To watch and read the media coverage this week of the democratic race for the White House, one would conclude that the results of the Oregon and Kentucky primaries were the big news.
However, there was another event that said more about where things stand than the vote counting did.
Barack Obama drew a crowd of 75,000 people in Portland over the weekend.
75,000 people. That's one person for every six residents of Portland, there to hear a politician speak.
The New York Times described the crowd as a multitude. When is the last time a multitude came out to see a politician in America? A pope, maybe. Or U2. But not a politician.
What was odd is that other major US dailies failed to treat a turnout the size of a small city at a political rally as anything remarkable, or particularly newsworthy.
The LA Times mentioned it, four paragraphs into a story about Obama's attacks against John McCain on social security, lobbyists and foreign policy.
It was hard to find any reference to the Portland multitude on the Washington Post's site, which also gave greater prominence to the McCain/lobbyist story.
There isn't necessarily anything nefarious or conspiratorial in the corporate media's failure to give the Obama/Portland story more play. Big media like stories about conflict. They like "gotcha" narratives.
But every once in a while we are reminded that there is something extraordinary occurring in American politics, and the nonchalant media coverage of a seismic event, such as what happened in Portland, ought not to mask that.
Remember last year, when people were asking whether Barack Obama would be able to compete financially with Hilary Clinton? You don't hear that anymore.
Obama's unprecedented appeal among, and support from, individual donors has brought Hilary to her knees, despite all her lobbyist money, and unprecedented, stubborn support from American women.
He is on the way to doing the same to McCain and the Republican fund raising machine.
Obama is demolishing conventional political wisdom, and re-writing the book, on how presidential candidates get elected in America.
Perhaps this historical change is getting short shrift because it came upon us gradually, and in two parts.
Howard Dean deserves credit here. He showed the way in 2004, with his internet fundraising/political activism model.
Big media who prematurely bought the Dean story in '04, only to see him implode after Iowa (with big media's help), can be forgiven for being wary of the Obama phenomenon. Seduced once, and left at the altar in Des Moines, they don't want to get fooled again.
However, Dean wasn't the candidate Barack Obama is. It took the Illinois senator, with his gift for high oratory and his message of hope, to galvanize Americans and tap into the true potential of the powerful nexus that now exists between new media and politics.
No race for the White House will ever be the same.
In this marathon primary season, and the news fatigue that has come with it, the news media sometimes lose sight of what's happening out there.
Their instincts have been dulled by cynicism, their view clouded by Reverend Wright, lapel pins and imaginary Bosnian snipers.
Sometimes they need to step back, and take in the big picture.
And this weekend that picture showed 75,000 people, in one of the whitest states in the country, out to hear a political speech by an African-American who is now within touching distance of the highest office in the land, the most powerful job on earth.
And just because the news media, for the most part, had a ho-hum response to that, doesn't mean other Americans should.
This is a revolution. You probably won't see another one in your lifetime.
Enjoy it.
This is not about a brown man against a pink woman. This is the fight to take our country back to democracy. The fight will not be easy because the vested interests will not give up. They will use whatever they can to tear us apart and keep us from the justice and equality we gave up for the comfort of our Television.
Peace, sister.
Howard Dean is the father of this movement, which started well in advance of the 2004 election. Dean deserves the utmost credit, respect and gratitude for everything he's done to move us forward! To take nothing away from Obama, Gov. Dean is owed a huge debt of gratitute for revolutionizing the way campaigns' are funded. Internet based, fueled by a multitude of small donors. Dean and Obama have cut out the special interests and make this a people powered movement, beholden to no one--- except the People.
Yes We Can Take our Country Back!!!!!!!!!
peace.
The brain washing continues.
People from all walks of life are boarding the Obama train. It seems even Warren Buffet, Gates, Soro's and other ultra billionaires who are searching for a new world financial paradigm also embrace the Obama movement. They understand Smith's true teachings and endorse higher taxes for the rich, caring for others, government regulation, monopolies, universal health care, etc... They understand Smith's "Invisible Hand" meant to be applied to commerce, is merely another aspect of humankind's inborn Wisdom, and for centuries mis-interputed by today's capitalists.
A revolution it is indeed! There is a picture of Obama with the 75K in Portland that is my all time favorite! It literally brought tears to my eyes. The MSM spins itself into it's own self absorbed cocoon.
Change is coming to America!
Obama 08
And a big HOOORAUGHHH to Howard Dean for the hard work he has done.
I plan to get out the vote in PA. (where I live and went door to door and made phone calls for Obama) in November and I will attend the inauguration for Barack Obama next year.
OBAMA 08
What we do know is this movement can help society gage to what degree leaders can sense the realities of the collective psyche. I also know that to gage public sentiment based on what the media tells us can cause more problems than its worth.
I say believe what you experience and not so much what media shows you.
By Robert Knight | May 20, 2008 - 17:16 ET
From CNN to the New York Times, the media hyped Barack Obama's Portland, Oregon rally on Sunday, some comparing him to a rock star.
Unmentioned in national reporting was the fact that Obama was preceded by a rare, 45-minute free concert by actual rock stars The Decemberists. The Portland-based band has drawn rave reviews from Rolling Stone magazine, which gave their 2005 album Picaresque four and a half stars (out of five), and another four and a half stars for 2007's The Crane Wife.
How many of the people showed up to hear Obama, and how many to hear the band?
Here's how the local paper The Oregonian, which estimated the crowd at 72,000, reported the rally:
"Obama was the biggest star at Sunday's gathering -- though a popular Portland band, The Decemberists, provided the warmup act. With blue skies and temperatures in the 80s, many in the crowd said Waterfront Park was simply the place to be."
Indie rock Web sites were abuzz with news of the impending concert, which was also announced on the Obama campaign's Web site.
There's nothing wrong with a candidate using celebrity power to draw a crowd, but the media have a responsibility to report their presence. By ignoring the free concert, the Times and other outlets made it appear that 75,000 people were drawn only by Sen. Obama's considerable charisma.
In case anyone here is foolish enough to believe this nonsense -- that 75,000 people in Portland turned out to see The Decemberists (I'll bet there aren't 75,000 in Portland who can NAME that group, much less be inclined to go see it) -- read this first:
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/9501.html
Yes, this is a revolution. No, recycling half-baked nonsense is not going to stop it.
Also, look at the compositin of the media - mostly old white men with gobs of money. Do you honestly think they would support Obama? Truth told, we need to turn away from the media. We have Air America. We also have Mother Jones Magazine, In These Times, and the American Prospect. Let's support media out lets that tell us the truth
Who will win? Do we have the stomach for a real fight? They do.