The Media: The Real Winners of Super Tuesday

Yesterday morning I was listing to NPR, and they had a little clip on the impact on such a volatile race has had on the major news outlets. More people tuned into the political debates than watch football. It's unprecedented, it's unbelievable, it's.... exactly what the major networks have needed since the Writer's Guild strikes started this winter.

This is reality TV that people just can't buy, make-up, or create no matter how hard they try. The big worry was that with the completion of Super Tuesday a final delegate would be selected on either side, and the news would go back to partisan bickering over "Us vs. Them". How were they going to keep the momentum going until November?

Luckily for the media and the networks, that didn't happen. Even if a Republican nominee comes out after the final count in California, the Democrats are still up for grabs. And quite frankly, the media has been more interested in that race than any other (you can call it bias, you can call it "firsts", either way, it's been their big focus).

What does this mean for us? Well, for those of us that have already had our primary, we will be clear of the TV ads until November (unless you are in Utah, where national Democrats don't seem to bother). For you poor souls in states that haven't had their caucuses or primaries yet, you are now the new battleground states. And the media and networks will be there with you, reporting every poll, every projection, every little sneeze you may have that indicates a position on the primary.

It's good to know that the political process has so many people interested, because we need people engaged in the debate, focused on the issues, and making educated decisions. But please, if you are going to get involved, become familiar with your positions and take the time to get to know all the candidates. Don't leave your research to the media, who may have their own biases. Your biases are just as important. ^_^