Edwards needs to be on TV a little more...

[Dr Fate]

I appreciate his local coverage strategy- but I hear on the street every day "Where is Edwards??"

People are getting the idea that he is on vacation or somthing- it would be great if he could figure out a way to to contue his grass-roots campaign and still manage to make one or two big-time TV shows a week...

I have a feeling the campaign will be putting that polite Southern Boy on TV a LOT in October. At least I hope so!

[jpgray]

1. Ok, I'll just use my magic 'make media cover what I want' device (nt)

[Dr Fate]

3. I hear you. I am just saying that perhaps he could strike a balance....

People bitch to me every day about "Where is Edwards"- You and I know that he is campaignining his heart out in swing-states- and the media refuses to show the footage...

I am saying he can continue to campaign, but schedule a few popular TV shows a week- why waste him?- he is GREAT on TV.

[jpgray]

5. But he's also superlative on the stump

And in the swing states he can do a lot of good. But he was just on Larry King this week, and I imagine he will be making the rounds more perhaps in the future and in the runup to his debate. And I get what you mean, but if they would cover his speeches out there as they cover Bush's and Cheney's, this wouldn't be a problem.

[Dr Fate]

6. I know- but "they" have refused to cover his speeches so far...

...and I saw him on King- he was good. I am just hoping that he does this several times a week- I have a feeling he will- he certainly needs to...

[deckerd]

9. Silly argument

"Our campaign strategy is ideal, it's the MEDIA's fault we're getting no coverage!!"

Hint: Campaigning is war. It's the job of a campaign to figure out tactics that will get your man in the media in a way that makes him look good. This is not the "revolution" spoken of by Gil whatsisname, it's just a Dem candidate. To claim it'd be "demeaning" to play by the medias rules turns the Dems into the Brits, who occupied New England but couldn't seem to take the rest of the country because they would not "demean" themselves with the guerillas.

It's funny how the "I trust the campaign" folks are the ones most wedded to blaming the media for campaign mistakes. It's like blaming a mountaintop for an airplane crash. Sure, if the playing field were level, it wouldn't have happened.

[jpgray]

10. No, it's a true argument

Take a look at the amount of coverage Cheney's stump speeches get. Now compare to those of Edwards. Are they equal? No, of course not. Expecting the media to cover Edwards's and Cheney's speeches fairly isn't a campaign mistake, it's an entirely reasonable expectation.

And your parable of the Revolutionary War is puerile at best--we were losing the war until we had the training and professional soldiers (and navy) of the French on our side. Your analogy of the plane is equally silly--when there are two equally newsworthy events and one is covered while the other is ignored, it seems the depths of nonsense to conclude that the two equal things are somehow different.

[Dr Fate]

11. I agree in part-

I think the media is against us- but I agree that it is the job of a clever campaign to get as much coverage as possible- Every DEM knows he needs to be on TV a little more- it could only be a good thing...

[TheFarseer]

2. Agreed

Everytime I see Edwards on TV I get excited to vote Kerry, more so than when I see Kerry on TV. I think Edwards is someone that Midwest undecided voters can identify with.

[Leilani]

4. He has been doing more national media

He was on Larry King this week & also Lou Dobbs.

Both appearances were pretty brief, especially King.

[AP]

7. Just because he campaigns in small towns doesn't mean national media does

not have to report on him.

It's the media's choice not to report on him but somehow they've turned it into a problem with Edwards.

That's crazy.

Don't be a sucker for their logic.

[Dr Fate]

8. Dont get me wrong- I like the basic idea of his strategy-

I'm no more a sucker than anyone- give me a little credit here- we both realize what is going on-

I am saying that people WANT to see Edwards on TV. What is wrong w/ that? He is GREAT on TV.

He needs to do both-campaign and appear on TV a few times week...

[jpgray]

12. I agree there needs to be a balance

But it isn't the fault of Edwards that his speeches out there aren't getting covered while those of Cheney are. We do need to recognize that and react to it, however--if we don't do that, then there is a mistake being made.

[AP]

14. If the media isn't covering you, the solution is to go straight to the...

...people (and to get local media rather than national media) and that's what Edwards is doing.

Another thing he's doing is defining himself in the places that matter rather than letting the media define him.

[NightOwwl]

13. I happened to catch him on Al Franken's show today.

He doesn't hold back. Called Bush/Cheney on their bullshit. When Al asked him if he thought the debate would be fun, he said Bush/Cheney would <paraphrasing but close> destroy <end paraphrase> this country if elected again, the stakes were much too high for him to have fun, and the debate would be deadly serious.

So yeah, I would love to see him on TV more.