The big difference on why the repugs have been so effective with the use of personality-based attacks is because of talk radio. The repugs have a very effective media machine, 90% of talk radio is conservative. Everyday conservative talk show hosts get the daily talking points from the republican national committee. These people then repeat them over and over to their sheep audience, that then go spread the word to others. You can always spot listeners of right-wing radio, they repeat the talking points endlessly with nothing else to add to it. Only recently has the left figured this out and tried to respond in kind. The creation of air america and other progressive radio voices have recently appeared and have had an affect. I think the election of '06 was demonstration of that. But we are still losing the battle. The right-wing media machine has and will continue to set the narratives of our elections. It's already clear what they are going to be. If Hillary is the nominee, then the theme is that she's a liar. She's dishonest, you can't trust her. If Obama is the nom, it's he's an elitist. He thinks he's better then you. Now we can try to create a narrative of our own against McCain, but we don't have the media machine to get it out there. Until we get some kind of parity against the repugs, they will continue to set the narratives and the msm will lap it up.

Obama's "bitter" comments broke on Friday the 11th. Today is now Wednesday the 16th and the media is still obsessing over them. Yet the revelation that the "Principals" in the Bush admin authorized and approved of each torture technique to be used on detainees, the media couldn't drop the subject fast enough. Not only that but Bush confirmed he was aware and approved of what they did. Everyone look over there, there's a cult abusing children down in Texas. Quick look over there, Obama said some Americans are bitter. How outrageous!! Torture, who said anything about torture? Nothing to see here folks, just move along now.

I didn't watch the debate but just read through about 10 pages of the transcripts. Those questions sounded like they came out of the Fox Noise channel playbook. How low ABC news has sunk. I loved the question about William Avery. Obama you talked a man that did something bad once, you served on some board with him too. That means you must be just as radical as he was, right? How absolutely disgusting and pathetic. That's the lowest kind of guilt by association I've ever seen. I think Obama and Hillary need to boycott ABC news. I would refuse to give those scumbags another interview. If either one wins the presidency, they should lock ABC out completely. No interviews, no access at all.

While being cornered and pigeonholed by the "moderators", Hillary, inexplicably, announced her new International Multilateral Middle East Security Treaty, or Hillatreaty: Any attack on Israle is considered an attack on the United States and will be met with immediate retaliation by the U.S. Denning

Hillary is channeling Charles Krauthammer. In his column last week he called for the exact same thing. That if Iran was to attack Israel with nuclear weapons, we would nuke Iran. That any attack on Israel would be considered an attack on the US, and we would rataliate in kind. Hillary has shown herself to be the neocon that she is.

Noam Chomsky got it right about our corporate media a long time ago. Paraphrasing his remarks, he said that no journalist that works for these big media companies ever gets told what to report or not report. They are never told you can't report that story. The genius of these institutions is that people who would report stories that management wouldn't like, never get hired.

Of all the Apatow movies, only Superbad was actually funny. I thought 40 year old virgin sucked, and Knocked up wasn't funny at all. Maybe I'm just not hip and down with the latest crappola being spewed out by Hollywood these days.

Oh Glenn you are such a terrible cynic. Clearly Karl Rove has Obama's best interests at heart, there can be no other motivation. He is merely offering advice on to win. Just like Rush Limbaugh has Hillary's best interests at heart, when he gets repugs to cross over and vote for her. It isn't like Rush has something called OPERATION CHAOS going on. It isn't like Rush recently said he was dreaming of riots in Denver at the dem convention, sung to the tune of White Christmas. No clearly these die hard republicans, really want their respective democratic candidates to become the next president.

On another topic, I just finished your new book and it was excellent. I wish every journalist in the nation would read your book. Maybe they'd see how pathetic their performance has been and change. Not that it will happen, but a person can dream, right?

I don't want a president that is an elitist. I want someone I'd enjoy having a beer with. That's the only qualication that should be used when deciding on a candidate. After all it's served us well these past 7 years. Why change?

There is no love lose in both the Hillary and Obama camps for the other side. I read lots of comments on different blogs, and both sides have their fanatical followers. Hillary people saying they won't vote for Obama in the general election, if she doesn't get the dem nomination. The vice versa with Obama supporters. But if you look at the polls, Hillary supporters are more likely to say they won't vote for Obama. Then the other way around. Hillary's kitchen sink strategy is the reason for most of the division. Hillary has waged a very dirty campaign that is destroying the party. Her refusal to drop out, even though mathematically she can't win, is just going to make sure McCain gets elected.