By Martin Bracewell, Community Voices
As the election draws near, it behooves us to look carefully at the candidates running for local office. Here in Savage, we are looking at county and school board seats. We have a special opportunity in District 191 this year. Of the three seats open this year, only one incumbent has chosen to run for re-election.
There has been controversy over the use of ISD 191 tax dollars of late, and the best way to influence the board is to carefully choose its members. I don’t necessarily recommend throwing out the one incumbent. We have removed some of our best people when we’ve been in a “throw the rascals out” mode. Every candidate deserves to be evaluated by his or her views and credentials. Now is a good time to check the paper or contact candidates to learn more about them.
Getting information about the national election is more difficult. The major news outlets constantly analyze candidates and their spin gets into the mix. Most of these news organizations are in and around Manhattan. Some call them the “Mainstream Media.” I call them the “News and Information Networks in New York” (NINNY for short). Since they love analysis, let’s analyze the NINNY.
This is the longest presidential campaign season I have ever seen. Before the 2006 mid-term election, Barack Obama graced the cover of a major newsmagazine with the caption, “This man could be the next President.” The New York newsboys knew they had their candidate way back then. His image has been ubiquitous ever since, usually smiling directly at the camera like the Dalai Lama. Not only did this man pass their political litmus test, but he could appeal to minorities, and with a little help from Oprah, he could draw the women’s vote, as well. Hillary Clinton was no longer necessary and the awkwardness of a former president becoming the first gentleman was no longer an issue.
On the Republican side, they had their favorite “maverick” John McCain. He too, was no longer necessary after he defeated the last of the more traditional Republicans, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. After an eight-year love affair with the Republican most known for compromising with Democrats, the New York Times threw a scandal at him. The scandal didn’t stick, but Obama was ahead in the polls and the NINNY were happy.
But something went awry. McCain continued to be a maverick and surprised the media bosses with Sarah Palin. Women voters were energized again and the disenchanted Republican base came alive. This was a major wedgie for the NINNY. Sarah Palin had to be destroyed, but they knew little about her. The more they learned, the worse it got. She turned out to be everything a feminist is supposed to be; a self-made woman, a reformer and she wasn’t afraid to go after “big oil.” The Democrats remembered their etiquette for women candidates and exercised some restraint, but the NINNY became the National Enquirer, making an issue of Palin’s pregnant daughter and spreading unconfirmed rumors. When that didn’t work, some journalists brought out their doomsday weapon; accusing people who won’t vote for Obama of racism.
Former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg explains why the NINNY are this way in his book, “Bias.” In Manhattan, Goldberg says, you can live your whole life and never meet a conservative. This was well illustrated in 2004, when the Republican National Convention came to New York City. I watched coverage on PBS. After saying a few words about the people at the convention, the host looked at a guest, folded his hands, furrowed his brow and asked, “Who are they?” The guest, who represented the Pew Research Center, gave the same answer as Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean; that Republicans are basically religious white males. When a New York newsman wonders what a Republican is, he asks a Democrat.
Goldberg once suggested a solution; place news bureaus all over the country in cities like Tupelo, Miss. and Des Moines, Iowa. When his colleagues realized he wasn’t joking, they asked him if people in those cities wouldn’t be rather provincial thinkers. He said that they would indeed, but no more so than in New York.
We see their mindset every four years when the networks set up news centers in Des Moines for the Iowa caucuses. They always show rural scenes along with a picture of Des Moines and describe Iowa like they’ve never seen it before. Reporters go everywhere, but the big NINNY guys don’t get out much. Ronald Reagan noted in 1976 that honest reporters saw their stories twisted by the editors.
Fortunately, we live in the age of information. The Big Apple is no longer the big cheese. We can compare several sources and form our own opinions. Both party tickets have someone who is not a white male so either way, we will set a presidential precedent. With the need for politically-correct symbolism satisfied, we can decide this election based on what we believe is best for the country. And we don’t have to let any NINNY tell us how we should vote.
(Martin Bracewell is one of 10 people in the Savage community who write for Community Voices. This column features a different writer each week and is one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)