Obama in Nashua

Looking forward to the update, (0.00 / 0)

but the "primary meta" is fascinating too, especially interms of how the MSM can self-fulfill their own memes.

birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 05:22:31 AM CST

120 Dems, how many reporters? n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: elwood @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 06:04:16 AM CST

There were probably 50 reporters at UNH (0.00 / 0)

Perhaps more.  Also, several satellite uplink vehicles in the lot behind the gymnasium.
The Obama campaign was obviously generous in handing out press passes (little plastic tags on strings that people wore around their necks).  There was also a significant number of "volunteers" with their own tags, in addition to "staff."
I tried to query one volunteer about how he had come to be signed up to check tickets at the door (not collected and not really paid attention to) but he kept telling me he couldn't talk about it because he "was working."  I was interested in seeing whether the College Democrats had done the recruiting and organizing of students or what?  The people who got press passes were more forth-coming, relating that they'd just gotten them through their affiliation.  One stuck his in his pocket so he could avoid being shunted off to one side with the rest of the press.  Though, that didn't happen at this event.
One of the surprising thing that came out of the CSP campaign was that the media presence at the post-election event had to be paid and provided with the electric facilities they demanded.  In other words, if there's to be major media coverage, the candidate's coffers have to be large.  They don't just expect to get paid for advertising, but even for showing up.
I should have known.  It used to be that print media determined their coverage of a candidate by whether or not he's purchased ad space.  A "viable" candidate is one who has money to spend on advertising.
Which, at the least, means there's no such thing as an objective press to begin with.

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by: hannah @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 07:03:12 AM CST

[ Parent ]

College Democrats (4.00 / 1)

I suspect that the UNH College Democrats had a great deal to do with the organizing of the Obama Event.  They have a good sized group, are fairly well organized, and Nicholas Christiansen is experienced and reliable.

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by: Nicholas Gunn @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 11:58:24 AM CST

[ Parent ]

That doesn't sound right (4.00 / 1)

I agree there is no such thing as an objective press, but, do you really have to "pay" the media to have them cover events? That doesn't sound right to me.  I can understand having to provide someplace for them to stand and to plug in their computers or cameras, but are you saying that the campaign paid reporters to be there? 

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by: Frodo @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 20:16:36 PM CST

[ Parent ]

CSP campaign had to pay for: (0.00 / 0)

Extra electrical outlets, wireless internet access and phone lines for the media on election night--although wireless internet may have been free--for the media to use on election night.  You can spin that anyway you want.

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by: Stark Blue @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 12:40:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

That is not what hannah claimed (4.00 / 1)

the media presence at the post-election event had to be paid and provided with the electric facilities they demanded.

And, if somebody thinks that the media is going to bring its own electrical and telephone lines to an event, they won't get far in marketing for business or for political campaigns.

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by: elwood @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 14:01:10 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Had to be paid? (0.00 / 0)

In the sense of "we'll send your campaign an invoice for our coverage"? That sounds kind of sketchy, I would be very surprised if that was what she meant.

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by: Alex Gallichon @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 14:06:42 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Media coverage of companies (4.00 / 1)

It's fairly common for a company to hold a media event and pay the hotel bill for media and analysts -- sometimes the plane fare too. That is not common for political coverage, though.

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by: elwood @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 14:17:23 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I dont know (0.00 / 0)

She said they expect to get paid for showing up.  I wish she would come back and tell us what she meant, or what actually happened to prompt this comment. 

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by: Frodo @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 18:54:53 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The Event at UNH (0.00 / 0)

can be more accurately described as a circus.  Obama makes a fairly good manager.  While he made the point in responding to the NH Priorities person that he recognized her as a "plant," it was my impression that some of the other questioners were also planted.  Either that, or he's very good at picking inoffensive questioners (a seventh grader with a white cap).

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by: hannah @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 07:07:50 AM CST

Dean, Hillary and Obama (4.00 / 3)

After attending Hillary Clinton's town hall in Berlin and Obama's event at UNH I reflected back on the first time I saw Howard Dean.  I loved the stump speech the first time I heard it because he delivered it with such passion and he wasn't afraid to throw out the red meat in going after President Bush.  That passion was later branded as "anger" by MSM after they helped build him up and then slap him down once he decried the danger of media consolidation.

Hillary's delivery was very polished and she hit on all the key issues with anecdotal richness.  She had the grace to greet the crowd in the overflow room across the street before her appearance in City Hall even though she was a tad late.  Someone who is more jaded than I pointed out that this is a standard tactic.

