A series of essays.....
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| DANA BASH IS CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR CNN |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
I would be remiss, my dear readers, by not pointing out how exceedingly difficult it has been for me not to sully my weekly post with political innuendos, gossip, lies, and half-truths!
Some of my stories may have been innocently (ha hum, clearing my throat) infused with mild opinions and reactions to various political drivel, especially regarding a name I cannot and will not type while utilizing my precious add-on, i-Pad keyboard. I respect my keyboard and, if required, will use the euphemism 'Drumpf' instead.
Fortunately, my story is not directly about Drumpt. I would rather not be a contributor to his devious plan of extracting free media exposure, even on this incredibly minute scale: My blog post! Trust me, I will continue to sleep quite well tonight and on through to the November elections! And, hopefully, beyond.
My story concerns a female journalist (TVNewser) whose employer is CNN, the Cable News Network, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner.
Not long ago, CNN named Dana Bash chief political correspondent, the network's lead journalist covering the Republican presidential candidates, Capitol Hill and elections. Once relegated to the more shadowy corners of the CNN political news stories, Dana has stealthily advanced along the political battlefields before securing her network Purple Heart by fighting in the trenches. After all, she is covering the Republican Party.
It was a particular analogy Dana used several days ago that ultimately roller-coastered me from one emotion to another within seconds. In referencing Elizabeth Warren's endorsement of Hillary Clinton, along with Warren's recent 'tag-a-long approach' designed to mirror Secretary Clinton and intelligently expose Drumpf (sorry, I had to mention him here) for the person he truly is, Dana compared Warren's position to that of Sarah Palin! What in the world was she talking about?
I was crushed! How could anyone dare to say the name of Sarah Palin within the same breath used to mention Senator Elizabeth Warren? And, Dana was comparing these two individuals as if they had any personality traits that could be compared adroitly with in the first place. So, I sat and I listened and.....I learned.
"If you think about it," she said, as I sat staring craters into the flat screen before me, "Elizabeth Warren's self-proclaimed status within the Democratic Party is quite similar to the one Sarah Palin held for the Republicans." Ouch!! "Both women hold similar positions within their parties that are particularly designed to push, pull, and enhance the positive attributes of the nominee they are supporting."
Okay. Perhaps I can calm down a little bit and try to understand all of this.
"In essence, they serve as cheerleaders for their candidate." I think I see where this is going. "And, with loud voices and passionate outcries, they expound the political beliefs of their candidate and encourage the voters to understand why their vote really does matter."
Now, my poor brain was immediately dressing Elizabeth in her preferred color 'blue' replete with "I'm For Her ---->" sewn-on patches, megaphone, and flashy blue and white pom-poms! Somehow, I failed to dress-up Ms. Palin in my mind because I still couldn't forget the black and silver disco 'go-go' outfit she wore while endorsing (you know who) months ago. All I could imagine was each silver tassel swinging wildly across her chest as she shook and quaked with the fervor of an Appalachian minister on a sweltering Saturday night.
I 'got it.' The analogy was not lost on me and what Dana said made sense. Like good little soldiers, whether we agree with it or not, each cheerleader embraces their candidate's ego with open arms and carries their ideals and beliefs on their shoulders like tasseled, velvet epaulets....high ranking and loyal to a fault.
One must ask if this burdensome task was spawned by a true alliance with the values held by their candidate? Or, are sweet treats and political rewards the incentives dangled in front of them like juicy carrots? We will let our conscience be our guide with this one.
Either way, the role of these two 'cheerleaders' is similar. I will admit that. Their style (message)......as different as day and night.
When Warren, with microphone in hand and steel in her eyes, lets loose with frustration, you can feel the years of hard work and passion that she's contributed to the well-being of each and every one of us. She is a force of nature, just like Hillary Clinton herself, and a person that anyone would be proud to have by their side.
Thank you, Dana Bash, for making it real for me. Each side has drive and ambition, however, the packaging and standards can be, and are, entirely different.
Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
