Scattered thoughts on politics

How do newspapers and other media avoid duplicate headlines?

Have you ever wondered about news headlines? Do the newspapers check to avoid duplicate headlines? Think about the number of newspaper, radio, bloggers, television and other types of reporters following around the presidential candidates.

There are reporters from almost every country in the world following the candidates on their trek around the country for votes.

They all see the same thing, then have to file a story back home wherever that may be. So how do they avoid duplicating headlines? How many ways are there to say "He won, she lost"?

If I really cared enough I'd look into it, maybe do a search on the Internet popping in the title or the question. It's not high on my list of things to do, but I have wondered. Maybe someone out there in the web-world will read this and let me know!

How do the candidates manage to keep up?

I've heard them talking about their schedules. As a media member I get some of their appearance schedules. They are moving 20 hours a day for days on end. They go from campaign event to campaign event, to interview, to bus, to airplane, to event, to shake hands, to eat... and eat and eat and ear... did anyone else noticed that Huckabee looked like he was gaining a few pounds again for a while?

I can't go through the day without at least 5 hours of sleep and I really need more. I can live on the 5 hours a day for a few days, but then I have to sleep long or I start talking gibberish. The candidates have to be on their toes for Letterman, Leno, Fox News, debates and events 24/7. They're all older than I am and they run circles around me.

No wonder they all look ten years older by the time the race is over!

What happens to all the stuff the candidates are given?

I saw a clip of Romney last night holding a big box of Krispy Kreme donuts. He was offering them around to the crowd. Betcha he doesn't eat 'em. I've heard he's rather picky about what he puts in his body. I imagine the candidates are given a ton of things from supporters and they have to find a way to graciously decline the offer or act like they love whatever it is. Some votes are lost by something so simple.

So what happens to all the little knicknacks, food, gifts, Bibles, resumes , and other things that are given to the candidates? Do they offer then to their supporters? Hold a bonfire when the campaign ends without a win? Pack them up and give them to charity?

I have a whole list of things I wonder about when it comes to candidates. Mostly I wonder how truthful they're being, whether they'll be the best person to run our country and who I'll finally end up voting for in February these days.

Unfortunately, it looks like I might be right...

For years one of the soap boxes I climb onto periodically is the popularity box. I can wax barely-eloquently on the history of elections in modern times. It has become a popularity contest.

It's not what a candidate will do, it's not their record, it's not much of anything to do with substance. It's how well you come across on television and whether people like you.

Mike Huckabee is moving up in the polls across the country. Yet folks like Rush Limbaugh are trashing his past performance as a governor and the stances he's espousing.

It's those cute dimples and engaging smile. It's his sense of humor. It's his comfortable personality.

Barack Obama? He's likable, speaks well, and again, he has a comfortable personality.

Remember the polls asking people "who would you most like to sit down to dinner with", "invite to your home" and similar in past elections? We know who'd win those contests in this election.

I think the reason popularity plays such a large part in who we elect is that we discount the attacks (just politics), we get overwhelmed with all the facts being tossed at us if we're paying attention, and, for many, all they see is an occasional snippet about the various candidates on television.

A large percentage of voters will never visit all of the candidates websites for comparison. They will never do an in-depth look at a candidate. All they'll see are commercials as the time gets closer to vote, a sound bite or two on a news program and maybe a mailer (which may go straight into the trash).

It's become all about connecting.

Yes, popularity can be fleeting. If our intrepid well-liked candidate makes a bad misstep and it's a slow media day, they're toast. Candidates have lost their popularity simply by climbing on a vehicle and putting on a helmet that made them look dorky. Or screaming.

I know, I know, there are other gaffs they can make that have to do with policy, with things that matter. Substance can take them down on occasion. But it's tough to do that if the media likes 'em. If the media isn't willing to disseminate the info, we may never hear about it.

We'll see what happens as the election process continues.

Skewed Polls

Happened to see what I thought was a link to presidential poll results while wandering around on the Internet. It turned out to be a poll on how you'd vote by Polling Point. I had a minute or two, was curious, so I took the poll.

They gave a lot of scenario: If this Democrat were pitted against this Republican who would you vote for? Are you conservative, moderate, liberal? Democrat or Republican? Lots of questions related to politics plus some demographic questions.

All fine and dandy, pretty clear cut questions until it got to one where they asked which Democrat you would vote for if that were your only choices.

Now keep in mind that in every other question involving voting for candidates there was the option of "not sure" or "would not vote."

In the question regarding which Democrat would you vote for they listed all the potential candidates and then additional option "Not Sure".

So, I was forced to say "not sure" or pick one of the Democrats if I wanted to continue with the poll.

It won't come as a surprise to anyone who reads my columns regularly that I vote Republican. My answer would have been, if given the choice, "would not vote."

That question was completely out of whack with all the rest of the questions. Any answer would make it appear that as a voting Republican I would vote for a Democratic candidate.

How many people opted for "not sure" and how many just decided to pick what they considered the one they felt would do the least damage? Accurate results? Nah. No way.

There was a place for comment at the end, so, of course Ms. Opinionated Me left a comment. The group that put that poll out there are professional pollsters. They knew exactly what they were doing. I wasn't telling them anything they didn't already know. I'll know when I hear some media type hyping the fact that some number of Republicans would vote for Richardson or Biden or Obama that they tricked them into the answer. So will you.

I'm heading over to http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html. I'm going to do their Candidate Calculator to see which candidate they think lines up most closely with my views.

It should be fun, but... who's the one that decides what the candidates will actually do or how they feel about the subjects I'm going to see on the calculator? After I run through the drill, I may pop back over here and write another blog. Or I might save it for another day... it's a Saturday night and there's a presidential candidate debate in one hour... oh boy, four whole hours of listening to candidates try to steer clear of making a gaff. What better way to spend a Saturday night?