At What Point Did NOT Doing Something Become News?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Sarah Palin has just made news in announcing that she’s not running for President. This is not to be confused with Chris Christie getting tons of news coverage over insisting that HE isn’t running for President.

I just don’t understand all this news coverage for people who aren’t doing something. Even more bewildering is the CONTINUED coverage by reporters who keep asking, “Are you SURE you’re doing nothing?” Perhaps Sarah Palin, seeing all the coverage that Christie is getting for not doing something, decided–in her media-obsessed way–that she wanted a piece of that action and announced that she was doing nothing so reporters would start asking her if she was sure she was doing nothing.

Shouldn’t headlines be reserved for when people are announcing they ARE doing something?

Oh, and just for the record: I’m not running for President, either. And this just in: A man didn’t bite a dog today.

PAD

43 comments on “At What Point Did NOT Doing Something Become News?”

  1. You missed it: the other day the New York Times ran a story about Palin being “suspicously quiet.”
    .
    Palin sells. If I was into blogging purely for the traffic, I’d do Palin pieces at least once a week, if not more often. And I could name names of those who do. (No, not our gracious host. Hush.)
    .
    J.

  2. So Peter, what you’re saying is that there is a chance you might announce your running. Very well, I will devote every waking news cycle moment to random speculation about your impending persidential bid

  5. Something not happening is news if these two conditions are true:

    1. The thing would be news if it happened.
    2. There was, or seemed to be, a reasonable chance of it happening.

    #1 is easily met here. #2 is less clear. But that’s how it works.

      1. I’m describing the apparent actual practice of journalism, as evidenced by the news stories you were unhappy about.

      2. Yes, and I’m saying it’s crap ášš journalism. Frequently it’s reporters reporting on things other reporters are saying, which is as inept as it gets.
        .
        PAD

  6. .
    In the case of Chris Christie, I can understand the news coverage. Most of the Republicans and conservatives out there in the media and sitting at home watching the media are looking at the current crowd of possible nominees they might have in these debates and then acting like the high school kid who wants every girl at the dance except the ones actually willing to go to the dance with him. Christie, despite being as clear as possible about not running, has been discussed by dámņëd near everyone and dámņëd near everywhere in the media as the guy who (especially after Bachmann’s spectacular entry and flame-out and Perry’s spectacular entry and flame-out) was going to throw his hat in to the race and be THE MAN who was going to do it for his team in 2012.
    .
    They’ve built up the story of his possible entry into the race so much that, in the minds of the media and punditry, his announcing yet again that he is absolutely not running “despite all of the speculation that he would” is somehow a big news story. The guy everyone was talking up as the next big thing for the 2012 race stays home.
    .
    I think it’s a bit like when the sports press builds up a story based on speculation about a player retiring or signing with a new team. You get weeks or months of talking heads going on and on about it and then when the guy basically does nothing whatsoever but stay exactly where he was before all of the speculation starts, it’s a big news story about him really doing nothing at all. We get tons of coverage about him really not doing anything and then some intense after the fact analysis about why he chose to not do what everyone was speculating that he would do.
    .
    We’ve basically turned our political discourse and coverage into what sports has always been. It’s really very often not much more intelligent or more seriously treated than some of the worst sports coverage and debates out there. This is just an extension of that I think.
    .
    Palin is a bit more of a curious point. She’s basically an irrelevant airhead at this point. Even some of her defenders here have, with their very own words earlier in the year, essentially declared her serious political career over at this point. Not very many people really care one way or the other if she gets into the race, not too many people were really wanting her in at this point and the only person served in any way by this announcement and its coverage is her.
    .
    I do doubt her declaring that she’s not running will play in the media as much as Christie’s announcement or for as long because of those reasons though. What we’re seeing here with Palin is the last gasps of her desperate plays for attention this year. From her “family vacation” and some of the places it just oh so coincidentally showed up at and when to trying to piggyback on the news of Christie’s announcement, this just smells like someone who knows that their 15 minutes of fame is down to about 15 seconds. She’s just trying to milk it while it’s still there for her. In another few years, even her biggest boosters will likely stop caring about any of her self serving publicity stunts, let alone the press as a whole.

    1. I’ve been thinking that for a while but is there anyone who has had their political obit published more often than Palin? How many times have her critics declared her null and void and dead to them, never to darken their webpage again with her image…and this time, they MEAN it!
      .
      There’s something about Sarah that makes some people go absolutely bonkers, even as they try to proclaim her irrelevant. I only wish I could believe she would make a good president, the campaign would be a never ending source of malicious delight. But, sadly, I can’t, so it’s better that did what she did.

