Whomever wins this nomination will have won it fair and square

[ruggerson]

Each of these candidates has been given unprecedented debate time in the last six months. Voters who actually care about the future of our country have watched these debates and sorted through the woefully slanted viewpoints of various moderators and will ultimately make up their minds, based on what they witnessed, unfiltered, from the candidates themselves.

The media has loved Hillary Clinton and despised her. Ditto with John Edwards. Obama's press has been overwhelmingly positive. Sure, the second tier candidates have not received the press the top three has, but that's because they don't poll as well. What they have received, through this never ending debate cycle, is a chance to make their case to the Democratic voter. If Joe Biden breaks though the pack and scores in Iowa, it will be because of his impressive performance in the debates and how voters responded. And then the media coverage will follow the swing in voter sentiment.

Whomever emerges to win Iowa and NH and Super Tuesday will not have done so because the media coronated them, but because they came through a very rough and tumble primary season and proved themselves, to Democratic voters, that they are tough, resilient and ready to be President.

[babylonsister]

1. I'm annoyed. I live in TX, and why doesn't or wouldn't my vote count?

And whoemver wins has 9 months to spout stuff that just might piss the rest of us off.
This whole thing has a lot of holes in it for us mere citizens.

[ruggerson]

2. I don't live in an early state either

so it will probably be all over but the shouting by the time I vote. But that's a question to take up with the DNC and the state parties. The candidates, and the media, follow the primary system set up by the political parties.

[babylonsister]

3. Early January in Iowa? NH and Nevada are bound to be early to.

Then what happens? We all suck our thumbs while we watch one candidate until November? I'll admit I don't quite know how this works, but this is a new and different voting world we live in. Or a 'not voting' world.

[laconicsax]

4. That's because they don't poll as well

that is a bunch of crap. At this point, poll standings are a function of media coverage/name recognition and not the other way around. Claiming that lack of coverage is a result of poor standing in the polls is the same reasoning as NCLB's funding cuts as a result of poor performance.