MSM treats politics like it's a game; we know it's about people's lives

Perhaps it seems at times that politics is just a game. After all, we do make fun of the MSM for covering the process as a horse race.

The strategies at FOX 'News' Channel, MSNBC, and CNN along with the major broadcast networks are to cover the contest not for who has the best ideas or what is the best for the country, but more like who got in the best shot and who was best at being deceptive.

But politics isn't a game; it's real life. It's my friend who called me late last night considerably upset over the overturning of the D.C. handgun ban. And she's worried about increased crime where she lives if handguns become more prominent. She didn't grow up in the United States (she's Canadian), and she doesn't understand our relationship with guns.

This conservative commentator seems to think politics is a game, and he has some advice for Keith Olbermann:

Here’s an inconvenient truth, Keith: You should be rooting for John McCain. Across the spectrum, openly partisan news coverage does the most good and has the most pizzazz when it’s at odds with power. Back when newborn Fox was chewing Bill Clinton’s jugular for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, everyone except Bill’s ball and chain could see that vast right-wing conspiracies have their upside. It’s never bad to have a prominent media outlet hell-bent on not letting the Oval Office’s occupant get away with much.

The one major news figure who has a background as a sportscaster is one of the few who realizes that politics isn't sports, isn't a horse race, that it's about how to make lives better. And this guy wants to give Olbermann advice on how to boost ratings.

You could argue that a President Obama will shake up the dynamic for a number of media outlets. Imagine The Daily Show or the Colbert Report or even BuzzFlash.com in a world with a President Obama. Yes, things will be different. But one guarantee is certain: there will still be plenty of things to talk about, to write about.

Barack Obama, or any other human being, can only do so much. And there is a lot of damage that has been done. The cleanup will last a long time; the more we pitch in to help, the less time it will take. But there is a lot of work to do.

Olbermann, the Comedy Central shows, BuzzFlash, and more will have plenty to discuss in an Obama Administration. But the conservative commentator is probably right about one thing: the ratings for FOX 'News' Channel will likely go up if Obama becomes president. That is just one cross we will have to bear.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

buzzflash | delicious | digg | yahoo | technorati