Charts and Graphs

I have been puzzling on what to discuss today and I finally decided on this topic after a conversation with the spouse last night. We were both confused about upcoming primaries and events. I thought that if we were confused about that, what is going on with the rest of America? After all the husband watches more CNN/MSNBC/CSPAN (and a snippet of FOX for kicks and giggles) along with listening to Air America than any sane human should indulge in. So if he has questions something is missing.

(FYI—the Nevada Democratic debate is Thursday, January 17. The Nevada primary is Saturday, January 19 and the South Carolina primary is Saturday, January 26.)

Which brings me to today's topic—how the media is reporting on this whole shindig. I have touched on this before in various ways, mostly on the press's slamming of Clinton for not just being a woman, but being a Clinton too. But I want to go broader than that. I think that the press is doing a big disservice to the country by allowing themselves to get distracted by the minutiae of the political mudslinging (Did Hillary show cleavage? Did McCain make nice with evangelicals? What does it mean that Obama did cocaine? Did Guiliani wear a dress?).

I want them to tell me what the candidates believe (of course the candidates have to help with this by believing in something other than their own rhetoric). Give me bullet points, charts and graphs. Whatever it takes so I can be informed. Isn't that the job of the news—to give us the days events? It is harder and harder to find that amidst all the opinions. And hey, I like opinions as much as the next person, obviously, because here I am sharing mine with you. But when I turn on the TV or go online I want 75% of the news I see to be news. Not the beef Chris Matthews has with the Clintons. Or whatever issue Steve "Douchebag" Doocy is up in arms about this week.

How did we get away from our news telling us the days events without judgement or editorial commentary? And why did we get away from that? What was wrong with it? There is certainly a place for that sort of thing, that is why there is an editorial page or section in papers. But that is a section, a page, not the entire thing. While we are demanding more from our candidates, maybe we also need to be demanding more from our media.

371 days left. Here's Dubya on why we can't find Bin Laden (talk about stating the obvious)—

"Because he's hiding."