The View From Down Here: Politics, Media, and Generation Y: Part 2 of 3

Politics has always been prone to backbiting and petty theatricalities. Why, then, does the current scene seem especially hopeless? Why has the younger generation of voters so significantly withdrawn from political involvement? We suggest that a distrust of the news media is what makes the political scene look especially bleak to young voters.

The typical miasma of political contention has spread out of Capitol Hill and into our news channels and newspapers. News channels feature political commentary more than news, and political commentary features belligerence more than political commentary.

A clear manifestation of the deficit of trust of the media was a 2009 poll done by Time magazine. Walter Cronkite held the title (since 1974) of “Most Trusted Man in America”. Cronkite was the most visible figure in the media, which at the time provided objective discourse and information to the public, and he died in 2009. In the subsequent Time poll, voters said that the most trusted news anchor in America was Comedy Central host and political satirist Jon Stewart.

                                                                                                                                                                      

The fact is that the news media is supposed to provide a momentary stay against political hostility, an unbiased source of objective information for the public, and that it is not doing this. Consequently, the public is losing their faith in the news media, and by extension the American political system itself.

News media has become another tool used by political parties to influence the opinions of the public. A particularly blatant example of this is the “Plan for Putting the GOP in the News” memo from the Nixon administration. The 15-page memo was anonymous, and has written comments on it by Nixon’s then-advisor and current Fox News President Roger Ailes.

The memo stated that television was the best medium for political persuasion because of its imminent popularity: “People are lazy. With television you just sit - watch - listen.  The thinking is done for you.” The plan was to record prepackaged interviews with Republican politicians and deliver the videotapes to local news stations. Presently, critics say that Fox News has demonstrated their role as an arm of the Republican Party.

MSNBC, while on the opposite side of the political spectrum from Fox News, is similar in its audacious political stance. In a distasteful and recurring ending rant on his show, former host Keith Olbermann once shouted (his monologue was directed at then-President Bush), “This war is not about you … shut the hell up!”. Fellow host Chris Matthews also said after a 2008 Obama speech that he “felt this thrill going up my leg as Obama spoke.”

So it can be concluded that the media has become unabashedly partisan. Even the very fact that it is standard for each major newspaper to endorse a presidential candidate reflects a problem in the nature of journalism. It results in an overtly ideological news organization - the New York Times is liberal, the Wall Street Journal is conservative; the Washington Post is liberal, the Washington Times is conservative, etc.

A news staff tending to lean one way on the opinions page is typical and expected; however, the fear is that the ideological slant of the editorial pages will seep into the news coverage. The potential and underlying ‘spin’ of news stories becomes more important than the objectivity of the events being reported.

And maybe the Nixon administration’s prediction about the easy audience of television was prescient: political commentary television programs can be especially caustic and, at times, juvenile. They seem to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the public and of individuals. Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck, Rachel Maddow, and Bill O’Reilly are all political commentators who base their rhetoric on the petty mockery of whoever disagrees with them - their arguments are negative, not positive, and clever insults take precedent over constructive criticism.

Most of the public is aware of Rush Limbaugh’s stupid and unfunny bit in which he referred to a Georgetown student as a “prostitute” and a “slut” for saying that Georgetown health insurance should cover contraception. But the name-calling does not stop there: other instances of sexist slander have been just as offensive but haven’t received as much news coverage as Limbaugh’s insult. Bill Maher, a liberal comedian and amateur political commentator on HBO, referred to Sarah Palin as “a tw-t” and “a c-nt”. Chris Matthews, MSNBC host, called Hillary Clinton “witchy,” “uppity,” and claimed that she was elected to the Senate only because her “husband messed around.”

The state of the news media today is disheartening because the system of acidity seems to be self-perpetuating. Indeed, truculence has become a prevailing rhetorical device. Keith Olbermann had a segment on his show (and a book) called “The Worst Person in the World”. Glenn Beck wrote a book in 2009 called “Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government”.

The media also plays up and encourages contention between politicians. Recently, Obama and John Boehner were arguing about Obama speaking to a joint session of Congress about the American Jobs Act. The back-and-forth between the two politicians, as described by Ezra Klein, was all day “dominating and delighting the political news media,” while the focus on the discussion about the employment bill was ignored.

The news media, in the decades when a news anchor was the most trusted human being in the country, served the needed purpose of sorting out the mess of political rhetoric and communicating events to the public with clarity and transparency. In the formative years of the current generation of young adults, however, the public reports to trust a political satirist more than the most prestigious news anchors.

The media itself has not only lost its ability to objectively inform the public of unbiased political events - it has become a tool for fostering and encouraging political contention. The role of the news media is not just lost - it has been perverted. As Jon Stewart said to the hosts of Crossfire, this inflammation of petty and theatrical bickering isn’t just bad journalism - it’s hurting America.

