Friday, January 4, 2008
Puzzled
The media seem to be enmassing [sic] enthusiasm for McCain and it puzzles me. Over the last year, McCain lost quite a bit of ground by being loopy and even occasionally temperamental. Prior to that, he'd lost whatever appeal he held for me, anyway, partly because he was so unforthcoming about his illness and because he's a tax guy, and partly - okay, I have to admit it - because he just seems nutty. Let me say that I'm sure I'd be significantly nutty, too, if I'd been in solitary confinement for years, so I don't blame him one whit, it's just that I don't want to give the responsibility for running a country to someone who's probably slightly unhinged, no matter how logical the unhingedness nor how swell the person may be as a person. Perhaps I shouldn't base my electoral decisions on gut reactions, but it's not as if most of them really say what they think, voter whores that they are, so I have to go with something less concrete.
Another thing that struck me (as it did Laura) is the media's apparently deliberate refusal even to acknowledge Thompson. It can't be the actor thing, after all, since the hallowed Reagan was an actor and thereby presumably tossed that prejudice out the window. But in Iowa yesterday, Thompson came in 3rd and McCain 4th, yet the reports talk about how wondrous McCain's finish was and how possibly predictive of ultimate victory for the nomination. Why does 4th trump 3rd? I can only assume it's part of the not-news that the media reports in that somehow they really want McCain to run (why, by the way?) so with their wished-for conclusion in sight that he wins the nomination, they report his 4th place finish as terrific and they ignore Thompson altogether. Name recognition being what it is, perhaps they hope New Hampshire voters and all the rest of us are very very susceptible to such tactics. Perhaps they think we are all very very stupid. Perhaps they are very very wrong.
Another thing that struck me (as it did Laura) is the media's apparently deliberate refusal even to acknowledge Thompson. It can't be the actor thing, after all, since the hallowed Reagan was an actor and thereby presumably tossed that prejudice out the window. But in Iowa yesterday, Thompson came in 3rd and McCain 4th, yet the reports talk about how wondrous McCain's finish was and how possibly predictive of ultimate victory for the nomination. Why does 4th trump 3rd? I can only assume it's part of the not-news that the media reports in that somehow they really want McCain to run (why, by the way?) so with their wished-for conclusion in sight that he wins the nomination, they report his 4th place finish as terrific and they ignore Thompson altogether. Name recognition being what it is, perhaps they hope New Hampshire voters and all the rest of us are very very susceptible to such tactics. Perhaps they think we are all very very stupid. Perhaps they are very very wrong.
Labels: 2008 election, reflections
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 9:25 AM
jau — at 12:47 PM, January 04, 2008:
— at 9:33 AM, January 05, 2008:
Barb the Evil Genius — at 1:06 PM, January 05, 2008:
— at 10:32 PM, January 05, 2008:
| posted by jau at 9:25 AM
5 more:
jau — at 12:47 PM, January 04, 2008:
Since a maverick is defined as "a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates," how does pandering to the democrats qualify him as being a maverick? I agree that's how he's described often, however. I'm just puzzled as to why some people like him so much.
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— at 9:33 AM, January 05, 2008:
There's nothing wrong about gut feelings, it's probably by gut feeling that most presidents get elected and on the whole it doesn't work out too badly. Maybe with McCain it's a guy thing, he's walked the walk as they say and he doesn't mince his words or suffer fools gladly. What the US doesn't need right now is a wimp as pres. which is what I think you'd get with Obama. I like McCain but he would be my third choice behind Fred and Giuliani.
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Barb the Evil Genius — at 1:06 PM, January 05, 2008:
Well, you could argue he takes a stand apart from his *Republican* associates. What put the nail in McCain's coffin for me was the whole immigration and shamnesty debacle.
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— at 10:32 PM, January 05, 2008:
I've been reading reports of the debate tonight and I think from that that you guys are right on McCain. Almost a bit scary to think of him as pres. Fred got some very good reviews, except some say he was too easy on 'his friend McCain', so sometimes who the hell knows what's going on behind the scenes.
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