Lure a jillion reporters to town offering nothing newsworthy to cover and what happens? They cover each other – or anything else that moves, like a hurricane. And the party message goes to the back burner.
The buzziest stories so far in Tampa are all about the news media talking about themselves:
On Monday Chris Matthews gets into a verbal tussle hurling racism charges at the GOP chairman, who later calls the MSNBC host a big “jerk” with just “ten viewers.” We jawboned that one for the rest of the day.
On Tuesday we don’t really know what happened between a CNN camera operator and Republicans on the convention floor because so far no one who actually knows is talking. Something about peanuts and racial slurs. Still, opposing sides formed battle lines and another evidence-free debate ensues.
Today, ABC/Yahoo news fired its Washington bureau chief after he was caught unawares on an open mic suggesting that the Romneys are partying while “black people drown” – an apparent reference to Hurricane Isaac. The inevitable media hand-wringing begins about the justice of his punishment.
Perhaps Mitt Romney should have waited to pick a running mate. Anymore, that’s the only news left for conventions that can keep reporters covering the party’s agenda. Having deprived themselves of that option Romney aides are instead teasing the press with talk of a “mystery speaker” to come. Pitiful.
No-news conventions might be worth it if the media played along without distraction, but today’s press corps and blogosphere is too competitive to be satisfied with talking points.
What is the point of spending nearly $200 million on a convention with no guarantee that the coverage will do your party any good? Surely that money would be better spent on the campaign. With broadcast networks down to airing one hour a night it would be cheaper to just buy that time.
But so long as Congress votes to heavily subsidize these charades (this year, $68 million to each party), Democrats and Republicans have little incentive to change.
My guess is that if the federal government stopped bankrolling conventions they would end, or at least as we know them, because the parties would rather not drain donor dollars away from campaign budgets to pay for all of the cost — and fund what have basically become news media conventions.
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63 Responses to No-News Conventions No Good For Parties
Now on The Trail
Woo Hoo -- I’m reading a biography of Maimonides, the great 12th century Jewish doctor, Rabbi, and commentator on the Torah as the RAMBAM. Delighted to come across this bit that should probably be cited to all of the bible thumpers as it connects ancient biblical law to the Federalist Papers:
From the last thread:
Those homes in the low lying areas were there so that New Orleans had a place for the low income workers to live.
If you are going to let those places return to their natural state, then you need to pay for those people to relocate near to that geographic area rather than just dumping them in Texas so Barbara Bush can sneer at how much better off they have become.
If it is in the best interest of the city for them to stay, then the cost of protecting and/or saving them has to be built into the local budget.
That decision will be made when building permits to rebuild properties are no longer forthcoming. That was one of the key powers that FEMA was granted. And if governments didn’t comply, no more government flood insurance for them.
The businesses in NOLA must involve themselves in a solution. And, if someone allowed home sales in areas where land use was non-conforming, the homeowners certainly should get in line to seek redress.
Flatus,
I agree wholeheartedly. There is no way the gov’t should be be paying to save these low lying communities.
I have a house right on the intracoastal. It’s absolutely beautiful. I receive fema flood insurance. Why is the gov’t subsidizing my risk? It’s a second home…..I don’t have any reason to live there accept sheer personal pleasure…. the risk is mine and mine alone.
This is precisely what’s wrong with Washington. This nanny mentality is so pervasive that you will accept gov’t assistance regardless of whether you need it, want it, or deserve it.
And we all just keep paying…and paying….
woops….not accept…except
Yes it’s always a marvel to me when people who live in flood plains are surprised when their house floods. I’m sure they call them flood plains for a reason. I don’t fault people for living or building in flood plains, but I don’t get the surprise when the inevitable happens.
jax, try the edit function -- it’s beautiful thing for people like me who post then read their post and find the mistakes.
http://craigcrawford.com/2012/08/29/isaac-has-landed/#comment-296293
Hi POGO,
From the last thread, i understand where your coming from and i agree but i do give a crap about President Obama’s failing’s..As a Liberal i feel betrayed..Oh and for those who say stop crying and jump on the Obama bandwagon i say stuff it..Mostly we got in this mess because we refuse to hold Dems accountable and allow them to play that we have nowhere else to go game..There’s plenty of places to go.. I may still vote Obama if its close in Florida but i wont rah rah for him and i will continue to post his betrayal’s in an attempt to hold him and Dems accountable.
