Of Legislators and Orators

Years ago when a state representative that is a friend was up for reelection, he called me to pick my brain (or what there is of it.) In the course of the conversation he admitted he hated to campaign, but he loved to legislate. He was right, he was a great legislator, but he lacked the personal charisma of someone like JFK. Very few people knew about his accomplishments in the State House of Representatives (and later the State Senate.), because he didn’t speak in sound bites. 

It takes good “sound bites” (those 30 second or less lines that attract attention) to make the evening news, but the oratory necessary to convince people to vote for (or against) a bill is usually longer and is ignored by the media.

What brought this to mind is the quip a media type made about John McCain and Barack Obama. Obama is a “sound bite” politician; McCain is an orator. McCain gets things done; while Obama is talking about getting things done. Unfortunately, it will be Obama who hits the evening news not McCain. And, what McCain gets done will be ignored by the media unless it’s something like McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform. It’s hard to ignore something that has your name pasted all over it and the media does like campaign finance reform, because it plays right into their hands. How? If you limit what a PAC can spend, you take their influence away; and the media becomes even more influential by showing those 30 second “sound bites” that they love so well. All the rest gets censored.

Yes, censored. While the mainstream media rears it’s ugly head roaring against censorship, it’s the biggest practitioner. Ask yourself the following question, “Who decides what goes into a newspaper (or on the TV screen.)” It’s the media

How bad is the censorship? Did you know the Mexican Army has invaded the United States? No you didn’t read that wrong. There have been incursions over the border numerous times over the last 10 years, but recently a small contingent of the Mexican Army (they were in uniform, had army issued guns and id’d themselves to the Phoenix police) came into the Phoenix metro area. They shot at some residents of a private home and admitted they would have shot at Phoenix police, but they ran out of bullets. Now, it could be they lied, stole the uniforms and weapons, etc., and were really drug smugglers. (They were going after a drug smuggler who was in a private Phoenix residence.) They could also be both members of the Army and drug smugglers. Ah, I’ve got you there, but the drug and human smuggling that goes on the in the desert southwest, is often aided and abetted and joined by the Mexican Army. And, the only reason this came to light in the Phoenix area was because the police union is getting fed up with the antics of Phoenix’s mayor, Democrat Phil Gordon. Last winter a Phoenix police officer was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been let go a few weeks earlier with just a ticket.   It seems the police were not allowed (by edict of the Mayor) to ask if he was legal or illegal and had to let him go without asking his residency status. Less than a month later he killed the police officer. And, yes, that news was censored by all but the Arizona media.

Under ordinary circumstances, an incursion by another army onto sovereign soil is considered an act of war. Ask Israel.

And, so Senator “sound bite” Obama will get the press and Senator Orator McCain will be ignored. And, your friends will tell you about all the wonderful things Obama says and nothing about what McCain does. .

Is the water getting hot enough for you yet?