Campaign Silly Season
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James Joyner | Friday, November 9, 2007 |
Steve Benen is a chief contender for Quote of the Day honors with this one:
It’s hard to say for sure when the “silly season” started in the media’s coverage of the presidential campaign. If there was a “serious season,” it was exceedingly short. I’m afraid I missed it.
During our discussion on Wednesday’s segment of OTB Radio, Alex Knapp noted that he couldn’t remember a campaign where the press coverage was this focused on the horse race and campaign strategy to the exclusion of issues. While the complaint is an old one, we do indeed to have seemed to have kicked the trend into overdrive even though we haven’t even hit the first meaningful vote.
Whether this is a function of differences in how the candidates are running their campaigns, the “permanent campaign” mode that makes it seem this race has already been going on far too long before most people have even started paying attention, a business calculation on the part of the corporate media, or some other factors, I haven’t the foggiest. But we do seem awfully focused on the minutia despite some enormously important issues on the agenda.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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During our discussion on Wednesday’s segment of OTB Radio, Alex Knapp noted that he couldn’t remember a campaign where the press coverage was this focused on the horse race and campaign strategy to the exclusion of issues. While the complaint is an old one, we do indeed to have seemed to have kicked the trend into overdrive even though we haven’t even hit the first meaningful vote.
How 'bout them Bears?
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