The permanent campaign

The Economist recently dubbed Obama's leveraging of his campaign machine from the White House "the permanent campaign," and it sure feels like it. While I think it's great that he's trying to stay in touch with his peeps, I think it's getting old.

Fact is, I don't form my opinions first and foremost based on what campaigns say. That's what the press is for -- to offer viewpoints and help us form opinions. And the press is having a hard time right now. The idea has been floated, for instance, to make newspapers endowed not-for-profits.

So if the Obama campaign has extra cash, I think it should use it as seed capital to form a fund of funds for newspapers, or perhaps just to support the trusty and beloved New York Times, which doesn't have a Rupert Murdoch to prop it up. David Swensen of the Yale Endowment, who has publicly called for the NGO route for papers, should pony up some dough too. And money should be raised from the right wing too to keep things "fair and balanced."

We don't need emails telling us to call our Congresspeeps and read a script. We need good reporting.