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[louismg]

Election Year Politics and The Media Cycle

Okay, I almost stayed out of it... but anybody who has followed U.S. politics of the 20th century understands how the mass media works.

When there is a sitting president running for re-election, regardless of his record or electability, or popularity, the popular trade press focuses heavily on the "horse race" from the opposing party. Candidates are analyzed up and down from a field of 7 or 9, and 2-3 favorites are selected.

When that is done, for short periods of time, the magazines and television will "select" a candidate to focus on, usually one who is running a close second or third in the polls of their own party - and champion them up as someone who is a "dark horse", the one who even if they don't gather the nomination, is the one who defines the issues. We saw that with Howard Dean this year, with John McCain in 2000, Bill Bradley in 1996, Pat Buchanan in 1992, Jesse Jackson in 1988, Gary Hart in 1984 and so on...

Remember that when Wesley Clark joined the fray, he made the cover of Newsweek with a caption of "Who is this General? Can he beat Bush?", only to be trumped by Dean's Newsweek/Time combo a month later.

By my discussing this, I am not jumping on the "media conspiracy" bandwagon. I got my degrees in Journalism and Political Science (believe it or not), and this kind of tracking was discussed all the time. As a result, the flavor of this campaign does not radically differ from those in previous years, with the exception of how fully Dean's "to the people" efforts were adopted as truth by so many.

If Dean manages to remain in the race through California, and don't get me started on how the nation's most populous state has to have Delaware and Iowa's permission to select from a pool of candidates, both my registered Republican wife and I will vote for him, based on how his stance on the issues so closely mirrors our own.

Langonisto, your take on the political discussions is literally fun to see - almost like a "behind the curtain" take, so even if some here don't always agree with the postings, I appreciate the detail. And Blue, don't get disillusioned if the "good guys" don't win this time. This process isn't intended for the faint of heart.

Go AAPL!
- louismg