Which Democratic candidate does the corporate media prefer?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

Is the corporate media really backing Bush? If so, wouldn't they prefer a weak candidate that will lose? Would the corporate media prefer a centrist, DLC-type candidate that will attack Bush, but not rock the boat too much on the economy? Does the corporate media want another culture war, with social libertarians on one side, and fundies on the other (might be good for ratings)?

Has Bush been good to the corporate media, Westinghouse, GE, Capcities, Newscorp? If the corporate media wants Bush gone, which Democratic candidate will they give lots of press to? It seems to me that the corporate media can make or break a candidate, depending on whether they ignore them or constantly trash them. Remember what they did to Gore?

[tjdee]

1. I thought--the one they give the most attention to is the one they want.

That's what I thought at the start of this thing.

Now....

Well, Dean got the covers of three major magazines.

I don't know. Besides that, I'm not seeing a media peference for anyone else (and yes, blah blah, he's raising so much money and blah blah his supporters--I'm not necessarily saying he's who they want, I'm just pointing out my observation, it's not like *anyone* else is getting *any* attention at all. To look at it, you'd think Dean is the only one running, maybe that Clark guy).

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

34. Do they want a Democrat to win or lose?

I think that corporate America has turned against Bush, if only because his administration has been such a failure. Unless they are hell bent on destroying the economy and undermining the American middle class, which they very well might be, there's no reason for Corporate America to side with Bush against a pro-corporate Democrat. Corporate America tends to be socially liberal and pro-choice, pro-LGBT, and pro-secular government (separation of church and state).

Corporate America will be happier with a socially liberal, fiscally conservative Democrat that will make sure the middle class is taxed enough to keep programs going, but just says yes to war, yes to corporations and corporate globalization, and no to unions and no to democracy.

The handful of oil companies that installed Bush will be overpowered by all the rest of the major multinationals. So unless they are going to use McCain, which seems unlikely, they will use a Democrat. Who will it be?

[AP]

2. One way to measure this is to ask who's getting the most free publicity

Another way to think about this is to see who's spending the most on media right now. They're going to love whoever is putting money in their pockets short term.

Then again, they're going to love the most whoever's going to put the most money in their pockets long term.

[Newsjock]

3. Whoever will cause the closest election

Big Media loves the horse race. The closer the election, the better for advertising.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

6. that sounds right to me

There's two ways they could get a close race - one, choose a candidate that is so close to Bush that it's a coin toss. Two, find the major splits in the voting population and pick a candidate that falls on the other side of Bush. What do you think?

[AP]

12. Short term vs long term.

A close race my lift revenues in 2004. But a Republican who goes to bat for media deregulation and regressive income taxation is worth way, way more to big media.

What did Bush and Gore spend, collectively on the election? 200 million? And that didn't all go to media buys. So what's that in terms of corporate income tax to Vivendi, AOL-TW, and Disney-ABC? Less than 1%?

[DemNoir]

39. Your so right!

Folks really overate this coporate media conspiracy stuff. They want what will give the highest ratings, period.

[wuushew]

4. Faux's favorite is Lieberman for some reason

[AntiCoup2K4]

42. Of course it is.

FAUX is the official PNAC network, and Joe is (aside from Junior) the official PNAC candidate.

[Octafish]

5. Corporate Media: All Dean. All the time.

Hermes-Press examined this question:

Is Howard Dean the Krypto-Republican Candidate?

Why is the Republican-owned media giving Howard Dean multi-million dollar media attention? That's the question no one's asking.

Dean made the covers of both Time and Newsweek, was interviewed by Larry King, was the subject of a US News Special, and receives continuing major coverage on all the "news" channels: MSNBC, CNN, and Fox.

Even Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, appeared on CNBC's Capital Report, was interviewed on Fox News' Fox Facts, and was interviewed on CNN's Inside Politics--all in July, 2003. Why is Dean the only Democratic candidate to be given this kind of coverage?

The Republicans and their media hirelings would have us believe that they're giving Dean the spotlight because he's an Internet phenomenon, that he's the leading Democratic contender, and because he represents the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" (a line Dean stole from the late Senator Paul Wellstone). None of the media's claims are true.

CONTINUED...

http://www.hermes-press.com/HDean/dean_republican.htm

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Dean is earning the coverage that he is getting

He wasn't getting much coverage before he started rising in the polls and raising tons of money. The major coverage started in early July, after he won the MoveOn poll and rasied more than any ohter Democrat in the 2nd quarter. He is now the frontrunner and getting the coverage than come with that status.

[Myra]

18. Thanks for that link Octafish

I am sick of how Dean is getting crammed down our
throats by the media, and I don't trust him or them (duh).

