Completely Unnecessary

This is the actual conclusion of a paper I turned in today. I scrapped the Daily Show bit.

Conclusion:

While the state of the election media coverage in 1984 seemed perhaps shaky, by 2004 it appeared to be an all-out brawl. This assessment of the 2004 election finds election reporting not just unimproved, but in crisis. It becomes nearly impossible to decide who is setting the agenda, and sometimes if there even is one. But if there is a lack of control, it does not seem to be indicative of any kind of open, participatory, or deliberative democracy either. As in 1984, it appears that in 2004 the Republicans were able to use incumbency to their advantage and set some of the parameters of the debate. Both Reagan and Bush were able create strong, masculine images, and 2004 saw the active creation of a feminine, flip-flopping Kerry image on the part of the Bush campaign. These images were duly carried in the media at the expense of policy discussion.

The detrimental effects of conflict-based, horserace and process-focused journalism were present in 1984, but shockingly exacerbated twenty years later. Perhaps it says something important when the political spin doctors themselves are mortified by their own processes. One cannot but feel sorry for Eskew when he says, ‘I guess it was entertaining for people at home, but it led to another moment I’m just completely ashamed of’ (quoted in Jamieson, 2006: 160). Unfortunately, this paper’s comparison has shown that when it comes to recent election media coverage, the specifics of Eskew’s complaint are sadly irrelevant. Instead, they stand in for larger ills in American media and political systems that feed off each other in downward spiral, and whose ability to inform the electorate or serve the democracy is doubtful at best.

Vaguely Related

• Zimbabwe Election Redux
• There just aren’t words

Firstly, the FEMA thing. I love things that get on my dad’s radar because then I get the equivalent from him of what I give to you all when I’m not talking about puppies.

If you’re a federal agency that everyone wants to nail, why on earth would you stage a fake press conference with questions by your own staff? Why? Why waste everyone’s time with the exposure, the newscycle about how dumb you are, the inevitable Congressional investigations? Anyway, that’s enough about that.

I also read in Editor and Publisher that Stephen Colbert could be the front runner within a month. Sigh.

Okay, I totally heart Colbert and I think the stunt he’s pulling is vaguely amusing and highlights the ridiculousness and theatricality of the primary process… if it were in a different state.

If he were doing this in a Super Tuesday state or Florida (that’d learn them to move their primary) I would be more or less behind it. But he’s chosen South Carolina. It’s the fourth primary, one of the key states that’s going to determine the presidential candidates.

I realize that, the way the system is supposed to run, this shouldn’t matter. If the conventions were real nominating conventions instead of bland coronations, I would totally back Colbert. But it’s not the way the system works right now. We got Kerry because of a scream. I don’t want Mitt Romney choosing (what, probably three?) Supreme Court justices because of Colbert.

This is the first time in 28 years it’s an open field (no incumbent or veep running) and this is probably the best chance the Democrats have to break up the New Republican Majority. Only two of the last seven presidents have been Democrats - that’s two Dems in nearly 40 years.

I should also say that if he were mounting a full, nationwide presidential bid, I would be less against this. I wouldn’t support him, obviously, but he would affect everything in the system instead of just one very important facet. I just fear that swinging out South Carolina could have an impact on the strength of the Democratic candidate, or help choose a stronger Republican candidate (though I’m not exactly sure who I think that might be).

This just really isn’t the time to be messing around in the gears of our democracy. It’s not doing so well as it is.

Vaguely Related

• There just aren’t words
• Obama Criticizes Last Night’s Debate

I’ve had numerous discussions down here about issues that Australians were shocked to find Americans don’t know about.

Australia’s deadliest killing spree at Port Arthur? I’d never heard of it.

APEC? A bunch of people I’ve talked to back home don’t know what it is, let alone that it happened.

How, several Aussies have remarked to me, is it possible that Americans don’t know about these important events happening around the globe? I mean, the Virginia Tech shooting was big news down here, how could the 35 dead and 37 injured at Port Arthur have escaped notice in the US?

Unfortunately, I have to keep reminding people that it is because the United States does not care. We just don’t. It’s not that we’re uneducated - though some of us are - but that we have a massive population and de facto world domination. We make enough of our own news - we just don’t care about yours.

Case in point? Howard called the election yesterday. Everyone’s abuzz down here. And this is actually pretty big news for the States, since Bush seems likely to lose his staunchest ideological ally.

