Final Post?

Well this is my last required post of the year, and even though its about a year away...my subject is the 2008 elections.

I'm not really talking about the presidential voting itself, I’m more focused on how the media have covered the races and primaries and how the public is reacting. Whether is Democrats, Republicans, or a combination of the two, it seems like there is always a way for the media to make some kind of 1-on-1 matchups to size up and compare opponents.

One big matchup I’ve seen lately is Clinton vs. Obama. I suppose it makes sense since their the two Democratic frontrunners, but these two just always seem to be pitted against each other in the media no matter what they say or do. This link in particular compares the two candidates’ experience (or lack thereof) and attempts to find out which person has the better track record.

Another recent 1–on-1 media-enabled rivalry has been Giuliani vs. Romney. Now this one might be a little more founded in the media blitzes considering these guys really do have it out at some of these debates. Romney is leading the Republican polls for New Hampshire and Iowa, Guiliani is leading the national polls, and onlookers now get to see the two examined and pitted against one another almost exclusively on all media fronts. It might be good publicity for these two, but it may take a lot away from some other non-matched-up candidates like John McCain.

One site that I think best conveys my theory, but also does a decent job in correcting the error has been Real Clear Politics. They have a page on head-to-head stats that gives the polling percent for each presidential matchup, without making the battles seem like a war or words or a smear campaign. Of course they have the “big” names and battles at the top of the page, but they also make sure to include some of the lower-tier candidates and offer their polling stats as well.

All in all, it seems like even though we still have about a dozen of candidates to consider, many media outlets have already tried to make the primaries a 2 (wo)man race. This may prevent an underdog candidate from making any giant steps, but at least when the time comes to choose between two people, we’ll already be very VERY well-versed in the subject.

Well that’s all for this last post, and all for this blog. This has been Bryan Mercer from IC bringing you the best news on politics and journalism for 4 months, and who knows…maybe I’ll be back for some more updates in 2008. Til then, enjoy the winter, and maybe sling snowballs instead of mud for a change.