This is a tremendously big deal as it will allow organized groups to go into retirement homes to sign elderly residents up.
News Desk: Voter Registration Restrictions in Florida Rejected
by Taylor Marsh
Chris Christie’s Keynote Delivered Tough Love and Crashed into Ann Romney’s Message
by Taylor Marsh
Hey Craig, don’t forget the old Breitbart axiom…’It’s a reporters to make the news to cover!’
Drop off some fliers around the convention “Free Strip Show and Lap Dances, Male and Female for all Convention goers with ID” then put your room number on it and just sit back and wait. When somebody shows up, you’ve got a story!
Anyhoo, here’s my take on the whole thing so far…
-Boring GOP Convention Voter Turnoff?
So far this thing has been dull as dishwater. I’ll give Nikki Haley credit for getting under my skin (ala Sarah Palin) with her cutesy ‘spit in your eye’ but she’s a moot point this go round; in no race; in a ‘redrum’ state. Rick Santorum bored everyone’s pants off; AnnRomRy was flat and ‘Wake Me When the Fat Man Sings’ thought he was at the 2016 convention!
Chris Christie, in his keynote, barely had time to mention his endorsement of the RomRy ticket he was so busy campaigning for the 2016 GOP nomination. When he wasn’t bragging about himself he was doing a tantalizing strip tease of a build up to what was looking an awful lot like ‘tough love’ to the squirming Mitt and Ann in the audience. His big theme was that he wanted to be ‘respected not loved’. He said it about twenty times and even blamed ‘both sides’ for the political roadblocks. One could see the thought bubble above the Romney’s heads…Christie rolling and rolling down a long hill…..
In fact, the federal government will not provide flood insurance if local planning departments continued to allow people to build without mitigation in flood plains
For years, people along the Russian River viewed the floods as an opportunity to remodel….the feds threatened to deny flood coverage to the entire county if the planning department didn’t change their ways
Needless to say things changed very quickly. Now most of the houses in the flood plain are lifted and new construction is designed for the flood plain.
Sarah Palin: Fox News Canceled My Appearances
Huffpo
Has anyone else caught the Carville/Matelin commercial for air conditioning? I actually enjoy both of them for different reasons, but this bothers me … when commentators become so famous and their positions and catch lines so well known that they can be used to sell things, something is wrong with the whole culture’s value system.
Tonyb -- I say vote Obama for a second term, then demand the Legislative branch impeach him. Send a message to the Democratic Party that corruption will not be tolerated.
Hi Jason,
Ha, the message need to be sent somehow? My when you posted that Cenk piece, well it didn’t surprise me but it enrages me a Dem President that i voted for would consider compromise with Republicans when it comes to cutting SS/Medicare..Love your posts and i’m so glad your here..
I agree that anyone willfully taking the risk of a flood plain or for that matter a trailer in tornado alley, they are asking for destruction.
My only consideration is that poor people live where they can afford to live and work. When they are put in danger by the actions of man whether through trying to control a very big river or the global warming that puts them at ever great risk or the ineffectual corrective measures of inadequate levees and pumps, then they should be offered the one time chance to a paid for move and home acquisition.
Tonyb -- Sarah Palin was deluded into thinking her opinion matters to Fox News. It doesn’t. They just use her for ratings. She might NOT be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it is still sad to see someone used like this.
Her comments on wanting to talk about McCain reminds me of the end of Game Change.
I guess Carville Matalin must know their shelf life is about over — I think I saw them in a bourbon commercial --they are cashing in
Jamie
I don’t think Plaquemines has enough people to supply workers for New Orleans. Some census data
If you look it up on google maps what you get is a place that is 80% swamp with a narrow strip on both sides of the river with developement. No doubt protected by levies on all sides. With a population of 23,600, I suspect it is a combination of folks like our friend Carol and people that work on the water or do tourist fishing(google earth shows a number of boat storage yards.)
Jack
Tonyb -- Unfortunately, the most basic concepts, like Corruption is wrong, are foreign to Obama, the Republicans, and the Corporate Democrats.
Whether I come on jaslf or using my facebook account, I try to get on here at least once during the day.
Tony
No mystery there. Palin is too lazy and uneducated even for FOX. She’s not stupid, but you can only get so far on glib talking points with no information or substance as back up. When she was a shining star with a following, it was possibly worth the money, but now even the idolaters at the shrine have caught on to her greed and incompetence.
