How the Mainstream Press/Media Should Become Politically Proactive
Of course, most civilized and well-educated Americans are dismayed by Trump. Many even feel he might severely damage our nation, domestically and abroad. Much of the mainstream press/media is being attacked by Trump and his followers with very disturbing, unfair, unconstructive, even insulting criticism. That press/media tries its best to defend itself, it complains, it despairs. But, it is somehow ignoring the enormous powers it has to counteract Trump’s attacks, and to prevent the election of mediocre or terrible Republican and Democratic candidates in the future.
Let’s first admit that Hillary Clinton was a terribly flawed and mediocre candidate. By definition, any candidate who loses to the outrageous Donald Trump is terribly flawed and mediocre. Any sincere, scandal-free Democratic candidate of average competence would have trounced Trump. American voters really had no good choice for president in the 2016 election. Let’s also admit that there has not been one truly competent and outstanding president, Democrat or Republican, for over 50 years. The same can be said of our senators and representatives, governors and mayors. Just consider the nation’s woeful record in economic, social, and foreign policy since the mid 1960’s! Lyndon Johnson declared the “War on Poverty” back in 1965. What progress has been made since then on that crucially important matter? Consider one disgraceful example: Chicago. Is there even just one politician over the past fifty years that well-educated Americans have found extremely knowledgeable and competent in economic, social, and foreign policy, with a record of stellar accomplishments corroborating such knowledge and competence?
It would be good for the nation if the mainstream press/media finally came to the realization that both the Democratic and Republican parties have failed the nation miserably over the past fifty years. Then, the mainstream press/media would hopefully come to the conclusion that it should no longer passively accept the candidates selected by those two failed parties, and no longer limit itself to simply comparing those candidates and commenting on them. At that point, the press/media would finally start to be proactive, by seeking out and promoting highly knowledgeable and competent independent candidates to compete against the invariably mediocre Democratic and Republican candidates. Only then would voters finally have real choices in coming elections.
How exactly could the mainstream press/media help provide the nation’s electorate with truly knowledgeable, qualified, and competent independent candidates? By having each major newspaper and news radio/TV channel hold political platform competitions for the various elections, with anonymously submitted two-page platforms voted on separately by the organizations’ editorial staff and their readers/viewers. The top seven finalists of each newspaper and radio/TV competition would then be identified and invited to a televised debate. Subsequently, the top three debate winners determined by staff and viewer voting would participate in a final debate. The finalists of each major newspaper and radio/TV channels would then face off in televised debates. The top three winners would then be promoted by the mainstream press/media and pitted as independents against the Democratic and Republican candidates. The result: American voters would finally have a real choice.
The question must be asked: Why should the choice of American voters be limited to the candidates selected by the Democratic and Republican parties? Why should they not also have the choice of independent candidates selected by leading mainstream newspapers and radio/TV channels and their readers/viewers? Most probably, those independent candidates would often beat their Democratic and Republican opponents, as their superiority would be obvious, while their exposure and promotion by the mainstream press/media would equal that of the Democratic and Republican candidates and their PACs.
It’s very important for everyone to realize that it is naive to expect that a self-financing billionaire candidate can turn into a highly competent president, senator, governor, or mayor. Having made billions in business means having a talent for business, it does not signify having knowledge and competence in economic, social, and foreign policy. The key in evaluating political candidates is whether they have a very detailed platform identifying and intelligently analyzing the problems to be solved and containing very specific, logical solutions. A vague platform is invariably a sign of an unprepared candidate who will be unsuccessful if elected. All candidates with vague platforms should be shunned.
It’s time for the mainstream press/media to exercise its power fully, for the good of the nation. Investigative journalism should not be limited to uncovering scandals and critiquing Democratic and Republican candidates. Investigative journalism should also include seeking out and promoting truly knowledgeable and competent independent candidates. The success of our nation depends on precisely that type of investigative journalism. We urgently need, on an ongoing basis, independent candidates selected by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and the PBS NewsHour to run against the Democratic and Republican candidates. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS NewsHour, get to work!
July 10, 2017
© Edward Sonnino 2017
