At what point is a candidate a "serious" candidate? One measure is cash--Clinton, Obama, Edwards got a lot of it--Kucinich, Richardson, Biden, Dodd, Gravel have less--that makes them not "serious?"
Another measure is familiarity of the candidates--again Clinton, Obama, Edwards have high Q scores and poll ratings--the others don't. Again, does this determine whether a candidate is "serious?"
Another measure is body count--how many people show up to your events? Obama, Edwards, and Clinton do better than the other candidates, but does this make them more "serious" as a candidate.
With the first primary at least eight months away, it makes no real sense to declare who the victors are, particularly when reporting favors the wealthy and the known. Shouldn't reporters attempt to distinguish differences between candidates' views rather than their bank accounts or ability to fill seats?
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) takes a whack at how "lesser" candidates are portrayed in the media.
"Left wing" ideas such as Kucinich and Gravel's opposition to the Iraq War are shared by a majority of the U.S. population; it's telling that this is insufficient to make them "serious" for Broder. By contrast, after the Republican debate, the Post reported (5/4/07) that "the three candidates who top most national polls—Giuliani, McCain and Romney—made forceful presentations, but those struggling for attention also generally acquitted themselves well." In response to three of the candidates expressing support for creationism, the Post noted their public support (5/6/07): "But a look at public polling on the issue reveals that the three men aren't far from the mainstream in that belief."
Describing the Democratic debate, the Los Angeles Times argued (4/27/07) that the wide debate format "allowed each candidate a total of 11 minutes to talk—giving Kucinich and Gravel, both of whom have a negligible showing in polls, equal time with the front-runners, which they used to take aggressive hits at [New York Sen. Hillary] Clinton and Obama." At this point, more than half a year before the first actual voters have a chance to weigh in, poll numbers should not be the prime determiner of who gets to participate in a debate; even so, Kucinich and Gravel are in what amounts to a statistical dead heat in many polls with candidates treated more seriously by the corporate media, like Biden and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
While Kucinich and Gravel were asked only eight questions in the April 26 debate, Biden received 11 and Richardson 10—nearly as many as the 12 each answered by "front-runners" Clinton, Obama and former vice presidential candidate John Edwards. This despite the fact Kucinich was tied with Richardson and Biden in the latest Pew poll (4/18-22/07) and actually beat Biden in the latest Fox poll (4/17-18/07).
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