The current.com bubble fest is up and running for the night.
perhaps it’s only fair that we the taxpayers pay for the damages we the taxpayers have wrought.
<a href="http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/8888888555/student_view0/chapter13/ge_exercise
Krugman is absolutely savaging the Ryan plan and he’s doing it with actual facts.
Why have political conventions?
They are a cheap form of political advertising. OK, it costs $200 million, but you get 4 hours of national coverage on multiple cable channels for several nights, so it’s actually cheap.
As for the lack of substance, it’s there, but it’s all in “code words.” (If you aren’t a dog, you won’t hear the whistles.)
Finally, conventions are a way to “vet” potential 2016 candidates. Does their speech electrify the audience, or not?
At this convention, I think EVERY speech has been written by team Romney, and that’s why they all stink. (At a corporate stockholder’s meeting, no one is allowed to outshine the CEO.)
GOP security did the right thing by throwing these jerks out of the convention, but it shows what happens when you cater to racists
CNN camerawoman pelted with peanuts as delegate “fed the animal”
Al Gore is very good on the Current convention coverage…
Rand Paul is really strange. He speaks in a slow motion universe…
http://craigcrawford.com/2012/08/29/no-news-conventions-no-good-for-parties/#comment-296349
Jason,
Wow, your so right..Foreign it is…Glad you get here..
Jamie,
Yep, Sarah is going the way of Beck with FOX..Ha, maybe CNN will have her as they have dumbed themselves down till their nearly unwatchable..
Tony, If you think I want you to stop crying and jump on O’s
bandwagon, I’ve done a very bad job of saying what I mean. I don’t blame you for “crying” because I don’t think he’s done much of a job, either. What I DO think is that he’s better than mitt, a kind of seat saver, if you will, till 2016. There will be NO usa if mittgets in, especially if he gets a good congress. Then he would have nothing in his way to set up a single party government, with liberals as the loyal opposition. That has been Rove’s openly admitted vision for a long time.
With a totally-conservative sscotus, every egregious law would be found constitutional, and there would be a rash of new interpretations of that document. Suddenly the 14th
amendment wouldn’t mean really “equal” protection of the law.
As for corruption, I feel that it is natural and will continue to exist as long as people do. In many instances
it resembles compromise. Indeed many tea partiers see compromise as exactly the same as corruption. There is power out there for the taking -- everybody has some power, and people in politics have to deal with the different currents of power or they will accomplish nothing. So they trade their power as favors, and the higher they go, the more shady it gets. It can’t not happen
Isaac just went the river flowing south and the wind sent the gulf pushing north, and when they met. it caused a flood.
What else can happen when nobody has complete power,which is itself is even more undesirable.. So I think we need to be practical. I know you’re a truly good and nice person, and can’t stand to accept giving in to such cynicism so I’ll stop there.
So, Tony, I wouldn’t dream of criticizing you so please don’t take my words wrong. I don’t expect much of politicians
except that theytry to get something good aaccomplishmented
for everyone, not just a favored few.
Nemo, No. I’m pretty sure the catholic school is in French. The two older boys ahve gone thru a french pre-school and have a lot of experience at home etc so I think they’ll do okay. The confusion I expect to cause the 6 yo to ask why the teacher is called “sister” when he has no sister -- that kind of thing.
Really rough satirical “commercial” push back against legitimate rape wording. (warning, this may offend you).
I only started reading Current comments recently. but I already feel as if I must post this one about John Thune’s speech by Brett Erlich.
@bretterlich -- “That’s a lot of talk against government spending for a guy whose state’s only feature is an enormous face mountain”
http://craigcrawford.com/2012/08/29/no-news-conventions-no-good-for-parties/#comment-296358
Hi Bethy,
Oh no, i didn’t think at all that you were telling me to stop crying and just vote Obama..Another poster said that last week but she was generalizing and i didn’t take it personally..Oh and its not the first time I’ve heard this regarding Obama, remember after the 2008 primary!! Great post, fact filled and not much i can disagree with..Glad to read your well said post..
Jack,
You schooled me a bit in one of your previous posts,
and properly so.
I did use the word hate far too loosely, however I was only using it in the context of previous posts, in that particular thread.
