The Staggering Bravery of the American Press
We're now finding out all sorts of things about the campaign. Fox News revealed that Sarah Palin thought that Africa was a country, that she didn't know what countries were in NAFTA, that she refused to prepare for interviews and that she threw temper tantrums. The GOP has sent a lawyer to retrieve Palin's clothes. Rick Sanchez confronted Joe the Plumber and showed the world that he is a looudmouthed bozo. (Big surprise there.)
But we only find any of this out after the votes are counted--- or, in the case of the Rich Sanchez interview, on election day--- basically, when it no longer matters.
Apparently we're not supposed to know that Palin knows less about geography than a fifth grader until after they've had a chance to vote for her. We only hear from Joe the Plumber after McCain used him as an shining example in a couple hundred stump speeches.
We only find out these things because the Republicans lost. If McCain had won, the press would be kissing Palin's Gucci-shod instep and praising her brilliant fashion sense, and no one would know of her colossal ignorance unless McCain dropped dead, Palin had to step into his place, and announced her choice for Ambassador to Africa. If McCain had won, his staffers wouldn't be so eager to place blame for the defeat on someone other than themselves that they're allowing reporters to actually report on the stuff they've all known for weeks.
Okay, fine, it was all "off the record." But don't tell me that seasoned political reporters don't know how to get off-the-record before the public.
Our press is often partisan, but hardly ever brave. They love a winner. They love the access they get by being cooperative, but forget that the whole point of the access is to report what they know. They can read polls nearly as well as the Supreme Court.
I have to say that this makes me wonder what we're not finding out about the Obama side. Obama was not nearly as popular with reporters as McCain, largely because he doesn't talk to them when he doesn't have to, and because his campaign was very disciplined where information control was concerned.
Obama's ride will be smooth until he makes a mistake and shows a moment's vulnerability. And then there will be "surprise revelations" of all the stuff the reporters have been holding back in order to maintain their access. Most of it, let's hope, will be trivial and pointless, along the lines of W.'s pretzel attack, but it will be presented in big flaming headlines whether it matters or not.
And speaking of reporters, here's Sarah Palin in her former job. Note that she hasn't yet acquired the Youper accent. Where did she find it, I wonder?
But we only find any of this out after the votes are counted--- or, in the case of the Rich Sanchez interview, on election day--- basically, when it no longer matters.
Apparently we're not supposed to know that Palin knows less about geography than a fifth grader until after they've had a chance to vote for her. We only hear from Joe the Plumber after McCain used him as an shining example in a couple hundred stump speeches.
We only find out these things because the Republicans lost. If McCain had won, the press would be kissing Palin's Gucci-shod instep and praising her brilliant fashion sense, and no one would know of her colossal ignorance unless McCain dropped dead, Palin had to step into his place, and announced her choice for Ambassador to Africa. If McCain had won, his staffers wouldn't be so eager to place blame for the defeat on someone other than themselves that they're allowing reporters to actually report on the stuff they've all known for weeks.
Okay, fine, it was all "off the record." But don't tell me that seasoned political reporters don't know how to get off-the-record before the public.
Our press is often partisan, but hardly ever brave. They love a winner. They love the access they get by being cooperative, but forget that the whole point of the access is to report what they know. They can read polls nearly as well as the Supreme Court.
I have to say that this makes me wonder what we're not finding out about the Obama side. Obama was not nearly as popular with reporters as McCain, largely because he doesn't talk to them when he doesn't have to, and because his campaign was very disciplined where information control was concerned.
Obama's ride will be smooth until he makes a mistake and shows a moment's vulnerability. And then there will be "surprise revelations" of all the stuff the reporters have been holding back in order to maintain their access. Most of it, let's hope, will be trivial and pointless, along the lines of W.'s pretzel attack, but it will be presented in big flaming headlines whether it matters or not.
And speaking of reporters, here's Sarah Palin in her former job. Note that she hasn't yet acquired the Youper accent. Where did she find it, I wonder?
posted by dubjay at 7:46 PM
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