In 08, its gunna be McCainClintonGuilliani or ObamaRomneyEdwards ..... or .... ?

[Stinky The Clown]

I'm just sick and goddamned tired of the teevee 'kingmakers' and their endless blatherings about who's up and who's down and who's on top and who's in the toilet for the 08 race. Its like watching Hollywood Teevee speculating about the Oscars, but for politicians.

Jon Stewart was damned right when he famously told Begalla and Carlson they were hurting the country.

Every time there's a discussion of 08, they talk only about the current high-name-recognition candidates.

What about the other ones? Look at who won for the Dems (and the Dems **will** take the White House in 08 .... bet the farm on *that* one) the last few times. Who ever heard of Jimmy Carter? Who ever heard of Bill Clinton?

These teevee fuckwads OWE the country an honest discussion .... not some stupid groupie gaggle using the candidates' first names and talking about what they heard at this Beltway cocktail party or that. Why no discussion of Kucinich? Clark? Richardson? Dodd? Biden? Hell, why no talk of Bredesen or Easley?

The pundit class has less worth than used toilet paper. And they smell worse.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Why Do You Hate Powerful Women?

Just wondering.

:shrug:

(OK, just kidding)

One of the difficulties is that We The People tend to just change the channel if the talking heads are talking about someone we don't know. We're hypnotized by fabulosity.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

2. Vicious cycling

The media needs viewership to survive, which leads them to go with the news stories that attract the most attention. Big Hill and Obama are both special cases for very obvious reason, and John Edwards has the notoriety of a VP run under his belt. Otherside of the equation, John McCain and Rudy have massive public profiles already, and Romney is getting covered because he looks like he's already puting together a fairly aggressive early campaign. People want BIG. I personaly think we can't have Duncan Hunter on the television often enough, however.

As for the "What's with the media conspiracy against (insert my pet candidate who hasn't delcared yet)?", journalists cover the news. Tom Vilsack got that he was entering an already crowded predatory kingdom, and came out early hoping to get his head above the fray. John Edwards declared in New Orleans. Joe Biden declared on one of the fifty fucking shows he appears on every Sunday that has seven total viewers. A candidates visibility in the media is his own problem.

(Yes, this sidesteps, "If Dennis Kucinich has ten million in cash right now, everybody would know his name". It's not fair, but it is).

As we've seen, the primaries are generally attended by people who aren't being swayed by talking heads, and who've all done their homework. The ground game defines primaries, and its why going precinct to precinct shaking hands can make the difference. If Joe Biden rises like an eagle out of Iowa, and publicly eats Hillary Clinton's still beating heart after a massive thirty point jugernaught victory in New Hampshire, the media will report it.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

3. Also though

I'm talking about journalists.

If we're talking about the creatures of the sunday morning talk shows, or Tucker Carlson, or something like that: well, what the fuck do you expect? You chose to turn on MSNBC (one of maybe ten a day who do!), and much like purposely eating glass, you'll pay for it.