The Media Wants it Close

It’s a steady drumbeat of stories that are always the same. Why isn’t Barack Obama up by forty points in the polls? What’s wrong with his campaign? A new CNN/Opinion Research poll has Obama ahead by a mere 51-44 margin. Nevermind that 51% is a bigger number than any Democrat has accomplished since 1964. Nevermind that with undecideds included, the poll extrapolates out to 54-55 percent of the popular vote. Aside from 1964, you have to go back to 1936 to see a Democrat that reached 55% of the popular vote. The media seems desperate to keep the contest just close enough to maintain some semblance of competitiveness. It’s probably more of a ratings consideration than anything ideological. But, then, reporters do tend to fall into the higher tax brackets these days, don’t they?