I got a reply from someone with a name and an email address at ABC when I sent them a slightly snarky email about The Note's "It was a tie" treatment of the debate. So since I had some kind of live wire, I just sent this reply to her "Thanks for your message":
Thanks for your reply, and sorry for my snarky comment at the end. But I have a quick question that maybe you can put forward.
Why isn't Bush crushing Kerry? Isn't that the real mystery of this race?
How come with all the stories about how Kerry is (or was) on the ropes, struggling, his campaign in disarray, whatever, you never focus on the simple, dirt-obvious fact that it is BUSH who is in trouble?
Don't laugh, listen: He should be up by 15-20 points, shouldn't he? Or at least a solid unambiguous 8-12? I mean, not long ago he had something like an 80% approval rating, yes? And he can't think of anything he ever did wrong. Yet he's struggling to maintain an edge of 1-3%. When you look at an aggregate chart of his poll track since he took office, it has been a steady, relentless decline. Puncuated by spikes for 9/11, the Iraq war, Saddam's capture, then back to down down down.
Why is that, do you suppose? Shouldn't you guys, as journalists, find that interesting? I mean "He's such a likeable guy," right? He's "The guy you'd love to have a beer with" (well, if he wasn't on the wagon), "Our popular president," "A man in touch with the people," yes? But despite those spikes, the guy has been sinking relentlessly ever since he was sworn in. Why is that? Wouldn't a merely adequately competent chief executive be soaring in the polls right now?
Why is BUSH struggling? You guys are journalists. Don't you think it might be worth asking that question once in a while? Kicking it around a bit on the chat shows? If you spent half the time--heck, a tenth--on that question that you spend on Kerry's problems, Bush would be in the toilet by now. Is that why you don't ever bring it up?
Oops, snarky again. But I sincerely wonder about this. Are you sure you don't have some double standards working here?
Thanks again for responding, however briefly.