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Written by Jeff Dubbin
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Wednesday, 13 August 2008 |
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Barack Obama has not yet declared his running mate. As a result, an orgy of speculation has wrapped itself around the presumptive Democratic candidate like some eager trollop, which will twist and writhe until finally someone is announced and every news organization's hopes are dashed.
None will be pleased because no news source actually wants to know who the running mate will be. Some want to predict it, like the Washington Post reading into slated Democratic Convention speech schedules for hints. Others do not even care how absurd their "newsworthy" speculations are, like MSNBC's idea that the VP choice might be a Republican. And the remaining news outlets do not even seem to care what the answer is, so long as they are the one to get it out of him; watch Tom Brokaw make every effort in spite of Obama's protestations.
Why does anyone need to know before Obama decides to announce it?Why does anyone need to know before Obama decides to announce it? It is his choice. A hundred news sources have all predicted potentials from among the same twenty options like slots on a roulette wheel. The ball has bounced around for the two months since Obama clinched his party’s nomination. But when it stops wherever the laws of the universe dictate, the "winners" are not "better" reporters any more than one person can have a "better" gambling addiction than another.
Random guessing is not reporting. Yes, randomness sometimes, coincidentally, seems to get it right – and for this reason, the Bible warns us to beware of false prophets.
Random guessing is not reporting.I am not suggesting that Obama will make his choice randomly – to the contrary: in roulette, the house always wins. I am suggesting that we will all find out Obama’s running mate at the same moment, when the only man with any power over this situation deems it time.
I understand that there is a 24-hour news cycle to fill, but it’s not called the speculative cycle or the drivel cycle. There will not be any news here until Obama deigns to make it. Can’t we just wait patiently and attentively?
[Washington Post, MSNBC, Meet the Press]
Jeff Dubbin is a contributing editor for TheSequitur.com.
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