I normally don’t let the outside world into my bedroom early in the morning, but today was an exception. I didn’t stay up last night to see every state’s results in the massive primary event, and I was interested in the final tally.
So I watched about ten minutes this morning and learned that Super Tuesday wasn’t the defining moment for any candidate, left or right, donkey or elephant, red or blue. And I’m glad. I’m tired of all the campaigning already, especially with about nine months go. However, as long as we subject ourselves to this timetable for presidential elections, I’m glad to see the process take its course and not have any frontrunner locking in one or the other’s party’s nomination.
From Tim Russert and Pat Buchanan to Meredith Viera and Diane Sawyer, television’s commentators were out in full force too. They were dissecting and opining with missionary fervor.
I wonder where newscasters in the mold of Tom Brokaw have gone. His interview technique was about getting the interviewee to talk. It wasn’t about telling the interviewee what he thought. This current batch of “reporters” seems bent of making the most salient observation, the most analytical comment, the smartest quip so that they are the ones remembered instead of the interviewee or the person under scrutiny in absentia.
Meredith Viera, who I thought was the host of a game show, interviewed Hillary Clinton and asked if she was disappointed that she didn’t have the race sewn up. Granted, the senator gave an answer that avoided her real opinion, but that isn’t new. What struck me was that Ms. Viera interrupted Ms. Clinton and said, “This sounds like you are making lemonade out of lemons.”
I would have much preferred to form my own opinion about Ms. Clinton’s response, rather than have some talk show host, try to do it for me.
Leave a Reply