Monday, May 07, 2007

What's the Real Point?


I was going to take apart Halimah Abdullah's latest bit in the Commercial Appeal, but Jon Carroll seems to have mostly done the job already. Abdullah's piece is billed as news analysis but it's mighty light on the analysis and illumination.

All I would really add to his observations is the following. What does her article really say? It comes down to two things: a) Voters have very short political memories, and b) Willie Herenton is powerful. Neither is particularly noteworthy by itself, and Abdullah doesn't elaborate either point, so what is she really saying?

Carroll thinks she's just coming out early for Herenton, or maybe doing some sweeping up work for him, apparently based on Abdullah's implicit assumption that the MLG&W mess has been brushed away now. That's what Herenton was saying implicitly last week, in his news appearance. She doesn't elaborate on that either so, again, we are left asking, what's Abdullah's point?

MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: I nearly forgot to note Abdullah's mention of Jack Sammons. Twice! Where does that come from? No one I've heard thinks there's a serious chance he's getting in the race, so where does Abdullah come off pimping his possible run? Doubly odd bit of real news (if it were true) in an otherwise pointless piece.