CONFUSING TIMES
W e’ve got some time
before November
3rd, but this fall’s
presidential election is
approaching fast. It will tell the world
who we are and what we want to be.
In 50 years of broadcast journalism,
I cannot remember when politics
was so stressful and unpopular.
Even Independents are struggling,
and a word of caution here, be careful
with poll results. One thing we have
learned about this modern news
media is selectivity. Correspondents
are selective about the polls they use and
how questions are framed in order to
get desired results.
The status quo has not been so unbalanced
in modern history. In fact, history is filled
with examples of lost elections caused
by low voter turnouts. Five times in our
history, the winner of the popular vote for
president has lost an election, going back to
1824, when John Quincy Adams defeated
Andrew Jackson. Al Gore won the popular
vote in 2000 but lost to George Bush.
The last person who lost the popular vote
but won the presidency with electoral
votes was Donald Trump, who defeated
Hillary Clinton.
This upcoming presidential election
could once again be decided by the
Electoral College because it neutralizes
large population centers and pretty much
equalizes the states to prevent a heavily
populated state from dominating the
results. The idea is to give voters in each
state equal representation regardless of
population.
By John Wilson
This nation has worked itself into a state
of confusion because these candidates who
are presenting themselves to us now are
not striking the right chords for unity
and bringing us together as a nation. The
discontent that now engulfs this country
has little or nothing to do with the economy
or international issues. It’s about the kind
of leadership and the kind of person we
really want to represent us.
When I was anchoring the news on
television, the objective was simple. We
carefully described the “who, what, where,
when and how” something happened.
The “why” was left to commentators
and editorials. These principles were
set by Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley/
David Brinkley, Peter Jennings, Edward
R. Murrow and others of their time.
Honesty and objectivity are not easy
to find these days. Voter turnout for the
election of the president averages about
60% in this country. It should be much
higher, and despite what some say, every
vote does count. Florida is among a dozen
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states with higher than average
turnouts for presidential elections.
About one-third of the nation’s
registered voters usually don’t vote,
and the number of Independent
voters not affiliated with a political
party is growing daily.
It reminds me of what the late CBS
anchor Walter Cronkite said. I spent
time with him in the ‘80s, when he
was considered the “most trusted
man in America,” when he said:
“Freedom depends on two things,
more than one point of view and a
popular vote that determines just who
we want to speak for us.” He never let
his own personal opinions affect his
reporting except when he declared, “We
are losing the war in Vietnam.” I’m sure
he considered it a fact. Interestingly, he
was a registered Independent.
Our process can be frustrating and
tedious, but in our country we welcome
people from many places all over the
world, and that’s why we are the land of
the free and the home of the brave. What
happens on Election Day makes it work. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson, who retired
from Fox TV in 2014, worked more than 50 years
in radio and television news broadcasting.
COMMAERNTTARY
John Wilson