It seems like just yesterday that Michele Bachmann was in the “top tier,” thanks to her narrow victory in the mostly meaningless Iowa straw poll. She had “momentum.” Then came this week’s debate and, well, things are looking different. As the Washington Post described the scene at the debate:
Meanwhile, any momentum that Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), who won the Iowa straw poll in August, may have had from that victory has been extinguished by Perry.
The debates have been a forum in which Bachmann has shone, but she was sidelined on Wednesday night.
She was not asked a question until 14 minutes into the debate, and during an exchange on healthcare, she shouted for a chance to speak–only to be told that it was Huntsman’s turn.
This should serve as a reminder that “momentum” in electoral politics is basically just how much attention media decide to grant a given candidate. Then when the press decide to pay less attention to your candidacy, they can observe that they had no choice–you lost your “momentum.”
Buddy Roemer’s case is interesting, too. He is a mainstream Republican conservative down the line of issues, has Gubernatorial experience, Congressional experience, a rapid rise in the polls, but, wait, he limits his campaign contributions to $100 and calls for finance reform, so he cannot possibly be serious and cannot deserve any media attention except for on Comedy Central and Rachel Maddow, hardly the center of the media universe.
no difference between either party, what has obama changed that bush condoned? Nothing.time for something new that stands for americans that arent wealthy and dont belong to or own a corporation.And Im not talking about the T party. Given the choice between Obama and a republican who do you think they will vote for? None of it matters,I’d like to see a candidate that calls for bringing back jobs we sent overseas,creating alternative energy,and green jobs plans,and stopping the 2 billion a week we waste in afghanistan,and elsewhere,and putting the congress on the same health plan and benefits all the rest of us get. As long as the governing body of this country is owned by the wealthy elite,you arent going to see any changes that matter,only a wider split between the rich and the poor.History is clear what happens then,and we wont be any different,its only a matter of time.
If more people voted it would take the manipulating power away from the power brokers.
> If more people voted it would take the manipulating power away from the power brokers.
How can you vote for someone whose name you never heard? And if you do hear of someone, what’s the point of voting for them if only a handful of other people heard of them?
No – media cannot make a candidate (see the case of Giuliani), but they can certainly break a candidate.
Ok Im going to preface this by saying I know i am being one of those people who is not looking below the serfice,but i have a point,so here goes. Here is an opinion from a tea party member that may surprise you.First I never thought she had a chance, and I gave her little thought to the long term race.After last weeks debate I felt more sure of that conclusion.
I have always thought that a big reason anyone is handed the presidency is the way they are perceived. Temperament being important.I still feel McCain lost a lot of points to Obama in this.Also (and yes this does matter) appearance.Well her appearance was to put it mildly a bit strange.I have not seen a helmut head as big since that little guy played Darth Vader in space balls.She was weirder looking than Pelosi.And that takes work.Her stylist should be shot.And that is the point.She and he 50 kids just don’t feel like a fit to the average joe.She is a good voice.An opinion maker.She will not be the next president.
Michael e”a big reason anyone is handed the presidency is the way they are perceived.” a big reason anyone is handed the presidency is because the wealthy elite allows it.Occasionally someone they didnt pick wins.JFK for instance,we saw what happened to him didnt we?
“Well her appearance was to put it mildly a bit strange.I have not seen a helmut head as big since that little guy played Darth Vader in space balls.She was weirder looking than Pelosi.And that takes work.Her stylist should be shot.And that is the point.”
Clueless Sexism: Exhibit A.
Oh, boy. I hope someday soon we look back on this scandal and thank our lucky stars for fair and publicly funded elections. The brief, inexpensive, educational and issue oriented contests with paper ballots and a mandate for all to vote and take the paid day off while doing so is MUCH closer to “democracy”. Voters for voting! Democrats for democracy!
Michael E: If your intention was to spoof an iggerent Teabagger, well-played, sir! If you are truly a member of the Pea Tardy, then your spelling and grammatical skills reinforce everything I’ve ever thought about people in that group. In that case, thank you for affirming my opinion!
