Study: Media Portrays McCain in 'Substantially Negative' Light Compared to Obama

Sometimes drama works, sometimes it doesn't. The McCain campaign has had plenty of it. It just hasn't worked.

The American public wants calm in the midst of the economic storm we're in, not theatrics. The media is just picking up on that narrative.

Steve, I have not hurled any insults, and I'm sorry you saw it that way. I have presented the truth and the truth isn't always pleasant. If you can name one mistruth in my posts I will gladly take it back. They are all valid questions.

We all know what propoganda is, but thanks for the definition - Now, can Fox News please be prosecuted? They don't have any journalistic integrity there - just a bunch of presenters running a 24 hour long GOP infomercial and presenting it as "news".

The original article is about the disproportionate coverage in the news media with respect to the negative aspects of the campaign.

Do both candidates have negatives? Sure. Are one candidates negatives being blown out of proportion in the media while covering for the other - absolutely. This article proves it.

Let's talk about truth. McCain is running the sleaziest, most ignorant campaign in history - this isn't propoganda, this is the truth. All his ads are negative focusing on getting people to question Obama's character and even religion. McCain is a dishonest and dishonourable man, and he always has been - he deserves credit for actually going to war, and not getting his father to bail him out as Bush did, but that's it as far as credit goes. Palin is a bigot and lies brazenly even when confronted with the truth - she was found to have violated ethics in troopergate, so what does she announce at the findings which state this - "I am so happy that they found I did not violate any ethics".??! Is she crazy? That's a rhetorical question.
Mccain and Palin have had too many passes from the media whilst Obama has been vetted more than any candidate in American presidential history. Why isn't McCain's treatment of his disabled ex-wife mentioned? Why aren't his affiliations talked about? Why isn't Palin's seccessionist group affliations been delved into? Why is her stupidity not an automatic disqualifier?

I only wonder if ABC News, CNN, MSNBC, NY Times etc are willfully disseminating propaganda or if their editors are letting their political views cloud their journalistic integrity and it looks like propaganda. Its bad either way but if they are doing this willfully it can probably be prosecuted.

Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the cognitive narrative of the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.
—Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion

==I'm sure this doesn't have anything to do with John McCain running a disorganized and dishonest campaign.

This is a prime example of the effectiveness of the propaganda. Dishonest campaign? Bald faced liars? You mean the candidate that promised to take public financing when it was politically popular and then reneged when it was politically advantageous.

Your perception of the "negative" campaign is the propagandist indoctrination that you have been subjected to.

BO is spending 600M for this campaign, a large portion of which has been spent on negative ads about McCain's immigration policy, his healthcare policy, his age, etc. In fact he has spent far more on negative ads.

He gets a pass right? Nothing personal just the truth.

The important issue for me is that people working full-time hours should not be living in poverty. No ifs and buts about it. We can talk about corporate America all we like, but Obama's policies would ensure that full-time workers earn a sufficient salary allowing them to afford the basics the wealthier just take for granted. The wealthier may think tax breaks for working seniors who earn less than $50,000 is uncalled for, but I don't think it is. It's a more humanitarian way of doing things. Re-distribution of wealth may scare some but it says more about them. McCain may be against spreading the wealth now (does he ever stop jumping on bandwagons)but it was he who once said himself, to a response that his policies were socialist, that if people could afford to pay more than they should - and that he wouldn't mind doing it. And now he's decided it's a dirty word..?

I'm sure this doesn't have anything to do with John McCain running a disorganized and dishonest campaign.

Hard to create a warm and fuzzy story about two bold faced liars running for President/Vice President.

Don't blame the messengers, blame the message.

==Steve, and with regards to the minimum wage policy I mentioned - what are your thoughts on McCain's stance here?

Minimum wage is a tough problem for the same reasons I mentioned on tax policy. If you go too high you risk job cuts and decreased profitability. If you go too low you risk exploiting good workers.

But frankly, depending on how you define middle class, the minimum wage is not a middle class issue. Someone making minimum wage and working 40 hour weeks would be making 15-20K a year which is probably below most people's standard of middle class.

I am not well versed in where the candidates stand on this issue. I would imagine that BO is making promises that can't be kept in the marketplace to pander to these low income individuals.

Why's anyone surprised, that when McCain and Palin run a negative campaign... they get negative press?

