We Deserve What We Get
This column is not about Hillary vs. Obama vs. Edwards. The truth is if I had the choice I'd vote for Dennis Kucinich because he's against the war, for the impeachment of war criminals in government, smart on the environment and the economy, and he has a sense of humor about UFOS. He's not afraid to joke about 'em for fear he'll be labeled a nutcase -- as indeed he was.
But I don't have that option. Kucinich represents my views, but he only got 1% in New Hampshire. Too bad.
I want to talk not about candidates but about our media turning every presidential election into a high school popularity contest. And we let them get away with it. And we don't stop Rupert Murdoch, Clear Channel, Disney, GE, Sumner Redstone and a few others from owning all the media all the time.
Our magazines and newspapers are so dumbed down that they never discuss issues, only stereotype or attack or puff up candidates -- and all for the most idiotic things -- like their marriages, which in truth we know nothing about -- or their weight or their clothes or their hair. They don't discuss brains, intelligence, psychological maturity, but only who's up or down in the polls, cuter in photos, who misted up, cried or didn't cry, said "my friends" like Reagan or mimicked Bill Clinton's style or JFK's or whomever's. Our press is a disgrace.
When Al Gore was a candidate, he was mocked and slimed by our stupid press. And look who we got? Cheneybush! Now Hillary's being slimed for being a woman, for being the wife of, for being smart, for being political, for being old, for not having left her husband -- just as she'd be slimed if she had left her husband. She has baggage -- like any old broad -- because the truth is that the older you are the more baggage you have. So there's ageism too. And a new fresh face, with less baggage, is like the latest starlet in Hollywood. We never heard about Edwards' ideas until his wife got cancer. We heard about his haircuts!
We never discuss psychological depth because hey, who cares if the president's a bomb-happy dry-drunk trying to play out an Oedipal war with his father? We never talk about people being tested in power or how steady they are or whether they read books or understand what they read because we judge them on their looks. Or one idiotic sound byte, taken out of context.
We had gazillions of columns about Al Gore's weight gain and growing a beard -- I was even asked to write one for the New York Times -- and I obliged because that's all the news that's fit to print and I like shooting my mouth off on the Op-Ed page as much as anyone. Besides women writers are only drafted for the most trivial subjects. We comment on style not substance, beards not policy, clothes and shoes and chick lit and cooking. The men get the big topics like war, though women have the most to lose--like their children whom they carried and nursed and suckled and love more than themselves--as of course do many men.
Bush was considered a good ole boy and Gore was a considered a nerd. Now Edwards cares too much about his hair, Hillary "cried" in the press--though she didn't cry in reality. But we live in this parallel universe where there is no reality. Obama? Who knows who he is? A brilliant writer, yes, a cute young guy, yes, a progressive, we think. But who really knows? I give him the benefit of the doubt. Why not? But what a stupid way to choose a President!
If Eleanor Roosevelt were alive and running, they'd talk about her big teeth and her hoity toity accent. If JFK were alive and running, they'd reveal his affair with Marilyn and slander his wife for it. If Jackie O were alive and running, they'd say she fucked Onassis -- which she did -- while she was married to JFK. If Plato were alive and running, they'd say he was gay--though many Greeks were bisexual and thought nothing of it.
So kids, if you elect a President of the United States like you elected the President of the GO in High School, you deserve what you get.
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I felt you spoke from my heart and my mind! I could not agree more with you about every single word you wrote.
However, after the last 'pollster' debacle and a ‘self-depreciation or ‘awareness’ wave by the journalists and commentators they went right back on the horse to do all their 'misquoting', mud slinging and focusing on trivial information all over again. I wonder what it takes to really change that. An other Bush era or do we really need to get blown up and away by nukes from the Middle East?
I would like to thank you for this article. This exact thing has been on my mind lately. For as much time as I spend here on HUFFPO and elsewhere following the soap opera of American politics, and for as much time and money that so-called News outlets spend on pundits, polls, and calling the horserace, I know nothing about the competing healthcare plans of my democratic candidates, how they might work, what they might cost, and what might be the larger ramifications to our economy and health care. Nothing outside of the fact that they have all proposed a plan. No analysis of the actual plans, but plenty on "Hillary's cry", or "playing the card." I know nothing about the competing tax plans of any candidate on either side. And I spend a few hours a day following this stuff. This is a failure of the media, plain and simple. Since the elimination of the fairness doctrine, when networks became free to no longer compete on who can better analyze facts, media has become nothing more than another item to sell. It no longer educates - it panders to demographics. I think it was Aristotle who said "Democracy is the lowest form of govt", becuase it relies on the education of the populace. Our national media is as much to blame as our education systems for dumbing us down. I pray that we can continue to have success as a society despite this betrayal, but its hard to be optimistic, when we consider that neither Lincoln nor Kennedy would have made it to the highest office by "today's standards"
vote Obama vote Nader get what you deserve
Bush Gore ...separated at birth
Most newspapers, with few exceptions, do not merit the Constitution's freedom of press inasmuch as they abuse it grossly by expanding their editorial page into the news columns and deprive readers of the straightforward information they are entitled to.
