IOWA: winner, losers

LEAD (Revised)

This is MJB’s call of the winner, there only can be one, and losers, the also rans, in the Iowa Primary for Tuesday, January 3, 2012:

1. Newt Gingrich

2. Rick Santorum

3. Herman Cain

4. Rick Perry

5. John Huntsman

6. Mitt Romney

7. Michelle Bachmann

8. Ron Paul

Comment

What do you think?

Do you think it’s between Romney and Paul as the polls and commentators have suggested?

Hint: the polls and the commentators could be wrong!

Will the outcomes in Iowa set the stage for the wins and losses in upcoming primaries?

NEWT: Virginia-no votes for Gingrich

November 8: Republicans gain control of Congre...

NEWT: Image via Wikipedia

Lead

Newt Gingrich did not qualify to get on Virginia’s primary ballot. To make matters worse, state law does not allow write-in votes. Without Virginia primary votes, can Newt capture the GOP nomination?

CNN Article (Quote)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich failed to collect enough signatures to appear on the Virginia primary ballot, the Republican Party of Virginia announced Saturday morning, leaving the longtime Virginia resident without a place on the state’s ballot and raising questions about his campaign’s organization.

“Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates,” campaign director Michael Krull said in the statement.” * * *

* * *Virginia state law specifically prohibits voters from writing in candidates not on the ballot in primary elections.

Source: Steve Brusk,Gingrich, Perry fail to qualify for GOP primary ballot in Virginia,” CNN POLITICS

Our Take

Virginia’s primary election could be pivotal. It’s an early primary which usually signals how the South will vote.

So, if Newt is out in Virginia, who’s in, and will the Virginia win propel another GOP candidate forward on the road to winning the GOP Presidential nomination?

OPINION: mr. president, are you listening to America?: it’s bad, really bad out here!

President Barack Obama, you need to walk down the aisle yourself in the supermarket in cognito, and listen to what people who are hurting under your watch are saying. It’s not about you, the debt crisis, the gridlock in Congress-it’s about the fact that it’s bad out here, fault notwithstanding.

They are saying that they are hurting; that cash is tight; that they are barely making it; and, that if you don’t do something about it; you’re done.

I happened to visit a friend the other day at his luxury condo. He’s got some money, but he’s not making any money. Sooner or later he’ll be in the bread line. He had a lucrative career, made a lot of money, spent a lot of money, saved a lot of money, but nearly lost it all in the recession and cannot get back on his feet. At some point, he might just end it all.

He was depressed. Just a few minutes before I arrived, he watched the repo man hook up and tow away the Rolls Royce of his neighbor who just before the recession was himself a self-made millionaire, but like him recently became a member of Occupy XXX because he was broke. He lost his money, his wife, his lifestyle, his belongings and now his car. It seems likely that he will lose his life unless something remarkable happens, which is not likely either.

So Mr. President, you won’t lose because you’re a bad person, or a bad politician, or for that matter a bad President. You’re gonna lose because it’s bad out here in the real world, and unfortunately for you, little to nothing has been done under your watch to turn things around.

That’s my opinion; what’s yours?

 Around the Web

GOP PRIMARY: is it all about white male privilege?

Lead

Were the GOP Debates  both “interesting and important?”

Source: THE WASHINGTON POST

At the end of the day, have the Debates been, and will they be, about the players, the losers, the ratings or the visual?

Image

GOP Debates: The Visual

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, the GOP’s all star cast, the “iron men” of GOP politics,  ”Back Together Again!”

Is this the visual America has been waiting to see in the GOP Presidential nomination contest? Will it fire up the GOP electorate?

Has the contest been, and will it reflect the image, a contest for white boys only? Bye, bye Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain?

Does not the visual say it all?

You decide.

Read More Around the Web

POLITICAL MEDIA: Amanpour leaves “This Week;” could major changes be coming to other Sunday talk tv shows?

Lead

POLITICO reports that Chritiane Amanpour is leaving ABC News as the host of “This Week.” The good news is that she will return to CNN in foreign reporting an arena she loves.

Quote

Christiane Amanpour is leaving “This Week” and returning to her roots at CNN and in foreign reporting in a new arrangement that allows her to appear on both ABC News and CNN International, the two networks announced Monday.

George Stephanopoulos will replace her on “This Week,” while continuing his duties on “Good Morning America.” Jake Tapper will also have a “large role” in the Sunday show, as will other correspondents, according to ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider.

Amanpour will have a weekday show on CNN International. She will also continue at ABC News as a global affairs anchor across the networks’ platforms and as the host of multiple prime time specials.

Source:   POLITICO

MJB’s Take

Christiane was outstanding. We wish her well in her new assignment.

The fact that seasoned veteran George Stephanopoulos will be coming back should be a signal that the pros in political media project a rough and tumble Presidential race. In the fierce competition for Sunday talk tv viewers and ratings, George will be a standout. He will have a big draw.

Our friends at NBC News now have a clear shot at increasing its following from the huge female demographic which follows political news particularly on the Sunday talk tv shows.

