Is the Media's Pursuit of Horserace Coverage the Reason Sen. Clinton is Still Considered a Viable Contender for the Democratic Presidential Nomination?
That's the provocative thesis of this article by Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen in The Politico. And at Slate, Christopher Beam gives a similar answer: "Today's the New York Times A1 piece on Hillary Clinton, 'Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination,' is an exercise in understatement. It nudges the candidate ever closer to the cliff but, maybe because of politeness, or business savvy, or maybe even a perceived need for objectivity, refrains from pushing her over." See also Josh Marshall.
Now, with news of Clinton's campaign debt and an admission by her staffer that she has no more than a 10% chance of securing the nomination, expect these stories to proliferate.
Could it be that the media has kept the story alive? I think that's an overstatement. Of course Clinton can't catch Obama, but it is also true that Obama cannot formally clinch without the superdelegates. So long as Clinton has the hope of an Obama implosion or major gaffe, she has a reason to remain in the race. So don't blame the media; blame the DNC's system for leaving this in the hands of superdelegates---something the DNC surely must reconsider for 2012 and beyond.
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true media has extended the circus 4 obvious reasons... Hillary strategy failed... She wudn't focus on small states and caucuses... wishful thinking of finishing off the WH race by Super Tuesday... She mismanaged funds... so first we thought she wants to make up lost money in the misadventure... She is been real ugly and repulsive... to us folks here @ the Vikram University... 10 hours ahead of eastern US time... she turned off many supporters here with her campaign antics of desperation... her support 3 outta 10 is now 1 outta 10...
And look at the shamelessness of her campaign that it sought rather pursued hard for Bill Richardson endorsement... but now when he made up his mind and choice HRC campaign calling it "insignificant" and Carville invoking Judas... eh! high time
Al Gore and John Edward needs to tell this crazy lady to withdraw from the race... concede and accept his leadership or DNC shud expel her from the membership of the party...
Many of the Founding Fathers firmly believed the ignorant, passionately emotional mass of the population should never be permitted to have any influence at all over the decisions of government much less determine who should hold the reigns of power. Others, of course, felt the opposite. But even these, including the great Jefferson, harbored doubts whether the masses had the capability, in the year 1787, for such an awesome responsibility.
The most concise statement of my personal view toward government is Lincoln’s phrases: of the people, for the people, and by the people. I have no doubt but back in those days I would have stood with Jefferson. I would have equally shared his doubts, and I still doubt the capacity of the mass of the population to determine who controls the reigns of power.
Consider the impact of the incidents of Jeremiah Wright, Geraldine Ferraro, and Obama’s alleged back-door assurances to the Canadians on NAFTA. Anything like these hit the news casts and the opinion polls start bouncing around like an electrocardiogram taken just as the heart goes into fibrillation. People change their minds at the drop of a hat.
The problem is not that the press is keeping the horse race going; nor is the problem that the press manipulates public opinion. The problem is that the public is susceptible to manipulation in the first place. We might be better educated, which is debatable, but we are still just as passionately emotional as were those newly freed colonists 220 years ago.
Let’s not blame the press. The flaw is within ourselves. We will be the kind of people Jefferson envisioned and argued for and defended when the press and the politicians pull all the levers and push all the buttons, but we, the People, remain unperturbed and dispassionate.
When we can listen to Jeremiah Wright and view him as just another in the multitude of preachers with wacko ideas, we can say we have made progress. When we can permit Geraldine Ferraro to have her own opinion and to say Obama is where he is because he is black without getting bent out of shape, we will have made progress. When we can hear about a “back door” deal on NAFTA and demand the evidence thereof before we start screaming, “Betrayal!”, we will then be a people capable of self-government.
Until then we still need devices like the U.S. Senate and super delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
Quite a viable hypothesis, but she is too bloody-minded and driven by pure ambition to let go of the squeaky toy. (excuse the canine metaphor... no offense intended!)
Okay, one good turn ... "Quite a viable hypothesis, but he is too bloody-minded and driven by pure ambition to let go of the squeaky toy. (excuse the canine metaphor... no offense intended!) "
Except he is ahead by every conceivable measure, and she is not.
