[Air-l] US election:, media, Dean scream and technology complete!

[Collette Snowden]

Hi, 

Sorry about the first premature post - there's a hair
trigger keyboard here.

Just interrupting some marking for a quick response to
the above issues.

1. In Australia the US election continues to be a high
ranking news item in all media, and a topic of
discussion amongst people with an interest in politics
- including numerous opinion pieces. The difference
might be that the perspective often adopted is what
each candidate is likley to mean for US-Australian
relations.

Throughout the US election ( if the pattern of the
past is repeated)it will continue to be a constant
news item, often pushing domestic issues into the
background.    

I would have to say that the Dean Scream incident has
been regarded here as a bit of non-event, the man
shouted at an election rally, so what? is the general
reaction. 

The Australian media has therefore focused on why the
US media has made such a big deal about it, and more
generally - if you will forgive me - a sense of
disbelief that a candidate could be so easily
dismissed. 

2. Media and Dean Scream and technology.

I found this letter from a Dean supporter on
www.tompaine.com which gives an interesting
perspective about the issue and it reminded me to
think about the role of technology in contributing to
media perception about events (recalling picture
cropping, editing, studio lights, and so on). ( NB I
have no favoured democrat candidate myself, as I don't
know enough about them, so I am not promoting HD!)

Dean's Demeanor 
Re: Doug Ireland's "Iowa's Lessons "
From: Larry Jordan

I took my 13-year-old daughter to the post-caucus Dean
rally in Des Moines Monday night. It was her first
such political event. We are both mystified by the
pundits like Mr. Ireland who claim that Dean came off
like a crazy man. The ballroom was filled with a
frenzied crowd that had been chanting, waving flags
and streamers and making so much noise that a hoarse
Mr. Dean had to shout in an attempt to be heard above
them. As close as we were, we still had trouble
hearing him. I noticed he used a hand-held microphone
which, due to its directional qualities, probably
wasn't picking up and conveying to the TV viewing
audience just how much noise there was in the
ballroom. Trust me. It was ear-splitting. 

I also thought Dean's energized performance on a par
with a pep rally before a football game. He was
feeding off the electricity in the room. Moments after
he left the stage, Governor Dean walked over to me and
clasped both my hands in his after we high-fived. He
was calm and gracious when talking with my daughter,
who was so impressed by him. This man was not out of
control in the least. He was pugnacious, to be sure,
and determined. You would be, too, after seeing Mr.
Kerry co-opting your campaign slogans and supporters,
plus waging a war of dirty tricks in Iowa that was
little noted by the national media. Little noticed,
too, was that the born-again Kerry voted FOR the war,
FOR the Patriot Act and FOR the $87 billion Bush asked
for to extend the war. Dean's fault may be that he is
TOO candid, and his words are parsed for any political
advantage an opponent may gain by twisting and
distorting his meaning. 


Regards,

Collette Snowden
  






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