Sept. 21, 2007
Hopefuls Weigh Risks Of Serious Interviews
For Candidates At Top Of The Polls, A Growing Disincentive To Talk To Journalists
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Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, appears on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004, in New York. (AP)
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In this photo released by CBS, Republican presidential hopeful and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, left, talks to David Letterman on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York on Monday, May 21, 2007. (AP Photo/CBS, Jeffrey R. Staab)
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It was hard to miss Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on TV this week. The former first lady appeared on all three network morning shows, along with the cable networks, as part of the rollout for her newly-unveiled health-care plan. And early word is she plans to appear on all five public affairs shows this Sunday morning.
Despite her frontrunner status, however, Clinton has not spent nearly as much of her time on TV appearances as some of her rivals. In fact, the candidates topping most polls have some of the least TV face time, according to tracking done by The Hotline, a daily political digest in Washington. The publication has been keeping tabs on how often each candidate has appeared on television, other than in debates and advertising, since Labor Day 2005. Clinton shows up on the bottom half of their list -- just below Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani.
It is the candidates lagging behind them who are popping up far more often. Sens. John McCain and Joe Biden, with a whopping 58 hours on TV between them through the end of August, top the Hotline list. (Clinton and Giuliani combine for just 14 hours in the same timeframe.) A CBS News poll out Tuesday, meanwhile,
Even in an age when politicians can announce their candidacies on Web sites, television plays an important role in a presidential campaign. But the data above suggest that airtime -- at least the kind you're not paying for -- may not carry the kind of power it once did. Forums like the Sunday morning talk shows give candidates the opportunity to earn exposure and credibility, but they also come with risks -- a bad performance or an instantly-YouTubed flub can do significant harm to a candidate. And a daytime appearance on a cable network may pass largely unnoticed by the voting public.
There are a number of other options available to candidates looking to communicate their message. When Fred Thompson decided to finally declare his candidacy, he didn't go to "Face The Nation," "Meet The Press," or one of the nightly newscasts. Instead, he headed for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," much as Arnold Schwarzenegger did when he wanted to announce his California gubernatorial run in 2003. It was, the New York Times noted, "a pleasant, risk-free forum, safe from potential negativity and tough questioning from reporters, a debate moderator or the public."
Some candidates need airtime more than others. Clinton, Giuliani, Thompson and Barack Obama have become celebrities, and they get plenty of media attention without having to submit to interviews. (In London this week, Giuliani even claimed to be "one of the four or five best known Americans in the world.") The Mike Huckabees and Mike Gravels of the world, meanwhile, need all the exposure they can get.
One way to guarantee that exposure is to pay for it. "You have 30 seconds where you get to say your talking points how you want to say them," notes Joel Rivlin, deputy director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project at the University of Wisconsin. "You're not being followed by someone who opposes you and wants to counter your argument."
Most viewers understand that a campaign ad isn't the same thing as an interview, of course. But advertisements allow campaigns to maintain control of their message, and the evidence suggests that they remain an effective form of communication. Romney, who began advertising early and often in both Iowa and New Hampshire, currently leads in most polls in those crucial early states. In national polls, he is not doing nearly so well.
The frontloading of the primary schedule and the fact that candidates are raising more money than ever before - money they can spend on ads - has only magnified this effect, argues veteran Democratic strategist Steve Jarding.
"Once you've reached the level where you can be competitive in this highly condensed system, it breeds caution," he says. "If I were advising a presidential candidate, particularly Hillary or Obama, I might say, 'Don't do an interview with CBS News. You might screw up, and then the money could go right down the toilet.' "
And Jarding believes that's not something Americans should be happy about.
"It's like we're in Atlantic City and these guys are walking down the aisle in swimsuits," he says. "There is less and less incentive for them to say anything. It's awful. We're getting to the point where the only reason for them to be talking about the issues is if they're getting their buts kicked."
But there are still benefits to submitting to serious interviews, according to Alex S. Jones, Director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University.
"You still want to be on serious shows because the influentials are the ones who watch them," says Jones. "That's where the activists and the people really interested in politics and elections are -- the people who are going to be important for fundraising, who are going to go to the Internet and share their opinions on blogs. In that sense they are still the biggest game in town."
But Jarding says that effect only goes so far.
"You might do one show to prove that you can handle it," he says. "But there is a disincentive to take risks if you don't have to."
By Brian Montopoli
©MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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- Hillary Is Corrupt Like Her Husband They Just Cover up Good! With their corrupt corporate friends. This is why they are doing a media Blackou On Ron Paul because He Is For The People!
The censored GQ report must see the light of day. Hopefully, the author will let a copy slip into the hands of some talk radio star or even Huffington, since she despises Hillary. Clearly, it is imperitive that talk radio and alternate media, along with Fox, publicize full details of the Clintons'' sexual crimes, along with details of Hillary''s stolen FBI files, the 100k commodity bribe, campaign finance and other corruptions involving Hillary, since polls show that corruption is at the top of voters'' concerns when voting.
GO RON PAUL 2008 - The People''s Champion
http://www.ronpaul2008.com
Join The ReVoLuTiOn:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/ - Reply to this comment
- Ron Paul has it all.
