In a “Post Politics Hour” online discussion the morning of the New Hampshire primary, Washington Post White House reporter Michael Abramowitz was asked a question about the amount of time media organizations spend handicapping the politcal horserace as opposed to discussions of candidate positions on issues:
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b>Anonymous: I am saddened by the fact that the media are focusing attention so much on personalities and who-is-ahead-this-minute in the primary races that we are hearing so little about the candidates¿ positions. Obama is described as inspiring, but what are his beliefs/positions? I do not know. Huckabee is described as affable, and his gaffes make news, and when he says he wants to get rid of the IRS he gets applause, but I have not read his explanation of the increased sales tax he wants to replace the income tax (I have seen estimates of the new sales tax needing to be as high as 50 percent to offset lost revenue, but the absolutely staggering impact of such a sales tax increase is not the subject of any analysis I have seen). Wait, Hillary may have cried — now that is important.washingtonpost.com: Criticism Aside, ‘FairTax’ Boosts Huckabee Campaign (Post, Dec. 28)
Michael Abramowitz: This is a traditional and, in my view, fair criticism of the way the media covers elections. We do write about the candidates’ positions and their biographies, but much less than we do about the process of the race. We still have 10 months to go to election day, however, and I am sure the nominees of both parties will be vetted properly by the news media and others. I certainly hope so!
Now, I was under the impression that sometime between now and “election day” in ten months there were these things called “primaries” and “caucuses”, then “conventions”, in which the parties selected the nominees who would appear as the representatives of their party on the general election ballot. It seems like Abramowitz is saying that all that boring issues stuff isn’t needed before, say, Super Duper Tuesday — less than a month off — when some 40% of the delagates to each party will be selected.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to give voters the chance to hear the issues of all of the potential nominees and vet them before the convention? I sure hope so!