Dee Dee Myers thinks Obama is and has been getting more favorable media attention?

[babylonsister]

Too bad she didn't mention how the media has completely ignored McCain's gaffes and screw-ups. I'd go with possibly more media attention (can you say Wright?), but not necessarily more favorable, at least not until this week.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/is-the-media-trying-to-elect-obama.html

Is the Media Trying to Elect Obama?
by Dee Dee Myers
July 21, 2008, 5:15 PM


Tomorrow, CBS’s Katie Couric will interview Barack Obama from Jordan. On Wednesday, ABC’s Charlie Gibson will chat with him from Israel. And on Thursday, NBC’s Brian Williams will do the honors from Germany. Call it the presidential campaign equivalent of Shooting the Moon.

And to think, a few short months ago the Washington establishment was buzzing about the press’s pending dilemma: With Obama and John McCain looking like the all-but-certain nominees of their respective parties, how would the media choose between its new crush, Obama, and its long-time paramour, McCain? The Illinois senator has been a media darling since he burst onto the scene at the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 2004, and during the Democratic primary season, he bested Hillary Clinton in both quantity of coverage (he got more) and tenor (his was way more positive). But McCain has gotten so much favorable media attention over the years that he often joked that the press was his political base. In a head-to-head competition, who would win?

snip//

There are lot of “explanations” for the lopsided coverage: Obama is new and what’s new is “news.” As the first African-American to run a serious race, let alone win a major party’s nomination, Obama is running an historic campaign. Obama has created a “movement,” and Americans are simply more interested in him than in his opponents. Obama is running a smarter campaign, and he knows how to court media attention. It’s also true that intense media coverage is a double- edged sword: the attention is great when things are going well, but it can doom a candidate if and when things start to go badly. And so far, Obama has had way more good days than bad days. Each of those rationales is largely true—and somewhat less than satisfying.

At the end of the day, this will be a long campaign, and what’s true in July may not be true in November. But what seems indisputably true—to quote another dazzling young Democrat who received disproportionately favorable media attention, John Kennedy—is this: “Life is unfair.”

[Lint Head]

1. The best candidate always gets the better coverage.

:dem:

[Big Blue Marble]

13. Not so true in 2000.

Bush got great coverage. Media adored him.

[C_U_L8R]

2. He got it the old fashioned way... he earned it

where's the good news in McCain?

[mucifer]

3. I think it's interesting that the department of defense seems to be endorsing him, too.

They could have edited the coverage differently. I think maybe they are sick of w.

[niceypoo]

4. McCain keeps making stupid gaffes

...of course he is going to get negative coverage for it. Pundits are drooling idiots.

[babylonsister]

5. That's my point; he has hardly gotten any negative coverage. nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. It is what is expected of him - he has done this stuff for years

Nothing like having the bar on the "Low Expectations" setting.

Like the dimwit he hopes to succeed...............

[JaneQPublic]

19. Kelly O'Donnell's coverage (NBC/MSNBC) of McCain is always glowing

Every time I see one of her reports from the McCain campaign, I'm left wondering if she's working to become McCain's press secretary or his next mistress.

[undeterred]

6. I find it hard to think of someone named Dee Dee as an adult.

:shrug:

[BeyondGeography]

7. Way to keep building the straw man, DeeDee

It's like the six-week-long campaign to destroy Barack Obama via Rev. Wright never happened...

[babylonsister]

11. Thanks for getting my point. This is frustrating. nt

[flpoljunkie]

8. Remember how media obsessed with Obama's 'bowling score," and Rev. Wright's tirades.

[ErinBerin84]

9. yup , she was talking about this with none other than Joey the Scar the other day

It pissed me off.

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. Maybe McCain is old news - 25+ years of doing nothing worthwhile

He represents the past.

[zulchzulu]

14. Maybe it's who looks and sounds "better" on TV

Look at McCain. Clumsy. Wound up. Antagonistic. Laughs at odd moments. Stiff. In front of small, tepid crowds.

Then look at Obama. Ernest. Honest. Dramatic. Handsome. In front of large, enthusiastic crowds.

Perhaps it looks like the media is "favoring" Obama. They aren't. Half of the media pundits keep misrepresenting Obama's record WHILE they give McCain an absolute free pass on his gaffes.

[AtomicKitten]

15. Another Clintonite's squishy "support" for the Dem nominee: 2004 redux.

It's rather disconcerting watching Clinton surrogates again acting like they are a third party bent on undermining the Democratic nominee. Only a blind man could miss this pattern.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. This shouldn't be surprising. The Clintonistas have been doing everything

to applaud and commend John McCain. Losers always blame the media instead of the abysmal campaign they ran.

[high density]

16. McCain is lucky that he gets an endless amount of free passes

He'd be polling down in Bush's numbers if the media wasn't so busy ignoring all of his flaws.

McCain's campaign hasn't been a source of good news, so he should really be happy that they're just ignoring him at this point. I don't know what good Dee Dee Myers thinks she's doing with a column like this.

[dkf]

17. Maybe Obama gets better coverage because he's not making mistakes?

I think its unfair that Obama is running things smoothly where McCain is a misspeaking doofus and the media gets attacked for reporting things as they are.

[Doctor_J]

18. Dee Dee Myers works for Fox News

so she's a lying GOP propagandist. Believe nothing that comes from Fox News, or any other cable "News" outlet. They are all part of the McCain campaign.

[Skwmom]

20. Dee Dee Myers is an idiot.

[babylonsister]

22. Now she's coming up on Hardball to 'elaborate'. nt

[ieoeja]

23. The media only covers viable candidates.

So we are not going to see much coverage of Nadar, Barr, McCain, the Green candidate, the Libertarian candidate, etc.

[WinkyDink]

24. I don't know, DeeDee; IS THEY?