US media still on the defensive

This piece of news from the US caught my eye today. It seems that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, two of cable news network MSNBC's most popular personalities, have been demoted after the McCain campaign complained of a "liberal bias" in their coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions. For those in Europe who often find themselves perplexed by US broadcast media, this is probably an excellent lesson for understanding it.

There's been speculation over the past two years that MSNBC, which consistently ranks third among the cable news networks (behind Fox News and CNN) and has had trouble finding its voice since its inception, is going to veer to the left to try to become the "Fox News of the left." Fox News, which was launched in the late 90's promising to deliver news free of "liberal bias," is reviled by the left for its strongly conservative slant. All of Fox News' main personalities are right-wing, and its news coverage is often blatantly (and hillariously - as often featured on the Daily Show) enamoured with the Bush Administration and the Republican party. Tapping into the widely held American belief that there is a "liberal bias" in the US media, the network has been remarkably sucessful and consistently ranks above CNN.

So the thought was, MSNBC might try to emulate that success by becoming a network that favors the democrats. They began featuring Olbermann, who is a frequent critic of the Bush Administration and the GOP, more and more prominently. And Chris Matthews, who has been with the network since the begining, has been increasingly critical of the Bush Administration.

Back to the culture wars: Palin's brilliant debut

I just watched the Sarah Palin RNC speech on CNN Europe, and all I can say is wow. A star is born.

The speech was brilliant. In one fell swoop Palin managed to deliver one of the most vicious political speeches in modern history while at the same time coming off as sweet and domestic. While trumpeting her own "small town values" of compassion and simplicity, she outlined a series of blisteringly cynical attacks on Obama's 'elitism.' Trust me, this will play in Peoria.

Every European should watch this speech if they want to fully understand the current American political climate. The strategy employed here is classically American, and I think it will work. For a week the McCain campaign let the media criticise the Palin choice because of her inexperience (she's only been governor of Alaska for 20 months, and before that she was a suburban housewife - she's only left the United States twice) without seeming to offer any defense of her. Throughout the revelations about her teenage daughter's pregnancy, her questionable dealings while in the governor's office and her past as an Alaskan separatist, the McCain campaign refused to put her forward to answer reporters' questions, and even McCain himself was unavailable for comment. From the outside, it looked like the campaign was in full implosion.

But in reality, it was a set-up. The campaign was using the media circus around Palin to draw a record number of viewers for her speech last night (early speculation is that viewership will rival Obama's speech). Once they were there, she made herself out to be the victim of media elitism. How dare they question her lack of relevant experience for the presidency! They just don't appreciate small-town values like you and me. They are "entrenched interests" who don't want to see a "Washington outsider" come in and shake things up. It was brilliant, and the anti-elitist message will play big in the US.

The crowd went nuts. It's definitely been a long time since a group of Republicans felt so enthused. You can see from the reactions of the crowd, as the camera pans to their faces and they mouth "I love her!" This woman is going to be a force to reckon with.

What was also clear from this speech is that the GOP intends to once again frame this election in the context of the 'culture wars,' an us-versus-them mentality which seeks to capitalize on the fact that one half of the country seems to despise the other half. It's small-town, regular Joe Americans versus those liberal urban elites, and it's a tried and true tactic.

Yet the fact remains the idea of Palin becoming president is almost absurd, with her complete lack of relevant experience. This was echoed by the fact that she didn't bring up a single policy issue in her speech. And yet with McCain's age and his history of melanoma, this is a very real possibility. I'm reminded of the fictional situation that was presented with the short-lived NBC drama "Commander in Chief," in which Geena Davis plays a woman who was selected as vice president as a gimick, but then shortly into her running mates' term he falls ill and dies. She's expected to resign and allow the speaker of the house to become president, but instead she stays on. One can imagine that if something were to happen to a President McCain, such a situation would present itself.

It will be interesting to see what happens after this speech, but its hard to see how the McCain camp won't get a huge poll boost from it. And yet, it will be a tough act to follow for McCain's speech tonight. Perhaps all the enthusiasm and excitement that Palin has generated for the demoralized GOP will fizzle if McCain delivers a lacklustre acceptance speech.

