Still Champ
2013-11-08 - by
My grandmother, years ago, would regularly tell me, Carter, you’ve got your wants and your needs confused.
It turns out reporters have the same problem.
What reporters need, just about every day, is a story. And what they want is a crisis to make it an interesting story.
Take the newspaper headlines the other morning that roared: A year after Romney’s loss, GOP woes run even deeper.
Of course, it would be no story at all to say, A year after Romney loses, no change for the GOP.
But to say, A year after Romney loses, GOP hits iceberg – now, that’s a story. And it opens the door to a whole line of good stories such as: GOP Ship Sinks. Or, Hole in GOP ship miraculously patched.
So ‘Republicans hit iceberg’ is a big story around Washington – which spawns a kind of mischief. Because, beneath the surface, the political tides haven’t really shifted much one way or the other. We still have an unpopular President. And slightly more unpopular Republican opposition. And just about every time President Obama climbs into the ring with John Boehner or Mitch McConnell the same old thing happens: Obama wins.
So maybe there’s a better storyline that’s been missed – like: Why does Boehner lose? Or: Republicans need new champion – to beat Obama. And think of all the stories that might lead to: New Obama challenger knocked down. New challenger back on his feet. Or maybe even: New challenger wins round – Obama shaken.
Still Champ
2013-11-08/
My grandmother, years ago, would regularly tell me, Carter, you’ve got your wants and your needs confused.
It turns out reporters have the same problem.
What reporters need, just about every day, is a story. And what they want is a crisis to make it an interesting story.
Take the newspaper headlines the other morning that roared: A year after Romney’s loss, GOP woes run even deeper.
Of course, it would be no story at all to say, A year after Romney loses, no change for the GOP.
But to say, A year after Romney loses, GOP hits iceberg – now, that’s a story. And it opens the door to a whole line of good stories such as: GOP Ship Sinks. Or, Hole in GOP ship miraculously patched.
So ‘Republicans hit iceberg’ is a big story around Washington – which spawns a kind of mischief. Because, beneath the surface, the political tides haven’t really shifted much one way or the other. We still have an unpopular President. And slightly more unpopular Republican opposition. And just about every time President Obama climbs into the ring with John Boehner or Mitch McConnell the same old thing happens: Obama wins.
So maybe there’s a better storyline that’s been missed – like: Why does Boehner lose? Or: Republicans need new champion – to beat Obama. And think of all the stories that might lead to: New Obama challenger knocked down. New challenger back on his feet. Or maybe even: New challenger wins round – Obama shaken.