“If folks were expecting any drama tonight, they’ll just have to make due with the uplifting kind.” Such was the bottom line of David Goldstein's blog for HorsesAss.org, entitled “A Stunning Lack of Disunity.” I ran into David here at the Big Tent (the DNC mecca for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders – erected here in Progressive Future's parking lot), and thus launched into a discussion of the disparity between the media's playing up the contention between the Obama and Clinton camps, and the actual on-the-ground unity within the Democratic Party.
Unfortunately, many people don't like to make due with the uplifting kind of drama – heart-warming tales of togetherness and harmony don't make for newsworthy items. The media's coverage of the DNC seems to highlight the nature of mainstream media as a business: go for the sell, but don't bog it down with much substance.
In fact, Goldstein's main gripe about why he's here to “keep the media in line” is because most of the Washington-based newspapers (HorsesAss is a Seattle-based blog representing the Washington contingent in the BigTent) didn't actually send any reporters to the DNC. The speculation from afar compounded with the need to sell papers with sensationalist drama has caused the papers to run stories all but fabricating the dramatic contention between Obama and Clinton supporters, Goldstein told me. Yes, the loyalty to the candidate is there, but the larger necessity to secure a Democratic victory this fall far overshadows any petty squabbling between the two camps.
Digby mused about this phenomenon regarding the DNC media coverage in a blog post responding to a column by Maureen Dowd which played up these tensions. “I would say that it's even money that by the end of the week we'll be hearing certain quarters of the media parrot [Dowd], if only because the "Dems are in disarray" theme is such a compelling nursery rhyme for puerile gasbags.” What, the rally of support to elect the first African American President in U.S. history is not compelling enough?
In fact, if you follow the key words used to describe Clinton's name being put in for nomination at the DNC, you often find language used to convey that Clinton had contentious, even violent, motivations for that move. “The national media made a huge deal about Clinton 'hijacking' the convention, and in fact there was huge criticism of Obama, saying that he was letting her take over a convention that was supposed to be his,” said Naomi Zeveloff, Senior Fellow for the Colorado Independent.
In reality, those who have been on the ground talking to Clinton supporters see a different story. “The larger part of the Clinton camp which includes prominent feminists: they're disillusioned, they're upset that they won't see a female president, but in terms of advancing women's issues, they see the need to go for Obama and throw their support behind him,” said Zeveloff. "They are also excited that Obama picked Biden: he's done a lot of work on women's issues, in particular he's done a lot of work to defend Afghan women.”
Unfortunately, these stories lack the black-and-white aspect that is easily translatable for publications to capture immediate audience attention. Says Digby: “The media see [these people] as exotic birds or amusing chimps playing in the trees and consider them decoration for the real event.” Both Digby and Goldstein have agreed that it is hard for the mainstream media to take the high road and accurately represent the complexity of the relationship Clinton backers have with Obama, when there is an obvious hero-and-villain frame they can capitalize on. “Contention makes news, it's true, but the other part is that it's really hard for people to believe that Clinton would go down quietly, especially regarding the bruising and bloody end to the campaign,” said Zeveloff.
The overwhelming majority of the stories I've heard point to Clintonians who see her inclusion in the nominating process as a symbolic gesture to honor the groundbreaking nature of her campaign, and her strength and skill in becoming a major contender for the nomination. “The parts that got the most applause [during her speech last night], were the mentions of unity with Obama, but also things near and dear to herself. People really applauded when she said, 'my grandmother could not vote in an election, and this year my daughter voted for her mother,'” said Zeveloff. “Its hard for me to say that this convention is about the Clintons when its so much about Obama: people had signs that said 'Clinton,' more people had signs that said 'Obama,' but just as many people had signs that said 'Unity'. I cant imagine symbolic gestures could break that.”