I don't mind Senator Clinton remaining in the race. I do mind Senator Clinton continuing to bash Senator Obama with the kind of inneundo President Bill Clinton used yesterday. (Please don't try and tell me I didn't hear what I heard with my own very good ears). I do mind Senator Clinton and President Clinton appearing to endorse Senator McCain over Senator Obama. I do mind Senator Clinton's use of republican tactics of fear. I do mind Senator Clinton, her campaign surrogates and her supporters continual attempts to denigrate Senator Obama's supporters as "delusional" or part of a cult. The younger supporters of Senator Obama take this all and turn it into humor. I am older and am incensed that a candidate for the President of the United States of America, like Senator Clinton is, finds it perfectly acceptable to ridicule millions of Americans for their unbelievable temerity in picking a candidate other than herself.
I do mind the continual outrage of Senator Clinton's supporters that anyone other than their chosen candidate is not winning. I do mind the continual imputation of meaninglessness to entire states simply because the voters in those states dared vote in greater numbers for a different candidate. I do mind the continuous barage of inneundo, rumor and outright falsehood claiming corruption in various states simply because the voters in those states enthusiastically and in record numbers caucused for Senator Obama and not Senator Clinton. Keep it up people -- soon nobody will be able to recognize actual corruption when it presents itself, great strategy!
I do mind the growing hatred exhibited by Senator Clinton's supporters and their claims that they will abandon the Democratic party if we do not anoint their chosen candidate. I do mind their apparent ability to turn their backs on the very real problems facing this Country simply because most of us prefer a different candidate.
I do mind the continuous attacks on a man (Reverend Wright) who isn't running for any office, simply because he opened his mouth 3 times and said 3 things most of us disagree with. The politics of personal destruction apparently now even include people who have peripheral connections to the candidate. I do mind that next to nobody comments on this vicious trashing of another human being for some words he spoke.
I do mind that those of my sex who disagree with me are conflating sexist comments by the media with Senator Obama. I do mind that those of my sex who disagree with me are finding comments by Senator Obama "sexist" when they clearly are no such thing. I do mind that those of my sex are hurting those who are actually facing real sexism by this nonsense. I do mind that those of my sex engaging in this absurdity are setting back the women's movement. Again great strategy! Have you thought how this will make it so much more difficult for a woman to establish actual sexism? Have you heard of the story about the boy who cried wolf once to often?
I do not mind that Senator Clinton is still in this race. I do mind the negative, vicious, insulting campaign she is running.
Ditto, Ditto, Ditto!
Thanks for summing up so well. I, too, have no problem with her being in the race and supported her in NM vote but since that time, she has shown a side that I cannot support. She and her supporters have become fear-mongering, lying whiners. I am now an Obama supporter and will enthusiastically work for his election. It is time to stop this hateful, republican-lite campaign and either stick to the issues or get out.
The answer to the superdelegate question is easy, simple, and fair. Simply add half of the superdelegate vote to each candidate's total. This neutralizes them and lets the votes of the other delegates (the people) decide the race. It also ends the race sooner, probably far ahead of the convention, and lets the winner (the people's winner) get on with fighting McCain. If the Democrats don't adopt this plan they are wasting time, effort, money, and the good will of American voters. If you like this plan please post it anywhere you can think of and try to convince the party to get out of this mess of its own making. And of course dump the superdelegates first thing when they hit Denver.
That is changing the rules in the middle of the game. Now, you don't really want to suggest that, DO YOU? Shame on you, trying to find a way for Obama to win ....
Right. The supers should just come out and pick the winner, right?
After all, that's the only strategy Hillary has left, so by definiton that's okay with you.
Hope you don't mind that they choose Obama, and may do so before PA.
It depends on what your definition of "is" is.
The MSM flexed it's collective muscles - sucessfully - in winnowing out the candidates we have had to choose from. I was an Edwards supporter, and it's not "whining" to report that he was disenfranchised at every opportunity.
For example - when MSNBC or CNN would say that up next would be something on Edwards, they'd come back from the break, say three sentences about Edwards, all the while showing photos of HRC and Obama - no photo of Edwards at all. When they discussed the Fla. primary, before it took place, the two chosen stars were detailed down to their skin care regimes, but Edwards - not a word. He got 250,000 votes, BTW - and beat HRC in Iowa, but that wasn't the script they were pushing.
Dodd and Biden were cut out early, just by forgetting to mention them.
On the other side, same thing for Ron Paul and Kucinich.
These people, with 18 hours a day to fill, could be exploring all kinds of important issues - but they're too freakin lazy - just copy each other and run the same loop endlessly.
