ABSTRACT
When most of us think about politics, we think about the president, Congress, and the big media—the networks, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and perhaps even Rush Limbaugh. We don't think about local politics—the city or the state—and how they are covered on the news. Yet the decisions local officials make inevitably affect us. In Cleveland, Ohio, where I live, fans of the professional football team, the Cleveland Browns, threatened to do bodily harm to owner Art Modell when he disclosed that he was moving the team to Baltimore. In Philadelphia, business leaders organized a group to oppose the construction of a new convention center. Workers objected too, arguing that relocating to a new part of the city would disrupt their trips to and from work. Printer Frank Busillo went so far as to vow that he would shoot any city officials who forced him to move. “I'm going to get me a couple of .44s and sit at the back of the shop with a cowboy hat and wait for 'em,” Busillo said. 1
