Off-peak: Primary Season
I think like many people, I’m suffering from what can only be called a Primary Lull. For four weeks (and another two on the way), there have been no CNN primary parties, no Dems Watch parties and, surprisingly, no elections. It’s kind of weird, actually, not to have this constant reminder of just how nail-biting the race is, just how black Obama is, just how much jewelry Hillary wear, how inaccurate polls can really be and how ridiculous the majority of the pundits really are. It’s also kind of weird to adjust to the kind of issues this little primary hiatus has exposed–real campaign issues.
First, there was the Reverend Wright “scandal” that had several people outraged about his ties to Barack and many more people saying “Hey wait, I’ve said those same things before. I hope no one was listening.” Because of the timing of this scandal, pundits were able to spend days on it and actually really discuss the issue of race, as well as Obama’s momentous speech on the subject in America. If there had been a primary around that time, the media would have had an hour to cover it and Obama’s sudden drop in the polls would have had more of an effect on the dynamics of this race. However, since there was no primary, I don’t think people, especially politicians, are going to talk about race in the same way again.
Then there was the economy. Though no government employer (who’s more likely than not a conservative) or an economist (who makes no claims without data-which lags behind by six months), will tell you we’re in a recession–we’re in a recession. The lack of primaries gave all candidates time to roll out new Economic Stimulus packages and begin to show what they’re made of policy wise. (It’s important to note that, while both Clinton and Obama came up with decent ‘stimulus’ packages, Obama’s is the only one that touches the heart of the issue: politicians can do nothing about the problem other than rebuild confidence. The recession was caused by the Fed and banks (both completely independent entities) and can only be fixed by the Fed and banks. Thus Obama can gain even further by showing he is actually strong on foreign relations.)
And now, there is Mark Penn. (Well, there’s always been Mark Penn but this time he’s a legit problem.) He’s in hot water this week for being hired by the Columbian government to negotiate a free trade agreement with the US that Hillary opposes. Not only does this demonstrate that Hillary only hired people who saw her campaign as a personal business investment and didn’t have the best interests of the American people at heart, but it also shows how little Hillary has attempted to surround herself with people who actually support her own positions. Since we have two more weeks before a primary, I think now would be a good time not only for Obama to get back at Hillary for her revelation of his negotiations with Canada but also to point out that Hillary’s completely anti-free trade stance is actually bad for Americans. He needs to take this time to point out the bigger picture (as he is so good at doing) and set and agenda for America’s role in trade. He doesn’t even have to argue for free trade. He can be in favor of fair trade (which any economist, and I actually include myself in this, will tell you is really just a step in the direction of free trade).
My, it’s amazing what petty things come up when the media doesn’t have anything to create a football stadium-esque commentary around.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Eh, perhaps the media is filling a role it’s not expected to.
I see the circenses… but where’s my panem?
Excuse me, but Sioux Falls had an election today. And, the progressive, pro downtown development candidate, Vernon Brown, was victorious – 61% to – whatever. All we cared about was that he won. Where’s CNN when you need them?