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Television will make or break one of these men.
This election is certainly remarkable.
No matter how you lean, exciting things are afoot. Either an African American will be the next president or a woman will be elected vice president.
Politics infiltrates our pop culture here in the U.S. of A. -- I suspect -- like nowhere else in the world. Certainly, here in D.C. we feel the brunt of it.
The 2008 campaign is most fiercely felt as we watch ad after ad after ad in television land. Certainly if you are in or near a swing state (Virginia, anyone?) we have had full commercial breaks that move from one national election campaign to another until it returns to the program.
We told you earlier this month how the campaigns have been spending their advertising dollars. Now, we hear that negative campaigning doesn't work. For me, this is an enlightening development. I can't stand it when politicians go mean (on either side of the aisle). Apparently I am not the only one. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month how McCain may be losing ground because of negative ads from his campaign.
But, before you get too comfortable and ready yourself for a return to annoying "Head On" commercials, television is still "where it's at" for politics. The LA Times has put out a thought-provoking article about the power of our most democratic medium. Everyone has a television after all (or so it seems) and not everyone reads a newspaper (or so it seems).
The Times says this election is the most television-centric since the Kennedy-Nixon race. They site some of the same things we've been pointing out as their markers: the SNL skewerings of Palin, Obama opening up for the World Series and the McCain-Letterman drama.
Lastly, if you're like me, you love pop culture but you don't need to get your politics from it. It drives me bonkers when someone I admire for some fluffy reason tells me how to vote. I'm o.k. with it if they tell me about a cause they love. There's a distinction there... on the one hand they are preaching and telling me how to exercise my democratic right. On the other hand, they are getting involved and doing something with the power I have given them. For example, I have nothing but bi-partisan admiration for Bono and Bill Gates teaming up to help Africa.
Unfortunately, celebrities spouting political beliefs is an effective way to sway the youth vote. As much as it irks me, Reuters points out that efforts by P Diddy and Beyonce get people to go to the polls.
*Sigh*
What's a girl to do?
I guess I will just watch these negative commercials and ponder the remarkable election. At least we only have eight more days of it.
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