Je suis arrivé à Paris

I've made it through my first few days in Paris, and actually the move has gone remarkably smoothly so far. My friend Lori came along to help me move and we took the Eurostar train over with three suitcases, two backpacks, and a giant Argos shopping bag full of coats. I guess I'm officially a migrant now. You bring the suitcases right on the train and there's no weight limit or anything, so it wasn't too much of a hassle. It's amazing though, a two hour train ride and I'm here in this completely different world. I'm so glad I took the train instead of a plane, it makes me feel like I'm not going very far from London. And really, I'm not am I?

Last week I had a series of goodbye drinks and festivities. First Wednesday night I had leaving drinks with my friends, then Thursday I had drinks with my coworkers, then Friday I had another night of saying goodbye in Soho before I left Saturday morning. It was all kind of surreal. On my walk from my flat to Seven Dials, walking down Monmouth Street, there's this spot where a French cafe faces an English cafe, and they each have these giant flags of each country, facing each other across the street. I just kind of stood there for a bit, as it seemed appropriate.

My flat here is great. It's a one bedroom in St. Germain des Pres, which is a really lively neighborhood. It's a nice place, perfect for what I need. And it's right next to the river so Notre Dame and Place St. Michel are just a 3 minute walk from my door. It's quite funny though because the decor is really feminine, kind of the polar opposite of my grubby London flat! It's a quick walk to the Sorbonne so it's perfect for going to class. The only problem is it's on a party street (the locals call it 'the street of the thirst') so there are people out partying in the street below my window every night till about 5am. There's no cars, so it's relatively quiet during the day, but at night is quite a different story! Ah well, I'll adjust to it probably.

UK set to be most populous EU nation by 2060

Here's an interesting note for those in England who complain about immigration. Just a week after new population figures released in the UK showed that the population in that country is growing at quite a healthy rate, figures released for the EU as a whole show the population trend going in the exact opposite direction. In fact, it shows that because of migration, the UK is going to be the only large country in the EU with a healthy population growth rate after 2015.

According to the study by the EU's statistical office Eurostat, deaths will outnumber births in the European Union after 2015. By 2060, the UK is likely to have the largest population in the EU - 77 million, ahead of France and Germany. And though the EU's population is set to fall after 2035, the UK is set to see a 25 percent population growth over the next 27 years, behind only Cyprus, Ireland and Luzembourg.

This will keep the ratio of pensioners to working people at a healthy rate. Though the EU as a whole will see only two people of working age for every person aged 65 or over by 2060, in the UK the disparity is not expected to ne nearly as stark because of a high level of migration.

US gets its missiles in Poland

It’s official, the United States will install missiles in Poland pointed at Russia. The historic and highly controversial deal was signed in Warsaw this afternoon by Condoleezza Rice, ushering in a new era in Russo-Western relations.

The decision by Poland to allow the US to build its missile base there, and a mirror decision by the Czech Republic to build a twin radar facility in that country, seemingly couldn’t come at a worse time for relations between Russia and the West. Set as it is with the backdrop of the Georgia conflict, the timing is likely to enrage Russia even further.

The US insists the missiles are not directed at Russia but are rather for Europe’s protection from rogue states such as Iran. But there is no denying that the missiles are within easy striking distance of Russia, right at its doorstep. As part of the deal, the Americans will get a permanent garrison of US troops along with an agreement that the US will give Poland complete protection in the event of any conflict. All of this is outside the framework of NATO. Russia is obviously far from pleased that this is happening in its former satellite state. After all, they point out, the US didn't tolerate Russia putting missiles in Cuba. Why should the Russians tolerate this?

Binge drinking and the 21 limit in the US

One of the most interesting differences I’ve observed between Europe and the United States has been the very different drinking cultures. A lot of those observations have been prompted by the unique experience of my brother, who moved to Switzerland at 16 when my father was transferred there for his job. As a high school sophomore in the US, he would have had five more years before he could legally have a beer.

But since the drinking age in Switzerland is 16, as it is in most of Europe, he was able to drink right from the start. Obviously his high school experience was quite different from mine in many ways, but one of the most notable aspects was his social life. While I had little access to alcohol in high school and my social life was mostly composed of small parties or trips to the local diner, he’s spent his weekends with his high school friends clubbing at some of Zurich’s premier nightspots. And while you might think that an American teenager arriving in a European country where he could suddenly legally drink would overdo it, I’ve observed that he’s been quite responsible and moderate about drinking. He’s been in a culture where binge drinking is not common and teenagers see alcohol not as just a means to getting yourself obliterated but rather a normal part of social interaction.