I intended to write yesterday, but my company, in its infinite wisdom, had scheduled a “post-holiday extravaganza” for last night, and being on the organizing committee meant that yesterday ended up being a blur of non-stop activity. And today became the moment of “recovery”. I’m sure you understand … ;-)
I’m listening to the Democratic Debate on satellite radio as I write and am very thankful that I have the opportunity to do so – I'd rather not miss any of them from now on. I’ll have more on the debate in a moment, but I would like to make one (probably) minor comment about the criticism I’ve been reading from the ‘writers’ who are comparing Anderson’s ‘moderating’ of the YouTube Debates unfavorably to Charlie Gibson’s ‘moderating’ last night. While I enjoy Charlie’s ‘style’, isn’t that comparing apples to oranges? The debate structure themselves encompassed two totally different delivery platforms – which necessitates different moderation styles. I doubt that Charlie could have ‘navigated’ a YouTube Debate format as well as Anderson did. That doesn’t make him a less competent moderator. One additional point to add – the fewer candidates on the stage naturally allows for more time for each candidate to make his/her positions clearer. As for Anderson – or Wolf – or whoever – being ‘tougher’ on the candidates, the first thing I’d like to suggest is that once a candidate gets ‘sidetracked’ when asked a very specific question – which happens just about every single time – the moderator calls them on their ‘spin’ and forces them to stay on subject of the question. That would be a very welcome change. Oh – and I’ve got to curb this overwhelming urge I seem to have developed to throw something at the TV whenever I hear Hillary Clinton use the phrases “35 years of experience” or “ready on day one”. It’s getting tough to resist. Moving on ...
The Republicans are portrayed (by the Democrats) as the ‘party of fear’. And I do agree – both in the literal sense, as well as in a more abstract sense. Listening to the GOP Debate earlier convinced me that I am all the more fearful that one of these delusional politicians may be elected and will, in spite of what they say, continue most, if not all, of the Bush domestic and foreign policies. Bush blatantly lied about so many things during his initial campaign and then has hidden behind and misused the 9/11 attacks as justification for all of his successes at eroding the Constitution – what makes anyone think that it wouldn’t happen again? Now there’s a debate question (in another phrasing) that should be asked!! In fact – if I were told that my singular vote would ensure a GOP victory and I could have any amount of money on the face of the earth to do so, I promise, right here in writing, that I would not and could not do it. That is how worried I am of the continuance down the path that this country is currently headed on.
Just a few quick additional debate observations – not many people really like Mitt Romney, huh? Certainly not his fellow ‘stage’ mates ... can’t say that I blame them all that much. And how much more condescending could the Hill have been with her sarcastic response to being told that she isn’t as ‘likeable’ as Obama?
Overall, I seemed to agree with the summary of the analysis I’ve read – Clinton didn’t gain any ground, Obama performed better than in previous debates, Edwards didn’t successfully differentiate his ‘change’ message from Obama’s, Huckabee didn’t make any major gaffes, McCain solidified his positions and Romney was overwhelmingly the night’s piñata.
Going back to Friday’s broadcast of AC360° for a few moments – there was good analysis of what the leading contenders have to do now that the political ‘party’ has moved to New Hampshire. Except possibly Jeff Toobin - I'm not sure that political analysis is his strength? But with that said - the rhetoric is heating up, the attacks are becoming more personal – and that’s sad. Although I’m hoping that the initial message out of Iowa – that money doesn’t ultimately buy votes – and that ‘going negative’ doesn’t garner support – continues to "play" throughout the rest of the campaign, well into this coming November and even beyond.
I also enjoyed Tom Foreman’s “digging deeper” into the statistics that led to the Obama and Huckabee victories in Iowa.
Wasn’t Anderson’s reaction to the Amy Fisher “sex tape” story amusing? It was my reaction as well and, as was suggested over at the AC360° Yahoo group, the story might have been more appropriate for inclusion as a “What Were They Thinking?” segment:
We also had the first “audition” for the AC360° “announcer” try-outs; none other than the ‘Prince of Darkness’ himself – Ozzy Osbourne!! I think it was quite amusing – and not at all serious – but lots of fun nonetheless! I still vote for Kevin, but I am, of course, biased on this issue! :-)
And I would rarely, if ever, write a single word on this blog about Britney Spears, but I would like to say that I hope she seeks the kind of intensive, long-term physical and mental treatment that she so obviously and desperately needs. For her children’s sake, as well as her own. I’d rather not be commenting about her premature demise.
The story about the window washer, Alcides Moreno, who fell 47 stories and survived - made me happy – for Mr. Moreno and his family – but I was also momentarily sad, wondering if Anderson was thinking about Carter during the story; I know I was certainly wondering about the possibility of him having survived. But I subscribe to the belief that everything happens for a reason, many times unknown to us for the duration of our time on earth, but still for a reason. And I'll leave it at that.
