Study: McCain Finally Getting Media Coverage Equal To Obama
It looks like McCain's recent attacks on Obama are working, in the sense that the McCain campaign is now getting as much media coverage as Obama, according to a new study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism:
For the first time since this general election campaign began in early June, Republican John McCain attracted virtually as much media attention as his Democratic rival last week.Barack Obama was a significant or dominant factor in 81% of the campaign stories compared with 78% for McCain, according to PEJ's Campaign Coverage Index for July 28-Aug. 3. Not only was that a high water mark for McCain in the general election season (his previous best was 62% from June 30-July 6). The virtual dead heat in the race for exposure between the two candidates also marked the first time his weekly coverage had even been within 10 percentage points of Obama's total.
Via Jonathan Martin. There's little doubt that new McCain adviser Steve Schmidt's more aggressive approach is working, at least in the sense that it has resulted in McCain being perceived as the driver of the news.
For weeks and weeks the McCain campaign struggled in vain to be seen as the campaign on offense. With the "celeb" ad and the allegation that Obama played the "race card," it seems like the McCain camp is now gaining some traction in that regard. Indeed, the "race card" charge was the most covered story of the week, according to the study; the second most covered was "campaign ads" -- i.e., the "celeb" spot. Both were McCain-driven stories.
Comments (30)
Of course, the coverage of McCain was largely negative. But hey! At least they're talking about him.
August 5, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
At least McCain can't complain that Obama's getting more coverage than he is. He's got it. I just don't know if it's the exposure he's going to want in the long run.
August 5, 2008 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know. McCain seems to have held onto his good favorability ratings while Obama's dropped. So all this talk about "but when you go on the attack your negatives go up too" doesn't seem to be the case here.
August 5, 2008 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Source please.
August 5, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
oh really...low 40's favorable ratings??...show us where he is climbing to a + 50's level. McFuddle will go down after the conventions since he no new solutions for this country.
August 5, 2008 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
The debates ought to finish him off. Especially if Barack can get under his skin and make the famous McCain temper flare.
August 5, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
And liberal bloggers still think that American voters aren't paying attention to McCain's definition of Obama now?
August 5, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
But it's the summer and magically people are turned off to all news in this one season!
/snark
August 5, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
One brief observation:
Some time ago it was pointed out on this blog that McCain almost always takes the weekend off, recuperating and resting. Obama, during that time, is still out on the campaign trail.
Let's say McCain campaigns 5 days a week, and Obama campaigns 5.5 days a week. If the media is covering the events fairly and evenly --- everything else being equal --- Obama should be getting a full 10% more coverage. (Even if we accept this ridiculous notion that picking up spilled cans in a grocery store merits the same attention as addressing all of friggin' Germany; how much coverage is Nader getting per event?)
Has anyone kept a tally of the number of events, or days on the trail, these guys have had since the spring?
August 5, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Congratulations MSM, hope your ad sales were phenomenal as you continue to dumb down the intelligence of our country.
August 5, 2008 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
NEGATIVE???? Where and when? The political pundits have consistantly been pushing the idea of, "When will Obama CLOSE the deal with voters" -- that's been their theme since the primary.
It's all about what Obama NEEDS to do to win or what Obama is doing WRONG.
Polls show that Obama and McCain are neck and neck. So why isn't the media asking those questions of the McCain camp? With all his 26 years of experience in government, his military service and his hero status - along with his so-called Maverick style in the Senate -- why isn't McCain CLOSING THE DEAL WITH VOTERS?
August 5, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
What a huge relief! Now the wingnuts will stop crowing for a re-enactment of the Fairness Doctrine.
Wait - scratch that. They'll be quiet about the SCLM now, or at least until it's convenient to complain about "equal coverage" again.
August 5, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
My wife blogged about this a few days ago.
I for one am looking forward to increased McCain coverage. Obama attention trumped McCain gaffes and missteps.
More coverage means that people will really see what McCain is like. I am betting that as his coverage increases, polls will start to swing back towards Obama.
Ask not for what you wish, lest it come true, Senator McCain.
August 5, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Speaking of media, this made me laugh :)
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank will no longer appear on MSNBC's Countdown.
August 5, 2008 11:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I heard KO talk about Dana's departure last night. Apparently Countdown told Milbank they wouldn't book him again until he explained his Obama misquote. He wouldn't and said goodbye.
August 5, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bravo.
