Charm and politics
I cannot decide whether "tip-gate" is nonsense or not. It was who revealed, in a typically solid and un-flashy piece of follow-up journalism, that the hard-working and hard-up woman who served at a restaurant in Iowa recently, and whose life story the candidate later used in her speech, had not been left a tip. At least that was what the waitress herself said.
In a follow-up to the follow-up, the revealed that the restaurant owner had been left a tip which through some mistake had not been shared out, and it was not a bad one: $100 on a total bill of $157! So no story. And yet ... the NPR piece had also followed-up a terribly sad case of a woman whose brother is suffering from cancer and who had turned up at a rally looking for solace. The candidate had addressed her, and held her hand. He kind of promised to write the brother a note as well ("if I have time") but, you guessed it, the note never came. And yet this woman refused to be even slightly cross. "I do the same thing with friends of mine," she said.
Now here is the point: the Clinton story has the candidate looking bad even though she actually behaved just fine; the Obama story ends with the candidate genuinely forgiven and honoured though, frankly, he fell down on the job. Does this tell us something bigger and more important about charm and politics? Such as, you either have it or you don't and money (or even a good tip badly administered) cannot buy it?
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An intersting peice Justin. Let's hope that some of the issues get an airing rather than the trivia - though I'm not optimistic.
I've always enjoyed your reporting on From Our Own Correspondent. Looking forward to reading your blog over the next year (!) before the election.
Justin,
Why are you trying to find fault where there is none ? Maybe you got assigned this POOR subject, if so, that is your misfortune. This story has about as much depth as a sheet of paper. There is A LOT that candidates are doing WRONG, for example, Hillary is the 2nd biggest taker of lobbyist money in the USA. This means that she is a puppet for the rich, like the majority of American governmental representatives. Other countries in the world call this high treason, selling out, whatever. People do this inChina, they are imprisoned and executed, I wish they did the same thing here. Here they make promises and lie out of both sides of their mouths. Saying you'll TRY to do something is not a promise. Report on issues, not shallow fluff, unless you're actively trying to make people question the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's credibility, if so, you're on the right track.
PD
I think this tells us something much bigger and more important about the right-wing bias (or rather anti left-wing nature) of the American media.
They probably knew about Clinton leaving a tip all along but decided to twist the story against her. The Obama thing is probably repeated with every candidate every day. We only heard about this one in a rather poor attempt to damage his campaign.
Agree with the both comments about content of political reporting. Right wing bias in US media highlighting trivia. Where is discussion of environment, role of corporations in our government, foreign policy direction?
When was the last time you sought out the owner of the restaurant to leave a tip for service?
There's an old adage in sales: sell the sizzle, not the steak. This is particularly important when you're trying to trick people into buying an otherwise inferior cut. After all, once they've bought the steak, the gristle and and most inedibility are their problem.
In politics, this translates into distracting voters by discussing "charm" and "style". Shakespeare once wrote "One may smile, and smile, and be a villain." Why, then, is media coverage so devoted to measuring candidates smiles while ignoring their potential as villains?
Maybe its good for people to realize the reality of Obama's African ancestry - I am African, and I can bet you that African men are not famous for thier tenderness. Evidence? Many educated African women are divorced - African men are highly out of touch with their feminine side. However, if all the families with serious illnesses among thier members were to seek sympathy from politicians, it would leave them no time to focus. I think its sad that some pretend not to see the pressure that society puts on the candidates, and it is not a wonder that they may start being less and less emotional about the people they meet on the run.
Justin,
I believe superstimpy is wrong to call this article in your blog "fluff". So it may not be a main issue, it may not change how people look at someone, but it has a point. Of course charm has something to do with politics. Look at JFK, Bill Clinton, and Barack, they were considered handsome and smart, the rockstars of the campaign. Even when she was first lady, Hillary put people off. Now I am not a Hillary fan, I just can't seem to get on board with her, but I am one to say give credit where it is due. I think one should recognize when something was done and when it wasn't.(Although SuperStimpy is right about her taking of lobbist money) It is what people do in their day to day lives that shows you who they really are. Take a look past all the glam put forth by campaigners and look at the person and their ideas. Even the smallest of promises show you if they will keep or not keep the bigger ones. Do they help or hurt on their day-to-day activities? Take a look at another presidential hopeful- Mitt Romney. Alot of people do not know one thing about him except that he is a mormon, but the man has done a lot of good without recognition, and when asked to step up and do something he has succecced. Take a look at this article
Granted it is from his website but the story is still true and quite amazing what he will do in times of crisis. And thats just one candidate, I encourage everyone to invest time in researching each candidate beyond what you are told!
p.s. Justin (the other one) Since when has the overall American media ever been bias to the right wing??
Amanda
I think that there needs to be a little more checking done on this Clinton story. The staff at that restaurant is maintaining that they were not tipped and even the owner acknowledges that the waittress was not tipped. A Clinton staffer showed up at the restaurant the day this story broke to explain that the "$100 tip" had been left and that it had been charged on a credit card. When informed that no such transaction took place, the staffer told them that the tip was left in cash. Then he/she paid each of the staff $20 and re-stated his point that the tip had been left even though no one present recalls seeing it.
Doesn't this smack of spin-control? It doesn't matter what politicians actually do. It just matters whether or not they control the spin. It is pretty apparent that Clinton stiffed the waitress. But by insisting that she did, she reshapes reality to whatever she feels is in her own best interests. In this case, she not only said "We left a tip" but magnified the deceit to "We left a very generous tip". Thus, it becomes positive spin even if it is completely fabricated.
