With 19 days left to election day I’ve become obsessed with watching the cable news channels. It’s sucking up all my bandwidth. Yes, I know – nobody is holding a gun to my head and saying “watch this or else”. But what with the economic meltdown, gyrating market, and final campaign stretch, it’s like watching a slow train wreck. You just can’t stop! 
I do take some small comfort in knowing that my obsession has an end date (I hope). But what I’m really looking forward to is an end to, or more realistically – a big reduction in, the endless spin!
Right spin, left spin, all spin all the time. There is no spin free zone – sorry Fox News, not even close. CNN probably has the least amount of self-generated spin. But as soon as a Dem or GOP spokesperson opens their mouth it’s spin spin spin until you don’t know up from down. If I had a dollar for each time I’ve heard the phrase “The fact is……” (the surest sign that spin’s on its way ) these past 30 days, I could buy a group of friends dinner at the best restaurant here in Chicago. All paid for by spin!
My friends, the fact is (my turn!), the hardest thing to come by from all the talking heads and their guests is real solid factual information you can believe in. Small wonder the average voter doesn’t trust politicians. You’re wrong! That’s not true! I didn’t say that! Yes, you did! The fact is…..
I had a summer job painting a house while I was in college. The house was owned by a writer. He told me the title of his then recent book was “Claim Everything, Concede Nothing & If Defeated Allege Fraud”. I don’t remember what the book was about, but if ever there was a phrase that captures the inane rhetoric of our election politics and the skewed advocates for either camp, that’s it! If you can’t win on the facts, then just wind that baby up and……spiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn! Facts? What facts? The fact is…..
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