David Brooks said: “There’s a collapse in the public’s faith in American institutions. The media has done a poor job. We’ve become as insular and self-regarding as any [other institution].” It is no wonder, then, that there is a deficit of trust among the younger generations - the apparent disintegration of the integrity of our news sources is nothing less than repelling.

The View From Down Here: Politics, Media, and Generation Y: Part 1 of 3

Between 1972 and 2002, youth voter turnout steadily dropped. There were slight increases in 2004 and 2006 and a significant increase in 2008, but the general trend has been a continuing decrease over the past 4 decades.  Between 2006 and 2010 alone, young voter turnout dropped by almost 20%; only 21% of eligible voters 18-29 voted in the 2010 midterm election, down from 26% in 2006 and 23% in 2002.

One possible explanation of the decline in young voting is the national shift to the political right. Young voters have for the last decade tended to vote Democrat, and the failures of the Democrats during the 2010 election cycle and the resurgence of conservative sentiment may have repelled young voters from the political scene in general.

However, while allowing for the fact that the very recent shift towards conservatism may have alienated a left-leaning younger generation, we should consider the possibility that broader trends in the evolution of the American political process are causing the general apathy of younger voters.

The unregulated flow of money into American politics, for example, may be discouraging Generation Y from being politically active. Politics has come to resemble legalized bribery, where private entities systematically donate to politicians on opposing sides to ensure political back-scratching from whomever is elected. Before the 2008 election, for example, Chesapeake Energy CEO Audrey McClendon donated the maximum amount possible to both the leading Democratic candidates (Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton) and the leading Republican candidates (Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney). Incidentally, his salary in 2010 was $21 million and his company paid $0 in income taxes despite $2.8 billion in profits.

In 2010, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission invalidated previous federal campaign law, which prohibited corporations and unions from using general funds to advocate for or against a candidate. The Citizens United decision drastically inflated private and corporate money's place in politics. In the opinion of the Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy quoted himself from McConnell v. Federal Election Commission:

"The First Amendment underwrites the freedom to experiment and to create in the realm of thought and speech.  Citizens must be free to use new forms, and new forums, for the expression of ideas.  The civic discourse belongs to the people, and the Government may not prescribe the means used to conduct it."

The problem with Kennedy's statement is that Citizens United did not place civic discourse in the hands of the people in any real sense. In reality, the legalization of unlimited donations to Super PACs gave more power to the extremely wealthy and no one else. The use of the free speech defense in a case which undermines the influence of individual voters made the decision all the more distasteful.

As of February 27, $130,334,342 has been raised by Super PACs supporting individual candidates. The infusion of PAC money into the 2012 Republican primary, especially, is unprecedented; this includes $36 million raised by the pro-Romney Restore Our Future, $13 million by the pro-Gingrich Winning Our Future, and $23 million raised by unaffiliated conservative PAC American Crossroads.

The track records of the Super PACs paint a disheartening picture of the Citizens United ruling and its contribution to political discourse. Restore Our Future alone has (supporting Romney) already spent $25 million on this election cycle. Of that money, however, only $800,000 has been used to fund positive ads arguing for Romney as a candidate; $7 million has been spent on negative ads against Rick Santorum and the PAC spent $17 million on ads attacking Newt Gingrich, famously credited for ruining Gingrich's chances in the Iowa and Florida primaries.

With the power of a well-funded campaign clearly seen in Romney's case, it is discouraging to know that such a campaign could be funded by a few or even one ambitious and opinionated billionaire. Unlike Restore Our Future, the Gingrich-backing and horridly named Winning Our Future has spent more on positive ads about Gingrich than negative ads about other candidates. However, the PAC itself has been almost exclusively funded by Sheldon Adleson, a Las Vegas casino mogul. Adleson has donated $17 million to Winning Our Future so far and has said that he is willing to spend as much as $100 million in support of Gingrich.  Bizarrely, Adleson himself says that he is opposed to the disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals in politics: "I'm against very wealthy people attempting to or influencing elections," Adleson said, "but as long as it's doable I'm going to do it. Because I know that guys like Soros [George Soros, billionaire and supporter of liberal political organizations] have been doing it for years, if not decades."

It's true that the fundraising marathon is not limited to the Republican Party: since the Obama campaign's highly successful fundraising in 2008, it has been speculated that Obama in 2012 may raise as must as $1 billion in campaign donations and Priorities USA funds. The "Billion Dollar Campaign" prediction may be inflated, but the amount raised will still be significant. In February, for example, Obama went on a 3-day multi-state tour, hosting 8 fundraisers and netting $8.6 million; one of the fundraising dinners charged $35,800 per guest. Obama recently condoned the support of Priorities USA, the Super PAC unofficially associated with him, and members of the White House administration (though not Obama personally) will be involved with the PAC's fundraising efforts.

Legally, the Citizens United decision disallowed coordination between PACs and candidates, but it created loopholes by which the PACs can use their funds exclusively for one candidate. This essentially lets candidates collect unlimited donations while still technically adhering to campaign finance laws, which limit the amount of money candidates can receive from individual donors and private interests.

