Velociraptor Politics

The focus on "gaffes," rather than issues, in political reporting these days has become a real vexation for voters.

Especially under the new definition of "gaffes." I think of a gaffe as a factual error. The media has begun to define it as any statement that the candidate's OPPONENTS define as an error.

That makes the process of identifying a gaffe a highly subjective process. 

In "Jurassic Park," the velociraptors tested the fences for weak points. In today's Internet age--and on Facebook--activists continually post quotes and political actions meant to provoke outrage. Most don't "take" with the public. Many just outrage the people who didn't support the targeted candidate in the first place. Very, very, few move the critical independent voters, who are not paying attention to every little dot and dash of the campaigns.

In fact, the constant expressions of outrage and demands for retractions and apologies simply innoculate voters against recognizing real moments that demand a passionate response. Outrage and ridicule simply become viewed as another political tactic.

Saul Alinsky in his "Rules For Radicals" wrote that "ridicule is man's most potent weapon." But Alinsky didn't count on a culture in which ridicule is the predominant language of the day and, by virtue of overuse, becomes meaningless.