How many non-Dean supporters are sick of talk about media assassinations?

[dolstein]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that so many Dean supporters are trying to excuse his poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire by pointing their fingers at the media. The fact is, he got beaten badly in Iowa -- which, in case people don't remember, was BEFORE the "I Have a Scream Speech" -- despite outspending his opponents by a considerable margin. And need I also point out that one of the reasons he was so high up in the polls to begin with was because of the inordinate about of press coverage he received? Man, if Edwards got half of Dean's coverage, he'd be running away with the nomination right now.

[Democrats unite]

1. It's valid question

And it should always be talked about until the Media whores stop it.

[Don Claybrook]

2. Fighting whining with whining?

That's a new one for me. Dean lost Iowa and New Hampshire. The New Hampshire loss was partially attributable to a bad rap he got in the press, but what happened happened. Dean is damaged goods, fair or not. What remains to be seen is how damaged he is and whether he can pull out of this nosedive. But I'm not going to waste my time and energy whining about life not being fair for Dean, just as I wouldn't waste my time blubbering about Edwards not getting enough press time.

What was the point of this thread anyway?

[Trajan]

3. LMFAO ...

Fighting whining with whining ....

Indeed ...

[Cascadian]

14. You are so right!

It's all about denial denial denial. Up is down and down is up! Dean is a nutcase liberal and I am a Marxist! I don't see the point of the posting either actually.

John

[w4rma]

4. Big media is assassinating your guy too, except you don't even know it.

Once again, Dean takes the spotlight away from Edwards
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=223003
your own thread, dolstein.

[EllieDem]

5. Me

I think some of these media attacks have only highlighted some serious gaffes some of these candidates have made. Kerry hasn't made any gaffes therefore no need to highlight them. Capiche?

[KittyWampus]

13. Kerry's Gaffes Haven't Been Repeated 100 Times On Every Network

and cable news show.

He's made them.

By the way, there's a big difference between his answer on Iraq in tonight's debate and the answer he gave previously.

And the mediawhores can manufacture gaffes.

Ask Wes Clark.

[dolstein]

12. I don't view this as a conspiracy

It takes a lot of arrogance to believe that the media is out to get you. If I had to guess why the media is focusing so much attention on Dean rather than Edwards, it's not because the media is out to get Edwards, but because everybody (whether they'll admit it or not), loves to watch a train wreck. And Dean's campaign is one hell of a train wreck. So while it sucks that the press isn't giving more time to the best candidate in the Democratic field, I'm not about to start looking for shady figures on the grassy knoll.

[w4rma]

17. It's not a "conspiracy". It's simply a question of what one would do if

they owned a media outlet. If you owned a media outlet you'd, at the very least be tempted to, promote things that made you money or consolidated more power into your hands or hurt your smaller rivals or relaxed annoying regulations that prevent you from cutting corners and quality.

And the converse, tear down things that did the opposite.

[Kurovski]

19. That's a great point. It's only business, not a conspiracy.

Serving your advertisers, if you will. Look for the re-emergence of full-page ads from energy companies as the election draws nigh. Drug companies, investment co.s, etc. They are the largest advertisers.

The Media serve them well. Highly paid whores always give value for the money.

No conspiracy at all, just commerce in action. After all, we do live in a country where the Supreme Court has said that free speech is for sale to the highest bidder.

[MrSlayer]

6. I'm sick of the media assassinations.

And I'm not a Dean supporter.

[laruemtt]

7. i feel they're understandable

as i'm feeling the same about how clark is being treated / ignored.

[Indiana Democrat]

8. ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME!

It's a joke. The media built him up and he tore himself down. Just the opposite of what the whiners claim.

[Nazgul35]

15. The media built him up...

was the plantive battle cry for supporters of a certain candidate whose campaign imploded and he had to mortgage his house to get back in the campaign...after he sicked Gephardt on him of course...

Funny how people have short term memory about their own whine campaign that lasted four months!!!

God help us if Kerry should falter and not get the nomination...I can only imagine what the excuses will be....

[Cascadian]

9. Ever heard of "spin"?

John

[KittyWampus]

10. Lately Edwards HAS Gotten Lots Of Positive Airtime

has any tv station done a hit piece on Edwards about how he did gave a speech to a group that supports terrorists?

Cause they just did that to Clark before the debate on MSNBC.

[Kurovski]

11. The press coverage was not why Dean was the front runner.

The newspaper I subscribe to was negative in it's reports and commentary. If Edwards had the kind of coverage Dean did, and had to field the attacks Dean did, I don't think he would be running off with the nomination.

Americans made Dean the frontrunner, and the press tore down that status.

And now the campaign has to re-group because whining about the unfairness of that fact will get the Dean camp nowhere.

Dean will be fully in his rights to strongly challenge Kerry on many points, particularly given the way Kerry nipped at Dean in the past.