August 5, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
You all might not have noticed but Obama has put up two negative issue ads in two days. I think he has picked up on the Hess story. He is giving a pretty tough talk today in Youngstown. I think the Obama campaign has learned a lesson. Attack, attack, attack.
It seems he is attempting to use McCain's 26 years of actively opposing energy solutions against him. Why hire McCain to solve the giant problem his neglect helped create?
August 5, 2008 11:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
The best part is he's using McCain's words against him. He quoted McCain talking about how the energy problem was 30 years in the making and how "those in Washington" did nothing about it. McCain left himself wide open for that one.
August 5, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain just launched a new ad that's a HUGE opportunity for the Obama campaign if they play it right, check it out:
http://strategy08.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/new-mccain-ad-provides-huge-opening-for-obama/
August 5, 2008 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome.
Let's do it, Obama.
August 5, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
So cynical negative attacks attract attention. Who knew?
August 5, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain just announced a $6 Million ad buy in the Olympics.
Aslo on the Page, he's got a new 1 minute ad out.
August 5, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I sometimes see these things in very simple terms because I honestly believe that's how most things are. I feel as though the MSM felt they owed McLame some coverage after the absolutely smashing week Obama had the week before.
I just think it's that simple. McLame's campaign whined about it and the MSM sat back like they were the popular kids and the head cheerleaders, and said: "Aw, I think we've hurt his feelings - let's send him some love."
The MSM is drunk on its own power - has been since Watergate.
August 5, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I figured McCain would have to match Obama's Olympic ad buy. He has money to burn because any donated money he doesn't spend by the convention he loses.
I believe Obama's buy was $5M, so McCain will probably have more. ho's betting McCain has some ridiculous ad in order to get the MSM to talk about it for free for the next month. Either that or he'll recycle his old biography ad.
August 5, 2008 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Funny how the press gave McCain yet another pass... by not covering him at the Sturgis biker rally.
Seems they wanted to do it low profile... Now a day later... just a four photos appear in the press and 30 secs of video???
WTF???
August 5, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
The debate moderators have been announced.
And guess what? No ABC, no Fox, and no CNN.
Jim Lehrer, Gwen Ifill, Tom Brokaw, and {sigh--quite being mean to the old guy!} Bob Shieffer.
August 5, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
O not Schieffer - o jesus - he fucking threw the 4th debate in '04 to his long time bud, Commander CooCoo Bananas. He asked him the stupidest fucking question and that sententious little shit stood there and lied - ooooo, god, not him again.
He's pathetic.
August 5, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh sure, he's getting the same amount of coverage now! That's because they gave him a free $30 million dollars worth of campaign commercial coverage, running that stupid Britney/Paris add.
August 5, 2008 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's a difference between media attention and media scrutiny.
I have no doubt that McCain is getting a lot of media attention now. The latter - eh. Not so much.
August 5, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
YES THEY ARE, AND THE HANDS OFF TREATMENT AS WELL
Just today there was a big debate at MSNBC on this issue...And it stays the same Obama did it!!Obama did it!!
But I have sent this to every MSM/Newspaper but it been hands off! Why? The Truth, does not get you rating period!
The McCain campaign has been saying that Obama was playing the race card when, last Wednesday, Obama said:
What they're going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, "He's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name." You know, "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.''
But Obama's metaphor -- "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills" -- wasn't random; it was a reference.
A McCain ad from 27 June -- more than a month before Obama's remark -- suggested that the very idea of Barack Obama's face -- i.e., the face of a black man -- on the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the $100 bill was absurd.
John McCain started this.
The McCain campaign has been saying that Obama was playing the race card when, last Wednesday, Obama said:
What they're going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, "He's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name." You know, "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.''
But Obama's metaphor -- "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills" -- wasn't random; it was a reference.
A McCain ad from 27 June 2008 "Seal"-- more than a month before Obama's remark -- suggested that the very idea of Barack Obama's face -- i.e., the face of a black man -- on the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the $100 bill was absurd.
John McCain started this.
The McCain campaign has been saying that Obama was playing the race card when, last Wednesday, Obama said:
What they're going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, "He's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name." You know, "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.''
But Obama's metaphor -- "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills" -- wasn't random; it was a reference.
A McCain ad from 27 June -- more than a month before Obama's remark -- suggested that the very idea of Barack Obama's face -- i.e., the face of a black man -- on the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the $100 bill was absurd.
John McCain started this.
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/08/setting-the-rec.html
August 5, 2008 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink