Review of TV Convention Coverage
Get it right, George! George Stephanopoulos of ABC News.
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
Most Dean bloggers will recognize the name Rich Kolker, a long-time Dean activist, Dean blogger, and well-respected Iowa Perfect Stormer. This is his review of yesterday's television coverage of the convention, as posted on Blog for America.
Good Morning from the Old Dominion...
Well, courtesy of C-Span, PBS, MSNBC and eventually the networks, I watched quite a bit of last night's Democratic Convention show.
Mixed in among the "positive" speeches were long stretches of 1970's rock, a video celebrating Terry McAuliffe (gee, wonder why Howard wasn't in that one), one time when they told the delegates to "mill around until the networks pick us up", the guys standing behind Matthews waving CNN signs and the guys behind Howard Fineman on Matthews holding up Bush/Cheney signs (like that's going to make a difference).
Al Gore was humorous, but I would have liked to have heard the first draft. Jimmy Carter was inspiring, but why was he buried in the non-network segment (as was Gore). Hillary Clinton will never be President if she doesn't learn to give a speech. Bill Clinton can give a speech, but maybe it was the shot of Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler on "West Wing") in the audience that made me analyze rather than appreciate it.
Question - Why does MSNBC have Joe Scarborough analyzing the Democratic Convention? Are they going to invite Michael Moore to analyze the GOP?
I'm sure some of these mayors and councilmen and heads of NGOs have something to say, but we never hear them unless we watch C-Span.
Am I the only one who doesn't want national policy made based on the wishes of family members of victims (this goes back to Peggy Say and Lebanon, the 9-11 families are just the latest example) but the overall good of the nation? Am I the only one that finds constantly harping on the losses of 9-11 maudlin, insincere and politically expedient?
Watching this convention has made me even more aware of all the things we need to change to take back our country -- from how it is being orchestrated to how it is being covered to what the party of FDR and Truman and Hubert Humphrey and Robert Kennedy has become.
It is sad, that instead of a real choice, we are left with the choice between someone I agree with 0 percent and someone I agree with 30-50 percent. It is sad, that supposed "news" organizations think it is more important to get the opinions of some geek in a yellow jacket than to listen to the speakers, or even talk to the delegates about what brought them to Boston and what were their hopes and dreams for the future.
Don't get me wrong, we need to get rid of the guy who I agree with 0 percent. But on November 3rd, no matter the results, and with all due respect (and much is due) to those Dean Dozens running this fall, the hard work of taking back our country begins again.
Posted by rich^kolker at July 27, 2004 08:50 AM