But, it’s not on nyt.com’s front page, nor is it in the print edition of the NYT (as posted on their website). They do have a Reuters story if you do a search - but they didn’t send their own reporter. Washington Post? Their site had nothing on the front page - and their registeration system is annoying, so I didn’t go deeper. Chicago Tribune? No. LA Times? No.

Only wsj.com (Wall Street Journal) had it on their front page. You could argue their impending sale to Murdoch makes them a touch more attuned to Oz politics.

Sorry guys, America doesn’t care if you elect Howard, Rudd or one of the myriad of cute bouncing animals we’ve heard about.

Those other two guys? We’re not quite sure who they are.

Vaguely Related

• Serenity November
• Obama Criticizes Last Night’s Debate

Things not going so well? Seemingly every single poll predicting ALP defeat? Anti-immigrant fear mongering less popular than in previous election cycles?

You may want to consider reconciliation!

Speaking [11 October] to the Sydney Institute, [Prime Minister Howard] indicated he now accepted that the symbolic side of [Aboriginal] reconciliation — which he previously rejected — was important, along with the practical side of reconciliation.

It’s incredible timing - what with the PM’s return to Canberra tonight indicating that he’ll likely call the election tomorrow. It’s almost as if the PM’s new-found feelings toward the indigenous population are cynically timed to coincide with the election. But don’t take it from me:

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser said whatever Mr Howard did now was election driven, because he was desperate. He said a referendum would not do anything unless it was accompanied by a 20-year commitment on health, education and housing.

Luckily, Mr Howard knows how to spin it both ways:

“There have been low points when dialogue between me as Prime Minister and many indigenous leaders dwindled almost to the point of non-existence. I fully accept my share of the blame for that.”[...]

“I have always acknowledged the past mistreatment of Aboriginal people and have frequently said that the treatment of indigenous Australians represents the most blemished chapter in the history of this country.

So while indigenous relations have been poor, mistreatment is just history and not, say, policy of the Howard government.

“Some will no doubt want to portray my remarks tonight as a form of Damascus Road conversion. In reality, they are little more than an affirmation of well-worn liberal conservative ideas,” he said.

I don’t think there’s many who would confuse John Howard with Paul. The road to Damascus wasn’t to the polling booth.

Links:
Howard’s 11th-hour rethink on reconciliation [The Age]
10 Ministers Face Wipeout: Poll Warning [The Age]
Community’s Anger Spills Over [The Age]
The Aboriginal Intervention Policy Isn’t Working [The Age]

Vaguely Related

• Level of Interest
• Tapping (in Australia, not MN)

Man I love this stuff. Lots of people are talking about Romney’s answer to a question about military action to prevent a nuclear Iran:

“We’re going to let the lawyers sort out what he needed to do and what he didn’t need to do, but certainly what you want to do is to have the agreement of all the people in leadership of our government, as well as our friends around the world where those circumstances are available,” Mr. Romney said.

Whatever that means. Here’s what I liked, though:

Representative Duncan Hunter of California raised the concern in sharp terms, arguing that “1.8 million jobs have moved to communist China from the United States.”

Oh, are they communist over there in China? Who knew?

Wow. I just went to his campaign site because I was going to make a fun campaign poster reading:

Unnecessary Red Baiting Adjectives: Hunter ‘08

I found, however, that I liked the image they had running on the site better than my snarky joke, so I was going to paste it in. But….

Wait, there’s more…

I do not understand this. The header is broken up into two pics, at a seemingly illogical place. These two images are just sitting next to each other in a table in the source code. They’re not even links to the homepage or anything fancy that might suggest this as a necessity.

The part I liked was where it kind of looked like ‘President’ was spray painted over the ‘08 (i.e. poorly Photoshopped), but the two jpegs is actually better.

I’m in. Duncan for Prez.

Links:
Romney and Giuliani Spar as New Guy Looks On [NYT]
The Official Site of Duncan Hunter for US President in 2008 [actual name of the site]

Vaguely Related

• Obama Criticizes Last Night’s Debate
• There just aren’t words

Has he been given ‘the tap on the shoulder’? Will he make it to even calling the election, much less running in it?

While it’s kind of fun to watch the Howard government implode, I’m so intensely distrustful of the man that I’m afraid to see this as actual good news, and not some ‘LOOK OVER HERE’ strategy. Refugees will probably be throwing children from the top of Parliament House any day now.

