Getting the Message Out There

So a lot of people have been very critical of the fact that President Obama appeared on the daytime television show "The View" this past Thursday. He has been lambasted and ridiculed for his decision to appear on such a show despite the fact that there are so many crises going on all across the globe. If you read the comments sections of most online news sources, you'll find a ton of comments by opponents stating that Obama has nothing better to do than fan the flames of his celebrity and continue acting as if he is on the campaign trail rather than leading the country. To all these critics I would simply say that there is no one to blame for this decision than ourselves. Perhaps you won't agree with that statement but it's the truth and if you think about it even a little bit, it will probably be the most logical thing he could have done to appear on "The View".

These days the media has become almost as polarized as the political system in our country. You automatically can make the safe assumption that Democrats will never appear on Fox News Channel and conversely, no Republican will appear on any of the other networks out there because they are the 'elite' or 'mainstream' media. As a quick aside, I have yet to hear a plausible explanation about how Fox News isn't elite when you consider the fact that they probably spend just as much (if not more) on the hair and makeup expenses of their reporters than any other network; but I digress. With the issue of media polarization being very obvious (at least to me) it makes sense that if Obama wants to come out and speak to the public on national television, he would do it on a show where at least there is a modicum of political balance.

Don't believe me? What about the conservative firebrand who sits opposite Whoopi Goldberg; the darling of Fox News, Elizabeth Hasselback. Remember when she was creating a stir on national television regarding the fact that the conservative media found that she was the sole voice of reason among all those other liberal cronies on the show? I would be hard pressed to find any other program that has as much of a mix as "The View" in terms of political balance. Obama could have appeared on Oprah but why? He would face accusations of taking an 'easy interview' much the way Sarah Palin was criticized when she agreed to be interviewed (if you could call her interview with Sean Hannity an interview) on Fox News. Conservatives would cry foul over the fact that Obama was meeting with Oprah because she's so very obviously in his favor.

And after that, are there really any other shows out there during daytime television that are actually worth the time it takes to read the show descriptions? I can honestly say that I don't believe there is. Gone are the serious talkshows that used to be on every so often and in come the reality series or trash talk shows. Obama couldn't appear on Judge Judy unless he wanted to sue Rahm Emanuel for using the f-word in front of his daughters so then where else could he turn to but "The View". Sure you can say that he could have very well made an address from the Oval Office if he wanted to appear before the general public but then there's an outcry over what show is being pre-empted.

Don't believe that? What about when Obama wanted to deliver a speech regarding the escalation of the war in Afghanistan; people began screaming bloody murder because the original timeslot requested would have pre-empted "Lost". Can't have that now can we? I guess those of us not affected very directly by the war really don't care about it but we would have cared a great deal had we not been able to see the final few episodes of "Lost" at it's regular time. Now I'm a fan of the show but I understood that the message that was to be delivered was important so it would have been worth it but I guess the majority of us didn't agree. You can make the argument that appearing on a television show like this is beneath the President of the United States, but then again where else will he at least be given a chance to discuss himself that isn't being spun by one part of the polarized media or another? Sesame Street anyone?