That’s what I’m saying
Mark Halperin spent the morning making his epiphany public.
It is refreshing to see a man who has been reporting on elections for twenty years and held such esteemed jobs as Political Director at ABC News make such public concession - throwing much of their previous commentary into question.
“But now I think I was wrong,” he writes. But about what?
It seems that the media coverage of elections has been for years biased towards who runs the best campaign, rather than who would make the best president. From his own pen:
“Voters are bombarded with information about which contender has ‘what it takes’ to be the best candidate. Who can deliver the most stirring rhetoric? Who can build the most attractive facade? Who can mount the wiliest counterattack? Whose life makes for the neatest story? Our political and media culture reflects and drives an obsession with who is going to win, rather than who should win.”
This is bold. But of course it is unfair to outline a problem without contributing towards its solution. Mr. Halperin asks, “what do those of us who cover politics do now?”
“In the face of polls and horse-race maneuvering, we can try to keep from getting sucked in by it all. We should examine a candidate’s public record and full life as opposed to his or her campaign performance. But what might appear simple to a voter can, I know, seem hard for a journalist.”
Halperin is calling for reason and ration in political deliberation and I think it would be wise for all of us to heed that advice.
Excellent article. Thanks for the heads up!
This posting — in combination with the previous “check out our competitors” posting — really drives home the implicit point that your site and others like it are part of a larger trend. It is really my hope that we see a spike in voter action as a result of this trend.
If not, what does that mean? Any thoughts? Anyone?
cool
cool indeed
It will happen, Clark. The real question is “how fast?” That’s where we come in. I’m planning to put a “Glassbooth.org” Logo made out of glittery silver-looking letters and drive around with it that way. I really hope that people adapt to Glassbooth quickly.
By the way, many states are attempting to organize a disban of real problem, the electoral collegiate system. This is exemplary of the reality of this heightened social awareness you refer to as a ‘trend.’ It is REAL so take heart! The more grit (free publicity) the little people like us add the faster it will mushroom. We should talk to everyone we know about it who will listen. That’s what I’ve been doing since I saw the pod on Current. Current Rocks! Glassbooth Rocks! Don’t think so, then just ask Bono from U2 whether he likes the idea or not! For your wallet’s sake, be glad I’m not a betting man!