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The media handling of these mini-dramas is interesting in itself. I think it might be traced back to the OJ coverage in 1995 or so. Remember that the cable news channels were still relatively new at that point, in fact both MSNBC and Fox News were not started until 1996, so the OJ coverage would have been a formative event for the cable news crowd.
The phenomenon and its effect on our politics bears some study. It reminds me of watching a flock of sparrows flitting from one spot to another, as one of them spots a bread crumb, perceives a danger, etc. Is this how our politics works now, like a flock of sparrows?
The mini-drama over the remarks by MO Senate candidate Akin are another good example of this. The R Senate candidate in my state (WA) wanted to talk about Afghanistan (he is an ex-state dept guy) and the lefty reporter kept bringing up Akin. Finally in frustration, the R candidate emailed the lefty reporter, telling him to go bleep himself. That did make the news, but of course whatever the guy had wanted to say about Afghanistan never did.
Namely one distraction and diversion after another. An endless series of dumbed-down mini-controversies tailor-made for MSM trolls.
• A demand by a 30-year-old law student for legislation that would require others to pay for her birth control somehow morphs into a 'war on women.'
•The brouhaha over Romneys tax returns.
•The sudden immaculate conversion on gay marriage from Pres. Obama.
•The controversy over Paul Ryan's marathon time.
•Other mini-controversies too numerous to list, such as Romney's comments about the Olympics, Ann Romney's horse, Romney's comments about the terrorist attack in Libya, etc.
•The latest, of course, namely Romney's questioning of where we are going with 47% of tax filers paying zero taxes. Even the WaPo thinks this is a tempest in a tea-pot: Romney’s ’47 percent’ comment and the importance of the echo chamber
It's a smart campaign, no doubt, when you've got 8.3 percent uemployment, fewer jobs than in 2009, black unemployment thru the roof, median household income down by 5%, $16 trillion in debt, gas prices more than doubled, and one in six Americans or thereabouts on food stamps. And the area surrounding Washington DC now the richest region (by household income) in the nation, surpassing Silicon Valley.
Credit where credit is due...well done, Team Obama; gotta hand it to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rikoshaprl
Yes Obama is doing a good job at keeping the subject away from the economy. His lack of attention to the safety of our embassies and the death of four Americans is very distracting indeed. His coverup about what really happened in Libya is also distracting.
I know three people who got laid off in the last two days. It will be difficult to distract them from the economy, and the other 23 million un and under employed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdwardA
I think the Obama campaign believes most Americans are stupid and acts accordingly. Real issues are ignored and inconsequential distractions are the order of the day. I said early on Romney is going to have to be tough and get into the gutter with Obamas Chicago thugs. Not sure he can do it he's too much of a gentleman.
Yes, the propaganda machine has proven very effective for Obama, judging by the polls.
It also helps immensely to have Hollywood influence and big money on your side.
Yes, the propaganda machine has proven very effective for Obama, judging by the polls.
It also helps immensely to have Hollywood influence and big money on your side.
Creepy and sad.
Demographics play a big role into why Obama is confident. You have 12% of the population that will support him no matter what. In 2008 26% of the ballots cast were by nonwhites and 80% voted for Obama. Obama is performing similarly among this group. Although mysteriously registrations are down among Hispanics and who knows what black turnout will be. Romney has to win 60% of the white vote. If you look at the national polls while Obama is pulling anywhere be 38-41% of the White vote Romney isn't pulling in 60% because there are still people considering 3rd party candidates and are undecided. This is his opening and it's tough since Obama is doing well with college educated white women.
This is why I suspect Romney will make explicit appeals to the White working class in the coming days. I would not be shocked if you see ads referencing welfare and inner city dysfunction. That's the card I'd play if I was him.
This is why I suspect Romney will make explicit appeals to the White working class in the coming days. I would not be shocked if you see ads referencing welfare and inner city dysfunction. That's the card I'd play if I was him.
He is already doing the false welfare ad, just wait for the inner city one...
It's not so much that Obama is running a great campaign, it's that Romney is running a horrible one.
Let's be honest, if Papa Bush, Nixon, or St. Reagan were running, they would win this election by a big margin.
Romney is not built for this.
I agree with this.
Romney is not made for this sort of political machine.
But Obama is running a better campaign than the recent dem candidates. I had a feeling he would come out swinging. Even though he looks all nice and smiling and people think he is vain and arrogant, people who are vain and arrogant can also be very confident and will see an opponent from the get go and tear down everything they do because they don't think anyone can touch them. Not to be vain (lol, really I am) but I am kind of arrogant and I admit it, arrogant people think we are the best and no one can beat us and we will do what it takes to crush them. I recognize this in Obama and just know he is not going to let this wimpy sort of guy - Mitt Romney - get any sort of upper hand on him, even though Obama really doesn't have all that much of a record. He probaby thinks he's better than Mitt so that is that.
Also the Obama team is running more of a GOP campaign versus the GOP running a more liberal touchy, feely "look at me, I'm likeable, please like me" campaign. Team Obama is being more bad a$$. FWIW, I do think that Obama is more of a moderate and similar to Reagan and not as liberal as people in the GOP think he is.
Namely one distraction and diversion after another. An endless series of dumbed-down mini-controversies tailor-made for MSM trolls.
• A demand by a 30-year-old law student for legislation that would require others to pay for her birth control somehow morphs into a 'war on women.'
•The brouhaha over Romneys tax returns.
•The sudden immaculate conversion on gay marriage from Pres. Obama.
•The controversy over Paul Ryan's marathon time.
•Other mini-controversies too numerous to list, such as Romney's comments about the Olympics, Ann Romney's horse, Romney's comments about the terrorist attack in Libya, etc.
It's a smart campaign, no doubt, when you've got 8.3 percent uemployment, fewer jobs than in 2009, black unemployment thru the roof, median household income down by 5%, $16 trillion in debt, gas prices more than doubled, and one in six Americans or thereabouts on food stamps. And the area surrounding Washington DC now the richest region (by household income) in the nation, surpassing Silicon Valley.
Credit where credit is due...well done, Team Obama; gotta hand it to you.
but how long can he keep up this type of distraction campaign and not talk about the historically bad economy, high debt, deficit spending, and foreign policy disasters?
Obama is running a great campaign. Everybody criticized him for blowing so much money on ads early in the campaign, but it did something very effective: it put him ahead of the message. Romney has been playing catch-up ever since, and still hasn't caught up. Now he looks like a fool.
Granted, he is an absolutely terrible candidate that is circling the drain. And Ann's comments now to "stop picking on Mitt!" is just terrible optics.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
8,852 posts, read 10,451,396 times
Reputation: 6670
Quote:
Originally Posted by OICU812
but how long can he keep up this type of distraction campaign and not talk about the historically bad economy, high debt, deficit spending, and foreign policy disasters?
Even if that bit of FOX-speak were so, you gotta admit that Mitt has been providing plenty of "distractions"!
Thanks for reminding me about the 'firing people' hubub, FrugalYankee, that's one I had forgotten. If you listen to Romney's comment in context, it is a good point. If a store, contractor, cell-phone provider, etc, screws you over, don't you want to be able to fire them? Or do you just want to sit there and take a repeated spanking? That's all Mitt was saying, but you knew that.
That was yet another example.
'
I agree with you that the "firing people" quote was actually a good point when taken in context and with the speaker's intent; just as the "you didn't build it" was, when taken in context and with the speaker's intent. This is the kind of stupid politics I hate.
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