Feeding The Beastly Media

On Alex Witt's show today John Nichols of The Nation said: The presidential race begins earlier all the time. Once the race begins the news media focuses in on it and starts grasping for things to report about it.  Mr. Nichols said that one of the big differences between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is that Trump, the ultimate huckster, understands the need to draw an audience both for the media and for himself. And he (Trump) responds to that need by feeding the media daily. In other words, Trump draws the marks to the pitchmen or pitch-women who pay for the audience. Hillary, as Nichols says, is too cautious and distrusting to do this.

Let me throw in my own two cents here. Hillary Clinton knows that getting elected is only part of what a politician must do; the other part is doing the job you were elected to perform. Furthermore, she is smart enough to know that the news media is loyal to the purveyors of soap and beer rather than the purveyors of reason and sound policies. Reason and sound policies do not draw large audiences!  Sensation is what is needed to draw the large audiences the sponsors demand!  Trump can provide the sensation because he is not worried about it biting him in the ass later; whereas Hillary thinks such a bite would make her new office chair too uncomfortable. Unfortunately for Hillary, lurid accusations about her e-mails are sensational, whereas rational explanations refuting the absurd accusations are not. Thus we have the media salivating over Republicans who are demonstrating all the cerebral synapses of an amoeba by insisting that more of Hillary's lies about the content of her e-mails are coming out every day. When asked what evidence the Republicans have to support that statement they point to disputed classifications, or classifications that were made long after the e-mails were sent or received, or they say Hillary deleted the evidence! When it was pointed out that Colin Powell used his private e-mail account one Republican liar on Alex Witt's show actually insulted the intelligence of Alex's audience by saying, “Yes, but his e-mails did not include any classified material.” Someone should have asked this moron how he knew that, and how he was going to prove it since Mr. Powell also wiped his e-mail server clean!

News Flash For The Lame Stream Media: just because unconscionably vicious Republicans and right wing character assassins say something is a scandal does not mean there are any grounds for calling it a scandal! Try doing your job as journalists and do a little questioning and digging.

The difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party today is the difference between intellect and emotion. The Republicans are so devoid of any positive policies that all they have to sell is fear and loathing! As Mr. Nichols said, the pundits should be cautious about comparing the appeal of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. They should be aware that although both men are drawing followers who feel disaffected, Bernie's followers actually care about the issues. They, Bernie's followers, want to repair the system in much the same way as the New Dealers did. Trump's followers are not that bright or knowledgeable; they actually believe government is the problem! Smash it, they say. It is all about anger; Trump's followers want someone who will smash it!