AP Delays Dedicating a Story to Cain's Fla. Victory Until 'Today' Puts Him on the Defensive
Herman Cain's victory in Saturday's GOP straw poll in Florida didn't become headline news at the Associated Press until after the candidate's Monday morning "Today Show" interview. Earlier today at NewsBusters, Kyle Drennen noted how "Today's" Ann Curry tried to frame the result as some kind of "protest vote."
Having delayed dedicating a story to Cain's victory for roughly 36 hours, the headline in AP's unbylined story this morning was: "GOP's Cain says win in Fla. straw poll not a fluke." In other words, it didn't become news at the wire service until someone else in the media put the candidate on the defensive about the significance of his win, thus avoiding giving him any moment of unvarnished recognition for the good old-fashioned butt-kicking he delivered (37% Cain, 15% Perry, 14% Romney, 11% Santorum, all others under 10%). How convenient.
A more detailed rendition: Saturday night (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), I noted that the AP's Philip Elliott and Kasie Hunt did not even deign to devote a story to Cain's victory. The only Cain-related activity on Sunday was what was from all appearances a slight update of the Saturday evening story which relegated the details of Cain's victory to Paragraph 12, while burning most of the first eleven paragraphs with Rick Perry's situation and the supposed interest in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's possible candidacy.
This morning's unbylined six-paragraph AP report made sure to plant seeds of doubt before telling readers what actually happened on Saturday:
GOP's Cain says win in Fla. straw poll not a fluke
Businessman Herman Cain says his victory in the Florida Republican straw poll was authentic and wasn't a statement by voters against Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Cain tells NBC's "Today" show the weekend test balloting was "not a protest vote."
Cain says his performance shows "the voice of the people is more powerful than the voice of the media."
... Cain says the straw poll illustrates that "people are listening to the message and not just, with all due respect, to the media."
Two reports at Pajamas Media, one by Kyle-Anne Shiver and the other by Myra Adams, reinforce the notion that Cain's win was far from flukey, and far from insignificant.
First, Ms. Shiver:
The first time I heard Herman Cain refer to himself as “the dark-horse candidate,” I knew that man had the kind of character and wisdom which smart people look for when picking a leader. Cain has risen so far above the superficiality of racialist, skin-color thinking that he makes those who pander to it or run from it look like a bunch of kindergarteners hurling spitballs.
... For one thing, the Presidency 5 isn’t run like Iowa’s straw poll. In Florida, the state party leaders take their swing-state significance and their 29 large-share electoral votes very seriously. Not just anyone who shows up at Presidency 5 gets to vote in the election (and they call it an “election,” not a “straw poll”).
... Every person casting a vote in Florida’s poll has been active in party politics and earned their spot, which makes Florida’s pre-election poll much more significant than Iowa’s...
... No matter how the pundits slice, dice, or try to puree Cain’s phenomenal victory this weekend in Florida, this shakes up the presidential race in much the same way that the Tea Party has been doing since the spring of 2009. Cain’s win might not signal an earthquake yet, but it helps him in some very significant ways.
For one thing, the Florida Republican Party delegates have sent a very loud message to the high-rolling insiders in D.C. The conservative party base has grown very weary of its step-child status among the GOP establishment and are signaling that they might not just go along to get along this time around.
... Herman Cain was on the ground in Orlando by Friday morning, just after a sterling debate performance in Tampa the night before. Cain, the nomination underdog, worked hard Friday and Saturday, speaking extemporaneously to small groups of delegates — groups that reportedly grew larger and larger as the weekend progressed. And Cain was evidently winning voters over one at a time the way candidates used to do it — in person. They call it “retail politics.”
... Floridian delegates got over their “not electable” reticence and took a chance with Cain. Cain says this is what you call “momentum,” and he’s turned around failing businesses enough to know momentum by its scent.
Ms. Adams doesn't believe that Cain's performance was necessarily a game-changer, but came away duly impressed:
Herman Cain showered the delegates with lots of love, inspiration, and political wisdom. The delegates, in turn, received his love. In fact, they were positively smitten, and rewarded Cain with their votes. This blossoming love affair unfolded slowly and built up to a frenzy right before the straw poll votes were cast.
... So what happened between Thursday night and late Saturday afternoon that enabled Cain to win over the hearts and minds of 37% of the delegates, with Perry receiving 15.4% and Romney 14%?
As one of the delegates succinctly said to me shortly after Cain’s victory was announced, “Cain is a businessman; he groomed us, he entertained us, and he closed the sale.” Another delegate leaned first towards Perry, then after the debate towards Romney, and ended up voting for Cain, because he said “Romney ignored us” and “his organization was poor.”
... (At CPAC’s Friday night "Reagan Reception") Cain mesmerized the crowd with what I call a cross between a Tony Robbins-style motivational speech and a Sunday morning church sermon in a slow, deep, voice that sounded like the movie voice of God.
Furthermore, Cain was always present when the other frontrunners had either left the state (Romney especially) or were otherwise too busy or too uppity to socialize freely with “the folks.”
Cain showed he cared enough to send his very best — himself.
Instead of taking the event seriously, as those who attended clearly did, Elliott and Hunt on Saturday night dismissed the event as "mostly a popularity contest among the delegates selected by local party organizations."
It's almost enough to make you wonder if anyone at AP was actually there to see any of what went on, or even to interview people who could have relayed what was really going on.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
It isn't called the drive-by
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:28pm.
It isn't called the drive-by media for nothing. Nothing but obama flunkies waiting for obama to defedcate so they can feast.
It isn't called the drive-by
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:28pm.
