There are a bunch of ways to judge how a particular narrative is going in the media, and one of them is fairly simple: go take a look at Memeorandum. For those who don’t know it, it’s a cross-spectrum political news aggregation site: useful for finding what’s being talked about, and usually good for finding the original story that kicked over any particular anthill. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s not useless, either.
So this is what the site looked like, as of 9 AM 09/06/2012, top to bottom:
- Bill Clinton’s speech. Notably absent: any suggestion at all that this was a game-changer for the Democrats.
- The God/Jerusalem convention platform flap. Keywords: debacle, chaos, boo, nightmare.
- US Secret Service investigating blackmail attempt involving Romney’s tax returns. …Yeah, that’s going to end well for Anonymous.
- That Bob Woodword book that apparently makes Obama look like a guy with anger management issues.
- New Kindles! Sorta.
- Hillary Clinton telling the Democrats that they have nobody to run in 2016! Sorta.
- Michelle Obama’s making up nonsense about having it tough! Sorta.
- Mitt Romney wants Obama to get his minions to stop calling Republicans Nazis! …Not sorta, but it won’t happen.
- Expect Obama to indirectly use more personal attacks! …See what I mean?
- Lobbyists in Charlotte!
- Paul Ryan didn’t run a marathon in three hours, or a five minute mile, or I don’t really care and neither do you because unemployment’s 8.3%.
- …KARDISHAN IN THE CHARLOTTE-CONVENTION HOUSE!!!!!
(pause)
Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb here and argue that yesterday was not a particularly good day for the Democratic party’s media team. They wanted the news to be about: how great the convention was; how great Elizabeth Warren is; how Sandra Fluke represents what’s great about the Democratic party; and just generally how things were going along just peachy for Team Jackass. Instead? …Well, the Democrat who got the best press yesterday was the one guy who we know will not be running for President again – apparently, not even by proxy. Everybody else got pretty much ignored, which is actually much worse than being yelled about.
Yeah, I know, you’re all broken up about that. So am I.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
My local rag (Dayton Daily News) has an article about the platform fight on its front page (online at least). Not helpful in a swing state, I’d guess.
The minute the delegates booed God and Jerusalem – this convention was effectively over (if ‘we belong to the government’ didn’t finish it). The media will won’t the story to be Bill Clinton but it will be government owns us, boos God and empty chairs in Bank of America stadium because social media and 1 billion in advertising.
Not quite sure what else could be expected, Moe … DEMCON needs to be many things to many people .. perhaps too much so to be anything significant to anyone.
Mew
Did Bill stop talking yet? sorry, couldn’t resist, but man does he love the sound of his own voice.
(and it likely doesn’t help the media trying to write their glowing hagiographies when they’re stuck in bedbug-infested crack hotels…)
Man, I just hope that Clinton’s speech isn’t enough to lift up this guy and his party. Everyone loves Clinton, but I wish they would realize that Obama and today’s Democrat party are nothing like Clinton. Clinton was a low-spending, across-the-aisle-reaching, balanced budget, capital-gains-tax-cutting, free markets, business advocate. Obama and today’s Democrats are the opposite of all this.
The best line: “Paul Ryan didn’t run a marathon in three hours, or a five minute mile, or I don’t really care and neither do you because unemployment’s 8.3%.”
Clinton’s speech was good though I was wondering if Harry Reid would allow a budget vote in the Senate before Slick Billy gave up that microphone.
OU812, Clinton wasn’t any of those things either (he actually like Obama wanted socialized health care)…he had it forced on him by Newt Gingrich and then he took Dick Morris’ advice and took credit for the results of the policies initiated by the Republican congress. The 1990’s prove that reducing taxes on investment (the cap gains tax cut), reducing government interference in the market place and trade, and reducing the number of people on the government dole increases growth and prosperity and actually increases government revenue as a side benefit. It is correct to say that Obama’s world view absolutely does not allow him to “triangulate” to the middle.
DEMCON – Clinton gave a nice speech, Obama will give a nice speech, media will swoon…two weeks later unemployment will still be 16% (let’s use the right number), America still won’t be better off than 4 yrs ago, gas will still be 3.90 a gallon, Dems would still be hearing “belong to the government” & “you didn’t build that” and Dems still have booed God and Jerusalem. Clearly, OfA believes the polling that says Mitt Romney will win independents but believes this is a base election…or hopes it is.
Ben Stein: “This man, who had a college intern give him oral sex in the Oval Office began to lecture the GOP about how immoral they are” I have nothing to add, as usual Ben Stein has it exactly correct.
Lowered Expectations, or why the media were saying “no bounce for Romney” last week …
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CVN_OBAMA_EXPECTATIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-06-08-24-13
(please oh please don’t let the spam trap eat it!)
Seems to this cat that the Dems and the media (repeat myself, rimshot) have little choice but to tear down the Romney bounce as they know Obama won’t have one.
Remember, don’t watch the top line poll numbers, look at the percentages of respondents and how they’re chosen.
Liars figure out how to make figures lie.
Mew
Not only not running for president, but Bill’s not running for any other elected office. Those who were running for elected office? Not doing such a hot job up on the odium.*
*Yes, I know what a podium is; I meant to type odium.