Connie….I swear I know you are right.I really apologize for thinking it-or saying it.And i like a lot of things about her.But cut me some slack.Im not making fun of anything she was born with.It just seemed so blatantly strange that it jumped out at me.I would say to her and her staff that the clueless tag might apply a little bit to them.She is running for the highest office in the land.Representing in many cases good people who are striving to right this ship of state.And (not to play Joan Rivers here)damn it Connie -she LOOKED bizarre.Sorry there I said it again.
Bukko
Before you call me “iggerent” understand…….I went to some of the same schools as your president. My grades were at the top of my class.And ….I believe within a much harder field.And unlike him, i did not get in there with a lousy grade point average(by the way that is still the unreported scandal).You sound like an elitist snob, who spouts the liberal preoccupation with punctuation being tied to a persons worth.Well two can play that game genius.Unless you share a doctorate should I really even be speaking to you sir? :)
Obama has said “breafast”three times in the last month.He often says AX instead of ask.He counts his punctuation as “incredibly sloppy and lax”(as I do).Oh my oh my, you did pick the wrong man.Take a chill pill Buk Can
Anyone who reads the comments frequently should know by now that michael e is a troll. It’s best to ignore trolls, because like having an argument with a child (a child who claims to have a PhD, which I should point out any anonymous person can claim online, “I have a PhD,” see, I just did) you just can’t win.
Dislexicon
You seem to indicate that those with a PhD would be far too smart and educated(notice i separated the two)to be a “troll”. A troll as defined by you and your pack of jackals.And further more that all “trolls” are children- beneath contempt or worth,or even consideration.Do you not see the same thought process that courses through the DNA of all you libs?Always you believe you are the brightest bulbs in the room, and anyone who sees things from a different perspective are knuckle dragging troglodyte’s.Elitists…..Pompous creeps is how i see too many of you.Just listen to you.You can’t believe someone with a Doctorate in Medicine would not agree with everything that drips from your lips, and see you as a band of ideologically motivated baffoons.Tell me something….Do you see a Dr(MD) as in some way “above” the owner of lets say -a pizza shop?I do not.If you do….. you are a person who tie’s a persons station in life to their worth,and the value of their thoughts..And yours is the party of inclusion?Hippocrates all of you
Michael E., you truly are hilarious. “Hippocrates”?!? Awesome. Nobody with a Ph.D. NOBODY would spell as badly as you do. I don’t care if you spell correctly, you just seem like a liar that’s making garbage up off the top of your head or joking. It’s not your spelling that is leaving you open to criticism, it is your incredibly ignorant statements (and these ignorant statements draw attention to your writing abilities, unfortunately). You are either a brilliant satirist or a pathetic troll. Either way, you made me chuckle.
P.S. Conservatism is not an excuse for ignorance, though many seem to get that confused.
Barrack Obama, and I both agree we are horribly sloppy in jotting out our thoughts on paper.Guilty.
Education allows that we can probably correct ourselves if need be.It does not instill a passion to do so.Your striving to re-instill that passion in me as a responsibility of MY education is duly noted.
Ignorance is in the eye of the beholder.You live in a free country Robobenito Says:You may most assuredly call anyone ignorant that has the temerity to disagree with you if that is your want.It is a wonderful country is it not?Where the rude rubes who never had decent parents (obviously),are able to pronounce judgements on those people from good- loving happy families, that did not succeed in pumping their venom, vitriol,and elitist hatred into their little progenies mind of mush.Tell me have your little rug rats traded in their flip flops for birkenstocks yet?
Oh …What dyslexic problems have you been able to “diagnose” within the stylistic meanderings that serve as the hallmarks of my writing style? Hmmmm genius? :)
Answering attacks against and about my schooling has gotten tiresome, and off point.God knows I should take a lesson from our president who refuses to disclose any information on the subject.Any hoo…..I believe we will hear from Michelle Bachmann tonight.Let us all see where she lands together.And to all those I piss off by imparting some right of center thoughts…..I am glad you are all at least passionate.Too many are passive sheeple today.
Thank you for your excellent defense of Trolls. It is long past time for a reasoned public defense of this marginalized group.
P.S failing to put a space after a period is the graphic equivalent of motormouth. It also looks wierd.
Darren do you have a period on the top of your pointy little head?