Is President Obama Only Running for Re-Election During Bad News Days?

Question: Is President Obama only running for re-election when there is bad news on the horizon? I'm not sure but that's what it looks like in the media these days. Whenever a bad news topic arises like high gas prices or Iran, Obama's face is plastered all over the news with the caption, "What Does This Mean for the President's Re-Election Chances?" But, when there is good news on the horizon...nothing.

This week, the Dow Jones closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008, the consumer confidence level was clocked at his highest point since 2008, the GDP was revised upward across the board (not to mention that President Obama gave arguably his most rousing speech in years at the UAW Conference), and what did we get... two straight days of the Romney-Santorum Show!

Now, I understand that the presidential primaries are important, I get it... but 2 straight days of this non-stop, wall-to-wall, mind-numbing screech-fest? Give me a break. I woke up yesterday hearing about nothing but the Michigan primary, I went to sleep last night hearing about nothing but the Michigan primary and I woke up this morning hearing about nothing but the Michigan primary. Good grief! It's a 'primary' in Romney's home state that he was expected to win, it's not the second coming! And people wonder why so many in this country get their news from the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Guess what Stewart and Colbert talked about on their shows last night? Hint: It WASN'T about the Michigan primary!

Now, I agree that as president, Obama deserves the bad coverage as well as the good, but here lately the only time we seem to hear about his re-election chances is when there is some kind of bad news hovering. Do gas prices affect Obama's re-election chances but not the GDP and the consumer confidence level rising or a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea? There has to be some kind of happy medium.

And one last note, with the Dow closing at 13,000 for the first time since 2008 and the NASDAQ touching 3,000 for the first time since 2000 (which does matter, especially to those with 401k's), can someone please ask these candidates and their Wall Street surrogates to explain one more time just how it is that President Obama is bad for business? Just wondering...

 

Comments

[Dave F]

01:48 PM on 03/01/2012

Not that we needed any more evidence that the media is not, in fact, "liberal" - but this does a nice job of pointing out that the media is not trying to "re-elect" Obama.

[cincypix]

10:40 AM on 03/01/2012

Editors are conservative. So are the dwindling number of old line advertisers. When a conservative advertiser sees something he doesn't like, like the Prez being linked t guys going o good news, he lifts his advertising. And it never returns. And the editor has to cut another position in a skeleton newsroom. I just am positively waiting to see the positive changes coming to America in his second term. The Mayans were sort of right. This year is the end ... for the old white right. I suspect a spike in November and December memorial services :(

[Riot5000]

04:15 AM on 03/01/2012

WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE FOOLING?
November will see Obama's Army in FULL MOBILIZATION

[George Picard]

08:27 AM on 03/01/2012

Right now they are busy with OWS and acting like fools

[Ponder this]

07:55 PM on 02/29/2012

Thank you.... have been pondering the same thing myself.. Saw the GDP numbers (after looking for them) in CNN Money...- nowhere on the main pages of CNN or HP

[quillerm]

07:13 PM on 02/29/2012

The real unemployment rate is over 9.9%, Obamacare will cut military healthcare and increase co-p-pay costs to our troops by 345%. Union Obamacare waivers are being funded on the backs of our military. The Housing market is dead and owners have lost 50% of the value in their homes. Retirement accounts are still losing ground. More people living in poverty now than in the last 60 years. Fuel prices will exceed $5 a gallon by summer due to Obama's loss of both the Canadian and Brazil oil deals. Billions wasted on bankrupt 'Green' companies. How about the failed Stimulus II, 15 Trillion of Obama-debt. How much more of Obama's failed policies can we stand? There are no good news days, only different diversion stories to keep Obama's failed policies off the networks. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Obama's policies are making China's economy boom. China will exceed US GDP production and have deals with Canada and Brazil for the oil that was once going to the US.

[csmomo]

09:22 AM on 03/01/2012

Well, we "stood" eight years of the Bush-Cheney debacle so I guess we might stand a few more of Obama. Billions wasted along with thousands of lives in Iraq; gasoline prices gouged up by the oil interests who are all Republican, "Obama's failed policies" talked about extensively while Little George's and Big Dick's incredibly successful policies are what put us in the mess we are in to begin with. Up for another little war, anyone?? Vote Republican--a "War President" has special powers. Remember when little George whined "Well--I'm a WAR President..."

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

12:35 PM on 03/01/2012

The oil goes to the highest bidder. Free market capatalism and all that.

[truth speeker]

06:06 PM on 02/29/2012

The coverage is very faverable to the Obama administration the last time gas hit $4 was under bush and the number of negative stories about the price of gas then was about 4x what is currently beeing reported.

I'm just aying if your are going to make an argument about news coverage beeing negative I am all for it; but this is not the example you want to use. Becuase the sheer lack of a spot light and minimum volume of reporting goes against your hypothosis....