For non-Australians - PM Howard has to call an election before the end of the year. He can, however, step aside and allow another MP, probably Treasurer Peter Costello, to go to bat for the Liberals. This move would have been unthinkable even a month ago. But while Howard’s been behind in (as far as I know) every poll this year, APEC, which was supposed to be his shining moment, turned into a disaster that has destabilized his leadership.

In previous elections, he’s managed to pull some crazy, fear-mongering stunt that’s helped him get back in. Australia is more or less waiting for the election to be called, so we can know what the stunt is - hopefully armed refugees storming the beaches of Manly (which would make such an amazing special double episode of Border Patrol and Sea Patrol) .

Will he call the election? Will he run? The anticipation is killing me.

From an American perspective, it’s crazy to watch the whole thing play out in the media. We pick our leaders so early and are locked in to them; it’d be like Democrats saying to John Kerry in late-September 2004, ‘Look, we don’t think you can win. Let John Edwards have a go.’ The Age today is reporting that even Downer might be against him - he was the guy who’ll ‘give Howard the tap on the shoulder’ if need be.

Man, even the terminology is great! The entire dramatic political process involved in selecting a PM that can successfully build the largest coalition is displayed as a casual, ‘Look, mate…’ And Howard has said that he’d have to be ‘blasted’ from the PMship.

But I mean, maybe they’re just trying to throw Rudd, who’d be PM in a Labor Government, off balance, refusing to give him a clear enemy to fight. Maybe this is the stunt. Howard emerges as the strife-torn battler? Seems like a bad move that would just vilify guys like Downer more (and really, they’re doing fine on their own).

Moving here was the best idea ever - now I get elections in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

I can’t handle the suspense! I have to go to class!

PM stares down revolt [Age]

Vaguely Related

• Obama Criticizes Last Night’s Debate
• Level of Interest

Hi all,

Election day is tomorrow!!! Rah.

Many of you have already taken the opportunity to vote early - and that’s fabulous.

If you haven’t voted yet, please, please, please take the time to got vote tomorrow (if you live in Chicago, you can find your polling place). If you don’t have two hours outside of your workday to vote, your employer must give you time off to vote. Some states (not IL) will allow you to register right at the polling place, if you have not already done so. You are also allowed to take in materials to assist in your voting (i.e., you can take a list of the candidates you wish to vote for into the poll box with you so you don’t forget).

There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the Democrats’ “tidal wave” sweeping into the House and maybe the Senate. Maybe you’ve heard that the House is a lock. Maybe Sean Hannity has told you that your vote doesn’t matter. Don’t you believe it. There are heaps of races in this country that are too close to call - so no matter which side of the aisle you’re on, you have the power to swing elections towards your candidates.

But you can’t do it if you don’t vote. The establishment on both sides only want their people to vote - feel free to show them who’s boss.

There’s also been lot of stuff hitting the fan about the crazy voting machines, fraud, waste etc. One of the best ways to counter voter fraud is to have informed voters at the polls documenting irregularities. Check out: Black Box Voting if you’re interested. If you have any horror stories after election day, email them (or email me and I’ll find someone noisy to pass it on to). (David also passed this on to me. If you’ve got a video camera think about documenting poll irregularities (www.videothevote.org)

Not to get all dramatic, but, for most of us, this is the only civic duty we perform. The line should be relatively short, and really a half an hour of your time every two years isn’t a lot for your country to ask of you. Aww, this is the only thing I’m patriotic about.

In summation, get out there tomorrow - the weather will be downright balmy for November (at least in Chicago). And remember that there are some third-party candidates out there if you’re not loving your choices (you’re welcome, Jeremy).

IL Voters - I know I always get in the ballot box and never know which judges to vote for. Here are two links to the Trib endorsements. You can print these out and take them with you into the booth:
Appellate Court
Circuit Court

Vaguely Related

• Everything I Know About Drugs I Learned From The Wire
• Chicago Primary and Early Voting Information

I really told myself that if there was a good turnout and a fraud-free majority of the country voted for Bush that I could accept it.

The truth is, I really can’t. I just feel drained and soulless. It might just be exhaustion from working non-stop for the campaign for the last two weeks, but I just feel so disconnected. In an immediate, but also a fundamental sense. How is it possible that I share a country with eleven states worth of people that are willing to tell others that not only is their lifestyle wrong, but that they are wrong? Oregon? What is going on here? I just have a serious problem that this election appears to have been decided on personal moral beliefs rather than economic, political and foreign policies.

Never mind - I just can’t write this now.

Vaguely Related

• Zimbabwe Election Redux
• Totes Unfair