This was especially true primarily before elections, but the past six years have seen the practice everyday. The abuse today is just more extensive with the newspaper publishers' stake in the upcoming election at its peak. "Got to keep Republicans in power somehow" may not be visible in newsprint, but the manner in which headlines and stories are written, and
the "good for us" and "bad for them" are repeated, are all too evident.
In sum, journalism today is what our managing editor ordered our state editor before an election: "Get me a story slamming the Democrats."
We are an adolescent, poorly-educated, consumerist, hedonist nation, probably long past the point of any return. From here on I will vote for candidates who reflect my values. To hell with the consequences. The American Empire is over. Good riddance
Unfortunately,this post is right on the money, written by a very good writer!
Sorry but you and Gloria Steinem smeared Obama for beating Hillary. That's all he did. He beat her. And thanks to the super delegates even though she came in third in Iowa and tied in NH she still has more delegates. So she entered this race with two kinds of baggage, both bad and good. She can't take one and then complain about the other. But the bad baggage is something our whole party has to live with while the good baggage is hers alone. I don't feel sorry for her at all. In fact, I somewhat resent her.
Journalism is unreadable, and literature is not read. -Oscar Wilde
This type of superficiality is a part of the "dumbing down of America" process that we've been experiencing for the past half century. It is hardly possible to sink any lower than we have considering that after Bush and Cheney stole the Administration in the year 2000 and after their 4 year term Americans said "that's OK with us, we want you in for another 4 years. This has now come home to roost with our country nearly becoming a basket case. "We deserve what we get".
The old adage was,when you are old,you end up with the face you earned. Well, I've got it and I earned it,but I didn't earn the country I now live in. My family's history goes back to a farmer from NewYork, who fought through the entire Civil War,beginning to end.There is a proud photo of him in old age,in a uniform covered with medals.Then on to family members in WW I, father WW II,cousins.Viet Nam,etc.They must all be roiling in the hereafter over what has become of the country they so bravely defended and felt such passion for.My husband is a retired Marine officer from the Korean era. Here's the catch we have always been an anti war,peaceful,patriotic family. How the hell did we end up in a country run by war mongering,oil grabbing, morons? In my opinion we ended up with this mess because we were too peaceful, we didn't want to "offend" the Evangelicals who took over one party to the detriment of all, and voted these boobs into power. Now their jobs are disappearing and it costs a fortune just to get to the prayer meetings,and have you checked on the cost of Home Schooling supplies? And those of us in the middle stood by and watched it happen,ok, now we're mad,but are we angry enough to go vote? Or work for a secular candidate? Don't be so foolish as to think these are just fringe groups and they will go away or come to their senses. All of us who have families who fought and died, and struggled, and even learned English,should hang our heads in shame,and get off our backsides and take our country back, to make it a better place for all.But please keep your religion to yourselves and out of the voting booth. Pick a pastor or church you like,but pick a President who can start to restore our country,don't all our ancestors deserve this?Don't we?
Great article. The truth is ugly but it's the truth no less. Superficial, silly people who can't put down their celebrity magazines and care more about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears rather than what's happening in our country contribute nothing to keeping this country strong. They help to weaken the country with their disinterest in real issues. These simple minded idiots read the garbage the media to prints because it requires no effort and they don't want to tax their little brains with issues of substance.
Great article - just what I've been saying for the past 7 years that we've had to endure. I do blame the media for GW - and the people of this country for being lazy and not caring. Everything about GW was out there - but nobody cared to take the time to READ. I recently spoke to a friend that participated with me during the civil rights and womans movements. We were talking about how its time to challenge this current govt. by taking to the streets - how about it you oldies out there? Grab your canes and walkers and lets give em hell one more time.
It's as though the population looks at the presidential campaigns in much the same way as American Idol or one of the other idiotic shows. We look at the war like it was a video game where no one really dies, they lose all their life points.
A precondition to voting in the presidential elections should be to take the same civics test a new immigrant has to pass. It's harder to renew you drivers license than your voter ID.
Some people may be attacking Hillary because she's a woman but many others are bringing up valid criticism of her record and all of the money she's taken from industry lobbyists.
But every time a valid criticism of Hillary is raised it is implied that she is being attacked! You bring up her donor base or her votes and her supporterss call you sexist. How ridiculous. It's sexist to not expect her to answer for those things just because she is a woman.
Democracy is not, nor even principally about, voting. It is getting your voice heard. It is getting together with like-minded others to get a louder voice, or figuring out how to make your individual voice respected and understood. If we the people really took that to heart, being "we, the people who create this society and do what it takes to make it work for all of us" we would get not only the government we deserve, but a government we could be proud of.
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