A Vast Media Conspiracy

I was scanning headlines on realclearpolitics and my blog aggregator and noticed that I was becoming irritable. The conservatives level this charge about the liberals and the liberals level that charge against the conservatives. Or, Democratic Party loyalists level this charge about Obama while unaligned bridge builders level that charge against Clinton. Or the NYT tries to heighten a charge of influence peddling against McCain by alleging an unproven sexual angle.

While there are meaningful differences among and between parties the significance is often exaggerated out of proportion. Do the relationships with Hagee and Wright really have that much to do with the issues the Presidential will deal with? Perhaps some in terms of character judgment and willingness to pander to those with which they disagree. But I would prefer the same amount of time be spend illuminating the candidate’s views on how to balance military might with diplomacy. Or an expanded debate about the differences between liberal and conservative economic philosophies and practices and results. But these more relevant topics take a lot more effort to present in a way to captivate the average consumer.

The reason I spend time at relatively moderate blogs, PBS and C-Span is to try to get beyond the sensational. And what I am looking for are meaningful distinctions that help me understand my own personal political criteria and those of the candidates and decision makers in whose hands our fate rests.

Certainly almost every product of Main Stream Media has some seeds of insight about how the people involved make choices. but I wish I didn’t have to work so hard to get past the screaming and bright lights to get to the part that is worth knowing.