Dean and the Media

[MysticMind]

If the media is supposedly generally conservative and pro-Bush why in the heck are they portraying Dean as THE Democratic nominee?

Do they think Dean is weak and will lose to Bush? If a very strong candidate like Hillary Clinton enters the race wouldn't the media constantly bash her as they did with Gore?

[waylon]

1. Yes

[Raya]

16. Yes Again. "Dean is Inevitable" is the preferred Official Story

There are some "backup" senarios, but anyone who doesn't understand
the Media actions (positive and negative) as naturally boosting Dean's credibility and inevitability in the primaries, is living in a beautiful fantasy land.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

18. Here's my response to your same assertion from another thread

"...I have yet to see or hear any major media outlet describe a Dean nomination as inevitable. I would love to see one single solitary quote from any media source saying that he has it in the bag.

Almost all the media coverage I have encountered says that he's too negative, he's unelectable, and he probably won't get the nomination. I have no idea where people get the idea that ANYONE believes he's got it all sewn up. I haven't seen that anywhere."

---LittleDannySlowhorse

This is the reality as I perceive it. You can say all you want that anyone who doesn't agree with you lives in "a beautiful fantasy land," but discounting the opinions of others in a wholesale fashion, as you have done, is just plain counterproductive.

[papau]

2. Portraying Dean as Leading is neither pro or anti GOP-just a partial Truth

And partial truth is what our US media does - in contrast to other overseas or Canadian media that tries for context and explanation - even in "news stories"

And yes - any Dem would be bashed by our media - while our media will ignore any and all Bush lies, faults, corruption

Indeed our media would even bash Hillary!

:-)

[sallyseven]

3. The Media

is very lazy. They don't want to ask questions. It takes too much work. No imagination. Dean is ahead in the polls so therefor he is going to win. If he misses then they will have to find another person to push up. They don't care about the country they only want to get paid every week. They take their orders from the bosses who are corporate lackeys.

[HFishbine]

4. Are you asking us to believe

that the media isn't bashing Dean?

[KittyWampus]

12. The NYTimes Today Had An Article About Dean's Admin. & HMO Contracts

They almost exclusively gave postive quotes from those supporting Dean... and went out of their way to portray the Auditor as politically driven.

Also, They combined Clark's Tax Policy Proposal which is undeniably a radical change from status quo into an article that also discussed something or other about Kerry.

So even when the media DOES discuss stuff about Dean... they either don't follow up or surround it with information that helps Dean.

CNN talked so much about Dean yesterday it was obvious. EXACTLY like with Arnold. The parallel is exact.

[cryofan]

13. the corp media like having the rich in power. That is why they hype Dean

Turn on the cable news channels. It is all Dean, all the time. They know that he is a cryptoRepublican. That is why they like him.

For proof of Dean's true conservative background, see www.mylinuxisp.com/~cryofan/dean.html

[Tadah]

5. he's been safe to support...

and remains controversial enough to give people a rise. controversy pumps up ratings.

candidates, like Kucinich, are straight shooters and don't invent controversy to get the media's attention.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

9. oh yeah

Kucinich isn't about controversy? What about out of Iraq in 90 days, that's pretty middle of the road, right? I'm not saying i disagree with it, I just believe its erroneous to cast Dennis as somebody who is without controversy.

[SheilaT]

6. It is very, very important

to realize that the Democrat nominee, no matter who he turns out to be is going to be mercilessly hammered all during the general election campaign. ALL of the candidates have negatives that can and will be exploited. No matter who you support, you are a fool if you think your guy is so perfect he'd sail to through the election and win easily.

It's going to be a phenomenally dirty campaign, which is why I'm so bothered by all the mutual candidate bashing that's going on. Yes, Dean is taking the brunt of it because he's the front runner. If Kerry were the front runner he'd be the one being targeted. And so on.

In my opinion, most of the candidates (all but Mosely-Braun, Sharpton, Lieberman, and maybe Kucinich) could win in a free, fair and honest election. But the people currently in power understood very clearly that they took over in a coup, and they will not willingly give up that power. Only if the corporate media breaks free of its chains and blinders will there be any hope of a free, fair, and honest election on November 2, 2004.

