The Public Opinion Soapbox

AnonyMouse · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 522

There were any number of solutions short of just yanking it without warning.

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 3043 Location: Chambersburg

I need to be more alert!
After my last post I had not even checked back. No wait...I may have traded a few with Springhill after that...I can't remember. (ADD) I just follow the orange icons...
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the_mighty_HYMN · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Chambersburg

DEAR ABBY: I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can't afford to spend a lot of money to do it. Any suggestions? -SAM IN CAL.-

DEAR SAM: Yes. Run for office.

postaff · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 120 Location: Chambersburg

AnonyMouse · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 522

Mixolydian · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 32 Location: Chambersburg

That idea - while no doubt motivated by the purest of intentions and probably appreciated by the powers that be - seems unlikely at best.

There's probably some legal issue that would require them to hire those volunteers.

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 3043 Location: Chambersburg

Eep!

Am I one of those people who has not responded to tone it down requests?

Sometimes I'm not very nice, but I *try* to be--no, that's a lie, I don't always try to be.

Do you private message rowdy people?! Or is it a public post?!

Dear Gawd! Please tell me if I've been bad!!

I could be a mod Very Happy

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AnonyMouse · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 522

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 3043 Location: Chambersburg

Aww, see I was thinking you were a shoo in
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Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

Have you guys heard? Obama's middle name is Hussein and he's a radical Muslim!!!!

Run for your lives!

AnonyMouse · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 522

He'll also institute slave reparations, sending our economy into chaos.

Oh, and he doesn't know how to salute the flag or even know all the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" (always sings "Jose, can you see").

Plus, I heard he has a black child.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

Someone told me he was sworn into the Senate on a Koran instead of a Bible. And I believe everything I hear, so, he doesn't deserve to be president.

AnonyMouse · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 522

As usual, the most insightful commentary on our political process comes from the cartoonists:

The press continues to let us down on this. The stories are all about Hillary and Obama "attacking" each other. In reality they are primarily debating policy issues, yet the press just reports it as "testy exchange" or "counter-attack" or "hitting back hard" or "bitter back and forth." And on the Republican side, it is purely a popularity contest.

I think it was Meg Greenfield who described Washington as a high school. Your worth is based on your popularity and your popularity is based on whether you associate with the right people. The politicians are the cool kids and the press are the nerds who just want to hang out with the cool kids. They give the cool kids fawning praise, or if they don't like a particular cool kid, they ignore him or try to bring him down. They see everything through the lens of high school, so they frame every policy disagreement as a catfight and talk about it in terms of popularity or positioning. And through it all, they arrogantly assert that they are above it all and merely observers.

We, the citizens, are left trying to piece together the truth from websites and other sources. We can't rely on the teevee talking heads or any of the cable news. And heaven forbid if you suggest to a "real" journalist that a blog was your source for anything. They indignantly say that bloggers are a bunch of geeks who don't really know anything because they aren't part of the in-crowd. In truth, the bloggers are threatening their nerdy position among the cool kids. Probably eventually, the bloggers will fall into the same popularity thing and their opinions will be polluted too.

The more you think about this perspective - national politics and news as high school - the more examples you can think of. Bush is the ultimate bad boy, cool kid - blowing off class, getting other kids to do his work, and bullying the nerds. Hillary is the hall monitor, teachers pet who feels like she is entitled to be in charge. McCain is the smart-alec in the corner making smart remarks but desperately wants to with the in-crowd (have you seen the picture of him hugging our jock-in-chief?). Russert is a nerd posturing before his peers as a tough guy, but in reality is an enabler for the cool kids so he can be part of their crowd. And on and on...

Does any of this resonate with anyone? Where are you getting your political news with the least amount of pollution?

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 3043 Location: Chambersburg

Of course it resonates! You are Mouse and when Mouse squeaks, we listen!

My 'unpolluted' news comes from the interwebs, blogs, AP articles, podcasts, NPR. I consider every source as if they are trying to sell me something and I try to balance them out.
I still enjoy wacthing biased news sources too though. I don't see a harm in it if you recognize the slant.
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Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg