Matthews: "There's 3 candidates, 4 if you count Clark."

[BeyondGeography]

The media minimization of Wes Clark continues. That comment came on Hardball tonight in a conversation between Tweety, Nora O'Donnell (LIGHTWEIGHT) and Roger Simon of US News.

What are they going to do if Clark wins Oklahoma and runs a strong second in AZ and NM?

Oh, I know, they'll play up an Edwards victory in SC and make this into a Kerry/Edwards duel.

Dean is positioned to have an absolutely horrible day tomorrow, but even that will get more press than a strong performance by Clark.

[jmaier]

1. There are 2 cable news networks

3 if you count MSNBC.

Sheesh.

[D G]

2. Ha! Perfect comeback

:yourock:

[BootinUp]

LOL!

[blm]

3. Clark will do better than they think, imo.

Kerry had to win first before he got media focus. A win for Clark in Oklahoma should help.

[BootinUp]

4. That is either hilarious or enraging

depending on your point of view.

I'm basically fed up with the cable news channels so I am going to try not to watch them for a while.

[ramapo]

11. You'll feel better and won't miss a thing

I gave up watching after the Selection, was back for 9/11 but then gave it up again after the "all anthrax all the time" show.

[ramapo]

5. Matthews makes my blood boil

I caught that...along with the gushing about 9/11 being Bush's finest day. Give me a break.

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. Clark has to win at least one state

Or else his candidacy is seriously in trouble. If people want to choose Kerry over Clark on national security grounds then I guess Clark will have to chalk it up to being in the wrong race in the wrong year.

[SEAburb]

25. Why! What has Dean won and he's in until March

Some people like being led around by the nose by the media. How many times have you switched candidates?

[Meritaten1]

7. Don't the media realize voters are noticing their biased coverage?

They are losing viewers and they don't seem to care.

[MidwestMomma]

8. But the newspapers are endorsing Clark!

Someone just posted that the Albuquerque Tribune endorsed Clark. This is what helped turned the tide for Kerry and Edwards in Iowa so I hope it works for Clark too. He has at least 2 newspaper endorsements in Oklahoma and don't forget the Native American Times.

It will be interesting to see the pundits tomorrow night when Clark does really well. I'm sure they'll spin it somehow but I'm hoping they at least have to mention his name.

Go Wes!

[xultar]

9. The media bias towards Clark may be a blessing in disguise...

why, since they aren't reporting on him they can't screw up his message. Take stuff out of context...etc.

:evilgrin:

[jmaier]

10. doesn't work that way, xultar

Mangling his message and taking stuff out of context are about the ONLY reports they actually do on Wes Clark.

[sandnsea]

12. This really makes me mad

Clark, in paricular, should be getting more coverage at this point. It's his and Edwards turn in primary and Clark isn't getting a fair shake at all. Maybe if he wins OK and comes in good in AZ, things will change on Wednesday.

[jmaier]

13. I wish

They'll spin positive on Edwards and probably say that Clark has no where left to go ... ignoring, of course, that he leads Edwards in TN. Oh well.

[Leilani]

14. Thank you for objectivity

It's just so interesting that they play up Edwards, but dismiss Clark.

[knight_of_the_star]

19. Right

Even if he wins OK and gets a solid second in AZ, they are STILL going to talk about the guy that won first in AZ and the guy who got a close second in OK. I hope I'm proven wrong on that count tomorrow, but I think the only way they will notice him is if he wins 2 or maybe even 3 states tomorrow. THAT will wake them up (I hope).

[sandnsea]

21. Ahem

My point is actually that there's 3 candidates right now who ought to be the focus because there are 3 candidates who are ahead in at least 1 state a piece. Don't you think?

[tishaLA]

22. They have decided that SC is *the* primary

this week, though, so Clark STILL won't get coverage for OK if he wins. Even his strong numbers in AZ and NM mean nothing to them because they have arbitrarily set the narrative about SC and its importance vis-a-vis African American votes, Edwards' do-or-die situation, and questions of regionality.

I hang my head in shame as I watch the press corps, after their wonderful job before Iraq, determine who is and who is not legitimate.

[sandnsea]

24. Oh yes he will

Trust me. Clark, Edwards and Kerry will get LOTS of coverage after Wednesday.

[HereSince1628]

15. Tweety may very well eat those words.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Reality is that the media is trying to play king maker

they are annoyed that we seem not to pay attention

Heck, the other day I had a conversation with a died in the wool
Republican, who is shoping for a Democrat.

He told me that Dean was a liberal. I corrected him, then advised him to GO TO EVERY DAMN website and READ THEM, becuase he could NOT trust the media any longer to tell him the actual skinny on any of the candidates.

Dean, died in the wool Liberal, I had a good chuckle... (and yes I like Dean but this is how much they have misrepresented him). Now they are ignoring Wes or misrepresenting Wes... and will soon start with Kerry. Fact is, the media cannot be trusted, PERIOD

Now as to loosing viewership, they are, and they don't care.

[jpgpenn]

17. The black balling will continue

They wont stray from orders above. Expect this to continue until something can finally get out to the masses of what is going on. The GOP backed media controls most if not everything of what the majority of Americans hear and watch.

[Terwilliger]

18. Look at it this way

Maybe Clark won't do as badly as Dean will tomorrow :shrug:

[jmaier]

20. He will probably do considerably better

but I bet the media still gives more air time to Dean's WI, WA & MI strategy than they do to Clark's actual Feb 3rd results.

I'm not talking about the folks reporting the precint results, but the punditocracy.

[MidwestMomma]

23. Wait...I feel a shifting in the force

Tweety ACTUALLY said 'Clark'. This could be the crack in the dam! I listened to 2 reports on Good Morning America today (I know-what crap!)and they only reported on Kerry, Dean and Edwards. They didn't even mention Clark.

So I'm taking this as a positive. You have to remember that people like Tweety have to take baby steps with embracing a new idea or concept.

Go Wes!

[maryallen]

26. What was it that Clinton said to Dick Morris?

(paraphrasing)

"Don't they (the people) know that the MEDIA run the country?"

[maddezmom]

27. WTF ~ I HATE TWEETY

Hope he chokes on his words today/tonight.:mad:

[isbister]

28. Kerry... Edwards... Who was the third?

I would think it was Clark... wasn't that guy with Joe-mentum was it?

[elsiesummers]

29. Yes they are ignoring Clark but

when Clark first entered the race he received a lot of press.

The media is certainly ficle - and they sort of remind me of an animal, say a cat chasing a string, or a pet watching a large insect - easily diverted and mesmerized.

I think is a function of the fallout from Clark not entering the Iowa race.

Then the media failed to pitch New Hampshire as a regional win.

One other thing, I think Edwards has played to the media by calling the SC race a do or die win, thus gaining media coverage.

If Clark had done the same thing on Oklahoma, he might have received more attention for it, IMO.

[Shanty Oilish]

30. Very true, they'd rather pull Dean's wings off and proceed to his legs

And that'll continue until he quits the race, which won't be soon.