Jim Bernstein writes: YES, Mosley Braun, Sharpton and Kucinich do have much, much less name recognition than Edwards, Dean, and Kerrey in national polls! Moreover, they have never been more than either an asterisk or "<1%" in any national poll. Even in their home states, the candidacies of Mosley Braun (Illinois), Sharpton (New York, and Kucinich (Ohio)are barely register any support.
The STAR TRIBUNE - like many other newspapers - covered the candidates who have made some impact to date or have already established themselves as credible candidates. Fact is, Mosley Braun, Sharpton, and Kucinich are merely "the rest of the field" for the Democratic nomination and did not merit separate stories. Peter Schmitz responds: On the surface, Jim, your argument is convincing until one considers why Ralph Nader received marginal coverage in the Minneapolis Star Tribune three years ago despite that his name recognition was higher than 50 percent. Also, this weekend, the Associated Press reported results from a poll that "showed two-thirds of the people surveyed couldn't name one of the nine candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination ." Lieberman polled highest in name recognition, but with only 14 per cent, and Al Sharpton actually tied with John Kerry at 5 per cent, out-polling Senator Bob Grahams by one percent, and Senator John Edwards by three per cent. So according to the criteria that you evidently support, Senator John Edwards should be banished to "the rest of the field" along with Kucinich and Moseley Braun. Senator Grahams "impact to date" evidently hasn't been all that great. And how does one establish himself or herself as a "credible candidate"? The Star Tribune ought to come up with a more credible standard regarding how much coverage they grant a presidential candidate if it doesn't want to be accused of automatically marginalizing candidates who appear left of center. Again, election coverage, whether it's local or national, is another example of how the Minneapolis Star Tribune underserves its readers. --------Peter Schmitz CARAG TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
