Letters to the Editor
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The problem with election coverage...
is that they spend their time hanging out with the campaigns.
I've worked elections, been with the core group of campaign workers on election night. It's hard to imagine a more cynical, desperate environment. Everything is about numbers, not the message, posing people for cameras, etc., etc. Spinning endless theories in an attempt to anticipate the outcome, drive back the raw terror of the unknown. Then, that key precinct comes in, and your key people know that you've lost. Or won. Usually an hour or more before the press calls it, because they thrive on the drama. So you have to walk around in front of cameras pretending that it ain't over.
Some people thrive on this, love it. It makes me want to take a shower, the part of it that isn't just heartbreaking (even if you've backed the winner). But my point is that this is the world that the press immerse themselves in. Not the world of policy and what matters to their readers, but the world of "are they turning out in precinct x"? It's a compelling, albeit tawdry, story. It's an important part of our process. But it isn't what the press should be doing with their time.
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Jim White:
The first part of the sentence quoted above, Look, I'm not just picking on us, I think, deflects too much blame from the the press.
This is just a small point, but for what it's worth, when Brokaw said "I'm not just picking on us," I understood him to say: "I don't just mean we at NBC are guilty of this. It's the media culture generally that does this."
But it's ambiguous and you could be right that it was a way of minimizing the press' culpability (by blaming it on the "culture" generally).
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It's amusing ...
some of the stories I've read today, by some of the same reporters who were practically anointing Obama over the weekend, now say in effect "presidential campaigns rarely end this quickly." oh, now they tell us.
I'm shocked that I'm giving props to Pat Buchanan, but I liked his line last night on how wrong everyone got it (polls, media, campaigns, etc.) "We had virtually canonized Obama and said he was born in Bethlehem."
Let the campaign begin.
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bebop-o
I am very happy to see you agreeing to go see a doctor. Please take care of yourself so that your granddaughter (and we here in UT) can continue to benefit from your unique insights.
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We get better reporting about sports.
At least the sports commentators talk about the players' abilities and performance. The alleged "journalists" who cover politics can't even manage to do that with politicians.
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@Anonymous
The only thing that happened between Clinton losing in the polls and winning in New Hampshire was her near-cry. Whether authentic or planned, it provided no new information about who is the better choice. The fact that it must have swayed over ten thousand voters to change their votes demonstrates to me that people want American Idol.
--Anonymoous
[My Emphasis added]
Please tell me that was snark. You can't possibly believe that, unless maybe if you're a fan of Bill Kristol's.
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All Points Of View Need To Be Discussed
Media moguls decided that Ron Paul would be excluded from the pre-New Hampshire primary Republican forum on Faux news. ABC brass decided that Dennis Kucinich would be excluded from the televised debate. I am as disgusted with the candidates who were not excluded not objecting to these exclusions as I was to the exclusions themselves. If our media-designated leaders-to-be cannot demonstrate the integrity to insist on fairness in allowing approaches to problems that differ from the generally accepted to be discussed, how will we find our way forward to a better future? Instead of showing true leadership, all of these so-called wannabe leaders caved to the agendas of the neocon controlled media without a squeak of protest...again.
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beneficial side-effect
I have haven't been enthused about the prospect of a Clinton win, both for her aggressive centrism and for fear that she'll energize Republican opposition. But now that it's clear that a Clinton win would be a slap in the face of pundits, I'm a lot more excited at the idea.
But still worried . . . .
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Jim White!~boo
hoo!
prey!
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The media and the Clintons
I think one of the other comments hit on something mentioning the press' attitude toward the Clintons.
One of the commentators on CNN last night even admitted as much, saying that the press had basically called Bill Clinton a "train wreck" over the past two or three days, and then something along the lines of "but maybe the people outside the Beltway liked what he said."
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Serious.
sorry. ouch. My foots looks hurt and rotten! boo hoo.
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Firewall?
Glenn, Lest it go un-noticed, we always hear about the famous "Firewall" at newspapers - the division of church and state - between the hard news and editorial divisions of our "news"papers; yet here is MoDo creating the image of editorial writer(s) and reporter(s) gathered around the computer monitor kibitzing over Hillary's tears.
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bop
One more word: yogurt. It's essential while you are taking antibiotics.
While on that topic, it's time to go muck the stalls.
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@ Kitt
Ha, I've never been accused of that before.
What do you think made people switch their votes?
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Democracy in Action
I have to say I'm downright thrilled by Clinton's win, even though I'm no Clinton supporter (and also no Clinton hater).
What's great about this is that it thwarts the attempt of the Parties, the Clintons, the Obamas, and the Press (and the states of Iowa and New Hampshire) to determine, in advance of real contest and debate, who the nominee will be.
Now, everyone will have to slug it out. Perhaps some real policy questions may actually be debated! And we will see who the better leaders are.
RE: Anonymous's complaint that this must be about the crying; no: it's about a slightly larger percentage of the people of New Hampshire, as motivated by a well organized campaign with an impressive leader, refusing to be bullied into some mythical Obama bandwagon.
Make no mistake of it, I'll vote for Obama if he's the nominee. I'd vote for any of the Democratic candidates, because in my opinion they're all light years more competent than the current Republican crew.
But I'm glad this election is no longer about Iowa momentum and vague promises of 'change' (or for that matter settling scores with the Clintons). This election needs to be about things much broader than that, and if Clinton's victory helps set the stage for more subtanstive or at least longer debate, I'm all for it.