I do disagree with the conclusion of the website column
though. I mistrust Kerry even more than I mistrust Dean.

But if the Repugs really wanted to promote the most
progressive (supposedly synonomous with unelectible)
candidate, wouldn't they promote Kucinich?

Hell, I'd go for Kucinich over Dean (or any of the other
sorry buch of Dems) anyway.

[jagguy]

7. Edwards, no doubt

the guy is magic on camera and he understands what corporate America needs from a leader. That is, a leader who makes people feel good. None of the others do that.

[AP]

13. I wish this guy were the media favorite. CSPAN hasn't showed an

Edwards campaign event in almost a month. (CSPAN is owned by the cable networks.)

Stephonopolis's segment last week was his only major network coverage in the last three months (at least that's my recollection).

[jagguy]

20. wait till October or so, too early for them to care

the cover Dean because hes been uselessly trying to push the envelope.

[Kolesar]

8. This is all much too convoluted.

These quasi-conspiracies make my head hurt. The simplest explanations are more likely to be correct. Dean just caught the attention of the Democrats who go around the media to get their news.

(Original post title: Why don't you ask corporate genius Ralph Nader?)
edit:typo

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. what kind of quasi-conspiracy theory are you pushing?

Really, there's no need to get into any kind of conspiracy theories, there are other threads for that. I'm talking about major economic powers, the corporate media, and the candidate they prefer to work with. Now please don't start talking about aliens or something :)

[AP]

14. It's interesting that we sit around talking about the Media Whores

and their coordinated effort to manipulate opinion in every single other respect, but we're unwilling to believe this may be the case in the one instance when we THINK it might be helping Democrats (and is it REALLY helping Democrats?--perhaps the media whores have miscalculated, like they seem to be doing with Arnold, or maybe Rove has it rigth).

[blm]

16. Exactly.

I'm a longtime MWOer and I'm amazed that so many who knew that the media was down with Bush and Rove since campaign 2000 can see NOTHING wrong when Frank Luntz stages a whole focus group pushing Dean and dumping on Graham, Kerry and Edwards during that last Dem forum.

The way Kucinich was marginalized for his very REAL antiwar position and his very REAL efforts against the war, while Dean was propped up for his perceived antiwar stance is blatantly suspect.

[blm]

17. Exactly.

I'm a longtime MWOer and I'm amazed that so many who knew that the media was down with Bush and Rove since campaign 2000 can see NOTHING wrong when Frank Luntz stages a whole focus group pushing Dean and dumping on Graham, Kerry and Edwards during that last Dem forum.

The way Kucinich was marginalized for his very REAL antiwar position and his very REAL efforts against the war, while Dean was propped up for his perceived antiwar stance is blatantly suspect.

[AlinPA]

11. Broadcast media does not prefer any Democrats.

Some are following Dean around to try to get a negative story. After the primary they will still prefer Bush. Radio is totally on Bush's side.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

15. ClearChannel seems heavily Republican

certainly, but I don't think you can say that ABC nor CBS are particularly pro-Bush, fox certainly is, and NBC/MSNBC I can't quite tell. I haven't heard ANY negative stories about Dean in the press yet, so I don't follow you on that one. The corporate media has often preferred Democrats to Republicans, at least in my lifetime, but only the pro-corporate Democrats, for obvious reasons.

[ryharrin]

27. What do you mean?

How many positive stories have you seen on him? They are constantly saying that he has peaked too early, that he can't win, that he's McGovern/Mondale, that people won't accept his civil unions in VT, too. The only thing they are covering as positive is his grassroots fundraising ability, which is, in my opinion, his sharpest contrast against shrub.

[zeemike]

19. Good question

Liberman was there first choice because they knew he would be a good looser and concede even if there was another Florida like problem.
But that seeming to be failing, Clark is brought in to direct attention away from the one that they fear the most, Dean.

[newyawker99]

33. Hi zeemike!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

21. Does anyone think this is an important issue?

I've often heard us complain that the corporate media prefers Bush - what would you think if they started to prefer a Democrat - would that be good?

[AP]

22. The important questions is WHY would the media promote a Dem

when it's so painfully obvious they have been felating Republicans since 1998.

There is a slight possibility that the media would like to see a Democrat win so that the Democrats can build up the middle class a little bit (after Bush is done with his rape and plunder, smash and grab) so that there's something in their pockets worth stealing again.

But, given what I see from the media, I'm not convinced that they've really changed alegiances just yet.

[Pepperbelly]

23. Whoever we nominate, you can bet on this ...

when they start crucifying him, you won't be able to buy a nail in DC.

