And the biggest looser award goes to….
[Insert sound of me opening an envelope]
Mainstream media!
All the polls and press had practically given Obama the win in New Hampshire…
Then the people spoke.
Yes, Clinton won by a small margin, but all the polls and press were way off on this one.
This also proves that even pollsters are not above bias.
And this from NBC on their bias (found on drudge)
WILLIAMS: I interviewed Lee Cowan, our reporter who covers Obama, while we were out yesterday and posted the interview on the web. Lee says it’s hard to stay objective covering this guy. Courageous for Lee to say, to be honest. (source)
“Courageous” to admit to the obvious?
It has been somewhat of a challenge for me as a blogger to find good, everyday news stories to cover because just about all my channels have been clogged up with Obama love-fest pieces that say nothing about the man’s record or policies. Most of what I have been getting are stories that deal more with the symbolism of his run than his substance. Personally, I feel that all of these puff pieces are setting him up big time. Why? Because if he does get to the White House, LIKE ALL OTHER PRESIDENTS when he begins to screw up the very press that is hailing him as the coming messiah will be the first to demonize him big time.
Now readers of this site know that while I am glad to see a Black man reach this level of prominence, I am no fan of his record or policies and will not be voting for him. No amount of arguing or debating will change that. However, the more I read all of this non-objective pieces on him (and man, there is a whole lot of them out there) the more I feel that I will be compelled in some way to defend him in the future when those naps start curling on his head from all the heat he will take for not living up to the hype.
The mainstream media is doing him no favors.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Yea the media screwed up big time… And they are probably hurting Obama as much as helping him. All-in-all though if you told the campaign 3 months ago they would lose NH by a couple of points they probably would be happy with that news.
I am no fan of his record or policies and will not be voting for him
Who will you be voting for? Just curious…
January 9th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Who will you be voting for? Just curious…
Nobody this cycle. For me this would be the first time in years.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hmmm… Seems like a waste. We need more smart people voting not less. Thats not a good example for the kiddies… Certainly you can find something to like about somebody.
Here my pitch: How about some Affirmative Action??? All things being equal (everyone sucks in your opinion)… Go for the Black guy! Go Obama!…
January 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
A waste would be to throw my support behind a candidate either whose views differ from mine, or if they have a track record of saying one thing and doing another. I see this in the offerings coming from both sides. I am tired of picking the lessor of the two evils, so this election cycle is where I am drawing the line.
For my ‘kiddies’, not compromising on my core beliefs is the best example I can give them.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Very well said Duane.
January 10th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Duane, I think you are missing the point about voting in a DEMOCRACY!
Politicians and governement respond to those that harass them the most. Black folk like to cop out of the process and they get very little from it. After election day whoever wins will need to respond to the folks that supported and voted for them. If folks like you pass on voting, the new president will know that he can turn his back on you with little to no problems.
JUST LOOK AT THE PRESENT PRESIDENT AS AN EXAMPLE.
I live in NYC and lived through eight years of a racist mayor that won election by the same norrow margin that he lost before. The difference is just enough appathetic black folks sat out that election to allow him victory.
When he took office he understood that he owed the black communtiy NOTHING! He ran the city for eight year in the same manner as blacks fell all over themselves to call him a racist . This only made him more powerful.
You reasoning for not voting is the same reasoning that we will find on just about any ghetto street corner. Ignorant balck folks have been using this excuse en mass for a long time. “Why vote for the man”?
Believe it or not you are now fostering the same attitude amoung your children.
Like it or not one of these individuals that are running for president now WILL influence our futures (your children included) in the very near future. These are the choices being presented to us so you need to choice one. THAT IS DEMOCRACY!
To cop out and not vote is rather foolish. YOu have gained nothing but have actually surrendered something rather improtant.
IF we as black folks are to take the matter of enfanchisement seriously we need to consider voting as an obigation as welll as a right. Black folks get less than they deserve politically today because so many in our communities that are elelgible to vote choose not to for various reasons. Even our own black politicians take advantage of this fact to further their own selfish agendas.
Duane, not voting is just what the establishment wants you to do! The more black folks that willfully decide to cop out the better. As our percentage of the US population deminishes we need EVERY black vote we can get (caste for winner or loser) so our significance in this game.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
After election day whoever wins will need to respond to the folks that supported and voted for them.
The word ‘response’ here is very loose and relative. Let me give you two examples:
One of the reasons why Bush Jr. was re-elected was because the belief was he would be tougher on illegal immigration than Democrats. As you can see, he and most elected Republicans have abandoned their base on this one.
When Democrats took both the House and Senate last year, they said voters put them there because they wanted to pull the troops out of Iraq. Since that time, Democrats have forgotten the ‘base’ on that issue and funded the war at least twice since.
