No One Will Listen To John Harris And Jim VandeHei, Part 973
February 20, 2008 -- 11:21 AM EST // //
I'm going to keep doing this again and again as circumstances warrant. Sorry.
A couple months ago The Politico's John Harris and Jim VandeHei published an extraordinarily sensible mea culpa about political coverage. In it, the duo offered this simple and inarguable guideline:
As far as what’s bad, there is generally one good answer to excesses and hype in political journalism: Respect the voters. That means waiting to find out what they really think.Today, the Associated Press' Ron Fournier blithely ignored this very sound advice:
After 10 consecutive defeats — including a heartbreaker in tailor-made Wisconsin on Tuesday — Hillary Rodham Clinton can't win the nomination unless Obama makes a major mistake or her allies reveal something damaging about the Illinois senator's background. Don't count her out quite yet, but Wisconsin revealed deep and destructive fractures in the Clinton coalition.She can't win unless this or that happens? Look, it's all well and good to point out that Hillary's coalition is cracking and to suggest that she's in real trouble. But millions of people still have yet to go to the polls. There are at least two head-to-head debates ahead. Yes, things look exceedingly bleak for her. But is it really true that the only conceivable way she can win is if Obama commits a huge flub or the Clinton camp digs up an Obama scandal?It's panic-button time.
Come on, now. Anything can happen in politics. Fournier's pieces always note at the bottom that he's spent nearly two decades covering politics, so if there's anyone who should know this, it's him.
So let's bag the pronouncements about what can't happen, if only out of respect for the voters. There's simply no reason not to extend them the respect of letting them have their say.
Harris and VandeHei are among the most respected journalists in the business. Why won't anyone listen to them?
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