    2. Jerry,
      I would argue she’s not an “irrelevant airhead” at this point, though she did do herself a lot of damage by waiting this long.
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      When Laura Ingraham says it is obvious Palin did not take the time to do her homework and become a more substantive candidate, she might have a problem.
      .
      When Ann Coulter says that “those of us who once loved Palin for her enemies are now starting to hate her because of her friends, she might have a problem.
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      When George Will dismissed her as an “unserious presidential candidate” and she has done nothing to change that perception, she might have a problem.
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      When Ðìçk Morris thought she had an “ideal opportunity” to announce on the anniversary of her convention speech and when she didn’t concluded that she would be a non-factor even if she now did declare, she might have a problem.
      .
      When Erick Erickson of Red State spoke for many when he said that he was inclined to support Palin and likely would have if she announced in say, May or June, but grew tired of the waiting game while other candidates were proving their hunger and mettle – and expressed annoyance at a “Palin cult” that b;asts him for anything he says that is not showering praise, she may have a problem.
      .
      When even those who were once excited by the prospect of her running – like myself – greeted yesterday’s announcement with a twinge of regret but more of a shrug, she may have a problem.

      1. Also, when her primary argument for not seeking the nomination seems to be that she thinks she can do more good as an independent person, as opposed to the President of the U.S., she may have a problem.

        And of course, I’m in Jeff Foxworthy rhythm reading this post, which creates a whole ‘nother level of amusement.

  7. I think Chris Christie’s announcement of non-action was big news — to all the morons who heard him say IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that he wouldn’t run for President and took it to mean “Well, that means he might…” In his case, it’s a sign of how desperate Republicans are for a “real” candidate — and ignoring the flaws of that person before they get in. (Remember, Rick Perry was the great hope of the GOP: a religious conservative in a state with job growth! Then he entered the race and people “discovered” such previously-known factors as his immigration policy and the vaccination issue, plus a previous poor showing in debates.) Whatever you think of Christie’s politics, you have to give him credit for knowing he’s not up for the challenges of running for president (which anyone knowledgable says is amazingly difficult) and keeping his job as governor, rather than throw it away to lose at something else.

    As for Palin, I think the phrase “attention whørë” is quite accurate. She isn’t running and has never been running, yet she pops up at other candidates’ announcements and now follows Christie’s announcement with her own. I would be thrilled if she simply vanished for the public spotlight, but with her definite “I’m not running” (which I predicted months ago), I’d settle for everyone but Fox News ignoring her latest announcements.

  8. I don’t like Palin one bit, but can you really blame her for the media frenzy? Blame the media.

      1. “Perhaps Sarah Palin, seeing all the coverage that Christie is getting for not doing something, decided–in her media-obsessed way–that she wanted a piece of that action and announced that she was doing nothing so reporters would start asking her if she was sure she was doing nothing.”

        I guess I meant, blame only the media.

        Can’t shake the feeling that if she had not announced she was not running, then there would be a post denouncing her for not announcing her not running, arguing that she liked the spotlight that her not deciding gave her.

      2. Can’t shake the feeling that if she had not announced she was not running, then there would be a post denouncing her for not announcing her not running
        .
        You mean a post from me? Shake the feeling. There’s no way I’d have written that.
        .
        And as for Palin, no, I still blame the media. In the phrase “media whørë,” the word “media” comes first. They’re enablers. Their obsession with providing her screen time and covering every word that tumbles out of her dimwitted mouth (tell us more about Herb Cain, Sarah, please!) is part of what drives her to excoriate them out one side of her mouth while courting them with the other.
        .
        PAD

  9. Shouldn’t headlines be reserved for when people are announcing they ARE doing something?
    .
    Well, Palin just got punted out of the way for all the wrong reasons this evening.

  10. Blame the liberal media. They won’t leave Palin alone. As for Christie, the reason the liberal media reported on him was because they were relieved he didn’t get in the race, since most thinking people believe Christie would have hurt Romney and allowed a more conservative candidate to get the nomination.

    1. Oh, i promise you, very few “liberals” would be upset much of the Republicans nominate “a more conservative candidate” than Romney, since all of the current choices that fit that bill are complete and total coo coo birds – almost as electable as Ross Perot.

    2. It wasn’t the liberal media who hired her as a commentator. Heck, Ailes himself said the
      reason he brought Palin onto Fox was because “she was hot and got ratings.”

      1. She had great ratings in large part because of the liberal media’s efforts to destroy her and their inability to leave her alone.

  11. I think you and I are on the same wavelength on this one, Peter; when I talked about this on my Facebook page, I mentioned that in other news, grass is green, the sun rises in the morning and all aspirin are not alike. I never for a moment thought Palin was going to run. If she couldn’t run her own state for four years, she sure as hëll didn’t want to run an entire country. Plus she wasn’t about to give up that lucrative Fox contract that gives her a big pile of cash, not to mention unlimited camera time and a sympathetic ear whenever she scratched her ášš.
    .
    As for Christie, I was starting to think that maybe he was changing his mind, but that might just be because most press outlets were doing their best to make me think that. Still, I was sort of hoping he would run, mostly because I figured he would never get the GOP nomination anyway, but so much dirt would come out that it would affect his reelection bid here in New Jersey. We seem to be the only ones who realize what a piss-poor job he’s done over the last couple of years, and I wouldn’t have been heartbroken if the rest of the country started to discover it as well.

