Thursday, April 18, 2019

Eating Their Young

I blame the 24 hour news cycle.

There's really nothing to report.  People are anxious.  People are angry.  People are concerned.  No one knows anything except what we don't know.  Yet the talking heads keep talking.  And talking.  And talking.  And, because there's really nothing to talk about, they're picking on the low hanging fruit.

Bernie Sanders made money from his book.  The socialist, the Independent running as a Democrat, the guy with the funny voice and the funny hair and the funny ideas is a rich guy after all.  This is, apparently, an item worthy of intense scrutiny.  Is he allowed to rail against the elite when he is, himself, a member of the 1%?

Three hecklers were outside a Mayor Pete rally in Iowa, dressed in costume.  They vowed to follow him everywhere he goes, ranting about abortion and homosexuality.  I was reminded of the giant chicken that followed one of the candidates around one year.... or was that an episode on West Wing.... or both?   Seriously, folks.  There were three of them.  Three.  Did they really deserve 2 minutes of air time?

I was keeping a mental list of all the Democrats who think they ought to seize the moment and run for the Presidency.  Then Marianne Williamson showed up on my Facebook feed.  I stopped counting, then.  On the one hand, I'm thrilled that so many people are willing to put themselves out there, sharing their vision, hoping against hope that someone will pay attention.

But no one is paying much attention to anything but the numbers, it seems.  Are there too many?  Is this one left enough?  Can that one appeal to a wavering Trump voter?  What state is this one from, again? 

The policies that distinguish one from another are rarely touched upon.  Statistics are tossed about with reckless abandon, this much growth, this much loss, these suffering, those flourishing, and symbols and labels are dissected and parsed and perused for impiety, imperfection, a hook.

Because that's what the 24 hour news cycle has brought us - the hook.  Tune in and see us eviscerate.... tout..... expose....tell all. 

If only they would tell all.  I'd love to hear a substantive debate on the roll-out of projects to support the Green New Deal.  Let's get down in  the weeds, again, on health care policy.  And what about immigration?  That's a national conversation that's lurking under the surface of everything else, from minimum wage hikes to public education to a robust public transit system. 

There are some very smart people in the mix right now.  I'd love to hear what they have to say, sitting around a table, being questioned by Tim Russert (oh, where are you when we need you most?), delving deep into the details.  None of them are very far apart on the basics, it seems.  Let's see how they work out the specifics. 

A girl can dream, can't she? 

Instead, there will be endless hours of speculation about what's color coded and redacted and who's frantic and what might this Committee or that MOC might subpoena.  Nothing that will advance the conversation.  Just filler. 

No wonder I'm watching Leave It To Beaver at 8 o'clock in the evening.


2 comments:

  1. Being a science fiction aficionado, we're watching Stargate SG1 repeats. At the moment, we're both being triggered by the sound of that man's voice. Yesterday I saw a headline of an article that said Mark Kelly gave speeches for corporations, it was phrased like this was a REALLY BAD THING. The press really needs to take a step back and focus.

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    1. Yes, he spoke to groups organized by those who have money for their friends and associates, who also have money. That’s how you raise enough to get elected. Let’s add Campaign Reform to my list.
      a/b

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