I think that it would have shown more integrity to simply admit that Hillary has more important things on her mind and that she forgot, but then again, I'm not a politician.
Amanda, the US media is to the right of the political spectrum of (almost) any country outside the US, although I agree that it is accepted wisdom that CNN, ABC et al often are to the left of the Republican Party.
To number 3, I have no idea how you came to that conclusion considering that this is the NPR we are talking about. It seems they support Obama and are against Clinton. Don't bring right wing 'biases' in this when the 'blame' is all on your side.
Amanda,
I really don't know where to begin. Perhaps the ultra right-wing extremist Bill O'Reilly would be a good start. But then I guess you could argue he's just one political commentator.
Okay, so what about Fox News in general?
In fact, why not expand on that even? What about News Corporation?
I quote John Pilger:
"During the Cold War, a group of Russian journalists toured the United States. On the final day of their visit, they were asked by their hosts for their impressions. 'I have to tell you,' said their spokesman, 'that we were astonished to find after reading all the newspapers and watching TV, that all the opinions on all the vital issues were by and large, the same. To get that result in our country, we imprison people, we tear out their fingernails. Here, you don’t have that. What’s the secret? How do you do it?"
The sercet ingredients go without saying: Rupert Murdoch, a bit of cash, ignorance.
Tipgate? A little investigative follow-up shows a greedy owner trying to pocket the tip! The real issue is that this whole election is not about issues. The Republican party is all about character assasination. Thank you Karl Rove. The White House (under Rove) so bullied the press that they are afraid to report real news and discuss the issues.
Getting back to the news article, why isn't the "charm" of the Republican candidates in question? Let their sleazy backgrounds come into question and see how the American voter will turn away from them.
Sean,
I appreciate what your saying but I was commenting on the nature of the media as a general entity. In America, there is a definate right-wing bias.
However, I accept that my point may be irrelevant with regard to this particular article. It is true that NPR is one of the more impartial orgaisations. It's just a shame that when a news organisation is impartial it suddenly becomes to be regarded as being "liberal".
I don't understand what you mean by the "blame being on my side" though. Any rational person would have to acknowledge that what I said is a valid and true observation.
Yeah, the other thing I remember about Mitt Romney is that he took a trip with his family and stuck his dog on the top of the car, where it became sick and terrified. So, that's something other than his mormonism for everyone to know.
I saw Hillary speak in Iowa, where she told the story about the waitress relying on tips to get minimum wage. I can understand why that was initially a story. I don't remember Obama using the story of the woman who's brother had cancer on the stump, so maybe that explains some of the difference.
Also, both of these issues sound like staffing problems. This is what happens when you don't pay attention.
Justin, Fox News watchers constitute a tiny, tiny percentage of Americans. On an average night, a million people will watch Fox broadcasts, which is less then one-third of one percent of the total American population.
One recent post asked when anybody last sought out the owner of a restaurant to leave a tip. Ever thought that it might have been put on a credit card?
And Amanda asked about right wing bias in the media. The US media is often accused of being left wing, but this just shows the effectiveness of the right wing publicity machine. Just like they have managed to turn the word 'liberal' -- which surely means moderate -- to mean extreme, almost synonimous with communist.
I don't much like left/right labels because there are so many dimensions to political opinions, but on a world scale, I think one would have to agree that the US media are biased to the right. I take the New York Times (often portrayed as left wing in the US) and the Financial Times (rather to the right in the UK) and the latter is I think to the left of the former.
Justin,
Please ignore requests for you to concentrate on "issues" rather than the "fluffy stuff".
I believe the whole point of you being able to do this blog is so that some of the "fluffy stuff" gets an airing.
I'm interested in your musings on any particular subject whether it be Clinton's tip ...or your observations on American society.
Loving it so far.
James
There is of course a missing side to all of this. You try to cover the Democrat side and the Republican side, but what about the possibility that neither side really serve the interests of the average American.
There are plenty of experts who have that view. Why not talk to some of them? Someone like Noam Chomsky perhaps.
The myth of a left-leaning media seems to come in handy. In truth, most TV and radio stations along with most newspapers and magazines, are owned by corporations. You can't really think the bottom line stands aside to let accuracy through, do you?
The news is whatever the companies decide to report. They report whatever improves their bottom line.
As to the comment (5) re when was the last time anyone sought out the owner to leave a tip: Last year actually, to make sure the substantial amount was divided between the wait staff and the kitchen - since they'd stayed open especially for us.
#20: if American media companies are reporting what they think helps their bottom line, then they are spectacularly incompetent businesses. Newspaper circulation is plummeting and viewership of broadcast network news is down. Apparently the customers don't like the product.
This is an issue for Hillary Clinton because she already has a credibility problem. Every single ding will ring loudly because people don't really trust her.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, as a former Restaurant Manager, give all tips to waiting Staff, giving you good service, in CASH and into their hand. The restaurant business is awash worldwide with unscrupulous business managers who disrespect their Staff's hard-earned tips. DO NOT add the tip to your credit card but have a care for the person serving you, and put CASH in their hand. If you made 90% of your income from your tips, as many waiting Staff do in the USA, you would be truly grateful. On behalf of all restaurant employees worldwide.
Carol Bloodworth.