Believe it or not, between “bad press is ineffective against good framing” and the reverse notion to which you seem to subscribe (i.e., framing is impotent in the face of a biased press) is an enormous middle ground.

That the media creates a slanted playing field which affects the campaign is undeniable, and those who deplore it & attempt to change the situation are doing the Lord’s work.

The media’s self-imposed spin is not omnipotent, however, and well-framed campaign strategies CAN defeat it — especially if, as in Obama’s case, the campaign has the funding & electoral savvy to get its message out independently.

You will find this same sentiment expressed in this post from mid-July, which you even commented on but apparently cannot remember.

McSame launches tirade against Obama on health care, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the economy. In a blistering press conference John McSame soundly responded to challenging questions from a brain-dead press corps.

Question: Mr. McSame, How would you deal with the health care wreckage in the U.S.?

McSame: I was a P.O.W. and I had health care from the Viet Cong. All returning soldiers who fight in our wars deserve health care provided by the greatest health care system in the world.

Question: How would deal with problems of Iraq and Afghanistan wars?

McSame: I was a P.O.W. and fought in a war, or, rather, I fought in a war and then become a P.O.W. I know war.

Question: How would you deal with increasing the number of jobs in the U.S.?

McSame: I was a P.O.W. and fought in a war before becoming a P.O.W. We need more wars so our children can lead productive lives in our resilient economy. There’s nothing like a war to jump start the manufacturing sector in the production of bullets, guns, planes, tanks, assorted weaponry, and transportation vehicles that will have to replaced once they are blown to smithereens in our wars.

Thank you for this opportunity to express my patriotism.

I thought your position was only whiners complain about media coverage; that bad press is ineffective against good framing. Don’t we have to conclude that last February Sen. Obama was framing things brilliantly but now he’s not?

Probably one of the reasons McCain liked Fournier so much is that he has a history of writing Republican lies as news. Witness Fournier’s history with Al Gore and the “invented the internet” lie.

http://www.cjr.org/politics/fourniers_amnesia.php

Or something. Regardless, he’s a douche.