Who Do You Think The Media Is Rooting For?
Here's a search (pdf copy here) of the news wires over at Yahoo for "democrats election." Notice the upbeat tone of the stories. Democrats are "on a roll." They have their "best shot in years" at taking back Congress.
Now here's a search (pdf copy here) for "Republicans election." Notice the difference in tone. Republicans have a "tough election road" and are looking at a "horror show" in November.
If one went simply on what he/she read in the media you'd get the idea that Republicans have no hope this November. You'd think that the elections were already over and that Republicans lost. Day after day journalists cite opinion polls and "experts" who talk about the demise of Republican majorities in Congress.
Yet what happens when a poll like this one comes out?
That paints a much different picture of the political scene now, doesn't it? Still not exactly a picture Republicans can be entirely happy with, but certainly better than the usual stuff - Democrats triumphant! Republicans losers! - we get from the media. Which isn't to say that I think the media should be siding with Republicans. Far from it. I just wish this cheerleading for Democrats would end.
Do you think this poll from Gallup will get any play at all in the media? I'm guessing no. The media has picked sides, and they're hoping for Democrat victories come November.
Now here's a search (pdf copy here) for "Republicans election." Notice the difference in tone. Republicans have a "tough election road" and are looking at a "horror show" in November.
If one went simply on what he/she read in the media you'd get the idea that Republicans have no hope this November. You'd think that the elections were already over and that Republicans lost. Day after day journalists cite opinion polls and "experts" who talk about the demise of Republican majorities in Congress.
Yet what happens when a poll like this one comes out?
Republicans have moved closer to the Democrats in a congressional voter-preference poll just as the election campaigns near the official Labor Day starting gate.
The surprising findings in a little-noticed Gallup Poll that were ignored by most of the national news media shows the Democrats barely leading the Republicans by just two points -- 47 percent to 45 percent.
After months of generic polling numbers by Gallup and others showing the GOP lagged far behind the Democrats by a seemingly insurmountable nine to 10 points, the titanic political battle for control of Congress is virtually dead even. This means we may not experience the feared Category 5 political storm some election analysts have forecast that would topple the GOP's House majority and cut deeply into its grip on the Senate.
That paints a much different picture of the political scene now, doesn't it? Still not exactly a picture Republicans can be entirely happy with, but certainly better than the usual stuff - Democrats triumphant! Republicans losers! - we get from the media. Which isn't to say that I think the media should be siding with Republicans. Far from it. I just wish this cheerleading for Democrats would end.
Do you think this poll from Gallup will get any play at all in the media? I'm guessing no. The media has picked sides, and they're hoping for Democrat victories come November.
