Bumper Sticker Broadcasting

Listening to pundits dissect the West Virginia race is making me queasy. Today, a major talking point is the exit polls showing that 50% of voters in that state believe Obama shares the views of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. With astonishment and foreboding, the talking heads titter about his prospects in the fall. Not one of them owns up to exacerbating this mess by reinforcing likely prejudice. The intellectual dishonesty is staggering.

Reporters did not put Obama in that church for twenty years, and yes, the subject was an appropriate campaign topic. But to loop about twenty incendiary seconds from thousands of hours of sermons while linking the politician to the preacher, then act surprised when some voters believe what has been forced down their throats, is disingenuous, to be polite.

As usual, only Bill Moyers bothered to examine the issue with any depth. He has been hitting the circuit to discuss his new book, Moyers on Democracy. He rightly notes that "[b]y no stretch of the imagination can we say the dominant institutions of today's media are guardians of democracy," and as one reviewer summarizes, "Our public conversation is mediated by politicians who have mastered 'sound bites' sculpted from polling data, by "pundits" whose credibility increases with the frequency of exposure despite being consistently wrong, and 'experts' whose authority depends not on reason, evidence or logic but on ideology and affiliation."

A Moyers sound bite now appearing on the web actually sums things up nicely. "We're not going to have a discourse in this campaign over the fact that the great American wealth machine is benefiting only those at the top. We're not going to get to the fact that 10% of the people own 60% of the wealth and 70% of the people have no net worth. We're not going to get to the issues of how do we rebuild the infrastructure, the sewer, the water, the highways, all that. We're just going to be constantly in this battle of bumper stickers."

All three candidates have been victims of this madness. Superficial labels are easily and recklessly slapped on each of them then hyped as fact, not simplistic fiction. (Regurgitating incendiary charges by formulating them in countless questions does not absolve the questioner.) Regardless of the victor in the fall, I hope votes will be cast on the big issues facing this nation, not on contrived imagery created by campaigns or pundits in search of ratings. I am not naïve. I know that inherent emotions affect our decision-making process. But shouldn't the media acknowledge its ability to shape perceptions then wield that power by debunking nonsense and illuminating the substantive issues at hand? The answer is yes, but for now, I'm holding my nose, not my breath.

Comments

[BinBaldwin]

Moyers attempted to WHITE WASH Rev Wright. H e is an extreme leftist with no sense of balance. Crier is just as bad. Obama endorsed Black Liberation Theology which is the root cause of Wrights Hate

[Pema]

As usual Crier makes more sense than any pundit out there. I complain bitterly to the media outlets for bumpersticker fleet street "news" . It's insulting, it's demeaning to channel surf through cable news like a speed freak trying to gather the if ya blink you miss it bit of news. We also are treated as fairly dumb animals, with overly fast passed graphics, sending me into near stroke condition. MSNBC's Race For The White House is the latest and worst example of this. Let's not also forget this pundit jumping bumpersticker commentary. I can only conclude the producers have been chewing on their childrens lead toys and assume we have done the same.

[Rescisco]

This is a rare and intelligent analysis. It is no accident, I think, that "bumper sticker" politics thrives. Politicians and pundits alike have figured out how to avoid the complexity of issues in favor of the simplicity of exaggerated conflict, manufactured dirt, and false distinctions. It generates ratings, wins votes, and requires very little heavy mental lifting. In the absence of journalism, which died long ago, informed citizens have become extinct and Democracy is a fiction.

[kellygrrrl]

I think the best lesson of this election season
is that so many Americans are stepping away from The Propaganda Machine in the living room
and actually getting informed.

Biggest Loser 08 = MSM

[ConnieInCleveland]

Catherine, thank you so much for all your posts. My mother has been ill for several months and I have had little time to respond. I read them none the less. It's voices like yours that need to be heard. If we could get a few more individuals with voices that can be heard above the chatter, we could hear a new song in America.

The memorial song being played out today is leading to the death of our freedom. Our Constitution needs some CPR. You are helping to give us a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your efforts. They are appeciated more than you can know.

[jp5472]

Yes Catherine, once again we are hurtling towards another election that will be taken over with all of the non-issues. Just like HRC, the McCain machine will realize that there only hope of winning is by once again steering people's minds away from the issues that affect their everyday lives - their jobs, energy, food, infrastructure, war (now and planned), and focus on irrelevant and baseless claims to frighten and subsequently bury the real issues that are fundamental to an ordinary citizen's future ability to provide food, clothing, housing, heat, and transportation to their families...but heck, we'll have had at least 5 terror alerts by Nov, and a whole series of twists about family values, judges, abortion, etc. "My friends" - that is about the biggest lie uttered multiple times daily in this campaign...even bigger than HRC's embellished experience and Bosnia sniper and subsequent "misspoke" claims.

What do we do Catherine? How do we get the MSM to stop treating the electorial process as if it was some Hollywood Inside Edition show everyday and focus on the areas of this country that are the base of our existence? When will the results of years of our government not working for us, pushing ponzi scheme economics, and agendas that at best have made this country a house of cards for the last 40 years, be what is focused on by the media? Having great respect for you and Mr. Moyers, how do we get the two of you heard?

[Gma11]

Thank you, Catherine. I'm enjoying your voice of reason on Huffington Post.