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Pundits, Polls and Perspective
Advance note: this isn't a burning platform on campaign issues - just a thought on perspective and the importance of staying balanced.
Today, as I hung up the phone after talking my mother off the "Obama is doomed" ledge for the umpteenth time, I wanted to take a moment to see what you all think about these pundits, polls and and all the campaign spin.
I'm not typically rattled by much particularly when I am firm in my understanding and convictions. However, the incessant spin around this campaign season seems to be taking a toll (at least on the people around me).
Today's memo from the Clinton campaign on polls reminded me of the email Penn sent out after Iowa with the regrettable "Where's the bounce?" gloating (about an hour before the bounce showed up).
This tete-a-tete with the respective campaigns' spinning something new every 15 minutes is just not important - a few of them are true undercurrents and wind up breaking through but most of them aren't and don't. Which is also why these polls need to be taken with a grain of salt (or a handful).
I'm a consumer in the age of instant gratification and absolutely admit to my political internet news addiction. I love politics and I love having access to all of this information. Which means reading Penn and Plouffe, reading poll data and reading all the punditry pretty much 24/7 for me.
In the end though, I keep my perspective by going back to my understanding and my convictions. That doesn't mean my preferred candidate will win the nomination or the election. But it keeps me grounded in the facts (such as they are) and enables me to be informed without being worried.
Which brings me to my question - how do you keep your perspective during "silly season?"
Comments (1)
Well if you are an addict but still maintain some perspective, that's amazing. I can't say that I do. I was never a big fan of Hillary's but I didn't hate her and thought she would make a pretty good president and, of course, be the first woman. So I would not have been happy but would have been OK with Hillary.
Well, now what seems clear to me is that the next president will either be Obama if he gets the nomination or McSame if Hillary gets it. I think Hillary always had a very narrow route to victory in the general and there is just no way she would be able to pull that off after the blood bath that would be Denver. It's hard to believe, but in some ways, McSame scares me even more than Bush.
I am completely obsessed with all of this. I have found that Al over at The Field is pretty good at calming the nerves with his perspective. He's confident that the supers will fall in line...
March 20, 2008 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
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