Obamanauts in the media be warned!
I'm always amazed by how short sighted we can be in the media. I freely admit that generally speaking, when the masses tend to agree on something, they're generally right. But consensus does not always equal correct, especially when it comes to politics. Right now, I think most of us can agree that a large amount of the media attention in the US Presidential race is focused on Barack Obama. 
The junior Senator from Illinois has captured the attention of the media, given that he's A)black, B)camera-friendly, C)creating a lot of buzz with the younger generation, which - these days - comprises a good chunk of the demographic of the people in the media (the Walter Cronkite-types no longer rule the airwaves). As such, the media tends to gravitate toward covering him. But, as Zhongnanhai's Cam can well attest, (sorry buddy), making predictions about who is going to be the next US President at this point would be a ridiculous venture. We're only approaching March. November is a long way away. And in politics, the fortunes of any one particular candidate can change in a heartbeat. One can't deny that Obama does have the forward momentum in the race for the Democratic nomination. But, as Mitt Romney's campaign well showed, shots of momentum do not make a campaign. And even if Obama does make it through the Democratic nomination ahead of Clinton, he's still got a tough fight ahead of him against the senior statesman McCain (I know the irony of me pre-nominating McCain for the Republican nomination in this particular post, but at this point, betting against him to win would be like betting against the Harlem Globetrotters).
So to my colleagues in the media, I posit this thought: Punditry is fun. But ask any odds maker, and they'll tell you that it's perhaps not always wise to bet on the favorite, especially when credibility is the only bargaining chip you've got.
This is a post in a series focusing on the US Presidential race. As the 2008 campaign has global implications, the writers at Zhongnanhai will be occasionally posting on this topic. You can read more of our coverage by clicking here
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I don't even understand this post. Is the point that Obama isn't definitely going to win, or that the media is too excited?
Who has said Obama will definitely win in November? I've never heard that. Also, your analogy makes little sense. When did Romney have momentum? Was it when he was losing Iowa, or when he was getting wiped out in New Hampshire?
While I'll concede lots can change and no one is guaranteed anything, seems like 11 consecutive victories is not analogous to anyone else in this race. Has anyone ever won 11 consecutive primaries and NOT earned the nomination?
Here are the GOP and Democratic nominees going back to 1976. Which one had an opponent with 11 consecutive primary victories:
Kerry, Bush
Gore, Bush
Clinton, Dole
Clinton, Bush
Dukakis, Bush
Reagan, Mondale
Reagan, Carter
Carter, Ford
Please explain. Your words intrigue me.
@Cup of Cha
The main point of the post is that the media gets too entrenched in its theories about who may or may not win. And it's not as though anyone has come out and said one way or the other that Obama is going to be the winner, but if you look at the coverage of the campaign, including today, the focus is on whether or not Hillary will stay in the race if she loses the primaries in Texas and Ohio. I'm not denying for a moment that Obama has the momentum, but I just feel that the media has adopted what I call 'pack mentality' when it comes to presuming that Obama is likely going to win. And hey, I personally hope he does. I'm not a big fan of Hillary. I'm just trying to suggest that the media should be careful about skewing their questions and analysis toward Obama, because it could come back and bite them in the arse.
And as for Romney, he did have some buzz surrounding him for a while before McCain came back and handed his ass to him. And I couldn't be happier about that, either!