Mister Tredyffrin and Friends

At 9:01 pm - one minute after the polls closed in Wisconsin, both CNN and MSNBC projected Barack Obama the winner. CNN’s announcement was accompanied by a musical “election fanfare” to heighten the excitement. Though not a single vote had yet been tallied, Hillary was toast, based solely on exit polling.

Aside from feeling deep disappointment, I was angry, even disgusted at what I viewed as another shameless attempt by cable news to manipulate the outcome of this presidential campaign. For one thing, the polls were still open in Hawaii where voters could easily be influenced by the “instant” reporting in Wisconsin. For another, all voters, including Hawaiians, were witnessing hours of “Obamaphilia” presented as election analysis by so-called experts.

It was all about Obama’s charisma, his momentum, his style. And it was no surprise to anyone in the newsroom that Obama was cleaning up in Wisconsin. Clips of his speeches were shown as the returns actually came in. Adoring crowds were featured.

Meanwhile, Hillary was reported to be losing by double digits, she was off-message, not connecting with voters, not running her own campaign, negatively affected by Bill’s campaign remarks, losing ground to Obama with white men, white woman, people over 50, Latinos and low-income voters. “Unless he stumbles, she won’t be able to close the gap.” “The Clinton campaign is on crutches.” “It’s in disarray.” “She’ll have to go negative, but then that will probably not help her..” “And did you notice that she didn’t even congratulate Obama on his big win tonight? Now that’s a mistake.” “No, she needs to admit she lost and ask voters for their help.” “She needs to connect emotionally"…Bla bla bla.

Follow up:

I wonder how many others have had their fill of this blather. And the gauzy messages of hope, the lemming-like chants, “Yes, we can; yes, we can". Who wonders, as I do, what a “diferent kind of politics” actually means? Is this country so enthralled with Obama’s soaring oratory that we’ve forgotten once again about the requisite knowledge and experience that make for a good President? Are we so anxious to be rid of the most incompetent, arrogant, corrupt disappointment of a president ever that we’re rushing to embrace a man who least reminds us of George W. Bush? A man (Obama) with no record of past mistakes, poor judgment, or even a tangential association with scandal? I wonder.

For me, the saddest part of all this is that Hillary Clinton would make the best President of the remaining three candidates. (Mike Huckabee isn’t on the radar, unless you believe in miracles). She is better qualified, has the character, the temperament, the experience and the ability to deal with the complex mess Mr. Bush and Company will leave behind. She’s worked hard to become an expert on foreign and domestic policy. And unlike,Obama, who announces his intention to work “across the aisle", Hillary has a solid record as NY’s senator of doing so. She alone, among the three, has the best chance of delivering healthcare to all Americans. I trust her to extract us from Iraq without further endangering our troops or causing more instability. This is a woman who will give her all to the Presidency. An “all” we haven’t seen in a long time.

Hillary doesn’t deserve to go down this way. This presidential campaign has reminded all women that sexism is alive and well, and practiced with impunity by the media. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, blowhard extraordinaire, is only one of the recent offenders. So are the lower life forms who yelled “Iron my shirt!” at Hillary’s rallies. And I haven’t even ventured into the alternate universe called Fox News.

What has passed for serious commentary on cable news is appalling. Hillary’s too pushy. She cried like a woman - but it was all for show. She’s just not likable. She’s not human. What a shrill voice - and that laugh! She has fat ankles - did you know that’s why she always wears those mannish pants? (That gem comes from Carl Bernstein’s mouth) A female McCain supporter’s question, “How are we gonna beat that bitch?” was played over and over on cable stations as news anchors and commentators chuckled. She should have divorced Bill. She only stayed with him for her own political advantage. She “pimped out” Chelsea to beg for super-delegate support. It goes on and on.

Can we agree that Hillary Clinton has been subjected to pettier, more-mean-spirited attacks by broadcast media than any presidential candidate - ever? And Hillary haters can sit back, enjoy for the time-being, and save their money to savage the prevailing Democrat in the general election. Because right now corporate-run media is doing the dirty work for them.

To all the media mudslingers and self-important prognosticators I say, “A pox on all your houses.” You have lost the trust and respect of this viewer. From now on, I’ll look to PBS for accurate reporting and analysis. I’ll savor my daily NY Times, thank you.

And Hillary, you’re still The Woman!

jerseygirl

It is great to introduce yet another blogger to our staff. In addition to a well-deserved lambasting of the cable news networks, she here promotes her favorite Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton. In an effort to present some balance for the upcoming Pennsylvania primary election, we plan to have a parallel piece on Barack Obama in the weeks to come. Welcome Jerseygirl!

- Mr. Tredyffrin