[DemBones DemBones]

20. When I say the media helped Dean, I'm talking about TV, not press

coverage. Dean benefited from a great amount of positive television coverage for many months and what I've seen of their coverage of him since Iowa hasn't been particularly rough. A front-runner coming in thrid is news. His "scream" speech was news that would have been covered no matter who the candidate was. A campaign shake-up is news -- Kerry's was covered, and not with favorable commentary. Kerry was criticized in the media for mortgaging his house to raise more campaign funds and not have to accept federal matching funds. I think Dean blasted him on that, too. And it's news the media will cover when a campaign that raised a huge amount of money is broke enough to ask staffers to work for nothing temporarily. I've had CNN on most of the day, prior to the debate, and they havent pushed the story at all (though I didn't see "Crossfire," and I'd expect Tucker and Novak to hit on Dean because they're Republicans and will always hit on a Dem.)

[Kurovski]

22. What I heard on television was that Dean was "unelectable"

I heard he was "too angry", possibly unbalanced.I heard it every day. Other forms of Media were more nuanced in their negative messages and memes.

I don't agree with your assesment of the scream. It's obvious what that was about once you view the video. Additionally, Dean was using a miccrophone that diminishes background sound, making his volume seem innapropriately out of balance with the crowd's. In reality, many of those attending the event could not even hear Deans speech, so loud was the screaming of the crowd itself.

If Bush's recorded comments where he and Cheney called someone they disagreed with an "asshole" had been played every day, over and over, in every outlet and mentioned in every newspaper, written about by commentaters, editorials, etc.,Bush would not have made it into the White House. That event could have been spun into proof that he would be a divider, not a uniter since he cannot tolerate differing opinions. It's easy to manipulate public perception, isn't it? Fun, too. Especially if one happens to be a corrupted whore.

At any rate, I agree completely with the money problems of the Dean campaign. I'm pretty well disgusted with that one. And yet I'll be contributing more money to the campaign, money I can ill-afford to part with.

And why? because the one thing true about getting into the White House these days is: You buy your way in.

If my contribution buys three more words of truth spoken by Dean that makes its way into print or on video, I will consider it a good investment.

[pacifictiger]

16. His poor showing was because

he was the front runner and everyone else started co-opting his message. He was also taking heavy artillary attacks from all sides, while his cohorts stole his bullets. Then the "unelectable" thing started happening. More people are voting for Kerry and Edwards based on perceived image rather than their ideas. I agree with this article "unelectable, my ass"
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17512

If you can get past the sound bites, he is the only one giving substantive, common sense "why" behind those sound bite messages. If people is this country desire real change, they'll have to learn to get beyond infotainment dressed up as news. I hope they have the courage.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. Dean was quite a whiner about being the front runner,

always talking about "picking buckshot out of his rear end" (an image I got sick of visualizing the first time I heard it.)

Now that Kerry's won Iowa and NH, Dean has been "warning" Kerry in television appearances that he'll have to take the heat now that he's the front runner and shouldn't whine about it. It was a very unattractive television performance by Dean the other day.

Nobody coopted Dean's message anymore than he coopted others' messages. Democrats should share a lot of the same views on issues, the same messages, and all politicians borrow ideas from others or change to be more acceptable to voters. Dean has done it.

You wrote:

"More people are voting for Kerry and Edwards based on perceived image rather than their ideas."

That is no doubt true but it's equally true to say:

"More people are voting for Dean based on perceived image rather than his ideas."

because many people vote based on perceived image rather than candidates' ideas. It's an unfortunate part of living in a democracy, having to accept your less-informed fellow citizens as equals.

But you are probably overstating the case for the primaries, particularly the NH primaries and the Iowa caucuses, where the people who vote make an effort to go out and hear all the candidates and know what their positions are. In other words, voters in Iowa and NH were probably much better-informed than voters will be in the general election.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

21. The Corporate Media loves Kerry

I'm not a Dean supporter, but it's true the Corporate Media loves Kerry - it should be obvious why.

[Kurovski]

23. Yes, and another not so obvious reason why

is that the writing is on the wall: there is a large movement out there to be rid of George. Republicans are part of it too.

The corporate powers ( Gosh almighty, I feel like such a hippy saying that) want to hedge their bets by carefully selecting a candidate they can keep control of. Remember, the press had already made Kerry the front runner, and then that pesky grassroots Dean movement was arrogant enough to assert itself by pushing him aside. I imagine HoCorp. Media had to show all the people out there getting news and info from non-corporate controlled news sources such as the internet that such things shall not be abided with.

If it does turn out that I find myself casting a vote for Kerry, and I will if need be, I will hold him every bit as accountable as I do Bushbean, perhaps moreso. If he makes it to the White House, I fully expect him to surprise me. Because as it stands now, his record and rhetoric have me discouraged, unimpressed, and at times disgusted.