Now ask yourself: What role has the Drudge Report played in that burst of campaign movement? The answer, of course, is zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. His trademark flashing red lights have gone missing.
The dynamics of the campaign have irrevocably changed, and the mighty Drudge Report, the news site Beltway journalists trip over themselves to genuflect in front of, has been a complete bystander in the closing weeks of the 2008 campaign. (Not that this is the first time Drudge has choked down the stretch of a nationwide election.)
Eric explain his thinking on why:
The reason is simple. Because of the unprecedented economic turmoil, we're now in serious times. (Fifty thousand home foreclosures this year, in the state of New Jersey alone, is serious business.) And the Drudge Report doesn't do serious. The American public's attention has shifted from the campaign to the economy, and that's why the Drudge Report remains largely irrelevant to that unfolding story.
I think that is part of it. But I think maybe an even more important reason is the success of MSNBC. The Beltway Media loves to go on TV. I mean loves it. If you have any doubts about it, look at the gyrations they have gone through since 2005, when Olbermann could not book the Howard Finemans of the world (they were part of Tweety's crew) and now I imagine they clamor to be on Olbermann. Look at Olbermann's favorite Richard Wolfe of Time. Wolfe spent 2004 and 2005 spouting every GOP talking point. But give Wolfe credit, he had his finger in the air early and saw which way the wind was blowing and quickly became an Olbermann sycophant.
To get on Olbermann, you have to spout the Democratic line (or the Obama line in the primaries.) And the Beltway Media decided they wanted on Olbermann, he became the biggest thing in cable. And that spelled the end of Drudge's influence imo.
Of course now we have created a bunch of liberal Drudges which are just as bad in terms of journalism, but certainly that is much better for Democrats. From the political point of view, I say thanks to Olbermann. From a journalistic point of view, I still give him raspberries.
By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only
