| Because the mass media focuses on the personalities of political figures rather than their substance, it helps makes possible the election of incompetents such as George Bush, an authority on constitutional law says. What will such a focus mean for the 2008 election cycle?
The Role of the Mass Media in Selecting Presidential Candidates
According to Glenn Greenwald, in the eyes of the media George W. Bush was the more "likable" candidate and was the victor of a "very small minded personality war" during the 2000 campaign in which the mainstream media focused on a candidate's personality instead of more substantial issues like competency and experience. Glenn Greenwald's remarks came in an interview with Dean Lawrence R. Velvel of the Massachusetts School of Law on the radio program What the Media Doesn't Tell You. Greenwald is a former constitutional lawyer who is now a columnist and blogger on politics and the media for Salon.com. The focus of the program is on how George Bush became the Republican candidate in 2000. In addition, Greenwald has just written a book titled A Tragic Legacy that details the disaster that has become the presidency of George Bush. The show will be aired over World Radio Network on Sirius Channel 140 on both Saturday (June 30) and Sunday (July 1) at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
What the Media Doesn't Tell You is a new radio program which discusses subjects the mainstream does not present (or presents only very briefly) and why the media ignores these subjects.
Greenwald said that there were three fundamental reasons why George Bush became the Republican candidate in 2000. One he called "tribalism," meaning the cultural ideology of the right wing. Another was the political lineage of the Bush family. Finally, Bush has an affable personality that the media liked. This last point was of major importance, said Greenwald, because the mass media focuses on personal amiability and attractiveness, not on competence or knowledge. It also focuses, he said, on the horse race aspects of politics - - who is ahead, by how much and why. Here too it ignores competence and knowledge.
The reason the mass media ignores substance is that it is now largely owned by large corporations, which feel they get more readers and viewers - - and make more money - - by focusing on personalities rather than substance. Reporters have to go along with this to advance in their careers. In this vacuum of substance, said Greenwald, blogs are making an important contribution because they are focusing on the substance neglected by the mass media.
In addition to the foregoing reasons, there were also other reasons too why George Bush became the Republican candidate. The Republican political establishment was desperate to win, especially because it hated the Clintons, and was persuaded that George Bush had the best chance to win. And while member of the Republican establishment weren't completely sure about Bush's ideology, they knew they did not like John McCain's. Bush also had name recognition because of membership in a political dynasty, and he had access to huge sums of money. Nor did the Republican political establishment care a whit about the inadequacy of Bush's record as Governor of Texas, nor about the fact that he had been a continuous failure in business - - and thus had never demonstrated competence.
When asked whether America needs a third party because currently it has "only one party with two branches," Greenwald demurred. In his view, the situation is currently so terrible that it is crucial to defeat the Republicans in 2008, and he feels the Democrats have the best chance to do this. He thus favors efforts to change the Democrat Party so that, in those areas where it closely overlaps the Republicans, it would instead stand for the very things that a third party would otherwise stand for. In response to the possible objection that the nation is claimed to be in a critical state in every single presidential election - - a claim that would always augur against a third party and would make it impossible ever to start one - - Greenwald said that this time the situation truly is dire.
Greenwald concluded by saying that it is now essential to find candidates who will engage in honest, competent debate, for the edification of the American people, about America's role in the world.
Listen to the Interview Now at: www.velvelonmedia.libsyn.com/rss.
For more on What the Media Doesn't Tell You visit: www.velvelonmedia.com.
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2007 by AlternativeApproaches.com
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