Pundits and presidential politics
This probably isn’t a good time to write a post because right at the moment, I’m pretty weary of the media. I’ve been tracking down some serious media malpractice and the commentators and bloggers weighing in on it, and it finally gets to be overload. Or as my son once put it…TMI. Too much information.
Trouble is, a lot of it is misinformation, or just opinion, and some of it scathing at that. So why not just walk away and do something else? Deadlines, in a word. I’m doing an article on….the media.
And John leaves a comment at the post below on Sen. Brownback considering a run for the presidency, a comment about what has popped up on some of the very blogs I’ve been reading. Yes, John, some conservative Republicans do seem to be brushing Brownback off in the earliest stages, oddly enough. I mean, isn’t just about everybody given some pause for thought in the first days they announce their intent for higher service?
To anyone who would say (as some have) that Sen. Sam Brownback is not a well-known name with a big background, I would reply right off: 1) Recall the national name recognition of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton when they first announced; and 2) you don’t know Sen. Brownback’s background.
Here’s what the Chicago Tribune reported today on his announcement:
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a favorite of social conservatives, announced Monday that he was taking the first step toward a 2008 White House run by setting up an exploratory committee.
“I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency,” he said in a statement. “There is a real need in our country to rebuild the family and renew our culture, and there is a need for genuine conservatism and real compassion in the national discussion.”
I know Sen. Brownback enough to know that he only came to this through prayer. And those aren’t just ideals that make a good soundbite. He has worked admirably for them in his career.
Raised as Methodist, Brownback became a Roman Catholic in 2002. He has worked on bills to stop human trafficking, end genocide in Sudan, extend a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, curb recidivism and ease Africa’s AIDS crisis.
You can call me on this later if I’m wrong, but Sen. Brownback has a solid enough record and commitment to carry him far along the campaign process, and I think he’ll do well. Especially once his campaign gets past the pundits to the American people.
