COME ON CNN & MSNBC . . don't drag it out just for ratings

By l.t. Dravis

ELECTION NIGHT – Tuesday, November 4, 2008 – HEY, WOLF, DAVID, KEITH, RACHEL, and all the other pundits on the two best cable news networks on the planet . . . Don’t drag out election night returns just for ratings!

Come on . . . you knew early on – after you called Ohio and Pennsylvania for Obama that he had more than enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

But you didn’t come clean with us . . . even after MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann suddenly asked the question that must have frosted the innards of every MSNBC bean counter and sales person who must have seen ratings beginning to melt away . . . you still dogged it.

And what was Olbermann’s question?

Simple . . . Keith suddenly asked whether or not Obama wouldn’t have more than 270 electoral votes after the polls in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii closed.

And, David Gregory about passed out.

How about the look of panic that flicked across Wolf Blitzer’s face (I don’t think I’ve seen Wolf look that worried since he was stuck in Baghdad in 1991) when John King was playing with his electronic electoral map and realized that the race was over . . . long before it was supposed to be over; at least in terms of all those advertisers who were counting on CNN to hold the ratings as long – and as late – as possible.

Folks . . . we were working our laptops, working on your ‘calculator’ electoral maps and we’d already figured out what you weren’t telling us.

Next time – please – tell us the truth and give us great coverage on other aspects of the winning team’s transition personnel, plans, ideas, etc.

If your coverage is good enough (and as a CNN/MSNBC ‘Dead-Head’, I’m sure it will be), don’t worry . . . we’ll stay with you.

And you can tell your bean counters and sales people that we’ll probably watch your commercials, too.

Honest.

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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THE Final debate . . . won by Joe the Plumber?

Photo Credit: Jae C Hong/AP

By l.t. Dravis

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, Hempstead, New York – Wednesday, October 15, 2008 – Let’s answer the first question first . . . did Senator McCain say anything in this, the final debate of the 2008 presidential campaign, to change his position in the polls?

No.

The second question . . . did Senator Obama say anything in this debate to change his position in the polls?

No.

So, what happened?

Senator John McCain started out talking about the anger of American voters but he spent most of the debate showing his anger toward Senator Obama . . . as if McCain is more against Obama becoming President than he is for McCain becoming President.

In response to Obama’s point about McCain policies being the same as the Bush policies, McCain said, “Senator Obama, I’m not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”

Senator Obama apologized for confusing McCain with George W. Bush but pointed out it was hard to tell the difference because McCain voted so often with Bush policies.

John McCain attacked, attacked, and then attacked some more, working hard, playing catch up, trying his best to bad-mouth Barack Obama out of his lead in the polls. McCain was clearly angry and sounded petulant as he worked through his litany of complaints about Senator Obama and his campaign.

When McCain brought the old Weatherman Bill Ayres into the debate, CNN audience reaction dropped dramatically . . . making it clear that the ‘guilt-by-association’ tactic used so often by McCain and Palin may well have backfired.

Obama simply explained the Ayres relationship for what it was: He served on a board with William Ayres along with a number of other people like the President of the Chicago Tribune and the President of Northwestern University and that was that.

The McCain campaign failed to ask and answer an important question: On a day when the Dow Jones average dropped more than 700 points, were people watching this debate really concerned about Senator Obama’s ‘relationship’ with a man who committed crimes when Obama was eight years old?

Though he tried to explain his health care plan through gritted teeth, McCain did not say anything specific to convince anyone that his plan was superior to the Obama plan.

While Senator McCain rolled his eyes and scowled, Senator Obama calmly detailed his health care plan and assured voters that the McCain claim that the Obama health care plan fines small business and individuals was totally false.

McCain gave us a number of platitudes about how we ‘have to improve education’ and ‘we need to encourage businesses’ but he didn’t say anything specific about what he would do as President to resolve any of the domestic or foreign issues we face as a nation . . . so there probably won’t be a shift in the McCain poll numbers as a result of this debate.

