NEWS BLOG (WSAU) Some things are a big deal… some things aren’t. If you follow politics or the news media, knowing the difference is important.

We have two things in the news lately that some people think are big deals, but aren’t.

First, the DNR has partnered with Humane Society of America for a series of commercials. They are public service announcements urging people to leave wild animals that appear to be abandoned alone. Hunters are less than happy that the humane society, an anti-hunting group, has ties with the DNR, which regulates hunting in Wisconsin. This should not be a big deal. The DNR and the humane society have a common interest on this specific (and narrow) issue; they disagree on others. Hunters, who are also voters, will continue to have greater sway over animal management policy than a special interest group. Look at the hearings and policy changes that have come from hunter/voter complaints after the poor deer-gun season. The humane society would not be able to match that, even if it was their intention.

Secondly, we now have a vegetable garden at the State Capitol in Madison. Some conservatives see this as a partial take-over of the capital grounds by tree huggers and granola crunchers. Yet if you listen to WSAU late at night, you hear Coast to Coast AM commercials trying to sell seeds and grow-your-own-food products. The target audience is conservatives who fear a world food crisis. There are no conservative tomatoes and liberal cucumbers.

The problem with taking small side issues and making trying to make them more than they are is ‘crying wolf syndrome.’ People can be desensitized to real scandals when they pop up.

Congressman Joe Sestak’s claims that the Obama Administration offered him a job not to run against Arlen Specter is potentially a real story. So far it’s mostly been mismanaged communication between the White House and a candidate’s campaign. It has the potential to become much more complicated. Watch the developments carefully in the next few days starting with today’s Presidential news conference, where it is sure to come up.

Chris Conley
Operations Manager, Midwest Communications-Wausau
5.27.10