NBC can get more of that demo by replacing David Gregory, who we feel should not have gotten the job in the first place, with Andrea Mitchell on “Meet the Press.”

And, Andrea, should you get the nod, please return the show to something akin to its original format in which viewers met the press, not the host!

MEDIA: has MSNBC lost its edge in its nighttime political coverage; will it have significant influence in election 2012?

Lead

Has MSNBC lost its edge in its nighttime political coverage?

In view of recent poll results, will MSNBC have significant influence in Election 2012?

Media (Quote)

It’s certainly obvious in Iowa that candidates are investing a lot more time in television interviews than they are on the campaign trail. It’s a safe bet: a recent New York Times/CBS News poll of likely Iowa Republican caucus participants showed that 37 percent said they get most of their information from Fox News, that’s compared with 27 percent who cited broadcast news and a mere 2 percent who said they relied on MSNBC.

Source:  Allessandra Stanley, “The Republican Primary Campaign in Iowa Is Right at Home on Fox News,” THE NEW YORK TIMES

MJB’s Take

It’s hard to imagine that the suits at MSNBC are taking the poll results well. The implications of  MSNBC having diminished influence in Election 2012 could be staggering.

Obviously, the only game in town for mainstream media coverage now on the Presidential political calendar is the ongoing GOP primary election season. Because of its conservative tilt, FOX News would be expected to have a slightly higher viewership and ratings advantage when it comes to general media coverage of national politics and the GOP.

But, one would think that because the choice of the Republican nominee for President is a matter of real public concern and interest,  a larger percentage of people would be watching the commentaries on MSNBC if for no other reason than to hear and consider opposing viewpoints about the GOP candidates, and their positions on national issues.

The numbers for the reception of broadcast news seem to be good. However, broadcast news is not as pointed, engaging, opinionated, informative and influential as cable news.

MSNBC has an all-star line-up of nighttime talk TV talent hosting the programs from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. including Al Sharpton, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Lawrence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow. They are supported by diverse groups of commentators and contributors. The hosts and many of the commentators and contributors have been aggressive in criticizing the GOP candidates and their positions on issues. Those contrary viewpoints, of course,  add measurably to the body of information viewers and voters should be considering from now until general election day 2012.

The poll numbers for MSNBC were unusually weak. The fact that they were so lacking should be ringing bells and whistles loudly in the executive suites of MSNBC.

If MSNBC expects to boost viewership and have a significant measure of influence in the outcomes of the national elections, then major changes in its nighttime cable programming are warranted.

Related Web Articles

Your comments are welcomed!

FREE SPEECH: blogger found not to be a journalist immune from defamation liability

Lead

Political bloggers beware of what you say in your blogs. Your speech may not be free!

In a defamation suit, a court could rule that you are not a journalist who has protection under the First Amendment.

Article (Quote):

Crystal Cox, a Montanan who calls herself an investigative blogger and produces several blogs about the law, was sued in January by the investment firm Obsidian Finance Group over several opinionated blog posts that were highly critical of Obsidian and its co-founder Kevin Padrick. The firm sought $10 million in damages. Although the judge threw out several of the firm’s claims, he ruled against her on a single post and ordered her to pay $2.5 million in damages.

Source:   David Carr:In $2.5 Million Judgment, Court Finds Blogger Is Not a Journalist,” THE NEW YORK TIMES

MJB’s Take

This court decision could chill bloggers who believe they have the same First Amendment rights of free speech protecting them from defamation liability suits the same as journalists.

CAIN: ain’t no more Herman Cain for political media to beat on

Lead

Herman Cain has suspended his campaign.

By devoting extensive coverage seeking to humiliate Cain and to derail his candidacy, mainstream political media lost its way. It utterly failed  its fundamental role in American presidential politics to stay focused, and to adequately inform the American people about the issues of national concern on the business and affairs of the country, the presidency, and the Presidential candidates in the GOP race for the Republican nomination.

Media (Quote):

After Herman Cain suspended his presidential campaign, other Republican presidential hopefuls praised him for energizing conservative voters and wished him well.

Source:  Danny Yadron, “Former Rivals Praise Herman Cain,” WSJ WASHINGTON WIRE BLOG

Query

Please take a moment and reflect.

If you wish to comment, that would be appreciated. But if not, please just take a moment and think.

Set aside the fact that Herman Cain is a Republican, that he is black and that he is conservative. Just reflect that up to now, he was a candidate in America for the GOP nomination to run for President in Election 2012.

Whether you agreed or disagreed with his philosophy, viewpoints and politics; whether you would have voted for him or not; Herman had every right as an American citizen to enter upon the playing field; to compete in the game of Presidential politics with Mitt, Rick, Newt, Jon, Michelle and Ron and whoever else seeking to run for President; and, to engage in conversations about the business and affairs of the nation.

This is still the United States of America.