While Senator McCain was busy trying to score ideological points to please the Republican base, Senator Obama talked about how his economic plan would create jobs, eliminate penalties for early withdrawals from IRA and KEOGH accounts, increase federal assistance to cities and states, and postpone foreclosures for ninety days.

By the way, what am I talking about when I say that ‘Joe the plumber’ won the debate?

I'm talking about Joe Wurzelbacher (referred to as Joe Wurzberger by John McCain), a plumber who caught up with Barack Obama recently at a rally in Ohio to express his concerns about how Obama’s tax policies might get in the way of his ability to successfully buy the company he worked for.

McCain used ‘Joe the plumber’ to accuse Senator Obama of proposing tax increases and a health care plan that would prevent working men and women from becoming entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, the fact checkers have proven that the Obama tax and health care plans do nothing to increase the cost of doing business for the ‘Joe the plumbers’ of this country.

Who spent more time attacking in tonight’s debate?

Eighty percent of voters surveyed by CNN said John McCain spent more time attacking while only 7% said Obama spent more time attacking.

And did the attacks help or hurt the candidates?

According to a CBS poll of uncommitted voters, 53% said Obama won, 24% said the candidates tied, while 22% said McCain won.

I’m reminded of the infamous Al Gore/George W. Bush debate where Gore lost the edge with a sigh; in fact, I’m thinking that McCain lost all three 2008 presidential debates because of affect . . . the scowls, the eye rolls, the grumpy grunts.

And now, I’m wondering, did John McCain appear 'Presidential' tonight or did he remind you of the grumpy old man next door who used to shout at you to get off his lawn?

Huh?

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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So we can send your concerns to 435 Representatives

and 100 Senators until they listen . . . and then, we’ll do it some more

WHO Cares where, when, how, and if McCain can ‘comeback’?

By l.t. Dravis

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - The McCain campaign is talking ‘comeback’ and I wonder, how’s the media reading that message?

Are newspaper, radio, and TV editors hoping for hope or hoping for promise?

Hope won’t create enough drama to capture the public’s attention so editors understandably hope it isn’t hope.

Promise, on the other hand, implies drama so the media will want to jump on the promise story, create lots of interest, and continue to enjoy exceedingly profitable ratings.

Barack Obama leads John McCain by fairly good margins in most polls today so the 2008 Presidential Campaign isn’t providing enough drama to attract enough listeners, readers, and viewers, ratings are at risk of dropping and the media worries it could find itself in a world of economic hurt . . . kind of like the rest of us . . . and who wants that?

Let’s go back to that golden moment in time, just about six weeks ago, when John McCain introduced Sarah Palin, the great GOP Hope, to the world and lead Barack Obama in most polls.

Who was more excited . . . the McCain campaign or the media?

Because a switch in the polls – either way – creates drama and drama creates increased ratings and increased ratings create increased advertising revenues, the media was thrilled beyond compare.

The media, especially the 24/7 cable news networks, live or die by ratings and any drama they can dig out of the 2008 Presidential Campaign is as good or better for ratings as any national tragedy (Madonna’s divorce, Nancy Reagan’s pelvic fracture, a drop on the DOW, an earthquake, a hurricane, etc.).

If this wasn’t a campaign year, what would Bill Bennett, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Sean Hannity, Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Bill ‘Cussman’ O’Reilly, or Rush ‘Oxycontin’ Limbaugh be talking about today?

Janet Jackson’s bout with vertigo?

Whether or not the Phillies can put the Dodgers away in five?

Who was dropped from ‘Dancing with the stars’?

Or the economy?

The economy . . . for sure.

But is there enough economic news to fill up 24 hours a day of air time, seven days a week?

And, how willing would advertisers be to spend big bucks to have their sales pitches surrounded by doomsday news that sends a clear message to viewers: Don’t spend!

Not very . . . so, what is the media to do?

Continue to cover the boring fact that Obama leads McCain in the polls while ratings and revenues drop?

