This is the problem at the heart of all of this. No matter what happens regarding Congressman Weiner's job in congress, if he resigns or does not resign, the Media we so lovingly refer to as the "Corporate Media" or the "Mainstream Media" will merely go back to NOT reporting what is most important right now.
Oh Rachel Maddow, you just had to go there. Thank you.
I've thought about all of this too much, it makes my head hurt that I've had to put this much thought into this issue. And I am not going to actually defend nor lambaste the Congressman but really what needs to be stated.
The complete failure of our news organizations to focus on what is most important right now.
And it is not Anthony Weiner.
And as Rachel Maddow put it, even if Congressman Weiner were to resign, it does not mean that Mainstream Media will magically begin to cover the important issues of the day.
Nope.
If the so called distraction from below the waist disappears, it does not mean that we will start actually discussing the most important issues our Nation is struggling with. There will always be other distractions, there will always be other lines and half truths, grandstanding (Palin?) and just plain stupid all over the place that will make it almost impossible for this Country to address the real problems we have to tackle (JOBS? Environmental Issues? Energy?) and the fake problems that are being serve to us as one crisis after another (Social Security? Crushing Debt? Taxing the rich?).
And this cannot change unless we fundamentally change how our media works.
And this cannot change until the Democratic Party can get its act together in doing a better job with its messaging.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Weiner, Sarah Palin or any other distraction that we whine about being to the detriment of our agenda.
The whole system is a detriment to our agenda, the Fourth estate has failed us.
Here is a transcript that I typed up of what Rachel said in the video above, the most important parts to me. The distraction is not what we think it is...
The latest argument from Democrats for why Congressman Weiner must resign is that he is a distraction from other much more important stuff that Democrats would rather be talking about. Which would make sense if Democrats were only now being deprived of great news coverage they are used to because they are always so disciplined about their message.
....
If Anthony Weiner resigning would get the Democrats to come up with a political message on repealing the Bush Tax cuts on zillionares, which the pols say is more popular than free beer.
If Anthony Weiner resigning would restor honor to Congress, (clears throat), Mr. Vitter.
Or if Anthony Weiner resigning would do anything else to substantially improve Congress, or the Democratic Party's politics, every partisan liberal in the Country would probably want Anthony Weiner to resign, or at least they should.
If Anthony Weiner resigning would do anything to improve the seriousness of political news coverage in our great Nation or its even handedness, everyone in the Country would want Anthony Weiner to resign, or at least they should.
But Anthony Weiner resigning would not do any of those things. Anthony Weiner does not have a magic wand (and the pun is partially intended) So while David Vitter gets to stay in the United States Senate, as the Hooker guy from the Family Values party, what is it about Democrats that has them lining up to call on Anthony Weiner to resign? To cement that double standard?
It's complicated, there are reasons, such as we can be better than them. Maybe there is more to this. As I said, I am not going to defend or get into the nitty gritty here because I think the larger issues has to do with the media and the Democratic Party in general failing to get the message across and what we need to do to get the media back.
Somehow. But it's got nothing to do with the distraction of a man and his cellphone.