Some observations:
I liked voting in the governor's race today. The choice is in between a candidate I like and one I abhor. I have met both men. One struck me as honest if naive and the other as an out-and-out liar who would do literally anything to continue in power. It is interesting that neither is a "northern" Georgia politician. Both are from farming areas. And yet the choice to me was so clear as to be anti-climactic. I wonder if you know who I voted for? It was also aggravating to see a truck at the polling place conviently placed just outside of 150 feet (we asked) that was plastered with bumper stickers advocating the one candidate in the country I would like to see defeated above all others at the moment. Just left there for others to see. How do I know this, you ask? Because the man who owned it was dropped off by someone else to pick it up. Wearing his candidate's t-shirt. I hope they made him cover that up before he voted.
Now to what really made me mad. I came home, watched (and slept to) Cars, and then turned on some election day coverage. This has got to be good right? Well, let's just say that I only watched 10 minutes. I'll probably end up watching more later, but just to continue getting pissed off. Hey, I'm a sucker for punishment.
First, I turned on CNN. Just sorta wanted to see what the mood was. Pure euphoria reigned! Did you know that the Democrats are riding a tide of anti-Bush and anti-Iraq war sentiment to a sure-fire majority in Congress? I sure didn't. It's over. A foregone conclusion.
So, intrigued, I turned to Fox News. Just wanted to see what their mood might be. Did you know that Republicans are so energized by Kerry's comments and Democrat attacks that they are more likely to go to the polls than Democrats? It's looking like the Republicans will stay in power. Constancy is assured.
Two seperate news agencies, two seperate outlooks, same mood. Anyone who says there isn't bias on "their" news channel hasn't looked closely enough. However, maybe it was inevitable, unavoidable. People will gravitate towards those who validate their own opinions and worldview. We choose our news based on what we like (it is, after all, entertainment, right?). Those who rail against CNN for being a puppet of Clinton and Fox for being a puppet of Bush are just adding channels to their list of things and people they hate for being associated with the enemy (or at least an organization or person they hate). Hey, I did it at the beginning of this blog! I have always liked print news better anyway. There's so much less speculation in it. Don't get me wrong, I like 24-hour news, it's just so rarely accurate with breaking news.
So, one news outlet will be able to say at the end of the day that they were right all along, when all they did was preach to their choir. Also, undoubtedly, the other one will point to certain segments they ran during the day to prove how even-handed they were with their coverage. And so progresses the de-education of America.