Or try to convince the public to watch and listen because there’s reason to believe McCain can ‘comeback’ to beat Barack Obama?

The answer is obvious.

So, how would the media’s ‘McCain-can-comeback’ campaign shape up?

You’d see more “Breaking News” coverage on even the slightest positive movement in McCain’s numbers.

You’d see and hear more talking heads talking more about every possible way McCain could improve his chances to beat Obama.

You’d see more columnists write about every possible angle on how the McCain campaign might ‘comeback’ to win the election.

And, you’d see and hear more promotional spots created to convince you to watch and listen to more news stories about how McCain can win.

I know what you’re thinking . . . it’s not impossible for John McCain to ‘comeback’ and win the election . . . no matter what the media does.

And you’re absolutely right.

If the economy somehow takes a positive turn, if McCain and Palin tone down the negative rhetoric and actually tell voters how their lives would be better if they vote Republican, if John McCain can convince voters that he is not ‘erratic’, or if there was some sort of national emergency that made McCain look like the better candidate to protect us, he could very well ‘comeback’ to win the election.

Nevertheless, since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, no matter what the circumstance may be, John McCain is not likely to demonstrate the kind of consistent leadership the country wants and so desperately needs.

So, I’m not at all convinced anything is likely to change for John McCain and his running mate until after the votes are in and they both go home.

But that won’t stop me from tuning in to every bit of media drama – real and otherwise – about McCain’s ‘comeback’.

How about you?

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

IS THE LIAR Costing McCain the election?

Photo Credit: Sydney Morning Herald

By l.t. Dravis

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Monday, October 13, 2008 – What’s the real reason behind McCain’s drop off in the polls?

Are voters turned off by the content of his message?

Are they bummed about his tax policies?

Perhaps they don’t like his $5,000.00 dollar taxable health care credit?

Are they concerned because Senator McCain doesn’t seem to have any plan to ever get us out of Iraq?

Are voters turned off by the negative McCain ads and rhetoric?

Are voters turning away from McCain because they can’t bring themselves to vote for a guy who would 75 years old in the last year of his first term?

But wait a minute . . . maybe it’s not McCain; maybe it’s Sarah Palin.

Could it be that millions of McCain supporters and undecided voters finally got tired of the big insult?

You know . . . the insult foisted on us by John McCain when he nominated a pathological liar to be his running mate.

Huh?

What am I talking about?

I’m talking about the fact that the person John McCain selected to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States is a proven liar.

Don’t agree?

Okay, then, let’s talk about the fact that Governor Sarah Palin was found to have abused her power by ‘violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110 (a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act' in a report issued by a bi-partisan panel of eight Republicans and four Democrats.

Clear enough . . . right?

Maybe not . . . if you listen to Sarah Palin.

Palin, supposedly everyone’s ‘hockey mom’, cheerfully lied through her teeth when she said, “There was no abuse of authority at all in trying to get Officer Wooten fired.”

“In fact,” Palin said, “remember, Officer Wooten is still an Alaska state trooper, which is up to the commissioner and the personnel top brass in the Department of Public Safety that decides who is worthy of a badge and carrying a gun in the state of Alaska.”

Whew!

“If they think that Trooper Wooten is worthy of that” (a badge and carrying a gun), “that’s their decision. I don’t micromanage my commissioners and ask them to hire or fire anyone.

“And, thankfully” Palin lied, “the truth was revealed there in that report that showed there was no unlawful or unethical activity on my part.”

Though Governor Palin obviously believes the American people are too stupid to know that she’s lying . . . in light of an official report that has been pasted all over the internet, printed in every newspaper and magazine, and talked about on every imaginable radio and television program . . . the truth is simple: Voters are too smart to buy that load of baloney.

Could it be that millions of prospective McCain voters agree with a piece on today’s Anchorage Daily News that said,

“Sarah Palin’s reaction to the Legislature’s ‘Troopergate’ report is an embarrassment to Alaskans and the nation. She claims the report ‘vindicates’ her.

