Read More of the Same Day's Blog

Another Campaign 2008 Tuesday, another primary election. This time it was the so-called Potomac primary with the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia voting in unison. ABC and NBC both led with campaign coverage. Yet, as usual, the networks' previews at the news hour were tentative and incomplete, so neither CBS nor NBC posted its early reporting online. The Story of the Day concerned the economy, an offer by major home mortgage firms of a 30-day moratorium to renegotiate distressed loans and avoid foreclosures. CBS, which had an expanded newshole (25 min v ABC 18, NBC 20) courtesy of limited advertising by its sole sponsor Caduet, the prescription medicine, led with the real estate story.

Big Mo, that campaign cliche, surfaced again in the coverage of the Democratic contest between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. "As for tonight's results," NBC's Andrea Mitchell (no link) projected, "her campaign just hopes that Obama does not emerge with so much momentum that her supporters start defecting." The reason momentum was the theme was that there was no doubt that Obama would win. CBS' Dean Reynolds (no link) caught Rodham Clinton's campaign playing the expectations game, "hoping that any wins Obama achieves this evening will seem entirely predictable and insignificant." She left the Beltway before the polls even closed, heading off to campaign in Texas: "It seems she could not put these Potomac primary states in her rear view mirror fast enough," commented ABC's Jake Tapper (no link). As for Obama, NBC's Lee Cowan (no link) found him too trying to moderate his optimism: "Momentum does not necessarily equal victory," the Illinois senator stated, reminding us that his momentum after victory in Iowa led to defeat in New Hampshire; after victory in South Carolina it led to a Super Tuesday tie. CBS' Jeff Greenfield (no link) found an "eyebrow raiser" in the exit polls that was good news for Obama: for the first time more voters picked him as the better potential Commander in Chief.

As well as Texas, the second string to Rodham Clinton's strategy to halt Obama's surge is Ohio, whose primary is held on the same day. NBC's Mitchell called Ohio now "a must-win state" for Rodham Clinton, who granted a series of satellite interviews to local television news anchors across the two states instead of stumping for votes in Washington. ABC's George Stephanopoulos pointed out that Rodham Clinton was skipping next week's contests in Hawaii and Wisconsin. Losses there might mean that "her March 4th firewall could start to crumble." Yet Stephanopoulos reminded anchor Charles Gibson that so far this year "whenever one of the candidates starts to get a head of steam the voters come back and draw the race even again"--which is the antithesis of our old friend Big Mo.


Andrew Tyndall 2/14/08 12:10:56 am

© 2010 Tyndall Report