Paul Ryan and the Media

When Paul arrived home last night from a night at the library I jokingly said:  "I have to admit that I have a little bit of a crush right now."  Paul laughed and said:  "What did Paul Ryan do now?" probably because I've mentioned lately how half of my friends on facebook have admitted to Paul Ryan crushes in the past weeks.

But really, I  thought his speech last night was pretty awesome.

Which was why the comments I heard, both beforehand and afterwards were so typical of the media and yet mind boggling.

You see, after Ryan was formally announced as Romney's running mate, I was watching some early morning news program online.  The thing I dislike about this particular media player, is that it cuts away from the Today show and splices in MSNC clips pretty frequently.

Anyways, as I listened to the news while I got ready, several commentators began to speak about Ryan Paul and how he was such a weak choice because he was a poor speaker.

Now I did instantly doubt the truth in those words, but I'll also admit that I get most of my news through reading about what's going on, not watching it, and I hadn't heard Paul Ryan speak enough to say whether or not the claim was true.  And let's face it: Biden got through as VP somehow... and every time the man opens his mouth the White House has to scramble to clarify "what he meant to say.."  So I guess anything's possible.

Last night I sat on the couch sewing, waiting for Paul to get home and wondering if they set off fire works every night year round in our neighborhood (I have a feeling they definitely do on game nights!), when Paul Ryan took the stage at the RNC and began to speak.

And I have to say that I went from being about two minutes away from switching off the channel, to practically cheering with the crowd.  His speech was awesome.  A few highlights included:

‎"None of us have to settle for the best this administration offers – a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us."

and from ABC:

So I was surprised when the convention ended for the night, and the cameras panned over to the commentators for whatever channel I was watching and they began to speak.  You see, since we have a brand new cable package, I'm not quite clear on what affiliate of what station is on each particular channel.  They all have their own little affiliate names on the guide, and I don't watch enough TV to be able to tell you quite yet which is ABC or NBC or CBS by the number or by the local names.  I had chosen the channel I was going to watch last night, because, when I turned on the TV after the girls were in bed and I'd sewed five snoods and had taken them downstairs to finish the sides by hand, it was the only one of the lower channels, that was already showing the convention.  The others were still half an hour away from beginning coverage.

Yet as the commentators began to speak, I had to wonder what on Earth I was watching.  They launched straight into an attack on Ryan and his "awkwardness" and how he had at least managed to warm up at the end.  I wondered if we'd been watching the same speech.  After ten minutes of talking about how he'd at least managed to improve at the very end, and had seemed a tiny bit less nervous after quite a long time, the program ended and I realized I'd been watching public television.

No agenda there (sarcasm).

I get really, really tired of how skewed every single news program has become these days.  I'm even more tired of seeing Prince Harry's body flashed across the screen every time I turn on the TV looking for the news.  I mean really.  I'd like to see the weather for tomorrow.  I'd like to have an idea of how hot the house is going to get and whether or not I'm going to be rushing around cooking so I can turn the oven off before the house is a hundred degrees.

Ryan's speech was awesome, but I'm ready for November.  And maybe by then the media will be done with the Harry picture obsession of the moment and it will be safe to turn the TV on again.