“She said that the investigation found ‘no unlawful or unethical activity on my part.’ Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian.

“You asked us to hold you accountable, Governor Palin. Did you mean it?

“Perhaps Governor Palin has been too busy to actually read the Troopergate report. Perhaps she is relying on briefings from McCain campaign spinmeisters.

“That’s the charitable interpretation.

“Because if she had actually read it, she couldn’t claim “vindication” with a straight face.

“Palin asserted that the report found “there was no abuse of authority at all in trying to get Officer Wooten fired.”

“In fact, the report concluded that impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired.

“Palin’s response is the kind of political ‘big lie’ that George Orwell warned against. War is peace. Black is white. Up is down.

“Governor Palin and her husband were obsessed with Wooten the way Captain Ahab was obsessed with the Great White Whale. No Wooten, no peace.

“Has Governor Palin committed an impeachable offense?

“Hardly.

“Is what she did indictable?

“No.

“But it wasn’t appropriate, especially for someone elected as an ethical reformer.

“And her Orwellian claims of “vindication” make this blemish on her record look even worse.”

Yeah, Governor Palin . . . we got tired of the big insult and understand this: We’re too smart to believe you - anymore - about anything.

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

WON'T Get fooled again . . .

By l.t. Dravis

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Tuesday, September 30, 2008 – If past behavior is really the best predictor of future behavior, voters across the country must be wondering, “Does John McCain really think we can be fooled again?”

The failure of Congressional Republicans to pass the bailout package yesterday not only cost Wall Street a trillion plus dollars, it also gave us a preview of what John McCain would be like as a President faced with a crisis.

What?

McCain’s response to the Wall Street meltdown gives voters a frightening insight into the character, temperament, and capabilities of the 72 year old man who would be President . . . an insight that ain’t giving Americans any reason to trust McCain.

Don’t agree?

Okay . . . let’s look at what McCain has said – and done – over the past few weeks.

At a campaign stop in Jacksonville just two weeks ago, despite the failure of financial institutions like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and other ominous signs of turmoil on Wall Street and on Main Street, Senator McCain declared that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong”. Ironically, at the same time he made that statement, the McCain campaign was running a TV ad that opened with a poignant phrase: “Our economy is in crisis.”

Less than two weeks later, without having a clear idea of where his campaign was headed on the economic crisis, McCain told the nation that he’d decided he had no choice but to suspend his campaign so he could immediately return to Washington to provide the leadership necessary to resolve the Wall Street meltdown.

This is what Senator McCain said: “Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday nights debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.”

And this is what Senator McCain did: With cameras flashing, McCain attended a highly promoted White House meeting with George W. Bush, House and Senate leaders, and Barack Obama, with the promise of bringing everyone together to create a quick, resolution to the economic crisis. The Senator from Arizona added absolutely nothing constructive to the proceedings and the meeting ended in chaos.

Then, despite his commitment to remain in Washington until the economic crisis was resolved, despite his initial decision to stay away, McCain suddenly changed his mind and flew to Mississippi to debate Barack Obama.

Fast forward to yesterday morning when John McCain bragged to the world how his leadership brought the bailout bill to victory . . . only hours before the bailout bill was defeated.

Later yesterday, after it was clear that dissident Republicans effectively killed the bailout bill, McCain distanced himself by saying the bill failed because, “Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process.”

Despite McCain’s rhetoric, everyone knows that Senator Obama didn’t defeat the bailout bill; everyone knows that the bailout bill was defeated because John McCain wasn’t capable of persuading 133 of 199 Republican Representatives to support it.

If McCain had the ability to bring politicians together to put the bailout bill over the top, don’t you think he would have done it yesterday?

Woulda, coula, shoulda . . . but he didn’t

So, what does John McCain’s behavior over the past few weeks tell you, me, and the rest of the country?

It tells us that when faced with a crisis, a President John McCain would work the cameras, play the media, and talk the right talk while failing to provide the leadership necessary to unify opposing factions to provide a viable resolution.

