As I write this, the media has declared John McCain, who thinks we should be in Iraq for as long as it takes, the winner of the New Hampshire Primary, with the rest of the pack in tow. On the Democratic side, it’s a neck-and-neck race, with Hillary Clinton just ahead of Barack Obama. Despite the seeming win tonight, it’s got to be unnerving for her knowing Obama’s that close behind. Edwards is, at this time, a distant third.

What frustrates me about this whole process more than anything else (including the ridiculous length of time we have to go through it) is how the media shapes events, rather than reporting on it. For example, as I pointed out in my last election-related post, we’ve heard more about the candidates’ grooming habits, emotional makeup, and other personality characteristics far more than we’ve heard about their positions, the strengths and weaknesses of their beliefs, and what they will do if elected. The latest these days is Hillary “crying.” Oh, please. This is manufactured garbage, and doesn’t tell me anything other than she’s stressed; which, when you think about it, is par for the course (16-20 hour days on the campaign trail will wear down anyone, man or woman).

This is not stuff I want to know. I also don’t want to know that a candidate is considered invincible, or potentially unstoppable, but that’s what the Corporate Media is doing, by touting polls, puff pieces, and allowing the talking heads to blather on. The meme at the moment is that Obama is supplanting Clinton.

What I don’t like about this is that it totally ignores all the others who are running for President. It’s the same on the other side– tons of stuff about how Giuliani has tons of negatives to overcome, is potentially unelectable, and a tendency on the part of the media to try to script the race as a two-man battle between Huckabee and Romney, with McCain as a potential third.

This ignores the real players in the election: the voters. Nowhere does it say that the Corporate Media is in charge of the elections. Nowhere does it say that the media gets to pick the candidates. Certainly, nowhere does it say the media decides the election. But that’s what’s happening.

A good example of this is the decision by ABC to cut three candidates from the debate last week. In response, Dennis Kucinich, one of those “eliminated,” filed a complaint with the FCC.  Good for Kucinich– I don’t think ABC is doing anyone a service by cutting candidates. It isn’t their job to vet candidates– it’s OURS.

Despite my post the other day, I was not too happy with Iowa either. We are essentially allowing the media and a small number of voters to winnow out the field  before the rest of us have our say. While I wasn’t enthusiastic about Biden, I was disappointed to see that he and Dodd called it quits before anyone else anywhere else had a chance to weigh in on them. That doesn’t really benefit anyone, no matter what the Corporate Media loves to tell you. All it does is limit our choices, limits the discussions and debates, and exposes once again one of the biggest flaws in the system: money. Money rules, the Corporate Media rules, and the rest of us lose as a result.

Obviously it’s too late in the game for anything to happen this time around. But if someone has the guts to do so, the two changes we need for the next election will need to be *serious* campaign finance reform, and some regulation of the media, including reinstatement of the “Fairness Doctrine,” which was tossed out during the Reagan era.  Of course, there’s a lot more that could be changed/reformed, but I’d start there.

This election is interesting in one way– our communications has changed, and more and more people have switched to cell phones, texting, IM, and tons of other forms of communication.  A friend forwarded me this post– there’s been quite a bit elsewhere about Facebook and other social networks– but “Madison Guy” chose to observe the current election through the prism of Flickr. I found what he had to say rather interesting. I’m not sure if Edwards will survive and validate the findings of Madison Guy, but I do find his observations about Clinton and Obama interesting in context.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the primary, I am… I just wish things were different, is all.