I stand by the sentiment of my comment if not the wording.
You are correct hate is a very strong word and should not be thrown around lightly. I should not have done so with out a better explanation.
That said, I have a deep distrust of and a visceral dislike for the type of people I described, be they republican or democrat. I believe they have earned it.
jace
People should always vote their conscience and being conscious would help
KGC
Unfortunately the GOP propaganda via Fox and RW Radio is so thick that I’m afraid the knee jerk Republican voters could be declared worse than unconscious. They may be brain dead.
As the world turns -
New ‘Heartland’ Virus Discovered in Sick Missouri Farmers | LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/22813-new-heartland-virus-discovered.html
And this nugget :
Thawing permafrost frees millions of tons of carbon: study
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hfXpdIcWWTQ_zSJ0B-O77FUrSrnQ?docId=CNG.e7d48e291dbdd3c4cd46338f0cad0f07.a51
Jamie
Brain dead — really dead — republicans do not care.
there ought to be a law --oh wait there is and I believe it was a Republican who was recently caught voting for his deceased girl-friend for at least five years.
It seems we’ve awaken all the dragons.
West Nile Virus -
It seems the virus lives longer in the mouth parts of mosquitoes as the world warms. The mosquitoes have a warm winter , and a summer of slow water with dead warm pools .
All these tiny creatures are moving to adapt, when you see your love ones , kiss them deeply, because they are not.
By the way …….. Wheat crossed $9.00 a bushel, on fears that the drought in Russia will force a close of exports .
Russia is the #3 wheat exporter on Earth . This news marks yet another decline in grains coming from Russia.
Thank you all for watching the republican convention so I don’t have to.
If I need to puke, I’ll stick my fingers down my throat.
Bethy,
I’d forgotten one of your nieces (I think it was the boys mother, if I remember correctly) was a linguist. No wonder her boys are so bright and already bi-lingual. It amazes me that these little ones can learn one language so young, that your two little nephews can learn English and then go on to a french preschool. I don’t even think we even have any french speech schools here in Houston (?).
I’m still struggling with Emma on English (although she understands it perfectly), she can be a little difficult to understand. I’ve even begun to take her to speech therapy for 45minutes twice a week, because there seems to be a slight delay, compared what I hear from the some other kids in her preschool class. She drops some of her final syllables according to her (private, not public school) evaluation. I originally thought she was doing a type of abbreviation. I think I should have started this much younger.
I wonder how much genetics are involved in this type of thing. I’m someone who worries about everything, and I’m trying to give Emma every advantage I can to make things easier in her future. She’s a lovely, bright, happy little girl — (she can be head strong — can’t imagine where she gets that)
, gets along very well with other children (as a matter of fact, she seems like a bit of a leader) …but she has been slightly more difficult to raise than some of the more calm children I’ve seen. Not complaining, just trying to do all the right things to get her to the point she needs to be before she starts pre-K. She’s now 3 1/2, and since her birthday is in late Jan,, she won’t even start pre-K for a couple more years (they’re very strict here on the dates they start here). But I know how important it is to have her at the same place other kids her age are when I get her to that point, so I’m trying hard to everything right.
We adopted her mother when she was 2 yrs. old, and I’m not sure that there are not any genetic factors involved here too. Regardless, she is doing much better since she started pre-school and is spending more time around other children in her age group. She is very loving and sociable,happy go lucky and a general delight to be around. What a great sense of humor she has. It probably doesn’t take much, but she’s become quite good at outsmarting me in many instances (at least in getting her way)
.
I just think your nephews are very fortunate to move to a new country and learn about a culture that seems much different than ours. I assume (again) that this trip was planned for a while. Were you serious when you said you’d consider moving there too, if you felt it necessary? Just curious (ha, curious about everything French).
“The confusion I expect to cause the 6 yo to ask why the teacher is called “sister” when he has no sister”
I found that kinda humorous. What a change your boys are in for.
Hubby went to a Catholic School for a short while when he was a youngster, and the main thing he remembers is how strict they were. He managed to get hit with a ruler quite a bit, he says. I hope things aren’t like that any more.
It won’t be so painful in France; the rulers are in centimeters instead of inches.
If Michelle Obama said these things about America not being at an optimal state, don’t you think that the GOP would have jumped all over her?
LOL Flatus!!