In both cases, their response was the finger.
When he took office he understood that he owed the black communtiy NOTHING! He ran the city for eight year in the same manner as blacks fell all over themselves to call him a racist . This only made him more powerful.
The same analogy can be placed on some of the Black mayors in many cities throughout the US who have done nothing other than recruit other Blacks into their cabinet. Other than that, they, like other politicians took the folks who put them their for granted in some way shape or form. I’m not suggesting that politicians should be perfect. I am simply saying that in the end we have been tolerating the status quo regardless of the color of the politician. If more of the same is still on the table for me to choose from, I am going to save my vote for one that has the track record of breaking the status quo and hopefully whose policies does not conflict with my core beliefs.
You reasoning for not voting is the same reasoning that we will find on just about any ghetto street corner. Ignorant balck folks have been using this excuse en mass for a long time. “Why vote for the man”?
Believe it or not you are now fostering the same attitude amoung your children.
Like it or not one of these individuals that are running for president now WILL influence our futures (your children included) in the very near future. These are the choices being presented to us so you need to choice one. THAT IS DEMOCRACY!
Let’s start with the definition of the word ‘democracy’:
democracy - a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
There are two parts of this definition I want to point out to you. I’ll go backwards if you don’t mind.
1 - “…body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.”
This is the part of the coin you are focusing on in your comment.
2 - “a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens”
This is the heart of democracy that so many individuals tend to look over when trying to define it. Ultimately, the power lies with us. Allow me to give you a personal example.
Since starting this site a little over 3 years ago, I have been contacted by folks within local government, state government, a few folks within the House and Senate and one person who was a former member of President Bush’s cabinet–many of them wanting me to either weigh in on something they are doing of to gain my support. This comes from both sides of the aisle, mind you. According to a very good friend of mine who spent a considerable amount of time within some political circles in Washington, this site was/is mentioned quite often. I did not believe her at first until I got the e-mail from politico.com to do an interview. Personally, I do not make a big deal about it nor do I barely mention that stuff on this site. But I think it is necessary for me to bring that up for this conversation. As you touched on in your comment, part of democracy is having influence. Somehow, this site has gained a little bit of that amongst some folks out there who are our elected officials. I also mention all of this to demonstrate to you that your comparison to me with a ‘ghetto street corner’ mindset is very much off-base.
I will tell you upfront that up to a couple of years ago, I used to think just as you regarding voting. I, too made similar assessments that folks who chose not to vote were somehow ‘copping-out’. I also used to kick the line about how our ancestors made great sacrifices for us to vote. While that may be very true, the bigger picture behind their sacrifices was so that I could have the RIGHT to vote. The problem then was that we had no voice in the political process. No lobbyists, senators, congressmen–nobody. Sure we had our own media, but that was the equivalent of preaching to the choir. Today we have access to so many tools and resources to make our voices heard , it should almost be considered a crime if we do not use it. Blogging is one of them.
Lastly, as far as my kids are concerned, they will be fine. They are in a good home-based school program that is teaching them about important documents such as the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. As they get older, I will teach them how they work together and how it is applied. As I am typing this, daddy is creating a record of his participation in democracy for them to have and to use as an example. Unless our politicians are planning to become communists in the next few days, what they do will have little bearing on the lives of my children. I survived Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. and as far as I can tell, they had no bearing on my little corner of the universe.
Having the ability to remind elected officials that all the power does not lie with them is the greatest contribution I can give to democracy.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Duane,
I must admit everytime I read your responses I develope more and more respect for you. Your response has made my day. It is such a good thing to converse with a brother that truly appears to have a open mind about the issues that are facing our community and people.
For too long I feel like I have been shouting at a big black brick wall! So many black folks refuse to open up theirs minds and allow common sense to be their guide through life in the USA. For many of my family, friends, and co-workers my polotical view are considered too conservtive.
Were an little interesting annidote,
I was speaking to a female friend today that just had a baby about 5 months ago. She has been a social worker for well over 10 years and is now having her “liberal” ideals turned inside out!
She is looking for day care and have found two very good places in her neighborhood. Heres the joke, since she works and has an income her child is NOT elegible. The programs are set up for women who dont NOT work and is paid for by the federal goverment.
The Feds are paying over $1000 per month per child for this program to watch them from 8:00am to 5:00pm so the mothers can look for work.
Now the catch is, if these women find work they too will be inelegible for the services. Even if this daycare program was open to working mothers the hours are set up for the folks that run the place. I don’t know too many people that can get off work at 5pm and pick up their children at the same moment in time. Also the price is set at a rate that only people getting a governement subsidy can afford it!
Go figure?