Anyone know the Vegas odds on Republican-become-Democrat Arlen Specter's chances of surviving his primary?
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Geek Ballot
I'll admit it. My political geek is emerging again after a hiatus following the 2008 Presidential Elections though my interest in tomorrow's various primaries is akin to watching a car crash in slow motion or a natural disaster uproot trees and barns.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
It's growth industry – Punditry on Demand
One political article in particular caught my eye in today's Sunday New York Times though it was not to be found in the front section or Week in Review. Nope, it was in the Fashion & Style Section and no, it had nothing to do with Sarah Palin's wardrobe. Titled "At Pundit School, Learning to Smile and Interrupt", it opens:
J. Peter Freire is at school, learning to be a better pundit.
He is being trained to carve his conservative philosophy into bite-size nuggets — preferably ones that end with a zinger — and to avoid questions he doesn’t like. He is discovering the right way to attack opponents (with a smile) and to steer a conversation in his direction (by interrupting).
Journalists once had to achieve a certain gravitas before appearing on television as a political expert, but not anymore. Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, a riveting presidential election and the proliferation of cable channels, people like Mr. Freire, who is 26 and has been managing editor of The American Spectator, a conservative magazine, since January, are finding themselves in hot demand.
While the lack of experience on the part of many of these pundits calls into question just what they're doing on my TV set, what I found most fascinating in this article is the apparent acceptance of the concept of pundits as extensions of the campaign and a movement. It's the latest step in the continued transition of news from a theoretically objective venue to one with a veneer of objectivity and an overflow of rhetoric (except for FOX News, which crossed over into full propaganda mode years ago). Sadly, for those of us who follow all of the political coverage, it also means that we suffer through an unending, overwhelming cascade of pundits who generally add very little to the mix (see: "The Decabox" and "Who the F@*k is That Guy?" on The Daily Show if you need an example).
It all brings to mind another article, "Top Yeller", in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, that profiles Billy Mays, ubiquitous TV pitchman, and defines his appeal as "a celebrity endorser whose celebrity is based entirely on having endorsed things." Is it such a stretch to believe that many of the pundits spawning on our TV sets are nothing but the political equivalent, hawking political positioning instead of the WashMatik, the Ultimate Chopper, and OxiClean to bored TV watchers around the country?
However, in these tough economic times, it is nice to know that if you're out of a job because your advice led to your candidate getting crushed in the polls, you can always pony up $75 for a basic lecture on how to be an effective pundit. If you do, God knows someone will pay you to be on TV.
J. Peter Freire is at school, learning to be a better pundit.
He is being trained to carve his conservative philosophy into bite-size nuggets — preferably ones that end with a zinger — and to avoid questions he doesn’t like. He is discovering the right way to attack opponents (with a smile) and to steer a conversation in his direction (by interrupting).
Journalists once had to achieve a certain gravitas before appearing on television as a political expert, but not anymore. Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, a riveting presidential election and the proliferation of cable channels, people like Mr. Freire, who is 26 and has been managing editor of The American Spectator, a conservative magazine, since January, are finding themselves in hot demand.
While the lack of experience on the part of many of these pundits calls into question just what they're doing on my TV set, what I found most fascinating in this article is the apparent acceptance of the concept of pundits as extensions of the campaign and a movement. It's the latest step in the continued transition of news from a theoretically objective venue to one with a veneer of objectivity and an overflow of rhetoric (except for FOX News, which crossed over into full propaganda mode years ago). Sadly, for those of us who follow all of the political coverage, it also means that we suffer through an unending, overwhelming cascade of pundits who generally add very little to the mix (see: "The Decabox" and "Who the F@*k is That Guy?" on The Daily Show if you need an example).
It all brings to mind another article, "Top Yeller", in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, that profiles Billy Mays, ubiquitous TV pitchman, and defines his appeal as "a celebrity endorser whose celebrity is based entirely on having endorsed things." Is it such a stretch to believe that many of the pundits spawning on our TV sets are nothing but the political equivalent, hawking political positioning instead of the WashMatik, the Ultimate Chopper, and OxiClean to bored TV watchers around the country?
However, in these tough economic times, it is nice to know that if you're out of a job because your advice led to your candidate getting crushed in the polls, you can always pony up $75 for a basic lecture on how to be an effective pundit. If you do, God knows someone will pay you to be on TV.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Deny deny deny deny...umm...yeah, I did it...but I didn't mean it
The latest winner of the Michelle Bachmann Memorial "Political Jackass" award is...the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, Representative Robin Hayes!
In the spirit of comity, brotherhood, and bipartisanship, this charmer warmed up a campaign rally crowd prior to John McCain's arrival first by repeating McCain's claim that Obama is conducting "class warfare" followed by his own heartwarming declaration: "Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God."
Almost instantly (and in the world of social media like Twitter, that's not much of an exaggeration), reporters filed stories about it. And instantly thereafter, the denials flew fast and heavy followed by the requisite attack on the media ("irresponsible journalism" said a Hayes spokesperson). And of course, a short time later, the audio of Representative Hayes inserting both of his size 11 Florsheims into his mouth hit the Internet, followed not too much later by this perennial favorite from Mr. Hayes: "There is no doubt that it came out completely the wrong way. I actually was trying to work to keep the crowd as respectful as possible, so this is definitely not what I intended."
When are politicians and celebrities going to remember that a) they should always assume there's a camera or microphone near them when they're in public and b) that they're always going to look even more idiotic following repeated denials when the tape proving they said or did something inevitably makes it appearance?
Read The Politico's series of updates as the denials flew and listen to the audio here.
And read about the "oops, I guess I did say it" moment here.
In the spirit of comity, brotherhood, and bipartisanship, this charmer warmed up a campaign rally crowd prior to John McCain's arrival first by repeating McCain's claim that Obama is conducting "class warfare" followed by his own heartwarming declaration: "Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God."
Almost instantly (and in the world of social media like Twitter, that's not much of an exaggeration), reporters filed stories about it. And instantly thereafter, the denials flew fast and heavy followed by the requisite attack on the media ("irresponsible journalism" said a Hayes spokesperson). And of course, a short time later, the audio of Representative Hayes inserting both of his size 11 Florsheims into his mouth hit the Internet, followed not too much later by this perennial favorite from Mr. Hayes: "There is no doubt that it came out completely the wrong way. I actually was trying to work to keep the crowd as respectful as possible, so this is definitely not what I intended."
When are politicians and celebrities going to remember that a) they should always assume there's a camera or microphone near them when they're in public and b) that they're always going to look even more idiotic following repeated denials when the tape proving they said or did something inevitably makes it appearance?
Read The Politico's series of updates as the denials flew and listen to the audio here.
And read about the "oops, I guess I did say it" moment here.
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