The Media Made Me Feel It!

Textbook example of the Mind Control Meme at work today in Paul Krugman's column:

But as Adam Clymer pointed out yesterday on the Op-Ed page of The Times, front-page coverage of the 2000 debates emphasized not what the candidates said but their "body language." After the debate, the lead stories said a lot about Mr. Gore's sighs, but nothing about Mr. Bush's lies. ... The result of this emphasis on the candidates' acting skills rather than their substance was that after a few days, Mr. Bush's defeat in the debate had been spun into a victory.

Though I'll admit that press coverage initially declared Gore to be the "winner" of the debate, it did so on some rather dubious grounds. Where Krugman sees cause and effect (media mentions Gore's off-putting body-language, thus putting off the electorate) a much simpler explanation can be found.

Gore's demeanor was so off-putting that it put people off, and the media chased that angle. It's easy to forget what an asshole Gore came across as during that first debate. Even I felt sorry for George W. Bush when Gore came striding across the podium at him.

The fact is, things like body language matter to many Americans, and rightly so. If a man can't behave with some minimal decorum in a presidential debate, it doesn't speak well to his potential as a President. The issues only matter so much, after all...

It must be reassuring to Krugman to think Americans are all stupid sheep following the pan-pipes of our sainted shepherd press. A pre-emptive whine about media behavior isn't going to innoculate Kerry against America's reaction to his debate. Most people will form their own opinion, and those who don't watch are far more likely to hear about it from a friend who does than to form their opinion from press accounts.

He's gonna' have to look Presidential. That's part of the job requirement.