Is this 1988 or 2008?

Prince and Michael Jackson are top of the fold on blog pages like Huff Post, CNN.com and MSNBC.com. Is this 1988 or 2008? The Obama team has now dominated 5 days -- that is 120 hour-long internet news cycles -- with one story. Will the Clinton's be secy-of-state(s)?

Breaking news flash: Sarah Palin is sunbathing. No wait, it must be an old slideshow -- she is landing on ice in Alaska. Wait no, its a book deal. Or is it?

The world does not know what to do with its primed intellect, having just covered the election of a lifetime. What now? No sooner have we started to wrap our minds around what the 44th President's government will look like than we are left without news shaping our curiosity. What happens when you remove Obama from the news? Is the country still interested or do they go back to their old viewing habits, pre-Obama.

This is the test of news organizations on the internet and cable today. Can they remain relevant and in fact compelling in the absense of this story? It shows that Obama is more than a political story, he is the news. That is why the transition team is putting out the rules: you leak, you go.

One reality is that Obama will have to enforce this to be successful. When you are this hot, you have to know how to control the temperature. If you can't, you could become a victim of your own success.

The key now for the media is to find a way to report about things other than Obama and Sarah Palin when the news is not there, and keep those two fresh for real political news days. Or, to put new voices on that reflect different opinions than the ones we have heard so many days before.

Comments

[somarvelus]

As long as they don't cancel Fringe i'm okay. but yeah you're right, he has to learn how to control the temperature because the dude is blazin, so hopefully b/c of that he will be bold and get big things done. so that is what I will be looking forward to and will keep attention. was excited about rahm emanuel because he was described as someone who knows how to get things done, and just looking at the mans eyes, it looks like he is no joke. more appointments like that is what i'm waiting for, tis why i'm not too trilled about Clinton, my theory on the reason for all the leaks is try him in a situation where he has to get her, even though he was just thinking about it. which is why its now clear why she wasn't even vetted for VP. Girly got Drama!

[spinstahbabe]

I have actually found myself able to relax and cut back on the amount of information-gathering I do. I've even watched a couple movies which I haven't done in forever, it seems. I'm still very engaged and am looking forward to following the Obama administration and our new Congress closely, but it's almost like being able to sleep in the passenger seat because I trust the person behind the wheel. I've lost that obsessive need to be hypervigilant about the minute-to-minute coverage of the 24 hour newscycle. I think the election of Obama is making me a calmer and more well-rounded person.

[ohioan73]

I don't believe Obama's administration will ever stop being covered obsessively by the news. I am an ex-community organizer who didn't even bother to watch presidential campaign stump speeches or election coverage in the past because--let's face it--its usually a yawner. This time however, I am waking up earlier and checking the HuffPo obsessively. It could be that I am fascinated to see a fellow black American at the top of the pyramid and I just can't stop watching?

[XME]

That COULD be it, but I also have never watched anything in the past having to do with elections, but have been absolutely obsessed this time around, but am white. I think it's just that Obama is just a compelling person and somewhat of a rarity in national politics (in other words, pretty darned ethical and thoughtful as far as I can tell!)