[SeattleRob]

7. You're absolutely correct..

No matter who the Democratic Nominee is, they will be savaged by the corporate media. The people who own the media are all part of the corporate welfare state and they will do all that they can to keep the Bush gravy train moving on. Remember, there is a lot of money at stake.

That's why we all need to stick together.

[Stuckinthebush]

10. SheilaT wins the clarity award for the day

The eventual nominee is going to be hammered by the media and by the GOP no matter who that nominee is. Everyone seems to think that Dean is the one because of his polling. At this point, they have good reason to believe this. So, the media (and GOP) is focusing resources on likely winners.

It is interesting to me that much is being said about Deans "gaffes" when very little has been said about Bush's "gaffes". Is there a double standard? You betcha. Whoever the nominee is will be slammed. Hold on to your computers, it's going to get bumpy!

[Hep]

8. Why does the media act like the media?

only the media knows

[liberalmike27]

11. Um

They aren't supporting Dean, and yes they will bash her mercilessly if she enters.

Look at what they did to Gore when he endorsed Dean. It was shades-of-the-campaign of 2000. Luckily, more are seeing the media as a right-wing extension of the very rich, and corporations.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

14. Here's a fine example...

...of how the media is "pumping up" Dean. From the New York Post, a conservative rag. They endorsed Bush* for President and I assume they'll do the same this year, so if Dean is "the one they want" I guess this guy didn't get the memo.

HOWARD THE COWARD
By RALPH PETERS

January 5, 2004 -- IT'S fashionable in left- wing circles to describe anyone who admires America as a fascist. But the real totalitarian threats of our time come from the left. And no public figure embodies the left's contempt for basic freedoms more perfectly than Howard Dean.

<snip>

But Howard Dean and his Deanie-weenies do all they can to restrict the free speech of others. I can predict with certainty that Dean's Internet Gestapo will pounce on this column, twisting the facts and vilifying the writer, just as they do when anyone challenges Howard the Coward.

<snip>

Dean wants to muzzle his Democratic competitors, too. He believes the Democratic National Committee should shut them up. His followers try to intimidate other presidential aspirants by surrounding the cars delivering them to their rallies and chanting to drown out their speech. Of course, Dean denies any foreknowledge or blame... These are the techniques employed by Hitler's Brownshirts. Had Goebbels enjoyed access to the internet, he would have used the same swarm tactics as Dean's Flannelshirts.

Then there are Dean's endless "Big Lies": Liberating 25 million Iraqis was "wrong." Saddam's capture doesn't make any difference. Osama bin Laden should be presumed innocent, despite his own admission of responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. Bush knew in advance about the 9/11 attacks. The Global War on Terror is a failure. The economy's a disaster. And the administration is hiding terrible secrets.

<snip>

You get the idea. If comparing a presidential candidate to Adolf Hitler is "pumping them up", I guess I didn't get the memo either.

[blm]

15. EVERYONE knew the teflon would be stripped from Dean.

As soon as Rove was comfortable with Dean's lead. It was Dean supporters who thought he earned it and it would last. NONE of us thought that.

NOONE said it would last, just transferred back to its owner...BUSH.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

17. I've been seeing stuff like that article for months

Besides, if Rove is the political mastermind that EVERYONE seems to think he is, wouldn't he have waited until after there was a nominee before running stuff like this? Why would he allow pieces to run in the media that tear down the candidate he supposedly wants most to face?

I never felt that Dean possessed any "teflon" --- if anything I believe he's just good at not backing down when he's attacked.

[SeattleRob]

19. true

the fact that Dean doesn't back down is a positive sign. The only hope for any Democrat is to fight back. You cannot count on the repugs or the media to be fair. Look what happened to Al Gore in 2000.

I think it is up to all of us to hold the media accountable. Sites like the Daily Howler and Media Whores online are very important. I also think it's important to tell others (friends axquaintances, any one who will listen) when the media is lying. I also think we should all write letters of complaint when we catch them too.

[flpoljunkie]

20. Fighting back is not a trait shared only by Dean. To suggest otherwise

is ludicrous.

"DLC" Dean is quite adept at attacking his fellow Democrats, but squeals to McAuliffe when they return fire. This behavior has not gone unnoticed by the voters.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

21. No one said anything

about the other candidates not being able to fight back.