    1. As for Christie, I was starting to think that maybe he was changing his mind, but that might just be because most press outlets were doing their best to make me think that.
      .
      Exactly. See, here’s the thing: the press should, in theory, never be the shaper of the news. It should just report the news. Once upon a time one of the biggest discussions in journalism is, “Is this item newsworthy?” This was back when the main outlet for news was newspapers and the half hour news programs in the evening. With space at a premium, the importance of everything had to be weighed and considered.
      .
      That’s long gone. Now, with the 24 hour news cycle, there is a desperate hunger for anything that even faintly resembles something of interest, and a determined unwillingness to let anything go once they have their teeth sunk into it. Particularly in the case with Christie, it was appalling to hear news sources say that there is still “speculation” over his running because the speculation was coming FROM the news sources themselves. The pundits, the opinion guys, THEY were speculating. So they were basically reporting on their own opinions, which is astoundingly bad journalism.
      .
      Also all too typical.
      .
      PAD

  12. Sad as the news is (and may he rest in peace), I’m really glad Steve Jobs managed to upstage Sarah Palin.

  13. I dunno, sometimes not doing something is news. To use a comic book example, I think there was a time back in 2000 (or a little later?) when Joe Quesada was courting Alan Moore to come back and write for Marvel.
    .
    Moore eventually annouced that he would NOT be working for Marvel. It was important (and disappointing) news to all those who had expectations to see Alan Moore writing the Fantastic Four or the Hulk.
    .
    Isn’t Palin announcing she will not run basically the same as the Alan Moore news item?

    1. The same as the Alan Moore news item? You mean of interest only to her fans, and not really affecting much of anything? Yeah, I’d have to agree it’s basically the same in that sense…

      1. Jonathan,
        Of interest only to her fans and not really affecting much of anything? You’re kidding, right?
        .
        Just as Christie’s final announcement has loosened the purse strings of a whole lot of “centrist” donors and supporters to back Romney, Palin FINALLY deciding she was not running means Bachmann still has an outside shot to become relevant again.
        .
        Between her stumbles in the past month, Bachmann may have been finished if Palin arrived courting basically the same constituency and hogging the press.
        .
        A Palin run at this point more likely than not would have not meant a victory for her, but she certainly would have changed the dynamics of the race.
        .
        She would appeal to the same people as Perry and Cain. The only question would be who she would hurt more.
        .
        And a Palin entry lilkely would have sent Newt back to single digits and possiby caused santorum to drop out, since the “family values” issues he scores some points on are those she articulates well also.
        .
        That’s why her declaring she’s not running – along with Christie – IS news. Because it affects the race.

  16. ‘Herb Cain.’ That was a good one. But she’s a busy woman, so I’m sure she had no thyme to get it right.

  17. Honestly, it is news, in that it shapes the dynamics of the Republican presidential primary structure and affects fund raising, but its news in that a 2 paragraph blurb below the fold would be sufficient, not all the bruhaha that results.

  18. And the reason she’s not running is the typical bully reason: she feels the right to say anything she wants against anyone, but if someone says anything about her they’re being ‘disrepectful.’

  19. This isn’t really a new phenomenon… as Chevy Chase used to say, “This just in: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.”

    1. Candidates have been not running at least since the time Mario Cuomo didn’t run back in the 1980s.

  20. Palin has been and always will be one of two things: Running for Miss United States or The Candidate’s New Clothes.

    She wants attention pure and simple. Why didn’t she announce she wasn’t running earlier? Because she milked it for every last drop.

    If she thought she would be a proper candidate for President, she would have: A)Announced early like Romney, Huntsman, Palenty, and Paul (Paul believes he is a proper candidate while the others were and are) or B)Announced after an appropriate event like Perry (got his Day of Prayer out of the way before announcing)

    Did anyone ever hear that any big campaign guy like Steve Schmidt, Karl Rove, Ed Rollins, Marc McKinnon or the like ever say that would be interested in helping Palin run? Nope. Because they know she would split the party, not get the nomination, and absolutely lose if she faced Obama directly. They keep telling her she has new, pretty, relevant clothes on because Fox News can make money off her, as can TLC, and the Republican party who wants her donor base as cooky as it is. So they let her make speeches and youtubes and facebooks and tweets.

    Fox News brought everyone of their potential candidates into the room for a meeting in Feb or March and said to them if you are thinking of running or running for President, you tell us now and we need to take you off our air so we at least appear fair and balanced. What happened? Gingrich and Santorum were suspended from their contracts until May by which time they needed to declare for President or not and return to work. They both declared later. Two Fox contributors stayed at work and kept working: Huckabee and Palin.

    The fact that she doesn’t run for President makes me feel one thing: that woman isn’t as big of an idiot I believe her to be. But anyone who thinks she was considering running or worse yet would consider voting for her is.

  21. Hope you caught Thursday’s Daily Show/Colbert Report. They both reported that Palin’s PAC did a special solicitation for contributions just two weeks before she made her “decision.” Now she’s got over a million bucks she can spend on anything she wants. I guess that last book didn’t sell that well.

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