Politico targeted Herman Cain in an almost unprecedented fashion, turning its homepage into all Herman Cain all the time for about two weeks.
Politico can move and shape a story because of its high traffic (reportedly 60 million page views a month and 8-10 million “unique visitors”), and its relationships with traditional mainstream media.
Now Politico has moved on to Newt, with this headline and image on the homepage this morning:
This is not a one-off. Politico has become as obsessed with Newt as it was with Cain. The difference is that when it came to Cain Politico was purporting to pursue a news story.
During the past week Politico has run a handful of straight up news stories about Newt (e.g., New Hampshire Union Leader endorses Gingrich), but that has been the exception not the rule. Mostly Politico has run opinion or news analysis pieces which give Politico the ability to shape an image of Newt.
A clear theme is emerging at Politico: Good Newt versus Bad Newt, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde candidate. It is a theme right out of the Romney camp playbook.
Politico pulls off the feat of portraying Newt as both an unelectable hardcore conservative and a RINO who should not appeal to hardcore conservatives.
Here are some Politico opinion and news analysis articles this week in which Newt’s name was in the headline or a problem with Newt was the focus. The headlines are particularly important because the headline is what readers see first, and often is the only thing that readers see:
- Bad Newt’s Coming Back
- The return of Bad Newt
- Pete King questions former House colleague Newt’s ‘discipline’
- Will Newt’s immigration stance fly?
- Gingrich recycles Romney energy plan
- Gingrich needles Mitt, says he won’t needle Mitt
- Newt’s chosen successor fundraising for him in DC
- Newt’s 2006 paper: ‘Zero tolerance for amnesty’
- Newt, influence broker
- Same health plan, different candidate
- Romney engages Gingrich: Lifelong Washington man
- In ’07, Newt suggested he was a National Greatness conservative
- Newt’s past still present?
- Who is the real RINO?
- 1989 Newt, the pro-Rockefeller GOPer
- A warning to ‘Good Newt’
That’s just one week, and most of the stories were in the past 3-4 days. I’m sure it’s just coincidence.
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Comments
As I stated earlier, it is time to “Pile on the Newt”. What I find odd is that the Newt-detractors are calling him “too conservative” and “not conservative enough for the right”. Confusion-the new D tactic.
Yep, the democrat attack apparatus is lubed, warmed up and ready for nonstop targeting.
Newt with all his baggage will now suffer the process of continuous bombardment from the left AND the right. His stance on illegal immigration surely won’t help him and the democrats will have a field day dragging up the past.
Newt might be a smart guy but he’s sure done some stupid things… You know, like sittin’ with Nancy and whining about the impending climate change “crisis.”
I hate to say, “I told you so,” but from this old geezer’s eyes, that’s just what is going to happen.
Face it, the democrats want Romney to be the GOP standard bearer because they think that he’ll be the easiest to defeat.
Such is life…
Newt is at his best when he is under attack. It’s when he thinks he has everything under control that his hubris flares up.
If you held a gun to my head and told me to pick Newt or Obama, I’d tell you to pull the trigger.
Well I wouldn’t go that far after all, I still have not fulfilled my quota “correcting” those that I feel need correcting.
With that said, I could grudgingly pull the GOP lever if Newt’s name is there but it would be a vote for the lesser of two evils…
Yep, it’s the good ol’ MSM guerrilla healine campaign.
I can be a wee bit of a political news junkie … and pressed for time like most working Americans, I only glance at the headline on many stories.
When you have somebody who doesn’t ponder politics as much … those headlines agglomerate to become the body of the story forming the narrative in their minds … to be reinforced at the office watercooler by likewise poorly informed people. That’s not a comment on their intelligence … just the fact that most people don’t have the spare time to delve deeply into the news. So, if the MSM outlet tempers the negative headline with something positive buried towards the end of the story … most people will not have read it and the MSM can claim it is even-handed.
That there will be a rat-a-tat drum beat of negativism towards Gingrich from the media is a given. That’s how they treat any GOP candidate, especially if they are anywhere to the right of RINO/Almost Dem. No surprise there.
There will be a rat-a-tat drum beat of negativism towards Gingrich from within his own party because he’s not the Chosen One, and/or he’s not the specific choice of the given drummer, who may prefer Romney, Paul, Perry, etc.
This is what happened with Bachmann, then Perry, then Cain, and now Gingrich. But there is one significant difference this time. Bachmann, Perry, and Cain were not particularly well known to the people outside their respective regions. Just as Obama was a tabla rasa upon which voters projected their hopes, so too did GOP voters fall in love before they quite knew the candidate. Bachmann displayed a hysterical, hyperbolic trait sufficient to question her judgment and readiness for the office. Perry tanked in debates and hasn’t done nearly enough to overcome it, to find another way to advertise his considerable strengths. Coupled with his perceived positions on illegals, well… welcome to the polls basement. Cain was hit with a hurricane of mudslinging, displayed zero knowledge on foreign affairs, and has taken a seat next to previous frontrunners downstairs in the basement. Each of these came to the front based on known strengths and went back down the polls based on revealed weaknesses. Now we have Newt Gingrich.
What’s different this time? The supposedly damning baggage carried by Gingrich is well known. He has won the support of voters who already know about his ‘baggage’. OK, sure, but what about his lack of intellectual discipline? Again, voters already know about his full sail/no rudder mind and are supporting him anyway. Right, but what about that arrogance, that belief he’s always the smartest guy in the room? Well, when it comes to political history, legislative processes, political infighting, and navigation of the Washington DC system, he probably is the smartest guy in the room 99.9% of the time. He is not overtly arrogant, and this attribute would seem to originate in the eye of the beholder. Who cares if he is arrogant? Remember a guy named Obama? If truly arrogant, Gingrich can then fight fire with fire. Who would look arrogant in comparison to Obama?
The questions/concerns on Gingrich are these:
1) Are there any heretofore unknown skeletons in his closet?
2) Has he matured or is he still capable of self-destructing, able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?
“What’s different this time? The supposedly damning baggage carried by Gingrich is well known. He has won the support of voters who already know about his ‘baggage’.”
—Although perhaps unfair, Cain’s baggage (real or not) by comparison may serve as a blessing in disguise for Gingrich.
Are there any Democrats running for president?
It’s curious that over 3 years later, the “journalists” still have no desire to learn about Obama’s past. I guess he had them at “redistributive and retributive change”.
I submit they are well aware of Obama’s past and are accordingly reluctant to publish it.
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