Blinded By Power And Follow The Light Analysis

Both Ralph Nader and Newt Gingrich, the authors of Blinded by Power and Follow the Light respectively, focus on the issue of apparent recent electrical shortages in the state of California. While the authors agree on some aspects of the debate (such as the idea that journalists have been grossly misleading the general public with false reporting), there are multiple points in which their opinions are directly at odds with one another. The ultimate goal of both authors is to convince their audience to adopt a new viewpoint on the issue, while targeting informed residents of California with direct references to what they claim to be popular misconceptions regarding California’s electricity. In Blinded by Power, Nader’s thesis is clear from the opening two paragraphs. Essentially, he is vehemently against the self-pitying stance that has been taken by the California utility corporations and perpetuated by the media. In fact, he goes as far as to claim: “Every element of

Instead of opening by explicitly stating his stance on the issue, Gingrich uses the entire first few paragraphs to compare the governor of California at the time to an incompetent leader of an impoverished third-world country. His thesis begins to materialize in paragraph three, in which his heavy emphasis on blaming the state’s media is made clear. He specifically states: “What reporters don’t seem to understand is that the crisis in California is not electrical in nature—it’s political.” (Gingrich, 2004, p. 400-402). This political theme continues throughout the article, including blaming government leaders for over-regulating the entire electrical supply industry and bashing environmentalist lobbying groups for their efforts. While much of his argument seems rational, the initial comparison to a third world country seems to be a classic example of a faulty