Editorial

Media should take an Obama holiday

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Boy was I wrong! I simply assumed that when the election ended, the national media might slowly migrate to other issues of importance. But maybe because of our tanking economy and the government's role in that mess, the media continues to be fascinated with the comings and going of Washington as if nothing else mattered.

For starters, it's time that the conservative media accept the election results and get back to the areas of importance - like Paris Hilton.

And the liberal media in all of their abundance needs to recognize that we are about to witness an inauguration, not a coronation.

One brief footnote: Missouri officially fell into the McCain column this week thus ending our "bellwether" state status for picking presidential winners. The final tally puts McCain as a razor-thin winner here despite some last-minute creative absentee ballots from the St. Louis area.

The media - both left and right - should take an Obama holiday at least until the inauguration. On that day the seas will part, the sun will shine, the economy will rebound and the war in Iraq will end. Then the media will have some substance to discuss. But until then, I care not about the eating habits of the Obama household nor the critical decision concerning the first dog. I just want a break from the constant, non-stop hype.

It seems so long ago, I'm not at all sure what the national media will do once this wave of national excitement fades. Maybe we'll have another O.J. trial or something equally fascinating that will draw the attention away from Washington, D.C. It won't come a minute too soon for me.

I did get a kick this week from a national poll that created a bit of a brouhaha. It seems a national polling firm revisited McCain and Obama voters and found that the Obama supporters were unbelievably uninformed on the positions and policies of the two candidates. Of course, Obama supporters quickly dismissed the findings and McCain supporters said "I told you so!"

When will it end?

All new presidents enjoy a bit of a honeymoon with the media following their election and inauguration. But I can't help but wonder if the liberal talking heads will not extend that honeymoon for the next couple of years or more. I can't imagine some of those staunch Obamaites in the media saying one critical word of our new president regardless of the circumstances. On the contrary, I have heard some conservative media members give credit for some early Obama appointments. We'll just have to wait and see.

The national media has enjoyed near-record audiences following this election cycle. And because of that alone, I don't see any let-up in the 24-hour Obama swooning in the near future.

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