In the Media Battle over Roberts, GOP on Top--CSM

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In media battle over Roberts, GOP on top

http://csmonitor.com/2005/0815/p02s01-uspo.html


Lack of controversy and opponents' misstep give the Supreme Court nominee an important leg up.

By David Cook | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON – So far, the White House appears to be ahead in the media battle to sell John Roberts's nomination to the US Supreme Court.

"The Bush administration did a very good job of introducing Roberts as a sensible, pragmatic, just-right-of-center fellow that just about anyone between the ideological 20-yard lines would be comfortable with," says Charlie Cook (no relation to the writer), editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.


"Although opponents have been agitating and trying to drum up opposition and finding a smoking gun, the president's side has done better," concurs Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, which provides nonpartisan political and election analysis.

The goal of whipping up a political base is straightforward: so that voters put pressure on members of the Senate to either support or oppose a nominee. One reason Republicans have done better in energizing their base for Judge Roberts is that "they have good material to work with," says Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics in Charlottesville.

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