Deal Or No Deal: The Mediagasm

If you were anywhere near Capitol Hill last Friday night, or a teevee with cameras pointed at Capitol Hill last Friday night, or at a computer watching people tweet about the cameras that were pointed at Capitol Hill last Friday night, then you no doubt already know what topic consumed the political media.

Would there be a deal to avert the government shutdown? And what's in the deal? Do people like the deal? Will all parties agree to the deal? Deal deal deal deal -- my God, that word has lost all meaning, somebody please get me some Paxil!

Yes, long into the night, reporters camped out and waited for a sign from somebody that something was going to happen about the imminent shutdown of the federal government. Aides scampered, rumors flew, journalists checked for body language. Lawmakers thought to be part of the deal-making process confessed they were hoping someone in the news could tell them what was going on.

Speculation would build to a crescendo -- the end is in sight! -- only to turn dramatically on a dime -- there's not going to be a deal, everyone buy milk and toilet paper!

During a night of scurrying and waiting and ebbing and flowing, those watching the events unfold largely overlooked a key fact: you don't actually have a deal until all parties agree to something. So John Boehner was never walking back to meet with the House GOP caucus "with a deal in hand," he was just going through the negotiating process.

But by 9:30 p.m., everyone inside the Beltway was essentially jumping at the fall of an unexpected shadow. (I include myself in those ranks.)

Happily, Ben Craw is here to condense an evening of dire mystery and frantic wonderment into one five-minute recap that effortlessly communicates what it was like the Night The Lights Nearly Went Out On Capitol Hill.

[WATCH]

[Video produced by Ben Craw.]

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Comments

[ljs CO]

01:20 AM on 04/13/2011

Oh, they do that for the weather, too. Get a little snow and the media treat it like it's a 9.0 earthquake. We are not impressed.

[Chudye]

12:45 AM on 04/13/2011

Well! I'm exhausted! How bout you?

[Barbara DeZan]

11:59 PM on 04/12/2011

It is a media frenzy. They are simply wiggling with anticipation hoping that some huge disaster will befall this entire subject. They are dragging out every "consultant", every next-to-nothing assistant, the President of this and the CEO of that wanting to talk about the maybe coming, could happen, fall of the Empire. Nothing gets their juices flowing like a good dust-up between politicians. And, I've noticed that every right-wing pundit, every extremists screwball has been invited to the lofty arena of MSNBC and CNN to get a little grin and drool about what an awful man Obama is and how the Dems are going to destroy America and how much better we'll be with no governmet of any kind....

Lordy, do I miss Cronkite, Jennings, Huntly and Brinkley....,heck, I even miss Sam Donaldson....

It's starting to get boring....I find myself watching reruns of I Love Lucy or the 23rd viewing of an NCIS show.

[pdxreader]

10:42 PM on 04/12/2011

Of the many insulting and maddening aspects of the recent budget negotiations, the worst was the public ignorance of what was actually being said in the negotiating room as it happened.

The leaders would emerge from secrecy to put their own opposing spin on the truth, and all the while the press was reporting: “We think the disagreement may concern some policy issues, but others suggest it may be the dollar amount. We really don’t know for sure.”

Wake up people! You in the press should know for sure. What are we doing, voting for a new pope? “Hmm, looks like black smoke again from St. Peter’s chimney.”

Why are there secret negotiations about my (and everyone else’s) federal budget?

Listen, news reporters, next time this happens, please get people inside of those negotiations. CSPAN, get your cameras in there! I want to hear and see what is being said.

Wake up press! It’s the information age. You guys represent the press freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment. If some official abridges the free press by barring your entry to the negotiations, you resist. You make a federal case out of it.

The press criticizes the politicians, but it’s the press that is failing to carry out their constitutionally protected duty. Didn’t any of you guys hear Steven Colbert during the correspondent’s dinner few year’s back? You do know, I hope, that when Colbert said the press is there to take dictation from politicians, he was being sarcastic.

[structurequity]

10:21 PM on 04/12/2011

those waiting and watching are less and less... the populace is retreating from it all, more isolated, less able to build solidarity, more victimized, truly at wits end.

[Onlygodknowswhy]

10:23 PM on 04/12/2011

There starting to learn whats in it.

[malvones]

09:55 PM on 04/12/2011

A DEAL DEAL SHOOK HANDS APPEARS LIKE A DEAL DEAL DEAL DEAL DEAL DONE DEAL NO DEAL NO DEAL NO DEAL YES DEAL DEAL CAUCUS DEAL DEAL