[salin]

24. without a doubt.

and whoever it is - will get 10 x worse than Gore. Why? Because these mofos (GOP Rove machine) have grown even more arrogant, even more nasty, and even more comfortable in creating myths - before they took somethng and tried to retell/twist/warp but it started with something (albiet the something rarely even resembled the smear). Now they just make cr&p up.

on edit (hit return to soon) - and it is so entertaining that the media happily jumps in line (esp the talking head tv and echo chamber radio) to repeat the lie again and again and again demonstrating no critical thought in even questioning the ridiculous nature of the lie.

[Pepperbelly]

25. did u catch my thread on GD re: ...

the California deficit?

The sheer mendacity and/or incompetence of these slugs stuns me.

[salin]

28. I think I missed it

but lets guess... GOP policies led to dereg which led to the extraction of 71+billion from the state economy... which led to depressing productivity (esp in ag and manuf - where high cost of energy that drug on for close to a year had HUGE impact on business)... which led to lower state revenues.... Oh - and the feds which had the authority to intervene chose not to until 70+billion had been extracted - because as Cheney said - market good; controls/caps bad. As if anything could have been worse. (Note this was the first intervention to prop up Enron as it began sliding).

ALL while in Washington policies were passed that shifted costs for mandated programs to the states without an increase in revenue to states... that increased the deficit (esp due to round 1 tax cuts) that led to more federal cuts that shifted more burdens to states for essential services... which further stalled the economy leading to lower tax revenues at both the federal and state level (and at the federal level that led to even more cuts and shifting even more costs to the state)...

Then due to 911 and powergrab opportunties set up a new federal programs (think Home Land Security and No CHild Left Behind) that increased state costs with little help from the federal government...

Now a new round of tax cuts certain to increase more of the same stagnating and state and local level spending while dropping state and local revenue generation.

And then after all of that... having the GALL to blame it on the democrats in California.

Could that have been the gist?

BTW, did you see that today the IMF sent a warning to the US about its fiscal practices and huge deficits? whats next will they put US on austerity programs.. oh - bush would like that - since the next step is forcing the sale of all natural resources to private industry.

Oh are we in trouble.

[Pepperbelly]

30. actually, it is much simpler.

They continually flail the $38 billion deficit that Davis caused.

Except there is not $38 billion deficit. There is no deficit although there is an $8 billion problem in the out years that they are dealing with.

[salin]

32. wow. n/t

[mandyky]

26. Whichever one is behind in the polls by the looks

unless someone does something outrageous like raise a million dollars in 5 days while attracting crowds of 5 - 10 thousand people 6 months out from the PRIMARIES.

[CMT]

29. none of them!!!!

the corporate media prefers Bush.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

31. maybe they don't anymore

Bush is really screwing things up for everyone, including the powers that be. I have a feeling that if Bush continues to screw up the economy, our foreign policy, and this disasterous war, the corporate media will turn to a corporate friendly Democrat to replace Bush with. My question is which one of the 10 candidates they would prefer?

Now if the ARE supporting Bush again, they would want a weak candidate.

[John_H]

35. The corporate media wants a close race

to sell commercials in 2004 and a Bush victory to keep them in tall clover. They don't give a shit who provides the close race as long as the dem loses.

That's exactly what they did in 2000--without Cici et. al. stroking chimpy and bashing gore in every piece, Gore wins by at leat 6 points.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

36. a close race, but they want Bush to win?

Will they pick a candidate that's very close to Bush's positions to turn it into a coin toss, then throw their support to Bush at the last minute?

[John_H]

41. my guess is they think Dean would

provide, in their eyes, both the "easy" distinctions and the "underdog" bit that keeps them from having to work too hard. My prediction is that whoever the Dem nominee is, they'll try to prop him up (unless he's polling way ahead) and then late in the race....BAM let the scre jobs begin.

The good thing is that they're power is somewhat limited because of the huge importance of on-the-ground work in campaigns. If the economy is bad, not Tweety, not CiCi, not Stretch, nor any of John King's men will be able to put Chimpy together again.

[Upfront]

37. Bush Or Lieberman

Same thing, and they want the same thing.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

38. Bush vs Lieberman

Lieberman can't win the primary, no way.

[revcarol]

40. We DO know that the one they don't want is

KUCINICH, who will get the JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AFTER MEDIA CONGLOMERATION, as well as agri-business, etc...More restraint of trade "than under the robber barons" is how he puts it.

Can't have a person who promotes small business as President...

So look to see who they promote as time goes on; you will discover the DLC/*-lite candidate.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

43. Dean and Lieberman...they give them the most air time and print time

becareful