October 26, 2008
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Blogging for a Change
So here’s what I’m thinking. I logged in briefly to check the discussion on Meet the Press and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. (And has anyone else noticed that in 20 years, George Will has not aged at all? He looks exactly the same! So that was kind of creepy but not what I wanted to talk about.)
Listening to various pundits and talking heads and candidates and their probable appointees making statements of “fact” that I’ve known for weeks are either false or misleading made me wonder. Has the existence of www.factcheck.org or www.snopes.com made a difference in this campaign? Is part of the reason that the polls keep showing that “going negative” doesn’t work the fact that the independent electorate doesn’t have to take these statements at face value because they are so easily checked? (Oh, and one of my favorite websites www.politifact.com. They evaluate statements made by candidates and some of the email flying around the internet. They tell you whether it’s based on any fact, and then they rate it “mostly true, half and half, mostly false, or Pants on Fire.” I love that. Pants on Fire … )
Last night I had a conversation with Miss Eva. She and I both voted early yesterday and she wanted to talk about how I made my decisions. Neither of us voted a straight ticket. Both of us were more impressed by record than we were by position statements, but both of us had read those statements. She doesn’t have internet access though and she had a lingering question about one of the candidates. She wanted me to look it up and see what we could learn. In the end, the information we found reinforced the decision she had already made, so she was happy. But it just made me wonder.
Has the world of blogging and links to neutral sites that give information made a difference? Do you use these sites? Do you fact check the information you’re hearing? Or do you react to the message based on how you feel about the messenger?
I’d just love to learn that the nature of politics is changing because the bloggers of the world are fact-checking and forcing candidates to stick to the truth. I know, it’s about like that commercial from a few years back where they outlined ever more unlikely scenarios and then ended with “and wouldn’t it be great if it came with a beer? A really GREAT beer?”
Oh, and speaking of introducing alcohol to politics, there was a great video … let me see if I can find it …
Hmmmm, I couldn’t find an embeddable link, but I did find this http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27360049#27360049
Yeah, that’s what we need. More beer in the political recipe! And a live duck.
Comments (8)
Oh. I DO check. I got this stupid e-mail saying…well…let me go look it up so I can tell you what it said. Here: this should give you a laugh. I’ll just paste it for you in a minute. I had a very hard time believing this so I looked it up on snopes (my favorite crap sorter.) Snopes pretty much said the contents of this e-mail was a load of dung.
From Sunday’s Televised “Meet the Press” Senator Obama was asked
about his stance on the American Flag. Obama Explains National Anthem Stance
Sun, 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, General Bill Ginn’ USAF (ret.) asked Obamato explain why he doesn’t follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.
The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171… During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. At the very least, “Stand and Face It”
Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, “As I’ve said about the flag pin, I don’t want to be perceived as taking sides, Obama said. ‘There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song ‘I’d Like To Teach the World To Sing.’ If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.”We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemieshope and love. It’s my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we as a Nation of warring people, should conduct ourselves as the nations of Islam, whereas peace prevails. Perhaps a state or period of mutual concord between our governments. When I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation have placed upon the nations of Islam an unfair injustice. My wife disre spects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and Ihave attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine”. Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country’s First Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America.
WHAAAAAAAT the Hell !!!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. This could possibly be our next President.
I, for one, am speechless.
Dale Lindsborg,
Washington Post
I use those sites to check out rumors. I think they have made a difference. Judi
I check facts whenever something rings false or seems incredible, or if someone says it’s false. I don’t know how many people do that, though. Greyfox, for example, never does, and he is an otherwise intelligent person.
You are very optimistic. I for one think the fact checkers have less time than the people spewing the “disinformation,” Had another set back from an Upper GI viral infection causing three days in the hospital to rule out complications with my surgery. Got home Friday night still feeling pretty weak and dizzy but now think I am on the recovery road.
George is a vampire. I knew it from the start.
giggle…
ducks and beer.
THAT’s MY kind of politics
Oh! Go visit my sister! http://weblog.xanga.com/theredpanda917
Donkey Guy for President! Miss Smarty Pants for Vice President! Long Live the Queen!
I do fact check some stuff. But a lot of the time, it’s OBVIOUS that’s it’s just negative propoganda slung around to get people to at least NOT support their oponant even if a person doesn’t feel comfortable about support them. For instance… recently we have been getting phone calls and even a flyer in snail mail that is from McCain’s campaign saying that Obama is linked to a specific terrorist. (If you want more information about this, I can look it up, but right now it’s early, LOL) Anyway, I didn’t even BOTHER to look it up. It just RADIATED with a vibe of “hey, you don’t want to vote for me? Well, don’t vote for THIS guy!” I HATE junk like that. Personally, I won’t vote a straight demogratic ticket, but I will NOT willingly put another republican in the highest office this term. There are a few state and local officials that I’ve researched (after all, they aren’t advertised near as much as the presidential candidates, so if you even want to know your options before election day, you have to SEEK that information), anyway, I will be voting for at least one republican this year, but it will NOT be McCain. I haven’t seen Obama slurring McCain’s name. The only “negative” statements I’ve seen made about McCain by Obama’s campaign are the ones telling about McCain’s financial plan (which can be verified at McCain’s own site) and stating that McCain voted with Bush over 90% of the time (which McCain said HIMSELF). If someone e-mailed me today and told me that it IS fact (and I verified at one of the sites listed in your post) that Obama is actively linked with terrorists… I’d probably STILL vote for Obama because I don’t like republican policies and especially not McCain’s plan or Palin’s record in Alaska. Bottom line… I can’t WAIT for election time to be over. Then maybe the slurring will at least slow down. <3 SuZ