Losing To Win

(AP)

So says National Journal's William Powers, who brings a cynical eye to the press corps' treatment of presidential candidates. Here he outlines the stages a candidate must go through in order to become a success:

First the figure is introduced to us through scattered media appearances and "mentions." Next we get to know him on a deeper level through a moving personal story, such as the remembered loss of a loved one.

Then comes Validation, in which the subject is declared a big-leaguer in a Vanity Fair/cover-of-Newsweek sort of way. Our famous one then becomes the subject of "think pieces" interpreting his candidacy as an embodiment of our times. These are followed by "meta" stories that wonder in suitably contrarian fashion whether there's not something absurd in all of the hype.

The next stage is The Flop or Downturn. It happens to all major movie stars, either at the box office or the rehab center. And now it also happens to presidential candidates. John Edwards had his flop when he did Meet the Press in 2002 and was laid ignominiously low by Tim Russert.

Of course, Edwards eventually recovered. And that's the point. Ours is a culture of recovery. Ups are worthless without a few downs. Every candidate needs to have some kind of a very public downswing from which he or she can rebound. It's an ineluctable part of becoming a modern public figure. It gives the whole story texture and depth, qualities demanded by a culture accustomed to thinking of its idols in novelistic fashion. Hillary Rodham Clinton's ups and downs serve her well for this reason -- in the conventional wisdom, she's a survivor.

And it's not just for politicians, musicians and movie stars – media figures themselves get this sort of media treatment. Think of CNN and "60 Minutes" correspondent Anderson Cooper: He made his way onto the scene, his star rose as he publicly discussed personal matters like his brother's suicide, he had his big break covering Katrina (and got that Vanity Fair cover), and his ascent led to much hand-wringing about his brand of impassioned journalism.

Now if only he could gin up that disaster…