Sigh of relief

Jessica Clark

Oh, thank god--saved from the spinsanity. Jon Stewart, beacon of common sense. Colbert picks up on the sportscasting metaphor straightaway. Kerry's challenge: concision. Fails in the first question by thanking everyone in sight; Stewart: "Smoke 'em if you got 'em--it's going to be a long night." Bush: Iraqis need to protect themselves; Stewart: I think that's what they've been doing--I think that's kind of the problem. Bush: Terrorists as a "group of folks"; Stewart: A "group of folks" is what you run into at the Olive Garden. Kerry: "I've had one consistent position"; Stewart: "There he goes again, rambling on…oh, wait, that was kind of clear. I got nothing." Stewart: What was Kerry writing while at the podium? [FAKE NOTE] "I am so crushing him." Stewart, talking to Wesley Clark: First time I saw Kerry when I thought that Americans might actually want to vote for him instead of voting against Bush.

Jessica Clark is a writer, editor and researcher, with more than 15 years of experience spanning commercial, educational, independent and public media production. Currently she is the Research Director for American University’s Center for Social Media. She also writes a monthly column for PBS’ MediaShift on new directions in public media. She is the author, with Tracy Van Slyke, of Beyond the Echo Chamber: Reshaping Politics Through Networked Progressive Media (2010, New Press).
The text is from the poem “QUADRENNIAL” by Golden, reprinted with permission. It was first published in the Poetry Project. Inside front cover photo by Golden.
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