Dean's media problem

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

First, I may or may not support Dean in the primary (I will say the same for every other candidate but Lieberman and Sharpton).

Dean has been tagged with "flip-flopping." This is becoming the dominant narrative of his campaign (helped along, of course, by his opponents). This is a dengerous media narrative for any candidate(and we all know how they like to stick with one narrative and then just fill in the blanks). Why is it dangerous? Because one is forced to have to respond and clarify--ALL THE TIME. Any response given just fits into the "flip-flop" narrative. It's a great trick to use on one's opponent. Since there is no concrete narrative, and everything is always already a "flip-flop," then any response given already works within that narrative. The media LOVE this narrative. Why? Because then they get to appear as if they are doing serious analysis.

They get to say, "On Nov. 10 Dean said 'X' but later in March he said, 'Y.' To top it all off, seven years earlier as Governor of Vermont, he said 'Z.' You know the one thing the American public likes is a politician with a clear message, someone who will talk about things in black and white. For all of his so-called domestic or diplomatic failures, President Bush always puts it out there for the American public."

Folks, you know you can imagine ANY broadcaster on ANY cable show saying the above. Dean can't fight this label by explaining his positions. He can't (and I don't mean to imply that he has flip-flopped). The media has latched onto this narrative. He needs to come up with a way to dismiss the claim out of hand, project it onto Bush, and fight the urge to call the media a bunch of knee-bleeding crack-whores.

As far as I can tell, Lieberman is the only candidate who doesn't have a hostile narrative already formed by the media. He has been the sympathetic figure all along: robbed in 2000; "stabbed in the back" by Gore; a hawk. He is the media's wet drea. He is ready to go to war, pro-death penalty, and he ascribes to a general democratic social platform. This doesn't mean he could beat Bush (though I think he could); it just means that the media may have to find their petty observations in other places.

The power of a vacuous media should scare the hell out of all of us (even Lieberman supporters).

[ithacan]

1. the media's gonna try to do this to ANY dem nominee

you're right, they will pull this BS narrative against whoever the Dem nominee is. If Lieberman got the nomination, believe me, he'd be subject to the same thing Gore was and any other dem nominee will be.

That's why we need someone who is not defensive and who will fight back.

[cryofan]

2. hmmm...Joe as a bland surface upon which their seed may find no purchase..

....to paraphrase "Raising Arizona...

Interesting take....

[KissMyAsscroft]

3. Deans media problem is that the GOP owns the media

That's why he is the best candidate as of now. He inspires grassroots support.

Unfortunately, it comes down to a personality contest. Who can rise above the fray and connect with people.

That is, unless BBV is a factor.

[papau]

5. I agree - The AP saying nuanced Dem positions equate to lies is pure GOP

This week the GOP/Rove made the decision that the media shall treat nuanced Democratic candidate replies as Lies - and of course the AP had such an article out 2 hours after the debate (Dean says the middle class did not get a tax cut net-net - that the increase in state tax, college cost, etc caused by the lower federal appropriations made necessary by the tax cut wiped out the small $304 or less that 60% of us received ...... which had the AP "scratching their heads" saying Dean lied)

Now this article throws into the spin the "changed position" bull that Rove tried to sell about Gore. Now Dean has changed position - or Kerry has changed position or can not explain his IWR vote - because the nuanced answer made necessary by explaining reliance on Bush lies on just about any topic is not a sound bite "yes" or "no" - and is rather a 2 paragraph response.

The GOP media control shown by the AP story on Dem lies shows the hard battle that any Dem will have in the "first impressions" area.

It was sad to see a good Dem like Lieberman resort to the GOP lie of averaging the $112,000 millionaire tax cut with the $304 tax cut the rest of us (60%) got to produce a "benefit to the average middle-income family was $1,800" debate line.

But Joe and Gep will be out of the race in 3 weeks, and I am sure that hurts and causes them to make desperate statements.

[mistertrickster]

4. You are exactly right--if we Dean backers expect the media to help

get our message out by simply reporting it fairly, we're doomed.

The US press is craven, crass, and lazy. It seeks to maintain the status-quo (i.e., corporate interests) over any perceived threat to the status quo. The media IS a corporate interest that serves its corporate community--its main source of revenue is ADVERTISING for heaven's sake, pandering to profit at the most basic level.

The only hope for Dean is the people-to-people message that got him this far. We have to create a true grassroots movement that does an end run around the media, Washington pundit-ocracy, the DNC and DLC with their entrenched interests, etc etc.

(Although as a side note, I have contributed $ to the DNC and I encourage others to do so too. But they must not be allowed to run this show.)

This has to be of the people, for the people, and by the people. Go to a "meet up," write a letter, tell your friends. People aren't stupid . . . they've seen the attack ads and heard the push poll pitches. They will listen to their friends and neighbors in a way they won't to the media shills.

It's entirely up to us now . . .

[BeyondGeography]

6. The Goring of Dean

Yes, they will hammer him, as they would any other Dem nominee, and Chimpy will get off scot-free. However, I do see Howard as being more vulnerable than Clark to the vagaries of the media, because he has a problem with making contradictory ("Capture of Sadaam a great day for America."/"We're no safer having caught Sadaam.") and ill thought-out (OBL, the guy is "outrageous") statements.

Whatever happens, I expect a new low in the standard for media coverage in this campaign. The Pubs are going to run a totally brain-dead 9/11, patriotism and evil-doer campaign. Lacking an economic crisis, the media will play along and Bush'll probably get away with it. We'll need to offer a competing vision on national security and the war on terror, and Dean, because of his background and his statements, won't get any respect in that area.

[rucky]

7. We have an incumbent who's broken every single campaign promise

think we could do something with that?

[evil_orange_cat]

8. the media hates Dean because he said he would limit ownership ;)

Of course they are villifying Dean... Dean wants to limit corporate media conglomerate's power!

That's why you can't believe much of anything you hear from the national media. those greedy lying fuckers!