Ray Malone's Commentary

Sometimes I wonder if the major reporters and show hosts on the networks really understand what it takes to control public opinion. I think a very good case can be made that they do not. This year more than any in memory the network news teams, and the cable channel reporters and hosts are openly biased for Barrack Obama. I have never seen anything like it. From Chris Mathews to Tom Brokaw on NBC, to the anchors at ABC and CBS to the other cable channels the broadcast and even print media are solidly trying to elect Obama as our next president.

There is nothing wrong with air personalities trying to promote their party or candidate as long as they are openly advocates for their choices. The problem is the MSM claims to be objectively reporting when they are as one sided as Rush Limbaugh. But Limbaugh introduces himself daily as the host for advanced conservative studies. He makes no bones about being objective.

But we will never hear a Main Stream Media pundit claim to be anything except objective. The problem for the MSM is only about 30 percent of the population buys that line. And that 30 percent is most likely those that already agree with the media's view of Obama. Poll after poll confirms that as much as 70 percent of the public believes that the Media is in the tank for Obama. This does not bother the media because they want voters to know that they are for Obama.

The media is just like a herd of animals. They all follow each other. And since they all follow each other they think voters do the same thing. That is not the way most people make decisions about candidates.

Actually the media has never had much effect on Democrats or Republicans. The definition of a Democrat is someone who supports Democrats just as a Republicans supports Republicans. History shows that registered Democrats vote for the Democratic candidate and registered Republicans for the Republican candidate. The media in the past, however, has had influence on the views of independents. When the media presentation of news and views slightly favored liberals over conservatives the media was effective. If for example the media presented 5 strong reasons to be for the liberal candidate and 5 weaker reasons to be for the conservative candidate they could and did influence independent voters.

But years ago when the media gave reasons to make a decision those reasons were attributed not to the media but to the political parties and candidates themselves. Newscasts were laced with phrases like "A leading Democrat told NBC etc etc" Thus the media was just presenting the words of a Democratic spokesperson saying why he felt voters should vote for his parties candidates. The Republican spokesperson was presented too.. but with arguments the Democrat spokes person had just refuted. The best of the Democrat's presentation was shown opposed by the worst of the Republican's.

This year the media is just flat out telling us what we should do.. and that is vote for Obama The coverage of Obama is glowing with praise. And that will not work.

Why? Voters are not a herd of people who follow the leader. Especially independent voters. Years of research show that independent voters vote for the person that they think is out to help them... Not help the poor.. Not help the disadvantages, but do things for them.

What the media and Democrats do not understand, what Hillary did not understand is that independent voters almost all have health insurance that costs them little or nothing. They are bright enough to know that if we offer government provided health care, they will get to pay big bucks for worse care for themselves. They are not for that approach to healthcare.. It is why Hillary care went down to massive defeat.

So what else is Obama offering independents? Obama says he can fix the economy. But nearly all independents are employed, and own their own homes. They do not have a mortgage problem. They are not unemployed... only 5 percent of workers are unemployed. What is their big economic problem? The price of gasoline and the Democrats make the stupid case that we cannot drill our way out of the problem. And Obama waffles. Waffles are only good for breakfast .. not for getting votes.

Ordinary people know better than to believe we can't drill our way out of the oil crisis. They know that if the store has more widgets in stock than people want to buy the store puts the widgets on sale at 25 percent off. And if they don't sell at 25 percent off they cut the price to 50 percent off. And if they don't sell they cut the price to 75 percent off. Shoppers of all education levels understand supply and demand.

People know that the more oil we find the more the price will fall. Some 65 percent of the voters believe that drilling for oil will cause the price to fall.

The other big factor with the swing voters, is likability. If the independent voters like a candidate, many of them will vote for him. Look at a clip of McCain on Leno or at a town hall meeting or in the debates that voters will soon see. What is McCain like? A very self assured man who likes people. John McCain is a likable man. More so than George W. Bush. He is not the great speaker that Ronald Reagan was, but McCain has the same brand of Irish charm. As more and more people get to see him the more they will like him.

And the media and the Democrats do dumb things. McCain tells reporters that he is not an expert on the economy. And the Democrats go ballistic with that statement. But what do voters want more than CHANGE? It is an honest politician. What have the Democrats laid on George W. Bush... HE LIED US INTO WAR!! And now they present absolute proof that McCain is an honest man. What greater proof of a politicians honesty than his admission that there is a subject about which he lacks knowledge.

Plus Obama is not likable. The Obama campaign will try very hard in the remaining 10 weeks to make Obama likable. But likable requires a sense of humor... an ability to laugh at one's self. Reagan was very popular because he was a likable person. Reagan never came across as if he thought he was God's gift to America and neither does McCain. But Obama comes across as one who knows what to do, and if you are not too stupid to figure that out, you will vote for him That will not play with voters. They have reacted to the polls that say Obama does not have the experience, by having him present himself as the all knowing.

What voters are saying when the mention Obama's lack of experience is that they do not agree with him. Many voters are in a change mode. There is an 8 year cycle of throw the bum out. After 8 years of Republican Ike they wanted Democrat Kennedy. It is a reoccurring cycle that has been going on for approaching 60 years.

They want change just as the Democrat focus groups indicated, but they don't agree with Obama on the issues. .So his change is not the change they want. The voters would like to vote for Obama.. His problem is they don't like him and they disagree with him on the issues.

The other factor is the Democrats no doubt have polled to see how much the public knows about McCain. And the answer is not much. Thus the decision to paint him as a Bush clone. But voters who don't have knowledge have impressions. And after 8 years of the voters being told that McCain was the Maverick Republican who put his thumb in Bush's eye at every turn, they are not believing that McCain is a Bush clone. They don't know details they just know Bush and McCain don't get along. That ploy will not work.

A winning campaign must maintain credibility and the Obama campaign with its attacks on McCain has nothing near the credibility of the McCain campaign. McCain started out by using Obama to paint an image of Obama. In Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania McCain has spent a huge amount on TV spots portraying Obama using video of Obama. Obama's defense is a counter attack stating that McCain is a Bush clone and that McCain admits he is not an expert on the economy. They loudly report that McCain does not know how many houses he owns. And those arguments will never play with the voters Obama must win.

The independent voters have two criteria... likability and what the candidate will do for THEM... not society .. not the poor, not the downtrodden.. for them. Not how many houses he does or does not own.. what he will do for them. McCain is wining the likability contest by margins George W. Bush could only hope for in 2000, and 2004. He is wining that contest by Reagan margins. As the campaign goes on McCain will win the what will he do for us argument as well.

Obama has an image and a message problem. The media rushes to present each Obama attempt to win support in constant 24/7 replays. The problem is what Obama is doing is counter productive. Obama's problem is he is a know it all, with which most voters ARE NOT in agreement. The more the media plays him up... the worse he will do.