Of course they want the "battle" the "fight" the "sparring" to continue - it's the grist for their mills.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist but one would say if they were, that maybe something more sinister is behind this. Because the media has been complicit in enabling all sins of the past eight years the Republican Party and the Administration has been doing to this Country. Which has led the Country down a path of fear, wrong headed judgments, weakness, economic unstability, and the loss international moral authority. China is holding American by it economic balls, Russia is resuming weapon building and Pakistan with nuclear capabilities is on the brink with no Democracy. And here, we are, as stupid as it looks to the rapidly changing outside world, we are fighting about what Presidential candidate is more patriotic, and the media is fueling it, by keeping Hillary in the game. We are at a precipice. With all that is happened and could happen, media is still following this thinking. THROWING STONES AT EACH OTHER. All while the world watches. Or as I think, Hillary is just good TV. Like Britney. And makes the networks money.
Kudos, very well said. Lots of people are saying similar things, but this comment says it all in less than a dozen lines - underscoring another problem with the self-serving and self-important American media, from which we need to demand more substance and less disingenuous fluff.
Really? Equality of treatment (and tell me it isn't true on the other side as well)
"I'm not a conspiracy theorist but one would say if they were, that maybe something more sinister is behind this. Because the media has been complicit in enabling all sins of the past eight years the Republican Party and the Administration has been doing to this Country. Which has led the Country down a path of fear, wrong headed judgments, weakness, economic unstability, and the loss international moral authority. China is holding American by it economic balls, Russia is resuming weapon building and Pakistan with nuclear capabilities is on the brink with no Democracy. And here, we are, as stupid as it looks to the rapidly changing outside world, we are fighting about what Presidential candidate is more patriotic, and the media is fueling it, by keeping Obama in the game. We are at a precipice. With all that is happened and could happen, media is still following this thinking. THROWING STONES AT EACH OTHER. All while the world watches. Or as I think, Barack is just good TV. Like Hulk Hogan. And makes the networks money.
Hillary's campaign has only been kept alive by bozos on CNN and Fox news repeating the mantra "Con't count Hillary out". If it were anybody else their campaign would've been written off a long time ago.
OBAMA will win. Hillary is toast no matter what she or the corporate right wing try to throw at OBAMA. OBAMA will not be denied. We will not be denied again. The so called MSM can loop the hatred all the way to the GE for all we should care....meantime it will only expose to those not yet aware how desperate, and demented with rage they are. What they are doing is short sighted, insane and suicidal.
This race has exposed what Americans have long known. The oldguard in the Democratic Party as just as corrupt and untrustworthy as the oldguard in the Republicans. Hillary, Bill, Bush, MCcain, Cheney are the same and will not think twice before they screw this country or destroy any American who questions their right to sell this country to the Sheiks. It is a sham of a democracy when corrupt men and women--so-called superdelegates connive and plot to thwart the people's will.
Well stated!
And Hillary responds "So?"
HuffPost's Pick
DLC, RNC, it's all the same. Bush-Clinton-Bush, McCane, Lieberman, Diane Feinstein, Charles Schumer, Jerry Lewis, Jack Murtha, Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramov, Jane Harmon, Hillary Clinton, its all the same. We have become a nation of people ruled by corporations that are owned by other people.
Obama-Gore '08
You mean like Obama not allowing the MI and FL people to have a primary vote, following the rules, "cause he's afraid it might hurt his chances? Can you imagine? A black man disenfranchising voters? Now if that isn't the height of corruption, what is?
It is not the horse race which interests the media it is a Republican President. All the media executives and owneres know that if a Democrats gets in they will lose their precious Bush tax breaks. It is adesire to maintain those tax breaks that means the media will continue to encourage Hillary long after the battle is lost. Basically they are hoping that Hillary will do their dirty work for them. So far they have been right.
Billary's scorched-earth policies will do nothing but put uberfuhrer McCain into office, nothing more. Since she cannot grab the nomination, she's going to make sure Obama doesn't win come November. To believe otherwise is to be delusional and naive. Billary's cynical opportunism and gross dishonesty are now proverbial. Wake up, idiots.
Finally, someone on the Huffington Post just goes ahead and writes a headline that's longer than the article.
Zing!!!
Super-delegates... Super-duper-delegates... DLC... K-Street... Lobbyists... Corporate media... Privateers... Secret police... investment bankers... Oil men...
...Will Rogers said; “Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.”
It's a shame that we're getting all the Government THEY ARE payin' for.
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