A couple of other “late-breaking” notes to start the week out, since most of you won’t read this until Monday:
Obama “surges” past the Hill: Barack Obama, according to Sunday’s CNN/WMUR poll, has taken a 10% lead in New Hampshire. Also – Mike Huckabee has moved into third place on the GOP side – ahead of Rudy Giuliani. Interesting.
Vick sentence may be shortened: Yes, you read that correctly. Possibly from 23 to 12 months - if he completes a soon-to-be-started drug rehabilitation program offered only at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Infuriating.
A quick note about listening to CNN TV: This is for the times when you’re not able to sit in front of a TV. I’ve commented before that many times, I listen to CNN TV on satellite radio – it’s actually one of the main reasons I started listening to satellite radio in the first place. But I recently found out that if you would like to hear the CNN TV broadcast without that kind of equipment – you can listen on your computer via a link available on the CNN.com homepage. That’s terrific news! And it’s not the CNN Radio broadcast or the CNN Live feed – it’s the audio portion of the actual TV broadcast. So if you’re somewhere where you have PC access, but not TV access, during AC360° (for example) – you can still (at least) hear the program. Exhilarating.
The return of ‘masterful’ snark: Let’s hope so. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report return tomorrow night. We’ll see how ‘nuanced’ the material continues to be – I have faith!! Crossing my fingers.
‘Real Time’ irony: Bill Maher got “frisked” at LAX on his return from NYC, I believe this past Friday. He must be on Homeland Security’s “Pot Watch” list. The irony, of course, is all the times he’s ranted about how airport security is a joke and hasn’t made flying any safer!!! I assume we’ll hear about this on his first show back this coming Friday (1/11/08). Hilarious.
Late breaking News: According to what John King just announced (after the debate repeats), Anderson will be broadcasting from New Hampshire on Monday evening!
I wouldn’t normally do this, but I just want to say a special ‘hello’ to Judy - and I hope you’re continuing to recover and get well. :-)
I’m closing with a final thought for now – all the political rhetoric this past weekend got me to thinking about one of the words currently being tossed around quite liberally right now - and the word is "hope". It would be easy to copy & paste a dictionary meaning as a springboard, but I am influenced by an astute journalist who once said that “hope is not a plan”. Very true. But I’ll turn that just a bit sideways and add my own (brief) take on the subject:
Thank you for visiting - updates posted as needed - have a terrific Monday!
2 comments:
I don’t think it was fair for yesterday’s “writers” to compare Anderson’s You Tube debate with Charlie’s roundtable debate on Saturday they are, as you say, “apples and oranges.” Why single out Anderson, why not Keith Olbermann, Tim Russert, or that screaming lunatic Chris Matthews?
I do believe that it is time to get tougher on the candidates and Charlie did that during the roundtable. I was also impressed with the way George Stephanopoulos grilled Edwards, Huckabee, and Romney on his show Sunday morning. Since they do have more time during the debates now that some of the other candidates have dropped out, it is time to hold those remaining accountable for the inconsistencies in their records regardless of race or gender, which the media, for the most part, has chosen not to do. The media needs to be less worried about being called racist or sexist and more worried about the state of the union and who will be in charge. Does it bother anyone else that every candidate has lied about his or her record? I think each candidate has given me the urge to throw something at the TV. They all seem to have their shtick. Change is a nice concept, but I still think experience is the key here. Actions speak louder than words and I have seen little action in the records of any of these Democratic candidates that would cause me to believe it can be a real possibility. One person cannot deliver change, it would require the cooperation of Congress and I think you can get that with any of the Democratic candidates.
I liked the roundtable format because it allowed the candidates to confront one another, however, I did not like the way Obama was allowed to change the subject every time something came up that he didn’t care to answer and I think that his comment to Clinton that she was “likeable enough” was just as condescending as her comment was. No one should get a pass for rudeness. As for the Republicans, I can’t believe Romney tried to defend the pharmaceutical companies! He said they are trying to keep us healthy; who is he kidding? I don’t even want to comment on their ridiculous discussion about what is or isn’t amnesty.
Poor Bill! Can't wait to hear his "version" of what happened on "Real Time." I am also anxious for the return of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," they have a lot to catch up on!
When Romney praised the pharmaceutical companies, I so wanted the next question for him to be - "And what planet are you from again, Governor?"
Each of the Republican candidates are SCARY in their own right.
And all of them have lied, cheated and/or pandered to get where they are. One of the 'tricks', I guess, is to figure out which one has done the least, or perhaps the least amount of damage in their trangressions.
And then that needs to be combined with figuring out who has the 'right' combination of experience and leadership to maximize the potential that this country still has, while keeping us safe and secure. A tall order, to be sure.
I laughed so hard when I saw that picture of Bill - I can't imagine that he won't rant about it in some form or another!! ;-)
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