[We're not sure if this will become a recurring feature at Blog P.I., but our mystery correspondent/Dem strategist Not Paul Begala returns this morning with another new post. His posts will appear under his own byline from here on out, assuming there is a "here on out."]
The Washington D.C. crowd loves absolutely nothing more than speculation. It’s like heroin to political reporters, staffers, big party donors and anyone who has a stake in presidential politics. You just don’t feel right in the head until you’ve had your next fix, or in this case, heard the political buzz. And we should lump the political blogosphere into this group, as they display many of the same qualities of the DC crowd in following the big dance. They rumormonger, traffic in gossip and meticulously navel gaze about every politician’s move that has even a whiff of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Michigan/Nevada — depending if you’re a Republican or Democrat — coming off it.
And there is always, always someone who “should get in” or “has a chance now” that hasn’t entered the fray. There’s always somebody who isn’t in that the media wants in because frankly, new people in the contest is the very definition of news. Anyone running already is old news.
Enter the 2008 fascination with Sen. Barack Obama. Jon Alter is the latest to emerge with the inside news about a potential Obama run. He’s been on Oprah, he has a book, he helps Democrats, he raises money for his Senate account instead of the PAC (check out Claire McCaskill’s statement last week), blah, blah, blah.
You want to make some real news instead of just wild speculation and this weak “oh, I heard this” crap you guys are doing now? Put your money where your mouth is. Poll it! Because let’s face it, the only reason you process-obsessed hacks really do polls is to make news).
ARG, Quinnipiac, Zogby, Hotline-Diageo, Claremont-McKenna you listening? Add the damn question to the mix. Find out how many people in NH and Iowa know his name, find out if he beats any of the big dogs in the Dem primaries like Clinton, Edwards, Gore or Kerry.
You are notorious for polling ridiculousness like Bloomberg for President, so poll Obama and kick this feeding frenzy up a notch. It certainly can’t hurt his book sales any.
Heh. I never realized that they did a poll on a Bloomberg Presidential run. This is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone even mention his name in the same sentence as “President.” I’d be interested in seeing an Obama poll. It’s like you said, his name gets trotted out a lot, but only in political parlor games.