If you don't think the press is a problem then read this

[dsc]

Here are the current approval/disapproval ratings for several politicians:

Survey by the Roper Center/Quinnipiac, February 2006
John McCain: 40 percent favorable/18 percent unfavorable
Rudy Giuliani: 49-15
Hillary Clinton: 42-40
John Kerry: 30-41
Al Gore: 27-46
George W. Bush: 36-49
Dick Cheney: 29-50
Condoleezza Rice: 44-27
Bill Clinton: 49-33


Al Gore has the worst numbers of all the listed politicans. Kerry the third worst. Both are statistically tied with Cheney who is widely blamed for everything Bush has done wrong (and what a list that is). These numbers are hard to overcome. They also are hard to create absent a horrible crime. Think about this Gore, who was right on everything in his campaign has numbers that are worse than Dick Cheney. The press did this. Stories about Gore's 'lies' nearly all of which were themselves lies. Stories about earth tones, Naomi Wolf, and Buddist Temples. Stories about Love Story, Love Canal, and the internet.

Gore is all but non viable as a candidate thanks to that steady drumbeat. It would take several million dollars to change his numbers into something tolerable. Gore, the man who literally forcast what Bush would do, has worse numbers than Bush. If we don't do something about the press, we are dead meat. Our best Democrat, Bill Clinton, has positives tied for first but negatives higher than every Republican save Bush and Cheney. So that while his positives are tied for first his net approval ratings are worse than every single Republican save Bush and Cheney.

We need to fix this. It is that simple. Dean was right about this, like so many other things. During the primary season his notion of having supporters work the press was widely ridiculed, and apparently abandoned when Kerry got the nomination. Kerry now has a net approval of -11 and a positive of a mere 30. We have to do something to hold the media accountable. We have to fix this. I don't know if Dean's way of working the press was the best idea or not. I do know that we must come up with some idea.

[lvx35]

1. Interesting that maybe we're looking at Condaleeza vs Hillary

if all those people ran today. But yeah, the slander is outrageous. I feel like Kerry was one of the biggest targets.

[hopeisaplace]

2. I completely agree with your analysis on this

Gore is so far ahead as "human being" not just as a leader..and
the media carves out what they 'want' people to think and believe.
It's beyond pathetic.

[NMDemDist2]

3. Gore's new movie may make those numbers flip n/t

[stillcool]

4. know the enemy?

"We live in a dirty and dangerous world. There are some things that the general public does not need to know and shouldn’t. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows." Katherine Graham "Washington Post"

“News is what someone wants to suppress. Everything else is advertising”.
– former NBC news prez Rubin Frank

“Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have.”– Richard Salent, Former President CBS News.

[WiseButAngrySara]

5. But how do you do it? I STILL hear comments on the "LIBERAL"

media! This is so obviously not the case, that it's laughable for anyone with a half of a brain.