Meltdown

Courtesy of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Editorial board. I wondered how long it would be before Ed Boards in Texas started getting desperate, we now have our answer.....

(Time for Respect: An Appeal to Gov. Perry, Editorial Board, Tyler Morning Telegraph)

The stakes are too high for politics to overshadow process. We invite you to re-engage with the many voters who rely on us for in-depth dialogue about the issues, rather than sound bites other media offer.

This newspaper did not endorse a candidate in the March Republican primary because only one of those candidates, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, met with our board. We felt the process was incomplete. And it remains incomplete in this general election.

The advice you are receiving is perhaps from those who would have you run for another, higher office. But abandoning the traditions of editorial boards and debates is an affront to the voters you are asking to keep you in this office.

Two things:

1. The "process" that the editorial board is referring to is not a vital part of our election system. If anything, it's an intrusion of "FOR PROFIT" industry into the election process. One of the great lies that has been fostered to the public by the Main-stream media is that they're in business for "the public interest". This is, of course, a falsehood. They're in business to turn a profit, recent events (cutting of staff, a transfer to softer news etc.) have revealed this in vivid detail.

2. Ask BigJolly, these debates are worthless. Nothing is revealed of any consequence. What debates really provide is a chance for a fading media to continue to control the election narrative. Bad moderators ask superficial questions that are answered with sound-bytes and non-answers which do little to inform voters of any positions that haven't already been thoroughly focus-grouped by campaign staffers. Another great lie is that debates lead to a "more educated public". Bull. What debates are is beauty contests, nothing more, nothing less. As interest wanes in said beauty contests they've taken on a game-show air, complete with "gotcha" questions and almost instant checks for "truthiness." I'll take "who cares" for $1000 Alex.


On a funny note, the powers that be at the Tyler Morning Telegraph are so worried their control of the narrative is slipping away, they ran the editorial above-the-fold, above their logo, as this picture, posted by the Bill White campaign, clearly shows. I've never seen a story run above the newspaper's logo, not for for the Reagan shooting, not for 9-11, nothing.


See how desperate these corporations are to maintain their hold on the election process?


One last thing: This isn't a pro-Perry post, it's an anti-editorial board post. Until newspapers across the State open up their editorial process to the public through live-streams and other technologies their relevance will continue to shrink year after year. In regards to the election for Texas Goober HCA is still offering no recommendation. We do however believe that Perry is running a better campaign up to this point. (Which does not imply that we believe he will be a better - or worse - Goober.)