owlmoose: (Default)
KJ ([personal profile] owlmoose) wrote2008-08-27 09:24 am

A woman scorned?

Not from where I'm sitting.

The above link goes to Hillary Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. If you haven't seen it yet, it is totally worth your time. She did everything she had to do -- enthusiastically endorsed Obama and exhorted her supporters to do the same, dinged McCain, and was gracious and passionate all at the same time.

I still wish there was some way we could have had them both. In some alternate universe, somewhere.

Also very worth your time is this article by Eric Boehlert on the coverage leading up to Clinton's speech, and how the media completely ignored historical context to bolster their story of a bitter, power-hungry Hillary Clinton and a running-scared Barack Obama. He starts by pointing out that runners-up Jerry Brown and Jesse Jackson both gave prime-time speeches to their conventions (1992 and 1988, respectively) in which they didn't even endorse the nominee. And then he zeroes in on stories from the present day:

What's so startling in watching the coverage of the Clinton convention-speech story has been the complete ignorance displayed about how previous Democratic conventions have dealt with runners-up like Clinton. It's either complete ignorance or the media's strong desire to painstakingly avoid any historical context, which, in turn, allows the press to mislead news consumers into thinking Clinton's appearance (as well as the gracious invitation extended by Obama) represents something unique and unusual. Something newsworthy.

Based on previous conventions, if a candidate had accumulated as many delegates and votes as Clinton did during the primaries and then did not have her name placed into nomination, that would represent a radical departure from the convention norm.

But, boy, in 2008, an awful lot of media outlets have played dumb. When covering the August 14 announcement about Clinton's role in Denver, they miraculously forgot to make any historical reference to similar names-placed-in-nomination at previous conventions.

Instead, readers and viewers were left with the obvious impression that what was scheduled to happen in Denver was remarkable, an anomaly. And I suppose if you look at the events through a soda straw, it does look unusual. But if you include the slightest bit of context, the story changes into something normal and routine.

But that's not the story the press wants to tell (the Clintons are not normal!), so the press simply erased the context and stuck to its preferred story line that Clinton's appearance in Denver and the placing of her name in nomination are one for the record books.


He then goes on to show how this context-free coverage has demonized Clinton, yet again, and made Obama seem like a pushover, depictions that are bad for both Senators and, oh yeah, the Democratic Party as a whole. But we have a liberal media, of course. Everyone knows that. Right?

[identity profile] letters-to-ed.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
My mom is having surgery today and I am waiting in the hospital lobby. The tv is on Fox News (yuck!) and they are basically saying that her words were pro-Obama but her body language wasn't. They are interviewing choice people like Karl Rove. I would leave here but the doctor is going to be looking for me soon

[identity profile] owlmoose.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It's like they're finding reasons to spin the story the way they want it spun, and the facts be damned. I suppose this should never surprise me any more, especially not from Faux News.

[identity profile] peachespig.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
A cynic (who, me? Cynical?) might also point out that this year, unlike those other years, the Republican party is explicitly using the divisions in the party to try and lure away voters, and the "liberal" media is helping them out by fanning the flames. I suppose there's a bit of a chicken and egg thing — are the Republicans pounding on the supposed divisions because the media reports them, or are the media reporting on them because the Republicans want to use them? Here's (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/27/12202/3556/1001/573614) one clue from Daily Kos:
An audience member asked why the media was obsessed about the Hillary/Obama supposed conflict. Dan Abrams fielded the question and said it was legitimate issue, and that they stood by it, and that since McCain was running ads on it, they couldn't offer good political coverage and ignore it.
A nice little symbiotic relationship they have going...

[identity profile] anzubird.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
There was also an interesting blurb on NPR this morning about how the commentators on most of the news media are actually still actively involved in politics and so will answer questions and offer analysis only in ways which helps thier cause.

[identity profile] owlmoose.livejournal.com 2008-08-28 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
You know, on some level, I don't mind bias in the media. People have their biases, and it will spin the way they report news and comment on issues. I just wish they were more honest about it.

[identity profile] anzubird.livejournal.com 2008-08-28 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
It's not so much about the bais, but it'sa conflict of interest. At a certain point, the news media's job is supposed to be different from that of the political operators.

here's the link to the story- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94011839

[identity profile] owlmoose.livejournal.com 2008-08-28 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
Republican party is explicitly using the divisions in the party to try and lure away voters

Yeah, because they know it's the only way they can possibly win. Talk about running scared. /digression

Thanks for the link. I have my issues with Kos, but I love his response to the bit you quoted:

I jumped in (paraphrasing), "McCain has three ads on the theme, you've featured them all, yet their campaign is only actually airing one of them. You are doing the campaign's dirty work, and doing it for free!"


They really are, and I wonder why that is.

I

[identity profile] kunstarniki.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Her speech was an abject failure because nowhere did she mention deep sea fishing rights.


NB: See the script from "1776".

[identity profile] luciab.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Well said. (I've been reading more since my little rant the other day.) I'm still not as enamored of Hillary as my mother is, but damn yo, Ms Dowd's column in today's NY Times definitely illustrates your point.

[identity profile] owlmoose.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Good lord. I knew there was a reason I don't read MoDo anymore.

[identity profile] anzubird.livejournal.com 2008-08-27 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
that was just a truly, truly awful column... as most of them have been lately,