Every qualified man and woman still has an unfettered right under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, to enter the race; to say whatever he or she wants to say; and, to do of course within reason whatever he or she wants to do to run for office; get his or her message out to the voters and seek the wins needed in the upcoming primary elections for GOP candidates who want to secure the nomination of the Republican Party, and run against Barack Obama in Election 2012 for President of the United States of America.

Whether Herman had $10 in the bank, or $10 Million, that was his fundamental right. And, it was taken from him.

How?

Not by the well-informed decision-making of voters at the ballot box.

But, essentially by the personal decisions of reporters, analysts, commentators, contributors, writers, editors and others in political media hot to trot about generating a torrent of media coverage concerning sex stories from three unhappy and unimportant women in the business and affairs of the nation anxious to tell their alleged stories from years gone by, but could never adequately explain why they wanted to tell their stories in the first place.

Who really cares, and in reality what difference should it have made to the state of the union and the presidency, what happened 14 years ago to the former National Restaurant Association staff employee who settled her claim, got paid, got another job, made another sexual harassment complaint and at least until one month ago was moving on with her life and career?

Who really cares, and in reality what difference should it have made to the state of the union and the presidency, what happened to the former applicant for a job at the NRA who did nothing and said nothing for all these years about an alleged sexual assault which took place 13 years ago?

Who really cares, and in reality what difference should it have made to the state of the union and the presidency, what allegedly has happening for 13 years  with a consenting women who allegedly was involved a love affair?

Mainstream political media should have been disciplined and stayed focused on the issues affecting the state of the union by keeping Americans informed about those issues and the positions of the GOP candidates on those issues. Just about every media outlet in the nation, however, got off mission,  went rogue, and wasted tons of ink and air time on what amounted to tabloid trivia.

It was mainstream political media coverage in prime time, to use the words of Ron Paul from another context: “beneath the office of the presidency.”

That’s our take, what’s yours?

MEDIA: Election 2012 & national politics-transformation of political media into a feature presentation of the entertainment industry

Lead

In mainstream political media , is “GOP” a brand?

Media (Quote)

We’re waiting for The Donald to bellow his signature “You’re fired!” at one of the candidates.

Donald Trump will moderate a Dec. 27 debate with Republican candidates in Des Moines, Iowa, debate sponsors Newsmax and ION Television announced Friday.

The real estate, reality TV and Republican Party star, who had a short turn on the GOP primary stage earlier this year, is certain to add some spice to the debate format.

Source:   Mary Lu Carnevale, “Donald Trump to Moderate Dec. 27 Debate With GOP Candidates,”              WSJ WASHINGTON WIRE

The Questions

With the broadcast of Donald Trump hosting the next GOP debate, is national politics emerging to become nothing more than just another feature presentation of the entertainment industry?

Will TV reality stars begin to replace journalists as the “stars” in political entertainment?

Are we witnessing a trans formative moment in the evolution of political media?

Is that emerging development healthy for the future of America’s politics?

Does the GOP even have a candidate with the movie star qualities of President Barack Obama?

MEDIA: FOX News has become mainstream media central for the GOP in politics

Rachel Maddow, host of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, does a show on how FOX News has become virtually The GOP/Murdoch Primary for Republican aspirants to the Presidency.

See VIDEO: 12-02 Fox News: The GOP/Murdoch Primary, in the Sidebar under MJB News VIDEOS.

Is FOX News now mainstream media central for the GOP in the nation’s politics?

Also Read:  Gaius Publius, “Maddow on “Winning the Murdoch Primary,’” AMERICABLOG.COM

SUPREME COURT: HIV privacy justice, or injustice?

Lead

Supreme Court justices show little empathy at oral argument about recovery of damages by HIV positive man whose condition was improperly disclosed in violation of federal privacy law.

Article (Quote):

A majority of the Supreme Courtappeared unlikely Wednesday morning to help a California man who claims he suffered severe mental and emotional distress after the government disclosed his HIV-positive status in violation of federal law.

Source:   Mike Sacks, “Supreme Court Looks On HIV-Positive Pilot’s Emotional Distress Mostly Unmoved,” HUFF POST

MJB’s Take

Can you imagine how many claims could clog up the courts if the plaintiff in this case is victorious?

CAIN: Defiant!

Lead

It seems that Herman Cain intends to defy political gravity,  and amid the allegations against him about his sexual conduct, and against the odds, stay in the GOP Presidential nomination race.

Article (Quote):

As leading Republicans began openly questioning how Herman Cain has handled the allegations against him, he remained defiant Wednesday with a message that he had repeated over and again: “Don’t give up!”

The line seemed doubly resonant. It was clearly a motivational message for the several hundred young adults at an afternoon rally for Mr. Cain at Ohio State University here. But it was also a statement about Mr. Cain himself as pressure mounted for a second day for him to withdraw from the presidential race amid an escalating scandal about his sexual conduct.

Source:     Susan Saulny & Jeff Zeleny, “Amid Questions, Cain Stays Defiant, ” THE NEW YORK TIMES

MJB’s Take

Herman Cain-Hang in there!