Edwards keeps getting "Big-Footed"
Chris Matthews made a big issue of John Edwards getting bumped off of the “networks” (really, what he was referring to was simply the three cable news networks – big deal) last Tuesday when, just as Edwards was getting into his Wisconsin near-victory speech, Kerry “big-footed” him by coming out to give his actual victory speech. What that means is that the news networks, being the fair and balanced group that they are, dutifully went to Kerry’s speech because he was the real winner. Apparently, this is some kind of time-honored journalistic rule that must be followed.
Never mind that all three of our estimable 24-hour cable news networks actually HAVE 24 HOURS to fill and they could have taped and run both speeches along with Howard Dean’s – all in their entirety. Who cares which one was live? Instead, we were treated to talking heads – including the “Hardball” panel talking about whether it was fair for Kerry to have big-footed Edwards.
But my point – and I do have one – is that Edwards has been big-footed this entire campaign in terms of overall media coverage. His very surprising showing in Iowa was big-footed by Kerry, whose showing wasn’t quite as surprising but was greater than Edwards’, and by Dean’s scream. Then in New Hampshire, it was all Kerry and Dean. After the next week’s series of primaries, Wesley Clark, by edging Edwards by 1500 votes in Oklahoma, got to share the spotlight and march on to the next week’s primaries in Tennessee and Virginia. Had Clark lost Oklahoma, he would have dropped out, and Edwards might have actually won Tennessee and Virginia. Again in Wisconsin, Edwards’ surprising showing was stepped on not so much by Kerry’s speech but by the whole story of Dean’s demise. This past weekend, when the main story could have been whether Edwards was gaining any ground on Kerry, it was all Ralph Nader. Now, the president’s campaign has turned its attention to Kerry, thereby stoking the perception that the general election campaign is set, right at the time Edwards finally has Kerry in a two-man race.
Never mind that all three of our estimable 24-hour cable news networks actually HAVE 24 HOURS to fill and they could have taped and run both speeches along with Howard Dean’s – all in their entirety. Who cares which one was live? Instead, we were treated to talking heads – including the “Hardball” panel talking about whether it was fair for Kerry to have big-footed Edwards.
But my point – and I do have one – is that Edwards has been big-footed this entire campaign in terms of overall media coverage. His very surprising showing in Iowa was big-footed by Kerry, whose showing wasn’t quite as surprising but was greater than Edwards’, and by Dean’s scream. Then in New Hampshire, it was all Kerry and Dean. After the next week’s series of primaries, Wesley Clark, by edging Edwards by 1500 votes in Oklahoma, got to share the spotlight and march on to the next week’s primaries in Tennessee and Virginia. Had Clark lost Oklahoma, he would have dropped out, and Edwards might have actually won Tennessee and Virginia. Again in Wisconsin, Edwards’ surprising showing was stepped on not so much by Kerry’s speech but by the whole story of Dean’s demise. This past weekend, when the main story could have been whether Edwards was gaining any ground on Kerry, it was all Ralph Nader. Now, the president’s campaign has turned its attention to Kerry, thereby stoking the perception that the general election campaign is set, right at the time Edwards finally has Kerry in a two-man race.
posted by JFH @ 4:21 PM
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