A recent national poll showed that only 2% of Obama voters could obtain “perfect or near perfect” scores on questions relating to news stories that circulated during the presidential campaign regarding the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin tickets.
More significant for Republicans, the survey found that among Obama voters negative statements associated with McCain/Palin were much more likely recalled than negative statements associated with the Democrat contenders. A clear sign of media bias if there ever was one.
Such poll results should come as no surprise to Republicans. It certainly reinforces recent news articles in the Washington Post and other studies showing the disproportionate number of negative stories given to McCain and the more balanced (some would say fawning) coverage Obama received throughout the campaign.
How many points did this coverage cost the GOP? 5, 10, 15 points? It’s difficult to tell but perhaps a starting point is the fact that McCain lost 18% of the voters who supported Bush in ’04.
The question is what to do about it? In the past the typical response to such blatant press bias from Republican leaders has been incoherent at best and at worse dismissive. If it wasn’t clear before this year, and it certainly has been clear to this observer ever since Republicans were blamed for the government shutdown in 1995, it surely is now–there has to be a coordinated conservative message that accounts for a biased press.
A close look at WPA’ post election analysis shows that the conservative position on a host of domestic and international issues is a winning message. If the message isn’t flawed then what is left? The messenger and the strategy. Blaming a biased media for your political woes isn’t a strategy.
As the party begins planning for the next cycle it is imperative it develops a communications strategy that is aimed at countering the national press and delivering a conservative messaged despite their bias.
