it is not a bland nation.

Who you vote for and why is your business and you have the freedom to not even vote but that to me is the only wrong decision. Millions of young men fought and died for our right to vote along with our other freedoms. 

Those who are cynical of our democracy do nothing but dishonor them. Democracy requires the participation of the people and again the more cynical you are, the more I think you are obligated to get involved and to make a difference. Sarah Palin may say a lot of things in this election but the one message that should ressonate loudest to everyone is her political story of entering politics in 1992 at the PTA level and rising to national VP Candidate in 16 years and she is no ivy league graduate.

That can only happen in America and it could happen to you as well. So before you become cynical about politics and say you won’t even vote, take a look at this and ask yourself why you couldn’t do the same thing as her ?

Did the SNL Skit Help or Hurt Palin

OK, sometimes you have to turn off the politics for a moment and realize it is just a spoof, just for a laugh. Usually a politician will be around for years and years before they earn themselves a spoof spot in Saturay Night Live. But like everything else with Sarah Palin she is on Fast Forward and with an almost uncanny look-alike with Tina Fey in the bullpen, how could the SNL crew not jump on it. 

If you haven’t seen the clip here it is. 

Palin/Clinton SNL Skit 

I think this spoof actually will hurt Obama more than Palin. He is not mentioned but Clinton’s frustration sure is, that is a reflection on his decision not to have her on the ticket. There is nothing that can be done about that now. The Skit speaks for itself, it is funny, there is no need to deconstruct it. It works and in my view it was the highlight of the whole show. Phelps certainly looked like a Fish out of water for the rest of it. 

What is more interesting to me though is the comparison between Palin / Fey. They are incredibly similar in appearance as this image shows. 

If McCain / Palin win, Tina Fey will be signing onto steady employment for the next 4 years with SNL no matter what happens with 30 Rock. But these spoofs work for Palin not against her in classic political looking glass style. 

Despite the superficial similarity in appearance, Fey is rightfully off the mark for humor and spoofing in other aspects which ,makes the humor work. This highlights what people like about the real Palin through the looking glass. Tina Fey is the apex of the smart geek chic, the hot girl who doesn’t get her own sexuality because she can’t see herself through her own glasses. Inherently awkward around men and overtly supicous of them all. She illuminates the opposite of the daddy’s girl and the intelligent modern woman who just never got her father’s approval. Despite massive success in life this shadow comes out of Fey and it is a big part of her success as a comedian. 

Palin in stark contrast radiates confidence so brightly that she is the princess, the daddy’s girl who daddy told could do anything in the world and no matter what would always be proud of her. Her confidence on stage, her basking in the light, speaking strongly and with confidence as the boys stare at her in the hall, it is like a scene from Tina Fey’s Mean Girls Film.

If we were in high school, how could these two twins not be a modern day Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain with Fey as the Pauper getting her brief moment to be Prince last night on SNL. It is the cheerleader, valedictorian and most popular girl in school compared to her invisible twin sister in the back of the class, in the math elite and going to band camp while a single boy does not even notice her.

Although these two women are almost twins externally, they could not be more opposite in what their personalities radiate. A media looking glass feature that will certainly serve Palin’s political purposes long into the future as well as SNL’s ratings…

The Obama Rose Rile-up at Ground Zero

I am ideologically neutral but I had to take note of this. I picked it up on another blog under the title “Tale of Two Roses”. Watch and judge for yourself. Is there an issue of disrespect here ? 

Comparing Obama’s tossing of the rose to McCain’s laying it carefully on the site speaks volumes. These are not third party attacks. This is something that people picked up on and I am afraid I agree in this case. 

Read more here on Michelle Malkin’s Blog

This is just another in what is becoming a long list of gaffes for Obama. This one is hardly going to hit the radar but with the two men beside each other the contrast stands out. Is Obama throwing the election along with the rose now ? You can’t rehearse everything and on somethings you just have to have a political instinct on. Obama is not impressing me…