- Kyle Baker
- Olympia, WA
- United States
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Does the media choose our presidential candidates for us?
The first result that comes up on Google when you search for Ron Paul is Mitt Romney's website. Upon opening Yahoo's main page, the headline reads as if no other candidate other than Mitt Romney is in the running. Trying to keep opinion aside and sticking to the hard facts, how drastically does the media sway the votes of the people? Lets back up our responses with real evidence!













Krisztián Pintér 200+
but as far as i know, google results are affected by our previous choices and clicks. so maybe the problem with google is your own set of preferences? maybe it is a good metaphor for the problem being with media is the reader?
Kyle Baker
tishe Hires 10+
James McGuiness
What people see in the media DOES however weigh heaviest on what people perceive as the field from which to chose. A person without the funds to use the media or abuse the media will not make it into that field. It is sometimes true that media organizations themselves will make self-serving choices to exclude coverage of those who run for high office because they are businesses driven by ratings. Thus a Buddy Roehmer whom has done what it takes to run for President officially and has political credentials of a record of being in high state office does not get coverage. He is judged by the media and thus sentenced by the media. In that regard, the media could be said to choose who we get to see as the Presidential candidates, but the media are not a cooperative force who initiate the processes of running persons for POTUS.
Grant Sutton
Try to listen to views beyond limited bubbles in researching for my recent voting I was happy find much more information on what exactly my Representative have done. I think we have the ability to be better informed and make better choices, we just have to do our unpleasant homework, and provide a good sales pitch for why our views our correct to our fellow Americans.
Ron Paul like Al Sharpton for the democrats has helped shape the issues but I think has some ideas too far from the mainstream. Because the media views both in similar lights, they tend to side step the candidates despite sometimes doing well in preliminary debates or polls.
Picking a winner. People like to see that their source of information is accurate in past current and future text. The Dewey Defeats Truman blunder is truly a nightmare if you are trying to be an accurate source. I think one direction this leads is a lot of mainstream media tends to try to make safe stable predictions that are somewhat re-enforcing.
russell lester
Edouard Jacquet
Krisztián Pintér 200+
russell lester
Krisztián Pintér 200+
solution: we need to educate the people.
hyunguk CHOI
So, Absolutely , Media can choose our president candidates for us. And , they will.
We have to afraid what is behind the scene( the media).
Kyle Baker , make sure " You are awaken"
" Live moment to moment."
Thank you , God bless you!
tishe Hires 10+
russell lester
russell lester
Hakeem Moore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIzx14AsK2s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
russell lester
Frank Hadpludingburg
adding up the analasis should provide the extent of the influence...
to answer the question in a general manner (because everything depends on the culture), the media influences the votes... is it the only factor that needs to be taken into account because of it's importance? i think so.
russell lester
Krisztián Pintér 200+
russell lester
Not for me.
But my choice is not relevant against the tide of people who allow the media to choose for them.
It does not matter that I was a Delegate fo Kucinich to the state convention, he was "unelectable" and Howard Dean, he was killed as a candidate by the media reaction to a inarticulate cheer he made on microphone
,Observing and acknowledging reality does not mean you are passively accepting that reality, in fact without a clear view of reality what can you hope to do to change it for the better.
In reply to the question in this thread,about media and candidate selection I repeat:
Yes.
Does that mean I like and will allow it go without attempting to change the situation.?
No.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
question. how do you plan to maintain a democracy with such people around? if the media don't feed them bullshit, do you think nobody else will? they won't believe in the stupidest ideas even without the media? if you get rid of media influence, they suddenly turn into responsible, thinking individuals?
Aleksandar Krzavac
Frank Hadpludingburg
If marketing is important in the presidential race and marketing is done by the media, the media chooses the president to a certain extent.
Karina Eisner 10+
Mohammad Marohombsar
russell lester
Julia Grotenhuis
Xavier Belvemont 30+
Voting is less about people making informed decisions and more about a popularity contest.
To keep it simple:
Step 1) Whoever agrees to give big business all the tax benefits, unneeded subsidies and turn a blind eye to the borderline-crimes against the country is the candidate who gets the most money behind them..
Step 2) The candidate who gets the most money behind them gets the most publicity..
Step 3) Because people generally lack reasonable judgement and education on the subjects at hand, they support whoever can spout the most buzz-words that they want to hear..Such as 'change' and 'yes we can'..
Step 4) The one who is able to spout the most buzz-words over the campaign that people hear, wins.
Theres also a branch set of steps where big business owns the media, thus candidates against the establishment get almost no attention, apparently which is demonstrated in Ron Pauls case, both now and in the past election.
Roger Gay
TV / radio / etc. .... Big "establishment" Media is in the entertainment business for a profit. Their goal is to capture as many viewers as they can for as long as they can. That increases the price of advertising. The best thing is to have two equally bad candidates running against each other. They need to be bad because that generates fear that the worst one will win. That keeps people on the edge of their seats and tuning in every day, in a constant state of anxiety, to see how things are going. It helps too if the two really bad candidates are both extremely corrupt, because that means they'll have a lot of money to spend on advertising themselves .... and they'll have to spend the money advertising because it will be a close race for many months.
Thus: The desired situation is Romney verses Gingrich in the primaries followed by Romney verses Obama. Ron Paul must be marginalized; not just because he's not bank-rolling crooked lobbyist money, but because he'd run away with in in the general election. That would significantly reduce expected Big Media income.