These two candidates aren't equal and should not be treated as such.

Steve, and with regards to the minimum wage policy I mentioned - what are your thoughts on McCain's stance here?

Dave, to insinuate that the blacks of America are backing Obama and not McCain just because he is black is insulting to them. Blacks generally tend to vote for the democratic candidate because their policies benefit them. To suggest that someone is going to vote for Obama because of 'guilt' is a null arguement, no-one is going to do this. They will vote for the candidate who they believe is sincere, whether it be Obama or McCain.

By the way, the number of white voters voting for McCain/Palin, not having a clue about the issues is even more staggering.

Part of the blame lies with channels like Fox, they are encouraging and breeding ignorance with headlines such as "Hip-hop dancing Powell to endorse Obama". Would the title have been the same if Powell had endorsed McCain?

If this 'trickle down' economics is the best policy, why hasn't it worked?

Economics is cyclical. To say that because the economy is in trouble right now is an indictment of conservative tax policies is way oversimplfying the situation and frankly wrong.

In case you haven't looked around the Global econcomy is in shambles (China, Russia, all across Europe, etc.) Those countries have varying tax structures.

The point is that the goal should be to keep US businesses here and growing. That is what will give us a competitive advantage in the Global marketplace. BO's punitive taxes will drive business away from the US. If you want an example of effective tax policy see Ronald Reagan.

Also, keep in mind that the real estate bubble is largely attributable to the Democrat party and their meddling in the loan practices of Fannie and Freddie not Bush 'failed' policies as the propagandists would have you believe.

If this 'trickle down' economics is the best policy, why hasn't it worked? Why are there so many Americans out of work.
What's good for corporate America isn't necessarily what's good for lower/middle class America - the past eight years have shown that. To argue that sending jobs off-shore is a benefit to America as a whole is nice in theory, but the reality is always very different. The jobs are being sent off-shore so that the companies can charge the disadvantaged 25 cents an hour so that they don't have to charge a reasonable wage here, thereby increasing revenue for themselves and just themselves. The reality is that there can't be economic recovery without American jobs - it's naive to suggest that sending jobs overseas does not impact US economy in a negative way. Obama's policies centre around rewarding American companies who keep jobs in the US. If McCain cares so much about the middle-class, why isn't he backing minimum wage policy? Doesn't he feel that hard-working Americans deserve this benefit?

Dave in lv, you forgot all those Hispanics and Asians and every other ethnic group that is overwhelmingly voting for Obama.

"The number of blacks voting for Obama who don't have a clue what his positions are is staggering. "
Posted by: Dave in lv | Oct 23, 2008 10:16:08 AM

Can you specify where those numbers came from? Did you do a study of the 45 million black people in this country and came to this conclusion?

The so called "news Media" should be the first to be held accountable if we end up with a failed country with an obalama administration. Oblama is bush III.

International companies are influenced by the tax rates of individual countries. Does anyone disagree with this idea?

The US has the second largest tax rate of any industrial country, thus providing incentives for companies to open up new factories overseas. Once again, a no-brainer.

Obama wants to increase taxes and obligations on US companies.

What effect do YOU think this will have?

Straight talker, race is an issue. The number of blacks voting for Obama who don't have a clue what his positions are is staggering. Throw in liberal white guilt who want to have a black in office to assuage their feelings and the "race" card being played against any and all Obama criticism and you have a substantial bump for Obama.

==Please could you explain to me how McCain's policy of giving tax breaks to companies with off-shore offices, will not continue to kill jobs in the US?

Sure - McCain wants to give tax breaks to US Companies to keep more of their money in their pockets so that they can grow their business, create more jobs here in the US, and keep their businesses in the US. The fact that they may have offshore offices is irrelevant if they are paying US taxes.

As opposed to BO who wants to increase what is already the highest corporate tax rates in the world forcing businesses to either make staffing cuts or leave the US completely for more tax friendly domiciles. He then wants to take the tax money that he confiscates from the "wealthy" and redistribute it to people who he thinks deserve it further deteriorating the incentive system that makes our country special.

Layer on BO's anti-trade policies and watch our economy implode further hurting wall street, main street and BO's "middle class". Funny how he's always invoking the middle class yet he never describes what the middle class is.