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Focus Less on the Trivial American politics has always been messy. Now we've added lunacy to the mix-giving 2 tiny states overreaching importance in presidential primaries and essentially closing out the primary season 9 months before the actual election. The silliness of much of the press coverage only adds to the spectacle. It's fine to have Iowa and New Hampshire be the first states to have primary contests, though I'd much prefer a national primary date closer to election day. But this year, even more than before, the press has turned these two small states into cults, giving them outsized stature in what is, instead, a complicated and intense political process. Less than a month from now, Colorado will join 21 other states on Super Tuesday, which is actually the most important primary date. The largest number of delegates to the parties' nominating conventions will be selected that day, November 5. Yet, if you just looked at media reports, you'd think first, that Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney had collapsed in Iowa and that Mike Huckabee and Barakh Obama had already swept to victory. Then, in New Hampshire, Senator Clinton staged, according to the press, a remarkable comeback and Governor Huckabee, the Republican winner in Iowa, showed he can't draw voters outside religious conservatives. It's just not that simple. Maybe the outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire don't really reflect the candidates' electability and standing with voters nationally. Instead of hyping these 2 small contests, the press would serve us far better by really introducing Americans to the candidates. I'm quite tired of press coverage that trivializes candidates. I don't really care if Mitt Romney is Mormon or Jewish or Muslim. I want to know how he'll lead America, what he'll do as president. But, the press constantly reminds us that Governor Romney is a Mormon before they say anything substantive about him. When Senator John McCain announced he'd run out of money for his campaign, the press declared him washed up. McCain gave them their comeuppance Tuesday night in New Hampshire. So now the press coverage is focused on whether he can pull off another primary victory. Personally, I am much more interested in where he really stands on social issues than whether he has the money and votes to pick up South Carolina. When Hillary Clinton became emotional at a coffee shop in New Hampshire earlier this week, it was national news. What the press deemed a weak moment very likely turned thousands of women voters to Senator Clinton's side in New Hampshire because they saw her passion as a strength. We should ask why the press pounced on her emotion rather than the issues she felt so strongly about. The press has nearly deified Barakh Obama, telling us constantly how charismatic and eloquent he is. As if that's all someone needs to be president. Senator Obama has lots to say about what kind of a president he'd be. It's hard to know that from watching the news. The role of the press is critical in a democracy. Rather than picking apart or anointing candidates, the media would serve voters far better by focusing on some key questions. What are their governing principles (for example, do they believe in the separation of church and state?)? How will they lead (i.e., by building consensus across the country or hoarding power in the White House)? Will they reach out to the world to improve our standing, and therefore our security, among our global neighbors? What will they really do so solve the critical problems facing this country? Colorado joins the presidential primary melee on February 5. Let's hope before then our media really enlightens us about our choices.
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