She handled the questions with confidence, but then as we all know, the story became not admitting the mistake of her Iraq vote.  This carried right through to Meet the Press the next day.  I think the downside of simply saying it was a mistake is almost minimal compared to letting it fester. When something's rotting in the fridge, it doesn't really go away just because you shut the door.

Obama seems to have a very relaxed style which is endearing because he combines that with a cerebral exploration of issues.  In reading my notes I realized he gave substantive, well-considered responses to most if not all questions.  I like the idea of a President who spent 10 years teaching Constitutional Law rather than one who thinks The Constitution is just a list of suggestions.

I think it's incumbent upon New Hampshire voters to make sure we don't allow the media to trivialize primary and let them know we take it seriously and so should they.  We have a field of excellent candidates and need to set an example for the media in keeping this process respectful.

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by: chuckster @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 18:11:30 PM CST

Baloney (0.00 / 0)

That is, this is baloney:

All she had to say was basically that there was an incredibly high level of excitement and energy, and no one seemed to care about the issues.

I was surprised really about the wide range of pointed intelligent questions people have at this point. And also at the same questions being asked at all three major shindigs I went to. People actually agree on where the government has failed, and the candidates differ in some places on how to fix it. And people are starting to methodically sort that out.

The campaign is all excitement and buzz for some of the media, chasing after the latest picture of Obama in swimtrunks. The people in every crowd I've been in see right through that bullcrap.

It'd be interesting to compare the local to state to national media in their use of the rock star motif and the no substance motif. I've heard a lot of substance, personally from Hillary and Edwards, and it sounds like Obama is ramping up as well.

Are we sure it was NHPR and not NPR -- I think Wonkette was in that piece, right?

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 19:49:02 PM CST

Positive (0.00 / 0)

The segment I heard - I did not catch much of it - was on All Things Considered and the guests were a woman from the Monitor and a man from the Des Moines Register.


It's time we steer by the stars, and not the lights of every passing ship

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by: Andy Edwards @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 20:42:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The NHPR 'no one cared about the issues' (4.00 / 1)

crap came directly from the AP.

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by: elwood @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 20:36:55 PM CST

Thanks for commenting on this (4.00 / 1)

This guy interviewed Jeff and I yesterday and I declined to give him anything useful for his piece because he was asking the most AIRHEADED questions ever.

The article was actually not as bad as I thought it'd be but I don't like the nuances.

Everyone gave Obama a "pass"?  Enthusiastic crowds, scant scrutiny?

I mean not to buy into his bullshit meme here but what exactly were they supposed to poke at him about - "Are you sure you were against the war back in 2002?"! Come on

It's time we steer by the stars, and not the lights of every passing ship

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by: Andy Edwards @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 20:51:16 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I was about to post a diary (4.00 / 1)

on the continuing rightward tilt of the AP (John Solomon, firing Chris Graff in Vermont). But I did a quick check on how they covered Romney's announcement.

The same sort of 20% reporting facts, 80% snide commentary posing as a news story.

It seems to not be partisan -- just a general abandonment of journalism.

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by: elwood @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 21:23:27 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Not NHPR's crap (0.00 / 0)

This Concord Monitor reporter, who made that remark on NHPR, was at the event yesterday and interviewed us at the same time this AP guy was.  They were both practically talking over one another, shooting the same string of questions at us.  It was if one of them was going to scoop the other and figure out Why Everyone Loves Obama
Whatever it was they were smoking beforehand, I want some of it

It's time we steer by the stars, and not the lights of every passing ship

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by: Andy Edwards @ Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 21:04:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Most usefull (4.00 / 1)

Maybe the most usefull thing alternative reporters could do at this stage is expose the fact that the MSM reporters arrive at every event with a script, an outline that's been prepared, perhaps by their editors, into which they are to insert a few specifics and "color." 
This would be particularly usefull because it is these scripts which often account for candidates saying really stupid things in answer to stupid questions.  Candidates are really in  a bind because if they point out the question is stupid, the reporter will take umbrage and write a piece about "attitude," or not write a story at all, and if the candidate refuses to answer, the refusal becomes the story.
The only way to short-circuit the reporters is to give very lengthy and convoluted responses which they are sure to ignore.  But that's not an option for a candidate.

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by: hannah @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 10:01:33 AM CST