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FrenchieCat

(68,867 posts)
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 03:38 PM Jan 2012

Why 2012 Will Be a “Close” Election

I so wish I could tell you that the upcoming general election will be close, and that it will be due to the life-and-death seriousness of the issues as they relate to our economy, the environment and our foreign policy — but I cannot honestly say this. I do believe that the 2012 election will be close, but for the wrong reasons; one being that it is how media conglomerates generate large sums for themselves during an election year. So when the media crows again how this will not only be close, but the most expensive ever, don’t think they aren’t at the same time counting on the millions they will earn throughout.

We must understand that the protracted Obama-Hillary primary wars of 2008 were a boon to media coffers! Couple that with the birth of the limitless Super PACs (thanks to our Republican-dominated SCOTUS), and you can easily see what I see: media mavens relying on their potential earnings after facing lean advertising years. If you hadn’t thought about it before, think about it now, while closely observing how desperately reporters are handling the Republican primaries. It may seem quite entertaining at the moment (to some of us), but I would respectfully suggest that we ought to be preparing for what is to come in the general.

Speaking of the current sorry-ass Republican primaries, it is mighty strange that although there is only one halfway electable Republican left standing, we are now witnessing a media-termed “horse race” as we head toward Super PAC-spending Tuesday. It’s not because the alternative candidates to Romney are actually worth anything (because they aren’t); it is because the faster the Republican Primaries end, the less money the Super PAC will spend, and that would greatly reduce the media’s anticipated advertising windfall.

Look, it’s no accident that the media has been all over candidate Romney since his big win in New Hampshire. At the exact time the announcement was made that Mitt held an insurmountable double-digit lead in South Carolina polls, the corporate media got hella serious! To add to the media’s trouble, GOP candidates were dropping like flies, Mitt Romney reeked of the inevitable stench, and the primary season was ending before it had started. But by golly, all was not lost, as we witnessed the re-resurrection of the twice-fallen Newt in just 7 days! I will add that this wasn’t an easy get by any means. Just ask Ginger Chuckie on MSNBC; he seemed quite exhausted with that renewed Newt surge!

More.....http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2012/01/21/why-2012-will-be-a-close-election/#.TxsPyV1JDCI.facebook

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why 2012 Will Be a “Close” Election (Original Post) FrenchieCat Jan 2012 OP
Thanks Frenchie! Cha Jan 2012 #1
What you said...... FrenchieCat Jan 2012 #2
And, furthermore... Cha Jan 2012 #4
I think the media can only do so much divineorder Jan 2012 #3
While I Have Been Predicting President Obama Will Win With 52.3% mikekohr Jan 2012 #5

Cha

(297,123 posts)
1. Thanks Frenchie!
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 08:07 PM
Jan 2012

Yes, Because the corportate mediawhore$ will make it close. They will milk it out to their very last drop in the gopropaganda primaries and then in the General they will fuck with it by being their usual mediawhoreselves. upchuck todd whining about Stephen Colbert(bring Citizens United into the light) messing with the process while The Quack can come out and prance around on all the gasbag shows asking about birth certificates and other stupid lines of assholery.

They all want to make a buck off of trying to take this President down but he and his crew are smarter, wiser, and funnier than all the ignoble cretins right and "left" who are Pissing against the wind.

Cha

(297,123 posts)
4. And, furthermore...
Sun Jan 22, 2012, 06:37 PM
Jan 2012

the corporatemedia has already made it close by not reporting on all the accomplishments of this Adminsitration. The Sunday gasbag shows are full of gopropaganda and then we get the occasional Democratic representative. It does not take a genius to figure out who they are pushing down the People's throat. With further dereliction of duty by not questioning the lies that only come out of gopers.

Someday I hope they will have made themselves totally irrelavant.

divineorder

(536 posts)
3. I think the media can only do so much
Sun Jan 22, 2012, 08:40 AM
Jan 2012

And the massive spending is on conventional media, which aims for the aging populace. How many tv and radio commercials can you run before people start tuning out or getting bored? When that happens, people will run to the net or just flip a coin. And it's too easy to simply pad the expense accounts and add "cousins" or run commercials in slots that hardly anyone is watching.

And these are elderly, more "Republican" voters who aren't internet-savvy at all. Younger demographics are on the net now, and the net is too diffuse for the focused efforts that SuperPacs want. And those demos are Democratic for the most part. Now webmasters and Google will appreciate the added income, but they will be just as effective as the more conventional ad spending. People will just ignore the big banner ads after awhile if there are too many of them. And it's too easy to simply pad the expense accounts and add "technically inclined nephews" or place banner ads on websites that get no traffic. So a lot of that money gets spent on places where nobody goes and no voters come from.

mikekohr

(2,312 posts)
5. While I Have Been Predicting President Obama Will Win With 52.3%
Mon Jan 23, 2012, 11:51 AM
Jan 2012

of the vote, at this point I think the possibility of a Republican victory is less than that of an Obama landslide.

There is a deep ingrained death wish in the Republican base. If it prevails, and a mean spirited, serial adulterer, hypocritical, ethically challenged tool like Gingrich beats the flip flopper, then look for a blowout. And that's good for all of our candidates and good for the country.

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