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Soapbox time. Check the thread. 1/12 "Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego erroneously says morgues out of space on national TV" https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2020/07/10/abrazo-hospitals-have-adequate-morgue-space-despite-phoenix-mayor-claim/5418150002/ via @azcentral
2/12 Then this, from another outlet: https://twitter.com/NicoleSGrigg/status/1281713642661003264?s=20
3/12 Gallego has an election coming up in November. And she has been using the Covid crisis to help her raise $ for her campaign. https://twitter.com/stephenlemons/status/1273724999908483073?s=20
4/12 So to be completely cynical, hyperbole and fear-mongering are good for the Mayor's fundraising efforts. Not that there isn't something to be afraid of, but jacking up the fear factor is unnecessary, unless the goal is publicity.
5/12 And the publicity helps the Mayor raise $. BTW, the Mayor's goal is not reelection. She has no real opposition. As with all politicians, the goal is advancing her career, leveling up, whether that is running for Guv or some other office.
6/12 It is always thus with politicians. As with the parable of the scorpion and the frog, it is in their nature to play the scorpion. I don't expect anything else from them, whether there is a D or an R next to their names.
7/12 That said, I would anticipate the local press pool to be a bit more skeptical. But Phx is a blue town, and almost all reporters here lean D. If Gallego were a Republican, you can be sure she would not escape scrutiny so easily.
8/12 Also Ducey, being an R and being Guv draws more lightening. He's an easy target. Low-hanging fruit. And your readers and audience will cheer you if you skewer him. Journalists, being paid peanuts, largely, do it for the back-patting and the attaboys. Plus, he deserves it.
9/12 However, I would argue that goring the sacred pol is a lot more interesting and a lot more fun. Also, you get a little closer to the truth. It's a smidgen harder, in the sense your audience will not like that you've called out a member of their tribe.
10/12 You will not garner the same huzzahs. And you will have to think more coldly. It won't be enough to just call the mean ol' Republican some nasty names. You'll have to have some facts and analyze the situation from a perspective perhaps separate from your own.
11/12 The more you do it, the more you will realize that every politician is full of the brown stuff. And by that, I do not mean bourbon. Also, the tribe you identify with will no longer take you for granted.
12/12 Futile Friday musings, perhaps. But here's hoping just one local journo can get up the gumption to apply a bit of the bottomless contempt they have for Dugout Doug to the less-than-honest Democratic Mayor of P-Town.
