A Generational Divide

Barack Obama's relationship with politicians and activists from the so-called "civil rights generation" will receive a thorough airing in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine. In discussing the question of whether Obama has put too much distance between himself and those who have come before him, a troubling perception came up on my radio show, "Politics Plus".

A surprising number of people brought up their feeling that one good reason for Obama to avoid civil rights leaders was because that era is seen as violent. At first, when one person brought it up, I didn't take notice. Yet time and again people, in particular young people, talked about the movement for civil rights as being cloaked in violence. More than once the riots of the late '60s were mentioned. 

This took me by surprise. After all, the icons of the movement, the Kings, the Evers, etc. were committed to non violence. So many black people died, were beaten and hosed for simply attempting to assert basic American rights. It's mind boggling to think that's been translated a generation later to imply black folks were largely the perpetrators, rather than the victims of violence. 

Whether Barack Obama is paying sufficient respect to John Lewis and Jesse Jackson seems irrelevant when compared to this extraordinary distortion of history. Ironically, it's not the fault of the current generation that they see things this way. 

Sad to say, it's the fault of those who came up during the civil rights era, and didn't pass the history along.

It's our fault.     

More Changes

This time, we're talking about a different set of changes from yesterday. Today, we talk food. A pair of media reports indicates the slowing American economy is having an effect on two areas of culinary endeavor. They would be soul food and fast food. 

Quiet as it's kept, restaurants in Harlem, once the soul food capital of the universe, are closing down one after the other. They're the victims not only of rising prices for basic ingredients like cooking oil and collard greens, but of changing tastes and demographics as well. The list of shuttered soul food palaces in Harlem alone is startling. Some are surviving, but only by either keeping prices low or changing the menu to reflect the new diversity of the neighborhood.

As for fast food, McDonald's also seems to be feeling the pinch of rising prices and lower profitability. They're making changes to their Dollar Menu, which launched just five years ago and helped the chain draw more customers. The anchor of the menu is the double cheeseburger, but higher dairy and beef costs make it tough to keep the price at a buck. So what do you do? Sell the double cheeseburger for more than a dollar? Use one slice of cheese instead of two? 

Unlike the soul food places in Harlem, fast food eateries like McDonald's won't be closing their doors anytime soon.  But for right now, they do have rising prices in common.     

Them Changes

There are changes going on in the American electorate, and by and large they don't spell good news for the Republican Party. It boils down to this. In several key states this election season, the number of registered Democrats is growing, while the number of registered Republicans is declining. The number of voters registering with no party at all is also growing rapidly.

The numbers have implications well beyond this year's presidential balloting. Races for the House, Senate, and state legislatures will also be affected. The state races are important because they're the ones who draw congressional districts each decade after the census is taken. Demographers and political pundits have varying reasons for this shift. Some say the economy and the war have dealt the GOP a body blow.

It could be the rise in the number of younger voters settling in traditionally Republican states that explains, for example, why there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democrats after the 2004 election, and now those numbers have been reversed. Whatever the reason, it's being seen as a blessing for Democrats and a challenge for Republicans. 

Yet these new numbers don't by any means make the election of Barack Obama a slam dunk. Just because someone registers with a particular party doesn't necessarily mean the person will vote for that party's standard bearer. One figures the Obama camp knows this, and is working to woo these new Democrats and independents with vigor.

Otherwise, the Democrats could blow this.  

Media Chasing Dollars

As the presidential election cycle winds its way toward the national conventions, it's not just the candidates, or the political parties, that are looking for money. The media too, is looking to cash in on one of the most closely watched presidential races in recent memory. The trouble for traditional media is strikingly similar to the crisis the music business faces. 

People's consumption habits have changed, and turning interest into revenue isn't as easy as it used to be. For example, the broadcast television networks' evening newscasts are having trouble stopping a long term decline in viewers. The slide has continued even as this year's primaries were hotly contested. Don't even talk about newspapers. They're in worse shape. A continuing cycle of readership decline, cutbacks and buyouts, and in some cases ownership changes has created anxiety in a good number of print newsrooms.

And all this during a time when people seem to be clamoring for more information. In terms of print media, the Internet could well be the cause of the havoc. People are consuming more news, and from many more sources. Take the case of our friends from Politico.com. They're averaging 2.5 million unique visitors a month to their Website. Say what you will about his site, but the Drudge Report also has become a favored place for people to pick up round the clock news. 

Add to all this the growing power of cable news, YouTube's popularity as a site to see controversial campaign commercials, and you get the picture. 2008 may not be the best year for traditional media to chase those advertising dollars that come during an election cycle. Estimates of the potential amounts to be spent are incredible when compared to just a few years ago.

The question is, where will those dollars go?