Has Media Decided it 's Either Dean or Clark? Seems a Fix is in.

[Raya]

I am really wondering whether I am just not seeing things right, but I can't help seeing an emphasis on either a Dean/Bush match-up or a Clark/Bush GE? Seem that the senarios have been setup and no other options are available to us.

Have been trying to see a good TV piece on John Kerry for a while and it never seems to happen. I turned on C-SPAN to see him tonight and got 15 min of Kerry reading a story to kids, then about 45 minutes of Clark campaigning and giving interview. There was no comparison of the coverage and I really started wondering whether there is some instruction from on high to keep Kerry exposure under wraps.

Has anyone else seen this pattern? Have gone to the Kerry website and find his stuff interesting. But I have never seen the guy and am wondering whether a fix is in so I won't see him on the tube before he drops out.

Honestly? Any opinion, info on this.

[dkf]

1. I think once he announced he was mortgaging his house

Kerry couldn't keep up w/Dean or Clark who look to be the $ leaders this quarter.

Remember, this is the $ primary we are in now.

[Clark4Prez]

2. You're right

From the news coverage, you wouldn't know Gephardt was running, and hell he is a congress person and all!!

(Edited because due to the lack of media coverage, I forgot how to spell his name and what elected position he held, hey if Rush can blame the media for his screw ups, so can I)

[Brian_Expat]

3. Actually. . .

He's the former House Minority leader, but I think his candidacy is doomed. He's very much an old-style back-room pol, and that approach just doesn't work anymore, as witnessed by the 2002 election fiasco.

[Brian_Expat]

4. The media is confused (shocking, eh?)

Dean and Clark are the "interesting" candidates because they both "came out of nowhere" to enter the race.

However, Mr. Kucinich's campaign certainly is getting a second wind as well, fund-wise and otherwise.

Remember the old media line was "Kerry vs. Edwards," and now they're old hat in the media's eyes. While I doubt that Dean and Clark are going anywhere, things could change again. The media doesn't care about the facts of the race so much as the fluff/intrigue.

[bushclipper]

5. Would you not agree..

That in every election season, the press concentrates on the strongest candidates?

This election cycle is really no different.

Gore and Dukakis in '88
Carter and Kennedy in '80
Clinton and Tsongas in '92

on the republican side and more recently, Bush and McCain in 2000.

Each race had more than these running.

[madaboutharry]

6. I had the same impression from

the C-span coverage today. I noticed Kerry's exposure was limited to reading a children's book while showing Clark campaigning and an interview with Kucinich. Then again the coverage may have been up to Kerry's campaign. Who knows. However, I do feel Kerry has gotten a raw deal in all of this.

[mouse7]

7. Now there's a fix in because Kerry has sucked?

Kerry campaign has been terrible. He thinks Democrats want to hear stories of his hunting exploits and criticisms of other Democrats?

Wrong.

First, most Dems live in urban areas, and couldn't give a rats ass about bird-hunting.

Now, on the rest, Dems drawn to the election process before the primaries are usually either party loyalists or victims of something a current administration has done. That audience doesn't want to hear defenses of positions you hold similar with the GOP and criticisms of fellow Democrats.

[glarius]

8. American TV is ignoring Clark altogether as far as I can see!

I don't see the media pushing Clark...They barely mention him, which makes me think he's the one they think has the best chance of beating Bush!....Don't get mad at me now...I'm a Canadian and I could be suffering from mad cow disease!

[no name no slogan]

9. Just like Kucinich said to Koppel

The whore media thinks it can dictate the terms of the debate, who's "serious", and who deserves votes, while completely neglecting the issues that face us as a country.

Has anybody talked about how we're going to further fund our presence in Iraq, or whether we have a plan to get out of there? Has anybody faced the fact that with our defecit being as it is, we'll have to make MAJOR changes in our spending, including our military budget?

Has anybody talked about the fact that not having medical coverage for EVERYONE in this country costs us more in the long run, as taxpayers?

Is anybody talking about restoring that novel capitalist idea of "competition" to the rural economy, so our farmers and small business owners are not beholden to big agribusiness and/or WalMart?

Or should we instead focus on how much money Sen. Forehead is raising, or how Gov. Necky looked like he had a neck during that interview, or how so-and-so's latest "poll" shows that only 13% of trans-sexual biracial Jewish lesbians would support a war in Syria?

It makes me wonder.

[ming]

10. Same thing in 92

I remember the same thing happening in 1992. It seemed to me at the time that the media chose Clinton and did everything they could to steer the nomination towards him.

[newyawker99]

15. Hi ming!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[WiseMen]

11. Most Interesting Theory I have heard ... Now, I don't Personally Believe

this theory. But, it goes like this: Word has gone down from the top of the global media conglomerates that Governor Dean must be propped, pampered and pruned. At all cost he should be sheparded to the Democratic nomination. Gaffs must be minimized. Failings must be excused. Anything more serious must buried (sealed).

Of course this is only a theory. I am not sure of the motivations behind it. Who knows if it is true? That's why I am calling for an investigation .....

[Kathleen04]

12. The mainstream media...

is focusing mainly on Dean because he is the frontrunner. I think that they will always give the bulk of attention to the frontrunner. A shift in fundraising and polls will also probably result in a shift of media focus.

C-Span is the one channel that I think gives some semblance of fair coverage to the candidates. I've seen plenty of coverage of Kerry on there. "Road to the Whitehouse" usually rotates who is covered each week.

I haven't really seen the media push "it's either Dean or Clark", but I expect them to soon.

[catherineD]

13. cspan covers different candidate each night. I've seen Kucinich getting

more coverage recently, and Kerry and Lieberman, too. I think there's recently been a mild reaction against Dean, with pundits willing to talk about the criticisms we have of Dean, and that papers are responding by covering all of the candidates more. I'm for Clark, but have not noticed him getting singled out for more coverage (unfortunately!)

[sandnsea]

14. The story was my idea!!!

I'm not sure if they did this because of ME actually, but I recommended they do a download of Kerry reading the Night Before Christmas because he is at his absolute best with little kids. Little kids aren't fooled and they are always all over him. So much for cold and aloof. I'm really sorry I missed it. He needs more of this kind of thing, I'll have to see if I can find a repeat!

[WiseMen]

16. I saw it and thought it was charming.

I did think he got relatively little time and there was not distinctive message to the voters who are not just tuning in. Next time perhaps we need to see Kerry in front of a wildly excited crowd -- unless Dean is the only one drawing those crowds.