The Blog as Safe Space
Over the weekend, you might have noticed a big ruckus over John Edwards' remark that Howard Dean was wrong to say that many Republicans don't make an honest living (Editor's Note: I was at the conference when Dean made that remark, and like many of his other statements, it was taken wildly out of context... *sigh*). While it's become quite chic for "moderate" Democrats to distance themselves from Howard Dean, Edwards on his blog today clarifies his remark and claims "Howard and I have been saying the same thing about this for years. Hear that? The same thing. For years."
Ha! Nice try, Johnny. Here we have a wonderful case of an establishment politician presenting one message to the traditional media, and quite a different message to the blogosphere. Here's the intro to his remarks:
What a flap has arisen over a disagreement about the way something is said! I was in Nashville over the weekend, thanking the good people of Tennessee who supported the Democratic presidential ticket this year, when I was asked whether I thought that it was fair to say that people who were Republican hadn't done a good day's work. Of course, I didn't think so, and I said that. I don't think our DNC chair, Howard Dean, would put it that way again if asked either. I disagreed with him, and I said so. And, I want to be clear, I would have to say so again if I were asked again. I said a lot of good things about Howard's outreach program and invigoration of the internet as a communication and fundraising tool, but no one wrote about that. Instead the headlines blared that I disagreed with Howard. And then the flap arose: A chasm! A split! A revolt! Instead, how about: Nonsense!
We are both talking about the Republicans and their failure to address the needs of working people. We both agree with this basic truth: This Republican president and this Republican majority are not doing what they should be doing for working people in this country. That's a core belief we need to fight for. And what's more, we agree that we - all Democrats and all working people - should be complaining, criticizing, and generally speaking out about this critical failure of the Republican party and offering our positive vision for America. And we have.
Howard and I have been saying the same thing about this for years. Hear that? The same thing. For years.
2 Comments:
I feel like your post mimics the mainstream media trend of manufacturing controvery where there may be done. Perhaps what Edwards said did come out wrong - I say things that sound bad all of the time, and politicians are only human like the rest of us. Maybe he and Dean talked about it later and came to an agreement on what they both meant. Traditional journalists often look at politicians with such a cynical eye it is no wonder that the public thinks politicians never mean what they say and aren't in the biz to do good, but rather to advance their own agendas. I think bloggers might be following this trend, too, since they are supposed to be against the establishment, and therefore more likely to tear public officials apart, people who might honestly care about making a difference. Not much of an alternative, and even worse for the public's belief that government is a way to make positive change.
A fair criticism, but I think a lot of what I said still stands. You can't deny that it IS gauche for Democrats to bash Howard Dean-- especially those with Presidential ambitions who need to create some distance between themselves and the DNC's controversial chairman. If Edwards indeed had a little chat with Howard, that's great-- I don't deny that's a possibility. But that doesn't negate the hypocrisy of saying one thing on Friday to the media and then saying something else to a very unique, self-selecting blog audience.
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