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sheshe2

(83,355 posts)
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:13 PM Jun 2014

A lazy media once again misses how politics has changed

Today the media pundits are tripping over themselves to tell us what Cantor's primary defeat means for the future of national politics. But one word of caution about listening to their prognostications: these are the very same people who never saw this one coming. At some point we have to question their predictive capacities. Unless/until they are willing to do a little self-examination to uncover why they were so wrong, we should take their current machinations with one HUGE grain of salt.

I've been hesitant to say this outright, but I think one of the biggest reasons they get so much wrong is that too many of these pundits are lazy. Its much easier (and more conducive to lucrative linkbait) to simply run with the latest hysteria craze created by the right wingnuts. Over the last few years we've watched them become consumed with everything from presidential birth certificates to literally buying wingnut lies about an American POW before we have the facts. When it comes time for an election, they are quick to point out that American voters STILL say that job creation is their number one concern. And yet they spend all their time running after fake scandals....because its easy.

Its also easy to spend countless hours talking/writing about the perceived inadequacies of the current occupant of the White House. While they wring their hands about whether or not his unfavorables will impact the future of the Democratic Party, they are quick to dismiss the civil war brewing in the Republican Party once a couple of establishment candidates fended off primary challenges from tea partiers. What?! You mean we have to also cover 535 members of Congress? That's too much work!

There are HUGE tectonic shifts happening in our politics these days. Some of them were highlighted in this Cantor/Brat race - such as the diminishing role of money in politics (apparently Cantor outspent Brat 25:1 and still lost). Grassroots movements are gaining momentum on both the left and the right as people organize and inform themselves in ways that aren't tied to traditional media outlets. That's actually how a mostly unknown Senator Barack Obama surprised everyone with his defeat of the Democratic establishment candidate Hillary Clinton back in 2008.

Read More:http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-lazy-media-once-again-misses-how.html
17 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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villager

(26,001 posts)
2. They are a bunch of tassel-loafered Beltway insiders, not "journalists" at all...
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:18 PM
Jun 2014

...with their vested interests in propping up the status quo...

 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
4. Bingis Khan called and wants his bingo back!
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:20 PM
Jun 2014

We live in an age where the mainstream media is a steaming pile of self-serving dogshit!

Jeff In Milwaukee

(13,992 posts)
6. Part of it is the sheer volume...
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:24 PM
Jun 2014

When I was a kid, there were newspaper editorials. That was it. That was all the political commentary we had.

There were 50-60 people in the country (editorial page editors) who decided how the discussion would play out. Now clearly there's a problem with so few people -- and all of them white men -- determining the course of our national debate, but for shit's sake, we've got 50-60 talking heads working at Fox News alone.

The Sunday editorial (the one everybody read) was the subject of days of research and discussion among the editorial board. And these were the senior people at the newspaper -- people who had been around for a while and knew bullshit when the smelled it. Today you've got multiple news channels with a gaggle of dubiously-qualified pundits who yammer on for a least an hour with little or no preparation.

This isn't news. This isn't thoughtful commentary.

It's just noise.

Now get off my lawn...

calimary

(80,700 posts)
17. But in that case, it was a panel of veteran reporters and editors who'd most likely risen
Thu Jun 12, 2014, 10:39 AM
Jun 2014

through the ranks to the prestigious positions of the paper's editorial board. They tended to have years of experience pounding the pavement and digging and investigating and writing and making calls and reporting the news the old fashioned way - following legions of personalities and elected and appointed officials, covering and analyzing the local hearings, court cases, city council votes, and all the local and regional issues (yes, national, too), and their veterans' perspective added heft, and value, and credibility. There weren't any pretty young long-legged blondes just looking for the bright studio lights and the makeup table so they'd photograph well for the on-camera jobs their fancy-ass agents wrangled for them for the sake of their alleged "Q-scores". You had to work for years to be promoted to such a prestigious position as one on the editorial boards in many of these cases. You had to earn it. And the only way you could do so was the hard way -by putting in the time and the effort and the long slog of what they used to refer to as "shoe leather".

And people like that usually had a valuable perspective and a keen, and long-polished and cultivated knowledge and awareness of the world and how it works, YEARS of experience dealing with the bullshit and the bullshitters - by the time they reached this kind of position. It added a wisdom and a long view that beginners and amateurs, and bimbos (male and female both) with stars in their eyes, and all the Miss America runners-up who fancy themselves as worthy anchorwomen, and poseurs sitting in their comfy chairs in luxurious cloistered think tank conference rooms just don't have. And never will have.

kimbutgar

(20,882 posts)
7. Twitty was saying the both sides blah blah bs is to blame for the problems in this country
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:24 PM
Jun 2014

They are clueless to what is going on in this country. Cantor was a happy surprise for me but a shocker because the people of his district figured out he's not working for me, so why vote for him. He is the type of politician you say you hate. The media doesn't realize people are waking up.

Cha

(295,929 posts)
8. Brilliant point from smartypants, she.. "..these are the very same people who never saw this one
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:30 PM
Jun 2014

coming"..

These are the same people who get dick cheney on the tv for his exalted opinion.

Play http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10025084168

sheshe2

(83,355 posts)
10. Yes indeed Cha.
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 09:59 PM
Jun 2014

And

I've been hesitant to say this outright, but I think one of the biggest reasons they get so much wrong is that too many of these pundits are lazy. Its much easier (and more conducive to lucrative linkbait) to simply run with the latest hysteria craze created by the right wingnuts.


Thanks for the link~

Uncle Joe

(58,112 posts)
13. It's not in the corporate media's interest to explain how the marketing of politics has changed,
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 10:26 PM
Jun 2014

that would threaten their own substantial money purses.

I believe the Internet's role in this regard is increasing day by day and that's why they're attacking the Internet.

Thanks for the thread, sheshe

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
14. A Media circle jerk is what it is, once you are in the circle they jerk each other off in perpetual
Wed Jun 11, 2014, 11:23 PM
Jun 2014

motion, figuratively speaking, because it is easy profits all around and 24 hours a day of broadcasting can be filled with the false equivalencies that are vital for the silly, endless debates.

Who does everyone think gets all that campaign ad cash flowing in torrents?

unblock

(51,974 posts)
16. "the diminishing role of money in politics"???
Thu Jun 12, 2014, 01:23 AM
Jun 2014

well, i suppose, if you look only at the extreme outliers, sure.

but across all of congress? good lord, the republican party would have only 30% of congress if money weren't a factor. it's really the only advantage they have. now, much of the money is in the right-wing noise machine, which is more of an overall aid to the republican party than to any one race in particular.

it does give any republican a huge boost in any election, but any one candidate can blow it. money fixes many problems for the republicans, but sometimes there are things money can't fix, and cantor was one of them.

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