tanking

UPDATE 3: Laugh, laugh, laugh. The details:

CBS “Early Show,” Friday, September 19, 2008: Political analyst Laura Schwartz declared: "You know, Cindy McCain, her outfit that she wore the opening night of the convention comes in, once you tally everything up, Oscar de la Renta dress for $3,000. The watch from Chanel $4500. $11000 to $25000 worth of pearls. $600 shoes. And the diamond earrings, $280,000. So she clocks in right around $300,000...That kinda puts her over the top. That's like 1 ½ houses."

CBS “Early Show,” Wednesday, September 24, 2008: Co-host Russ Mitchell: "Now, a correction. Last week, the Early Show aired an [sic] segment on an outfit Cindy McCain wore during the Republican National Convention. We estimated the total cost was more than $300,000. It turns out that dress is off-the-rack and the pearl necklace is not real. We regret the error."

Um, CBS, dudes, guys, WTF?

UPDATE 2: “I’m angry and I’m not going to take it any more!” Good for McCain. At least someone has some balls around here. The writing has a real “… and strong letter to follow” feel about it. Ideology aside, I love watching shoddy reporting being called out.

UPDATE 1: Media bias runs rampant in polling data. And they think gun owners abuse the 2d Amendment?

I taught tonight in Philadelphia, so had plenty of time to think as I drove there. I had scanned several news and opinion sites before I left. I do that a few times a time. Here’s my rotation: Drudge, Instapundit, Lucianne, NewsBusters, Ring Wing News, and Robinson & Long.

I was struck by the number of stories about media bias – and the very real examples given. As I was driving, I began to try to understand why the media is so over-the-top partisan this time.

This election cycle is not just POTUS. Dems – if they do deeply well – can nail in very impressive majorities in the House and Senate. It really is a once in a generation thing.

So how’s their candidate doing?

He completely blew the VEEP selection. Biden is racking up gaffes quicker than a circus monkey steals grapes – today’s were no clean coal and the McCain computer ad should not have run. It is just getting deeper. I suspect the two will start campaigning together so Obama’s people can rein him in.

Obama talking away from the teleprompter is tanking him. He is really bad. Remarkably bad. Did you see him stumble over saying Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? It’s like he’s exhausted. He had this look of disbelief on his face at his own inability to say it. He is surprising unsmooth off-script.

His crowds are dwindling. Green Bay was embarrassing. Other supporters are seeing it, too. Jane Pauley drew 8 people today. Biden’s got empty seats (so did Obama in GB).

Statements from ago … bitter people clinging to guns and religion … are not going away. The Annenberg and Ayers facts are starting to congeal – seems Obama was extremely, um, progressive in the policies he sought to have instilled in the educational system. The bit about “age-appropriate” sex education for kindergartners is the least of it.

I watch the state polls. National numbers mean nothing. The Electoral College is starting to turn on him. Pennsylvania and Michigan look to be in play. He losing Florida and Ohio. Hell, even New Jersey and New York are running the wrong way. Gaps are closing. And when you look into the data, you start to see some polling with higher Democrat numbers polled than might seem appropriate. The ace in the hole, fraudulent registrations by ACORN, is taking a hit now rather than after the voting is done.

Remember, Obama didn’t expect to get the nomination. He just didn’t want 8 years to run from the 2004 DNCC speech until he entered the race. So he ran just to get him name out there. He under-estimated the anti-Hillary vote. He won – and was just as surprised as everyone else. Now he’s stuck with Axelrod – a thug who doesn’t understand national politics. Just look at how negative he’s gone.

If Obama goes down big time, not only will the opportunity for comfortable margins in Congress go away, we could see the Republicans gaining back the Senate and neutralizing any advantage in the House.

The press has no choice but to take over the campaign. They have to show Democrats to be warm, fuzzy, and likeable; Republicans need to old and common.

So the comical bias kicks into high gear. The problem the press has is that people do not like to be lied to. They get angry. You can read about the perceived bias from a lot of angles – a woman at McCain’s town hall in Scranton on Monday took her time at the mic to point at the press sitting there and chastise them for their treatment of Palin. It was very pointed.

It seems clear to me that comparing interviews by the same person with different candidates indicates a personal desire on behalf of the interviewer as to who they want to look good or bad. It is blatant. Their objectivity is no longer even being pretended.

The press has no choice – their candidate is tanking.