BTW: You can get your website to the top of the Google search by paying Google.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
how do they know romney, if he wins, won't trash the country? it is not good for the media corporations either, they go down too. or how do they know the financial crisis won't eventually make him change his mind, and get the troops home, looking for cheaper solutions, or less involvement in global issues?
i believe the secret lies in this sentence:
"Their goal is to capture as many viewers as they can for as long as they can."
i believe the media does not care. they just sell what people buy. people want to hear about bombing our fearful enemies? put the candidates talking about that on the screen! people listen to any news of tragedies and danger? talk about global warming, tornadoes, supervolcanoes, terrorists with nukes and all these stuff so they watch. they don't pick candidates to support. people do. they can stop this with pressing a single button on the remote. or simply by changing their mind about what is important.
should people see things as people vs establishment, and ron paul as a "knight of the people" lonely fighting the orc armies of black mage oligarchs, the media would present this battle instead. it is a good story! they would love to broadcast that struggle. but people don't buy it.
Roger Gay
The big money maker is in the election process itself. They are taking advantage of that - pumping it for as much profit as they can get. They don't see longer term thinking as having any value. Many business school graduates are like that now. They choose to take as much money as they can get as fast as possible. "In the long run, we'll all be dead."
They're also doing some battles with the black knights kinds of things. But remember - it's the entertainment industry. To capture the audience they're going after with that, the need black helicopters crashing into HARP buildings with plenty of commentary about the possibility that the friend of the wife of a CIA agent's mother might possibly have passed through the area at one time. Great cover up, huh? If they weren't trying to hide something, why didn't the CIA agent go himself?
It's that or you can switch channels to get the latest gossip on Newt Gingrich's infidelity during his three marriages, a build up to a cute response in an actual presidential debate. Who needs Jerry Springer?
Kyle Baker
Krisztián Pintér 200+
russell lester
The media can destroy or choose not to destroy a political figure. If Reagan or Bush I and Bush II were to be as harshly investigated and chastized by the media, then there fates might have been more like Nixions, is it un clear to you that the presidents (with the exception of Cartte, and Clinton) have been as Guilty of crimes as Nixon was most of much worse crimes that Nixion, Carter withthe daily front page box count of the days the hostages had been held was ruined by the media.... where were the box scores for Iraq? Afganistan? The Impeachment of Bill Clinton was over the charge of lying to congress, which was done by Reagan and Bush the I about Iran and the wepons deals and the contras, Bush the II stood in front of a joint seesion of Congress and lie during his state of the union address, he violated the united states constitutions supremacy clause that makes all ratified treaties the highest law of the land. Not to mention the united states war crimes act, as laid out in UCS 18 2448 so these past years the Teflon President Bush the I and Shrub have all gotten virtual free rides from the media. While the press coverage that was negative and antagonistic against Carter Clinton and now Obahma has been crushing. I will be surprised to see Obama win this election and that is without even guessing who he'll run against.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
really? how?
Edward Hicks
Krisztián Pintér 200+
hyunguk CHOI
Krisztian , PEOPLE ARE THE CENTER OF THE MEDIA , SO WHAT HUMAN BEING SHOULD DO?
As a buddhist , I would like to ask? Can emptiness apply to the medida.
Everything is empty , where is emptiness in the world wide web (or media)
Krisztián Pintér 200+
as a metaphor, it is like your friends talk about whether deckard was a replicant or not, and you reply that no, he is just a role in a movie. it is not a correct answer, the question was asked within the framework of the movie, not in the outside world.
Edward Hicks
Of course, we can't deny the possibility that one day if everybody starts blending into a tree or a lamp post next to him/her, stop doing anything, and most importantly, stop pretending whatever it is that they're doing is in any way meaningful, a radically different world may emerge.
Rhona Pavis 50+
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Michael Juan
Krisztián Pintér 200+
or the internet. or friends. or colleagues. of family members. or thinking. or your knowledge of the appropriate fields. or foreign media.
russell lester
I know more about voting than you if you think that the media does not have the power to make or break a canidate. I can lookinto a canidate myself and like them but tell Howard Dean that the Media did not destroy him with that endless talk about his cheer. Or the any one on the recieving end of a carl rove media blitz. You are splitting hairs if you are diviiding the media from those who use it. You are a fool if you think that propaganda is powerless, and that peopel can just find out the truth. What is media? doesn't the internet count? what about books about or by the canidates? when issues are voted on then whose theory of economics do you read ?? when learning your history what happens to the parts of history that might decrease sales of a text book in on area or another of the country? Define Media. If it does not include everything including us what is it? And I hope I amd choosing canidates for some one here.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
ron paul is 2nd place in the race for republican candidacy. ron paul is first among young voters.
Scott Armstrong 50+
There should be mainstream media blackouts leading up to elections.
Social network commentary should be allowed (only if you are a mere, lowly voter and not involved directly in a campaign). It wouldn't take long, I know, before the filthy rich would infiltrate and use social networks to advertise their brand.
Funnily enough, mass media are allowed to influence elections with their bought and paid-for opinions whereas there are moves to "lock down" networks in case a tax-paying voter's opinion makes enough sense to persuade someone else.
When people wake up and realise that network news programming is even lower than women's gossip magazines, then we might see a shift away from bullshit.
David Barnett 20+
We also believe that we are not affected by advertising...so why do Macdonalds spend over a billion a year on it...misguided are they? I doubt it. In the recent trials in Britain over phone-tapping, Rupert Murdoch talked of how sick he was having to court Presidents, Prime Ministers and world leaders. Now that the internet is beginning to replace newspapers, the government and corporations are trying and succeeding in gaining as much control as possible over it. They're not stupid...they know we are sheep, and lazy sheep at that.