Perception is Often Reality
by Big Dog on Jul 21, 2008 at 12:35 Political
It is of little consequence that some things are absolutely true if people do not see them that way. When John McCain said that it would be OK to have troops in Iraq for 100 years he clearly stated that it would be contingent upon them not getting shot at and likened a presence to the ones we have in Europe and South Korea. Still, through deliberate distortions, many Americans think McCain wants a 100 year war in Iraq. It does not matter what the reality is, it is how it is perceived.
The Obama campaign is indicating that the fact that a reporter from the New Yorker did not get a seat on his plane for his campaign trip through Europe and the Middle East had nothing to do with the satirical cover the magazine published. The campaign asserts that 200 reporters applied for 50 seats and Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker did not get one. This might be the absolute truth but the perception is that the lack of a seat was retribution for the cover. It is reported that Obama has great respect for Lizza and the piece he wrote in the New Yorker was favorable toward the candidate.
In reality though, it does not matter if this was the luck of the draw and perfectly innocent because it will be perceived as a deliberate payback for the magazine cover. If the Obama campaign really had no ill will toward Lizza (or the magazine) then it should have made sure he had a seat so as to remove all doubt about payback. This would be the most prudent way to show there were no hard feelings.
Instead, the reporter did not get a seat and now the news is that this was “Chicago politics.” Perception is often reality and if people perceive that it was deliberate then the reality will be, it was deliberate. By allowing Lizza a seat the campaign could have avoided the certain criticisms and the assumptions about “why” that will surely follow. The campaign left itself open to charges of retribution, pettiness, and childishness which will naturally progress to questions about whether this is the kind of person we want leading our country.
I don’t know if the campaign deliberately excluded Lizza or not and I really don’t care. It just seems to me that it was a very stupid blunder and one would think people there had to know how leaving out this reporter would be viewed.
The left is always critical of President Bush and they charge that he has manipulated the media and been unfavorable to those reporters with whom he disagreed. Obama could have avoided a comparison to that which he claims to want to replace by thinking about his actions. Instead, he has become that which the left so loathes.
This should get a lot of play. Either it was deliberate or the campaign does not have the ability to think through the consequences of its actions.
In any event, it should cause people to think about how either scenario reflects upon the man who wants to lead this country.
Tags: Obama, plane, retribution, ryan lizza, seat
Let’s not let these Obama drama queen moments distract us from making sure he never sets foot in office….
Every day that goes by he makes himself appear more like a WWF novelty act than a president.
Eye on the ball BD!!