**** TAKE AMERICA BACK ****
**** STOP THE WAR & Corporate Corruption****
Ron Paul has it all.
He has NEVER voted:
* to raise taxes
* for an unbalanced budget
* to raise congressional pay
* for a federal restriction on gun ownership
* to increase the power of the executive branch
He HAS voted:
* against the Iraq war
* against the inappropriately named USA PATRIOT act
* against regulating the internet
* against the Military Commissions Act
He will eliminate the IRS, Wasteful Government Spending & Stop The Iraq War Immediately!
Most importantly, he voted NO on anything in Congress that is not allowed by the Constitution.
He is the only candidate not a member of the CFR!
Shouldn''''t ALL members of Congress uphold the Constitution? Aren''''t they SWORN to uphold it? You can bet Paul won''''t call the Constitution "just a G**D***ed piece of paper" like George Bush is reported to have.
If you want a candidate you can TRUST due to a proven track record, visit ronpaul2008.com and get busy spreading the word. The Mainstream Media is Blacking Out Ron Paul From Exposing The Truth! He has won 6 straw polls already and growing daily!
Ron Paul Revolution: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ron+paul
Get Active Join The Revolution In Your City Today! http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/
Also checkout http://video.google.com search for Federal Reserve Fraud - Reply to this comment
- Why are all these interviewers afraid to ask about the Blackwater situation? Every candidate and every legislator and everyone who has any influence in Washington should be asked "WHY" they have not brought this into the open before arms were sold to the enemy. Neither our government, our media, or the individual interviewers have lived up to their obligation to defend our country.
Posted by pastdue1 at 06:17 PM : Sep 22, 2007
Why isn''t this being news on the media because anything this administration doesn''t want to be heard is not heard. Who has those Mrap''s they haven''t got to Iraq yet Are they going on a slow boat to China. This is a media silence Why? Guess. - Reply to this comment
- I recommend that none of them do interviews. They are all a bunch of lying ***. Best to just let them keep on their talking points. Hillary is going to win anyway. Let''s just get this over with . . .
- Reply to this comment
- Why are all these interviewers afraid to ask about the Blackwater situation? Every candidate and every legislator and everyone who has any influence in Washington should be asked "WHY" they have not brought this into the open before arms were sold to the enemy. Neither our government, our media, or the individual interviewers have lived up to their obligation to defend our country.
- Reply to this comment
- Just what kind of one liners does Letterman use when his guest is Adolph Hitler or Rudolph Giuliani? What does Paul Shaffer use for a lead in?...das Horst-Wessel-Lied or something by Nino Rota...the love theme from ''the Godfather''...one fills concentration camps with Jews, gypsies and patriots, the other fills pot holes with first responders and lies about WTC7...
The fix is in at Justice...one of his consigliories was picked by the Chimp''s handlers to be Attorney General. He handled the 1993 WTC coverup with the likes of Chertoff and has been in on the release of the Mossad moving company gang who were cheering and high-fiving for their video camera as 3,000 Americans died on 9-11. With the AIPAC trials coming that is just what we need--a Giuliani law partner at Justice.
This will be a litmus test of what the Democratic Party will do for America--will they block this contemptible animal from the AG''s office or will they lick the hand that feeds and usher this Zio-Nazi into the DOJ?
Its time to take out the garbage in Washington--not bring more in! - Reply to this comment
- www.conservativemusiconline.com
What can I say? I give Hillary, Edwads, Sean Penn and that whole pathetic Hollywood crowd the treatment--to music! Someone had to do it!
www.conservativemusiconline.com - Reply to this comment
- The news industry lacks objectivity. The constant promotion of a liberal appearing to be conservative. Rudy is not constitutional or conservative. Ron Paul is the only sane candidate for president. Ron Paul for President 2008.
- Reply to this comment
- Pull all of their ads and them off television and radio. If they have the time to campaign for two years, they have the time to make their way around the US and face the voters directly in town hall settings.
- Reply to this comment
- Bush is beating Osama badly! The Score:
Osama 3,500
Bush 75,000 (documented, actual is many times more)
Bush is WAY AHEAD in the number of DEAD INNOCENT CIVILIANS. Nice Job Bush! No wonder the entire Middle East hates America. You also did wonders for Osama''s recruitment.
You could have pursued Osama after 911, the whole world was with us. You could have worked for peace and difused the terrorist threat. But instead you created thte "Axis of Evil", you LIED about WMDs (Saddam told the truth, ouch!), you became a self proclaimed "War President", you said "Bing''em on"...
We need to END the NeoCon Nightmare!!
JAIL BUSH JAIL CHENEY - Reply to this comment
- "You might do one show to prove that you can handle it," he says. "But there is a disincentive to take risks if you don''t have to."
The front-runners might be trying to avoid voter fatigue and over-exposure . . . people start to tune out after a while and don''t really like to hear about tough issues all the time. It''s like having a mate who''s constantly harping about chores - absence makes the heart grow fonder. - Reply to this comment
- In short, america lost its sense of humor.
- Reply to this comment
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