It isn't called the drive-by media for nothing. Nothing but obama flunkies waiting for obama to defedcate so they can feast.
This was one of the MSM's
Submitted by Chris Norman on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 1:04am.
This was one of the MSM's lamest attempts at conservative marginalization and shows they were rushed in their effort to negatively spin the FL voters Cain Mutiny.
I'm sure the delay was due to
Submitted by TerryWest on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 2:45am.
I'm sure the delay was due to heavy MSM texting traffic re how they would all deal with this, marginalize seems to be the result.
Tonight on the Fox show The Five Dana Perino asks Bob Beckle, do straw polls really even matter?
Five is about all I give that show...five minutes while I find the remote
Perino & Company
Submitted by FaulknerFan on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 8:57am.
Anytime I see Dana Perino on anything I change the channel. The same is true for the Hoover woman that O'Reilly has on a lot. Both are the definition of RINO's and Hoover at least is in love with the Gay - Les bunch. Apparently Megyn Kelly has some issue with with people who think that the gay agenda could be harmful for traditional marriage as well based on her outburst the other day at the psychologist who was opposed to chad Bobo's appearance on dancing with the stars.
Notice the lack of Tea Party references?
Submitted by Marcus Porcius on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 2:29am.
We've been bombarded with the "Tea Party is racist" garbage for two years. Now a black man wins a Republican straw poll going away, and no story.
Probably because the media can't explain why the "racist" Tea Party types overwhelmingly voted for a black man over all the white candidates. Oops.
"Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions." G.K. Chesterton
www.theconservativereview.com
He's a token.
Submitted by Quasi-socialist on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:48pm.
That's the next story: The "racist Tea Party" is threatening to do the Republicans in (how can that be when erstwhile it "controls" the Republican party--to hear Reid and others speak) and the Republicans in an appeal to the middle, want to appear friendly to an African American candidate (though really still hate him, or something).
And then Stewart and Maher will get in their digs about the GOP "trying too hard" to act like they like black people--and you know what that will betray: ... RACISM!!
They will come up with a narrative for this, trust me. It will be the same Alinsky excretion that it always is. I lean more Tea Party than Republican, but I've noticed that in order to defeat the Tea Party Movement , the Dems are ascribing every conservative stance of the Republicans as "Tea Party-controlled" or something.
Conservatives have to start showing up on news shows and opposite Couric, call the Democratic Party "your party", "your folks", "the folks on your side", and if they say they aren't biased, read up on their personal sins on MRCC or this site, be armed with facts, and debate them as to their bias. "Can you tell me how many Democrats you've asked about [some parallel circumstance]?"
And the GOP is a party of wimps.
Would be nice
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:05am.
Hoping the Republicans start using one of these lines:
'We're not sure who the Democrats will be putting up for election in 2012 but. . . . .'
'Whomever the Democrats have up for election in 2012. . . .'
'Whichever candidate the Democrats choose for the 2012 Presidential race. . . .'
Can you say discord?
The Lamestream Media
Submitted by action on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:50am.
just doesn't know how to handle a black who's not on the Democrat plantation
The media in this country are despicable.
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:38am.
Just in the past few days we have them ignoring Cain's win and Maxine Waters' ethics investigation, insulting Chris Christie, trying to get Mitch Daniels to dish dirt on the Republican field, and agitating for higher taxes.
They need to ditch "journalism" and get back to old-fashioned, honest "reporting."
Yeah, that'll happen.
Herman Cain is everything we need
Submitted by dr-go on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:12am.
in a President and would you believe that he actually has a resume? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Cain
Herman Cain scares the crap out of the MSM
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 8:10am.
Almost as much as Ron Paul scares the crap out of the GOP "leadership"
You can tell when the MSM is scared of a story or issue...they are silent on it.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
THE REAL DEAL
Submitted by Tomorama on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 9:27am.
Again, notice how Ann Curry interviews Cain, it is all in your face questions FROM THE LEFT.
No gushing fawning love letters, jowhornalism at it's worst.
You make Cain a successful, black Demonrat that pulled off the upset, they would be soiling themselves to build him up and "have him on to fawn and gush over him".
The AP just ignores the story or buries it.
Meeeees thinks it is because he is a black Conservative.
I think I would prefer Herman
Submitted by Semus on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 10:33am.
I think I would prefer Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, or Sarah Palin to anyone else in the field. I just don't think the others are on board with what is needed, an uncompromising conservative agenda. I do think however Newt Gingrich would an extremely important part of an Administration.
"Protest vote"
Submitted by LinTaylor on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 10:43am.
"'Today's' Ann Curry tried to frame the result as some kind of 'protest vote.'"
Speaking as an active supporter of the Hermanator, I have to say I agree with this idea. It's all too easy to say one thing to get elected and then do another afterwards; Herman I trust to keep to his promises, so my vote for him (WHEN he gets the nomination, not IF) is all about telling politicians that I want accountability from them or else.
Channeling Lincoln - To Be Or Not To Be Lincolnesq
Submitted by laree on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 1:13pm.
Imus In The Morning Video of Bill O'Reilly discussing his new book "Killing Lincoln" I left a little reference to how I think Lincoln is being sanitized for the masses. I am not anti Lincoln but I am not into revisionist sentimental historical accounts....it's spin when you leave in the good parts, and leave out all the bad parts. Bill O'Reilly- The Factor is supposed to be the no spin zone. Obama believes his Presidency is Lincolnesq....A closer look at Lincoln. It's interesting that Herman Cain feels no need to channel Lincoln.
The Down Side Of Up. If People Really Knew Lincoln The Man, Would They Be In A Hurry To Invoke His Presidency?