NBC, MSNBC Don't Give an Eff: They're Going With the PUMA Story
Old, angry women are the Michael Phelps of the DNC

Well, at least you know where MSNBC and NBC stand on this whole DNC "civil war" going on between the regular folks and the crazed Hillary fans — the stations are firmly planted on the side of sensationalist journalism. While Republicans and Democrats are expected to snipe at each other during election time, the media at this convention locked eyes with a contingent of Dems who believe Hillary Clinton should have won the nomination and are threatening to vote for McCain come election time. Even NBC's political director Chuck Todd spoke out against the station spending all its hard-earned Denver drinking money covering the PUMAs (that's Party Unity My Ass), the particular anti-Obama group composed mainly of middle-aged white women, who receive a disproportionate amount of coverage based on their small numbers.

This is the political equivalent of Elisabeth Hasselbeck making those statements about Jeffrey Dahmer and bologna sandwiches; not everyone who likes processed meats is also a serial killer, and only a small, small percentage of people who voted for Hillary Clinton are running around the convention like Star Wars fans at Comic-Con. But since PUMAs are the most, uh, colorful turnouts of the event so far, and since nothing actually happens at the national conventions except network in-fighting, you can bet there is going to be a disproportionate amount of coverage on the crazy cat ladies.

But PUMAs are to this week what Michael Phelps was to the last two, and MSNBC/NBC has found their niche in discussing and analyzing the rabid Clinton contingent.

Monday night's interviews included 18 out of 20 of the networks' questions fielded by the likes Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Charles Schumer, Jimmy Carter, and Robert Gibbs had something to do with Hillary and Bill.

What's sadder is that the networks don't necessarily have an agenda here, as Fox might, there just isn't anything else that goes on at the national conventions. The cablers have to report on something. So yes, now would be the time to wax nostalgic about a simpler, kinder time, when the word "puma" brought to mind a shoe company instead of your crazy aunt Linda who dressed like a toilet outside the Pepsi Center today.

Vote Hillary!

Aug 27, 2008 · posted by drew · Link · Respond
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