The (Media) Worm Has Turned?

Remember how I said that there has been a Media Lovefest for the Cult of Obama? It looks like Barack must be considered the front runner (or at least the guy with the most momentum) because the New York Times is starting to focus on some of the weak points in his campaign. For example, one writer states:

As for Senator Obama, he has been winning consistently in caucus states but has not done as well in states with primaries, which tend to give a better read of a candidate’s overall appeal with voters. Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania are all primary states. And even many of Senator Obama’s supporters would like to be reassured about his approach to foreign policy, his readiness to assume the duties of commander in chief and his plans for dealing with economic issues that seem to grow more dire by the day.

For the record, Bob Herbert did not wax poetic about Hillary.* But, at least he was even-handed which is more than I can say about some of the media coverage on MSNBC. And, instead of saying that Barack is more electable than Hillary — something that has been edging its way into the national conversation — Herbert makes the following point:

Under ordinary circumstances, this would be a blowout year for Democrats. The nation is tired of the war, tired of eight years of the Bush administration and worried sick about the economy. And Democratic voters, energized by the prospect of change, have been turning out in tremendous numbers. But the Democrats, to their credit, have placed a woman and an African-American at the head of the line for the party’s nomination. It’s a step that augurs well for the country, but at the same time it’s unlikely that either of them will have an easy time winning in November.

Me? I think it’s a no-brainer that the Democrats will win in November, simply because Dubya has really screwed the pooch over the past seven years. Even the “tax rebate” from the economic stimulus package isn’t going to be enough to buy off the majority of potential voters. Added to that, there is the interesting “Huck Me” phenomenon going on right now because the conservatives hate McCain. Let me point out that the NYT editorial page has said little about that particular aspect of the Republican race. Instead David Brooks (who actually cites The Weekly Standard in his editorial – My God, is he channeling Ann Coulter or something?) focuses on the allusion of Democratic Party unity.

One final Barack moment and then I am going back to bed because Hell really has frozen over and the University has a “school delay.” The final sign that Barack has reached front runner status is that the NYT wrote a piece analyzing his race problem. {Sigh} Please, could we focus on the policies as opposed to this kind of crap? Enough!

 *Isn’t it odd that we always call her by her first name, but we always call him Obama? I think this is a gender thing: Once, when I was on a search committee, we had a candidate who insisted on calling me by my first name but always addressed my male colleagues as Dr. So-and-So. It was so pervasive that I didn’t even have to comment on it – because my male colleagues found it annoying!