A lot of people are consuming the news. A lot more than they used to. I assume very smart people work at these news outlets and do research on what people want to see/read/hear, so I fully acknowledge that I am likely in the minority on these. But still. I consume a lot of news. So please stop these types of stories - they make me feel dumber.
1. Things Candidates Buy
I don't care about John Edward's haircuts, Santorum's sweater vests, Mitt Romney's multiple personal jets (I assume). If someone looked at my bank statements, they would see a shocking percentage spent on frozen vegetables, Starbucks, and one-off iTunes purchases (damn you for making buying TV episodes so easy!) This tells you close to nothing about me as a person or my ability to govern. (I wouldn't be good at it.) Also, campaigns are weird, weird times. I have no doubt that Santorum actually needs a ridiculous amount of sweater vests - it is probably easier to leave one in every hotel in the country than trying to pack a bunch. I don't know why Edwards needed that haircut, but meh, I'm sure he did. Unless they're buying illegal guns or children, I don't care.
2. Things Candidates Eat
This is very related to item 1. Romney talked about eating grits in the South. This got a disproportionate amount of news coverage. I'm pretty sure you're required to say the word "grits" within 6 hours of landing anywhere below the Mason-Dixon line or they kick you out. Obama ate a burger - and he's supposed to be the healthy president! To be honest, I'd rather they take those 10 minutes of coverage and devote it to how he caved in on tax cuts - he's supposed to be the liberal president!
3. Gaffes Staffers Make
Let me be clear: I LOVE hearing about gaffes candidates make. And this Republican field has apparently learned this and is doing its best to make me very, very happy. Well done. But yesterday, a Romney staffer made the now-famous "Etch-a-Sketch" gaffe. First of all, he was not saying anything we didn't all already know. Second of all...he's not Romney. If he says something like that again, he'll just be fired. So who cares?
4. Candidates' Thoughts on Sports
Boring.
5. Other People's Coverage of Candidates
If you haven't picked this up, I always enjoy bashing Fox. Well I should say, almost always. (Side note: recent study shows that consumers of Fox News are actually LESS informed on basic political facts that people who consume NO news. Yes there are a few issues with this study. But still. Ha.)
But you know, everyone is guilty of taking things out of context (see: "I enjoy firing people"), and NPR/CNN/Slate, while you may do this less than other people because you're a little more center, it is still not interesting to talk about how other people are oh so irresponsible. General rule: If the Daily Show or Colbert Report can cover your news better than you, maybe just let them.
I'm sure there are a lot more that bother other people, and probably that bother me. But as I know the president of CNN is positively addicted to my blog, I'll at least get these out there.
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