Who's Who

Who gets political coverage? And why do they get it while others don't? The coverage itself reveals the answer.

For example, today I watched a clip of a morning infotainment show, maybe "Good Morning America", in which Bill Cosby tries to champion an education outreach program in a low-income Connecticut city. Host Meredith Vieira first seeks affirmation that "throwing money at" education--also known as funding education--is not the answer. Then she asks Cosby's opinion on Donald Trump's apparent Presidential bid.

This is one example of the widespread media coverage Trump's pre-campaign campaigning has attracted. By contrast, has a Kucinich bid ever attracted such headlines? Or a Ron Paul? Or any other unconventional candidates? No. The difference is that Trump is corporate-friendly.

Similarly, this week U.S. Representative and Republican Budget Committee member Paul Ryan published his national budget proposal. He likely did not publish the proposal expecting mass media coverage. After all, the kind of "entitlement" cuts he proposes would probably lead to mass protests, were they suddenly passed. Yet, here it is, sharing front page real estate with Donald Trump. No surprise, the details of the budget are not covered. The corporate-friendly bottom line is.

Now, note that both the Republican and Democratic leadership do this: Make their boldest moves when it doesn't matter. For example, Where was this proposal when George W. Bush was President with a Republican Majority in the House and Senate? This kind of question goes unasked.

Nevermind that.