Mainstream media struggles with new president, lacks appropriate label

With President Bush's departure, Democrats will need a new scapegoat. This photo was taken by Chris Greenberg during Bush's final term. The Bush administration provided a wealth of photos and information for media outside the official press corps on the White House website. Those materials are no longer on the website, as best I can tell.President Barack Obama promised transparency during his campaign, but already some media are complaining about briefings by anonymous officials and lack of access to Obama’s re-swearing. What do we call mainstream media now they’re no longer mainstream?

Mainstream media. Traditional media. Establishment media. Often when I write a column, I grapple with decisions about what to call media representative of national networks and long-time print publications like The New York Times. Even Google and other web-based companies have entered that progressive circle, with splash pages offering news headlines from around the world, in exactly the same manner wire services traditionally did. Ironically Google has at times run stories from political advocacy blog directories as straight news.

Click to read more ...

Numbers lady has Obama’s life path number—or does she?

The blogosphere is pushing President-Elect Barack Obama’s life path number to the front of the conversation, and numerologist Glynis McCants’ appearance on the George Noory Show on Jan. 15 has heated up the talk. McCants says Obama’s life path number is a 2 and already, the website  Women on the Web is confused about how she calculated that number, saying WOW's calculations make him a ‘9.’ Either WOW got the birthdate wrong or they didn’t really delve. My crude calculations based on the helpful website run by numerologist Michael McClain match McCants’. I came up with Obama having a master number of 11—an intensified 2.

Just for fun I calculated the life path numbers of my daughters, my husband and myself. I tossed in a friend’s for good measure. It’s eerie the way those numbers actually reflect each individual’s personality. Commenters at WOW were less than kind about McCants who is known by her fans as “The Numbers Lady.”

Click to read more ...

Geithner not the only politico who botched taxes

Senatorial hopeful Al Franken has problems with taxes, as does Rep. Charles Rangel. Both are Democrats. [Photo Al Franken campaign site.]At the moment, President-Elect Barack Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs is hard-pressed to defend Obama’s choice of Tim Geithner for Secretary of the Treasury. Geithner’s housekeeper had a problem with her immigration status, but that’s not really the big problem. The big problem is Geithner’s alleged failure to pay income taxes on some of his earnings. But Geithner isn’t alone in the tax quagmire, and that’s one reason I wrote to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) this morning. “America's tax system is antiquated and places an undue burden on many of us. In my opinion the tax system is unconstitutional because within that system we are not equals,” I wrote. Consider the fact Rep. Charles Rangel still chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. One duty is writing tax legislation. Yet Rangel botched his own taxes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) apparently forgave him, acquiescing to keeping Rangel on as chair.  And another Democratic senatorial hopeful has tax issues of his own.

Click to read more ...

Grand Old Party—anatomy of a down

Effective branding creates an image that lives far beyond conception. A perfect example of successful GOP branding is Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president. (Photo from White House website.)Part 1 in an analysis of the 2008 General Election campaign

Since Barack Obama won the presidential election, and a number of new Democratic faces will soon head to the House and Senate, Republicans are doing some rather uncharacteristic navel gazing. From blogs to liberal newspapers, on message boards and via email discussions, GOP faithful are analyzing the down. A family member did more than that on election night. She was furious. Not at Obama. At the GOP.

Click to read more ...

Chicago to run the US: Obama taps Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff

In Chicago Congressman Emanuel speaks at a press conference (7-20-07) attended by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), community leaders and environmental activists. (photo Emanuel Congress pages)Various media are reporting President-elect Barack Obama has asked Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to be White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel became a member of Congress in 2003. Previously he worked as a senior advisor for President Bill Clinton. In 1989 Emanuel served as a senior advisor and chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley. Aside from the Daley circle, Emanuel is also part of the Paul Simon circle--he worked on Simon’s 1984 election to the U.S. Senate. And here’s where the Chicago tale gets just more interesting. I doubt other media will explore lovely political triangles like this for you.

Click to read more ...

Halloween—will Joe the Plumber, McCain and Obama walk the streets alongside Miley Cyrus?

On Halloween there are always the requisite witches, pirates and rock stars. But with the general election days away, we’re guaranteed a few glimpses of political personalities. Not long ago, I heard a tap on my office door and there stood Obama, at least from the neck up, courtesy of an amazingly realistic mask. My daughter’s boyfriend has had a ball with that one. I threatened to take the broom to him if he tries to go vote while wearing that mask. A West Hollywood (Calif.) man hung an effigy of Palin from his chimney, perhaps the most tasteless and biased Halloween display this year.

Click to read more ...

Another TV station zapped by Obama-Biden

Oh, what a tangled web media has woven with its Obama-Biden love affair.  When journalists ask tough questions, the Obama-Biden team just can't take it. However, as anyone with half a brain knows, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been grilled, drilled and tossed on the flames since the Democrats announced their official team, eliminating Sen. Hillary Clinton as a favorite target. This video came to light after WFTV Orlando had the nerve to ask Sen. Joe Biden some real questions.

So at least two TV stations have been blacklisted. Ask yourself how an administration will handle tough questions (if they're asked) once one party controls all of Washington. That's happened before you know. When an inexperienced John F. Kennedy took the presidency (some say literally), in short order we had totally screwed up with Cuba and found ourselves in the most unnecessary war in American history. It took 25 years for a reporter to tell us the whole White House was bugged (Oops! They still can't find those tapes).

Two TV stations actually did the job media should do: shine a hard light on candidates. That's what every media outlet in the nation has done with the GOP candidates. But 'progressives' have a hard time forgiving and now another station goes on the Democratic no-can-interview list.