As A Matter Of Fact

The days when television news separated its' news content from its' editorial content are long gone. Whether on the left or the right, the viewers know that, and all that ancient footage of Eric Sevaraid offering his commentary (always carefully labeled as such) on the Evening News must seem horribly quaint and old -fashioned to the news directors running today's newsrooms. Still, most viewers, being the intelligent creatures they are, have at least some awareness that news and editorial are now one and the same, and so, in its' fashion, the whole system keeps chugging along. An odd result of all this is that as audiences have become skeptical, the ability of the newsroom to influence public opinion may, in fact, be diminished. Does anyone trust the "news" anymore?

Of course that's just a theory of mine, and I only bring it up because of an odd comment I heard on one of our local newscasts (unfortunately, in my dotage, I can't remember which one). While reporting on the Obama campaign, I heard a reporter describe Obama as "a great communicator". Mind you, he didn't say "some have described Obama as a great communicator". He merely said that Obama is a great communicator. Clearly, to my mind at least, that is a matter of opinion, and that it was offered as fact didn't really surprise me as I've come to expect such statements of fact from reporters these days. Later, though, as I thought back on it, I got to wondering - is Obama really a great communicator?

I'm not so sure.

Sure, Obama may be a great speaker, but he is a horrible communicator. Just think about it. After Sarah Palin gave her convention speech, America knew exactly who she was. She was a hockey mom, a governor, a reformer, a proud mother and a loving wife. People across the country knew women just like her. After John McCain gave his speech, America knew exactly who he was. He was a patriot, a maverick, a real stand-up kind of guy. People across America admired a guy like that.

But what about Obama? After years of campaigning and coutless speeches, does America know who he is? For me, there always seems to be this nagging question about just what this guy is really all about. After his convention speech everybody cheered and said "hell of a speech, Barak", but a week later it was hard to recall exactly what he had said. He's a Democrat, of course, and that may get him the Democratic vote, but to Republicans and many Independents he's still this unknown entity - this something that you can't quite get a sense of. Sarah Palin gave just one speech and everybody knew who she was, but Barak Obama...I'm not so sure.

I'm afraid that reporter may have gotten his facts wrong on this one. Given everything that's going on in this country and given the shrinking prospects for the Republican Party, a Democratic nominee should be a shoo-in for the Presidency this year. He should be walking all over the Republicans, and yet Obama is struggling just to stay even. Why is that? The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that he isn't able to communicate who he is and what his Presidency would offer. People like him, they love to hear him talk, but they just don't seem to know him. There's a big difference between being the candidate of "change" and being the candidate of "trust me, I'm different."

But let's get back to Sarah Palin. How many news reports did I hear about her convention speech where the reporter described her as "passing the test." Again, editorial content reported as news. Not only is her passing or failing a matter of opinion, but this whole idea that her convention speech was "the test" is simply a bunch of crap. Maybe it's just me, but I saw the convention speech as "the audition"; the next couple of months are going to be "the test."

And it's not going to be an easy one, either. She is finally scheduled to give her first interview today, and frankly it's about time. She's had her honeymoon and now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty. I certainly can't speak for the rest of the country, but I must say that I haven't been much impressed by a candidate who asks to be second-in-line to lead this country, and yet cannot sit down with reporters and answer some tough questions about her qualifications and abilities. If she can't handle the heat of an interview, then what does that say about her ability to handle the much graver challenges of a possible Presidency.

But that should all come to an end starting today. She's scheduled for an interview on ABC, and we'll see how she does. Hopefully there'll be more on the agenda than just private family matters and women's cosmetics. She's young and untested in many areas, and she's made some claims on the campaign trail that many are questioning. I'd like to see some good, tough questioning and maybe then we can all decide if she's passed her "test". The first, I might add, of many tests.

And hey, Ms. Palin, don't start blaming the media. They've all got their opinions, but winning the White House ain't supposed to be easy. At least, not in my opinion.