To some it was a surprise that an African American was elected to the US Presidency in 2008. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is leading the charge for the Republican nomination in 2012. As of Friday, Romney has 562 delegates, according to CNN estimates, nearly half of the 1,144 delegates necessary to clinch the GOP (Grand Old Party) nomination. Santorum has an estimated 249 delegates.

Will he succeed? Will he go all the way? Let me know what you think.

Thanks.

The hop topic of late has been Obama. The so called political commentary now includes direct and personal attacks, which seem to the new norm in politics.

Closer to home in Australia, we’re seeing a similar trend.

The Prime Minister has been re-branded as Juliar Gillard and is regularly on the receiving end of that jibe during parliamentary sittings and Question Time.

You don’t see this kind of behaviour in the business world or amongst normal people, how can it be acceptable in public service?

Shouldn’t politicians in all countries be setting standards for respect and constructive debate between people rather than lowering the bar.

This represents a step change in US/ Iran relations and is a natural extension of the use of social media by the Obama team. This is sure to stimulate a lot of online activity and no doubt cynicism but I find it very exciting that the US Administration is proactively and publicly reaching out to nations that have previously been positioned by the US Government as ‘evil’ with a constructive message of reconcilliation and hope.

Utilitarianism: More votes to clever people

In 1861, the philisopher John Stuart Mill wrote: the exercise of any political function, either as an elector or representative, is power over others.

We live in tumultuous times. The United State Presidential Election is scheduled to take place on November 4 this year.

The question remains relevant today: Do voters have a moral duty to be informed about politics?

The majority of Americans rely on the television for their political information, not realising that most news networks are highly partisan, owned by corporations and biased.

John Stuart Mill argued that the impact of political ignorance should be offset by giving extra votes to the most highly educated portions of the population.

Who is responsible for generating an informed population? Is it the moral responsibility of the individual? Perhaps – It’s rarely (if ever) in the interests of the political elite or governing party to educate the electorate about its shortcomings and failings.  

Edmund Burke coined the term, the Fourth Estate. He is quoted in Thomas Carlyle’s book:

“Burke said that there were three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all”.

Journalism is seen as having a critical role to play as an institution that holds the other institutions to account. Sadly, our society has lost faith in the media.

2b or not 2b informed

A Pew Research Centre Study found that 66 per cent of people consider the press “one sided” while only 9 percent of journalists are concerned with the media’s credibility.

Technology is challenging and transforming the Fourth Estate. 

The Internet is perceived to have democratised information. It has placed the means of production in the hands of the consumer, hence User Generated Content. It has enabled the audience to engage in conversation, to provide feedback and to challenge one sided arguments and vested interests.

The Internet presents fantastic possibilities and potential as means of sharing information and mobilising communities around a cause or issue but I don’t think its safe to assume that this potential will necesarily be realised to the benefit of all.  

I think we can draw parallels between free markets and de-regulation and the impact of the Internet on media and information. Recent events clearly demonstrate – if proof were needed – that a laissez-faire attitude does not always lead to a positive or sustainable outcome. Fundamentally, free markets (of information or finance) may be self correcting but often that process is too painful to bare.

We cannot claim that traditional print media has been effective in establishing an informed population (whatever one of those is) but my fear is that new media, digital media will have a downward effect on the degree to which the community as a whole is achieving an acceptable level of informed-ness.

Contained conversation

Sure, it will expose active and aware audiences to a much wider and active array of content and opinion but that’s an echo chamber. A situation in which information, ideas or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an “enclosed” space. This was one of the primary objections to the role of the media in the lead up to the Iraq War.  

History tells us that the general public has no inclination and accepts no moral obligation to be informed about events in the world and in the world of digital media where the reader is the editor this concerns me. 

For the majority of the population, the Internet means memes, it means funny videos, it means games, it means shopping, it means entertaining news and opinion. It has little or no relationship with political consciousness.   

The following table captures the characteristics of traditional print media as I see them and compares them with that of digital and new media.

My fear is that if we move to a world where the characteristics of the media and the way that we engage with media reside in the right hand collumn we will utlimely become less informed and not more.

I don’t know what the solution is to this problem given the fact that media is moving irretrievably  along a digital path but I think it’s worthy of discussion.   

“… bitter, partisan fights and outworn ideas of the left and the right won’t solve the problems we face today. But a new spirit of unity and shared responsibility will.”

I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment.

To me, the way our two party democracies lurch from ‘left’ to ‘Right’ is insanity.

We must stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Smart cookie

McCain didn’t see this financial meltdown coming. Great post on this at Liberal Values.

The beauty of politics, PR and words is that you can find a way to justify any point of view any course of action, any change of mind.

I overheard Senator Ralph Seekins say something like this today:

“to have a conviction and to stand up to it is honourable…”

It’s now honourable to have broken the law – a fascinating about turn for a representatives of a Conservative political party (huge C) known for its obsession with law and order.

“Honourable”

The more heinous the crime the more honourable the convict – presumably. I’m gonna turn myself in…

Sarah Palin, Republican VP for the 2008 presidential election, has a husband – he has a conviction for driving under the influence.

Sarah and Todd have a daughter called Bristol – they apparently followed the Beckham’s family naming conventions. One wonders what Bristol’s baby will be called if she follows suit… ideas on a virtual postcard please…

I would (not for a few months though) unlike my mate Dale – he’d go there straight away except he already has a lovely girlfriend. Celebrity value.

The ridiculous cheering at the convention does my head in… cheering and whooping and flag waving after every sentence…

We need more objectivity in the world…

The Clinton camp’s sense of entitlement (which we see again here) was evident throughout Hilary’s campaign. It reinforced the fact that the Clintons have had their chance and that they are an established – and therefore tarnished – political entity, which all played to Obama’s message of change and hope.

I hope that Bill and Hilary can help to unify the party over the next few days so that the Democrats have the best possible chance of unseating the Republicans.