I know your bi-lingual too (or tri or whatever). I have enough trouble just ‘trying’ to master English. I have great respect (or should I call it what it is, ‘envy’) for those who speak multiple languages. I’m a very fast talker, and the words just seem to spill from my mouth. What I say even often surprises me. That’s what happens when you think out loud, instead of filtering your thoughts before everyone else hears them.
Oh, if I could go back many years, I may have made a few different choices. But, at this point, I am who I am.
I’ve been often surprised by how many language some of the well known actors know. I can’t remember which ones, but some of them know 6 or 7 languages. This seems particularly true of foreign actors.
nite.
… oh, and CBob, I’ve made a not of your science articles so I can read them tomorrow when I’m actually awake.
I may just be walking (and talking) in my sleep right now, for all I know.
Stay up on your mushroom cloud, Condoleezza Rice .
“She might NOT be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it is still sad to see someone used like this.”
She got a couple $$$M!LL!ON out of the deal for doing essentially zilch for 2 years. Where else but at Fakes Gnus could middle-aged woman with average intelligence and a piss-poor education make $M!LL!ONS doing nothing? I wouldn’t say she was used, so much as financially augmented.
The rip up lican Plan To Do Better begins with a move to re-institute the property requirement for voting.
The Neo-Libs will try to amend, requiring a person to be a taxpayer before that person may vote.
rippers will naturally oppose this attempt, because there are times when zillionaire rippers pay no taxes. The rippers will say that only those who have a serious stake in the outcome, will conduct a serious study of issues and candidates. Therefore, they will continue, only M!LL!ONAIRE$ should be allowed to vote.
Eventually the Neo-Libs will go along with it and by 2016, most US citizens will be disenfranchised.
Has the ripper Party done itself damage by keeping wrong pol and his band of posse comitatus-kkk-aynrandian followers out of the auditorium ?
God, please make it so !
Tomorra is anotha day.
G’nite.
Nemo. It’s such a mixture of things that creates personality.
I think one factor with our kids is that grdparents have always been maniacal travelers and my sister is such a good sport when they travel. On a flotilla the head backed up and she “cleaned” it all up,with little if any complaining. On a trip to Sardinia to stay at a resort, the loo was in a small room outside and it blew up BIG time. She washed everything out. She was a nurse and says fecal surprises never bothered her the way they did the other nurses. She was obviously a great partner to travel with and set great examples of patience and not over-reacting for her two kids.
She has spent years of time planning their forays and getting airline itineraries. I would never ever, could never
do that.
On the other hand, she is the hardest person I’ve ever had to deal with, including all students I ever had. She is two years oler than I and is greatly responsible for the depression I’ve had all my life. On the other hand I am much kinder and more patient and treat other people more nicely.
We’re doing great now, but it took me to my knees for me to realize that I could just walk away, and tough on her.
So the grdparents are very unusual. Andrea fell in love with Paris and saved money to go to the Sorbonne for a year, and then went to grad school in Lyon. She met the Excellent man and that was it. He’s frnch canadian and also speaks spanish
The had their kids in their thirties and I think are really good people. They talk with the kids all the time -- Andrea has been careful to give them lots of opportunities. She got them a kids kitchen cabinet with fake foods. The boys
have enthralled us playing waiter and cook. They do a lot of art projects and love it -- drawing, playing with clay etc.
I would never have thought about those two areas, but these kids love to do this as much as they like to tear bark off beautiful old trees and dig holes in new sod. I don’t know where she has gotten her ideas cuz she says she never even
thought about having kids, but I’m in awe of her and love to brag about her, obviously. I don’t think my other niece and my nephew are quite the same, but they love their kids and the kids are cute.
I got on line to vent my shock and fear at what I’ve heard re these speeches tonight, but I’m completely fatalistic now.
So I got carried away talking about things that ease my fears and warm my heart. Sorry. One of my favorite times was when Liam, five and a half at the time, was showing me how to color something and very seriously tole me it would look better if I didn’t just choose random colors.
I thought it was pretty damn cool that Paul Ryan’s iPod playlist starts with AC/DC and ends with Led Zeppelin. Then I realized that AC/DC is an Australian rock band and Led Zeppelin is an English rock band. The hell? What about our great American rock bands?!
american bands? ha…they’ve all forbidden use of their material by the GOP….all that’s left to them is Ted Nugent and NOBODY wants to hear that….