The media drumbeat is hard to ignore

On MSNBC last night, Keith Olbermann asked Tim Russert whether the race for the Democratic nomination is over. Russert’s response became one of the more talked-about quotes of the evening.

For those of you who can’t clips online, Russert responded, “We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it, Keith. You know, sometimes in campaigns, the candidate is the last to recognize the best timing. It’s very much like being on life support — once they start removing the systems, you really have no choice.”

He added, “If, in fact, these reports of Senator Clinton giving her campaign more money are true, then the Clintons have a big decision to make in the morning: Do they go into further debt? … Their ability to raise money after the events of tonight – it’s going to be very difficult. As opposed to what happened after Pennsylvania, when money roared in, because people saw a realistic chance. That no longer exists. They know it, Obama knows it, and the voters … now know it, as well…. She has some real soul-searching to do. And those closest to her will give her a hard-headed analysis, and if they lay it all out, they’ll say, ‘What is the rationale? What do we say to the undeclared superdelegates tomorrow? Why do we tell them you’re staying in the race?’ Tonight, there’s no good answer for that.”

Now, the point isn’t that Russert is a reliable authority on Democratic politics, or that he somehow has his finger on the pulse of the nation. He doesn’t. The point is that Russert is largely responsible for articulating the conventional wisdom, embraced by the DC establishment.

And once the establishment decides that a candidate is finished, and starts treating that candidate accordingly, it practically becomes self-fulfilling. In Clinton’s case, facing dispiriting metrics, it’s critical that the broader campaign narrative suggest that she still has a shot at the nomination.

And right now, on every channel, everyone is hearing the opposite.



The morning shows apparently didn’t help Clinton’s case.

ABC’s “Good Morning America”: “End of the Road” NBC’s “Today”: “Is it Over?” CBS’ “Early Show”: “Obama’s Big Night” NBC: Russert repeated his Obama-is-the-nominee line, but hung it on “objective Democrats” rather than his own judgment. Of insiders, said “the obstacles are overwhelming, and they know it.” Russert suggested Obama would help Clinton retire her campaign debt (and pay off Mark Penn’s bills) as part of an exit deal. Andrea Mitchell: “She is ready to give up.” Cited Ed Rendell as the kind of supporter who might ease her out.

Stephanopoulos added, “More superdelegates will come out today for Barack Obama — they will come three, four, five at a time, and this nomination will be locked up.”

It looks like the general election begins today.