Home » Barack Obama, Fixing the Problems, Waking Up

In search of the “Big Things” — Open Thread

By Carmen D. on Monday, September 8th, 2008, 9:50 pm Comments

As I listened to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, this is the line that most resonated with me:

You make a big election about small things.

It was such a clear and true observation. It rings in my head still. I’ve found my heart screaming at the so called “journalists” lately. Watching as they follow the shiny object while cowed into some kind of obsequious quest to be liked by all parties, just blows my mind sometimes. Where is Edward R. Murrow’s ghost when you need it to slap some sense into the deferential members of the Fourth Estate? Dissention is so mumbled these days that it’s almost whispered. What is that about?

Do you see it, too?

Back to my concern. I don’t want to just parrot back at what the MSM is feeding me from moment to moment. Everyday almost, I’m ticked off by something some candidate says. But that’s not it. I know it’s not. I just don’t want to be a part of the engine that makes this “big election about small things.”

If we are in a fight for the our country’s soul, then what does winning look like? What does losing mean? What am I willing to fight for?

I am sorting that out — and learning new equipment at the same time. I plan to VLog in a couple of days laying out what I’m thinking. I will post the video here, as well as on YouTube.

So I’ll be back on Wednesday. With some fresh ideas and newly acquired technological skills.

Until then, please talk amongst yourselves — out loud. In other words: Open Thread.

What’s on your mind? Please Jump In.

  • We've been sucked in, co-opted, distracted, and driven off course.

    It's time we stopped following the Trojan Moose, and all their lies. We need to get back to the issues.

    No more blogs from me about Palin!
  • I get very little of my news from the MSM actually. I'd say that I feed my news fix via the web from a myriad of independently owned sites, and rarely from watching any of the major TV networks (including cable TV).

    I've come to realize that they are actually more of a form of entertainment for me than what we could call real shrines of journalism and journalistic integrity. For example, I think I laugh more while watching an episode of O'Reilly's charade of a program, than an episode of your routine half-hour prime time comedy sitcom.

    But it's not just FOX.

    Keith Olbermann is just as much of a pugilist showman for MSNBC.

    These guys are entertainers, not what I would consider journalists, and that's why we watch them... that's why they attract the kind of viewership that they currently do. Just like going to the movies, Americans in general, mind-numbingly, like to be entertained; and as we all know, ratings matter for the networks. So when their intent isn't necessarily motivated by realism, but rather the need to maximize profits, you get these "performers" who focus on those "small things," because we demand that they do.

    Attempts to focus on "big things," especially hard truths about our country and its citizens, aren't always met with much public interest. We like fast food!

    But I share your dismay.
  • This post sounds almost despairing, Carmen, here's hoping you can find some new sources of inspiration and faith soon. I was inspired this morning by listening to Amy Goodman's interview of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who said in part,

    You know, a few weeks ago, I had John Dean on my show on Air America. And John Dean, as you know, was the counselor to President Nixon during the Watergate scandal. And Dean said to me—Dean went to prison for his participation in the cover-up. And he said, “You know, we eavesdropped illegally on one office, and I went to jail for four months, and my boss was impeached and then forced to resign.” And he said, “These people have illegally eavesdropped on hundreds of thousands of Americans.” And he said, “Where’s the impeachment? Where are the convictions? Where’s the imprisonment? Where’s the jail term? Where is the American press? Where is the indignation?”

    And, you know, we need to continually remind ourselves that the Bill of Rights is not a luxury we can no longer afford and that America is not just a place where people come to, you know, increase the size of their pile, and whoever dies with the most stuff wins. Our nation is an exemplary nation. And that’s the way the world regards us, and that’s what they want from us. And when we start lowering our standards, we lose our prestige, we lose our capacity to influence world events, and we lose the soul of our country. And we now need to gain that back.


    I'm looking forward to the v-log too!
  • If we have learned nothing else throughout this process, we should have learned that the media is about perpetuating the horserace.


    If the race is perceived to be over, we will all go watch Fringe, or Ball State and Navy instead of the Chris Maddow Olbermann show with Wolf O'Reilly and Anderson Hume filling in.

    whatever news will perpetuate the horserace, that is the news we will get.

    Whoever is ahead will get all the attention to keep them from getting TOO far ahead.

    Last one with the ball wins.


    Caca, I say.
  • Chi Chi
    That's exciting. Can't wait to see your VLog. Yes, I too am upset with the media. They're not doing their jobs and I wonder if that's not on purpose. Huge corporations own our media and they have their own agenda, which is not to help the public, but to keep our minds enslaved. Thank God for people like you and the other great bloggers.
blog comments powered by Disqus