Comments on: George Washington's Biggest Critic http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/02/20/george-washingtons-biggest-critic/ Reality-based political commentary Thu, 28 May 2026 01:03:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Chris Weigant http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/02/20/george-washingtons-biggest-critic/#comment-19623 Chris Weigant Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:06:58 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5227#comment-19623 Osborne Ink and Hawk Owl - You've also tapped into something as old as America itself: sometimes these things are totally driven by the media, no matter how history winds up judging them. It's not just "gotcha" media today, or partisan media, or hyping tiny stories until they become huge, in other words -- this is <em>always</em> the way we've done it. -CW Osborne Ink and Hawk Owl -

You've also tapped into something as old as America itself: sometimes these things are totally driven by the media, no matter how history winds up judging them.

It's not just "gotcha" media today, or partisan media, or hyping tiny stories until they become huge, in other words -- this is always the way we've done it.

-CW

]]> By: Hawk Owl http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/02/20/george-washingtons-biggest-critic/#comment-19622 Hawk Owl Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:00:40 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5227#comment-19622 I think you're onto something Osborne Ink: Isn't it basically a symbiotic relationship? The fundamental truth is that, for the most part, our lives are boring. We yearn for the media to convince us otherwise. The media love stories that require little research / reporting, e.g., the stock market, sports, and political "races" and they feed them to us to meet our yearning. Anyone with a statistics course under their belt knows that + or - 3% is not "statistically significant" yet a movement of a mere 33 pts on the stock exchange (< 0.3%)is blathered about as high drama and an indication of our country's fate . . . day after day after day. The same with a primary in some state about a few delegates . . . what reporter's going on the screen to say "not much happened today"? I think you're onto something Osborne Ink: Isn't it basically a symbiotic relationship? The fundamental truth is that, for the most part, our lives are boring. We yearn for the media to convince us otherwise. The media love stories that require little research / reporting, e.g., the stock market, sports, and political "races" and they feed them to us to meet our yearning.
Anyone with a statistics course under their belt knows that + or - 3% is not "statistically significant" yet a movement of a mere 33 pts on the stock exchange (< 0.3%)is blathered about as high drama and an indication of our country's fate . . . day after day after day. The same with a primary in some state about a few delegates . . . what reporter's going on the screen to say "not much happened today"?

]]> By: Osborne Ink http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/02/20/george-washingtons-biggest-critic/#comment-19619 Osborne Ink Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:20:32 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5227#comment-19619 It strikes me that the way you describe it, the media was creating the controversy it covered. That was not the last time it would happen. In fact, I'd wager most controversies are media creations. It strikes me that the way you describe it, the media was creating the controversy it covered. That was not the last time it would happen. In fact, I'd wager most controversies are media creations.

]]> By: Hawk Owl http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/02/20/george-washingtons-biggest-critic/#comment-19615 Hawk Owl Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5227#comment-19615 What a curious coincidence that delanceypress.com on the very same day ran a vivid excerpt from a new book on Washington's troubles with "Factions" and your "proto-parties." Some amazing stuff was going on back then. Makes one wonder how School Text Committees have vitiated and watered down our history classes so much that we think our age is somehow "worse" than the "Good [!?!] Old Days - - never having tasted the bile and poison that passed for "commentary" back then. Great column today. The book is titled "The Great Upheaval" by Jay Winik (Harper's) What a curious coincidence that delanceypress.com on the very same day ran a vivid excerpt from a new book on Washington's troubles with "Factions" and your "proto-parties." Some amazing stuff was going on back then. Makes one wonder how School Text Committees have vitiated and watered down our history classes so much that we think our age is somehow "worse" than the "Good [!?!] Old Days - - never having tasted the bile and poison that passed for "commentary" back then. Great column today. The book is titled "The Great Upheaval" by Jay Winik (Harper's)

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