If things continue as they are, can we win?

[LibraLiz1973]

The MSM is obsessed with 2 Democratic Candidates: Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton.
In large part they have chosen to focus on these two because: Barack is a man of color and Hillary is a woman.
That's not racist or sexist- it's FACT. If you don't think that is why the MSM is obsessed, you are kidding yourself.
Every poll leading up to this has shown Edwards as the clear winner against ANY Republican.
Yet the press focus on the other 2 candidates. Do the press want the Dems to lose? Probably. But I think they have chosen to focus on Obama & Hillary for very specific reasons.

Obama has pretty much been given a pass in the MSM and by the Republican party (to date). I think they are afraid to really report on him, or disagree too much with him, lest they be called racists. Shit, I am a poster on DU and every time I say something about Obama I KNOW FOR DAMN SURE that someone (or about 20 someones) are going to call me a racist. You just CAN NOT have an OPINION about Obama without people saying it is racially driven, one way or the other. As far as the MSM goes, I think there is a lot of info about Obama and his positions on issues that have been completely under-reported (or completely untouched) that would end up being a major issue once he became the nominee. The Repub gloves will be off and they can resort to their disgusting little mailers and church literature like they did in 2004.

But remember... there are people out there who feel strongly that if Obama does NOT end up on the ballot in 2008, it is due to race.

Hillary has been gang banged by the MSM since before she even threw her hat in, because it was easier to bash the woman. Sexism is more widely accepted and perpetuated (at this time) than racial issues. Even as they called her "inevitable" they were tearing her apart. The Republicans have been going after Hillary since day 1. It is their biggest nightmare that a woman, a CLINTON woman, could wind up their President. Republicans hate the Clinton's as if they were the devil & the devils side kick. If Hillary is the nominee, expect the Republican machine to go into overdrive as they blame everything that has happened on earth on her.

But remember.. there are people out there who feel strongly that if she doesn't get on the ballot in 2008, it is due to gender.

So let's say Hillary is the 2008 candidate and she ends up in the G.E. Now the Obama people are pissed because they think Obama didn't make it because he is 1/2 black.

Or, Obama gets on the ballot and people are pissed that Hillary isn't there, and they think it is because she is a woman.

Or, John gets on the ballot and now the Barack people are pissed because they think it is because he is white. And the Hillary people think it's because he's a man.

In the end, don't we have a lot of pissed off people who wont vote? (I'm not talking about people here, who are active and would vote regardless.) No matter what the scenario, I think things have gotten so divisive that it is looking pretty scary out there.

Don't jump all over me. It's a legit question. With the press pushing those issues along, how long until people just said "Fuck it!"
How do we counteract this? Before we can handle how it plays out in the rest of the country, we should probably deal with how it affects us here. People are spitting mad.

[Carni]

1. No we cannot IMO

Look at DU and all the fighting.

There is now way we will win the GE if we continue on this path JMO

[BlueManDude]

4. It was just as bad with Dean v Kerry in 2004. People will come together

but I fear that McCain might not be beatable reagardless of who we nominate.

[Carni]

6. I think it's worse this time around

I remember the Kerry vs Dean fights and they were granted really bad, but I know people currently who are saying if X gets the nom I stay home...I don't think it was that ugly in 04.

The media is just fueling the hell out of this thing and I wish people would chill out...but it's hard not to get swept up in a pissing contest after 7 long years of THIS hideous admin the stakes are just SOOOOOOOOO HIGH!

The McCain thing, I agree it concerns me!

[LibraLiz1973]

7. McCain terrifies me... not that the rest do not

[HeraldSquare212]

2. False premise

The media are focusing on Obama and Clinton because that's where the horserace is, with a major political figure in America for the last 15 years arguably fighting for her political life (still a long way to go, but they'll get to that in a few days). All of Edwards problems (and I don't buy that he is underrepresented in the news) would be solved by an additional 10 points in the polls. Maybe after NH, when there's time for something other than on-the-street stories, he'll get more stories.

[LibraLiz1973]

3. You may not "buy" that he is underrepresented, but it is a FACT.

You can't argue with that.

In all likelihood my candidate will not be on the ballot in November and it won't be because he isn't the best candidate for the job. (He clearly is) It will be because the MEDIA decided who to push and America ate it up.

[INdemo]

5. The Repukes Corporate America will not want to give up their crown so easily so

regardless of who is nominated the corruption that existed in the 2004 vote counting will still be around in 2008.....