Seems like we’ve been there and done that.

After two terms of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, I’m betting we won’t get fooled again.

What do you think?

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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We want to hear BOTH SIDES NOW© so we can send your concerns to

435 Representatives and 100 Senators until they listen . . .

and then, we’ll do it some more

THE Truth behind McCain’s boost in the polls . . .

By l.t. Dravis

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Friday, September 12, 2008 – The New York Times is reporting that with 52 days to go until election day democratic operatives are ‘nervous’ about the McCain campaign’s recent boost in the polls.

There are rumblings that some democratic strategists think McCain may have picked up enough momentum in the past week to carry him through to victory on November 4.

I don’t know about that, but there is a legitimate question on the table: Why are voters running to Senator McCain?

Even voters with misgivings about how Obama plans to pay for his proposals say they see his ‘change we can believe in’ message as reasoned, viable, and generally good for the nation and the world.

Voters give Obama kudos for not having jumped from one track to another like McCain did when he recently morphed from the ‘experienced’ candidate to the ‘change’ candidate.

Voters view the selection of Joe Biden to be a solid, straightforward choice without political gamesmanship, controversy, or doubts over potential conflicts or scandals.

Voters understand and appreciate the fact that the Obama campaign focuses on issues, not personalities, distractions or distortions.

And, voters who look into the Obama campaign will see that the two Davids (Axelrod and Plouffe) who engineered the hard fought victory over Hillary Clinton in the primaries are considered by those in the know to be the best of the best (since James Carville) at managing a political campaign.

On the other hand, voters who compare what John McCain says versus what he does will wonder why, despite his ‘anti-lobbyist’ stance, he hired Rick Davis, one of Washington’s best known lobbyists, to run his campaign.

Voters who ask why John McCain and Sarah Palin refuse to talk about specific solutions to specific problems will get their answer from Rick Davis who told the media that the 2008 presidential campaign is about personalities, not issues.

By the way, what do you think? Would Rick Davis stand face to face with laid-off workers in Detroit or with working families struggling to send their children to college or with a retired couple filing for bankruptcy because they can’t pay medical bills or with the families of Americans killed and wounded in Iraq and tell them to forget issues and vote personalities?

Yes? No? Probably not.

In any case, what is the truth behind McCain’s boost in the polls?

It didn’t happen because Senator McCain offered specific solutions to serious economic problems currently faced by the American people.

It didn’t happen because he came up with a strategy to immediately reduce the price of gasoline.

It didn’t happen because he proposed a new plan to immediately begin reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

It didn’t happen because he introduced plans to seal our borders and cope with twelve million illegal immigrants and their families.

It didn’t happen because he proposed new legislation to help American families pay for their children’s college educations.

It didn’t happen because he introduced new foreign policy initiatives designed to make the world safer for America and our allies.

And it didn’t happen because the good senator came up with a plan to provide affordable health care insurance for all Americans.

So, what’s the truth behind McCain’s boost in the polls?

The truth is voters chose to believe distortions and lies (like the phony indignation over ‘lipstick-on-a-pig’ and the McCain approved ad that actually accuses Senator Obama of endorsing sex education for kindergarten students) and because McCain slickly picked the inexperienced, proudly imperfect ‘hockey mom-we-all-can-identify-with’ to be his running mate.

What could these voters be thinking?

Shouldn’t they support the candidate whose insight, vision, and judgment embody the leadership qualities necessary to quickly and effectively solve the problems we currently face?

Shouldn’t they support the candidate who best manages his campaign because they can see how he will manage the country?

Shouldn’t they support the candidate who proposes specific solutions for specific problems?

And, shouldn’t they support the candidate with the character, intellect, temperament, and wisdom to be a commander-in-chief who would never send American troops to fight the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time?

Shouldn’t they?

Join the conversation about politics from the working person’s point of view, BOTH SIDES NOW style, at http://bothsidesnowbiz.blogspot.com/

Copyright © 2008 by LTD Associates West, Ltd. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.