Sandy Knauer, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Sandy Knauer
Electability? 1/24/2004 9:39:42 AM
What is this strange word we keep hearing? Spell check kicked it out, and I can’t find it in my dictionary. Could it be another example of media/public finagling (that’s a good word) of language to control the mindless puppets? That’s my guess. Instead of presenting all candidates and their issues equally and fairly, we have a media that presents only candidates who have raised enough money or controversy to attract attention. They tell us who they believe has electability instead of waiting to see who we will elect. It’s a strange system of fair and unbiased journalism, but what’s even stranger is the willingness of the American people to allow their opinions to be swayed in this way.
Last night I heard a reporter say that Dennis Kucinich is a man of strong convictions, that he receives a great audience response during the debates, that he has remained unchanged on his positions, and that he is centered and grounded, but unfortunately this reporter questioned his electability. Does that mean that this reporter considers Americans too shallow to want a man who is grounded and centered and remains unchanged on his positions and receives positive reception when voicing his positions? More importantly, are Americans shallow enough to be influenced by the unelectibility comments?
This morning I listened to another reporter’s opinion about Dean‘s electability based on his anti-war stance and his willingness to stand up against the Bush administration. In the spirit of accurate reporting, was it fair for her not to mention that Kucinich has been openly against the war from day one, and that he has not only spoken out against the Bush administration on every issue but has voted accordingly? No. It was biased reporting aimed at taking away the public’s ability to make an informed decision based on truth instead of hype.
I heard another reporter address the fact that corporate interests will be a big factor in electability. Of course, that reporter failed to mention that Dennis Kucinich accepts NO corporate funds and won’t even accept a business check. It seems that in the spirit of accurate reporting that would have been an excellent truth to reveal.
The only time I’ve heard Kucinich’s name mentioned today is during announcements of what each candidate eats on the campaign trail. During this crucial time, when people are looking to the media to get the facts, is what they eat really more important than how each of them plan to get us out of Iraq, or how they plan to provide healthcare?
Do we want to allow the media to select our candidate? Do we want political offices to be bought by the candidate who can spend the most on media coverage?
Fortunately, the Internet will soon replace the media.
