by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
Read Kevin Drum, among others, on Mark Halperin's NYT op-ed piece. The only thing I'd add is that unlike most people who observe that the horserace frame isn't a very good one, Halperin is in a position to do something about it. He can refuse to appear on cable & Sunday morning roundtables if the bookers tell him it will focus on political positioning. Or he can ask said programs if they would be willing to change the subject matter. He can push the news outlets he works for—ABC News and Time, according to Wikipedia—to eliminate pure horserace coverage, and only mention it as an aside. And he can try to convince his colleagues to do the same. It won't be easy, given the length of campaigns and the control candidates exert over their press availability But the Internet-induced changes in new outlets and the institutional frustration with the coverage late Clinton and 2003-2004 era Bush administrations should increase the number of journalists willing to look for a new reporting/news-gathering paradigm. Halperin can't be alone on this one.
