The big news items dominating the US are a couple of things: politics and the economy. Every day the news kind of gets worse about the state of the economy. The recent $200 billion infusion (probably bailout is the right word) by the Fed briefly lifted the stock market. But market watchers and analysts are uncertain if that upward trend will continue for long or if the markets will continue sinking. This $200 billion infusion is a short-term measure to stave off inflationary worries points out a savvy market-watcher. Who knows why we refrain and are reluctant to use the term “recession” even when we are in one. My sense is that news about the state of the economy has become a constant that most people are not paying any attention to this. Instead their attention is turned to the Presidential political drama unfolding in various parts of the US.

For a brief while this week the nation’s attention strayed from the Presidential race and was riveted instead on New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s case. Once considered as a fine, upstanding, corruption fighting lawyer Mr. Spitzer got himself into a bit of a hot soup with his out of state dalliances that led to his resignation. The entire nation and the rest of the world now knows about his tryst as Client Number 9 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC the night before Valentine’s Day.

Since yesterday (Wednesday morning in the US) the focus of most website’s, news sites and mainstream media is on the lady and her involvement with Client Number 9. Not only do we now know her face, but we know her name, where she lives and what her ambitions among other things. If you are interested you can also listen to her musical works, she is a budding R&B singer and counts Etta James as one of the singers she likes. And of course the late night TV shows are having a field day with this entire Client Number 9 and his dangerous liason. Kara Swisher points us to some mashups on Client Number 9.

What is left unsaid in this entire public drama is the toll and pressure on the Spitzer children, who are all teenagers. It is a terrible price they have to pay for what has happened, and hopefully they will find the strength to endure this intense media spotlight and pressure. It is still uncertain what will happen to Spitzer, and on what grounds he will be charged for his dalliances.

From the New York governor’s fiasco the nation’s attention has once again shifted to the Presidential election and the Geraldine Ferraro conroversy is the latest episode that has riveted on our couch and glued to the idiot box. (BTW, the Florida polling system is back again on the radar…remember the hanging chad from 8 years ago?) Also when it comes to Presidential race the talk is not about the Republican candidates, but the big, big spotlight is on the Democratic candidates: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. There is a lot of he said, she said, they said, and then they all said going on and that keeps many political commentators sufficiently engaged and of course once again that is lot of fodder for the late night talk show hosts.

What caught my attention is this article by Noam Cohen in The New York Times that compares Obama’s website to a Mac (Apple’s MacIntosh) and Hillary website’s to a PC (Wintel machine). As you can see right there embedded in that comparison are a bunch of loaded messages about youth, experience, appeal, engaging with the audience etc. Cohen paints a pretty fascinating and absorbing picture on how the two Democratic candidates have used their website to spread and gain support. He interviewed a couple of designers to get their feedback on Obama’s and Hillary’s website’s. This article is definitely worth a read.

Cohen’s analysis brings to mind that important and pivotal 1960 US elections between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and the role of TV in deciding the fate of the Presidency. This was the first election (1960) where TV debates were introduced, and from then on TV has come to play a very important and decisive role in subsequent US Presidential election (Of course, that is now replaced by the YouTube Presidential Debate). Kennedy won the debate with the viewers because of his photogenic appearance when compared to Nixon. In a similar fashion this year’s Presidential election will clearly underscore and highlight the central role played by the Internet, YouTube, social media etc. etc. Whoever can harness the power of the Internet and all its avatars will have an edge over the overs. There is a caveat: that is assuming that the young, college going voters and others in the under 30 age group do turn up at the elections and vote. Historically the USA has one of the lowest turnout in elections when compared to other Western Democracies. We will know the answer to this question by the end of the year when there will be non-stop, in-depth analysis after the elections are over.