Friday, July 25, 2008

Corn meal mush

The DNR has a top of the front page headline, McCain Recruits Locals. Wow! Could it be that his campaign is building a new organization? For a political junkie, this looked like must read material.
This breaking news comes on the heels last weekend's report that the Obama folks opened a HQ in Harrisonburg. Reports are that one in Staunton will soon follow. They've opened 24 headquarters in smaller and medium sized cities and towns.
OK, the McCain folks have lots of new recruits and a whirlwind of activity. Whoa rooster.... what is this? The article is basically a list of local GOP chairs. Nothing new here. Nothing! Local party chairs, both Republican and Democratic, are always the first line of locals who work for their candidate. This story is corn meal mush. No salt. No butter. No milk. No nothing.
So, why does the DNR print.... no, not merely print (this would have been a relatively meaningless but OK page filler in the back of Section B), but give front page headline billing to this mush? Pick your reason -
  • Slow news day. Nothing happening.
  • It really is news. McCain's campaign has generated so little enthusiasm and action in Virginia that it was doubtful anyone, even the local chairs, would get out and work.
  • The DNR is a Republican mouthpiece. Obama has filled the local, state, national, even international news headlines this week. McCain countered with that stunning pic with Bush #1 (looked like Grumpy Old Men to me) and a "stimulating" interview in a grocery store cheese aisle. The editors of the DNR just had to find something to get their guy a headline.
  • Remember the old joke (it is even mentioned on their website), GOP means Get Out and Push. Local party chairs are getting a public prodding to do something.
Got another idea why the DNR would run such bland mush on the front page? Love to hear it. 
Cluck.

2 comments:

JGFitzgerald said...

Well, Belle, that was the week a Combined Campaign staffer (not an honorary chair) moved into our guest room, and we delivered some signs downtown to O-HQ, and Lowell helped set up one of the other two H'Burg offices, and Alan did some prep on the fair, which is two former chairs and a current chair and a couple of vice chairs, not to mention what's being done by Cheryl, Dave, Linda, and Dan, just to name a few of the chairs. But as the Obama campaign reported after the McCain camp released its list of chairs, "The Obama campaign did not have a similar list." While we were working and organizing, they were getting on a list.

I like the odds.

Anonymous said...

I see the folks in Augusta, Staunton, and Waynesboro have a Paint the Valley event and are organizing for the fair there. No list necessary, they are just getting it done. Also heard the Rasoul campaign moved a full timer into Staunton.

Ya know, when you get to McCain's age, keeping lists can be a handy thing.