Even the founders and staffs of Super PACs are usually previous employees of the candidate the PAC supports. PACs were intended to be a voice for groups of citizens advocating for specific causes, but as a result of the Citizens United ruling they are now used as a tool to subvert the legally proscribed model of campaign funding.

The arms-race style of this monetary power struggle is an unfortunate consequence of the 2011 Citizens United decision. It is also a plausible cause of dissatisfaction among younger voters and the population at large. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet stated: "Allowing corporate influence to flow unfettered into federal campaigns will only undermine the confidence the American people have in their government." His predictions seem to have come true: according to the Pew Research Center, 65% of people believe the Citizens United ruling and the resulting influence of Super PACs are having a negative impact on the presidential campaign. This sentiment is fairly nonpartisan: the Pew results included 60% of registered Republicans, 63% of registered Democrats, and 67% of registered Independents expressing their dissatisfaction with the increasing role of private money in politics.

Under the guise of free speech, the Citizens United decision unintentionally allowed for an influx of more money into the political process, increasing the power of the wealthy few while decreasing the political influence of the general public. This process, exasperated by the politicization of the media, hyperpartisanship, and a deficit of leadership, has caused disappointment and distrust among younger voters.

Election 2012: The Other Campaigns

Much has been made of the upcoming presidential election of late; the constantly changing Republican primary, President Obama's fundraisers, etc.  It's easy to forget that there are also 435 House seats, 33 Senate seats, 12 Governorships, and countless state and local offices up for grabs. 

Presidential campaigns are sexy -- vast, opulent, glamorous.  Other campaigns are not, but they are as important if not more important in American governance and the future of our nation. 

In the 2010 election cycle, Republicans made significant gains in both the House of Representatives, where they now enjoy a 242-192 majority, and the Senate, where they remain in the minority 53-47.  It was an overwhelming swell of conservative sentiment and it has continued throughout the last year and a half.  Republicans are poised to pick up more seats in Congress in 2012, depending somewhat on the presidential nominee.

Romney's recent electoral challenges and malapropisms aside, he is still viewed by the majority in the establishment and media as the most electable candidate.  Republican leaders worry that the nomination of Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich would have a negative impact on the Party's chances in the House and Senate elections.

That being said, the statistics are on the Republicans' side.  They will almost certainly maintain control of the House of Representatives.  The process of redistricting, where state legislatures -- dominated by one party or the other -- redraw congressional districts to benefit their political party, has vastly reduced the number of contested House races.   This process has made violent swings in House elections -- such as the Republican surge in 2010 where the GOP picked up 63 seats -- exceedingly rare.  Still, elections in districts such as the Arizona 5th, Colorado 6th, Illinois 11th, Iowa 3rd, and Maryland 6th will be closely watched. 

On the Senate side, there are 33 seats up for grabs, 23 of which are Democrats or Independents who caucus with the Democrats (Connecticut and Vermont).  Of the 10 contests where Republicans currently hold the seat, six are safe GOP holds, three are likely GOP holds, and only one -- Nevada -- is considered a tossup. 

Republicans will most likely win all the races in which they are the incumbent, with the possible exception of Nevada, as well as Nebraska, where Democrat Ben Nelson is retiring and conservative sentiment is strong.  This means that any further victories would be a net gain in Senate seats and bring Republicans closer to the majority. 

Control of the Senate will thus come down to seven tossup races: Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Democrats must win five of these races to maintain control of the Senate, while Republicans can gain control by winning four. 

There are two potential pickups for the GOP bringing their magic number to two.  In Wisconsin, former Republican governor Tommy Thompson has led Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin consistently in the polls, albeit by a fairly slim margin.  The same goes for Montana Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg against incumbent Democrat Jon Tester. 

The polls in Massachusetts, Virginia, Missouri, and Nevada -- all tossups -- are impossible to predict. 

The two most prominent of these races are Massachusetts and Virginia where four very strong and high-profile candidates are pitted against each other.  The Massachusetts race will likely become one of the most expensive Senate campaigns in American history.  Republican incumbent Scott Brown, who won a special election in 2009 to fill Ted Kennedy's open seat, is being challenged by Harvard Economist Elizabeth Warren.  One recent poll showed Brown with a seven-point advantage while another showed Warren with a three-point advantage. 

In Virginia, where Democrat Jim Webb is retiring, former Republican Governor George Allen is matched up against former Democrat Governor and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine.  The proximity to Washington, DC, and the stature of the two candidates has made this campaign a high-profile cash cow.  Polls have been consistently inconsistent; some have Kaine with a slight lead, some Allen. 

In general, Republicans are in a solid position to maintain control of the House while picking up seats in the Senate and possibly gaining a majority there.  Political campaigns are fickle, and much may and probably will change between now and then.  But the hope in Republican circles remains.